Juanita Elaine, where are you?
Juanita Elaine Ballard. She's the biggest brick wall I've encountered so far in all of my genealogy research. Who is Juanita? She's my great-aunt, aka my maternal grandfather's sister. Not that far back in the tree, so you'd think it wouldn't be that hard to find out what happened to her. The story of my grandpa and his older sister is a sad one, with more questions than answers. The biggest one being - where did Juanita go?
The fracturing of the Ballard family started in 1930. My great-grandfather, J.T. Ballard, passed away leaving his wife, Clara Mae ( nee Manes) Ballard a widow with two little kids. Juanita was born in 1922 and my grandpa James was born in 1924. J.T.'s death occurred sometime in 1929, and by 1930, Juanita and James were given up by their mother and placed in the Kentucky Children's Home, an orphanage in Lyndon, Kentucky. The official orphanage file I have for my grandfather (acquired by my mom decades back when she was originally trying to find Juanita) states the reason for relinquishment as "The father is dead and the mother is unable to care for them." This is dated June 13, 1930. On June 18, 1930, Juanita and James were brought to the home from Bowling Green by a Mrs. Nannie S. Marshall.
The next entry in my grandpa's file is dated August 16, 1932, when he was finally placed in a foster home. This was the home of William C. and Josie R. Holmes, who lived on a farm in Hickory, Kentucky, and already had one child, an adopted daughter. They had applied for a boy of about 8 years of age "to be of assistance to Mr. Holmes and because they wanted 'a son.'" And so my grandpa went to their home and lived there as their foster son for the next decade. According to the orphanage file, he got along great in the Holmes family and did wonderfully at school, too. But what happened to his sister, Juanita?
Juanita is mentioned one last time in my grandpa's file. An entry dated February 8, 1940, states "Miss Gregory Lilly, District Case Worker, Paducah, Ky., was written on this date, asking her to make an investigation of the home of Mr. and Mrs. Holmes re placing Juanita with her brother." But nothing in the file indicates that Juanita was ever placed with the Holmes family.
I also have a copy of a letter written by Mr. and Mrs. Holmes that was sent to the Kentucky Children's Home on October 17, 1939. The letter was a response to an inquiry from the home about my grandpa's progress as the Holmes's foster son. In the letter, Mrs. Holmes (based on the handwriting, I think she wrote the letter) writes that "James would be glad to write to his sister and we have no objections. And if she would like to visit for a few days we would be glad to have her come." To me, it sounds like Juanita was in a foster home elsewhere and that the KCH was open to them having contact. But I have no idea if Juanita ever visited James, or even got to write letters. I think there may have been sporadic contact between the two of them, because I do know, from my mom's original research, that Juanita got married at least once to someone with the last name Chapman, and had a daughter named Rose Ann Chapman. The last little bit of information I have comes from a letter sent to my grandma Doris (my grandpa James's wife). The letter, from someone named Mrs. James Cazier, is scribbled on three little pieces of paper from a small tablet. It reads:
"I called my brother this morning. When [Juanita] was working in Maryland it was near Edgerwood as a waitress. The last report of her she was down Dover Delaware Air Force Base which was 3 years ago. Does the name Mrs. Hill mean anything to your husband. She is one who wrote to me asking me to take Rose Ann as she was in such failing health. She couldn't take care of the little girl." My brother said he went over seas in 1943 so Rose Ann was born May 43. Is there any way she could be traced through Social Security number."
There's more in the letter, but the above is the most pertinent part. Based on what Mrs. Cazier wrote, it sounds like she was possibly the sister of Juanita's husband, and that she might have taken in Juanita's daughter Rose Ann at some point. But why wasn't Juanita taking care of Rose Ann herself? Who was Mrs. Hill and why was she taking care of Rose Ann? When and why did Juanita seemingly split up with her husband?
The letter is postmarked April 30, 1980, and the last report of Juanita had been 3 years prior, so no one knows what happened to her after 1977. I have wondered over the years if Juanita is still alive, though with each passing year, that's becoming less and less likely. There's an excellent chance her daughter Rose Ann is alive, but so far my attempts at tracking her down have been unsuccessful.
