Gale Fulghum's biological father. Confidence: Near-Certain. Three independent Awalt-line paternal DNA matches plus Scarbrough maternal matches converge on this identification. Formal confirmation pending direct descendant DNA comparison.
Vital Information
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Birth Name | Edward Awalt | 1900 census (Edward Awall, age 6), 1910 census (Edward Awalt, age 17) |
| Enlisted Name | Charles E. Awalt | WWI transport records (service no. 2202228) |
| Known As | Charles E. Awalt (from at least 1914 onward) | All post-enlistment records |
| Born | ~25 Nov 1892, Red Rock, Bastrop County, Texas | AGO Form 724 (born Red Rock, Tex, age 21 8/12 at enlistment 3 Aug 1914 = ~Dec 1892); VA Master Index (25 Nov 1892); SS-5 gives 25 Nov 1893 (filed by widow, possibly off by one year); 1900/1910 census confirm Texas |
| Died | 28 Feb 1940, age 45-46 | KC newspaper death notice, headstone application |
| Burial | Leavenworth National Cemetery (Wadsworth, KS), Section 38, Row 5, Site 6 | Headstone application |
| Father | George Henry Awalt (b. 26 Apr 1860, Bastrop, TX; d. 5 Oct 1934, Lockhart, TX) | WWI transport records, Old Red Rock Cemetery transcription, Bastrop Co marriage index, 1900/1910 census |
| Mother | Mary Emma Scarbrough (b. 18 Sep 1865; d. 5 May 1895, Bastrop, TX) | Old Red Rock Cemetery: "b. 9/18/1865, d. 5/5/1895, w/o G.H., Buried with Babe"; Bastrop Co marriage index |
| Stepmother | Anna Belle Osteen, prev. Dalton (1859-1937), m. George Henry 27 Dec 1896 as "Anna B. Dalton" | Caldwell Co marriage index; prev. m. J.V. Dalton 8 Jul 1880, Caldwell Co |
| Spouse | Anna Mae Pollard (1 May 1892 - 3 Dec 1983), m. 23 Dec 1922, Jackson Co, MO | Marriage record; FaG #91299842 |
| Children | Dr. Charles Harold Awalt (5 Oct 1926, KC - 25 Apr 1998, San Antonio); Polly Nan Awalt Arth (8 Aug 1929 - 27 Nov 2014, KC) | MO Birth Index, NUMIDENT, Polly Nan obituary (Dignity Memorial) |
| Polly Nan's 1st partner | William James Rudder (1926-2009, d. Arlington, TX). Daughter: Vicki Nan Rudder (13 Nov 1948 - 2017). Vicki born when Polly was 19, before Firman marriage. | Ancestry profile for Polly Nan Awalt |
| Polly Nan's 2nd husband | Firman Anthony Arth (1928-2017), son of William and Rosie (Pointer) Arth of Dover, MO. Met Polly Nan at Lake City Ammunition Plant. Married 18 Mar 1955, Jackson Co, MO. Painter at AT&T for 28 years. Died 14 Jun 2017, Lee's Summit Medical Center. Buried Dover, MO. | Firman Arth obituary; Ancestry marriage record |
| Polly Nan's children | Vicki Nan Rudder Arth (13 Nov 1948 - 2017): daughter with William Rudder, pre-Firman. Gregory Allen Arth (19 Dec 1958 - 11 Jul 2013, Lee's Summit): son with Firman. Mark Arth (living, Private on Ancestry): son with Firman. Brett Arth (Emily): Greg's son, raised by Firman and Polly Nan. | Ancestry profile, Firman obituary, Polly Nan obituary |
| Daughter-in-law | Ana Maria Amelia Cardenas Jinoco (b. ~1922, Mexico City; parents: Armando Cardenas + Rosa Jinoco de Cardenas), m. Charles Harold, 13 May 1949, Cuauhtemoc, Mexico City | Mexico DF Civil Registration, FamilySearch |
Their Story
A Boy Without a Mother
Edward Awalt was born on November 25, 1893, in Bastrop County, Texas, the youngest son of George Henry Awalt, a farmer, and Mary Emma Scarbrough. His mother was 30 years old. Eighteen months later, on May 4, 1895, she gave birth to a daughter, also named Mary Emma. She died the next day. The infant survived three weeks.
