Wordless Wednesday: Benford and Merlene c. 1980

Since I am focusing on my paternal grandparents (Benford Maurice Trahan and Merlene Golda Mertena) right now in my Genealogy Do-Over, here are pictures of them around 1980. I found these attached to my grandmother's memorial at Hixson Funeral Home's website. By this time, they had been married about 25 years and had raised four sons to young adulthood. I sure do miss them these days!

Marteeny Graves

I did have some great success at the Williamson County Historical Society in Marion, Illinois, last week. I last posted that I was going there to see what I could find out about the siblings of my 2x-great-grandfather, John Henry Marteeny (1884-1956). I had found photos of their graves online at Find A Grave, which stated they were buried at the Masonic-Lithuanian Cemetery in Shakerag, Williamson, Illinois. My goal was to see if I could find any more info on their deaths and to fulfill a long-time family wish to visit their graves.

I was greeted by very friendly people at the Williamson County Historical Society Museum in Marion. They immediately led me to their research library and to a copy of the book Masonic and Lithuanian Cemeteries, Shakerag, IL by Helen Sutt Lind. I browsed through the book and found out that my 4x step-great-grandfather, John Brown, owned the last-standing grocery store in Shakerag before all the settlers moved one mile away to Lake Creek in the mid-1890s. The best little nugget of info in Helen's book was that the three Marteeny siblings died of diptheria and croup. It even said that the oldest son, Nesbeth Marteeny, had been very close with his father and the father had been terribly heartbroken when he died. The family story was that they died from an epidemic, but no one knew the exact cause. The source is cited as Obits and Tidbits, 1850-1884, Franklin County, Illinois by Carla Pulliam. Guess that is another book I will have to go after.

They were even able to call Helen and she was kind enough to bring me a copy of the book to purchase. She drew me a map to the cemetery, which is at the end of 9th St. in Johnston City.  I am glad that the inscriptions were placed on Find A Grave because the stones were not in that great of a condition. Below are some pics I took while there. I also placed flowers on some of the graves.

Nesbeth F.

Son of J.H. and C.C. Merteney

Born Aug. 8, 1877

Died Jan. 4, 1883

Daisy C.

Dau. of J.H. and C.C. Merteney

Born Oct. 2, 1879

Died Feb. 17, 1882

Marvie J.

Son of J.H. and C.C. Merteney

Born Feb. 6, 1882

Died Dec. 31, 1882

I still have a lot of research to do on my Marteeny ancestors, including finding the grave of my 3x-great-grandfather, John Henry Marteeny (c. 1854-1884). But I am very happy knowing that we have laid to rest a long-time family wish to visit the graves of the three siblings who left this earth too soon.

In The Land Of My Ancestors

Some of you may have been wondering where I have been the last year or so. Well, I've been a lot of places, including going through a company sale and then starting a new job last fall. I have not been very good at blogging during that trying time. Probably my lowest point since I started this blog 7 years ago. I think I did at least a couple of posts in 2014, but only one n 2015, and none in 2016 so far.

I am finally back to "normal." I have stability at the new job. Love the people I work with. I now actually have time to take a vacation. And where have I chosen to go? Well, to the land of my ancestors, of course....Williamson County, Illinois. I am on my way to the 2016 FGS Conference in Springfield, which is about 2-3 hours northwest of Williamson County. The first official day of the conference is Thursday, so I thought I would spend today and tomorrow exploring Williamson County, the home of my Marteeny/Mertena, Orth, Baiar, and Millhouse ancestors.

I am here with my parents, and we are going to the Williamson County Historical Society Museum in the morning. I am hoping to talk to the people there about the location of the Lithuanian-Masonic Cemetery in Shakerag. This is where my 2x great-grandfather's, John Henry Marteeny (1884-1956), siblings are buried. He had one sister and two brothers who died in childhood within 11 months of each other in 1882-1883. His father also died in 1884, supposedly the day after John Henry was born, but I have not found his father's burial location yet. John Henry always told my grandmother (his favorite and beloved grandchild) that he wanted to visit the graves of his siblings, but he did not know where they were buried. When he was about 2 years old, his mother remarried, and shortly after they moved to Oklahoma. As far as I know, they never returned to Illinois and he died not knowing their burial location.

I had no idea where they were buried either until 6-8 months ago when I was looking for all Marteeny's buried in Illinois. I was playing with different spelling combinations, and I happened upon them under the name Merteney. From what I can tell from census and marriage records, John Henry's mother, Carolina Cristina Orth, was from Williamson County. Her stepfather, John Brown, is also buried in the Lithuanian-Masonic Cemetery, and has Masonic symbolism on his tombstone. I believe he was likely a Mason, and this is why several family members are buried in the cemetery.

I wish I had more time here to do research here before the conference, but I am happy just being able to fulfill this long-time family wish to visit the graves of the long-lost siblings. I hope to be able to return one day. I found out from the waiter at the restaurant we visited tonight and the visitors guide at the hotel that Williamson County is mostly known for it's outdoor activities and nature, particularly the Shawnee National Forest. I look forward to coming here again for the 3 R's: rest, relaxation, and research.

Stay tuned for more blogging about the conference and more details about the cemetery visit...

How To Handle Residence Facts

I have a dilemma. I thought blogging about it might help. From time to time, I struggle with how to include Residence facts in my RootsMagic database. Within the RootsMagic program, there is already a built-in fact type called Residence and one called Residence (Family). It's very helpful to use this fact type because it can help you trace a family from town to town or state to state over a given period of time.

Being able to trace a family's locations helps one to find additional records in a location one might not have already considered. For instance, I was always told that my dad's maternal uncle, Bill Mertena, and wife and children moved from Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Washington well before I was born. I knew that he lived in Olympia, Washington, when I was a teenager and up until the time he died in 2001. However, I did not know that in between Lake Charles and Olympia he had actually lived in Seattle, and possibly Spokane, as well. I was reading his obituary and read that he had worked for the Associated Press in Spokane, Seattle, and Olympia between 1963 and 1987. I then found a birth announcement for his youngest daughter in the Seattle Daily Times at GenealogyBank, which gave his address in Seattle in 1966.

So what exactly is my problem? Well, some sources, such as a city directory or the birth announcement, list an exact street address. Some sources, such as a sibling's obituary, list only a city and state as the residence, and some only list the state as a residence. If the source does not specifically give the street address of the residence, but other sources in the same timeframe do, can I use the source that does not give the address as a citation for the residence fact that includes the street address? In other words, can I create a residence fact that states "Person A lived at 123 Main St. in Seattle, Washington" and cite the 1930 and 1935 city directories giving the address, as well as the person's sibling's obituary from 1933, which lists the residence only as Seattle, Washington?

I think it is reasonable to think that if the person lived there in 1930 and 1935, then surely he lived in the same house when his sibling died in 1933. However, we don't know for certain, because there is always a chance that the husband and wife had separated and maybe were living apart temporarily, or that the family owned multiple houses that they moved between frequently.

