Part VII: Arthur CHAMBERLIN - 1930 Census

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Part VI: Arthur CHAMBERLIN in the Census

In my last post about Arthur Chamberlin, I had discovered his parents and siblings in the 1910-1930 census records. Well, I had discovered one of his parents and two of his siblings in the 1930 census. I found his father, Martin, with his two oldest brothers, Edward and Thomas, living in Marine City, St. Clair, Michigan, with Martin's widowed father, Edward Felix Chamberlain. According to the 1920 census, there should have been two additional siblings, Albert and Alice. Arthur and his mother, Gertrude, were also missing. I knew from Martin's death record that he was divorced at the time of his death in 1942. I had also found a 1941 marriage record for Gertrude and her second husband, Sear Christian. At this point, although the census said Martin was married, I figured they were either separated or divorced at the time of the 1930 census. 

I searched with all sorts of search term combinations for Gertrude Chamberlain, along with Alice, Albert, and Arthur Chamberlain, but to no avail. Then one day, I decided to search for Sear Christian, just to see what he was up to in 1930. I knew from the 1941 marriage record that he was living in Detroit, so I figured I would check there first. Well, lo and behold, I found a Sere Christie living at 2267 Monroe St. in Detroit. He was listed as a die setter, and his age and place of birth (c. 1887-1888 in Belgium) were consistent with those listed on the marriage record. Guess who was living with him? Gertrude Christie (age 42) and three children: Alice (age 15 - a shoe store saleslady), Albert (age 13), and Arthur (age 7), all enumerated under the name Christie. No wonder I couldn't find them --- I was searching for Chamberlain/Chamberlin. 

1930 U.S. census, Wayne County, Michigan, population schedule, Detroit (Ward 9), enumeration district (ED) 233, sheet 11B, dwelling 144, family 17, Sere Christie household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 March 2008); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1040.

Interestingly, Sear and Gertrude were both listed as married, and she was listed as his wife. The children were all listed as Sear's children (not his stepchildren). However, I am not sure that Sear and Gertrude were actually married, since we have a 1941 marriage record, which occurred 11 years after this census was taken. They could have gotten married before 1930, divorced, and then remarried in 1941, but I doubt it. Especially since Martin was still listed as married in 1930. I have to wonder if Gertrude ran off on him with the three younger children in tow. Perhaps Martin did not want to be divorced and did not sign the divorce papers until 1941. I need to see if I can find their divorce papers, which I am assuming would have been filed in St. Clair County. It's also possible they were filed in Wayne County. 

Well, now that I had all of Arthur's siblings' information, I could start to look for them on Ancestry.com.

Part VI: Arthur CHAMBERLIN in the Census

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Part V: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN

Now that I had Arthur Chamberlin's parents' names (Martin William CHAMBERLAIN and Gertrude DEVERS), I could look for them in the census records. I had already looked for Arthur in the 1930 census (the first one he would have appeared in, since he was born in 1923) before my research trip to Michigan and couldn't find him. After my research trip, I decided to look for his parents in 1930. Maybe his name was indexed incorrectly, and I could find the family under his father's or mother's name.

Interestingly, the second time around, I did find part of Arthur's family in 1930. Remember how the death record of Arthur's father, Martin, said he was divorced at the time of his death in 1942? Well, I found Martin and two sons named Edward and Thomas living with Martin's widowed father, Edward F. Chambelain, at 206 Bruce St. in Marine City, St. Clair, Michigan.

 1930 U.S. census, St. Clair County, Michigan, population schedule, Marine City (Ward 3), enumeration district (ED) 24, sheet 13A, dwelling 315, family 317, Edward F. Chambelain household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 March 2008); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1024.

Where was Arthur and his mother, Gertrude? Were there any other missing siblings? Martin's marital status said that he was married, but we all know census records may not be accurate. Martin was age 46 (about two years off from the age at the time of his marriage) and worked as a caretaker of a summer resort. Edward was age 18 (born about 1912) and worked as a laborer in a creamery; Thomas was age 17 (born about 1913) and worked as an auto mechanic. Now we know that Arthur had at least two older brothers. Martin's father, Edward, was listed as age 75 (born about 1855 - about a year off from the age on his death record) and a janitor at the Masonic Hall. It's interesting to note that Edward (the younger) and Thomas were actually listed as sons of Edward (the older), but other records have confirmed they were sons of Martin and Gertrude.

I then searched for Martin and Gertrude in the 1920 census (prior to Arthur's birth in 1923), and this time, I found them together, once again in Marine City. 

