Burton FINKLE (1868-1909)

PREVIOUS POSTS IN THIS SERIES:

William Finkle (1866-1948)
David Finkle (1844-1915)
Eliza Jane (Pemberton) Finkle (1844-1927)
Sarah Maria (Pemberton) Morrison Jones (1851-1941)

About a month ago, I posted about my research on William FINKLE. He was my first cousin 4x removed and the oldest child of David FINKLE and Eliza Jane PEMBERTON. This was part of a series of posts about the individuals I've been working on in my RootsMagic database cleanup project. This post will be about the second child of David and Eliza, Burton FINKLE.

According to the Macomb County, Michigan, birth registers, David and Eliza FINKLE had a child on 22 Mar 1868 in Lenox Township. No name was given for the child, but from analyzing all known records on Burton FINKLE, it appears to be him. According to his death record, he was born Mar 1868. His ages of 2 and 16, respectively, in the 1870 U.S. census and 1884 State of Michigan census support this birth date. The 1880 census gives his age as 11, which would make him born ca. 1869. The 1900 census gives his birth date as Mar 1869. The 1894 State of Michigan census gives his age as 23, which would suggest a birth date of ca. 1871.

Burton does not appear to have ever married. I have found no marriage record for him in Michigan or Ohio. At the time of his death, his marital status was given as single. All census records also give his marital status as single.

From 1870 to 1900, Burton is found with his parents in the federal and state census records. 

1870 Algonac, St. Clair Michigan: Bertis Finkle, age 2, born in Michigan

1880 Clay Township, St. Clair, Michigan: Burton Finkle, age 11, labors on farm, born in Michigan

1884 Clay Township, St. Clair, Michigan: Burton Finkle, age 16, born in Michigan, mariner

1894 Marine City, St. Clair, Michigan: Burt Finkle, age 23, single, born in Michigan, sailor

1900 Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan: Bert Finkel, b. Mar 1869, age 31, single, born in Michigan, sailor

Burton also appears in a few county and city directories from 1899 to 1909. 

1899 Marine City, St. Clair, Michigan: Bert Finkle, sailor, res Plank rd [home of his parents]

1902 Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan: Bert Finkle, polisher Pt H Steel & S Co [Port Huron Steel & Screw Co.], res 32d [home of his parents]

1904 Toledo, Lucas, Ohio: Burt Finkle, sailor, bds 348 Craig [along with brothers, Hayes and Jeremiah]

1907 Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio: Burton Finkle carp r 3707 Clinton av NW [along with his father and two brothers, Hayes and Roy]

1909 Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio: Bert Finkle mate r 1864 W 48th NW [along with brothers, Hayes and Roy]

From the census and city directories, it is apparent that Burton was a sailor for most of his life. It appears that he dabbled in carpentry, but I think that it was most likely ship carpentry. 

According to his death record, Burton died at the age of 41 on 29 Nov 1909 in Cleveland due to gross injuries and shock due to a railroad accident. 

Ohio Department of Health, death certificate no. 55804 (1909), Burten Finkel; Ohio Historical Society, Columbus.

  

County of Cuyahoga
City of Cleveland
No. 2322 Forestdale, 6th Ward
Full Name: Burten Finkel
Sex: Male
Race: White
Date of birth: March 1868
Age: 41y 8m
Marital Status: Single
Birthplace: U.S.A.
Occupation: Sailor
Name of Father: David Finkel
Father's birthplace: U.S.A.
Maiden Name of Mother: Eliza Pemberton
Mother's birthplace: U.S.A.
Informant: Roy Finkle
Informant's Address: 2322 Forestdale Av.
Date of death: Nov. 29, 1909
Cause of death: Gross injuries, shock
Contributory cause: R.R. Accident
Former or usual residence: Port Huron
Place of burial: Port Huron
Date of burial: Dec. 1, 1909
Undertaker: Wm. Abel, 7017 Superior Ave

Curious if there would be a newspaper article about the death, I searched for one at GenealogyBank.com. Sure enough, there was a short article in the Plain Dealer about his death. Below is a transcription.

Mate of Steamer Killed by Locomotive He Failed to See in Hurry

Burton Finkel, first mate of the steamer Fred Hartwell, was killed by an eastbound Big Four engine at the W. 3d-st. crossing of the Lake Shore railroad yesterday afternoon.

A half hour before his death Finkel had bidden goodby to his brother, Roy, 2322 Forestdale-av., S.W., after a visit, and had left the house for his boat. He was in a hurry and took a short cut up the Lake Shore tracks.

As he reached the W. 3d-st. crossing, the Big Four engine, running about fifteen miles an hour, came up the track behind him. Finkel failed to notice the approach of the locomotive and before the engineer could stop he was struck, his body being thrown high into the air.

Abel's ambulance took the body to Abel's undertaking rooms. Finkel lived in Port Huron, Mich., and was thirty-eight years old.

Source:  "Haste Fatal To Sailor," Cleveland (Ohio) Plain Dealer, 30 November 1909, p. 4, col. 4; digital images, GenealogyBank (http://www.genealogybank.com/ : accessed 18 November 2009).


I also searched for an article in the Port Huron newspaper when I visited there in 2009. Again, I was lucky.

"Parents Get Sad Message," The Daily Herald (Port Huron, Michigan), 1 December 1909, p. 1.

 

Hear of Son's Death, While They Were Planning to Welcome Him

Late Tuesday night Coroner Falk and Deputy Sheriff Auch learned that the parents of Burton Finkle, second mate on the steamer David Hartwell, who was killed by a railroad train Cleveland in Monday, resided on a farm in Port Huron township, and they broke the sad news to the members of his family.

"So Burton is dead," wailed the grief stricken parents, and the two officials did all in their power to comfort them. It was only a few weeks ago that Finkle wrote home, saying that he expected to be with his family for Christmas.

The remains arrived here at 10 o'clock this morning and were taken to the family residence, from where the funeral will be held on Friday.

I also found a short article about his funeral in the Port Huron newspaper.

The funeral of Burton Finkle, the Port Huron man who was killed by a Big Four train at Cleveland on Monday, will be held from the Gratiot Park M.E. church Friday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock and the burial will be at Lakeside cemetery.

Burton was a rather easy person for me to clean up in my database because he never married nor had any children. Stay tuned to learn more about the third child of David and Eliza, Burton's sister, Eva.