1655 N. Capitol 

1027 Oak 

825 S. 13th 

Otis Owen Edwards was born on 4 Aug 1884 in Edwardsville, Alabama to Stephen L. and Mabel [Pittman] Edwards. He was one of three children. Tragically, his father passed away in 1898 at the age of 36. 

In 1900, at the age of 15, Otis lived with his Uncle Henry L. Pittman on a farm in Buncombe, Georgia. He completed up to the 6th grade in elementary school. 

Otis married Bertha Agnes Terry on 31 Mar 1907 in Bell City, Alabama. By 1910, he was 26 years old and worked in a cotton mill. The couple had one son and housed two boarders. 

During World War I, in 1918, Otis registered for the draft. At that time, he worked in textile manufacturing in St. Clair County, Alabama. His draft registration described him as having medium height and build, with dark hair and blue eyes. He was 34 years old and married. 

By 1920, Otis was 35 years old and worked as the foreman in the weaving room of a cotton mill. The family lived on Gum Spring Rd. In Eden, Alabama, with three children and Otis’ mother Mabel. 

In 1923, Otis and his family moved to the Coos Bay area in Oregon. By 1930, Otis was 45 years old and worked as a trimmer man in a lumber mill. The family rented a home at 719 S. Second St. In Marshfield, Oregon, for $18 a month. Agnes and their three children lived with him. 

The family relocated to Salem, Oregon in 1932. Otis was hired by the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill to work in the weaving department on 14 Aug 1933.  

In 1940, Otis worked 40 hours a week as a loom fixer in a bag factory. The family rented a home for $13 a month at 2538 NW Upshur St. in Portland, Oregon. His voter registration card for Multnomah County confirmed this address and his occupation in the textile industry. He was also a registered Republican. The back of the card recorded his move back to Marion County, Oregon in 1940. 

In 1942, during World War II, Otis registered for the draft again. He was 57 years old and back at the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill. His physical description at that time was 5’11” in height, 175 pounds, with a light complexion, gray hair, and hazel eyes. He registered for the draft on 27 Apr 1942 in Salem, OR. 

By 1950, Otis still worked at the woolen mill. During the last week of March prior to the census record, he worked 24 hours. He lived at 8255 13th St. in Salem and was 65 years old. He was still married, and daughter Hazel lived with them. In 1955, when the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill began its gradual shutdown, Otis found work at the Asten Hill Manufacturing Co. 

Otis’ wife Agnes, passed away on 8 Aug 1972, in a nursing home in Salem, Oregon. Otis himself died 6 Sep 1973, in a nursing home in Salem. He was 89 years old. Both Otis and Agnes were cremated and interred at Restlawn Memory Gardens in West Salem, Oregon. 

1935  Edwards Otis O (Agnes) weaver, TKWM Co, h 1655 N Capitol 

1936-37  Edwards Otis O (Agnes) weaver, TKWM Co, h 1027 Oak 

1938-39  Edwards Otis O (Agnes B) weaver, TKWM Co, h 1027 Oak 

1942  Edwards Otis O (Agnes) weaver, TKWM Co, h 825 S 13th 

1945  Edwards Otis O (Agnes) weaver, TKWM Co, h 825 S 13th 

1947  Edwards Otis O (Agnes) weaver, TKWM Co, h 825 S 13th 

1949  Edwards Otis O (Agnes) weaver, TKWM Co, h 825 S 13th 

1951  Edwards Otis O (Agnes) weaver, TKWM Co, h 825 S 13th 

1953-54  Edwards Otis O (Agnes) weaver, Thos Kay Woolen Mill, h 825 S 13th 

1955  Edwards Otis O (Agnes) weaver, Asten Hill Manufacturing, h 825 S 13th 

1959  Edwards Otis O (Agnes) weaver, Asten-Hill, h 825 S 13th  

1961  Edwards Otis O (Agnes) weaver, Asten-Hill, h 825 13th SE 

1910  Otis Eward [Edward]. Age: 26. Birth Date: 1884 in Alabama. Home in 1910: Eden, Saint Clair, Alabama. Married, HOH. Occupation: Cotton Mill. Additional household members: Agnes Eward [Edward], age 21 (wife), Terrie Eward [Edward], age 20 [incorrect] (son), as well as two boarders. 

1920  Otis E. Edwards. Age: 35. Birth Year: abt 1885 in Alabama. Home in 1920: Gum Spring Rd. Eden, St. Clair, Alabama. Married, HOH. Occupation: Foreman in Weave Room [Cotton Mill]. Additional household members: Agnes Edwards, age 29 (wife), Terry Edwards, age 11 (son), Hazel Edwards, age 9 (daughter), Julian Edwards, age 4 (son), Mable Edwards, age 56 (mother). 

1930  Otis O. Edwards: Age: 45. Birth Year: abt 1885 in Alabama. Home in 1930: 719 S. Second St. Marshfield, Coos, OR. Married, HOH. Occupation: Trimmer man in Lumber Mill. Additional household members: Agnes Edwards, age 40 (wife), Terry Edwards, age 22 (son), Hazel R. Edwards, age 19 (daughter), Julian A. Edwards, age 14 (son). 

1940  Otis O. Edwards. Age: 55. Birth Year: abt 1885 in Alabama. Home in 1940: 2538 NW Upshur St. Portland, Multnomah OR. Inferred residence in 1935: Salem, Marion, OR. Married, HOH. Occupation: Loom Fixer. Additional household members: Agnes B. Edwards, age 50 (wife), Hazel R. Edwards, age 29 (daughter). 

1950  Otto O. Edwards. Age: 65. Birth Year: abt 1885 in Alabama. Home in 1950: 825 13th St. Salem, Marion, OR. Married, HOH. Occupation: Weaver in Woolen Factory. Additional household members: B. Agnes Edwards, age 60 (wife), Hazel R. Edwards, age 39 (daughter). 

Bertha Agnes Edwards  Birth: Mar 1890. Death: 8 Aug 1972 (aged 82) Marion County, Oregon. Burial: Restlawn Memory Gardens, West Salem, Polk County, OR. Memorial ID: 126658133 

Oregon Statesman 9 Aug 1972, p. 34 – Obituary [Agnes] 

Capital Journal 7 Sep 1973 p. 9 – Obituary [Otis] 

M3 1978-004-0004     Photo [group photo] 

M3 1989-033-0001     Bathrobe