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Continued: Amos was always called Bill, in remembrance of his grandfather William Franklin Burkett.
NOTE: Bill's birth certificate shows he was born in Harper County, Oklahoma and his parents' residence was in May, Harper County, Oklahoma. Apparently, he was named Amos at the spur of the moment after the doctor who helped in the delivery. There is a small written note at the bottom of the birth certificate stating "Child not named." and then in a heavier hand, "Amos Franklin Burkett" was entered in the proper place on the form. The Attending Physician was Dr. Chios Lemuel Amos, MD. This also resolves the issue of his place of birth being somewhere other than May, Oklahoma! May is located at Latitude 36.6165 and Longitude -99.7493 near the Southern line of Harper County with Ellis County. As of the Federal Census of 2000, there were 33 people in 17 households residing in the town of May.
Point Of Information: Bill was born 31 Mar 1913 in a place called in May, Oklahoma. About 18 miles (straight line) to the Southeast in Woodward County is a place called Tangier. It is the place name that Bill's father Elmer and mother Elsie, put on their marriage license application on 24 April 1912 their as residences. Also, J. E. Hall who is Elsie's older brother. signed the application as well. He stated Tangier as his residence also. AFB
About 1917 or 1918, Elmer and the family moved from Oklahoma back to Missouri.
1920 Ripley County, Missouri Census: Doniphan Township Dwelling #181, Family # 193 on Locust Street Burkett, Elmer Head MW 28 MO IL IL Rents, works at saw mill Elsie Wife FW 24 MO MO MO Amos Son MW 6 OK OK OK (should be OK MO MO) Mildred Dau FW 5 OK OK OK (should be OK MO MO) Dorothea Dau FW 3&3/12 OK OK OK (should be OK MO MO) Davidson, Lydia Mother FW 48 IL TN IL Widow
About 1923, Elmer and family moved to Butler County, Missouri.
1930 Butler Co., MO Census - Page 197, SW Part of Poplar Bluff Twp., MO - April 9, 1930. Dwelling #124, Family #128 on "County Road" (near intersection of Harviell Road and Pike Slough Road) Burkett, Elmer 38 MO Farmer/Rents Elsie 34 OK Amos 17 OK Mildred 15 OK Dorothea 13 OK Helen 10 MO Raymond 6 MO Mary 4 MO Jeroma 2+2/12 MO Lucille 2/12 MO Bill worked at farming and logging while in the Pike Slough area. There, he met Allie Carlene Sanders whose family lived nearby ( Dwelling #118, Family #122 ). They were married in 1933 and in 1934, their first son Billy Gene, was born at home near Pike Slough on the Big Ditch Road.
Butler County, Missouri Marriage Applications Butler County Court House Missouri Archives Roll # 16 Film No. C17784 Book 39, Page 300 <u>July 1, 1933 </u>BURKETT, A. F. Poplar Bluff, Mo. age 20 SANDERS, Allie Carlene Poplar Bluff, Mo. age 16 Elmer Burkett, father of A. F. Burkett gave consent. S. J. Sanders, father of Allie Carlene Sanders gave consent. 1940 Census of Neelyville, Butler Co., MO Name: Bill Burkett Gender: Male Age: 27 Marital status: Married Race: White Relationship to head of household: Head Birthplace: Oklahoma Estimated birth year: 1913 Residence in 1935: Rural, Butler Co., Missouri Enumeration district number: 12-14 Family/dwelling number: 34 Sheet number and letter: 2A Line number: 31 NARA publication number: T627 NARA roll number: 2090 Digital folder number: 005460025 Image number: 00394 Household: Head Bill Burkett M 27 Oklahoma <==Amos F. Wife Allie Carlene Burkett F 23 Kentucky <==born in Missouri Son Billie Jean Burkett M 5 Missouri <==middle name is Gene
Mid/late 1930's to 1942, Bill and his family had a small house in Neelyville, Butler County, Missouri on the East side of the railroad tracks and North of the main East-West road through the town, now Highway 142. This is where Arthur was born. Bill worked at Markel's Store which was located across the the railroad tracks from his home.
Family residence from about 1942 to about 1943-44 was in Berkeley, Missouri on Wabash Avenue. Within a few years, Bill and Carlene bought their house at 6106 Washington Avenue in Berkeley which is where the family lived at the time of Bill"s death at St. Luke's Hospital caused by lung cancer in 1959. Billy Gene was married with a family and lived elsewhere at the time of Bill's death. Arthur lived at home and was in his senior year at Berkeley Senior High School.
During World War II, Bill received a draft deferment due to being married with two children and importantly, being a Machinist and Jig Builder at Curtis Wright Aircraft in St. Louis, Missouri. This job was considered to be essential to the defense effort. Curtis Wright Aircraft was an important supplier of equipment for the war effort. During this time and into later years after the war, he was active in town activities in Berkeley and was Assistant Chief of the Volunteer Fire Department.
His place of employment before his death was at Fisher Body Division of General Motors in the City of St. Louis where they manufactured the bodies for Chevrolet cars. Bill was a Tool and Die Maker/ Jig and Fixture Builder there and was appreciated for his contributions to the company. In the early 1950s, he was given a $2,500 Award Bonus for designing and building a device which would allow vents to be punched in multiple dashboards at one time instead of individually.
Bill was known as a very strong willed man and generally in charge of whatever activity was taking place around him. He had an extravert type of personality, was generous, helpful, well liked and respected by those who knew him. Physically, he had a dark complexion, dark hair, gray eyes and was five feet eleven inches tall with a very muscular build at about 240 pounds before he became ill with cancer. As told by his wife Carlene, Bill weighed 225 pounds and had a 29 inch waist when they were married in 1933.
He was an active member of The Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, and an excellent fisherman and hunter.
According to his death certificate, Cause of Death was: Pulmonary Insufficiency - 4 to 5 days, Pulmonary Metastases, Left Lung - weeks, Bronchogenic Cancer, Right Lung - 4 months.
Bill's funeral services were at White Funeral Home in Ferguson, St. Louis County, Missouri. There were many friends and family members who came to pay their respects. The Funeral Director said the procession from the funeral home to the cemetery, was one of the longest they had seen.
Burial Place: Masonic Section, Laurel Hill Memorial Gardens Cemetery 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue St. Louis, Missouri 63133
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