This Day in my Family History: Carrie Goldquist Luckey

My 3rd post in the This Day in my Family History blog challenge! Are any of you doing it? Comment below with a link to your blog to share it with others. Maybe we'll have ancestors that shares a birthday...you never know!

The ancestor I want to write about today I'm not even entirely sure what name she went by. I've found her listed as Ruth Carolyn, Carolyn Christine, Ruthie C., and Carrie. But since her granddaughter Ruth, my great-aunt, recorded her name as Carrie, I suppose we'll stick with that.

Family tree of Helen Lucky Andrews, daughter of Carrie Goldquist Luckey, written by Ruth Andrews Fairchild

Carrie Goldquist was born on January 7, 1860 in Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois, to Olof and Fredericka Petersen Goldquist. Her parents were Swedish immigrants and were among the first settlers in the county. Her father, Olof, died when she was still very young. Carrie was the fourth of five children, and she lived almost her entire life in Knox County. She graduated from Galesburg High School in 1878 and married Joseph M. Luckey on December 21, 1880. We find the family in the 1900 census with six children. In 1910 they are living on East Main Street in Galesburg with the youngest four of their children, and Joseph is working as a machinist for the railroad. In this census we first see the musical talent recorded that ran in the family, as her daughter Josephine is listed as a pianist. Later her daughter Helen (my great-grandmother) would go on to attend the Knox Conservatory of Music, and Helen's son-in-law, Donald Fairchild, would become a well-known pianist and composer.

Carrie continued to live in Galesburg until she and Joseph moved to Muhlenberg, Kentucky, presumably to live with their daughter Josephine's family. Carrie passed away in 1929, and her burial site is unknown. Joseph is found living with their daughter Josephine and her husband in the 1930 census, and he passed away in 1931.

The Luckey family is somewhat of a mystery. Helen Luckey, Carrie's daughter, was my great-grandmother, my paternal grandfather's mother. My Papaw died in 2000, two years before I began my genealogy work, and therefore I never got to ask him about his family, and my grandma, his wife, knew next to nothing about them. My grandpa was born in Knox County, Illinois, but came to Indianapolis when still quite young, and apparently did not have a good relationship (or any relationship) with much of his family. I've pieced together a story over the years, and have made contact with some family members who still live in Illinois, but this whole side of the tree is still shrouded in secrets. For now, I'll just keep researching!