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William Otis Payton

William Otis Payton

Male 1912 - 1951  (39 years)


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  • Name William Otis Payton  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10] 
    Birth 1 Aug 1912  Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10] 
    Gender Male 
    Death 24 Oct 1951  Norwalk, Los Angeles, California, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2] 
    Burial Commerce, Los Angeles, California, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [1] 
    Person ID I539  Horton Test
    Last Modified 11 Nov 2025 

    Father Cordia Roy Payton,   b. 3 Apr 1888, Harrison, Indiana, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 6 May 1964, Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 76 years) 
    Relationship natural 
    Mother Bessie Polsgrove,   b. 11 Apr 1888, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 29 Jun 1959, Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 71 years) 
    Relationship natural 
    Marriage 24 Dec 1906  Jefferson, Kentucky Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • Marriage Records from Dec. 1906-July 1907 are missing. Their marriage record is most likely in this group.
    Divorce 18 Sep 1940  Evansville, Vanderburgh, Indiana, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [11] 
    Family ID F193  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Opal Mae Minton,   b. 24 Mar 1914, Terre Haute, Vigo, Indiana, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Texas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
     1. Connie Otis Payton,   b. 19 Mar 1933, Evansville, Vanderburgh, Indiana, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 4 May 1996, Whittier, Los Angeles, California, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 63 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
     2. Thomas Gene Payton,   b. 8 Sep 1936, Indiana Evan, Indiana Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 31 Aug 2001, Arlington, Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 64 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
     3. Living
     4. Living
     5. Living
     6. Living
     7. Shirley Rae Payton,   b. 26 Jun 1934, Evansville, Vanderburg, Indiana, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 12 Sep 1934, Evansville, Vanderburg, Indiana, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 0 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
    Family ID F195  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 11 Nov 2025 

  • Notes 
    • We called my Uncle, Otis. He died of Pulmary Tuberculosis and Psychosis due to Cardiac Pulmonary Disease. He died at Norwalk State Hospital. He was 39 years old at time of his death. His Hospital Record Number is 26452. Uncle Otis is Buried at Park Lawn Cemetery next to my Dad John Payton. His occupation was a Truck Driver for a Transfer Company. He left behind his wife and six children.[payton.ftw] In a letter written by Rosella Payton Clark to Paul Payton she states: "I don't really remember alot about Otis' youth. You see, we were a family of 10 children being raised in the great depression. Life was not easy on our parents, trying to feed and clothe all. It was a very tough time just making it. Otis like sports in school. He was on the track team; his specialty being the pole vault. Baseball was a big part of his life also, especially in his young adult life. He was a pitcher on a softball team; the fast pitch style. The same teaeeam played together year after year and won many championships. All three of the older Payton boys played on the same team; so they had their own cheering section........ In spite of the times, we did have lots of fun growing up - we were very protective of each other. The boys took care of each other. It makes me sad to admit that people in our age group lived thru the best of times - morally and spiritually - it seems family life is on the decline." "Otis also had a giant case of wanderlust. He had seen most of the U.S. A. by adulthood. For no reason, he would pack a little sack of belongings and hop a boxcar; he would be gone for a month or so and one day he would turn up - dirty and hungry, and we'd all be so happy to see him. He'd tell us of where he'd been (New Mexico, Texas, Washington, or whereever). In those days he would be called a hobo. My mother fed lots of hobos who would show up at our door asking for food. I guess she hoped someone somewhere was feeding her boy." "We had an aunt who owned race horses. She was based in California, but traveled the country in the racing season. She would make it to a local track once a year and Otis loved to help her at her stalls. She would let him ride and excercise the horses. She begged our Dad to let Otis leave with her and become a jockey. Well, he had this growing spell and became much too tall to do that."

  • Sources 
    1. [S4] Ancestry.com, U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;).

    2. [S44] Ancestry.com, California, Death Index, 1940-1997, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2000;), Date: 1951-10-24.

    3. [S2] Ancestry.com, 1920 United States Federal Census, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;), Year: 1920; Census Place: Evansville Ward 7, Vanderburgh, Indiana; Roll: T625_471; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 154; Image: 669.

    4. [S13] Ancestry.com, 1930 United States Federal Census, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2002;), Year: 1930; Census Place: Evansville, Vanderburgh, Indiana; Roll: 632; Page: 22B; Enumeration District: 0032; Image: 729.0; FHL microfilm: 2340367.

    5. [S135] Ancestry.com, Kentucky, Birth Index, 1911-1999, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;).

    6. [S38] Ancestry.com, U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2011;).

    7. [S51] Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;), Year: 1940; Census Place: Evansville, Vanderburgh, Indiana; Roll: T627_1112; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 93-32.

    8. [S76] Ancestry.com, U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2011;), The National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Indiana, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 599.

    9. [S30] Ancestry.com, U.S. School Yearbooks, 1880-2012, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;), "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Benjamin Bosse High School; Year: 1929.

    10. [S12] Ancestry.com, 1950 United States Federal Census, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2022;).

    11. [S147] Indiana, Circuit court (Vanderburgh County) (Main Author), United States, Indiana, Vanderburgh - Divorce Index, 1818 - 1942, (Name: Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1986 ; Location: Salt Lake City; Date: 1986;), Divorce Index, 1818 - 1942.
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