Cummings, Alma

From the Files of Virginia Aldridge

ALMA CUMMINGS VOYLES:
daughter of Henry F. Cummings and Amelia May Corns
adopted daughter of David G. Voyles and Hannah J. Balderback
Born: 30 September 1879 Henderson Co., KY
Died: 28 May 1952 Vanderburgh Co., IN
Burial: Park Lawn Cemetery Evansville, Vanderburgh Co., IN
Married: 1] 21 October 1916 Vanderburgh Co., IN Book 64 page 223
    EDWARD JUNUS PARR
    son of William M. Parr and Mary Jane Greenwell
    Born: 31 January 1882 KY
    Died: 14 August 1944 Evansville, Vanderburgh Co., IN
    Burial: St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery Vanderburgh Co., IN

CHILDREN OF EDWARD AND ALMA:

    1. June Gibson Parr
        b. 18 September 1917 Spencer Co., IN
        d. 19 September 1917 Spencer Co., IN
    2. Maurice Parr
        b. 4 November 1918 Spencer Co., IN
        d. 6 November 1918 Spencer Co., IN
    3. Parvin LeRoy Parr
        b. 1 March 1920 Spencer Co., IN
        d. 5 March 1920 Spencer Co., IN
    4. Ruth E. Parr + 1] Robinson
                             + 2] Melvin Glenn Sluder
        b. 15 March 1922 Spencer Co., IN
        d. 8 September 2013 Vanderburgh Co., IN
    5. James Howard Parr
        b. 21 July 1923 Spencer Co., IN
        d. 18 September 1923 Vanderburgh Co., IN

Married: 2] 15 February 1945 Vanderburgh Co., IN Bk. 126, page 257
    JOHN ALBERT BROWN
    son of Morgan Brown and Rosa Eberhardt
    Born: 27 February 1877 Owensboro, Daviess Co., KY
    Died: 5 January 1952 Evansville, Vanderburgh Co., IN
    Burial: St. Joseph Cemetery

They had no issue.

SOURCES:

Year: 1880; Census Place: Hebbardsville, Henderson, Kentucky; Roll: 419; Page: 380D; Enumeration District: 213 I suspect this is Alma living in the home of her mother listed as an unnamed infant daughter age 6/12.

Year: 1900; Census Place: Luce, Spencer, Indiana; Roll: 403; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0070; FHL microfilm: 1240403

Year: 1910; Census Place: Luce, Spencer, Indiana; Roll: T624_380; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 0078; FHL microfilm: 1374393

Warrick Co., IN Orphans Home records list a May Commons as the mother of Wesley Commons and Alma Commons. Surname also listed as Camens and Cummings. Alma listed John Cummings as her father on her second marriage record. She listed the Voyles' as her parents for her first marriage.  I suspect Alma did not know the name of her father. Her mother was married to Henry F. Cummings in 1873  in Henderson Co., KY. Wesley Cummings is listed on the 1880 census as born 1876. When the orphans' home first opened they did not keep accurate records of the dates of birth for the children who were surrendered by their parents.

I have not been able to find what happened to Alma’s father, but her mother remarried a John Milton Decker 2 July 1884 in Warrick County, Indiana. I have found no divorce record for John Decker and May Cummings. I have found no death record for John Milton Decker, but May remarried to a Sidney Metcalf and had several children by him starting in 1886. Several of these children were born in Pike Co., IN.

The March 1887 record of the Orphans' Home lists Wesley Cummings marked out and on the right hand page it lists William Ewing as the person to whom he is bound out on 10 March 1887. There is no record for this in the "Articles of Apprenticeship".

Alma Cummings Boonville Standard, issue 9 March 1892
Articles of Apprenticeship, 1831-1907 pages 171 and 172
Alma Voyles Rockport Democrat, issue 27 October 1916
Rockport Democrat, issue June 29, 1917 store burning

Obituaries:
David G Voyles Evansville Courier, issue 12 July 1915
Hannah Voyles Rockport Democrat, issue 4 August 1916
Edward Parr Evansville Courier, issue 15 August 1944
Alma Parr Brown Evansville Courier, issue 30 May 1952

 

Created 30 June 2020; Updated 11 August 2023