Laura Alice Skaggs

According to the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, Laura Alice Skaggs was 16 years old and living in Pitman, Montgomery County, Illinois, with her father, Andrew Skaggs, 53, and mother, Laura Jane Eubank Skaggs, 47, and her siblings, Orrin A., 19, Daisy A., 23, and Sarah E., 8. Her father was working as a farmer. Living next door was Laura Jane Eubank Skaggs brother, (Stephen) Thomas Eubank, his wife Luella, and their children Gertrude, Madolan, Lorin and Jennie. Next door was (Stephen) Thomas and Luella's son, William Eubank, and his wife Myra and their 2 year old daughter Ravena. Thomas was working as a master car builder for the railroad and William was working as a farmer.

Ten years later in the 1910 census, Laura Alice was no longer living in her family's home, but her father Andrew, 62, and her mother Laura J.,57, were living with their daughter Sarah Edna,18, who was working as a teacher.

In the 1920 census, Laura Alice, 35, was living on Boyle Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri, with her aunt and uncle, Ida Eubank Reynolds, 58, and Marcellus J. Reynolds, 58, and their daughter, Lelolia Shultz, 31, and her husband, Arthur Shultz, 31, another daughter, Clara B. Reynolds, 29, their son, Stephen Reynolds, 24, daughter Sarah Mae Reynolds, 20, and daughters Helen, 15, and Dorothy, 10. Marcellus was working as a rail road car inspector, Arthur Schultz was a driver of a bread wagon, Stephen was a paper hanger for a decorating company, Sarah Mae was a stenographer, and Laura Alice was working as an addresser for an advertising company.

By the 1930 census Laura Alice Skaggs, 45, was back in Illinois, ilving in Shipman, Macoupin, Illinois, living with her older brother, Marshall, 55, whose wife had passed away in 1923 when their daughter was just 2 years old. Living with Marshall and Laura Alice were his children, Charles, 12, and Eva Alice Skaggs, 9, and a boarder, Lucille Wheeler, 21. Marshall owned his own home which was valued at $4,000 and they had a radio in their home. Marshall was a grocery merchant and the boarder, Lucille Wheeler was working as a public school teacher.

Laura Alice's sister, Sarah Edna, married William O. Frank, and they had a son, Thomas, but after Sarah died in 1939, Laura Alice, 56, was living with William, 48, and Thomas, 13, her sister Sarah's husband and son in the 1940 census. William owned his home located in North Litchfield, Montgomery County, Illinois, which was valued at $700, and had been living there in 1935. William was working as a farmer and Laura was working as a housekeeper for a private home. For the 19 weeks she worked at 60 hours per week in 1939 she earned $75.00 income. Previously in 1935, Laura Alice had been living in rural Macoupin county, probably with Marshall Skaggs and his children.

I don't know where Laura Alice lived after 1940, but she passed away in April of 1970 at the age of 86 years old in Litchfield, Montgomery County, Illinois. It seems that she was never married and was always helping her family members when ever they needed her.