Field Notes

Researching Family History One Record at a Time

Ancestors / Staggs

Florence Arminda Staggs

Also known as: Minnie

b. 10 Mar 1866 · Augusta, Woodruff County, Arkansas – d. 12 Aug 1935 · Los Angeles County, California

Active
Black-and-white studio portrait of a young Florence Arminda 'Minnie' Staggs, close-cropped, wearing a dark, heavily embroidered dress with a high ruffled white collar and drop earrings. She has blunt-cut bangs and a direct, unsmiling expression.
Florence Arminda "Minnie" Staggs, scanned from the original by her great-granddaughter, Carol Chapin. Originally shared on Ancestry, 27 May 2022.

Vital Facts

Event Date Place Status Source
Birth 10 Mar 1866 Augusta, Woodruff County, Arkansas Proven 1
Marriage 22 Dec 1887 Morrilton, Conway County, Arkansas Proven 2a,2b,2c
Death 12 Aug 1935 Los Angeles County, California Proven 1

Family

Parents

  • Eli Staggs — Father. Born 1831, Alabama. Killed in a gunfight with a man named McKinney near Cotton Plant, Woodruff County, Arkansas, before 4 August 1866 — shortly after Florence's birth, and widely reported in newspapers as far as Memphis and Wilmington. McKinney had been robbed and held by four men; two of the accused, Stracener and a Berry (Eli's brother-in-law), were tried and acquitted. Afterward, Eli — described in the newspaper account as a witness for Berry's defense — rode up to McKinney and challenged him to a pistol duel; both men died of their wounds. A family account instead holds that Eli was mistakenly shot by the Army as a deserter, but this is not supported by the documentary record. See Minnie Staggs's journal entry for full detail and both newspaper accounts. 3a,3b,3c
  • Nancy Jane Berry — Mother. Born 1844, Pontotoc County, Mississippi. Death not precisely documented; absent from the 1880 census alongside her children, suggesting death between 1870 and 1880. 4a,4b

Spouse

  • William Webster Bates — m. 1887 , Morrilton, Conway County, Arkansas (Proven) 2b,2c — Known to the family as 'Minnie.' Married 22 December 1887. Seven children — see below for the full family record.

Children

  • Willie Lea Bates (b. 27 Oct 1888, Newport, Jackson County, Arkansas; d. 26 Sep 1975, Quanah, Hardeman County, Texas) 5a,5b
  • Jesse Earl Bates (b. 31 Oct 1891, Crawford, McLennan County, Texas; d. 3 Feb 1969, San Bernardino, California) 5a,5b
  • Ada Pearl Bates (b. 5 Jan 1894, Goldthwaite, Texas; d. 26 Jan 1981, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California) — Recorded at birth as Ada Pearl; later in life she styled herself 'Edythe Pearl' and was known to family by that name. Both forms are documented; 'Ada Pearl' is used here as the birth-record form. County for Goldthwaite birthplace not yet confirmed — see open questions. 5a,6
  • Nora Minnie Bates (b. 7 Oct 1897, Goldthwaite, Texas; d. 15 Mar 1918, USA) — Family account holds that Nora died during the 1918 influenza pandemic, a claim corroborated by surviving letters in which she describes her own illness. County for Goldthwaite birthplace not yet confirmed — see open questions. 5a,7
  • Chancy C. Bates (b. 22 Aug 1900, Oklahoma; d. 3 Sep 1900) — Died in infancy, 12 days old. Absent from the 1900 census, taken in July of that year, before his birth. 8
  • Robert Webster Bates (b. 3 Aug 1901, Eldorado, Jackson County, Oklahoma; d. 15 Jun 1995, Payson, Gila County, Arizona) — Shannon's grandfather. See his own page for full detail.
  • L. Z. "Bun" Bates (b. 1 May 1904, Altus, Jackson County, Oklahoma; d. 18 Oct 1982, Highland, San Bernardino County, California) — Known to the family as 'Bun.' The meaning of the initials 'L. Z.' has not been established. 5b
  • Beulah Beatrice Bates (b. 1 Jun 1907, Greer County, Oklahoma, or Eldorado, Oklahoma; d. 30 Nov 1996, Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas) — Birthplace recorded inconsistently across sources as either Greer County or Eldorado, Oklahoma. 5b

Timeline

  1. 10 Mar 1866 Born, Augusta, Woodruff County, Arkansas, twin to brother Robert M. Staggs, five months before her father's death. 1
  2. before 4 Aug 1866 Father, Eli Staggs, killed in a gunfight with a man named McKinney near Cotton Plant, Woodruff County — see Family, above, for full detail. 3a,3b
  3. between 1870 and 1880 Mother, Nancy Jane Berry (by then remarried to William T. Gilleon), presumably dies; no document yet confirms the date. Florence and her twin brother appear, by 1880, in the household of J. J. and Victoria McDaniel rather than their mother's.
  4. 1870 Enumerated as 'Arminda,' age 4, in the household of stepfather William T. Gilleon, with mother Nancy and half-siblings Nancy J., Susan, and George Staggs, De View, Woodruff County, Arkansas. 4b
  5. 1880 Enumerated as 'Minny,' age 14, a laborer in the household of J. J. and Victoria McDaniel, Barnes, Woodruff County, Arkansas — no parent present in the household. 9
  6. 22 Dec 1887 Marries William Webster Bates, Morrilton, Conway County, Arkansas. William applied for a marriage license this date; the Arkansas County Marriages Index separately records a marriage date of 22 Dec 1888, but this is more than likely a clerical error, since the family Bible and a family-held marriage certificate both independently give 22 Dec 1887 as the marriage date itself. 2a,2b,2c
  7. 1888–1907 Seven children born across Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma — see Children, above, for the full list.
  8. 1900 Enumerated with her husband and four children (Willie Lea, Jesse, Ada, and Nora), Duke Township, Greer County, Oklahoma Territory. The household owns their home and farm free and clear. 5a
  9. 1920 Enumerated with her husband, Baucum, Jackson County, Oklahoma. 10
  10. 13 Aug 1926 Husband, William Webster Bates, dies at their home near Eldorado, Jackson County, Oklahoma. 11
  11. after 1926 Relocates to Los Angeles, California, presumably to live near her daughter Ada (Edythe), who appears there in the 1930 census. 6
  12. 12 Aug 1935 Dies, Los Angeles, California, of cerebral hemorrhage, after ten years of arteriosclerosis and five years of myocarditis. Her death certificate records ten years' residency in Los Angeles. 1

