Lillian Myrtle King Nelson Buzick Lott Wedeking Capone?

Lillian Myrtle was the youngest child of Mary Elizabeth Tapscott and Samuel King, though not as young as apparently proclaimed. Early records indicate a birth year of 1902 or 1903, but by the time Myrtle had died, her birth date had become 8 Mar 1905. It appears that two or three years were cut from her age as she grew older.

Before proceeding to our major topic, Al Capone, let’s clear up one mystery. In the 1930 census Myrtle appears as “Myrtle K. Nelson,” divorced, working as a housekeeper for her future husband, James Buzick. Apparently Myrtle was married to a “Nelson,” but who that was no one knew, or was at least not telling. It’s taken a couple of weeks of intensive research, but Myrtle’s first husband is now identified. He was Nels Nelson, son of Henry Oliver Nelson and Bertha Cathrine Olson. Myrtle and Nels were married in 24 Feb 1921 in Gibson City, Ford County, Illinois. Within a space of two years, Lillian gave birth to four children, two dying at or near birth and two, stillborn twins. The failed births may have put a strain on the marriage, for it soon ended in divorce. On 25 Jul 1931, Nels Nelson remarried in Bloomington, Illinois, to Mary E. (Herron) Penn.

Scarface

Thus, Lillian Myrtle King was married four times: to Nels Nelson (25 Jul 1901 - 2 May 1970) on 24 Feb 1921, James Clive Buzick (14 Aug 1890 - 16 Mar 1943) on 12 Jan 1934, Henry Robert Lott (7 Dec 1901 - 8 May 1954) on 1 Feb 1947, and Elmer Wedeking (7 Jan 1905 - 16 Jul 1985) in Jul 1961. Now let’s move on to Big Al. 

In the 1940 census, Lillian and her second husband, James Buzick are found living in Ford County, Illinois, with a 14-year-old “Foster Son,” Billy Knight. Chris W. Knight, Billy’s son, has written a book (Son of Scarface, New Era Publishing, 2014, available on Kindle) about his mysterious dad and his unknown origins. Several believe (or say they believe) that Billy Knight was a son of the mobster “Scarface” Al Capone. One of many possibilities proposed in Chris Knight’s book is that his dad was a child of Capone and Lillian Myrtle. True? I very much doubt it. But the book makes interesting reading and reveals some family history about the Buzicks. It also shows the thought processes that go into researching family history mysteries, though Chris's methodologies are quite different from mine.

Mary Elizabeth Tapscott

I’m still working on the descendants of Richard Tapscott, son of William the Preacher, instead of what I should be doing — researching the descendants of Richard’s brother Henry. But Richard’s descendants are fascinating, and I’m not quite ready to call it quits.

Mary Elizabeth Tapscott. (Ancestry.com)

Of Kasiah Tapscott’s two children, only Mary Elizabeth lived long enough to make interesting reading. Born 20 May 1865 to Kasiah and possibly Garrett Vandike, Mary’s Kentucky birthplace is given in various records both as Casey County and Danville, Boyle County. The latter is unlikely. No Followells, Weathermans, or Tapscotts (or Vandikes)—family members who might help an unwed mother—were living in Boyle County at the time, and friends and relatives were abundant in Casey County.

In 1880, presumably following the death of her mother, Kasiah, Mary was working as a domestic servant for the Robert L. King family in Casey County, and that may be how she met her husband-to-be, Samuel Franklin King, probably a relative. (Samuel had a brother Robert, but he was not Robert L.) On 16 Mar 1882, in Liberty, Kentucky, seat of Casey County, Mary married Samuel Franklin King, a Casey County farmer, born in Aug 1863 to James and Charlotta. Mary and Samuel (who went solely by “Frank”) had seven children—William L. (Jan 1883 - by Jul 1907), Martha E. (3 Nov 1884 - 2 Oct 1971), Bessie Charity (1 Nov 1886 - 9 Feb 1975), James Robert (6 Jun 1892 - 15 Apr 1968), George Leslie (13 Feb 1898 - 21 Apr 1959), John Ottle (25 May 1900 - 22 Mar 1974), and Lillian Myrtle (8 Mar 1903 - 4 Oct 1964)—all born in Kentucky.

In 1904, following the birth of Myrtle, the last child, the family (possibly minus William, who died young, and Martha, who had married and could have traveled separately) journeyed to DeWitt County, Illinois. Samuel lived in Illinois only three years, most of the time as an invalid, before passing away on their farm, the Lewis Clark Riggs place near Farmville, in Santa Anna Twp, on 11 Jul 1907 at the young age of 44. Mary was left in a new state with four kids (and two married daughters), with no other nearby relatives, and with no means of support. Moreover, the family was in terrible financial condition, one son, Robert, having provided most of the income when his father was ill. Things were so bad that a collection was taken up among the South Prairie neighbors to help pay for Samuel’s funeral expenses, which may have been high since Samuel’s body was transported back to Kentucky for burial in Minor Cemetery, Boyle County, home of the Kings.

It was in Kentucky that Mary could have met her second husband, Squire Jasper Phillips. She may have decided to reside, at least temporarily, in Kentucky, where she had family (mostly distant cousins and in-laws) and friends. After all, Squire Phillips was born in Washington County, the next county over from Boyle, where Samuel was buried. 

The story of Squire Jasper and Mary is interesting, but tragic, and deserving of a posting by itself, which it will have. See you next time.