1920 U.S. census, St. Clair County, Michigan, population schedule, Marine City (Ward 3), enumeration district (ED) 111, sheet 14B, dwelling 303, family 310, Phelix Chamberlain household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 March 2008); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 795.

This time the family lived at 206 Scott St. with Martin's widowed father, enumerated under his middle name as Phelix Chamberlain. Phelix was age 65 and a ship carpenter. Martin was age 37 and a salt block foreman. Also in the household were Gertrude, age 32; Edward, age 8; Thomas, age 6; Alice, age 4; and Albert, age 2. So now we know that Arthur had two additional siblings, Alice (born about 1915) and Albert (born about 1917). So where were Albert and Alice in 1930? With Arthur and Gertrude? Did Martin and Gertrude separate with him taking the older two children and her taking the younger three children?

Since Martin and Gertrude were married in 1908, I decided to go back another ten years and find them in 1910. This time, I found them living alone on Bruce St in Marine City. This was prior to Martin's mother passing away in 1914, so I imagine that Martin and Gertrude didn't move in with Martin's father until sometime after her death.

1910 U.S. census, St. Clair County, Michigan, population schedule, Marine City (Ward 3), enumeration district (ED) 104, sheet 11B, dwelling 242, family 246, Martin Chamberlain household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 March 2008); citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 673.

Martin was age 27 and an oiler at a salt block. Gertrude was age 22. They had not had any children yet.

OK, so it looked like I still had some work to do to find Gertrude and the younger children in 1930. It would take several months, but I would eventually find them....

Part V: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN

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Part IV:  My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN
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Part VI: Arthur CHAMBERLIN in the Census

Well, I know it has been awhile since I posted on Arthur and his family. Sorry for killing the momentum. I left off on my visit to the courthouse during my trip to St. Clair County, Michigan, in 2007. I promised to post the story about Arthur's son, Tommy, who died in an accident at the age of 15 in 1962. The family story was that he died in a car-related accident, and the death record at the courthouse confirmed this, but there were few details on the death record. I returned to the St. Clair County Library to search the newspaper for an article about his death. Here is what I found:

 

"Youth, 15, Killed By Auto After Falling In Street," The Port Huron (Michigan) Times Herald, 13 October 1962, p. 1.

A 15-year-old Port Huron boy was killed shortly after 7 p.m. Friday when police said he ran into Pine Grove Avenue near Whipple Street while playing, slipped and fell and was struck by a car driven by Mrs. Amelia Gossman, 36, of 2119 Church Street.

Thomas Chamberlin, son of Mr. and Mrs. George E. Mason, 2811 Wright Street, was dead on arrival at Port Huron Hospital.

Coroner Arthur B. Smith said Thomas died of a fractured neck.

Thomas was the sixth traffic fatality in the City since January and the thirty-fourth in St. Clair County this year.

Patrolmen Ronald Peterson and Frank Kovach said that Mrs. Gossman told them she was driving north on Pine Grove and that oncoming traffic was heavy.

Mrs. Gossman said that as she approached Whipple Street she heard what she thought was metal striking the pavement and thought she had run over a piece of steel in the street.

She stopped, got out of the car and saw several boys standing around the body of another boy at the rear of her car.

Police said Mrs. Gossman told them she did not see the Chamberlin boy.

Officers said a witness, Neil Gross, 14, of 1515 Whipple Street, told them that Thomas and another boy, Steve Ferguson, 1505 Whipple Street, were playing and chasing each other around when Thomas ran into the street and was struck.

Police said another witness, Loren K. Bluska, 39, of 628 Court Street, told them he was driving south on Pine Grove when he saw a boy being chased by another boy.

Bluska told officers the boy ran into the street and fell down, sliding on his side in front of an oncoming car.

Bluska said that as the boy sat up and tried to get out of the way he was struck by the left front of the car.

Police said Thomas was dragged 78 feet from the point of impact.

After taking a statement from Mrs. Gossman she was released, Police said.

Thomas was a ninth grade pupil at Port Huron High School.

Thomas was born Jan. 16, 1947 in St. Clair, and had lived in Port Huron the last six years.

He was a member of the Royal Neighbors of America.

Thomas is survived by his parents, three sisters, Mrs. Edward Young, Miss Christine Chamberlin, and Miss Patricia Mason, and a brother, James Chamberlin, all of Port Huron.

The remains are in the Arthur Smith Funeral Home where funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Friday.

Rev. Arthur Rock, pastor of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, will officiate.

Burial will be in Lakeside Cemetery.