Edward was one year old. He would be raised by his father and, from December 1896, by his father's second wife, Anna Belle Osteen. She had previously been married to J.V. Dalton (m. 8 Jul 1880, Caldwell County) and brought three Dalton children to the household: Clifton, George, and Ruth. She married George Henry on December 27, 1896, in Caldwell County, recorded as "Anna B. Dalton" in the marriage index. The 1900 census lists "Edward Awall" (the enumerator's spelling), age 6, in his father's household in Bastrop County, alongside his older sisters Leola, Clem, Doc (Dottie), and Bertha, his brother William, and the three Dalton children.
By 1910, the family had moved to Karnes County, Texas, in the south Texas brush country. Edward was 17, listed simply as "Edward Awalt," living with his father, stepmother, and a Dalton boarder. His older siblings had left home. It is the last census record under his birth name.
A New Name
On August 3, 1914, Edward enlisted in the Regular Army at Fort Logan, Colorado. He enrolled not as Edward Awalt but as Charles E. Awalt. The "Charles" likely came from his uncle, Charles Franklin Awalt (1861-1915), his father's brother. The "E" stood for Edward, his actual given name. His residence was listed as Karnes City, Texas.
Why he changed his name is unknown. Men enlisted under assumed names for many reasons: to escape a past, to reinvent themselves, or simply because they preferred another name. Whatever the reason, Edward Awalt ceased to exist in the official record. From this point forward, he was Charles E. Awalt.
He was initially assigned to Company M, 13th Infantry, where he served for over three years. He was promoted from Private First Class (July 1, 1916) to Corporal (August 22, 1916) to Sergeant (September 19, 1917). On September 6, 1917, he was transferred to the 23rd Company, 164th Depot Brigade, Camp Funston, Kansas (Fort Riley). He was reduced to Private on transfer but quickly restored: Sergeant again by April 28, 1918, then briefly reduced to Private (May 14), promoted to Corporal (May 21), and back to Sergeant by June 7, 1918. On April 28, 1918, he was reassigned to Company D, 529th Engineers Battalion (Service), the unit he would serve with overseas.
Camp Funston at Fort Riley sits roughly 130 miles west of Kansas City. This is the earliest documented connection between Edward and the Kansas City area, four years before Gale's conception.
France
On June 30, 1918, Sergeant Charles E. Awalt boarded the USS Von Steuben at Hoboken, New Jersey, bound for France. The passenger manifest for Company D, 529th Engineers lists him at line 4: "AWALT, CHARLES E., 2202228, SGT." His next of kin was listed as "Mrs. Dotter Drake, Sister, Henderson, Tex." This was his older sister Dottie D. Awalt (1888-1963), who had married a man named Drake and was living in Henderson, in East Texas.
He served in France through the end of the war. On November 15, 1918, four days after the Armistice, he was listed on the passenger manifest of the USS Orizaba departing Brest, France, though he apparently did not board that ship. His next of kin on that manifest was "Geo H Awalt, Father, Karnes, Tex." He returned to the United States on the USS Finland, arriving at Newport News, Virginia, on November 29, 1918. On that manifest, his contact was "Mrs. Geo. Awalt, Father, Karnes, Texas," his stepmother Anna Belle listed under his father's name.
He was honorably discharged on April 5, 1919, per Surgeon's Certificate of Disability (SCD). He was assessed at 30% disabled at discharge, though the AGO record notes "no wounds or injuries received in action." The disability was likely illness or non-combat injury. He held VA pension number 258-063, and his eventual burial at the VA facility at Leavenworth suggests he maintained contact with the VA system for the rest of his life.
Fort Worth
The 1920 census finds him in Fort Worth, Texas, living with his sister Bertha (listed as "Gene Wright," married to Ernest C. Wright) on Clinton Avenue. He is "Evert Awalt," age 27, single, working as a machinist at Armour, the meatpacking company. Two brothers are also in the household: George (24) and Charles (17), a younger half-brother from his father's second marriage.
Armour and Company operated major plants in both Fort Worth and Kansas City. At some point between 1920 and late 1922, Edward moved to Kansas City. Whether this was a company transfer or an independent move is unknown.
