We did find what we believe to be Jessie's parents in Illinois. Check the database for more information as it appears Jesse may have changed his name. Given Walter L, his oldest son, never felt he could get a straight answer about anything out of Jesse, this does not seem surprising. But then again, name and spelling changes seem common in this period of influx and transition. It appears the Illinois roots were only a generation or so. Read more below.

Anyone who gets into genealogy quickly realizes that nothing is as it appears. Names that one thought unique are quite common. Tidbits of information are rarely recorded twice the same. This is especially true as recent immigrants tried to find a home in this new country and dealt with prejudice, dishonesty, and stereotypes. Add to the fact they often did not speak English and so information was often recorded with different English spellings. So a genealogist has to have several theories in mind, do searches for records and documents that support or disprove a theory, and generally build up a case of evidence to make one theory stronger than another. Here so documents that for Jesse and his heritage.

There are lots of stories floating around related to Jesse and his parents. One is that Jesse's father was a Colorado mountain man who came out of the hills just long enough to mate with a (black foot) Indian squaw and then disappeared. Others are that his father was a horse trainer and maybe stage coach driver. What is clear is Walter L, his son, did not have much regard for his father Jesse. You could never get a story out twice the same way from Jesse. So the truth was never clear. But Jesse wanted to stay in touch with his grandkids and would visit (often), sometimes walking most of the day across Cleveland to get to their house.

Other things we know is there was some family connection back to Western Pennsylvania. Not only was Walter L born there (and supposedly Sadie, Jesse's first wife), but the family would often visit back there. While we know there was some connection of Agnes Suhovic, Walter L's wife, there as well it seems there was one for Jesse.

From readily found and definitive documents related to Jesse in the early 1900's, we gather a number of other facts. This if the documents are to be believed. From Census records of 1910 through 1930, we learn that Jesse declared he was born in Illinois and his parents are both from Illinois. Furthermore, his World War I and World War II draft cards list his birth town as Louiston. Both list his birth as 25 January although one lists 1879 and the other 1881. His 1910 and 1920 census implies 1879 as a birth year with the 1930 census implying 1882. Guess the stories of getting a straight story are substantiated

Searches in the Illinois area for records before 1900 were coming up empty handed. That is, until we started looking for wider variations of the name. Hence the entry of the 1870 and 1880 census records for Orwell and Mahala Horr. So why do we think this is a match?

Here is what matches up that makes us think we have found the correct record:

• Birth town
• Age
• Parents birth state
• Mother possibly American Indian
• Relatives in Pennsylvania

The census records are for the town of Astoria in Fulton County, Illinois. This town is 18 miles from Lewistown, Illinois along a major road route 24. Lewistown is the larger town and the current and original county seat. In 2000, Astoria had around 1000 people and Lewistown 2000. Canton is the largest city in the county today, another 18 miles north of Lewiston, and only has 15,000 residents. As the county was only formed in 1823, it was still a pretty rural area overall. We have not found indication of a town name change over the years but this could simply be Jesse not knowing how it was spelled in the first place.

Their son Jessie was born in 1879.

Both parents were born in Illinois.

The mother was born in Illinois but both her parents are from Tennessee. Tennessee is the home of the original Cherokee tribe and Mahala is a common name for a squaw back then. So it appears the mother was native american.

While Orwell was also born in Illinois (and we found his childhood records), his parents were both born in Pennsyvlania. Hence giving indication to the connection back in Pennsylvania that Jesse had — his grandparents and other family may have been living there.

Here is what does not match up so exactly:

• Last name different

The census records for the Horr family seem pretty clearly written with a letter "O" as opposed to "A" for many years. So likely Jesse changed the name. Note also how the census records with his parents list his name as "Jessie" while he later uses "Jesse" (except for the 1920 census which records it as the original "Jessie").

If this connection holds true, then there is a whole history and connection to settlers moving from Pennsylvania through Illinois to Kansas through the 1800's. But of course, it is because these records seem to exist connecting all these families, that we even found the information. So we will continue to build the link tighter as possible and tag onto the coattails of the extensive research available for the history before that.