Currently, this is what I have as residence facts and source citations in my RM database for Uncle Bill (as both of his spouses are still living, their names have been removed to protect privacy):

1956: 102 East Beech St, Sulphur, Calcasieu, Louisiana (Source: Lake Charles City Directory) (This was the home of his parents)

1957: Westfork Rd., Westlake, Calcasieu, Louisiana (Source: Lake Charles City Directory)

1958: 102 East Beech St, Sulphur, Calcasieu, Louisiana (Source: Lake Charles City Directory)

1959-60: 914 S. Division St., Lake Charles, Calcasieu, Louisiana (Source: Lake Charles City Directory)

1963-2001: Washington (Sources: 1) 2001 obituary published in The Olympian, which listed three cities of residence in Washington from 1963 until 1987; and 2) his brother Tony's obituary published in the Lake Charles American Press in 1998, which listed his residence simply as Washington state)

Jan 1966: 637 N.W. 84th St, Seattle, Washington (source: daughter's birth announcement published in the Seattle Daily Times)

1967-2001: Thurston County, Washington (Sources: 1) Death certificate listing his length of stay in Thurston County as 34 years; 2) His mother's obituary published in the Lake Charles American Press in 1986, which specifically lists his residence as Olympia; and  3) His father's obituary published in the Lake Charles American Press in 1989, which specifically lists his residence as Olympia)

Oct 1986: 113 E. 18th, Olympia, Thurston, Washington (Source: Divorce certificate)

Oct 2001: 4931 Sunrise Beach Rd. NW, Olympia, Thurston, Washington (source: Death certificate)

It looks like I have been using separate facts to cite each event more precisely, but that causes a little bit of clogging on the Edit Person screen and Individual Report. As you can see, lots of these dates overlap with other dates. Hmm...what to do?

I think the facts for 1957-1960 are fine, since there is a one-to-one correlation between the fact and the source. Each source lists the exact street address. When we get to 1963, it gets a bit more complicated. We know from his obituary that he worked for the Associated Press in Spokane, Seattle, and Olympia from 1963-1987. However, we don't know exactly what years he lived in each city. He likely moved to Olympia around 1967 and stayed there until his death, according to the death certificate. This means that he likely lived in Seattle and Spokane between 1963 and 1966. We know he lived in Seattle in January 1966 when his daughter was born.

One option would be to delete the facts that do not list specific addresses, but then we lose a lot of quality information that may get buried in the source documents. It's good information to know that he moved to Washington in 1963. It's also good information to know that he moved to Thurston County around 1967. It's good information because it helps narrow down the search for other types of sources, such as vital records, newspapers, city directories, church records, etc. My plan is to delete the fact types for the general residences, but then put the information about dates moved to Washington and specifically to Thurston County in the Notes section of the fact types listing specific addresses.

This is what I have added to the notes of the residence fact from January 1966:

His obituary states, "From 1963 to 1987 he wrote for the Associated Press in Spokane, Seattle, and Olympia, with most of that time spent reporting from Olympia on state government." This means that he likely moved to Washington in 1963. It is not clear exactly what city he moved to in 1963. His daughter's birth announcement states that he lived in Seattle in January 1966.

 This is what I have added to the notes of the residence fact from Oct 2001:

His death certificate lists his length of stay in Thurston County as 34 years, which would suggest that he moved there in 1967. This makes sense, as his son's marriage license lists his birthplace as Olympia, Thurston, Washington. His son was born in March 1967. His daughter's birth announcement published in the Seattle Daily Times in January 1966 lists his residence as Seattle. Therefore, it makes sense that he moved to Olympia sometime between his daughter's birth in 1966 and his son's birth in 1967. His divorce certificate from 1986 lists his residence as Olympia, as do both his parents' obituaries from 1986 and 1989. His brother's obituary from 1998 lists his residence only as Washington state, though it is likely that he lived in Olympia, since he still lived there at the time of his death in 2001.

 I think this will work for me for now, but I am open to other suggestions. Please let me know if you have any ideas!!!

Friday FANS: Venita Randall (Part 3)

Ok, I just had to do one more Friday FANS post on Venita Randall. As you'll recall from last week, we found out from living grandmother that Venita was her father's girlfriend. My grandma didn't think too highly of her, of course, but I still wanted to find out more about her. I began my quest at Ancestry.com and tried to get beyond the city directories for Ponca City, Oklahoma, where I originally found Venita listed in the same house as my great-grandfather in 1952. I previously had traced Venita back in the city directories of Ponca City to 1946, when she was listed as Mrs. Venita Collins.

Turns out, even with a unique name like Venita, she was still pretty hard to pin down. In fact, I really don't know if either of the two Venita's I've found in census records are her or not. My theory was that Collins was a married name and Randall was a maiden name that she reverted back to using after a divorce. I have searched the online marriage record index at the Pioneer Genealogical Society's website for Kay County, Oklahoma, and I have not found a Collins bride by the name of Venita. If Randall was a second married name, they did not get married in Kay County. Of course, it is possible that Venita Collins' marriage to a Mr. Randall did occur in Kay County and is indexed under her maiden name, which is unknown at this time. The index is a .pdf document and not easily searchable.

Assuming Randall as the maiden name, the closest match I've found is a woman named Venita Randall living in Iowa, Doniphan, Kansas, in the 1930 census. I did some searching and found that Doniphan County is in northeast Kansas, near the Nebraska/Missouri lines. It's a good 300 miles from Ponca City. Venita was age 20, which suggests a birth date of 1910 (same year as my great-grandfather). She was born in Kansas and did not have a job. She lived with her father, Claude E. Randall, and an uncle, Obadiah Harness. Her father was a mail carrier and her uncle a farm laborer. Is this my Venita? Maybe, maybe not.

In 1940, I found a Venita Collins living in Prairie, Wyandotte, Kansas. She was age 30 and born in Kansas, the same age as the Venita Randall from 1930. Prairie is a suburb of Kansas City and 90 miles southeast of Iowa Township in Doniphan County. Venita lived with her husband, John W. Collins, age 32 and born in Kansas. He was a section hand for the railroad. There were no children. Interestingly, when looking back at the 1930 census, there was a John W. Collins living next door to Venita and her father who was about the same age. He was age 23 and a grocery merchant in 1930. Therefore, I'm pretty sure the Venita from 1930 is the same as the one from 1940. Is it my Venita? Still don't know. I'm assuming they must have moved from Doniphan County to the suburbs of Kansas City because of his job with the railroad. Could that have caused them to move to Ponca City as well? And, they lived in Topeka in 1935, according to the 1940 census, so it seems that they did move quite often. I'm no rail expert, but it looks like the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad ran through Ponca City and had connections in Topeka and Kansas City.

I decided to go back and check the Ponca City directories for a John W. Collins between 1942 and 1948, and I did not find one. Oh, well. For now, I think I'll put Venita Randall to rest. I better do that before my great-grandmother comes back to haunt me.

SNGF: Fun with Mertena

My Saturday Night Genealogy Fun involved my Mertena line. This is the paternal line of my paternal grandmother. I've been working on FINALLY getting all of my sources for the Mertena family into my RootsMagic (RM) database. In fact, I've also been putting in a lot of the members of the Mertena family, since my RM database is my cleaned up database and hardly anyone is in there without any sources. In the last two weeks, I've input both of my great-grandparents' death certificates and obituaries; their marriage record; several of their city directory entries from Ponca City, Oklahoma, and Lake Charles, Louisiana; my great-grandfather's delayed birth certificate; my great-uncle Bill's death certificate, obituary, divorce certificate, marriage announcement, and a few city directory entries for him; my great-uncle Tony's obituary and photo his tombstone; and my great-aunt's marriage license. I've also added several to-do items to my great-grandparents and great aunt and uncles to-do lists.

Tonight I decided to start working on the sources for my great-great-grandparents, John Henry Mertena and Blanche Welden. So far, I've found their marriage record at FamilySearch.

