1. James Alby Phelps, Jr.

Carrie Trout has my undying thanks!  When her son Jim was young, she wrote down her family tree in a little notebook which survives today.  It showed the names of her grandparents and parents, and the names and birthdates of her siblings.  From this I was able to begin my Trout family research.  The 1880 census confirms the dates and names from Carrie's notes showing that the family moved frequently when she was growing up while her father, a blacksmith, followed the building of the railroad.

By 1880, the Trout family had settled in Chautauqua County, Kansas where she met James A. Phelps and married in 1881.  By 1882 her father had moved to Iola, Kansas where another sibling was born but died as an infant.  I suspect this is when Carrie's mother also died although there is no record.  Carrie's father, elder sister Semantha, and youngest brother, James Alby Trout, are all buried in the cemetery in Iola, Kansas where their names are inscribed on three sides of one tombstone.

In 1886, Carrie and Jim Phelps accompanied other members of Jim's family to Colorado.  The extended Phelps family settled in the mountains southwest of Denver along Sixmile Creek not far from the town of Daffodil which was later renamed Deckers.  Nine years after marrying, James A. Phelps, Jr. was born.  From the beginning of my research I pondered the lapse of nine years which, in that day and age, was very uncommon.  Just a few years ago I learned that Jim Jr's birth mother was Carrie's sister Martha Jane Trout, but he is indeed the son of Jim Phelps, Sr.  It then became quite clear why I had heard over the years that there was 'bad blood' between Carrie's brothers and the elder Jim Phelps.

To add insult to injury, the elder Jim Phelps then took up with the housekeeper, Della Atkins, which prompted Carrie to seek divorce and move to Denver.  Eventually the elder Jim Phelps married Della and they lived out the rest of their lives on the homestead on Sixmile Creek.  They had no children.

Carrie's life may have endured it's share of strife, but she was a steadfast woman with dignity and style which can be seen in her pictures.  Carrie's granddaughter, Catherine, lived with her for a time around 1940 and became quite close to Carrie.  It is through Catherine that I learned this story.

This also means that Jim Phelps, Jr. actually had a half-brother.  Martha Jane Trout went on to marry John H. Lewis and they had a son, Alvin Leslie Lewis.  Martha Jane's family lived in the Los Angeles area.  The Social Security Death Index shows that Alvin died in Orange County, California in 1959.  The 1930 census shows Alvin, 32, widowed, a salesman, living with his parents.  The census also indicates that he was 23 when he married.  No children are listed.

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