American AcornsRuth Joyce Kelso Clarkson
1891–1973 · Female · died at 81
Key to the summaries
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- A linked Find a Grave memorial.
Male or Female is the sex recorded in the family tree file, not a description of gender; it is left out where the tree does not record it. Age at death is worked out from the dates shown: exact when both dates are exact, otherwise a range (73 or 74) or “about”. It is left out when a date is missing, open-ended or conflicting, or when the dates would make someone older than 110, and when the research has labelled one of the dates Unconfirmed. People who may be living have no summary.
Family data snapshot: 09-24-2026 Read-only collection from the Oak Family Tree. Research incorporated 09-25-2026 (revision 90e7f7b2). Updated periodically.
Overview
Family
Parents
- Father: Winchester (Judge W.) Kelso Sr. 1858–1925
Unconfirmed evidence: show why
- Mother: May Kelso Joyce 1866–1935
Unconfirmed evidence: show why
Husband: Herbert Slayden Clarkson (Brigadier General) 1891–1974 Likely evidence: show why
Why: In her sworn 1923 passport application she stated that she was Herbert S. Clarkson's wife and that they married at San Antonio on 18 Sep 1913 (image read in the R10 research); the 1930, 1940 and 1950 censuses list her as his wife. The marriage record itself is known only from a citation in the family tree and has not been inspected.
Records:
- U.S. passport application of Ruth Kelso Clarkson, sworn in Bexar County, Texas, 8 Jun 1923; passport issued 13 Jun 1923 (NARA M1490, roll 2302). right-hand page, typed statements; the family tree cites this application twice, and both citations are the same image (view at Ancestry)
- 1930 U.S. census, Washington, D.C., ED 273, sheet 7A, block 2583, family 164, lines 12-14 (roll 299) (view at Ancestry)
- 1940 U.S. census, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, ward 42, ED 103-2678, sheet 14A, household 338, lines 38-40 (roll T627_1006), enumerated 16 Apr 1940 (view at Ancestry)
- 1950 U.S. census, Olmos Park City, Bexar County, Texas, ED 15-2, sheet 32, lines 5-6 and sample line 6 (roll 4164); sheet started 19 May 1950
Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research.
Earlier: Unconfirmed (09-24-2026, imported tree): From the imported family tree; not yet reviewed.
Likely evidence: show why
Why: In her sworn 1923 passport application she stated that she was Herbert S. Clarkson's wife and that they married at San Antonio on 18 Sep 1913 (image read in the R10 research); the 1930, 1940 and 1950 censuses list her as his wife. The marriage record itself is known only from a citation in the family tree and has not been inspected.
Records:
- U.S. passport application of Ruth Kelso Clarkson, sworn in Bexar County, Texas, 8 Jun 1923; passport issued 13 Jun 1923 (NARA M1490, roll 2302). right-hand page, typed statements; the family tree cites this application twice, and both citations are the same image (view at Ancestry)
- 1930 U.S. census, Washington, D.C., ED 273, sheet 7A, block 2583, family 164, lines 12-14 (roll 299) (view at Ancestry)
- 1940 U.S. census, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, ward 42, ED 103-2678, sheet 14A, household 338, lines 38-40 (roll T627_1006), enumerated 16 Apr 1940 (view at Ancestry)
- 1950 U.S. census, Olmos Park City, Bexar County, Texas, ED 15-2, sheet 32, lines 5-6 and sample line 6 (roll 4164); sheet started 19 May 1950
Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research.
Earlier: Unconfirmed (09-24-2026, imported tree): From the imported family tree; not yet reviewed.
