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Story: A Death at La Junta Army Air Field (1944)
George Conn was born – likely into slavery – as the son of George and Martha Conn in Lewis County, Missouri on 16 Jul 1852. He was the eldest of at least three siblings, his two brothers being William (1853) and Harrison (1860). His parents were both born in Kentucky. In the 1870 census, the first taken after emancipation, George is listed with his parents and siblings in Spencer, New London, Ralls County, Missouri. He married Anna Easter on 8 Jan 1877 in Knox County, Missouri and had six children – Docia “Dossie” (1879), Cora (1881), John Isaac (1883), Lucy (1884), Roby George (1888), and Eunice (1893). In the 1880 census they were living at Salem, Lewis, Missouri where they lived until at least 1883 (birth of son John) and by 1888 (birth of son Roby) they had moved to Kahoka, Clark, Missouri.
After moving to Keokuk, Iowa in 1912, he lost his wife Anna in 1933. George would then have to witness the tragic death of his daughter Lucy when she stepped in front of a bullet fired by her brother Roby in defense of her eldest son Lloyd. Roby was sent to prison at Joliet, Illinois. George passed away on 14 May 1942 in Keokuk, Iowa. His funeral was held at the Bethal A.M.E. church in Keokuk, officiated by the Rev. J. W. Collins. He was buried at Oakland Cemetery.
| Vitals & Events | |||||
| Event | Date | Place | Notes | ||
| Born | 1854 | Missouri | to George Conn (b 1825) & Martha (b 1830) | ||
| Census | 1870 | Spencer, Missouri | farm hand, with parents and siblings | ||
| Marriage | 8 Jan 1877 | Knox Co., Missouri | to Anna Easter (1856-1933) | ||
| Census | 1880 | Salem, Missouri | farmer, with wife and infant daughter | ||
| Census | 1900 | Kahoka, Missouri | day laborer with wife and five children | ||
| Census | 1910 | Lincoln, Missouri | laborer of odd jobs, with wife | ||
| Census | 1920 | Montrose, Iowa | quarryman with wife and a border | ||
| Census | 1930 | Keokuk, Iowa | with wife | ||
| Census | 1940 | Keokuk, Iowa | with daughter and three grand-children | ||
| Died | 14 May 1942 | Keokuk, Iowa | |||
| Immediate Family Members | |||||
| Relation | Name | Birth Date | Birth Place | Death Date | Death Place |
| Father | George Conn | c1825 | Kentucky | ||
| Mother | Martha | c1830 | Kentucky | ||
| – brother | William Conn | c1853 | Missouri | ||
| – brother | Harrison Conn | c1860 | Missouri | ||
| Wife | Anna Easter | 25 Dec 1856 | Bowling Green, Missouri | 12 Jan 1933 | Keokuk, Iowa |
| – daughter | Docia Conn | 30 Apr 1879 | Missouri | 10 Jan 1946 | Peoria Co., Illinois |
| – daughter | Cora Conn | 16 Jun 1881 | Kahoka, Missouri | May 1946 | |
| – son | John Isaac Conn | 24 Feb 1883 | Lewis Co., Missouri | 25 Jan 1960 | Kahoka, Missouri |
| – daughter | Lucy Conn | 2 Jul 1884 | Knox Co., Missouri | 21 Dec 1930 | Chicago, Illinois |
| – son | Roby George Conn | 30 Nov 1888 | Kahoka, Missouri | 29 Aug 1988 | Chicago, Illinois |
| – daughter | Eunice Conn | 12 Jun 1893 | Kahoka, Missouri | 5 Feb 2000 | Los Angeles Co., California |
Census Records:
- 1870 US Federal Census: Spencer, Ralls, Missouri – Conn family
- 1880 US Federal Census: Salem, Lewis, Missouri – Conn family
- 1900 US Federal Census: Kahoka, Clark, Missouri – Conn family
- 1900 US Federal Census: Jackson, Lee, Iowa – William and Emma Haley
- 1930 US Federal Census: Keokuk, Lee, Iowa – Conn/Haley families
Newspaper Articles:
- Clark County Courier
- 1931, Jan 2: “Obituary – Mrs. Lucy Haley”
- 1933, Jan 20: “Obituary – Mrs. Anna Conn”
- 1942, May 22: “Obituary – Mr. George Conn”