I have several census records, death records, and obituaries to input for them as well. I believe I've even found Blanche's birth record from 1883 at Ancestry.com. Anyhow, I'd better get back to researching! Happy Hunting!

Friday FANS: Venita Randall (Part 2)

So last week I posted about Venita Randall, a woman found in the Ponca City, Oklahoma, city directory living with my great-grandfather, Merlen Paris Mertena. I couldn't figure out who this mystery woman was. She was listed as his wife, yet he was still married to my great-grandmother, Hassie Cora Proffitt, at the time. And my great-grandmother was nowhere to be listed in the city directory. The year was 1952, which is the year they moved to Louisiana and the year my grandmother was 17 years old. Lucky for me, Grandma is still living. She is the last one of my grandparents living, so I've realized how important it is to get as much information out of her as possible.

And, double lucky for me, Grandma did have an answer for me. This is one of those perfect examples where the ONLY source of this information is a living, breathing person. The information she gave me would likely not have been stated directly in any original source document. One of my theories was that Venita Randall was a roomer in either my great-grandparents' home or possibly in a house that they rented to her. She appeared to be a single, divorced woman from looking at previous city directories, in which she was listed as Mrs. Venita Collins. Another theory was that there was just some sort of mistake. Maybe since they moved in 1952, she had moved into their home after they moved out. Only problem was that he was listed with her at a new address in 1952; not the address from the previous city directories. Still, maybe they had moved within Ponca City sometime between 1948 (the previous directory available online at Ancestry.com) and 1952 and then moved to Louisiana. Or, perhaps, she was Merlen's girlfriend (gasp).

So, you probably want to know what Grandma said, right? Well, I'll take away the suspense. The last theory was correct. Grandma said that her dad did have a girlfriend, who, of course, was a fluzy. She said that she was heavy-set and wore her hair in a pompadour. And this said girlfriend worked at the same drug store as her older brother. Guess where Venita Randall worked, according to the 1948 and 1952 city directories? Yep, you guessed it, Crown Drug. She felt bad that her brother had to work with the woman and see their dad come into the store and talk to his girlfriend. Grandma said that one time she was in the store shopping and overheard her dad talking to the woman at the counter. Her dad did not see her in the store. When her dad left, she heard the woman say to her female co-workers that he was her boyfriend and she was bragging about the jewelry he had bought her. When her mother found out that he had also bought his girlfriend the same set of China as her, she broke all of her China out on the sidewalk in front of their house. Grandma said that he even took the girlfriend on a trip out west because her mother refused to go. She did not think they had enough money to travel out west. She said the move to Louisiana in 1952 was supposed to be a fresh start for Merlen and Hassie. I guess it was in a sense, but Grandma said that her parents were ill-suited for one another, and I suppose a move to Louisiana did not change either of them. Merlen was an adventurous soul who liked to drink a little too much, and Hassie was a perfectionist schoolteacher and daughter of a preacher.

Wow, and to think all of this information came to light because of an entry in a city directory....

Friday FANS: Venita Randall

I've decided to start a Friday blogging theme called Friday FANS. As most of you know, FANS stands for friends, associates, and neighbors. There have been a lot of my ancestors' FANS that I've wondering about lately. FANS can often help us figure out the origins of our ancestors, since many people traveled in groups, which were often made up of family AND friends. So, just because someone does not appear to be a family member, it does not mean that you should immediately ignore this person. Looking into the background of a neighbor may lead you to clues about your ancestor and his origins. I figured a series of blog posts on all my ancestors' FANS would help sort them all out.

First up is Venita Randall. I was actually planning on taking a different approach by starting with someone else, but she greatly piqued my interest last night. I was going through the city directories for Ponca City, Oklahoma, where my paternal grandmother lived with her parents from about 1942-1952. My great-grandparents (her parents) were Merlen Paris Mertena and Hassie Cora Proffitt. I did not find the family in 1942 at Ancestry.com  (they were probably still living in Mulhall, Logan, Oklahoma, where my grandmother was born). The next available directories were for 1946 and 1948, where I did find the family.

Polk's Ponca City Directory (Dallas: R.L. Polk & Co., 1946), 173, Merlen P. Mertena; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 May 2013).

Polk's Ponca City Directory (Dallas: R.L. Polk & Co., 1948), 156, Merlen P. Mertena; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 May 2013).

Nothing strange there. Both directories stated that Merlen P. and Hassie C. Mertena resided at 105 E. Fresno Ave. and he worked at Continental Oil Co. This corroborates with other sources, including my grandmother herself, who is still living.

The next available directory is for 1952. This is the year the family moved to Louisiana. I found Merlin P. Mertena still residing in Ponca City in 1952. However, Hassie was not listed as his wife, and he was listed at a different address.

Polk's Ponca City Directory (Dallas: R.L. Polk & Co., 1952), 166, Merlin P. Mertena; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 May 2013).

He is listed as living at 312 W. Central Ave. with a wife named Venita R. Mertena. What??? My first thought was that maybe this was a mistake. I've seen plenty of mistakes with spouse's names in city directories. I also wondered whether the address was a mistake because the only address ever listed in all other sources was the one on E. Fresno.

This first thing I decided to do was check the street directory for 1952 to see who was listed at 105 E. Fresno and who was listed at 312 W. Central.

Well, Merlin Mertena was listed as the householder at 312 W. Central Ave., making it less likely there was a mistake in the name directory. So what about the other house at 105 E. Fresno?

Well, Merlen P. Mertena is listed as the householder here as well. And that little symbol after his name means that to the best of the directory company's knowledge, a member of the family owned the home.

My next step was to search the directory for all Venita's living in Ponca City in 1952 to see if she had her own entry in the name directory. She didn't have one under Mertena but perhaps she was under another surname, since I was pretty certain my great-grandfather never married her.

BINGO!

Polk's Ponca City Directory (Dallas: R.L. Polk & Co., 1952), 199, Venita Randall; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 May 2013).

Venita Randall was listed as a fountain manager at Crown Drug residing at 312 W. Central Ave. She was listed as a roomer. There were no other Randall's with this address. Interesting.

I decided to see if I could find out more about her in previous directories. I started with 1948.

Polk's Ponca City Directory (Dallas: R.L. Polk & Co., 1948), 185, Venita Randall; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 May 2013).

There she was again listed as a fountain manager for Crown Drug rooming at 1314 S. 4th. Again, no other Randall's at this address. I decided to take a look at the 1948 street directory to see who was listed as the householder.

In the st

In the street directory, it lists Mrs. Venita Collins as living at 1314 1/2 S. 4th. Yes, another clue! She must have been married to a man named Collins at some point. What was Randall? A second married name? Or a maiden name? In the name directory, there was no Venita Collins listed. Nor were there any other Collins located at 1314 S. 4th. There was a Carl V. and Wanda Collins listed at 1325 S. 4th. The householder at 1314 S. 4th was Gilbert M. Whitlow. According to the  name directory, he was married to Sarah M. and was an employee of Jess Whitlow Pipe Line Service.

OK, so what about 1946? I did not find a Venita Randall, but I did find a Mrs. Venita Collins.

Polk's Ponca City Directory (Dallas: R.L. Polk & Co., 1946), 65, Venita Collins; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 May 2013).

She was living at 1314 1/2 S. 4th St. No occupation was listed, so perhaps she was recently divorced or still married. No other Collins were listed at the same address. This time Thos. E. Dwyer was listed as the householder at 1314 S. 4th in the street directory.

