Field Notes

Researching Family History One Record at a Time

Ancestors / Jackson

William Charles "Scoot" Jackson

Also known as: Scoot

b. 27 May 1924 · Creede, Mineral County, Colorado – d. 7 Mar 1969

Active
Black-and-white photograph of a young William Charles "Scoot" Jackson standing beside his car in the snow near Creede, one hand braced on the open door, wearing a leather jacket and cap.
William Charles "Scoot" Jackson, undated, with his car in Creede. Scanned by Shannon from an original photograph in the collection of Shannon's mother.

Vital Facts

Event Date Place Status Source
Birth 27 May 1924 Creede, Mineral County, Colorado Proven 1a,1b Self-reported on 1942 draft registration card; corroborated by BIRLS, headstone application, obituary, and Find a Grave.
Death 7 Mar 1969 Creede, Mineral County, Colorado Proven 2a,2b,2c,2d Killed in a mudslide/rock-fall cave-in while working underground at the Homestake Mine near Creede.

Family

Parents

Spouse

  • Marceline Ann Duncan — m. 4 Jan 1947 , Taos, New Mexico (Proven) 3 — Marceline Ann Duncan, b. 10 Dec 1927, Kingsville, Missouri (per Wise, The Boston Family of Maryland — conflicts with a family recollection of Kansas City, Clay County, Missouri; see open questions). Came to Creede right out of high school to babysit for her aunt, a local teacher, and met Scoot there. D. 12 Dec 2021, Monte Vista, Rio Grande County, Colorado, reported by her older son (family account); cause of death reported as COVID-19, her second case. No death certificate yet obtained.

Children

  • Carl Gregory Jackson — Living. Serving with the U.S. Navy aboard USS Frank E. Evans in the South China Sea at the time of his father's death; airlifted home on compassionate/hardship leave to help his mother, who was physically challenged and had a young son at home, get her affairs in order. Was on leave, and not aboard, when the Frank E. Evans was struck and sunk by HMAS Melbourne on 3 June 1969, killing 74 of her crew.
  • William Erick Jackson — Living. Per the 1969 obituary, was living in Creede at the time of his father's death.
  • Vesta G. Jackson (b. 1951; d. 1951) — Died soon after birth. Exact date undocumented.
  • Robert L. Jackson (b. 1958; d. 1958) — Died soon after birth. Exact date undocumented.

Timeline

  1. 27 May 1924 Born, Creede, Mineral County, Colorado. 1a,1b
  2. 30 Jun 1942 Registers for the WWII draft, Creede, Mineral County, Colorado. Described as 5'7", 145 lbs, dark complexion, brown hair, brown eyes; employer listed as Mineral County. 1a
  3. 4 Nov 1942 Enlists in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. 2a,2b
  4. 8 Dec 1945 Discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve as Corporal, First Separation Company, MAB. 2b
  5. 4 Jan 1947 Marries Marceline Ann Duncan, Taos, New Mexico. 3
  6. 10 Apr 1950 Enumerated with wife Marceline and two-year-old son Carl Gregory, Creede, Mineral County, Colorado; working as a miner in a silver mine. 4
  7. 1951 Daughter Vesta G. Jackson born and dies soon after birth.
  8. 1958 Son Robert L. Jackson born and dies soon after birth.
  9. 7 Mar 1969, ca. 9:30 p.m. Killed in a mudslide/rock-fall cave-in while working underground at the Homestake Mine near Creede, roughly 3,000 feet from the mine portal. His work partner, Frank Fairchild, made his way out to alert mine officials; Scoot's body was recovered about 30 minutes later. No one else was injured. 2c
  10. Mar 1969 The elder of Scoot's two surviving sons, serving aboard USS Frank E. Evans in the South China Sea, is airlifted from his ship on compassionate/hardship leave following his father's death, to help his mother — who was physically challenged and had a young son still at home — get her affairs in order.
  11. 8 Mar 1969 State mine inspector investigates the accident at Homestake Mine; official cause not yet determined as of the following day's newspaper report. 2c
  12. 9 Mar 1969 Graveside services announced for 2 p.m. the following Monday at Creede Cemetery. Obituary survivors listed: widow Marceline; sons Eric (of Creede) and Greg (serving with the U.S. Navy in California); two brothers, including John of Creede; one sister; and his mother, Mrs. Josephine Jackson of Creede. 2d

