52 Ancestors 2025: Choices—Tracing the Many Lives of Stephen Anthony Reed

 

This week’s exploration took me deeper into the life of my maternal grandfather, Stephen Anthony Reed—the only grandparent I ever met. While I remember him vaguely, his legacy within the family was more complicated. He and my grandmother, Ruby, divorced in the 1930s, reportedly due to his infidelity. Family lore says he was a car salesman who once gave a car to a girlfriend, even though the family had modest means.

The 1930 census places the Reed family in St. Joseph, Missouri, with Ruby, their daughter Ruth (my mother), and sons James, and twins John and Joseph. By 1940, Ruby and the children were living with her parents, Orin Taylor and Nellie Mae McWilliams Fast—a sure sign of the family fracture.

Since my first genealogy goal of the year was to trace the Reed line, I began with Stephen and also looked him up in the 1940 census. He was still in St. Joseph, now living with a new wife, Margaret L., and two stepdaughters: Detrie O. Wilcox and Rose M. Stephens. The names were unfamiliar. I assumed Margaret had been previously married to a man named Stephens and began searching records under various combinations, but came up empty-handed.

Then came some intriguing clues: a 1961 Wyoming marriage certificate listing Stephen’s wife as Verla, and mid-century city directories showing that he owned a roofing company in Nebraska, managed by Verla. The marriage certificate indicated both Stephen and Verla were previously married but widowed.

Still determined to find out more about Margaret, I returned to the 1940 census and reexamined it closely. One daughter, listed as Rose M. Stephens, was also recorded elsewhere as Rose M. Stephenson. The handwriting was difficult, and the transcription had been slightly off, but this provided a new clue. I eventually located Rose in the 1950 census—living in a convalescent home in St. Joseph and unable to work. Her 1967 death certificate confirmed she was the daughter of John Tipton Stephenson and Margaret Branstuder. She was also living in a nursing facility that was part of the local public health department.

This led to a breakthrough: Margaret’s older daughter, “Detrie,” was actually Delcie Oleta Stephenson, who had married Ralph Lewis Wilcox in 1936 in Nebraska. She later appears as Dulcie O. Stephenson Hord, confirmed by a FamilySearch tree and a Find-A-Grave entry.

Piecing this together: in 1930, Margaret Branstuder was married to John Stephenson (update: but she and John were not living together). Sometime between 1930 and 1935, Stephen Reed and Margaret left their respective families and began a life together. In the 1940 census, Margaret and Stephen were living with her daughters. They had resided in Plattsmouth, Nebraska in 1935. Rose, then 15, was not in school, and Delcie (Dulcie) was working as a waitress, though married, with no husband in the home.

By 1950, Stephen was in a new relationship, living in Norfolk, Nebraska with Verla Catherine Fultz Verbeck. Though listed as married, they didn’t officially wed until 1961, as confirmed by a Wyoming marriage certificate. Verla had been previously married to John Edward Verbeck, who passed away in 1955.

This research opens up new questions: What became of Margaret Branstuder after 1940? What were the circumstances of her and Stephen’s relationship—and her disappearance from the record? While Dulcie and Rose left some traceable paths, Margaret’s trail fades. As for Stephen, the records suggest a life of frequent moves, multiple relationships, and occupational shifts—choices that left its mark on those around him.  

There's more to uncover, and it’s a reminder that genealogical research is often less about static facts and more about untangling the complex stories behind the names. The search continues, with questions for both archives and family memory.

Addendum: I was able to pick up some of Margaret's trail. Here's an update.

52 Ancestors 2025: Language in My Family Tree

 

Although many of my ancestors came from the British Isles and Northwestern Europe, other languages were also well represented in my genealogy. For this topic, I could write about my 5th-great-grandfather, Christian Fast, whose parents came from Germany. He grew up in Maryland and Pennsylvania, speaking both English and German. When he was captured and adopted by the Delaware Indians after a failed attack, he no doubt learned their language as well. His German skills played a crucial role when he later escaped captivity and returned home—only to find that his parents, seeing his native dress and war paint, struggled to believe he was truly their son.

But I’m especially interested in my Dutch and French-speaking ancestors who settled in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. In the 17th century, the Dutch Republic (Netherlands) became a refuge for persecuted Reformed Protestants from France and Spanish-controlled Belgium (Wallonia). Many of these refugees had French names like des Marets, Durie, DuBois, de Ruine, and Sohier, while others had Dutch names like Banta, Van Horne, Van Neste, Rutgers, Terhune, Helling, and Brickers.

One of the earliest immigrant couples in my lineage was Joris Jansen Rapelje and Catalina Trico, who were married in the Walloon Church in Amsterdam on January 21, 1624, and sailed for the New World just four days later on De Eendracht. Within 40 years, New Amsterdam had become a multicultural trading city, but Dutch remained the primary language.

That changed in 1664 when British warships arrived, and New Amsterdam became New York—with English as the official language. Over time, the French-speaking settlers intermarried with their Dutch neighbors, adapting to their surroundings. As they migrated westward, their communities became known as “Low Dutch” colonies, following familiar migration patterns from New York to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. By the 18th century, English had largely replaced their original languages. When the Cossart/Cossairt line settled in Ohio, they became less insular, intermarrying with English-speaking neighbors, fully integrating into the American melting pot.

And back in New York? The city remains a global destination for immigrants, continuing to enrich its culture with new languages, traditions, and foods—all in pursuit of the American Dream.

Word cloud generated using data estimates and historical research with assistance from ChatGPT.