I then searched 1942 and did not find a Venita Collins or Venita Randall. More research needs to be done to determine her identity and relationship to the family.

There is a possibility that the family moved to 312 W. Central between 1948 and 1952 and was renting a room to her. My grandmother is still living and hopefully would remember if this were the case. However, why was the family still listed at 105 E. Fresno in the 1952 street directory if they had moved? Or, did they own the home at 312 W. Central and merely rent it out to Venita? Maybe they still lived at 105 E. Fresno.

Alas, there is also the possibility that Merlen was shacking up with Venita. Not a pretty picture, but a possibility. Venita does appear to have been a single divorced woman. My grandmother told me that her parents' marriage was a rocky one. Maybe it's a little more than coincidental that they moved to Louisiana in 1952. I always assumed that Merlen just got transferred to the Continental refinery in Louisiana, but maybe there was a reason his wife wanted him to transfer. I think a call to my grandmother is in order. She would have been about 17 in 1952. Maybe she can shed some light. Stay tuned for updates.

My Paternal Grandmother in 1940

My second find in the 1940 census was my paternal grandmother, Merlene Golda MERTENA. Like my paternal grandfather, she was exactly where I thought she would be. I didn't know, though, whether her family would be in the town of Mulhall or Mulhall Township in Logan County, Oklahoma. At first when I talked to her, she thought they would be in Ponca City, which is about 60 miles northeast of Mulhall. This is where the family moved after leaving Mulhall. Then I reminded her that Uncle Tony (her little brother) was born in Guthrie (just south of Mulhall and the closest city with a hospital) in 1941. Then she agreed that they would still be in Mulhall in 1940. I just didn't think to ask her whether it was the town or the township. However, since neither of the locations is very large, I was able to find them pretty quickly. They were on the third page of Mulhall Township, which is kind of what I figured, since I knew her grandfather had a farm.

1940 U.S. census, Logan County, Oklahoma, population schedule, Mulhall Township, enumeration district (ED) 26, sheet 2A, family 33, Merlen Mertena household; digital images, 1940 Census (http://1940census.archives.gov : accessed 2 April 2012); citing NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 3307.

Next door to my grandmother and her parents were her paternal grandparents, John Henry and Blanche (Welden) Mertena. John Henry owned his home, which was valued at $1,000. As my grandmother has always said, it was listed as a farm. He was age 56 and was born in Illinois, which is corroborated by most sources we have for him. Most sources state he was born 11 Mar 1884 in Franklin County, Illinois (some say East St. Louis, Illinois). He and Blanche both had an 8th grade education and lived in the same house in 1935. Naturally, he was a farmer. Blanche was also age 56 and was born in Missouri, which matches the info I have from a family Bible and her actual birth register entry (entry #7) at Ancestry.com. She was born 31 Aug 1883 in Salem Township, Daviess, Missouri.

My great-grandparents are listed next with my grandmother and great-uncle. This is the first census they appear in as a married couple, as they did not marry until 14 Feb 1931. My great-uncle shown here was born later that year. They rented their house, and the monthly rent was given as $500. I find that hard to believe. I believe the census taker wrote the value of the home rather than the rental amount, as the instructions stated. My great-grandfather, Merlen Paris Mertena, was listed as age 28, which is about a year off. He should have been 29, as he was born 09 Sep 1910 in Mulhall. His birthplace was given as Oklahoma, and he graduated from high school. I knew this to be true, as my grandma still has his senior autograph book and his high school graduation program. He was also a farmer, but his farm was a rented farm. My great-grandmother, Hassie (Proffitt) Mertena, was age 32 and also born in Oklahoma. This info is corroborated by other sources. She was born 26 Feb 1908 in Crescent, Logan, Oklahoma. She had two years of college, which I also knew to be true because my grandmother still has some of her report cards. She studied to be a teacher and worked as one for about three years or so before she got married. My great-uncle Bill is listed as Billy J. Mertena (they called him Billy John; his real name was William John Mertena) and was age 8. My grandmother was age 4. Both of their ages appear to be correct.

Census Sunday: MERTENA in 1920

This Sunday, I feature the census record of my great-great-grandparents, John Henry MERTENA and Blanche WELDEN. Blanche was featured yesterday in my Surname Saturday post. John and Blanche were living in Rose Hill Township, Logan County, Oklahoma, in 1920, where John was a farmer. Their only child, my great-grandfather, Merlen Paris MERTENA, was 9 years old.

1920 U.S. census, Logan County, Oklahoma, population schedule, Rose Hill Township, enumeration district (ED) 68, sheet 3A, dwelling 57, family 57, John Mertino household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 January 2012); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 1470.

John Mertino Head M W 35 M IL France IL Farmer Gen Farm
Blanche Mertino Wife F W 36 M MO KY KY
Merlen Mertino Son M W 9 S OK IL MO

Treasure Chest Thursday: My Grandma

I recently bought a subscription to NewspaperARCHIVE.com, which I highly recommend. I noticed that it had issues of the Lake Charles American Press from the 1950s to 1970s. This is the major newspaper in the area of southwest Louisiana where I grew up. I searched for my grandparents' names, and I found some really cool articles on my grandmother. She told me that she had been the editor of the newspaper at McNeese State University (then called McNeese State College), but it was really cool to see it on paper in the context of the time period. And I always knew she worked for the Louisiana Office of Tourism at the local tourist bureau in the town where I grew up, but it was cool to see her appointment to the position published in the newspaper. In fact, that article is where I found the address of the house where my dad grew up. The house has since been torn down, so I didn't have the exact address. These articles make me very proud of my grandmother, and I would like to share them with my readers. Enjoy!

"Sulphur Girl Is Editor of College Paper," Lake Charles (Louisiana) American-Press, 26 August 1954, p. 23, col. 3.

Miss Merlene Mertena, a Sulphur sophomore majoring in journalism at McNeese State college, is the editor-in-chief of the Contraband, the college's weekly newspaper, for the 1954-55 school year.
Elected by the paper's staff at the close of school, she assumed her new responsibility with the summer issue published August 3.
During her freshman year she served as reporter and feature editor, and in the absence of last year's editor-in-chief, Miss Carolyn Pulliam, who attended the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Convention in New York City, Miss Mertena headed the Contraband.
At Sulphur high school, Miss Mertena was editor of the school paper, the Cyclone. Prior to entering Sulphur High where she was an honor student, she attended high school in Ponca City, Okla. There she was on the staff of the school paper for two years, a member of Latin club, Biology club, the Dynamighters and worked on the annual, the Cat Tale.
Activities at McNeese include participation in the speech tournament, and membership in the [unreadable]

"Vinton Women Added to Staff," Lake Charles (Louisiana) American-Press, 5 April 1966, p. 1, col. 1.

VINTON---The appointment of two new members to the staff of the Vinton Tourist Bureau was announced this week by John Tarver, director of the Louisiana Tourist Development Commission.
Named as tourist information representatives at the Vinton station were Mrs. Benford Trahan and La Dell Jeffers, both of Vinton.
The new addition increased the staff of the Vinton bureau to three. Already employed at the station is Mrs. Jack Kimball, who has been the only representative there for the past several years.
Mrs. Trahan will be employed by the bureau as a full-time representative, while Miss Jeffers will serve as a part-time hostess and also do publicity and promotional work for the Tourist Development Commission in Southwest Louisiana.
They will assist Mrs. Kimball in greeting visitors entering Louisiana from out of state and in distributing pamphlets and other information describing points of interest to the tourists.
Before assuming their positions at the station the three women attended a two-day training seminar for Tourist Commission employees.
A native of Oklahoma, Mrs. Trahan is the former Merlene Mertena of Maplewood. She attended McNeese and was active in many campus organizations, serving at one time as editor of the school paper. The Trahans live with their four sons at 1306 Fancher St.
Miss Jeffers, a Northwestern Louisiana State College graduate with a degree in journalism and English and a former school teacher lives at 1305 East St.

