Finally found her: May Belle Green Inman

Amongst the papers my grandmother shared with me about her family was this story written by her aunt:

"Belle married a Mr. Green from Fulton, [Fulton Co.] Ky.  (His family raised race horses).  They came to near Lamar, [Barton Co.] Mo.  She died in child birth.  Mr. Green took the baby girl and went back to Kentucky." 

-Jessie Mae Jackson

 Belle was Lucy M. Arabella R. B. "Belle" Jackson.  Her full name will surely never be known as the family bible contained nothing but initials.  The other names that filled in the gaps are all from census records.  A little digging and I found her marriage to "J.R. Green" MAY 28, 1873 by J.M. Spence, M.G., in Weakley County, Tennessee.

I'd always wanted to track down Mr. Green and the daughter and thanks to one of my favorite databases, the Tennessee Death Records at familysearch.org, I finally have:

Tennessee, Death Records, 1914-1955
familysearch.org
noted 24 Sep 2011
name: May Belle Inmann
event: Death
event date: 28 Apr 1943
event place: Union City, Obion, Tennessee
gender: Female
marital status: Married
race or color: White
age: 64
birth date: 31 Aug 1878
birthplace: Joplin, Mo
spouse: W J Inman
father: Jim Green
father's birthplace: Mo Or Ky
mother: Belle Jackson
mother's birthplace: Mo Or Ky
occupation: Hw
street address: RFD #3
residence: Obion Co, Tenn
cemetery: Beulah
burial place: Union City, Tenn
burial date: 29 Apr 1943
additional relatives: X
digital folder number: 4184876
volume/page/certificate number: cn 8076

No question that it is her.

So, no special skill this time.  No unravelled puzzle.  Just diligently looking and never giving up.  These databases are so amazing.  It's hard to remember that you had to know where to look before you could really get started...

I'm having trouble finding out very much about May or her husband.  I have found them in only one census, with May's half-sister Dolly living with them:

State Kentucky
County Hickman
McAlister Magistereal Dist
s.d. 1?, e.d.  50, Sheet No. 108?A/89A
20th? June 1900 James [smudged]
line 1, 196/200 INMAN W J head WM Dec 1875 24 M 1 Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee Farmer Rents Farm
M B wife WF Aug 1879 20 M 1 0/0 Missouri Kentucky Missouri
GREEN Dolly Sister WF Mar 1885 15 S Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky attended school 5 months
WILLIAMS Dolphus laborer WM about 26 S Kentucky Tennessee Kentucky Farm laborer unemployed 4 months

But I'm sure I'll find more.  I'm just excited that one of my oldest and biggest mysteries is solved.  Now on to a few others...

Hannah Stockwell Hamilton

A new maiden name!

Such a rare discovery for me in my direct line at this point.

I've tried looking for the marriage record without luck, but I noticed a younger son with an unusual name and I thought I'd throw it in the Michigan Deaths and Burials index on familysearch.org.

Bingo!

Michigan Deaths and Burials, 1800-1995
familysearch.org
noted 18 Sep 2011
name: Simeon Hamilton
gender: Male
death date: 14 Sep 1901
death place: Bertrand Tp., Berrien, Michigan
age: 69
birth date: 1832
birthplace: Ohio
occupation: Retired Farmer
race: White
marital status: Married
father's name: Nathaniel Hamilton
mother's name: Hannah Stockwell
indexing project (batch) number: B51819-8
system origin: Michigan-EASy
source film number: 945406

Yeay and whew.

and then also his brother:

Michigan Deaths and Burials, 1800-1995
familysearch.org
name: Francis M. Hamilton
gender: Male
death date: 06 Jul 1915
death place: Bertrand, Berrien, Michigan
age: 73
birth date: 1842
birthplace: Mich.
occupation: Farmer
race: White
marital status: Married
father's name: Nathanial Hamilton
mother's name: Hanah Stockwell
indexing project (batch) number: B02571-0
system origin: Michigan-EASy
source film number: 1954721