Part IV: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN

Previous post in this series:
Part III: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN
Following post in this series:
Part V: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN

After looking at the marriage records at the St. Clair County Courthouse to find out more about Arthur and his family, I moved on to the death records to see if I could find out more. Here is what was known about Arthur and his family to this point:

• Arthur was born 08 Feb 1923 in Michigan to Martin W. CHAMBERLIN and Gertrude DEVERS
• Arthur married Christine Elizabeth CHATTERSON 19 Apr 1941 in Marine City, St. Clair, Michigan
• Arthur was an 18-year-old butcher and resided in Marine City at the time of his marriage
• Christine and Arthur had four children: 
• Alma Pauline CHAMBERLIN 
• born 17 Feb 1942 in Marine City, St. Clair, Michigan
• married Edmund J. YOUNG 30 Apr 1960 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan
• died 25 Sep 1996 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan
• Christine "Betty" CHAMBERLIN
• born abt 1943-1944 in Macomb County, Michigan
• married Ford Eugene FRENCH 30 Mar 1963 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan
• moved to California between 1979 and 1989
• Tommy CHAMBERLIN
• died as a teenager in an accident, c. 1960s
• James CHAMBERLAIN
• my uncle
• Arthur left Christine when my uncle was a young child in the late 1940s or early 1950s
• Christine remarried to George E. MASON 21 Apr 1952 or 21 Apr 1954 (conflicting dates in George and Christine's obits)
• Arthur died 03 Nov 1984 in East Point, Macomb, Michigan
• Arthur was buried at White Chapel Cemetery in Troy, Oakland, Michigan
• Arthur's paternal grandparents were E.F. CHAMBERLAIN and Alice M. SWARTOUT
• Arthur's maternal grandparents were T. DEVERS and Jennie PELTIER
• Arthur's parents married 7 Sep 1908 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan
• Arthur's father, Martin W. CHAMBERLAIN, was born abt 1882-1883 in Marine City, St. Clair, Michigan
• Arthur's mother, Gertrude DEVERS, was born abt 1886-1887 in Marine City, St. Clair, Michigan
• Arthur's father was a cooper at the time of his marriage
• Both of Arthur's parents resided in Marine City at the time of their marriage

The first death record I decided to find was the one for Arthur and Christine's son, Tommy CHAMBERLIN. His death record confirmed the family story that he died in an accident as a teenager. See my transcription below:

Decedent: Thomas G. Chamberlin
Date of death: 12 Oct 1962
Place of death: Port Huron
DOB: 16 Jan 1947
Birthplace: St. Clair, Mich.
Sex: M
Race: W
Marital Status: Single
Cause of death: Fractured skull and internal injuries, Accident, Arthur B. Smith, Coroner
Age: 15
Occupation: Student
Father: Arthur Chamberlin
Mother: Christine Chatterson
Informant: Mrs. George Mason of Pt. Huron, Mich.

Now that I had an exact death date, I could go back to the library and look for an obituary or an article about the accident. The death record did not give any details about the accident.

I decided to next see if Martin or Gertrude had a death record. I did not find one for Gertrude, but I did find one for Martin in 1942, just one year after his son, Arthur, was married. This is where things started to get interesting.

Decedent: Martin William Chamberlin
Date of death: 10 Apr 1942
Place of death: Marine City
Sex: M
Race: W
Marital status: Divorced
Cause of death: Apoplexy
Age: 59 y, 5 m, 6 d
Birthplace: Michigan
Occupation: Retired
Father: Felix Chamberlin
Father's birthplace: Michigan
Mother: Gertrude Devers
Mother's birthplace: Michigan

Martin was divorced? Hmmm....wonder what happened there. Did Arthur have a rough childhood? That may explain why he left his own wife and children with very little contact afterward. If Gertrude remarried, that may be why I couldn't find her death record. In any event, we now know that Martin's full name was Martin William CHAMBERLIN. His age gives a birth date of 4 Nov 1882, which would be consistent with his age at the time of his marriage. His father's name is now listed as Felix CHAMBERLIN. It appears that Felix may be his middle name, as he was listed as E.F. CHAMBERLAIN on Martin's marriage record. His mother appears to be listed incorrectly. We know that Gertrude was actually his ex-wife and not his mother. According to his marriage record to Gertrude, his mother was Alice M. SWARTOUT.

I then decided to look for death records of Martin's parents and found them for both his father (1936) and his mother (1914).