I am going to have to find another copy of the newspaper on microfilm when I go back to Louisiana to see if it has a better copy of the first article. I couldn't read the rest of the sentence about the rest of the organizations my grandmother was involved with. Stay tuned next week for another great newspaper article about my grandmother and grandfather in 2006.

Census Sunday: My Great-Great-Grandparents in 1930

Three weeks ago, I started a Census Sunday series, in which I featured the census records showing my great-grandparents in 1930. I skipped the next two weeks because my mom was visiting from Louisiana two weeks ago, and last week I was in Louisiana visiting. Now that I am back on track, this post will feature my great-great-grandparents in 1930.

Oscar TRAHAN and Bertha DUHON

1930 U.S. census, Harris County, Texas, population schedule, Justice Precinct 3, enumeration district (ED) 178, sheet 32A, dwelling 587, family 649, Oscar Trahan household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 June 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 2352.

This is my great-great-grandfather, Oscar, and his second wife, Bertha. He ran off to Texas to work for the oil refineries after he left his first wife. I cannot seem to find his first wife, Virginia PREJEAN, in 1930. They divorced around 1920. She had a child with a man named DOMINGUE in 1926, and then she married a SCHENKEL in 1932. I looked for Virginia and her son, Claude DOMINGUE, but I have not been able to find them in 1930. I also looked for her future husband, Louis SCHENKEL, but she was not with him either in 1930. I'm just going to have to order Claude's SS-5 application to see who his father was. Perhaps they were with his father in 1930. DOMINGUE is a very hard name to find in the census. It is pronounced like the word "domain," so you can imagine how it gets spelled. Oscar and Virginia's only chld, Bienvenue, was featured in my last Census Sunday post in the home of his father-in-law (see below).

Maurice BONEAUX and Marie Alice SONNIER

Maurice and Marie were the parents of my great-grandmother, Beatrice Marie BONEAUX. They were featured in the last Census Sunday post, since my great-grandparents, Beatrice and Bienvenue, were living with them.

John Henry MERTENA and Blanche WELDEN
John and Blanche were the parents of my great-grandfather, Merlen Paris MERTENA. They were featured in the last Census Sunday post, since my great-grandfather was still single and living at home with them.

William Harmon PROFFITT and Emmer Link BAKER

1930 U.S. census, Creek County, Oklahoma, population schedule, Mannford, enumeration district (ED) 24, sheet 3A, dwelling 49, family 51, William H. Proffitt household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 June 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1900.

William and Emmer were the parents of my great-grandmother, Hassie Cora PROFFITT. They were living in Mannford, Creek, Oklahoma, where William was a Methodist minister. Creek is just one county west of Tulsa County. They moved around Oklahoma a lot since William was a minister. I really need to dig into church history and find out where all his appointments were located. My great-grandmother, Hassie, was not living with them. Her younger sister, Bessie, was the only child living at home in 1930. Hassie was probably boarding with a family near where she was teaching, but I haven't been able to find her yet in the 1930 census. I'm not precisely sure where she was teaching. I know that at one time between 1925 and 1930, she was teaching in Pawnee County, just one county north of Creek County.

Lovell Hugh PEMBERTON and Alvina Mary LESPERANCE

1930 U.S. census, St. Clair County, Michigan, population schedule, Kimball Township, enumeration district (ED) 20, sheets 17A-B, dwelling 391, family 394, Lovell H. Pemberton household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 December 2005); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1024

Lovell and Alvina were the parents of my great-grandfather, John Vital "Jack" Pemberton, who was already married and living with his wife and two children in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan, in 1930. Lovell and Alvina were living on Ditty Road in Kimball Township, not too far from Port Huron. Every census year, they seem to migrate further north. Their youngest four children were still living at home in 1930. Lovell was a blacksmith, and the oldest of the four children at home, Madeline, was a laborer in the salt plant. Morton Salt Company had large operations in Marysville, Michigan, just a few miles from Kimball Township, so I presume she worked for them.

Ernest George CRYSLER

1930 U.S. census, Sanilac County, Michigan, population schedule, Fremont Township, enumeration district (ED) 17, sheets 5B-6A, dwelling 114, family 116, Mary Crysler household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 June 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1028.

Ernest was the father of my great-grandmother, Mabel CRYSLER. Mabel was already married in 1930 and living with her husband, John Vital "Jack" Pemberton, and two children in Port Huron. Ernest was a farmer living with his mother, Mary (Molesworth) CRYSLER, in Fremont Township, Sanilac, Michigan, in 1930. Ernest's first wife and Mabel's mother, Nellie REYNOLDS, died in 1917. He remarried Minnie SIBLEY in 1919. I'm a little confused because this lists Ernest as a widower, and Minnie is also listed as a widower, living with her mother, Pauline CAMPBELL, in Port Huron in 1930. It seems Ernest and Minnie must have had an unhappy union. Interestingly, Minnie was 10 years older than Ernest. Ernest's sons, George and Harold, were living with him in 1930. George was working as a farm laborer.

Alexander CURRIE and Mary RAYMOND
Alexander and Mary are not found in the 1930 census because they both died prior to 1930. They were the parents of my great-grandfather, Archie CURRIE. Alexander died in 1909, and Mary died in 1920.

Robert PLAINE and Florence Minnie HILLMAN
Robert and Flora are not found in the 1930 census because they were living in Ontario, Canada in 1930. They never immigrated to the U.S. They were the parents of my great-grandmother, Jennie Grace Christina PLAINE, who immigrated in the 1920s.

Census Sunday: My Great-Grandparents in 1930

I got the idea for this post from Leah over at Leah's Family Tree. Like Leah, in order to get ready for the 1940 census release in 2012, I need to get my census records I already have in order. Each week, I intend to post the census records I have for a particular family generation or family group in a particular census year. This week I am posting on my great-grandparents that I have found in the 1930 census. As I post, I will make sure the source is properly cited in my RootsMagic database. This week I am starting with my great-grandparents in 1930.

1930 U.S. census, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Police Jury Ward 1, enumeration district (ED) 3, sheet 3A, dwelling 45, family 45, Maurice Boneaux household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 June 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 797

This is the census record of my great-grandparents, Bienvenue and Beatrice (Boneaux) TRAHAN and my great-great-grandparents, Maurice and Marie Alice (Sonnier) BONEAUX. They were living in Police Jury Ward 1 in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. I believe this is the modern-day rural community of Ossun and the family property that my family still owns. Bienvenue and Beatrice had just gotten married 14 Sep 1929 and were living with Beatrice's parents. My paternal grandfather would not be born until 1935. I believe this census record has Maurice's father's birthplace incorrect. It says he was born in Louisiana, but all other records say he was born in France. It also has Maurice's age wrong by about five years. Church records say he was born in 1883, not 1877-1878, as suggested by his age here. Everyone else's age is also off by a year or two when compared with church baptismal records.