Kansas City
On December 23, 1922, Charles E. Awalt married Anna Mae Pollard in Jackson County, Missouri (Application No. A-5555, Book 93, Page 402). He gave his age as 29; she gave hers as 30. Both listed Kansas City, Jackson County as their residence. He was already living at 311 North White Avenue, the address that would remain his home for the rest of his life. The license was sworn before Deputy J.A. Kilmer of Recorder Charles H. Moore's office. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Boggess, likely Rev. Thomas Howard Boggess (1876-1938), a Baptist minister who lived at 406 N. Lawndale in 1920, four to five blocks from the Awalt home. Boggess pastored Bethany Baptist Church, 141 N. Lawndale Ave (corner of Scarritt and Lawndale), a Southern Baptist congregation founded in 1901 in the Scarritt Point / Sheffield neighborhood of northeast Kansas City. He later moved to Iowa, serving as pastor of First Baptist Church in Mount Ayr until his death in 1938. Both signed in their own hands: "Chas E. Awalt" and "Anna M. Pollard."
It was seven months after Gale Fulghum's conception and 58 days before Gale's birth.
By 1930, the family was still at 311 North White Avenue, Kansas City, Ward 10. Charles owned the home (valued at $2,350) and worked as a mechanic at a typewriter company. The household included Anna Mae, their son Harold (age 3), and a lodger. The census enumerator recorded his birthplace as "Texas" (correct) but his father's birthplace as "Pennsylvania" (incorrect; George Henry was from Texas, though the Awalt family may have originally come from Pennsylvania generations earlier).
Their second child, Polly Nan, was born August 8, 1929, in Lake City, Missouri.
The Next Generation
Charles Harold attended Northeast High School in Kansas City, the same school Polly Nan would attend a few years later. His 1943 yearbook photo, taken when he was 16, shows a serious young man in a suit jacket. The caption read: "Future scientist, Radio Club 3." The future scientist became a physician instead. He applied for a Social Security number in June 1943, the same month the yearbook came out. By the late 1940s he was living in San Antonio, Texas. On May 13, 1949, he married Ana Maria Amelia Cardenas Jinoco in Cuauhtemoc, Mexico City. He was 22; she was 27. The Mexican civil registration record (Registration No. 47, Page 48) lists him as "Charles Harold Arvalt Pollard," using the Mexican naming convention of paternal surname (Arvalt, the Spanish rendering of Awalt) followed by maternal surname (Pollard). His father is listed as "Charles Edward Arvalt" and his mother as "Anna Mae Pollard de Arvalt." The bride's parents were Armando Cardenas and Rosa Jinoco de Cardenas.
Edward did not live to see his son's marriage. He had been dead nine years.
Death
Charles E. Awalt died on February 28, 1940, at age 46. The Kansas City newspaper notice read: "AWALT-Charles E., age 45 years, 311 N. White ave., passed away February 28, 1940. Services Friday, 12:30 p.m., in The Chapel, 2825 Independence blvd. Interment Wadsworth, Kas."
He was buried at Leavenworth National Cemetery in Wadsworth, Kansas, Section 38, Row 5, Site 6, with a marble upright headstone and a Christian emblem. The headstone application was filed by C. I. Martin, the VA facility manager at Wadsworth. His widow Anna Mae remained at 311 North White with Harold (13), Polly Nan (10), and her mother Nannie Pollard (75).
No Missouri death certificate exists; he was buried in Kansas and likely died there or at the VA facility. Anna Mae lived until December 3, 1983, and was buried at Floral Hills Cemetery in Kansas City.
In 1948, at age 19, Polly Nan had a daughter, Vicki Nan Rudder, with William James Rudder (1926-2009). Whether they married is unclear; an Iowa marriage record appears in Polly Nan's Ancestry sources. Rudder later moved to Arlington, Texas, where he died in 2009.
