Oscar Timothy Lay
Oscar is Buck Lay’s father. He was born November 14, 1880 in Locksprings Missouri, to William Harrison Lay and Eliza Lowe. There is very little known about him before 1905, as I cannot find any records prior to that time.
1905- He is living in at 1316 Ave A Council Bluffs Iowa and is listed as a trucker in in the phone book.
1908- He is living at 1624 10th Ave Council Bluffs, Iowa and is listed as a car cleaner in the phone book for a company named Pullman Co
1910- The Federal Census has him living in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, Iowa. He is listed as a roomer in the squirrel cage jail there. I have contacted the historical society that oversees the jail, and they have no records that indicate why he was there. https://www.thehistoricalsociety.org/museums/squirrel-cage-jail-1.html
1912- Oscar marries Verna Hazel Stanton (1890-1968). They marry in Coddington, South Dakota on September 26, 1912.
1915- He and Verna are living Rhodes, Makenzie North Dakota.
1916- Woodard is born in Kansas
1918- Oct 21 1918 Files an application for the Northern Pacific Railroad, Glendine Station Montana, requesting a job as a Break man. He lists his wife Hazel (name is Mrs. O.T. Lay) as living in Dickenson North Dakota. His children are Elsie (5) and Woodard (3). He only lists William Lay as a parent, and states William is living in Claremore, Oklahoma. This is the last official document I can find regarding William. He is described as 5’5” tall, with brown eyes and hair. His weight is 138 pounds had he has knife scars under both knees. He states the following as employment.
10-21-1913 to 12-19-1913 Self employed. I cannot read most of this line, so I don’t know what exactly he was doing.
12-19-1913 to 11-6-1917 Farming in Killdeer North Dakota
11-6-1917 to 12-28-1917 Unemployed
12-28-1917 to 8-25-1917 Roundhouse Labor and breakman, Wolf Point, Montana
8-26-1918 to 10-17-1918 General farmwork
1918 Again, he is found in Rhodes, Makenzie, North Dakota. There is a certificate of birth as well as a certificate of death for their stillborn son.
1919 Living at 1901 E 15th Street. He is living with his brother John and his wife Mary. Oscar Jr. was born in this area. Woodard dies from illness on 04-07-1919. His obituary says that they were living at 901 East 15th Street.
1920 Federal Census puts him in Colfax, Dallas, Iowa living on a farm. He is listed as farm labor and is living with Hazel (28) Elsie (6) and Oscar Lay Jr. (0)
1922
1925 North Dakota State Census has him living in Killdeer North Dakota
1927 Living at 1615 9th Ave S Fargo, North Dakota. Homer Denis Lay is born on 12-27-1927.
1928 Homer Denis Lay dies 1-19-1928.
1930 Federal Census has him listed as Patrick Lay. They are living in Ellendale, Dickey North Dakota on Second street. He’s listed as a farm labor. His home is rented and has the value set of 15. He’s living with
Verna (38) Elsie Lay (17)
Oscar Lay Jr (11) Harry Lay (8)
Dale Lay (4) Arthur Jacobson (38, listed as a boarder)
1935 Living in Ellendale Dickey North Dakota
1940 Living in Oakes Dickey, North Dakota
1940 Federal Census has him living in Oakes, Dickey, North Dakota. He owns the home, and the value of the home is set at 450.00. States that he never went to school and is a wage worker for the WPA. His income was 588. He’s living with
Hazel (49) Oscar Jr. (20)
Harry (18) Dale (14)
Goldie (9) Gerald (6)
1942 Living in Oakes Dickey North Dakota. On April 27, he registers for the draft for WW2. He is 61-year-old and lists himself as his employer. He is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall with brown and grey hair and brown eyes, with a ruddy complexion. He states he has scar center chest, and his next of kin is Verna Lay.
1943 Jan 19 of this year, he is hired by the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Living in Oakes Dickey North Dakota as a laborer. He lists his father as William Lay and his mother as Aliza Lowe, however Eliza has passed away by this point. He also says one of his past employers was the US Forest Service, which could be due to his work with the WPA.
Between 1943 and 1950, Grandpa Buck says that there were years they lived in Port Orchard and Bremerton. He remembers living off Blueberry Road in Port Orchard, then moving to Bremerton where Oscar worked as a janitor for “old man Brenner” Sometime after Harry comes home from World War 2, Oscar moves the entire family back to Oakes, Dickey, North Dakota. Then, at some point before 1950, Oscar comes back to Bremerton. At some point he joins PSNS as a laborer.
1950 Federal Census has him living in Kitsap County Washington. He lives on Peach Road and his family is not with him at this time, however he is still listed as married.
1952 Living in Bremerton Washington
1953 Living in Bremerton Washington
1954 Living in Bremerton Washington
1955 Living in Bremerton Washington
1958 Dies in Bremerton Washington is buried in Knights of Pythias Cemetery. He currently has no headstone, but the location is known (see pictures).
References Bauer, C. M. (n.d.). Lay Family Tree. Ancestry.com. https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/50180335/person/20285348881/facts