Decedent: Edward F. Chamberlain
Date of death: 6 Jun 1936
Place of death: Marine City
Sex: M
Race: W
Marital Status: Widower
Spouse: Alice Swartout
Cause of death: Edema of lungs, myocarditis, old age
Age: 82 y
Birthplace: Michigan
Occupation: Retired steamboat captain
Father: Felix Delisle
Father's birthplace: [blank]
Mother: Not given
Mother's birthplace: Not given

Decedent: Alice Chamberlain
Date of death: 20 Oct 1914
Place of death: Marine City
Sex: F
Race: W
Marital Status: Married
Age: 54 y, 9 m, ---
Cause of death: Tumor
Birthplace: Mich.
Occupation: Housewife
Father: Martin Swartout
Mother: Lydia Webster

Martin's father's first name appears to be Edward, and his full name appears to be Edward Felix CHAMBERLAIN. He died 6 Jun 1936 in Marine City, St. Clair, Michigan, at 82 years old. This assumes a birth date of  1853-1854. His birthplace is listed as Michigan, and his occupation as retired steamboat captain. Oddly, his father is listed as Felix DELISLE. This seemed strange since his surname was CHAMBERLAIN. Was he adopted? Did he legally change his name? Was he illegitimate? Too bad his mother wasn't listed. This only added to the mystery.

Martin's mother, Alice M. SWARTOUT, died 20 Oct 1914 in Marine City, St. Clair, Michigan, at age 54y, 9m. This presumes a birth date of 20 Jan 1860, and her birthplace is listed as Michigan. Her parents were Martin SWARTOUT and Lydia WEBSTER. It appears that Martin William CHAMBERLAIN may have been named after his maternal grandfather.

At this point, I returned to the marriage records to see if I could find one for Gertrude (Devers) CHAMBERLIN, since according to Martin's death record, they were divorced by 1942. Sure enough, I found one in 1941 transcribed below:

Groom: Sear Christian
Age: 53
Race: W
Residence: Detroit
Birthplace: Belgium
Occupation: Bottler
Father: Julius Christian
Mother: Julia ---
Times previously married: no


Bride: Gertrude Chamberlain
Maiden Name: Devers
Age: 53
Race: W
Residence: Marine City
Birthplace: Michigan
Occupation: ---
Father: Thomas Devers
Mother: Jennie Peltier
Times previously married: one

Date of license: 18 Oct 1941
Date of marriage: 25 Oct 1941
Place of marriage: Port Huron
Officiant: D.S. Large, Minister
Witnesses: Harold & Beatrice Walton, both of Marine City

Gertrude married a 53-year-old Belgian bottler from Detroit named Sear CHRISTIAN on 25 Oct 1941 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan. This was just 6 months after her son, Arthur, married Christine in April 1941. Gertrude was age 53, which would put her birth date around 1887-1888 (just a year or so off from her approximate birth date figured from her age at her first marriage to Martin). Her residence is given as Marine City, and now we have a first name for her father, Thomas. Her marriage record to Martin only listed him as T. DEVERS.

By this time, I was pooped out and resolved to return to the library the following day to do a little follow-up on Tommy's obituary, as well as several others in my family tree. Stay tuned for more info about Arthur and his family. The saga continues....

Part III: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN

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Part II: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN
Following post in this series:
Part IV: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN

Before I move on to the particulars of my Day 2 research at the St. Clair County Courthouse, I will summarize all known information about Arthur and his family up to this point:

• Arthur was born 08 Feb 1923
• He married Christine Elizabeth CHATTERSON, probably in the 1940s in St. Clair County, Michigan
• Arthur and Christine had four children:
• Alma Pauline (Chamberlin) YOUNG, who was born 17 Feb 1942 in Marine City, St. Clair, Michigan and died 25 Sep 1996 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan; married Edmund J. YOUNG 30 Apr 1960 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan
• Tommy CHAMBERLIN, who died as a teenager in an accident, c. 1960s
• Betty CHAMBERLIN, who married Ford FRENCH and moved to California sometime between 1979 and 1989
• James CHAMBERLAIN, my uncle, who spelled his name differently
• Arthur left Christine when my uncle was a young child in the late 1940s or early 1950s
• Christine remarried to George E. MASON, who raised her children as his own. In fact, my uncle considered George to be his father.
• There are conflicting marriage dates for George and Christine
• 21 Apr 1952 in South Bend, Indiana (Christine's obit)
• 21 Apr 1954 in Grand Bend, Indiana (George's obit)
• George and Christine moved to Port Huron around 1954
• George owned and operated a restaurant in Port Huron
• Arthur died 03 Nov 1984 in East Point, Macomb, Michigan
• Arthur was buried at White Chapel Cemetery in Troy, Oakland, Michigan
• Christine was born 23 Nov 1922 and died 12 Oct 1979  in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan
• George E. MASON was born 19 Apr 1920 and died 2 May 1989 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan

On Day 2, my plan was to research marriage and death records for several of my ancestors and their collateral relatives, including Arthur. The courthouse in St. Clair County has death records from 1867 onward and marriage records from the 1830s onward in large (mostly) handwritten books. Both sets of records go through 1985 or so. I believe that after 1985, they became computerized and stopped being recorded in the books.