Polly Nan then met Firman Anthony Arth at the Lake City Ammunition Plant in Independence. Firman was a farm boy from Dover, Missouri, the son of William and Rosie Pointer Arth, a 1946 graduate of Dover High School who had played on the basketball team. They married on March 18, 1955, in Jackson County. Together they had two sons: Gregory Allen Arth (19 Dec 1958 - 11 Jul 2013) and Mark Arth (living). Firman also raised Vicki as his own, and later raised Brett, Greg's son. Firman worked as a painter at AT&T for 28 years, and Polly Nan worked there too. They built a home in Kansas City and stayed for decades, later moving to the Greenwood/Lee's Summit area.
Gregory died on July 11, 2013, in Lee's Summit. Polly Nan died of pulmonary fibrosis on November 27, 2014, at age 85, with family at her bedside. She was buried at Saint John's Cemetery in Dover, Lafayette County, Missouri. Her obituary confirmed her parents as "Charles and Anna Mae Awalt" and noted she was preceded in death by her brother Harold. Vicki died in 2017, the same year as Firman. Firman died on June 14, 2017, at Lee's Summit Medical Center, at age 88. He was buried in Dover beside Polly Nan.
Harold had died in 1998 in San Antonio. Both of Edward's children were gone. But through Polly Nan, Edward's line continued in Kansas City: Mark Arth (Edward's grandson) and Brett Arth (Edward's great-grandson, Greg's son) are the living descendants.
The Paternity Question
Edward Awalt is the leading candidate for Gale Fulghum's biological father based on the following evidence:
DNA evidence:
- "Awalt" appears in Clay Fulghum's (Gale's grandson) paternal DNA surname clusters. The Awalt surname has approximately 1,200 bearers in the entire United States.
- Clay has multiple paternal DNA matches with people bearing the surname Scarbrough or with Scarbrough in their family trees (up to 29 cM). Edward's mother was Mary Emma Scarbrough.
- Clay has dozens of paternal DNA matches connected to Bastrop County, Texas, where Edward was born and the Scarbrough family lived.
- James Thomas (AncestryDNA): 55 cM shared, paternal side. His tree includes Sophia Awalt (1803-1860, Cabarrus County, NC), who married Reuben Webb in Franklin County, TN. Sophia is likely from the same Awalt family as Edward's great-grandfather George Awalt Jr (1812-1882); the Awalt surname originates from German "Ewald" and Cabarrus County was a German settlement area on the same PA-NC-TN-TX migration corridor. At 55 cM, this is a robust match confirming Awalt DNA on Clay's paternal side.
- Kristina Stage (AncestryDNA, managed by Colin Hicks): 18 cM shared, paternal side. Public tree (1,595 people) includes Jacob Edward Awalt (1806-1891), Charles Benjamin Awalt (1840-1911), Alfred Awalt (1843-1915), James Kenneth Awalt (1866-1926), and his children. This is a separate Awalt branch from James Thomas's match. Jacob Edward Awalt (1806) is a near-contemporary of George Awalt Jr (1812), likely brothers. Charles Benjamin (1840) is a near-contemporary of William Michael Awalt (1834, Edward's grandfather), likely cousins. Two independent Awalt branches matching Clay on the paternal side is near-conclusive.
- J. L. (AncestryDNA): 11 cM shared, paternal side. Private tree (742 people) with "Arth" in the tree. Consistent but too distant to be a close Arth family descendant.
Three independent Awalt-connected branches (Sophia Awalt 1803, Jacob Edward Awalt 1806, and the Scarbrough matches through Edward's mother) all converge on Clay's paternal side. The probability of this pattern arising by chance, given the surname's rarity (~1,200 US bearers), is effectively zero.
Circumstantial evidence:
- Edward is the only known Awalt man in Kansas City during Gale's conception period (~May 1922).
- He was unmarried at the time (married Anna Mae Pollard seven months later, on December 23, 1922, 58 days before Gale's birth on February 19, 1923).
- Same neighborhood: Clara Loyd was living on Independence Road (Independence Avenue) in northeast Kansas City in 1920, boarding in the Carlton household (1920 census, Ward 16). Edward was living at 311 N. White Avenue, one to two blocks off Independence Avenue, by December 1922 (marriage license application). Both addresses are in the Scarritt Point / Sheffield / Indian Mound corridor, a walkable, working-class neighborhood. Edward's church, Bethany Baptist (141 N. Lawndale), was also in this corridor.