Open Research Questions

  1. The exact cause of the 7 Mar 1969 Homestake Mine mudslide that killed Scoot was still under state mine-inspector investigation as of the following day's newspaper report; no official finding has yet been located.
  2. Marceline Ann Duncan's birthplace: Wise's Boston Family of Maryland states Kingsville, Missouri; a family recollection places her birth in Kansas City, Clay County, Missouri. These are genuinely different locations and the conflict is unresolved.
  3. Whether Scoot attended Colorado A&M College is per family account only; no enrollment, yearbook, or graduation record has been located.
  4. Marceline's exact death date (12 Dec 2021) and cause of death (COVID-19, her second case) are per family account (son Greg); no death certificate has been obtained.
  5. Exact birth/death dates for Vesta G. Jackson (1951) and Robert L. Jackson (1958), both of whom died at birth, are undocumented beyond the birth year.
  6. The compassionate leave that brought Greg home for his father's funeral in March 1969 is, per family account, the reason he was not aboard USS Frank E. Evans when she was lost on 3 June 1969. This is currently undocumented beyond family testimony — Navy personnel/leave records for Greg, if locatable, would formally establish the timeline and the leave's stated reason.

Repository Targets

  • Mineral County, Colorado — mine safety / accident records — Records pertaining to the 7 Mar 1969 fatal mine accident at Homestake Mine [Not yet searched]
  • Colorado A&M College (Colorado State University) enrollment records — Confirmation of attendance, per family account [Not yet searched]
  • U.S. Navy personnel/leave records, USS Frank E. Evans — Confirmation of Greg Jackson's compassionate leave, March 1969 [Not yet searched]

References

  • 1a. ↩ William Charles Jackson, World War II draft registration card, Local Board, Creede, Mineral County, Colorado, registered 30 Jun 1942; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 Jul 2026), "U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947"; citing The National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri, Draft Registration Cards for Colorado, 10/16/1940–03/31/1947, Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group 147, Box 118.
  • 1b. ↩ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/59524604 : accessed 18 Jul 2026), memorial page for William Charles "Scoot" Jackson (27 May 1924–7 Mar 1969), Find a Grave Memorial ID 59524604, Creede Cemetery, Creede, Mineral County, Colorado; originally created by Calmly Searching, maintained by Shannon Field.
  • 2a. ↩ "U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2020," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 Jul 2026), entry for William C Jackson, SSN 522-20-5486, d. 7 Mar 1969; U.S. Marine Corps enlistment 4 Nov 1942–8 Dec 1945; citing U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File, 1850–2022.
  • 2b. ↩ "U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1861-1985," database with images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 Jul 2026), William Charles Jackson, Corporal, Marine Corps Reserve, First Separation Co. MAB, service no. 485846, enlisted 4 Nov 1942, discharged 8 Dec 1945, died 7 Mar 1969, Creede Cemetery, Creede, Colorado; citing National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri, Applications for Headstones, 1/1/1925–6/30/1970, NAID 596118, Record Group 92, Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General.
  • 2c. ↩ "Mudslide Kills One In Mine," Pueblo Chieftain (Pueblo, Colorado), 9 Mar 1969, p. 1, cols. 1, pars. 4–9; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/1255602085/ : accessed 18 Jul 2026).
  • 2d. ↩ "William Jackson," Pueblo Chieftain (Pueblo, Colorado), 9 Mar 1969, p. 24, col. 1, pars. 5–6; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/1255602085/ : accessed 18 Jul 2026).
  • 3. ↩ Matthew M. Wise, The Boston Family of Maryland, entry 1654, Marceline Ann Duncan, daughter of John R. and Vesta L. (Hedrick) Duncan, born Kingsville, Missouri, 10 Dec 1927, married (Taos, New Mexico, 4 Jan 1947) William Charles Jackson, son of William Thomas and Alice Josephine (Davis) Jackson, born Creede, Colorado, 27 May 1924; digital image, Ancestry.com, "U.S., Family History Books" (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 Jul 2026).
  • 4. ↩ 1950 U.S. census, Mineral County, Colorado, population schedule, Creede Town, enumeration district 40-2, sheet 8, household 82, William Chas Jackson household; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 Jul 2026); citing NARA Record Group 29, Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950.