James E Fern

     James E Fern was born on 21 September 1865 at at sea in American waters, United States of America.

Donald Coonrod writes: Last on the ship list is 'James Fernes, infant, born U.S., Sept. 21, 1865.' James had been born at sea but in American waters two weeks before the ship reached port. James was given the middle initial, E, for the ship he arrived on, the 'Excelsus'. Always delicate, he would live to be 93. That his survival at sea was not assured is clear from the fact that four of the 244 passengers that set sail on the 'Excelsus' died before they reached America--three children died of scarlet fever and an elderly farmer died of infectious diarrhea.² He was the son of John Fern Sr and Mary Rice.

James E Fern was also known as Dudley Fern.³

James was enumerated with John Fern Sr on the census of 1 June 1870 at Hickory Twp, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, as James Fearns. James is listed as 4 years of age and was born in Pennsylvania.⁴

James was enumerated with John Fern Sr on the census of 1 June 1880 at Mineral Twp, Cherokee County, Kansas, as James Ferns. James is listed as a single white male 13 years of age. He works in a coal mine and was born on the ocean. Both of his parents were born in Ireland.⁵

James was enumerated with John Fern Sr on the census of 15 March 1885 at Mineral Twp, Cherokee County, Kansas, as James Ferin. James is listed as an 18 year white male who works as a coal miner. He was born in New York and came to Kansas from Ohio.⁶

James was enumerated with John Fern Sr on the census of 15 March 1895 at Mineral Twp, Cherokee County, Kansas, as Jas Ferns. James is listed as a 30 year old white male born at sea. He came from Ohio to Kansas and works as a miner.⁷

James E Fern married Mary Ellen McCormick, daughter of Bernard McCormick and Ellen O'Hara, on 25 June 1896 at St. Bridget's Catholic Church, Scammon, Cherokee County, Kansas.^8,9

Donald Coonrod writes: My grandfather, James E. Fern, was married to Mary Ellen McCormick in Scammon, Kansas. He was by all accounts a bright man. With no more than a fourth grade education he managed the books on the farm, spoke an indeterminate but apparently significant amount of Gaelic (which he must have learned from his parents) and read Shakespeare for relaxation. He homsteaded a 160 acre farm in Eastern Colorado and as a child I remember seeing pictures of grandpa standing outside his 'dugout' (a hole dug in the side of a hill covered with a piece of hide or cloth). Primarily, he was a reflective and philosophic man more than a man of action. He had a definite 'sweet tooth' and no meal was considered complete without something sweet at the end.¹⁰ James E Fern was head of household in the 1900 US Census of Mineral Twp, Scammon, Cherokee County, Kansas, with Mary Ellen McCormick and John Paul Fern in the same household.¹¹
On 11 Apr 1902, the Scammon Miner reported: James E., Joe, and John Fern and John Commiskey, of Weir, left Sunday nite for Seattle, WA, where they expect to stop for some time. The latter two will make their headquarters at Fairhaven.¹² Employed as a miner, James E Fern was injured by a fall of rock which fractured his hip on 21 January 1920 at The George K. Mine No-H., Mackie Fuel Company, Cherokee County, Kansas.¹³

James is head of household on the census of 22 March 1920 at Ross Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, as James Fern. He is a married white male 55 years old and born at sea. He owns his own home free of mortgage. He immigrated to the United States prior to 1900 and is naturalized. Both of his parents were born in Ireland and he is a miner in a coal mine. Enumerated with him were Mary Ellen McCormick, John Paul Fern, Bernard H. Fern, Mary Elizabeth Fern, James Patrick Fern Sr., Joseph Maurice Fern, Francis Fern and Lawrence Phillip Fern.¹⁴

James is head of household on the census of 12 April 1930 at Scammon, Cherokee County, Kansas, as James Fern. He is a married white male 65 years old and born at sea. He owns his home and it is valued at $1000.00. He was first married when he was 32 years old. Both of his parents were born in the Irish Free State. He is a laborer in a coal mine and is not a veteran. Enumerated with him were Mary Ellen McCormick, Francis Fern, Mary Elizabeth Fern and John Paul Fern.^15,16

James E Fern died on 15 April 1958 at age 92. He was buried in April 1958 at St. Joseph Cemetery, Shawnee, Johnson County, Kansas.¹⁷

Edward J. Fern writes: Dudley, again the only name I ever heard used, also homesteaded ground near Cle Elum in Washington. I visited the homestead in Prowers County, Colorado with my uncle John in 1962. It was a bit over 156 acres, short of the usual 160 acres because it sat onthe edge of the section where the county surveyor made adjustments for the curvature of the Earth. I have distinct recollections of a conversation with Dudley in which he told me about keeping a sour-dough culture at the top of a sack of flower to survive on while he was sitting out the homestead residency requirement. The ground in Colorado was used to grow wheat when I visited but it was not up to the standards I was accustomed to in Kansas, yielding at most 15 - 20 bushels an acre. There simply was not much moisture in the rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains. The farm was somewhere near a place called Two Butes which, at that time, was little more than a wide spot in the road.¹⁸