Mary E Krebs (1867) is the only daughter of Benjamin L. Krebs and Lucy Ann Allen. Understanding Mary’s story began by learning Benjamin and Lucy’s story. Census records revealed some of Mary’s story and the additional records for her parents revealed even more. Mary’s FamilySearch profile needed to be merged with a duplicate. Once that was done, additional records could be added to her profile.

What happened to Benjamin L. Krebs (1843-1880?)

Probate records for Benjamin’s father stated that Benjamin and several siblings resided in Indian Territory. The probate record was dated about 1873. This means that Benjamin left for Indian Territory sometime after Mary’s birth in 1867 and was in Indian Territory before 1873.¹ This also means Mary likely never knew her father because she would have been an infant when he left.

It is difficult to know where to look for Benjamin in Indian Territory/Oklahoma. Benjamin could have traveled to Skullyville in eastern Oklahoma. This was the capital of the Choctaw nation and some of his siblings did live there, as members of the tribe.² The Choctaw Agency office was in Skullyville and this is where individuals could receive annuity payments. It would have made sense for Benjamin to have traveled there first.

Skullyville was in decline after the U.S. Civil War when Benjamin would have traveled to Indian Territory. If he had traveled to Skullyville, he likely would not have stayed. Many of his siblings dispersed to different parts of Eastern Oklahoma. Finding more about Benjamin may require researching each of his siblings carefully to see if he may have been nearby.

There are no U.S. census records for Oklahoma or Indian Territory in 1880.³ The census substitutes that include the Indian census rolls did not return any results for Benjamin. Even though someone entered 1880 as a possible death year, Benjamin could have died upon arrival to the area or relocated to another area and died there. It is impossible to know.

A letter written by Benjamin Krebs and his brother-in-law James Pearson during the U.S. Civil War described his experiences at the Battle of Lookout Mountain in Tennessee. James described how he and Benjamin were close enough to the opposing side the could almost see the soldiers “wink”.⁴ Benjamin’s military unit was involved in some major battles including, Shiloh, Corinth, and Chickamauga where there were many casualties. Benjamin was extremely fortunate to have survived the war, come home, and become a father.

Lucy Ann Allen’s death

Lucy Ann Allen and Mary E Krebs were listed in Isaiah’s household through the 1880 U.S. Census.⁵ Lucy disappeared from records after the 1880 U. S. census, suggesting she may have died. Since Lucy was not in the 1900 U.S. Census, her actual death date may have been before 1900. Since Lucy’s death date could be between 1880-1900. Mary could have been orphaned at a young age, but there are no records to know for sure.

Find a grave has a listing for a memorial for Lucy. The memorial is a bit unusual because it appears to be a handmade metal plaque. The plaque contains Lucy’s name as “Lucy Ann Allen Krebbs” and a date range, “1844-Aft 1900.” The unique nature of this plaque suggests it could have been made at a later date, and the dates could be wrong.⁶

What happened to Mary E Krebs?

Mary E Krebs was born about 1867, 2 years after her parent’s marriage. Census records show Mary E. Krebs lived with her mother until at least 1880 in her grandfather Isaiah Allen’s household. From 1900-1920 Mary lived with her uncle Johnathan Floyd Allen.⁷ In 1930, Mary lived with another uncle, Isaiah Spencer Allen.⁸ She worked for some of that time as a housekeeper for a private family. In 1940, Mary was living with her cousin Jeff Allen, and his mother Annie. She was 73 years old.⁹ She did not appear in the 1950 U.S. Census. She probably died sometime between 1940-1950.

Mary E Krebs’ story seems a bit sad on the surface. She never knew her father and could have lost her mother at a young age. She spent her entire adult life living with family members on her mother’s side. She never married. But she was never really left alone. She stayed close to the Allen side of the family who loved and cared for her.

Sources

1. “Probate Records, 1860-1876,” entry for Stephen Krebs, 10 May 1873, Winston County, Mississippi; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 14 November 2024), image 698 of 1,842. ↩︎
2. Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 4 December 2024), memorial 99237604, Mary Ann Krebs Burgevin, (1826-1898), gravestone photographed by Frances Allen Titsworth 46972611. ↩︎
3. “Oklahoma Census,” Familyserach Research Wiki, accessed 4 December 2024, https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Oklahoma_Census. ↩︎
4. Ancestry Public Trees, “ROWELL2 Family Tree,” rrowell,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : 4 December 2024). ↩︎
5. 1880 U.S. Census, Winston County, Mississippi, population schedule, Beat Five, enumeration district (ED) 25, sheet 69B (stamped), p. 18 (penned), dwelling 137, family 138, Isiah Allen household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 4 December 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication T9. ↩︎
6. Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 4 December 2024), memorial 262895051, Lucy Ann Allen Krebbs (1844-1900), gravestone photographed by Searcher 48749520. ↩︎
7. Refer to Mary E. Allen’s sources page for the citations for the 1900, 1910, and 1920 U.S. Censuses.. ↩︎
8. 1930 U.S. Census, Winston County, Mississippi, population schedule, township Plattsburg, Beat 5, enumeration district (ED) 80-11, sheet 9A (penned), dwelling 160, family 162, Isiah S. Allen household; digital image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 4 December 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication T626. ↩︎
9. 1940 U.S. Census, Winston County, Mississippi, population schedule, Plattsburg, Beat 5, enumeration district (ED) 80-18, sheet 13A (penned), line number 21-23, family 206, Jeff Allen household; digital image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 4 December 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication T627. ↩︎