It's funny how this census record confirms a story that Bienvenue told me about two years before he died in 2006. He said that Beatrice actually asked him to marry her and he said that he couldn't marry her because he had no money to support her. She said that was okay because they could just live with her dad and he would support them. If you look at the census, Bienvenue's job is listed as laborer at odd jobs, but "laborer" is crossed out and "none" is written across it. He is given a number on the unemployment schedule.

1930 U.S. census, Logan County, Oklahoma, population schedule, Mulhall Township, enumeration district (ED) 23, sheet 5A, dwelling 73, family 80, John H. Mertena household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 June 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1912

This is the census record of my great-grandfather, Merlen Paris MERTENA, and my great-great-grandparents, John Henry and Blanche (Welden) MERTENA. Merlen is the father of my paternal grandmother. He was 19 and single, still living at home with his parents in Mulhall, Logan, Oklahoma, in April 1930. He and my great-grandmother, Hassie Cora PROFFITT, did not marry until 14 Feb 1931. My great-great-grandfather was listed as a farmer, which coincides with all the stories my grandmother has told me about him.

And speaking of Hassie, I have not been able to find her in the 1930 census. She was a teacher in 1930, so I believe the family she boarded with may not have included her in the enumeration. I need to dig into school records some more to find out exactly where she was teaching in 1930. I have checked her parents' household in 1930, but she was not included in their enumeration.

1930 U.S. census, St. Clair County, Michigan, population schedule, city of Port Huron, enumeration district (ED) 37, sheet 19B, dwelling 453, family 472, John V. Pemberton household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 December 2005); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1025.

This is the census record of my grandfather, John Peter PEMBERTON and my great-grandparents, John Vital "Jack" and Mabel Ellen (Crysler) PEMBERTON. John Peter is my maternal grandfather and the only grandparent who was born before 1930. They were living at 1650 McPherson Street in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan. Jack and Mabel had married 2 1/2 years earlier on 7 Aug 1927 in Port Huron. John Peter was 2 years old (born 18 Nov 1928) and his little sister, Eva, was born just two months before the census in 1930. Jack was working as a laborer at the country club. From city directories, I have found that 1650 McPherson was at the intersection of 13th Avenue, not far from where McPherson dead-ends at the Black River.

1930 U.S. census, Sanilac County, Michigan, population schedule, Flynn Township, enumeration district (ED) 15, sheet 3B, dwelling 67, family 67, Archie Curry household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 June 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1028.

This is the census record of my great-grandparents, Archie and Jennie (Plaine) CURRIE (spelled CURRY here). They were living on their farm in Flynn Township, Sanilac, Michigan. This is one county north of St. Clair County, where my maternal grandfather's family was located in 1930. Archie and Jennie married on 27 Aug 1924 in Jennie's hometown of Euphemia Township, Lambton, Ontario. They had two children before 1930, but both died very young. They likely died before the 1930 census because they are not enumerated. Their third child, my maternal grandmother, Violet Mae CURRIE, would not be born until October 1930.

I hope you have enjoyed my tour through the 1930 census. I now have all four of the census records featured here sourced in my database.

My Mertena Conundrum: Part III: Clues

My surname Saturday post about the MERTENA line got me to thinking that I needed to wrap-up my posts on the mysterious John Henry MERTENA. There are several clues that I have found online. I would like to summarize those clues here because I have not yet taken the time to write them all down in one place.

The first clue is the marriage record of Amos TETRICK and Rolla MERTENA on 21 Feb 1872 in Jackson County, Illinois. I've found the entry in the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index at the Illinois State Archives website. John Henry MERTENA lived in Jackson County at the time of his marriage to Carrie ORTH in 1876. Perhaps Rolla was the sister of John Henry MERTENA. I need to order the marriage record to see if it has any clues about Rolla's family members.

The only other marriage record for MERTENA's in the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index is for Carrie's second marriage to James Leonard COTHERN in 1887 in Williamson County.

I decided to do a little more research on Rolla MERTENA and Amos TETRICK in the census records. In 1880 in El Dorado, Saline, Illinois, is the following family:

A.J. TETERIC, white, male, age 26, married, dry goods merchant, b. Illinois, f.b. Illinois, m.b. Illinois

Cinderela TETERIC, white, female, age 22, wife, married, keeping house, b. Illinois, f.b. Pennsylvania, m.b. Pennsylvania

Birdie TETERIC, white, female, age 5, daughter, single, b. Texas, f.b. Illinois, m.b. Illinois

N.B. TETERIC, white, male, age 28, brother, single, dry goods merchant, b. Illinois, f.b. Illinois, m.b. Illinois

H. MARTINA, white, male, age 15, brother by law, single, clerk in store, attends school, b. Illinois, f.b. Pennsylvania, m.b. Pennsylvania

Barlius DENIS, mulatto, female, age 15, servant, single, domestic servant, cannot write, b. Illinois, f.b. Illinois, m.b. Illinois

This is likely the right family because the brother-in-law of Amos TETRICK has the surname MARTINA, which is most likely a variant of MERTENA. Saline County is one county east of Williamson County, where John Henry MERTENA married Carrie ORTH. It also borders Franklin County to the southeast and is two counties east of Jackson County. Here is a county map of Illinois. Rolla must be a nickname for Cinderella. She was born about 1857-1858 in Illinois. This means she was about 14 when she married in 1872. This is possible, but I'm wondering if the age in the census record is slightly off. Amos and Rolla must have moved to Texas around 1875. Both of Rolla's parents were born in Pennsylvania. There was mention that John Henry the son's father, our mystery man, was born in Pennsylvania. Maybe he was born in Illinois, but his parents were born in Pennsylvania. Or maybe he was older than Rolla and H. MERTENA and was born in Pennsylvania before their parents moved to Illinois.

I couldn't seem to find Cinderella/Rolla in the 1900 census, but I did find her in the 1910 census. She was living in Osceola Township, St. Clair, Missouri. This is in southwest Missouri. The family was as follows:

Cinderella TETRICK, head, female, white, age 58, widowed, mother of one child, one child still living, b. Pennsylvania, f.b. Pennsylvania, m.b. Pennsylvania, speaks English, own income, able to read and write, owns home free of mortgage

Byrd GOLLAR, daughter, female, white, age 34, divorced, mother of one child, one child still living, b. Texas, f.b. Illinois, m.b. Pennsylvania, speaks English, milliner, own shop, works on own account, able to read and write

Harry GOLLAR, grandson, male, white, age 6, single, b. Missouri, f.b. Missouri, m.b. Texas, attends school

This census record gives Cinderella/Rolla's birthplace as Pennsylvania instead of Illinois. Her age suggests a birth date of 1851 to 1852, which is more likely, given her marriage date of 1872.

I also did a Google search for Amos TETRICK, and came up with the following info. On this Perry County, Illinois website, there was a page about epidemics and early doctors. There was a general practitioner there named Amos Jubilee TETRICK who settled in the town of DuQuoin in 1858. His father had immigrated from Germany. He received his medical degree from McKendree College in St. Louis. His wife was Polly BARRON of New York. He died in 1901 at the age of 80. Could this possibly be my Amos' father? No wife named Cinderella or Rolla was mentioned, and because of his age, I assume this couldn't be the same Amos as Cinderella/Rolla's husband.

