Memorials › Leonard Leondus "Lyn" Chitwood
Leonard Leondus "Lyn" Chitwood
7 Dec 1902 – 23 Oct 1971
| Birth | 7 Dec 1902 |
| Death | 23 Oct 1971 |
| Added by | Ben Cynova on 16 Nov 2021 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/154027249 |
Bio
Leonard Leondus "Lyn" Chitwood (1902–1971) Early Life and Family Background Leonard Leondus "Lyn" Chitwood was born 7 December 1902 in Ector, Fannin County, Texas, son of Sparrell Hale Chitwood and Mary Cassandre "Cassie" Stephenson. He grew up in a large blended family with many siblings and half-siblings. The death of his father in 1911 placed additional responsibilities on the family's younger members as they worked the farm and adjusted to changing rural economies. Young Adulthood and Marriage Lyn remained near family into early adulthood. He married Laura Spencer on 2 August 1924 in Coryell County, Texas. Records later list him as divorced; the marriage and its end are part of his early-to-mid adult record but little else about their household appears in surviving summary indexes. Work, Mobility, and the Four Corners Connection Lyn's adult life shows considerable geographic mobility. In the late 1930s he had residences in Santa Fe and Flora Vista, New Mexico, reflecting the seasonal and economic movements common in the region at that time. In 1940 he worked temporarily for his older sister, Dona Gay (Gay) Montgomery, and her husband, who was a rancher in the Four Corners area. This seasonal ranch work fits regional patterns: family labor frequently moved where work was available, and relatives commonly supported each other across state lines during tight economic years. By 1942 he was back in Texas, recorded in Angleton, Brazoria County, an area experiencing wartime industrial growth. Later Life and Institutional Record By 1950, Lyn was recorded in Austin, Travis County as a patient with marital status noted as divorced. His later years reflect placement within the mid-century Texas public health system—common for men who required long-term care or whose circumstances left them reliant on state institutions. Death Leonard Leondus "Lyn" Chitwood died 23 October 1971 in Austin, Travis County, Texas. Removal - 28 Oct 1971 Anatomical Board, San Antonio, Texas Context and Interpretation Lyn's life illustrates several common themes for men of his generation from rural Texas: family-centered labor networks, seasonal or temporary migration for work (especially to ranches and agricultural jobs), marriage and later divorce, and eventual interaction with the era's institutional care systems. His 1940 stint working for his sister's ranch in the Four Corners area shows family reciprocity and mobility that linked Texas households to western ranch economies. Sources 1900–1920 U.S. Federal Censuses — family residence and childhood in Justice Precinct 1, Fannin County, Texas. Texas Marriage Records (Coryell County, 1924) — Lyn's marriage to Laura Spencer (2 Aug 1924). 1939–1940 Residence Records (Santa Fe; Flora Vista, NM) — residences and context for movement in New Mexico. 1940 work note — employment for sister Dona Gay (Gay) Montgomery and her husband on a Four Corners–area ranch (family/local records / census adjacency notes). 1942 residence record — Angleton, Brazoria County, Texas. 1950 U.S. Federal Census (Austin, Travis Co.) — listed as patient; marital status divorced. Texas Death Records (Travis County, 1971) — death date and location.
Photos
Family
Parents
Siblings
- Ausburn Brown Chitwood 1868–1941
- Hernest H. Chitwood 1870–1873
- Martin Luther Chitwood 1873–1921
- Pearl Gertrude Chitwood Jenkins 1880–1898
- Eula Lee Chitwood 1882–1883
- Clyde Timothy Chitwood 1883–1942
- Floyd Clinton "Bill" Chitwood 1886–1959
- Bernice Shedrick Chitwood 1889–1966
- Dona Gay Chitwood Montgomery 1891–1985
- Bruce Chitwood 1893–1963
- Earl Chitwood 1896–1976
- Bluford Blanton Chitwood 1907–1986
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