Stella's Roots- Part 3

    After arriving home from our trip to the Winchester area, Jim and I started an online search on the Machen family. In Allie Mae's obituary Willis and Sallie (Sargent) Machen were listed as her parents. It took awhile, but we finally found them.
    Willis and  Sallie were married  on October 23, 1893 in Jackson County, Alabama. On the 1900 census Willis and Sallie were living in Hollywood, Jackson County, Alabama along with Lucille (5) and Lovey (65).  Lovey was Willis' mother.
     By the 1910 census Willis (43) and Sallie had four children.  One of which was Allie Mae who was one year old. They were still living in Hollywood.  On the 1920 census their last name was spelled Matchen. Willis (52), Sallie (48) and Allie M.(11) were the only ones in the household.  Once again they were living in Hollywood.
     When reviewing the actual 1920 census there was a Goins family listed directly above them.  Fanny Goins (29) was listed as a widow  with four children: William (11), Paul (9), Nellie A.(7) and Bee M. (5).  In the previous census Fannie's husband was Marlin L. Goins.
      Since Stella was born in 1920, the search for her has been more difficult. If Allie Mae's story of her and Stella having the same father is true then Willis Machen is our guy. As for the mother, who knows. Jim thinks the Goins family on the census is not coincidental. He made some good points about the possibility of this woman being Stella's mother, but without proof, I cannot fully buy into his new theory.
     A trip to the state archives is planned for this week. Neither one of us is holding out for full disclosure of Stella's parents, but maybe a few clues to keep us going.