I started with the index to the marriage records and found a 1941 entry for Arthur Chamberlin. This is my transcription:

Groom: Arthur Chamberlin
Age: 18
Race: W
Residence: Marine City
Birthplace: Michigan
Occupation: Butcher
Father: Martin Chamberlin
Mother: Gertrude Devers
Times previously married: no

Bride: Christine Chatterson
Age: 18
Race: W
Residence: Marine City
Birthplace: Michigan
Occupation: Housework
Father: Leo Chatterson
Mother: Alma Plonkey
Times previously married: no

Date of license: 4 Apr 1941
Date of marriage: 19 Apr 1941
Place of marriage: Marine City
Officiant: W. J. Pottach, Priest
Witnesses: Maurice and Dora Lebeck of Centerline

This was very exciting, as I now had a date of marriage for Arthur and Christine AND the name of Arthur's parents! They were married 19 Apr 1941 in Marine City, St. Clair, Michigan. They were both 18 years old and residing in Marine City. Arthur was a butcher. His parents were listed as Martin CHAMBERLIN and Gertrude DEVERS. His birthplace was given as Michigan, and the age matched with the birth date from his funeral card.

Before moving onto the death records, I decided to see if I could find a marriage record for his parents. Sure enough, I located it rather quickly with the index. Here is a transcription:

Groom: Martin W. Chamberlain
Age: 25
Race: W
Residence: Marine City
Birthplace: Marine City
Occupation: Cooper
Father: E.F. Chamberlain
Mother: Alice M. Swartout
Times previously married: no


Bride: Gertrude Devers
Age: 21
Race: W
Residence: Marine City
Birthplace: Marine City
Occupation: [blank]
Father: T. Devers
Mother: Jennie Peltier
Times previously married: no


Date of license: 7 Sep 1908
Date of marriage: 7 Sep 1908
Place of marriage: Port Huron
Officiant: E.P. Bennett, Minister
Witnesses: Roy Duchene & Henrietta Cloggen, both of Marine City

So, I was able to take the family back another generation! Martin W. CHAMBERLAIN and Gertrude DEVERS were married 7 Sep 1908 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan. They both resided in Marine City, which is also given as their birthplace. Martin was a 25-year-old cooper, meaning he was born about 1882-1883. Gertrude was age 21, meaning she was born about 1886-1887. Martin was the son of E.F. CHAMBERLAIN and Alice M. SWARTOUT. Gertrude was the daughter of T. DEVERS and Jennie PELTIER. I found the variations of spelling CHAMBERLAIN/CHAMBERLIN to be interesting. Now it was being spelled the way my uncle spells it today.

I also found a marriage index entry for a Christine CHAMBERLIN in 1963 and decided to check it out, since it was the same first name as Arthur's ex-wife. Well, it turned out to be Betty CHAMBERLIN and Ford FRENCH. Apparently, Betty was her nickname. Here is my transcription:

Groom: Ford E. French
Age: 18
Race: W
Address: 3814 Maple St, Port Huron, Mich.
Birthplace: Sanilac Co, Michigan
Occupation: U.S. Army
Father: Clifford French
Mother: Hazel Hill
Times previously married: no

Bride: Christine Chamberlin
Age: 19
Race: W
Address: 2811 Wright St, Port Huron, Mich.
Birthplace: Macomb Co, Michigan
Occupation: Waitress
Father: Arthur Chamberlin
Mother: Christine Chatterson
Times previously married: no

Date of license: 29 Mar 1963
Date of marriage: 30 Mar 1963
Place of marriage: Port Huron, Michigan
Person performing ceremony: James R. Balfour, Minister
Witnesses: Orion D. & Marion I. Streeter, both of Port Huron, Mich.

Ford Eugene FRENCH and Christine "Betty" CHAMBERLIN were married 30 Mar 1963 in Port Huron. Christine's age was given as 19, which gave her an approximate birth date of 1943-1944. Her parents were listed as Arthur CHAMBERLIN and Christine CHATTERSON.

I will continue my death record research on Day 2 in a later post...stay tuned.

