Transcription, Handwriting and a Queen

Compiling the list of the Galveston 1900 Storm dead by GTHC has been a herculean task that continues to this day. It is understandable that inconsistencies persist. Several individuals with the surname Terrell are found on the on-line list: "Mrs. M.E.," "Queen age 33," and "Mrs. Q.V." with four children, all African American.

The entry for this family in the 1900 census in Galveston has been indexed incorrectly, but close reading of the names reveals their identities. The Terrells are indexed at Ancestry as Manny and Susan Terrall. At first look, it could be "Maurice."

Cross-referencing with the 1899 City Directory, we see that Manny is Morris E. Terrell, pastor of St. Luke's Missionary Baptist church at 1510 15th Street. This corresponds with the location of the family shown on the census. 

St. Luke's Missionary Baptist Church is still active in Galveston. The "history" portion of their web site at www.slmbc-gi.org reveals that this church was established in 1894 by 36 members of the Union Baptist church located at 11th and K. They name Rev. E.M. Terrell as their second pastor. The early church is described: These faithful members saved nickels, pennies and dimes to purchase property where they could assemble together for worship. Over a period of time, a lot and two buildings were purchased at 15th Avenue and Avenue N. One building served as the house of worship; the other was used as the parsonage. In 1900, a storm destroyed both buildings. 

The marriage of M.E. Terrell and Queen Alexander took place in 1890 in Waller, Texas, northwest of Houston. This corresponds with the births of the children listed in the 1900 census, born between 1892 and 1898. If the pattern of births every two years continued, Queen may have been pregnant when the storm hit.

Although "Susan" may be a more common name and the transcriber can be forgiven for the error in identifying Queen, the origin of her name can be better understood by reviewing the 1870 census.

Philip and Harriet Alexander, living in Hempstead, Texas, named their daughter Queen Victoria during the reign of Victoria in Great Britain. Queen named her oldest daughter Beatrice, the name of Victoria's youngest child and companion after the death of Prince Albert. In 1880 the Alexander family was enumerated about 10 miles away in Waller. The name of Philip's second daughter, Proserpine, also had royal origins, being  a daughter of Zeus and Demeter in classic mythology. In 1880 she was enumerated simply as "P."

Morris E. Terrell can be found in Galveston's tax records in 1894 as paying his poll tax. No records in Morris' name are found after 1900, leading to the conclusion that it is not Mrs. but Mr. M.E. Terrell who should be in the list of storm dead, and that his wife was counted twice as Mrs. Q.V. and as Queen, age 33.