Annis Hubbard, Before Orland

Excerpt from journal of Orland William Carver Jr. Portland, Oregon, 1976.

My grandmother, Annis Loiza Hubbard, was born in Vermont in 1869. Her parents were Edmund Wilmot Hubbard Sr. and Cynthia Jane Parks (who went by Jane.) Grandma had two brothers, Edmund Wilmot Hubbard Jr. and Arthur Parks Hubbard. 

Note: My father always spelled her middle name Loiza, with a z. On her birth record it is spelled Loisa, with an s. 

Jane moved the family to Nebraska in 1886, when Annis was 17. By this time Edmund Sr. had passed away, and some of Jane's sisters had already made the move to a place called Venus, Nebraska. If you look on a map, this is just a few miles north of Orchard, near Walnut Grove.

Here is a photo of Grandma. Dad thought she was about four in this picture. I love the Little House in the Big Woods curls, and that serious face. She looks so young and so old, all at once.

Annis Loiza Hubbard, about 1873

This is the only other photo I've ever seen, with her brothers. From what I can gather, Annis was also called Annie. Edmund went by Ed. And Arthur? My dad's generation called him "Uncle P".'

Edmund, Annis, Arthur Hubbard. Before 1925. Probably Nebraska.

We aren't sure when this picture was taken. Grandma died in 1925, so obviously before that. According to those who remember him, Uncle P's idea of dressing up was a clean white shirt and a fresh pair of bib overalls, so this must have been an important event, since he is in a suit.

• Their mother died in 1897, and this looks later than that, so I don't think it's her funeral.
• Is the car a Model T? I'm not a car expert. Model T production started in 1908. This car looks well used, though, not new.
• Grandma’s outfit looks like internet photos of women's wear in the 1910s. But that spans a number of years.
• Best guesses: 1914 for Great Grandpa Cyrus Carver's funeral or 1916 when Annis and family returned to Nebraska for a visit.

Annis Hubbard and Charles Sholes

Grandma married Charles Sholes in Sherman Township, Antelope County, Nebraska on October 9, 1889. She was 20. He was 26.

Somewhere along the way Charles left, and in 1895 Annis filed for divorce on grounds of desertion, and also because he was a man of vicious and vulgar habits. At least that's what the divorce petition says. It may just be something lawyers always put in their paperwork, though. When you hear the memories of Charles' descendants from his 2nd marriage, he is described as loving, gentle, and soft spoken. It’s hard to look back and tell exactly what happened 115 years ago. My father said that the only thing he ever heard Grandma say about Charles was, "We went our separate ways."

One thing that's not hard to tell, he was handsome. Here is a photo, courtesy of his great-granddaughter Sandy Dempsey. The exact date of the photo isn't known, but it's safe to say he looked something like this when he met Grandma.

Charles Eugene Sholes. Est age 21. About 1883. Independence, Iowa.
Courtesy of Sandy Dempsey

Charles was born in Buchanan County, Iowa on May 24, 1862. His parents were Elijah W. Sholes and Sarah Root. This family was still in Iowa in 1880, but by 1885 they are in Verdigris Precinct, Knox County, Nebraska. 

Annis and Charles had one daughter together, Florence Octavia Sholes. Florence was born December 31, 890 in Venus, Knox, Nebraska.
31 DEC 1890 • Venus, Knox,