Part II: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN

Previous post in this series:
Part I: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN
Following post in this series:
Part III: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN

As stated in my previous post, at my cousin's request, I was trying to find out more about my uncle's biological father, Arthur, who left the family when my uncle was a young child. I had exhausted online resources, as well as the few family resources we had. I was ready to take a trip to visit family in Michigan and planned to sneak in some research on my ancestors, as well as Arthur, while I was there in the summer of 2007. But before I discuss the findings of my trip, here is a summary of what I had so far:

• Arthur was born 08 Feb 1923
• He married Christine Elizabeth CHATTERSON, probably in the 1940s in St. Clair County, Michigan
• Arthur and Christine had four children:
• Alma Pauline (Chamberlin) YOUNG, who was born 17 Feb 1942 and died 25 Sep 1996 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan
• Tommy CHAMBERLIN, who died as a teenager in an accident, c. 1960s
• Betty CHAMBERLIN
• James CHAMBERLAIN, my uncle, who spelled his name differently
• Arthur left Christine when my uncle was a young child in the late 1940s or early 1950s
• Christine remarried to George E. MASON, who raised her children as his own. In fact, my uncle considered George to be his father.
• Arthur died 03 Nov 1984 in East Point, Macomb, Michigan
• Arthur was buried at White Chapel Cemetery in Troy, Oakland, Michigan
• Christine was born 23 Nov 1922 and died 12 Oct 1979  in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan
• George E. MASON was born 19 Apr 1920 and died 2 May 1989 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan

This was not a lot to go on, but it was certainly enough to search for marriage records, death records, and obituaries at the St. Clair County Public Library and St. Clair County Clerk's office.

The courthouse was closed for genealogy research the first day set out to do research, so the first thing I did was search for Alma Pauline (Chamberlin) YOUNG's obituary in The Times Herald at the public library. This is the Port Huron newspaper. Her obituary stated that she was preceded in death by her parents, George "Eddie" and Christine "Teensie" MASON. It did not mention Arthur at all, which would make sense if Arthur had walked away from the family with very little contact afterward. Like my uncle, she probably considered George her father. The obituary confirmed her birth date as 17 Feb 1942 and gave her place of birth as Marine City, Michigan. It stated that she married her husband, Edmund J. YOUNG, on 30 Apr 1960 at Court Street Baptist Church in Port Huron. It listed my uncle and Betty FRENCH of California as surviving siblings. Betty's husband's name was listed as Ford FRENCH. So, now I had a married name for Betty, as well as a location.

I also searched for Christine's and George's obituaries. Christine's obituary made no mention of Arthur at all. It's almost as if the family wiped him out of their memories after he left. Of course, when a previous marriage ends in divorce, it is often not mentioned in an obituary. Her obituary stated she was born 23 Nov 1922 in Detroit and had lived in Port Huron for 25 years. This means that she moved to Port Huron around 1954. Her obituary stated that she married George E. "Eddie" MASON on 21 Apr 1952 in South Bend, Indiana. This helped to narrow down the timeframe of when Arthur left. No other new information was found, except that her daughter, Betty, was living in Port Huron, and not California, at the time of her death.

George's obituary stated he was born April 19, 1920 in Bay City, Michigan, and was a lifelong area resident. His obituary gave a different marriage date and place of 21 Apr 1954 in Grand Bend, Indiana. He was a lifelong chef and had even owned his own restaurant in Port Huron. It appeared that he had been previously married, as three surviving sons with the last name of MASON were mentioned. These sons were not mentioned in Christine's obituary, nor in Alma's obituary. My uncle, Betty, and Alma were all listed as surviving children. Betty was listed as living in California this time, so she obviously moved to California sometime after her mother's death in 1979 but before her (step)father's death in 1989.

So, this is what I found on Day 1 of research onsite in Michigan at the St. Clair County Public Library. Not too much was found on Arthur. What wasn't found on Arthur was more telling: further evidence that his children considered their stepfather, George MASON, to be their father. Now, looking back on it four years later, I wonder why I didn't look for an obit for Arthur. I am sure it was because Arthur died in Macomb County and was buried in Oakland County, so I probably assumed he wouldn't have an obit in St. Clair County. Also, keep in mind that I was really there to find obits on my own ancestors and was not focusing entirely on Arthur and his family. However, I think I need to revisit that next time I am in Michigan to make certain I didn't miss anything. Now I have something to put on my to-do list for my next trip.

Stay tuned for the report on Day 2. It would prove to be a much more productive day for research on Arthur.

