William Harmon Proffitt Timeline

Rev. William Harmon Proffitt

It has been my goal for the last year or so to more fully research all 8 sets of my 2x great-grandparents and get all of the research input into my RootsMagic database. I got majorly sidetracked in November of last year when I took a new position as Controller of 14 dental practices and a real estate company. So now that I am finally getting settled in at work, I'm back to my genealogy research.

Interestingly, my paternal grandfather's parents were both only children, so their parents were very easy to research. My paternal grandmother's father was also an only child, so her paternal grandparents were easy to research as well. Her mother, however, had 6 siblings, so her maternal grandparents have been a little more time consuming to research. in addition to researching my 2x great-grandparents, William Harmon Proffitt and Emmer Link Baker, it is taking me awhile to research all of their descendants. I am having trouble finding the marriage records of some of William and Emmer's children, so I've decided that a blog post about everything I know in chronological order is necessary to track William and Emmer through the years. They are especially hard to track because he was a United Brethren/Methodist pastor that moved around from church to church over the years.

Here is everything that I know about William and Emmer in chronological order:

1) William Harmon Proffitt was born 12 Jul 1871 in Chestnut Hill, Jefferson, Tennessee, to John Proffitt and Catherine Elizabeth Dickey.

2) Emmer Link Baker was born 20 Sep 1875 in North Carolina to James Gilbert Baker and Susan Riller Woods.

3) William and Emmer married 17 Dec 1896 in Jefferson County, Tennessee.

4) Nathaniel Foster Proffitt was born to William and Emmer on 29 Jan 1898 in Dandridge, Jefferson, Tennessee.

5) William and Emmer moved to Oklahoma around 1899-1900. William was either a United Brethren or Methodist pastor at the time of the move. I believe he was most likely a United Brethren pastor.

6) William and Emmer filed a homestead claim in 1899-1900 near Buffalo, Harper, Oklahoma, but later sold it when he gave his time to the ministry of the church.

7) On 1 Jun 1900, William and Emmer were enumerated at Wakita Township in Grant County, Oklahoma, with their son, Nathaniel F. Proffitt, age 2. William's occupation was given as preacher. Wakita is about 100 miles east of Buffalo, where the homestead was filed.

8) A second son, James Gilbert Proffitt, was born 30 Jul 1900 in Gibbon, Grant, Oklahoma.

9) A daughter, Golda Emmer Proffitt, was born 9 Jan 1902 in Gibbon.

10) A third son, John William Proffitt, was born 11 Dec 1903 in Gibbon.

11) William was appointed as pastor of Eden Chapel of The Church of the United Brethren in Christ in Perkins, Payne, Oklahoma, from 1904-1906. Perkins is about 120 miles southeast of Gibbon. My source for all of William's appointments in the United Brethren church is 80 Years In Oklahoma and Texas: A History of The Oklahoma-Texas Conference of The Evangelical United Brethren Church by Paul L. Davis and Marvin M. Polson et al.

12) A second daughter, Kathrine Elizabeth Proffitt, was born 28 Jan 1906. Her exact birthplace is listed in family histories as Mahen, but I have not yet located a town in Oklahoma called Mahen.

13) William was appointed as pastor of the United Brethren in Christ Church at Crescent, Logan, Oklahoma, in 1906. Crescent is about 40 miles west of Perkins.

14) A third daughter, my great-grandmother, Hassie Cora Proffitt, was born 26 Feb 1908 at Crescent.

15) William was appointed as pastor of Campbell Creek Church of the United Brethren in Christ at Logan, Kingfisher, Oklahoma, from 1909-1911.

16) William and Emmer were enumerated at Harrison Township in Kingfisher County on 15 Apr 1910. William was listed as a minister. In the household were Foster N., age 12; James G., age 9; Golda E., age 8; John W., age 6; Kathrine E., age 4; and Hassie C., age 2.

17) From 1911-1912, William was appointed pastor at the United Brethren in Christ Church at Okarche in Kingfisher County.

18) Their youngest child, Bessie Frances Proffitt, was born to William and Emmer on 17 Mar 1912 in Okarche.

19) From 1912-1913, William was appointed pastor at the United Brethren church in Vinita, Craig, Oklahoma. Vinita is 192 miles northeast of Okarche.

20) From 1913-1914, William was appointed pastor at the United Brethren church in Aline, Alfalfa, Oklahoma. Aline is about 220 miles west of Vinita.

21) In 1914, William was appointed as pastor of the United Brethren church in Mutual, Woodward, Oklahoma. Mutual is about 65 miles southwest of Aline.

22) In 1917, William was appointed as pastor of First Methodist Church in Gage, Ellis, Oklahoma. He remained there until 1922. My source for this is a family history written by his daughter, Golda, This is corroborated by WWI draft registration records of his sons, Nathaniel and James, and census records.

23) On 1 Jan 1920, William and Emmer were enumerated on Walnut Street in Gage. His occupation is listed as M.E. Church Pastor. In the household were Foster N., age 21, railroad laborer; James G., age 18, country school teacher; Goldie, age 17; John W., age 16; Cathrine, age 13; Hassie, age 11; and Bessie, age 7.

24) On 29 Apr 1922, William officiated at the marriage of his son, James Gilbert Proffitt, to Miriam Hamilton Dunlavy in Arnett, Ellis, Oklahoma.

