Several assumptions have been made, but here are some thoughts.
It's been assumed based on the 1900 and 1910 census that Ada M. Rice was the daughter of Charles and Delilah Clarkson Rice. In the 1900 census it gives Ada's month and year of birth as March 1895. Now here are some things to blow your mind.
I just put Ada into Familysearch.org and one of the first hits was Lawrence County birth records, so obviously I decided to start with that. Whoa! Wait! Her father is listed as blank, and her mother is listed as Amy Rice, and this Ada M. was born March 25, 1895, in Sherritts (according to the birth record). This is all interesting as Delilah's obituary states that "the Rices were formerly of near Sherritts." Confused, I decided to check death records for an Amy Rice, and I found it. There wasn't much info there, almost as if whoever filled it out didn't know the answers. It basically says, Amy Rice died October 30, 1895 in Sherritts, Lawrence County, Ohio, she was 21 years old, and born in 1874 near Waterloo. It also states that Amy was single, which explains why I can't find a marriage record for her. Her cause of death was consumption.
Charles and Delilah are known to be the parents of [based on birth records, CW's pension, and Delilah's obit]:
1. Mary J b. August 8, 1865 (pension request of 1898)
2. John F. of Springfield (pension and Delilah's obit)
3. Alfred T, at home (the first to have a birth record, pension, and obit),
4. Anna Rosella (birth record, and died prior to 1898 pension)
5. Laura Ellen (birth record, pension, died before Delilah's obit)
6. Bertha, of Detroit (birth record, pension, and obituary)
7. William O, at home (birth record, pension, obituary)
8. Ernest B, at home (birth, pension, obituary)
9. Archie E, of Detroit (birth, pension, obituary)
residences above are from Delilah's obituary
Ada M. never shows up in Charles' pension request, though technically she should since the pension was filed in 1898 and she was born in 1895. There is also no Amy mentioned either, which is no great surprise, since she died in 1895. It's interesting to note that in the 1930 census Ada M Willis and Donald Willis (age 9) are living with Alfred T and William O and are listed as niece and nephew (respectfully). That would mean that Ada was the daughter of one of Al or Will's siblings, which fits in with my theory.
But Ada's parents present their own mystery. No father is listed on the birth record, and the mother is Amy, for whom nothing but a death record can be found. Amy should show up in the 1880 census as a 6 year old, but she doesn't. Her sisters Anna and Laura Ella do, but not her. Two possibilities that I can come up with are, Amy was born between Anna and Ella, or whoever filled out the death record did not realize her name was Anna Rosella that would explain why Anna has a birth record, but Amy does not, and Amy has a death record but Anna does not, neither were married, and both died before 1898. Could they be the same person? It's also possible that Amy was squeezed in there between June and December of 1874, but that would have been really hard on Delilah, I'm sure. I don't think they're twins or there wouldn't be just a birth record for Anna.
I thought the best thing to do is find a marriage record, which would give Ada's parents' names. So I began searching. The 1930 census shows her as Ada M Willis with little Donald Willis and she's widowed. So I tried to find a marriage record for Ada and a Willis, no luck so far.
However, remember that Ada's date of birth is March 1895 (1900 census living with CW and D, so we know this is her). The LC birth records show her born March 25, 1895 to Amy Rice, no father. Some of the Rice-Hixons moved up to Clark County, Ohio about the nineteen-teens. And up there in Clark County I found an Ada Marie Rice married to a Henry A Frye. She is remarkably close to our Ada. She was born March 22, 1895 in Ironton and after marrying on December17, 1915 she came back to Ironton almost immediately, as her first child William Elmer Frye was born October 18, 1916 in Lawrence County, Ohio. The same unfortunate child passed away on May 13, 1918.
The 1920 census now shows Ada Rice living in Lawrence County as a housekeeper for T J Shamer and his wife Bessie (both 27 years old). She is listed as divorced.