Part I: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN

Other posts in this series:
Part II: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN
Part III: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN
Part IV: My Research on Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN


Back in 2006, while talking to my cousin on the phone, she mentioned that she wanted to know more about her biological paternal grandfather, Arthur Guy CHAMBERLIN. She had dabbled in genealogy with me in the late 1990s or early 2000s, but she hadn't really researched her dad's biological paternal side of the family. Her mother and my mother are sisters, and she had mostly focused on that side of the family, as well as her father's mother's family. By 2006, my cousin had stopped doing genealogy research and had started focusing on her interest in scrapbooking, which is why she asked me if I could find anything more about Arthur for her.

Of course, the first thing I asked her was what she already knew about Arthur. I knew from my aunt and uncle's wedding announcement that my uncle's parents' were named as Mr. and Mrs. George E. MASON, so I knew that his mother had remarried. My cousin said that Arthur had married her grandmother, Christine Elizabeth CHATTERSON, but left the family when my uncle was very young. Based on my uncle's age, we figured that Arthur and Christine must have married sometime in the 1940s in Michigan, possibly St. Clair County, where my uncle was born and raised. After Arthur left, Christine remarried to George E. MASON, who raised my uncle as his own son. The only other info my cousin had was a funeral card from Arthur's funeral which stated that he was born 08 Feb 1923 and died 03 Nov 1984. It also stated that he was buried at White Chapel Cemetery in Troy, Oakland, Michigan.

The first thing I decided to do was look at the database "Michigan Deaths, 1971-1996" at Ancestry.com.

Name: Arthur G Chamberlin
Birth Date: 8 Feb 1923
Death Date: 3 Nov 1984
Gender: Male
Residence: East Point, Macomb, Michigan
Place of Death: East Point, Macomb, Michigan

As this database is only an index, it had very limited information. The only new pieces of information learned from the index was that he had lived and died in East Point, Macomb, Michigan, about 23 miles from where he was buried and 40 miles from where my uncle was born. East Point is now called "Eastpointe" and was formerly called "East Detroit." Another thing I found interesting about the index entry was that his name was spelled as CHAMBERLIN, while my uncle spells his name as CHAMBERLAIN.

I tried searching for Arthur in the 1930 census at Ancestry.com, but I had no luck. There were a few Arthur Chamberlain/Chamberlin's living in Michigan, but none that were born around 1923.

Since I could find no other information about Arthur at Ancestry.com, I decided to start searching on Google. There I found a website devoted to the descendants of Leo A. CHATTERSON, the father of Christine Elizabeth CHATTERSON, Arthur's ex-wife. This website had no information about Arthur other than his name and that he married Christine, but it did mention the names of Arthur and Christine's children, including a daughter named Alma that died 25 Sep 1996. It also mentioned a son named Tommy, which triggered a memory. I remembered my cousin telling me years earlier that Tommy had died when he was young in an accident of some sort. There was no death date listed for Tommy at the website. The other children mentioned were my uncle, James, and a second daughter, Betty. So, now I knew that Arthur and Christine had four children: Alma (d. 25 Sep 1996), Tommy, James, and Betty.

Since I was at a dead-end with Arthur until I could do some onsite research in Michigan, I decided to see what I could find out online about his associates, namely his ex-wife and children. I decided to check for his daughter, Alma, in the "Michigan Deaths, 1971-1996" database. I did not know her married name, but I knew her first name and date of death and had a hunch that she probably died in St. Clair County. Sure enough, I found an entry for Alma Pauline YOUNG who died 25 Sep 1996 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan.

Name: Alma Pauline Young
Birth Date: 17 Feb 1942
Death Date: 25 Sep 1996
Gender: Female
Residence: Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan
Place of Death: Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan

Based on my uncle's age, the age also seemed to match with the Alma I was looking for. I made a mental note to confirm with my cousin that this was her aunt.

I also searched for Arthur's son, Tommy/Thomas, in the Michigan deaths database at Ancestry.com, but I couldn't find him. I wasn't sure if I would find him or not, as I had a hunch that he died prior to 1971. I seemed to remember my cousin saying that he was a teenager when he died, which would have put his death closer to the 1960s, assuming he was born in the 1940s. I also made a mental note to ask my cousin more about Tommy's death.

The CHATTERSON website had given Christine's date of birth as 23 Nov 1922 and her date of death as 12 Oct 1979 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan. I confirmed this with the Michigan deaths database at Ancestry.com.

Name: Christine E Mason
Birth Date: 23 Nov 1922
Death Date: 12 Oct 1979
Gender: Female
Residence: Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan
Place of Death: Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan

I also found George E. MASON's entry in the Michigan deaths database.