- He was a machinist/mechanic; Clara Loyd (Gale's mother) was a clerk at a mail order house. A typewriter mechanic would service office machines at such businesses.
- His funeral was held at 2825 Independence Boulevard, in East Kansas City, near Clara Loyd's neighborhood.
Not yet confirmed: No direct DNA comparison with known Awalt descendants has been performed. This is the definitive test. The most accessible descendants are Mark Arth (Edward's grandson through Polly Nan, half-1C1R to Clay, expected ~100-200 cM) and Brett Arth (Edward's great-grandson through Greg Arth, half-1C2R to Clay, expected ~25-100 cM), both in the Kansas City / Lee's Summit area. Neither appears to have taken an AncestryDNA test. Vicki (d. 2017) and Greg (d. 2013) are deceased.
Living descendants located (2026-03-28):
- Mark Arth: Online Grocery Pickup Manager / Digital Coach at Walmart, KC area. LinkedIn: mearth22. Born ~1957-1960 (high school classmate of someone born 1957).
- Brett Arth: Lee's Summit. Rockhurst University BBA 2007 (b. ~1985). Former Sr. Analyst at Verizon (2015-2023), previously Cerner. Open to work as of 2023. Greg's son, raised by Firman and Polly Nan.
- Ancestry tree manager: flowermom121 (Karen Prichard Family Tree, 63,753 people), Kansas City, Clay Co, age 50-59. Manages the tree containing Mark as "Private." Potential intermediary for contact.
Document Sources
| Document | Type | Key Data |
|---|---|---|
| WWI Transport: USS Von Steuben (30 Jun 1918) | Military passenger list | Sgt., Co D, 529th Engrs. Sister: Mrs. Dotter Drake, Henderson, TX. |
| WWI Transport: USS Orizaba (15 Nov 1918) | Military passenger list | Father: Geo H Awalt, Karnes, TX. |
| WWI Transport: USS Finland (29 Nov 1918) | Military passenger list | Father: Mrs. Geo. Awalt, Karnes, TX. Sgt., Co C, 529 Engrs. |
| AGO Form 724-2½ (12 Mar 1920) | Military service record | Charles E. Awalt, Serial 2,202,228. Born Red Rock, TX, age 21 8/12 at enlistment. RA, Ft Logan, Colo, 3 Aug 1914. Co M 13 Inf to 6 Sep 1917; 23 Co 164 Dep Brig Camp Funston to 28 Apr 1918; Co D 529 Engrs Ser Bn to disch. Served overseas to 29 Nov 1918. Hon. disch. 5 Apr 1919 per SCD, 30% disabled. No wounds in action. |
| Headstone Application (NARA) | War Department form | Sgt., Co D, 529th Engineers. Enlisted 8-3-14, discharged 4-5-19. Pension 258-063. Leavenworth National Cemetery, Sec 38 Row 5 Site 6. |
| Find A Grave Memorial #306392 | Grave photograph | Marble upright headstone: "CHARLES E / AWALT / TEXAS / SGT 529 ENGRS / FEBRUARY 28 1940." Christian cross emblem. Photo #144473266. |
| SS-5 Index | Social Security | Born 25 Nov 1893, "Wadsworth, Kansas." Died 28 Feb 1940. SSN 335052777. |
| 1930 Census | Federal census | 311 N. White, KC. Mechanic, Typewriter Co. Age 36. Wife Anna Mae, son Harold. |
| KC Death Notice | Newspaper | "Charles E., age 45, 311 N. White ave." Interment Wadsworth, KS. |
| Jackson Co Marriage License Application (A-5555) | Vital record | Charles E. Awalt, age 29, KC, Jackson, MO + Anna M. Pollard, age 30, KC, Jackson, MO. Address: 311 N. White. Signed "Chas E. Awalt." Sworn 23 Dec 1922 before Deputy J.A. Kilmer. Officiant: Rev. Boggess. |
| Jackson Co Marriage Index (Book 93, p. 402) | Index | Bride: Pollard, Anna M., 1922. Groom: Charles M. [sic] Awalt. File No. A-5555. |
| VA Master Index (5 Apr 1919) | Military/VA | Charles Edward Awalt. Born 25 Nov 1892 (sic). Residence: Kansas City, MO. Discharge 5 Apr 1919. FamilySearch ark:/61903/1:1:QP88-9ZFP. |