Next, I found a copy of Cinderella's death certificate at the Missouri Digital Heritage Project website. It said her parents were John MERTENA of France and Hannah MILLBURN of Pennsylvania. My John Henry's birthplace was once listed as France. If he is Cinderella's brother, is it possible his father was born in France instead? Cinderella was born 25 Mar 1852 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. She died of diabetes melitis 17 Feb 1916 in Osceola, St. Clair, Missouri. The informant was Mrs. W.H. ROEDER of Osceola. She was buried in Osceola on 18 Feb 1916. I then found that she had an obit in the St. Clair County Democrat on 24 Feb 1916 and 16 Mar 1916. I obtained this info from the St. Clair County obituaries and deaths indexes at Ancestry.com. I need to order this obit.

I also need to order the obit of Amos TETRICK, who died on 10 Sep 1908 and had an obit in the same newspaper on 17 Sep 1908. He did not have a death record online because the death records database at Missouri Digital Heritage does not begin until 1910.

What's also interesting is that in 1870, in Perry County, Illinois, Amos TETRICK the physician is listed with his wife and children. His sons, Noble B. TETRICK, who was living with Amos and Cinderella TETRICK in 1880, and Jubilee TETRICK, whom I presume may be the same person as Amos J. TETRICK, were both listed as druggists. There is a family legend that John Henry's mother married a man who was a druggist after her first husband (John Henry's father) died at sea. Perhaps John Henry's sister married a druggist instead of his mother. In 1880, Noble and Amos are listed as dry goods merchants. I have seen in other branches of my family dry goods merchant and druggist used interchangeably in the census.

Amos TETRICK the physician is also enumerated in St. Louis in 1870. Family legend states that John Henry and some of his children were buried in St. Louis. The son of John Henry MERTENA, also named John Henry MERTENA, may have been born in East St. Louis, Illinois, according to his death certificate.

These are all the clues that I have for now. My next post will summarize my to-do list.

Surname Saturday: MERTENA

1. Jennifer TRAHAN (me)

2. Michael David TRAHAN (my dad)

5. Merlene Golda MERTENA (my paternal grandmother)

10. Merlen Paris "Zack" MERTENA was born 09 Sep 1910 in Mulhall, Logan, Oklahoma. He died 07 May 1989 in Sulphur, Calcasieu, Louisiana. He is buried in Mimosa Pines Cemetery in Carlyss, Calcasieu, Louisiana. He worked most of his life as an operator for the Conoco oil refineries in Oklahoma and Louisiana. He moved with his wife and children to Ponca City, Kay, Oklahoma, around 1942 and then to Sulphur, Calcasieu, Louisiana, in 1952. Zack had his pilot's license and liked to fly airplanes. He was the son of 20. John Henry MERTENA and 21. Blanche WELDEN. He married 11. Hassie Cora PROFFITT 14 Feb 1931 at the Methodist parsonage in Mulhall, Logan, Oklahoma. She was born 26 Feb 1908 in Crescent, Logan, Oklahoma, and died 07 May 1986 in Lake Charles, Calcasieu, Louisiana. She is also buried in Mimosa Pines Cemetery in Carlyss, Calcasieu, Louisiana. She was the daughter of 22. William Harmon PROFFITT and 23. Emmer Link BAKER.

20. John Henry MERTENA was born 11 Mar 1884, possibly in Franklin County, Illinois. He died 28 Jan 1956 in Sulphur, Calcasieu, Louisiana. He worked all of his life as a farmer in Logan County, Oklahoma. He was the son of 40. John Henry MERTENA and 41. Carolina Cristina ORTH. He married 21. Blanche WELDEN 25 Dec 1907 in Mulhall, Logan, Oklahoma. She was born 31 Aug 1883 in Coffey, Daviess, Missouri and died 05 Feb 1970 in Sulphur, Calcasieu, Louisiana. She was the daughter of 42. James William WELDEN and 43. Henrietta Murl RENFRO.

40. John Henry MERTENA was born about 1854, possibly in Illinois. He died 12 Mar 1884, possibly in Franklin County, Illinois. He married 41. Carolina Cristina ORTH 13 Aug 1876 at the home of her stepfather, John BROWN, in Williamson County, Illinois. She was born 20 Jan 1859 in Williamson County, Illinois and died 10 Oct 1923 in Crescent, Logan, Oklahoma. She was the daughter of 82. Jacob ORTH and 83. Catherine BAIAR.

My MERTENA Conundrum: Part II - The Sources: Carolina Cristina ORTH (1859-1923)

In my previous post about my MERTENA research, I promised to do my next post on the sources that I have found for my great-great-great grandmother, Carolina Cristina "Carrie" ORTH. She married my great-great-great-grandfather, John Henry MERTENA/MERTEENY, who is the center of our mystery. I know that sometimes examining sources on the in-laws helps when you can 't find info on the subject at hand.

The most recent source I have for Carrie is her obituary. My grandmother inherited it from her father, who inherited it from his father, who was the son of Carrie. It probably came from The Guthrie (Oklahoma) Daily Leader.

Carolina Cristina Orth was born January 20, 1859, in Williamson County, Illinois, and passed away October 10, 1923, at her home near Crescent, Oklahoma, aged 64 years, 8 months, and 20 days.

Deceased was united in marriage to John Mertinia in the year of 1876, and to this union was born one son, J.H. Mertinia of Mulhall, Oklahoma. Her companion died in 1884.

On Sept 9, 1887, she was married to James L. Cothern who is left to mourn the loss of his companion. To their union was born three daughters and three sons. Two daughters and one son preceded her in death.

Mr. and Mrs. Cothern came to Oklahoma in 1889, and took the claim on which they resided 84 years, or until the present time.

The following children were left to mourn the loss of a devoted Mother. J.H. Mertinia of Mulhall, Oklahoma; Mrs. Edgar Norris of Lovell, Oklahoma; Mrs. R.H. Tate of Lookeba, Oklahoma; and W.H. Cothern of Mulhall, Oklahoma.

She is also survived by ten grandchildren, and three sisters: Mrs. Bettie Favors and Mrs. J.B. Shercliffe of Crescent, Oklahoma; and Mrs. Harper of East St. Louis, Illinois. Also one brother: William Brown of Johnson City, Illinois; and a number of other relatives.

Deceased united with the Methodist Church at Mt. Carmel about 20 years ago, and died trusting in the Lord who has promised to reward the faithful.

Her sudden death came as a shock to her family and friends, but as the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away we realize there comes a time in all of our lives, when we must yield to the inevitable, and look to God, who is our refuge in time of trouble.

Funeral services were held Friday, October 12, 1923, at Mt. Carmel church, near Mulhall, Oklahoma. Internment took place in Mt. Carmel cemetery.

This obituary is full of useful information, which is somewhat rare for a woman in 1923. It almost sounds like it was written by a genealogist. Not only does it list survivors, but it lists birth date and birthplace, death date and death place, all marriage dates and places, the date of entrance into Oklahoma, church membership, etc. It gives her husband's name as John MERTINIA, which is in agreement with her son's death record, which states his father's name is J.H. MERTENA. This is the first inkling I had as to when she and John married: 1876. The obituary is consistent with the family stories that John the father died in 1884, the same year that John the son was born. Perhaps if Carrie was born in Williamson County, then maybe her husband was born there too.

I then found Carrie in the 1920 census in Rosehill Township, Logan, Oklahoma. She was living with her second husband, James Leonard COTHERN and her son, William H. COTHERN.