Open Research Questions

  1. What were the circumstances of Eli Staggs's death so soon after Florence's birth in 1866?
  2. What became of Florence between her mother's death (ca. 1871) and her marriage in 1887 — who raised her during that interval?

References

  • 1. ↩ “California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800–1994,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGVW-NM37 : 22 October 2019), Minnie Bates, 1935. [Birthdate listed as 10 March 1866.]
  • 2a. ↩ Bates family Bible, marriage entry for William Webster Bates and Florence Arminda "Minnie" Staggs, 22 December 1887, Morrilton, Conway County, Arkansas; digital image shared by Carol Chapin (great-granddaughter of William and Minnie, via her grandmother Beulah Beatrice Bates), from the original document in family possession.
  • 2b. ↩ William W. Bates and Minnie Staggs, marriage certificate, 22 December 1887, Morrilton, Conway County, Arkansas; digital image shared by Carol Chapin (great-granddaughter of William and Minnie, via her grandmother Beulah Beatrice Bates), from the original document in family possession.
  • 2c. ↩ “Arkansas Marriages, 1837–1944,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7SQ-RP1 : 11 January 2020), Minnie Staggs in entry for W. W. Bates, 1887. [Age recorded as 21.]
  • 3a. ↩ “Bloody Affair in Arkansas,” (Memphis) Public Ledger, 24 August 1866; Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress (https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033673/1866-08-24/ed-1/seq-1/ : accessed 22 June 2020), col. 3, par. 5.
  • 3b. ↩ (Des Arc) Des Arc Citizen, 4 August 1866; Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress (https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn89051370/1866-08-04/ed-1/seq-3/ : accessed 17 May 2020), col. 1, par. 7.
  • 3c. ↩ Records of Administrator, Executor and Guardian Bonds; Record of Letters of Guardianship; Record of Administrators and Curators, 1861–1904, Arkansas Probate Court (Woodruff County), Eli Staggs, 11 August 1866; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 June 2020). [Nancy J. Staggs and Burton Berry listed as administrators.]
  • 4a. ↩ 1850 U.S. census, Pontotoc County, Mississippi, population schedule, Pontotoc, p. 183B (stamped), dwelling 1710, family 1710, Mary Berry and Nancy Berry in household of Jarrett Berry; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 June 2020); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 380. [Mary and Nancy Berry listed as siblings.]
  • 4b. ↩ 1870 U.S. census, Woodruff County, Arkansas, population schedule, De View, p. 479A (stamped), dwelling 138, family 137, William T. Gilleon; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 June 2020); citing NARA microfilm publication M593. [Household includes Eli and Mary's children Nancy J., Susan, and George Staggs, and Eli and Nancy's children Arminda and Robert Staggs.]
  • 5a. ↩ 1900 U.S. census, Greer County, Oklahoma Territory, population schedule, Duke Township, sheet 21, dwelling 443, family 444, Arminda F Bates in household of William W Bates; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 June 2020); citing NARA microfilm publication T623. [Age recorded as 34.]
  • 5b. ↩ 1910 U.S. census, Harmon County, Oklahoma, population schedule, Looney, p. 8B (written), dwelling 136, family 138, Florence R Bates; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 June 2020); citing NARA microfilm publication T624.
  • 6. ↩ 1930 U.S. census, Los Angeles County, California, population schedule, Los Angeles, p. 1A (written), dwelling 1, family 1, Edythe P Haman in household of Harry F Haman; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 June 2020); citing NARA microfilm publication T626.
  • 7. ↩ The Louis Cemetery (Louis, Oklahoma), Find a Grave, database with images (https://www.findagrave.com/ : accessed 1 July 2020), “Nora M Bates, Oct. 7, 1897 – March 15, 1918.”
  • 8. ↩ The Louis Cemetery (Louis, Oklahoma), Find a Grave, database with images (https://www.findagrave.com/ : accessed 1 July 2020), “Chancy C., Son of W.W. & M. Bates. Born Aug. 22, 1900. Died Sept. 3, 1900.”
  • 9. ↩ 1880 U.S. census, Woodruff County, Arkansas, population schedule, Barnes, p. 238B (stamped), dwelling 16, family 19, Minny [sic] and Robbert [sic] Stags [sic] in household of J. J. McDaniel; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 June 2020); citing NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 59.
  • 10. ↩ 1920 U.S. census, Jackson County, Oklahoma, population schedule, Baucum, p. 1A (written), dwelling 8, family 8, Minnie Bates in household of William W Bates; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 June 2020); citing NARA microfilm publication T625.
  • 11. ↩ “Death of William Bates,” Eldorado Courier (Eldorado, Oklahoma), 20 Aug 1926, p. 8; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/906597215/ : accessed 17 Jul 2026), courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.