Name: George E Mason
Birth Date: 19 Apr 1920
Death Date: 2 May 1989
Gender: Male
Residence: Burtchville, St. Clair, Michigan
Place of Death: Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan

At this point, I felt that I had exhausted all of my online resources. Keep in mind that this was 2007 and FamilySearch had not yet released all of its wonderful Michigan databases. Some of you may be wondering why I didn't order a copy of Arthur's death record back in 2006. That would have likely given his parents' names. Well, to be honest, I wasn't that interested at the time and was mostly just doing this as a favor to my cousin. Also, I was trying to exhaust Ancestry.com, which I had already paid for, and was waiting until I was able to take a trip to Michigan to do onsite research before pursuing the extra expense for a death record of a collateral relative. Usually, I would order a death record before doing onsite research, but I was going to Michigan regardless of whether I got any research done or not. Since I have family still living there, genealogy research is not my primary reason for going. So, in this case, travel to do onsite research was not really an extra expense.

Stay tuned to find out what I found during my research trip in August 2007...it gets juicier....I promise.

Wordless Wednesday: Cousins #4

Stacy, me, and April
June 2009
At Uncle Dennis' funeral
Basement of Sturges Memorial Congregational Church
Port Huron, Michigan

Wordless Wednesday: Cousins #3

April, Jeff, and Joe
Apr 1986

Veteran's Day Salute

I would like to say a big thank you to all the veterans in my family:

My dad: Michael David Trahan, U.S. Coast Guard, 1974-1978
My paternal grandfather: Benford Maurice Trahan, U.S. Navy, 1955-c. 1958
My maternal grandfather: John Peter Pemberton, U.S. Army Air Corps, 1946-1949
My maternal grandfather: Clifford Robert Drouillard, U.S. Marines and Canadian Royal Army, c. 1950-c.1960
My first cousin: Michael Adam Pemberton, U.S. Air Force, 1995-2008
My uncle: George Albert Pemberton, U.S. Army, c. 1971-c. 1973
My uncle: James Frederick Chamberlain, U.S. Marines (served in Vietnam), c. 1966-c. 1970
My great-uncle: William John Mertena, U.S. Army (served in Korea), c. 1953-c. 1957
My great-uncle: William Howard Pemberton, U.S. Army, c. 1950-c. 1954
My great-uncle: Franklin Mearl Pemberton, U.S. Army, c. 1951-c. 1955
My great-great-great-grandfather: John C. Pemberton, Company C, 1st Michigan Cavalry, Civil War
My great-great-great-great-uncle, Stephen Pemberton, Company C, 1st Michigan Cavalry, Civil War (died from illness contracted during Civil War service)

Another special thank you goes out to two friends of mine who both died in Afghanistan:

Jimmy Shawn Lee (1978-2005), U.S. Marines, Mount Vernon, Indiana
John Michael Hennen (1981-2007), U.S. Army National Guard, Vinton (Louisiana) High Class of 1999

Jim is the cousin of my best friend, Rachel, and I went to school with John for several years in Vinton.

Michigan Research Update

I was able to make it to the St. Clair County library today to get about 15 obits. I had a genealogy moment of bliss when I found an obit I was not looking for. It just popped out at me when I was trying to find another obituary. It was the obituary of my first cousin's great-grandmother. I did a little research for her a few years ago, but had not found her great-grandmother's death date because she had appeared to move to Detroit (according to the 1930 census and her 1941 marriage record in St. Clair County), and I have not had a chance to search those records yet. Here is the obit below:

Port Huron Times Herald, 10 Aug 1942, p. 2

"Mrs. Christen Dies In Detroit; Funeral Will Be On Tuesday"

Marine City, Aug. 10 -- Funeral services will be held in the Bower-Rose funeral home at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday for Mrs. Gertrude Chamberlain Christen, 54, resident of this city most of her life, who died unexpectedly Saturday in Grace hospital, Detroit. Rev. H.E. Totzke, pastor of St. John's Evangelical church, will offiiciate. Burial will be in Woodlawn cemetery.

She was born Oct. 27, 1887 in Marine City. She is survived by her husband, Sere Christen, Marine City; four sons, Edward, Arthur and Thomas Chamberlain, all of Marine City, and Albert Chamberlain, Detroit; a daughter, Mrs. William Bradshaw, Algonac; two brothers, Ray Devers, Marine City, and Guy F. Devers, Sarnia; a sister, Mrs. Robert Couter, Cadillac and nine grandchildren.