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The Jukes in 1915

Creator: Arthur H. Estabrook (author)
Date: 1916
Publisher: Carnegie Institution of Washington
Source: Available at selected libraries

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Alan and his brother Austin married, consanguineously, two sisters, Ellen and Elsie, two descendants of Effie Juke. Alan, IV 38, was licentious. From 1840 to 1863 he received much help from the town. In 1853 he was convicted of assault and sent to the county jail. When seen by the investigator he was an old man of 95, was short and fat, and had many bodily ailments which he commented upon. He was mentally deteriorated and, though a great talker, could remember but little of his recent past. He was ignorant and superstitious. Although he was somewhat deaf, his eyesight was good. He received a soldier's pension and owned a house and small farm which his son Riley worked. He died of apoplexy at the age of 95. Although given by Dugdale as an octoroon, I could see little evidence of negro blood in him. He had rather the features of an Indian. His wife, Ellen, IV 165, was a harlot and kept a brothel. She was lazy and acquired epilepsy.

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Alan and Ellen had eight legitimate, and Ellen two bastard children. The legitimate children were: Henrietta, Gilbert, Riley, Roland, Mary Jane, Hetty, Reuben, and Ulysses. The illegitimate were Hepsy and Helena.

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Henrietta, V 176, is described by Dugdale as follows: "Harlot; kept brothel; at 21, disorderly house, county jail, 2 days; 29, outdoor relief, 2 years; 33, outdoor relief, 1 year; 1869, died." She married Owen, V 175, a member of a mentally weak family. Henrietta had two children, a boy and a girl, both probably illegitimate.

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VI 455, the son, married and went away from the Juke region into a large city and has disappeared.

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VI 457, the girl, became a harlot and later cohabited with VI 458, an itinerant horse doctor. He was intemperate, has been in the county jail, and, at the age of 58, was in the poorhouse afflicted with rheumatism. This couple had two girls, both prostitutes, and also seven children who died in infancy. One of these girls, VII 423, a woman of fair intelligence and quiet manner, had a child by a man with whom she lived. After he was blown to pieces in an accident, she went to live with and now has married a rather industrious, steady man.

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Hepsy, V 178, the second child of Ellen, was illegitimate, and she in turn had a bastard girl, VI 459, and after this went to live with Nathaniel, V 179. Neither he nor she had ever had any schooling and were very ignorant. They tramped the roads begging and stealing what they could and were both very intemperate. It was a common sight formerly to see the couple staggering along the roads trying to sell baskets which they had made. They received much help from the town as well as from private individuals. Nathaniel was convicted of petit larceny at one time and sent to jail. The couple lived in a hovel for many years until 1903, when they went to the poorhouse for a year. They were in and out of the poorhouse during the next few years and Hepsy died there at the age of 65, but Nathaniel did not die until 2 years later, at the home of one of his children. They had six bastard children: three died young, and two girls and one boy grew up.

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VI 459, the first child of Hepsy, was born in 1858. At 16 she was sent to the House of Refuge for disorderly conduct and prostitution. She was placed with a very refined family in Z after discharge. In spite of the fact that after this she had a bastard child which died, the influence of these people has been good. At 18 she married and had ten children, the first two of whom died young. From the time of her marriage until the present day she has tried to do well. She has worked hard and, in the face of misfortunes which would have discouraged many another person, has put all of her children through school, and all eight are now industrious, refined, and ambitious children. She is quiet-spoken, neat, and refined. Some years ago the house in which she lived was burned, but she immediately started out again undaunted. Her husband, VI 460, a newspaper reporter and collector, had forged notes and stolen money. He was very egotistical and a great talker, very erotic, and mixed up at one time with some indecent publications. He has never been able to hold any position long and has always made poor and irregular wages.

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In decided contrast to VI 459 is her half sister, VI 465. The latter was born and brought up in a home where harlotry and poverty were ever present. This woman never had any of the refining and uplifting influences of a good home presented to her. She can read and write a little, but otherwise is densely ignorant. When young she went to live with VI 464, later marrying him in order to receive her soldier's widow's pension after his death. This man was 62 when he first cohabited with VI 465, who was then 17, and was descended from a respectable family. He was ignorant and slightly intemperate, but always paid his bills. He had been a soldier in the Civil War and received a pension almost large enough to support him and his family. They had six children, four of whom matured.

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