Staggs Family History

My ancestors in the United States

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    Earnest Edgar (1904-1992)

    BIRTH: 23 Jan 1904, Terlton, Pawnee, Oklahoma, USA
    DEATH: Jun 1992, Prescott, Nevada, Arkansas, USA
    FATHER: Walter Monroe Edgar (1860–1950)
    MOTHER: Darcas Annis Martin (1863–1951)
    SPOUSE: Ida Estelle McFerrin (1906–1994)

    When Earnest Edgar was born on January 23, 1904, in Terlton, Oklahoma, his father, Walter, was 43 and his mother, Darcas, was 40. He married Ida Estelle McFerrin on January 1, 1924, in Newton, Arkansas. They had three children during their marriage. He died in June 1992 in Prescott, Arkansas, at the age of 88.

    The Life of Earnest Edgar

    Earnest Edgar was born on 23 January 1904 in Terlton, Oklahoma, a small community on the edge of the frontier where families lived close to the land and to one another. He was the son of Walter Monroe Edgar and Darcas Annis Martin, a couple who had raised their children through years of change—statehood, drought, and the shifting fortunes of early‑twentieth‑century rural life. Earnest grew up in a world where work began early, neighbors were kin in all but name, and survival depended on the strength of family.

    As a young man, Earnest moved east into the Ozarks of Arkansas, where he met Ida Estelle McFerrin, a young woman from Boxley Valley. They married on 1 January 1924 in Newton County, beginning a partnership that would carry them through decades of both joy and hardship. Their first child, Lester, was born later that year, followed by daughters Mary Jo and Anna Lee.

    A Farmer in the Ozarks

    By 1930, Earnest and Ida were living in Summit Township, Boone County, Arkansas, where Earnest worked as a farmer. The 1930 census recorded him as 26 years old, living with Ida, age 23, and their two young children, Lester (5) and Mary Jo (3). Their life was typical of rural Arkansas families of the time—modest, hardworking, and deeply tied to the land.

    The 1940 census shows the family still in Summit Township. Earnest, then 36, was farming and had completed sixth grade, a common level of education for rural children of his generation. Their household had grown: Lester was 15, Mary Jo 13, and Anna Lee 8. The family lived simply, relying on their farm, their labor, and the strength of their bonds.

    These were years defined by the lingering effects of the Great Depression, the uncertainties of the Dust Bowl era, and the approach of World War II. Through it all, Earnest worked the land, raised his children, and provided the stability that rural families depended on.

    A Difficult Turn

    Sometime after the 1940 census and before his son. Lester, entered the military in 1943, Earnest’s life took a difficult and life‑altering turn. He was committed to the state mental hospital. In the 1950 United States census he was recorded as an inmate (patient) at the Benton State Mental Hospital in Haskell, Arkansas. The census lists him as 45 years old, living among hundreds of other patients.

    The records do not reveal the cause of his commitment, nor the circumstances that led to it. Mental health care in mid‑century Arkansas was limited, and families often had few options when a loved one struggled. What is clear is that this period marked a profound shift in Earnest’s life and in the lives of those who loved him.

    His children—Lester, Mary Jo, and Anna Lee—were still young when he entered the hospital. Lester, the eldest, soon left home to join the Army, beginning a long military career. Ida carried the responsibilities of the household alone, raising their daughters and maintaining the family’s stability as best she could.

    Earnest remained in institutional care for the rest of his life. Though the details are sparse, his story reflects the reality of countless families of the era—lives shaped by limited medical understanding, social stigma, and the quiet endurance of those left behind.

    Earnest lived in the state mental hospital until died in June 1992, at the age of 88. He lived through nearly a century of change—from horse‑drawn wagons to the space age, from the rural frontier to the modern world.

    Legacy of Earnest Edgar

    Though much of his life remains unrecorded, Earnest’s legacy endures through his children and their families. His son Lester became a highly decorated career soldier; his daughters built families of their own; and the generations that followed carry forward the story of a man whose life, though marked by hardship, remains an essential part of the Edgar family history.

    Parents

    FATHER: Walter Monroe Edgar (1860–1950)
    MOTHER: Darcas Annis Martin (1863–1951)

    Married

    Ida Estelle McFerrin (1906–1994), married 1 Jan 1924 in Newton, Arkansas, USA

    Children

    • Lester Edgar (1924–1998)
    • Mary Jo Edgar (1927– )
    • Anna Lee Edgar (1931– )

    Documents

    • Birth Records
      • U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 > Name: Ernest Edgar; Social Security Number: 431-06-7498; Birth Date: 23 Jan 1904; Issue year: 1969; Issue State: Arkansas; Last Residence: 71857, Prescott, Nevada, Arkansas, USA; Death Date: Jun 1992
    • Wedding records
      • Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1972 > 1923 > Volume 065-076 > Name: Mr Ernie Edgar; Marriage License Age: 19; Record Type: Marriage License; Birth Date: abt 1904; Marriage License Date: 28 Dec 1923; Marriage License Place: Arkansas, USA; Marriage Place: Newton, Arkansas, USA; Spouse: Ida McFerrin
      • Arkansas, U.S., County Marriages Index, 1837-1957 > Name: Ernie Edgar; Gender: Male; Marriage Age: 19; Event Type: Marriage; Birth Date: 1905; Marriage License Date: 8 Dec 1923; Marriage Date: 1 Jan 1924; Marriage Place: Newton, Arkansas, USA; Residence Date: 1924; Residence Place: Compton, Newton, Arkansas; Spouse: Ida McFerrin; FHL Film Number: 2020695
    • Death records
      • U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 > Name: Ernest Edgar; Social Security Number: 431-06-7498; Birth Date: 23 Jan 1904; Issue year: 1969; Issue State: Arkansas; Last Residence: 71857, Prescott, Nevada, Arkansas, USA; Death Date: Jun 1992
    • Census Records
      • 1910 United States Federal Census > Oklahoma > Pawnee > House Creek > District 0175 > Earnest Edgar, age 6, living with parents Walter M Edgar (age 47, farmer) and Dorcas A Edgar (age 44) and siblings Elden Edgar (age 12), George Edgar (age 10) and Edith Edgar (age 8)
      • 1920 United States Federal Census > Arkansas > Newton > Osage > District 0105 > Earnest Edgar, age 15, living with parents Walter M Edgar (age 68, farmer) and Dorcas A Edgar (age 54)
      • 1930 United States Federal Census > Arkansas > Boone > Summit > District 0028 > Earnest Edgar, age 26, farmer, living with wife Ida Edgar (age 23) and children Lester Edgar (age 5) and Mary Joe Edgar (age 3)
      • 1940 United States Federal Census > Arkansas > Boone > Summit > 5-29 > Earnest Edgar, (age 36, farmer, highest grade completed: Elementary school, 6th grade) living with wife Ida Edgar (age 33) and children Lester Edgar (age 15), Mary Joe Edgar (age 13) and Anna Lee Edgar (age 8)
      • 1950 United States Federal Census > Arkansas > Saline > Haskell > 63-12 > Ernest Edgar, age 45, Inmate (patient) in Benton State Mental Hospital
    • Other
      • U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 > Name: Ernest Edgar; Gender: Male; Age: 36; Relationship to Draftee: Self (Head); Birth Date: Jan 1904; Residence Place: Hilltop, Boone, Arkansas, USA; Registration Date: 1940-1945; Registration Place: Hilltop, Boone, Arkansas, USA

    Relation of Earnest Edgar to Karen Edgar: grandfather

    Page last updated May 8, 2026

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