If I can ever solve this mystery, it will be my greatest genealogy victory yet. I'll never stop trying.
The fracturing of the Ballard family started in 1930. My great-grandfather, J.T. Ballard, passed away leaving his wife, Clara Mae ( nee Manes) Ballard a widow with two little kids. Juanita was born in 1922 and my grandpa James was born in 1924. J.T.'s death occurred sometime in 1929, and by 1930, Juanita and James were given up by their mother and placed in the Kentucky Children's Home, an orphanage in Lyndon, Kentucky. The official orphanage file I have for my grandfather (acquired by my mom decades back when she was originally trying to find Juanita) states the reason for relinquishment as "The father is dead and the mother is unable to care for them." This is dated June 13, 1930. On June 18, 1930, Juanita and James were brought to the home from Bowling Green by a Mrs. Nannie S. Marshall.
The next entry in my grandpa's file is dated August 16, 1932, when he was finally placed in a foster home. This was the home of William C. and Josie R. Holmes, who lived on a farm in Hickory, Kentucky, and already had one child, an adopted daughter. They had applied for a boy of about 8 years of age "to be of assistance to Mr. Holmes and because they wanted 'a son.'" And so my grandpa went to their home and lived there as their foster son for the next decade. According to the orphanage file, he got along great in the Holmes family and did wonderfully at school, too. But what happened to his sister, Juanita?
Juanita is mentioned one last time in my grandpa's file. An entry dated February 8, 1940, states "Miss Gregory Lilly, District Case Worker, Paducah, Ky., was written on this date, asking her to make an investigation of the home of Mr. and Mrs. Holmes re placing Juanita with her brother." But nothing in the file indicates that Juanita was ever placed with the Holmes family.
I also have a copy of a letter written by Mr. and Mrs. Holmes that was sent to the Kentucky Children's Home on October 17, 1939. The letter was a response to an inquiry from the home about my grandpa's progress as the Holmes's foster son. In the letter, Mrs. Holmes (based on the handwriting, I think she wrote the letter) writes that "James would be glad to write to his sister and we have no objections. And if she would like to visit for a few days we would be glad to have her come." To me, it sounds like Juanita was in a foster home elsewhere and that the KCH was open to them having contact. But I have no idea if Juanita ever visited James, or even got to write letters. I think there may have been sporadic contact between the two of them, because I do know, from my mom's original research, that Juanita got married at least once to someone with the last name Chapman, and had a daughter named Rose Ann Chapman. The last little bit of information I have comes from a letter sent to my grandma Doris (my grandpa James's wife). The letter, from someone named Mrs. James Cazier, is scribbled on three little pieces of paper from a small tablet. It reads:
"I called my brother this morning. When [Juanita] was working in Maryland it was near Edgerwood as a waitress. The last report of her she was down Dover Delaware Air Force Base which was 3 years ago. Does the name Mrs. Hill mean anything to your husband. She is one who wrote to me asking me to take Rose Ann as she was in such failing health. She couldn't take care of the little girl." My brother said he went over seas in 1943 so Rose Ann was born May 43. Is there any way she could be traced through Social Security number."
There's more in the letter, but the above is the most pertinent part. Based on what Mrs. Cazier wrote, it sounds like she was possibly the sister of Juanita's husband, and that she might have taken in Juanita's daughter Rose Ann at some point. But why wasn't Juanita taking care of Rose Ann herself? Who was Mrs. Hill and why was she taking care of Rose Ann? When and why did Juanita seemingly split up with her husband?
The letter is postmarked April 30, 1980, and the last report of Juanita had been 3 years prior, so no one knows what happened to her after 1977. I have wondered over the years if Juanita is still alive, though with each passing year, that's becoming less and less likely. There's an excellent chance her daughter Rose Ann is alive, but so far my attempts at tracking her down have been unsuccessful.
If I can ever solve this mystery, it will be my greatest genealogy victory yet. I'll never stop trying.
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