"The Cisco Kid"

AND THE MAYFLOWER DESCENDANTS OF RUTH FULLER FRANCISCO

 (Author's note: There is a thin line between research and destiny. I realized I was crossing it when I went searching for Jefferson County, Indiana, Records, for an ancestor of Paige's -- and found a digital trail -- one that shared my name: Jeff Record. (www.myindianahome.net/gen/jeff/records/bio/biosf.html) The link is defunct now—a ghost of a website haunting the archives—but the irony remains. There is a certain kismet (and regrettable vanity) in a man named Jeff Record hunting for the "Cisco Kid" in the records of Jeff County. The link may have gone cold, but the investigator in me hasn't.)

Unapologetically, unedited.

                                     PART III

Clark was dead. 

Yes, last we left off, Clark Cisco was dead. I know, I know! Who would have ever believed it so? But yes, last we left off Paige's ancestor, Clark Cisco, was indeed, most certainly dead. I'd managed to track him and his family from Cincinnati to Jefferson County, Indiana. And I'd managed to link him to his parents, John Francisco and Anna Belle Kyle. But dang... the records have been scant. I'd had to rely heavily on the obituaries, death certificates, and tax records of his siblings, they being Alonzo, Calvin, Harriet, and Mary Ophelia, to link Clark to "mom and dad"  and to put "them" all together. These seemingly random missives and vitals proved to be a veritable potpourri of Cisco/Sisco/Francisco paraphernalia. I also had to rely heavily on the family's recurring occupation as the town butchers in Madison, Jefferson County, Indiana. And overall, I think I got the job done. 

But as to the circumstances of Clark's death...

However, before I forget and get too far into Clark's tale ... here's the link - in case you need to get caught up:

https://atroubledsage.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-second-step-and-mayflower-effect-of.html

You see...I've been working to establish a genealogical trail from Our Boy Clark to his ancestors Old Henry Francisco, and to Old Henry's wife, Ruth Fuller Francisco - a woman with a preponderance of circumstantial evidence linking her to the Mayflower Fullers, and with the goal of establishing a complete Mayflower line from Ruth to my friend Paige. (Paige, who has shown a keen interest in documenting the possibility of her Fuller Mayflower ancestry.)

Images above and below: "Sisco Correspondence and Family Records" (Genealogical Sidebar: To any of you naysayers about this not being a valid Mayflower line, well, you can just "shut it" for now. We will circle back in the end.) 

BUT As usual, I digress.

You see, Paige's ancestor, Clark Cisco, well, is a HUGE part of the line, and well he ("Clark") simply hasn't been cooperating. 

I managed to pull a date of birth for Our Boy Clark, that of August 31, 1829 - from a letter written by his uncle, Dr. Elon Francisco in 1886. It's a letter still housed in the D.A.R. records - and in records of one of Clark's sisters, Harriet (Cisco) Leas's descendants (No other Bible record, gravestone, cemetery, transcription, etc. exist for Clark), and not much more. I did learn via newspaper records that Clark Cisco was definitely deceased by 1888 when movement was made on his descendant's pension application for an increase in pay. Still though, the dates have been soggy. And regardless, I'm pretty sure that we would need a whole lot more if we ever plan to beseech the Tribunals of Plymouth Rock to review Paige's ancestry in connection to those tumultuous events of days gone by.

Above: The Indiana State Sentinel (Indianapolis, Indiana), 26 September 1888, page 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 January 2026).

But just when the trail went cold in the butcher shops of Jefferson County, Indiana, a dusty index card and an enlistment record from the Mexican-American War started whispering a different story...

II.

And just like that the plot thickened...

Yes, this enlistment record for "Clarke Siscoe" appeared.

Above: U.S., Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914," Clark Cisco, age 18, enlisted March 24, 1847, Cincinnati, Ohio; page 48, line 6; National Archives Microfilm Publication M233, roll 23; digital image, Ancestry.com (accessed 20 January 2026).

Now you could say that I didn't need this record. But the record does confirm Clark's age (18) and place of birth as Cincinnati, so it isn't useless. It also tells us he was a little bitty dude at just over 5 foot 3. Nah, for me it's good in that the enlistment record helps establish Clark's timeline from Cincinnati to Madison County, and helps lead us up to his life there.

Above: 1860 U.S. census, Jefferson County, Indiana, population schedule, Madison Ward 4, p. 129 (penned), dwelling 949, family 1008, Clark Cisco; NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 270; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 January 2026).

Yeah, it feels like we need all of these "parts" if we are going to get answers about Clark. We will need all of these parts if we are going to get here, to the next image below. It's this next image that will take us to the next stop on our Mayflower journey.

Above: Mexican War Pension Index, Clark Cisco (Co. C, 16th U.S. Inf.); "Organization Index to Pension Files, 1833-1902," FamilySearch (Image 3022 of 4344).

You see the Mayflower line (or indeed Clark's line) to Paige goes directly through "Annie King," AKA "Annie Cisco King." Further, we need to establish that the Annie listed in the pension index card above is "one and the same" as Clark's daughter. I know, like you I think this is kind of a foolish exercise. I mean we know that Annie Cisco married Robert King, but do we know for certain that it was this Annie Cisco? The census records are vague to non-existent for Clark or Clark and his family. Clark shows up in the 1860 Census for Madison, Jefferson County, Indiana, but Annie, his alleged daughter via this pension card (who is said to have been born in 1858) doesn't show up in Clark's household. There is a daughter "Susan Cisco" two years old in the household that year, and yes, perhaps this "Susan" is some dim-witted or nefarious census taker mis-recording "Annie" or "Ann." We know sure as Hell that won't fly with the Good Folks at Plymouth Rock.

And we don't really want to try to "prove Annie as Clark's daughter through her siblings" like we had to with Clark. We can - but it will and would prove to be much harder.

SO - We've got to prove Clark had a daughter Annie Cisco - which this pension index card definitely indicates. BUT, without something more this line will fall into question - and worse - genealogical purgatory. And more so, we haven't even gotten into the next generation - Annie Cisco herself. Indeed she may be the real "Cisco Kid" to this story. Think about it: Annie has no birth record, appears in no census records with her father Clark Cisco (that I have found thus far) and she has no death or cemetery record. 

Nada. Zip. Zilch.

We might - and believe me I said "might" be able to connect this all together - but only if we can connect Our Boy Clark Cisco to his daughter Annie somehow - and again connect her back to being "one and the same" as "Annie Cisco King."

To do so, I've gone full monty here. (Bad visual, I know) and I will be going to The Great Halls of Washington D.C.. I have ordered the complete and unadulterated Mexican-American pension file on Clark. We're gonna track down that Cisco kid - and his kid Annie too.

The Cisco Kid ain't gettin' away.

The worst part of this - well for me anyway - is the wait. It may take up to 120 (UGH!) days to get the full pension file back from the "Washington City" on Clark Cisco. Full disclosure too, is Clark may not have much in his file, or the family history in it may be lacking. Still it is the best course outside of guardianship or estate papers for Clark or his widow, Sarah (Hurley) Cisco, a lady who also remains a bit if a mystery.

We've got to get to Annie Cisco King.

We've got to get to the next generation: The Mayflower "Kings."

Stay tuned.

PS: Regrets to the reader for the repetitive stumblings of this old man in the telling of this tale. 

☮