Yet More Relatives from 1909

Tonight I will look at my maternal grandparents' sides of the family to find my third and fourth great-grandparents who were alive in 1909.

My third great-grandparents, John PEMBERTON and Mary Ann COOMBS, were alive in 1909 and 1910. They were the parents of Lovell Hugh PEMBERTON, my great-great-grandfather. For the 1910 census, they were living in Lenox, Macomb, Michigan. John was age 71, and Mary was age 66. John was a blacksmith with his own shop. They had three of their grandchildren living with them: Verna LEONARDSON, age 12; Clarence LEONARDSON, age 7; and Leslie LEONARDSON, age 2. These were the children of Grace Mary PEMBERTON, their daughter who died in 1909. I haven't found Grace's death certificate yet; only a gravestone with the year of death, but I suspect that she died after giving birth to her youngest child in March 1909. The youngest child also died that same year.

My third-great-grandmother, Christine GOSLIN, was alive in 1909 and 1910. She was the mother of my great-great-grandmother, Alvina Mary LESPERANCE. She was a widow living in Ira, St. Clair, Michigan, in 1910, with her single son, William LESPERANCE. She was age 64. William was age 42 and a painter. Her other son, Charles LESPERANCE, age 44, was living next door with the Matilda BLOM family. He was a farm laborer.

My third great-grandparents, George "Calvin" CRYSLER and Mary Ellen MOLESWORTH, were alive in 1909 and 1910. They were the parents of my great-great-grandfather, Ernest George CRYSLER. They lived in Fremont, Sanilac, Michigan in 1910. Their youngest son, Earl Louis CRYSLER, age 18, still lived at home. Their ages were given as 53. Calvin was a farmer, and Earl worked as a farm laborer.

My third-great-grandmother, Cora Millicent KING, was alive in 1909 and 1910. She is the other person, besides Carrie ORTH, that I would most like to talk to. She was the mother of my great-great-grandmother, Nellie May REYNOLDS. Nellie's 1890 birth record states that her birth was illegitimate, but her father was named as Douglas REYNOLDS. Cora was only 15 years old at the time of Nellie's birth, and Douglas seems to have died only 2 months prior to Nellie's birth. I have found no record of a marriage for Cora and Douglas, but Cora did marry Joshua WEDGE in 1897, seven years after Nellie's birth. In 1910, Cora, age 34, and Joshua, age 38, were living in Addison, Oakland, Michigan, with their two daughters, Lula, age 11, and Thelma, age 4 months. Joshua's mother, Doris, was also living with them. Joshua was a farm laborer.

Cora's parents, Suel KING and Ardelia STRATTEN, were living in Moore, Sanilac, Michigan, in 1910. Suel was age 72 and Ardelia was age 66. Their widowed son-in-law, Walter J. CHISOLM, and 6-year-old grandson, Darrel CHISOLM, were living with them. Suel was a farmer.

Douglas REYNOLDS' mother, Lucy NEWTON, was alive in 1910, but I can't seem to find her in the census. She was age 71 and a widow. I have her death record, so I know she didn't die until 1913. She was probably living in Sanilac County, where she is buried.

My third great-grandfather, George HILLMAN, was living in Canada in 1909. He was the father of Florence Minnie HILLMAN, my great-great-grandmother. I've found him in Euphemia, Lambton, Ontario in the 1911 census. He was an 80-year-old widower, living with his daughter, Matilda HILLMAN, and grandson, Harvey HILLMAN. It appears that Matilda gave birth to Harvey out of wedlock, and George and his wife, Mary Mildred MCINTYRE, helped to raise Harvey.

So I think that is finally the end to my 1909/1910 series post. At least for my direct ancestors...we won't discuss the aunts and uncles and cousins because that could take ages!!