Abstract
James Hutten Costen, the youngest child of the late William James Costen and Mary Lou Brookings Costen, was born in Omaha, Nebraska. William was born in Baltimore, Maryland and later moved to Omaha, the site of the headquarters of Union Pacific Railway. He was a private car pullman porter for the president of the company, Edward Harriman, the father of American diplomat Averell Harriman. Mary Lou was born in Owensboro, Kentucky. In the 1920s, she moved to Omaha Nebraska to assist an uncle who operated a mortuary. Mary and William were introduced to each other by Silas Johnson, a funeral director and friend of William. They were married and Mary conceived eight children. Three boys survived: William Theodore, Charles Alexander (now deceased), and James Hutten. William Theodore, the oldest, still resides in Omaha.