Pepper DNA Project

Cage Monroe Pepper was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on October 28, 1876. This information was obtained from his WWI draft registration card and his Mississippi death certificate. According to the 1910, 1920, 1930 census and the death certificate, his father was born in Mississippi. These same censuses list his mother as being born in Georgia, Alabama or Arkansas. His death certificate says she was born in Arkansas. He was supposed to have the nickname of “Slim”. We also found a piece of paper with the name Clem Monroe Pepper scratched on it. We have no idea where the piece of paper came from. It was not an old piece of paper.

The first documented record for Cage was on the 1880 census for Antoine Township, Clark County, Arkansas. His name on the census was Kajah M. Pepper and he was 3 years old at that time. His fathers name was Elijah and his mother was Mary J. White. Mary’s maiden name came from Cage’s death certificate. Cage had 3 brothers in 1880. The oldest was Lemuel E., age 8. Next is Zedekiah W., age 6 and finally Charley A., age 3 months. On the 1890 tax roles for Clark County Arkansas we see that Elijah owned 80 acres of land.

On April 15, 1905 C.M. Pepper applied for a marriage bond and marriage license in Osceola, Mississippi County Arkansas. The Robert Edward Lee Wilson Company secured a one hundred dollar bond for the marriage license. The marriage "bond", was a legal promise to marry the girl and if the marriage did not take place, the man and his bondsman forfeited the bond money. A note on the application of the “Bond for Marriage License” says “by phone order” C.M. probably was working for the Wilson Company when he applied for his marriage license. They had employee records but they have turned them over to the University of Arkansas library. Truck loads of records were turned over to the university. They are in boxes and not in any order so there is no way to research those records.

C.M. Pepper married a Dora Odum on April 17, 1905. A copy of the marriage application was obtained from the Mississippi County court house in Osceola Arkansas. The marriage application listed Bardstown Arkansas as their place of residence. Bardstown no longer exists but it was an early settlement in south Mississippi County. Located here today is a pioneer graveyard and a church called Louise Chapel. According to their marriage license, C.M. Pepper was 26 and Dora was 16 at the time of marriage. That means Dora would have been born about 1889. However, on the 1910 census she lists her age as 19 which means that she would have been born about 1891. If the Census data is correct, she would have only been about 14 years old when she married. It was not uncommon for girls to lie about their ages when getting married during those times. The 1910 Mississippi County Arkansas census said that she was born in Kentucky and listed the parents’ place of birth as United States. The 1910 census lists C.M’s. age as 34 which means he would have been about 29 years old when they married. This is 3 years older than what was put on his marriage license. According to the census data C.M. could not read or write. However, Dora was able to read and write.

On June 6, 1908 Rufus Pepper was born to C.M. and Dora in Osceola Arkansas. This information was taken from a copy of his delayed birth certificate. More than likely he was born in Bardstown, Scott Township, Arkansas. He was supposed to have had a brother who died at the age of about three years. We believe he may have been a younger brother. One of Rufus’s sons, Walter, remembers talking to Rufus and his wife Emma and they told him that Rufus had a step brother whose name was Monroe.

Later when Rufus was about 5 years old, Dora is supposed to have died during childbirth. This would have been about 1913. She is probably buried in one of the unmarked graves in the pioneer graveyard now called Louise Chapel located in what was once Bardstown Arkansas. There is also a Carson Lake Cemetery located about 8 miles south of Osceola. It is located off of CR 818 (Carson Lake Road). Dora’s brother, Berry, is buried there along with 3 other Odums. One grave is unmarked and some think that Dora may be buried there.

When Dora died, C.M. is said to have taken Rufus to a Dan Brown and left him there to live. Dan Brown was supposed to be a relative of the Peppers. This would have been around 1913. The 1910 census did show a Dan Brown living with his mother Nancy residing in the same area as C.M. and Dora. A 1920 census record shows Rufus Pepper and Dan Brown living just outside of Wilson Arkansas. Dan Brown had a sister Julia who had married William Odum, Dora’s father. Census records prove that Julia was not Dora’s mother but only a step mother. We now know that Dan was not a blood relative.

We next find a C.M. Pepper applying for a Bond for Marriage License on November 21, 1914. The application states that he lived in the town of Haratio, Sevier County, Arkansas. He was married to Bonnie Roberson on November 21, 1914. He lists his age as 38 (this is consistent with the age on the 1910 census) and Bonnie’s age as 19.

