Hi Johan,
Thanks!

I knew nothing about my grandfather's half brother Reuben Thompson except that he exsisted. I remember my dad mentioning an uncle Reuben -and I may have met him once when I was a lttle girl.

I was able to trace him to Chicago - and the record stops there. Since I don't know when or where he died, Social Security Death Index hasn't helped. Searched the index for him - found no one born in 1891 with that name - though there are some records with 1890 date - but not correct birthdate.

My grandparents moved from Chicago to NY in 1947, when I was born, and Reuben was not part of my family while I was growing up.

Here's what I have so far:
1900 census - listed as Reuben T Jones in home of stepfather George Edmondson and mother Lou in Davidson County, Nashville, TN

He is indexed (mis-spelled) as:
Name: Rheuben V Jones
Home in 1900: Nashville Ward 13, Davidson, Tennessee
Age: 9
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1891
Birthplace: Tennessee
Relationship to head-of-house: Stepson
Mother's name: Low
Race: Black

THOMPSON, REUBEN (1910 U.S. Census)
Kansas , SHAWNEE, 3-WD TOPEKA, Age 18, Male, Race: Black, Born: TN
Series: T624 Roll: 457 Page: 71

listed as a border in home of his stepfather Geo Edmondson and mother Lou

Draft Registration:

Name: Reuben Thompson
City: Topeka
County: Shawnee
State: Kansas
Birthplace: Tennessee;United States of America
Birth Date: 24 Nov 1891
Race: Black
Roll: 1643921
DraftBoard: 1
listed as having wife and one child.

THOMPSON, REUBEN (1920 U.S. Census)
Kansas , SHAWNEE, 6-WD; TOPEKA 4-PCT, Age 30, Male, Race: Black, Born: TN
Series: T625 Roll: 551 Page: 217

Spouse's name: Cecelia
Father's Birth Place: Tennessee
Mother's Birth Place: Tennessee
Marital Status: Married
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Home owned: Rent
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes

Household Members: Name Age
Reuben Thompson 30
Cecelia Thompson 27
Kenneth P Thompson 7

Reuben was married to a Cecelia Poole in KS and was divorced by 1930 census. I have the marriage record, and a listing of the divorce from Topeka.

They had a son Kenneth P Thompson, born in 1913 in Shawnee County, Topeka KS. Kenneth is listed with his mother Cecilia in 1930 census, while Reuben is listed living with my grandparents George and Mabel Oliver in Chicago:

Name: Reuben Thompson
Home in 1930: Chicago, Cook, Illinois
Age: 37
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1893
Birthplace: Tennessee
Relation to Head of House: Half Brother
Race: Negro
(listed as married however his former wife had already remarried)

Cecelia Poole was remarried to Earl Garrett in Topeka in 1930.

Name: Cecelia Garrett
Home in 1930: Topeka, Shawnee, Kansas
Age: 35
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1895
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Spouse's name: Earl
Earl Garrett 38
Cecelia Garrett 35
Kenneth Thompson 17
Kenneth Garrett 15

Have posted to Kansas boards hoping to find a Thompson or Garrett connection, through Reubens son or step-son - or perhaps a grandson.

Do have this record, which is a long shot:

Name: Kenneth P. Thompson
SSN: 330-01-3835
Last Residence: 90808 Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Born: 15 Oct 1913
Died: 18 Jan 1988
State (Year) SSN issued: Illinois (Before 1951 )

but am not yet sure if this is correct Kenneth - have asked for an obit through RAOGK before sending for SS info.

Several family members died in CA including my grandfathers oldest son Jewell Oliver (my fathers half-brother) and his daughter - so Kenneth may have migrated to CA.

That's all I have at this point, but it's sure a lot more than I started out with a few years back when I began to search for my dad's family which I knew next to nothing about.

Denise