The 1930 census, as I already said, shows that Ada was living with her uncles.
As if things aren't already complicated enough...
The 1910 census shows Ada still living with her grandparents as their daughter, but now another child is showing up as a grandchild "Curtis Bradshaw," age 7 (meaning born 1903). To have the last name of Bradshaw would mean that it had to be a son of a female child. That leaves: Mary J., Anna R., Laura or Bertha.
Mary J married Milton Darling in 1890, and died February 28, 1902 in Lawrence County, so she couldn't be the mother of a child born in 1903.
Anna R. as we already discussed, may have also gone by Amy, and was deceased by 1898.
Laura also passed away in 1902 (October 12), thus it leaves but one daughter Bertha. At this time I've been unable to find any Rices married to a Bradshaw.
Bertha would have been about 23 years old. Was she married to a Bradshaw? I know at some point she married another Rice (apparently not close kin), as her mother's obituary says, "Mrs. Bertha Rice and Archie Rice of Detroit, Mich" At first I thought this was a misprint, but I found Bertha in the 1910 census and she's living with a Walter H Rice. They're in the Ironton Ward 4, and have a son named Curtis R Rice, age 7. This must be the same boy who was recorded living with Delilah, but why did anyone give the surname as Bradshaw? Was Bertha previously married to a Bradshaw?
Ada Rice.
Born March 25, 1895
Mother Amy Rice died Oct. 30, 1895.
Lived with grandparents in 1900 and 1910 census.
Married Harry A Frye of Yellow Springs, Ohio
Marriage occured in Clark County on
Dec. 17, 1915.
Birth of first child
William Elmer Frye
October 18, 1916
Death of only child
William Elmer Frye
May 13, 1918 in Ironton
bu in Woodland
According to 1920 census divorced
Second Marriage
Married Howard Willis
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2QC8-DJJ
Marriage occured in Lawrence County on
February 10, 1920.
Birth of second child
Donald Willis
b. April 8, 1921
Howard Willis dies, leaving Ada now a widow
with a 22 day old infant.
b. Dec. 26, 1895
d. Apr. 30, 1921
1930 Ada Willis and Donald Willis age 9 are living with her uncles
William O and Alfred T. Rice.
Thus making her Charles and Delilah's granddaughter, not daughter.
Was Amy a daughter of Charles and Delilah?
Next Ada married John Steele b. 1892
Ada's Obituary
The Ironton Tribune, (Ironton, Lawrence Co., Ohio)
Mrs. Ada Willis Steele of 311 McGovney Ave., died Friday at 8:30 p.m. in Lawrence County General Hospital shortly after being admitted. She had been ill for one week.
Mrs. Steele was born March 25, 1895 in Lawrence County, daughter of Amy Rice. She was reared by her grandparents, the late Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rice of Lawrence County.
She was married in 1919 to Donald Willis and he died in 1921. In 1935 she married John Steele. He preceded her in death in 1964.
Surviving are one son, Donald Willis of Ironton; one stepson, Estle Steele of Ironton; three grandchildren, Mrs. Charles Pierce of Norfolk, VA and Donald and Bonnie Willis of Ironton; one great-grandchild, Rae Ann Pierce.
Mrs. Steele was a member of Lorain Street Baptist Church.
Funeral services will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Phillips Funeral Home. Burial will be in Woodland Cemetery.
Friends may call at the funeral home after 4 p.m. Monday.
Amy daughter of Charles and Delilah?
The simple answer is, I don't know, but I suppose it is possible.
A few problems with the scenario are:
1. Amy does not show up on the 1880 census with her family,
even though she would have been only 6.
2. Amy does not show up on her Charles' application for pension, though
she would have been deceased by 1898 when he filed.
So actually, that doesn't really mean anything.
Though Ada would have been 3, so evidence against her being a daughter.
1. Her daughter was in the household of Charles and Delilah immediately after her death.
Though admittedly it said Ada was their daughter.