In 1918 a Cage Monroe Pepper registered for the WWI draft in the city of De Queen, Sevier County, Arkansas. Registration was required of all males even if they were not going to serve in the armed forces. This is the first time we see a name other than the initials C.M. When a person registered for the draft, they would not accept initials only so C.M had to give his full name at that time. The draft registration lists his wife as Mrs. C.M. Pepper and his place of residence as R.R.2, Horatio, Sevier County, Arkansas. Cage is listed as being 5 feet 11 ½ inches tall, slender build (nickname slim?) and having brown hair and blue eyes. He lists his occupation as being a farmer. He did not sign a name but only put an X on the signature line of the registration card. On the 1910 census C.M. had said that he could not read or write.

We next find Cage M. Pepper listed on the 1920 census living with his wife Bonnie. They have no children listed. The 1920 census shows Cage and Bonnie to be living in the city of Bay St. Louis, Hancock County, Mississippi. They lived on Second Street. He lists his age as 44 and Bonnie’s age as 24. Both Cage and Bonnie say they were born in Arkansas. Cage lists his father as being born in Mississippi and his mother being born in Alabama. Bonnie lists her father as being born in Missouri and her mother in Arkansas. Cage lists his occupation as a Laborer and Bonnie lists hers as none. Cage says that he is still not able to read or write, however, Bonnie can read and write.

On the 1930 census we find Cage M. Pepper listed living with his wife Bonnie. They still have no children listed. The 1930 census shows Cage and Bonnie to still be living in the city of Bay St. Louis, Hancock County, Mississippi. They now live on Toulme Street. Toulme and Second Street are located in the same neighborhood in Bay St. Louis. He lists his age as 54 and Bonnie’s age as 34. Both Cage and Bonnie say they were born in Arkansas. Cage lists his father as being born in Mississippi and his mother being born in Arkansas (a change from the 1920 census). Bonnie still lists her father as being born in Missouri and her mother in Arkansas. Cage continues to list his occupation as a Laborer of odd jobs and Bonnie now says that she is a Servant for a private family.

Bay St. Louis Mississippi is located on the Gulf of Mexico coast. The streets that Cage and Bonnie lived on were only a couple of blocks off the Gulf coast. Unfortunately, Bay St. Louis took a direct hit by hurricane Katrina in 2005 and most of the homes on Second and Toulme streets were damaged.

Cage died on February 24, 1947 in Martins Sanatorium in Picayune, Pearl County Mississippi. The cause of death is listed as acute (next word not readable) of heart. In other words he probably died of a heart attack. He lived to be 71 years, 3 months, and 28 days. He was living in Nicholson, Hancock County, Mississippi just before he died. His death certificate mentions Aaron Academy as the rural area where he lived. Aaron Academy was a school that was located just south of Picayune on highway 607 in the town of Santa Rosa. Cage was buried in Turtleskin cemetery located in Nichols and just south of Aaron Academy on highway 607. This area is now in the buffer area of NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center. You can only access Turtleskin from the north. Highway 607 from the south goes directly into the Stennis Space Center.

According to C.M.’s obituary in the Picayune Item, dated 6 March, 1947, a service was held in Turtleskin Church (a.k.a. Corinth Baptist Church) at 3:00 PM. He had the following pall bearers: Billy Hover; Lucien, Theodore and Sylvester Favre; Nathan Rober(t)son and C.C. Kellar. These Favres are distant relatives of the Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. The obituary states that “He is survived by his wife Bonnie Rober(t)son Pepper and 2 children. We know from census records and a niece of Bonnie, Annie Ruth Frierson, that C.M and Bonnie had no children. Therefore, Rufus Pepper had to be one of the children. We had always heard that Rufus had a brother and this obituary proves it. What we don’t know if he was still alive at the time of C.M.’s death or if he died young as some have stated.

Cage’s second wife Bonnie had a niece, Annie Ruth Frierson, who knew Cage. She would have been about 17 years old when Cage died. She remembers Cage as being a very nice man. She said that he wore high top tennis shoes that smelled real bad.

DNA testing has now shown us that C.M. was of Irish descent. He appears to belong to a small group called "Irish Type III". Looking at the ancestral geographical area for this group, Irish Type III came mostly from the counties of Donegal, Clare, Tipperary, Limerick and Kerry. As time goes on, more will be discovered about Irish Type III grouping. You can read more about Irish type III at: Irish Type III.