Lester Otis Oliver

Documented History

According to the U.S. Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current, Lester Otis Oliver was born on 13 April 1909 in Scottsville, Allen, Kentucky. The 1910 Census lists him as 1 year old, and several Ancestry Trees list this birthdate as well. He is the first person I am researching from the Oliver family tree.

Based on information from the 1910 United States Federal Census, in 1910, in Raleigh, Allen, Kentucky, young Lester O Oliver, just a year old, resided with his family. His father, Charles S Oliver, a 35-year-old head of the household, lived with his 22-year-old wife, Ethel C Oliver, and their three children.

Among them was Lester’s older brother, Homer J Oliver, aged 3, and his sister, Hauty B Oliver, aged 6. The family of five, all of white race, shared a close-knit bond in their Kentucky home, with each member contributing to the fabric of their household.

Based on information from the 1920 United States Federal Census 1920, young Lester Oliver, a 10-year-old boy from Kentucky, resided with his family on Cemetery Pike in Bowling Green. Living with his parents, Chas S Oliver and Ethel Oliver, along with his siblings, Lester was part of a household of seven.

Despite his young age, Lester was already attending school and could read and write in English. The family dynamic included his older siblings, Hautie, Homer, and Leroy, and his father’s son-in-law, Hampton Goodrindt. The close-knit family unit in a small town setting hints at a life filled with familial bonds and shared experiences in early 20th-century America.

In 1929, according to the U.S, Lester lived at 406 East Morris, Indianapolis, Indiana. City Directories, 1821-1989. He was a glove cutter at the time. His youngest brother, Leroy, lived with him and worked as a laborer. Lester was 20 years old at the time. Leroy was 17.

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Marriage

According to the Marion County, Indiana, Marriage Index, 1925-2012, Lester married Flora Louise Black on 4 January 1930.

According to the 1930 Census, Lester lived with his wife, Flora Black, on East 11th Street in Marion County, Indiana. They rented this house. Lester was 22, and Flora was 19. Flora was born in Indiana. Lester was a machine operator at a glove company.

Lester and Flora had a baby girl around 1931, whom they named Glory. I have not yet found her birth certificate.

Lester and Flora had another baby girl on 28 September 1932 in Indianapolis, Indiana. They named her Sylvia Faye, but her birth certificate says Vera Fay. I need to do some additional research to find out why the names vary.

Lester and Flora had a baby boy on 4 February 1934 in Indianapolis, Indiana. They named him Lloyd Lester Oliver.

According to the U.S, Lester and Flora lived at 806 Iowa, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1934. City Directories, 1821-1989. Lester was a Laborer. Lester’s youngest brother, Leroy, and sister-in-law, Retha, lived with them. Leroy was a laborer as well. Lester was 25, Flora was 24, and Leroy was 22.

Lester and Flora lived at 2730 North Dearborn, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1936, according to U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989. Lester was a leather cutter at this time.

Lester signed up for the World War II Draft on 16 October 1940. Interestingly, he spelled his middle name Odas instead of Otis. You can see on the draft card where he wrote it correctly first, then erased and miswrote it.

Lester was 31 years old and was born on 13 April 1909 in Allan County, Kentucky. He weighed 138 pounds, had brown hair and brown eyes, and was 5 feet 6 inches tall. His wife, Flora Louise Oliver, was listed as his next of kin.

Lester lived on East 23rd Street in Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana, according to the 1940 Census. He lived with his wife, Flora, and their three children. Lester was 30 and Flora was 29 years old. Their children were Gloria, age 8, Silvia, age 7, and Lloyd, age 6. Lester was born in Kentucky; the rest were born in Indiana. Lester was a glove cutter in a glove factory at this time. He had worked 40 weeks in 1939, and his income was $960.

In 1942, Lester lived at 2536 Guilford Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana, with his wife Flora, according to U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989.

On 30 June 1945, Lester married Ruth Monts in Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana, according to the Marion County, Indiana, Marriage Index, 1925-2012.

Based on information from the 1950 United States Federal Census, in the bustling city of Indianapolis, Lester Oliver, a 40-year-old white male from Kentucky, was the head of his household at 23 Randolph Street.

Lester worked 48 hours a week in the cleaning department at Aeme Sewer Co., earning $227 a week to support his family. His wife, Ruth Oliver, aged 34, lived with him in their apartment. Lester had completed 8 years of schooling and had no military service record. Despite the challenges of his occupation, Lester’s dedication to his family was evident in the stability he provided as the hardworking head of their modest household.

At some point, Lester lived at RR05 Box 236, Sparta, TN, 38583, per the U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 2. Unfortunately, there is no date on this record. However, I do have pictures of Lester in Tennessee with his grandkids in the mid- to late 1970s.

According to the U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 2, Lester lived at 236 Rural Route 5 in Sparta, Tennessee. No date is specified for this residence, but I believe it was in the mid-70s based on pictures of Mom and her siblings visiting him in Tennessee right after my brother was born in 1974.

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Death

According to the U.S. Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current, Lester died in January 1981. His social security number was 303-03-4604, issued from Indiana before 1951. He last lived at 46064 Pendleton, Madison, Indiana.

According to Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011, he passed away on 26 January 1981, at Hancock Memorial Hospital in Greenfield, Hancock County, Indiana, due to Mesenteric Thrombosis, which had onset 6 hours earlier. He had suffered from Generalized Arteriosclerosis for several years and had a recent major cerebrovascular accident and congestive heart failure. His wife, Ruth M. Oliver, was the informant.

The Death Certificate says he was buried at Washington Park East in Indianapolis, Indiana, which is different from Find A Grave. His parents are listed as Charles Oliver and Ethel Tabor. He was 71 years old and a retired Radio Corp. of America grid mechanic.

According to an old U.S. Find A Grave Index record, 1600s-Current, Lester rests at Peeled Chestnut Cemetery, White County, Tennessee. The birth and death dates on his headstone match those on his death certificate. However, his current Find A Grave record matches his death certificate; perhaps it was corrected.

I could find many different places where Lester lived, but I didn’t see much more. I will continue to update this page as I find additional information. In the meantime, I’d love to hear stories from you if you happen to know him or are related to him. Please don’t hesitate to leave a story or three in the Comments section below.

That’s all for now,

~Kris