- Son: Herbert Kelso Clarkson 1916–1977
Unconfirmed evidence: show why
Life events
| Born | 2 NOV 1891, San Marcos, Texas Unconfirmed evidence: show whyWhy: From the imported family tree; not yet reviewed. Records attached in the tree:
Review: not yet reviewed. |
|---|---|
| Died | 19 FEB 1973, San Antonio, Bexar, Texas, United States of America Unconfirmed evidence: show whyWhy: From the imported family tree; not yet reviewed. Records attached in the tree:
Review: not yet reviewed. |
| Marriage | 18 Sep 1913, San Antonio, Texas, with Herbert Slayden Clarkson (Brigadier General) 1891–1974 Likely evidence: show whyWhy: Her own sworn statement in her 1923 passport application (image read in the R10 research). The marriage record is citation-only and has not been inspected. Records:
Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research. |
| Residence | Her residence, with her occupation given as 'House wife', at the birth of her son Herbert Kelso Clarkson, 16 Aug 1916, 107 W. Craig, San Antonio, Texas Confirmed evidence: show whyWhy: Stated as the mother's residence and occupation on her son's 1916 Texas birth certificate (image read in the R10 research). The certificate is her son's, not her own birth record. Records:
Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research. |
| Residence | The household's San Antonio address across these years, probably a continuing home base between moves elsewhere; ownership is not shown, 1916-1931, 107 W. Craig Place, San Antonio, Texas Likely evidence: show whyWhy: The address is recorded on her son's 1916 birth certificate, the 1923 Majestic passenger list and a San Antonio directory dated 1931 by its index (images read in the R10 research). The directory's 'h' means householder, not owner. Records:
Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research. |
| Arrival | 2 NOV 1923, New York |
| Residence | Gave San Antonio as her permanent residence and 'housewife' as her occupation, and stated that she had not lived outside the United States, 8 Jun 1923, San Antonio, Texas Confirmed evidence: show whyWhy: Her passport application, sworn in Bexar County on 8 Jun 1923 (image read in the R10 research). Records:
Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research. |
| Travel | Applied for a passport for 'Travel and Study' in France, Italy, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland with her six-year-old son, to return within six months, sailing from New York about 11 Aug 1923; the passport was issued on 13 Jun 1923, Jun 1923, Bexar County, Texas Confirmed evidence: show whyWhy: Her passport application (image read in the R10 research). It records her plans; the outbound voyage itself was not examined. Records:
Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research. |
| Travel | Returned from Europe on the S.S. Majestic with her son, giving her U.S. address as 107 W. Craig, San Antonio, Texas; the ship arrived at New York in November 1923, 26 Oct 1923, Cherbourg to New York Confirmed evidence: show whyWhy: The Majestic's list of United States citizens (image read in the R10 research). The arrival day, 2 Nov 1923, comes from the index only; the held sheet leaves it blank. Records:
Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research. |
| Residence | 1930, Washington, Washington, District of Columbia |
| Residence | Wife in Herbert S. Clarkson's rented household, with their son Herbert K., 13; her occupation 'None' and her age at first marriage 21. The street is read as Ontario Road (Likely); the house number is uncertain, 1930, Washington, D.C. Confirmed evidence: show whyWhy: 1930 census, ED 273, sheet 7A, line 13 (image read in the R10 research). Confirmed for the household and city; the street reading is Likely. Records:
Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research. |
| Residence | 1931, San Antonio, Texas, USA |
| Residence | A San Antonio city directory lists Herbert S. Clarkson, with Ruth, as householder at 107 W. Craig Place. This conflicts with the 1930 Washington census and is not resolved: the directory may lag, the home may have been kept, or the family may have returned, 1931, 107 W. Craig Place, San Antonio, Texas Likely evidence: show whyWhy: City directory, p. 273 (image read in the R10 research). The year 1931 comes from the index and is not printed on the held pages, and the canvass date is unknown. Records:
Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research. |
| Residence | 1935, Fort Sill, Comanche, Oklahoma |
| Residence | Her residence five years before the 1940 census, 1 Apr 1935, Fort Sill, Comanche County, Oklahoma Likely evidence: show whyWhy: The 1940 census residence-in-1935 column (image read in the R10 research): a later answer, given by the head of household as informant, not an enumeration at Fort Sill. Records:
Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research. |
| Residence | 1 APR 1940, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States |
| Residence | Wife, 48, in Herbert S. Clarkson's rented household ($145 a month), with their son Herbert K., 23; employment status 'H' (housework). The house number, 230, is Likely: it is written once for the building, 16 Apr 1940, East Delaware Place, Chicago, Illinois Confirmed evidence: show whyWhy: 1940 census, ward 42, ED 103-2678, sheet 14A, household 338, enumerated 16 Apr 1940 (image read in the R10 research). Confirmed for the household and street; the house number is Likely. Records:
Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research. |
| Residence | Living in the San Antonio area by March 1947, Mar 1947, San Antonio, Texas Likely evidence: show whyWhy: Her 1973 death certificate states that the San Antonio physician who certified it had attended her from March 1947 (read by the researcher; the image is not retained). The informant's rounded figure of 30 years in San Antonio points to about 1943, which stays Unconfirmed. Records:
Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research. |
| Residence | Already living in the same house a year before the 1950 census, that is, by spring 1949, 1949, Park Drive, Olmos Park, Bexar County, Texas Confirmed evidence: show whyWhy: The 1950 census sample line for her answers 'Yes' to living in the same house a year earlier (image read in the R10 research). Records: Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research. |
| Residence | Relation to Head of House: Wife; Marital Status: Married, 1950, Olmos Park, Bexar, Texas, USA |
| Residence | Ruth K., 58, wife, keeping house, in Herbert S. Clarkson's household; the census names the place Olmos Park City. The house number is read as 314 (Likely), 1950, Park Drive, Olmos Park, Bexar County, Texas Confirmed evidence: show whyWhy: 1950 census, ED 15-2, sheet 32, line 6; the sheet was started on 19 May 1950 (image read in the R10 research). Confirmed for the household and street; the house number is Likely. Records: Review: assessed 09-24-2026; evidence: image inspected in the saved research. |
| Residence | ABT 1973, San Antonio, Bexar, Texas, USA |
| Burial | San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, USA |
| Departure | Cherbourg |
| Residence | San Antonio, Texas |
| Residence | 107 W Craig |
| Residence | San Antonio, Texas, USA |
| Residence | Olmos Park, Bexar, Texas |
Research notes
The Texas birth certificate attached to her in the family tree is her son's 1916 certificate, not her own; it is used only for the mother's residence and occupation it records. No held record places the household between 1917 and mid-1923 (the 1920 census entry is not held), between late 1923 and April 1930, between the directory dated 1931 and April 1935, between 1935 and April 1940, or between April 1940 and March 1947; those years are gaps in the evidence, not findings.