| Charles Harold Awalt NUMIDENT | Social Security | Parents: Charles E Awalt + Anna M Pollard. Born 5 Oct 1926, Kansas City, MO. Residence: San Antonio, TX. Died 25 Apr 1998. FamilySearch ark:/61903/1:1:6KW4-FQXZ. |
| Northeast High School Yearbook (1943) | School yearbook | Charles Harold Awalt, age 16. "Future scientist, Radio Club 3." Ancestry U.S. School Yearbooks collection. |
| WWII Draft Registration Card (DSS Form 1) | Selective Service | Charles Harold Awalt, Serial W 328-A, Order 12562-A. 311 North White Ave, KC, Jackson, MO. Born 10/5/26, Kansas City, MO. Age 19. Phone: Benton 3248. Contact: Mrs Anna Mae Awalt, mother, same address. Employer: "Disc vet." Signed in his own hand. |
| Mexico DF Civil Registration (13 May 1949) | Marriage record | Charles Harold "Arvalt Pollard" m. Ana Maria Amelia Cardenas Jinoco. Father: "Charles Edward Arvalt." Mother: "Anna Mae Pollard de Arvalt." FamilySearch ark:/61903/1:1:QG42-Z539. |
Data Discrepancies
| Field | Source A | Source B | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Edward Awalt (1900/1910 census) | Charles E. Awalt (all records from 1914+) | Enlisted under assumed name. "Charles" from uncle Charles Franklin Awalt; "E" for Edward. Confirmed by WWI transport records naming his father and sister. |
| Birthplace | Bastrop County, Texas (1900/1910 census) | Wadsworth, Kansas (SS-5, filed by widow 1940) | Texas is correct per two census records showing him as a child in his father's household. SS-5 was filed by Anna Mae after his death; she may not have known his true birthplace or may have given the burial location. |
| Father's birthplace | Texas (1910 census for George Henry; Old Red Rock Cemetery) | Pennsylvania (1930 census for Charles E.) | Texas is correct. "Pennsylvania" reflects deep ancestral origins: Michael Abraham Awalt Sr. (1755-1835), Edward's 3x great-grandfather, was born in Philadelphia/Germantown, PA (German immigrant line from Bavaria via Johannes Ehwaldt, b. 1722). The family migrated PA → NC → TN → MS → AR → TX. Edward likely knew the family "came from Pennsylvania" but applied it to the wrong generation. |
| Mother's birthplace | Texas (Mary Emma Scarbrough, b. 18 Sep 1865, per Old Red Rock Cemetery headstone) | Missouri (1930 census for Charles E.) | Texas is correct. Edward's mother died when he was 1; he likely did not know her birthplace. "Missouri" may refer to stepmother Anna Belle's origins or be enumerator error. |
| Middle initial | E (death notice, SS-5, WWI records, marriage license) | G (1930 census); M (marriage index) | "E" is correct per multiple sources including his own signature ("Chas E. Awalt"). Census "G" and index "M" are both misreads of handwritten "E." |
| Birth year | 25 Nov 1893 (SS-5, filed by widow) | 25 Nov 1892 (VA Master Index, AGO Form 724) | 1892 now favored. AGO Form 724 gives age 21 8/12 at enlistment (3 Aug 1914), which calculates to birth ~Dec 1892, consistent with VA Master Index (25 Nov 1892). SS-5 was filed by Anna Mae after Edward's death; she may have been off by one year. 1900 census (age 6) is ambiguous (could be either year depending on enumeration date). 1910 census (age 17) slightly favors 1892 (would be 17 turning 18 in Nov 1910). Death notice "age 45" in Feb 1940 is consistent with 1894, a third variant, likely rounded. |
| Birthplace (specific) | Bastrop County, Texas (1900/1910 census) | Red Rock, Texas (AGO Form 724) | Both correct. Red Rock is a community in Bastrop County. AGO form provides the specific locality; census records give the county. Consistent with Old Red Rock Cemetery where parents George Henry and Mary Emma are buried. |