James COTHERN, head, owns home, lives on farm, male, white, age 58, married, able to read and write, b. Tennessee, f.b. Tennessee, m.b. Tennessee, able to speak English, farmer on a general farm, employer

Carrie COTHERN, wife, female, white, age 59, married, able to read and write, b. Illinois, f.b. Indiana, m.b. Indiana, able to speak English

William H. COTHERN, son, male, white, age 27, single, able to read and write, b. Oklahoma, f.b. Tennessee, m.b. Illinois, able to speak English, farm laborer, wage earner

This source does not really provide any insight into her first husband, John Henry MERTENA.

In 1910, Carrie was again in Rosehill Township and living with her second husband and son. She was also living next door to her sister, Barbara ORTH SHERCLIFFE. Again, this does not give too much info on her first husband.

James L. COTHERN, head, male, white, age 49, married once, age 23 at first marriage, b. Tennessee, f.b. Tennessee, m.b. Tennessee, speaks English, farmer, general farm, employer, able to read and write, owns home free of mortgage, lives on farm

Carrie COTHERN, wife, female, white, age 50, married twice, age 23 at first marriage, mother of 10 children, 4 children still living, b. Illinois, f.b. Germany, m.b. Pennsylvania, speaks English, able to read and write

Willie COTHERN, son, male, white, age 16, single, b. Oklahoma, f.b. Tennessee, m.b. Illinois, speaks English, farmer on home farm, wage earner, able to read and write, attends school

Carrie's age at first marriage does not seem to match with the date in the obituary. The obituary says she married John MERTENA in 1876. The census seems to indirectly state that she married her first husband in 1883. The 1900 census stated that she had 9 children with 4 living (John Henry, Myrtle, Rolena, and Willie). She may have had one more child since the 1900 census who died in childhood, since this census says she had 10 children. It's hard to determine from this how many of the six deceased children were with her first husband and how many were with her second husband.

I will not discuss the 1900 census here, since I did discuss it in my sources post for Carrie's son, John Henry MERTENA (1884-1956).

My next source finally covers the period when John Henry the father was still living. It's the 1880 census. It took me awhile to find this entry because it is transcribed at Ancestry.com as John MERTENCE, but I was sooo excited when I found it. It was the first source I had found that actually showed the man alive....he was REAL after all!! John and Carrie were living in Frankfort, Franklin, Illinois. Hmm....isn't this mentioned as the birthplace for their son, John Henry MERTENA, on 11 Mar 1884?

John MERTENA, white, male, age 30, head, married, farmer, b. Illinois, f.b. Tennessee, m.b. Tennessee

Carrie MERTENA, white, female, age 26, wife, married, keeping house, b. Illinois, f.b. Illinois, m.b. Illinois

Nesbeth MERTENA, white, male, age 4, son, single, b. Illinois, f.b. Illinois, m.b. Illinois

Minnie MERTENA, whtie, female, age 9/12, b. Oct, daughter, single, b. Illinois, f.b. Illinois, m.b. Illinois

Franklin County is just north of Williamson County, where Carrie's obit says she was born. This gives an estimated birth date for John of 1849-1850 and a birthplace of Illinois. It gives his parents' birthplaces at Tennessee. Carrie's second husband was born in Tennessee, as were both his parents, so it makes me wonder if both husbands' families were from the same area of Tennessee. This discovery, if proven, could defeat the family story that John was born at sea. The two children are in line with the family story that John Henry the son had several older siblings who died before or shortly after he was born, and the census records which suggest that Carrie had at least 5 children who died before reaching adulthood.

My next source for this post is also an excellent one. It is the marriage record of John and Carrie. I found it by searching the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index at the Illinois State Archives website. John's name was indexed as MUTUNEY.

Marriage may be celebrated between Mr. John Merteeney of Jackson County, Illinois, at the age of 22 years, and Miss Carolina Orth of Williamson County, Illinois, at the age of 18 years. Witness: W.H. Eubanks, County Clerk, and the seal of said County, at his office in Marion, this 12th day of August, 1876.
State of Illinois, Williamson County
I, W.W. Young, a Justice of the Peace, hereby certify that Mr. John Merteeny and Miss Carolina Orth were united in Marriage by me at Mr. John Brown's in the County of Williamson and State of Illinois, on the 13th day of August, 1876.

Two more great clues about John. He was living in Jackson County at the time of his marriage in 1876, and he was 22 years old, meaning he was probably born about 1853-1854. This is slightly off from the age in the 1880 census. Jackson County is just east of Williamson County and southeast of Franklin County on the Missouri border. Here his name is spelled MERTEENEY. Mr. John BROWN was Carrie's stepfather. This marriage record, and Carrie's obituary, were the first clues I had that perhaps John BROWN was not John Henry the father's stepfather, as family legend stated, but Carrie's stepfather. If you noticed, Carrie's brother is listed as Willie BROWN in the obituary. Typically, though not always, a couple marries at the bride's church or family home.

The only other record that I have for Carrie is the 1860 U.S. Census. She was one year old and living with her parents in Williamson County, which agrees with her obituary. I can't seem to find Carrie in the 1870 census.

Jacob ORTH, age 30, male, farmer, real estate value is $2,000, personal estate value is $350, b. Germany

Catherine ORTH, age 28, female, b. Germany

Elizabeth ORTH, age 8, female, b. Ill., attends school

Mary ORTH, age 6, female, b. Ill., attends school

Benj. F. ORTH, age 4, male, b. Ill.

C.C. ORTH, age 1, male, b. Ill.

B.A. BROWN, age 20, female, domestic, b. Ill.

I think they incorrectly labeled Carrie as a boy. While this provides further insight into Carrie's family, it doesn't really tell us much about the MERTENA family. There weren't even any MERTENA family members living in the same area. It is interesting that there was a BROWN living with the ORTH family, since Catherine later married a BROWN.

To summarize the new facts learned about John Henry (the father) MERTENA:

• He was born about 1849-1854, possibly in Illinois.
• He was living in Jackson County, Illinois at the time of his marriage to Carrie in 1876.
• He was living in Franklin County, Illinois at the time of the 1880 census.
• He and Carrie had at least two children, Nesbeth around 1876 (more likely 1877, since they didn't marry until Aug 1876) and Minnie in Oct. 1879, before John Henry (the son) MERTENA was born in 1884.
• He was a farmer in 1880.
• His parents were listed as born in Tennessee.
  

Looks like I do need to go ahead and order those Franklin County birth records for 1876 to 1884 to find more info on Nesbeth, Minnie, and any other siblings born between 1880 and 1884. By the way, I can't remember if I mentioned it or not, but the IRAD at Southern Illinois University did not have any luck locating a birth record for John Henry MERTENA in 1884 in Franklin County. I have since been in touch with a distant cousin on the WELDEN side of the family who had John Henry the son's birthplace listed as Centralia, Illinois, though she couldn't remember her source. Centralia actually lies in four counties!! This should be fun.

I also need to check land records in Jackson and Franklin Counties between 1870 and 1884. I should probably try Williamson County as well for land records.

Then I need to continue checking census records for 1850-1870 to see if I have any close hits. I've tried, but so far no luck.

Wordless Wednesday: John Henry Mertena, c. 1910

This is a photo of my great-great-grandfather, John Henry MERTENA, who has been the topic of so many posts lately. I am currently on a mission to find his father. John Henry is the one in the back seat of the car. The man in front holding the steering wheel is his younger half-brother, Bill COTHERN. We are not quite sure about the identity of the other young man in the front, but it was probably a friend.