The family tree records 'Residence, 1920, Chicago, Illinois, USA'. It rests only on a 1920 university yearbook page that lists a faculty member under her maiden name alone and names no city. That the entry is her is not shown, and the evidence weighs against it: she had been married since 1913 and had a San Antonio home and a young son (Unconfirmed). The 1920 census entry for the household is not among the held records, so 1917 to mid-1923 stays a gap.
Sources
- Social Security Death Index Birth, marriage and death records Transcription: family sign-in Birth, Death
Source Citation: Number: [number withheld]; Issue State: Texas; Issue Date: 1963 - U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 Passenger lists and passports Transcription Scan: family sign-in Birth, Residence
Source Citation: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Passport Applications… - U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current Burials and memorials Citation only Birth
- U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016 Yearbooks Scan: family sign-in Residence
- New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 Passenger lists and passports Transcription Scan: family sign-in Birth, Event
Source Citation: Year: 1923 - 1930 United States Federal Census Census Transcription Scan: family sign-in Birth, Residence
Source Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: 299; Page: 7A… - U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 Directories and public records Transcription Scan: family sign-in Residence
- 1940 United States Federal Census Census Transcription Scan: family sign-in Birth, Residence
Source Citation: Year: 1940; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T627_1006; Page: 14A; Enumeration… - 1950 United States Federal Census Census Scan: family sign-in Birth, Residence
National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year:… - Texas Death Index, 1903-2000 Birth, marriage and death records Transcription: family sign-in Death
- Texas, U.S., Death Certificates, 1903-1982 Birth, marriage and death records Scan: family sign-in Residence
- U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current Burials and memorials Citation only Death
- Web: Texas, Find A Grave Index, 1761-2012 Burials and memorials Transcription: family sign-in Burial, Death
- Texas, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1903-1932 Birth, marriage and death records Scan: family sign-in Residence
- Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records, 1837-1965 Birth, marriage and death records Citation only Marriage
- U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current Burials and memorials Citation only
- U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current Burials and memorials Citation only Burial
- U.S., Passport Applications, 1795-1925 Passenger lists and passports Scan: family sign-in Residence
Research sources
- 1930 U.S. census, Washington, D.C., ED 273, sheet 7A, block 2583, family 164, lines 12-14 (roll 299) Census view at Ancestry
- 1940 U.S. census, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, ward 42, ED 103-2678, sheet 14A, household 338, lines 38-40 (roll T627_1006), enumerated 16 Apr 1940 Census view at Ancestry
- 1950 U.S. census, Olmos Park City, Bexar County, Texas, ED 15-2, sheet 32, lines 5-6 and sample line 6 (roll 4164); sheet started 19 May 1950 Census
- List of United States citizens, S.S. Majestic, sailing from Cherbourg 26 Oct 1923 and arriving at New York in Nov 1923 (list 6) Passenger lists and passports view at Ancestry
- San Antonio city directory, p. 273: Herbert S. Clarkson and Ruth (U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989; dated 1931 by the index, the year is not printed on the held pages) Directories and public records view at Ancestry
- Texas certificate of birth of Herbert Kelso Clarkson, San Antonio, 16 Aug 1916 (her son's certificate, not her own) Birth, marriage and death records
- Texas death certificate of Ruth Kelso Clarkson, San Antonio, 1973 (Texas, U.S., Death Certificates, 1903-1982) Birth, marriage and death records
- U.S. passport application of Ruth Kelso Clarkson, sworn in Bexar County, Texas, 8 Jun 1923; passport issued 13 Jun 1923 (NARA M1490, roll 2302) Passenger lists and passports view at Ancestry
Living relatives, and relatives whose living status is uncertain, appear here by name only or not at all. Family members can sign in for them and for photos, documents and records that are not public.
From the family tree, with the research incorporated so far. Each relationship and main fact carries a label: Confirmed, Likely or Unconfirmed. Tree entries that nobody has reviewed yet are Unconfirmed. Open a label to see why, the records and when it was reviewed. How sure is each statement?