25) In May 1922, daughter Hassie graduated from the 8th grade at Buffalo, Harper, Oklahoma. Buffalo is about 40 miles northeast of Gage.

26) On 2 Feb 1924, William officiated at the marriage of his daughter, Golda Emmer Proffitt, to Lester R. Curtis in Buffalo, Harper, Oklahoma.

27) William's oldest son, Nathaniel Foster Proffitt, married Rose Mae Dunning on 15 Mar 1924 in Alva, Woods, Oklahoma. William did not officiate. The marriage was officiated by a judge.

28) In May 1925, daughter Hassie graduated from Ingersoll High School in Ingersoll, Alfalfa, Oklahoma.

29) William's son, John William Proffitt, married Gertrude Carey on 11 Nov 1926. The marriage record has not yet been located. The source for this date is a handwritten family history by John's sister, Hassie. UPDATE: I have located John and Gertrude in an online Tulsa County marriage index. This makes sense because Gertrude's family lived in neighboring Washington County.

30) In May 1929, daughter Bessie graduated from Mulhall High School in Mulhall, Logan, Oklahoma. Mulhall is about 110 miles southeast of Ingersoll.

31) On 2 Jun 1929, William officiated at the wedding of his daughter, Kathrine Elizabeth Proffitt, to Clarence Hobart Marshall in Mulhall.

32) On 1 Apr 1930, William and Emmer were enumerated at Mannford, Creek, Oklahoma. His occupation was Methodist pastor. The only child in the household was daughter, Bessie, age 18. Mannford is about 63 miles east of Mulhall.

33) William's daughter, Hassie, married Merlen Paris Mertena on 14 Feb 1931 in Mulhall. A newspaper marriage announcement listed her parents' residence as Hollister, Tillman, Oklahoma. Hollister is about 224 miles southwest of Mannford.

34) Daughter Hassie had a son, William John Mertena, born 20 Aug 1931 at Frederick, Tillman, Oklahoma. According to my grandmother, Hassie's daughter, she had William in Frederick while she was staying at the home of her parents.

35) While serving the Methodist church at Quinlan, Woodward, Oklahoma, in 1934, William retired from the ministry due to ill health. The source for this is his obituary published in the West Oklahoma Annual Conference Journal for 1944.

36) On 1 Apr 1940, William and Emmer were enumerated at Mounds, Creek, Oklahoma. His occupational status was listed as Other. The census record stated that he owned the home he lived in and that he and Emmer had lived in the same house in 1935.

37) According to William's death certificate and Emmer's obituary, they moved to Waynoka, Woods, Oklahoma, around 1942-1943. Their oldest daughter, Golda, lived in Waynoka.

38) Daughter, Bessie Frances Proffitt, married Lealand Jack Kruse on 23 May 1942. No marriage record has yet been found. The source is a handwritten family history by Hassie, as well as Bessie and Jack's obituaries. Bessie was living with her sister, Golda, in Waynoka in the 1940 census. However, neither Bessie nor Jack are listed in the general index for Woods County marriages.UPDATE: A professional researcher in Oklahoma located the marriage announcement of Bessie and Jack. It stated that they married in Garber, Garfield, Oklahoma. I do not know why they married several counties away from where they both lived in 1942.

39) William died at the age of 72 in Alva, Woods, Oklahoma, on 3 Jul 1944 from gall bladder complications. He was buried in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery on 6 Jul 1944. I believe the I.O.O.F. Cemetery is now called Memorial Hill Cemetery. According to his death certificate, he lived at 316 Waynoka St. in Waynoka at the time of his death.

40) Emmer died at the age of 73 on 5 Jul 1949 in Waynoka from a heart attack. She was buried 7 Jul 1949 at the I.O.O.F Cemetery in Waynoka.

Wow, that is a lot of information that I need to process. However, I think it has helped me to see the family's movements over the years. With so many places, it gets complicated at times to view it in RootsMagic. This timeline, along with other sources, will help me to narrow down possible locations for missing marriage records for William and Emmer's children.

Wonderful Find: Church Published Obituaries

I know, I know. It has been two months since my last posting. How time flies! In those two months, I've managed to get a lot of research done. My most recent and exciting find has been the obituaries of my great-great-grandparents, William Harmon Proffitt and Emmer Link (Baker) Proffitt.

Rev. William Harmon Proffitt

Emmer Link (Baker) Proffitt

I read several moons ago about the United Methodist Church's Genealogy Search service provided by the General Commission on Archives and History. For $30, they will do up to one hour of research on any ancestors that were ministers or missionaries of the United Methodist Church (UMC) or any of its predecessor churches. I knew that William Harmon Proffitt was a Methodist Episcopal minister in Oklahoma from about 1900 until sometime between 1930 and 1940. I knew this because a) my grandmother is still living and he was her maternal grandfather that she knew personally during her childhood and b) he is listed as a minister in all census records from 1900 to 1930. In 1940, his employment status is listed as Other. I presumed he had retired from the ministry, as he was approaching 70 years old.

I've been focusing my research on my Proffitt ancestors lately, as part of my efforts to get all sources for my great-great-grandparents into my RootsMagic database and properly organized in my paper files. I'm also trying to make to-do lists for each of my great-great-grandparents and actually accomplish the tasks on the list. One of the tasks for William was to request the research provided by the UMC archives. I figured it couldn't hurt to see what they had in their files. It only took about 2-3 weeks and I received the obituaries via email that were originally published in the West Oklahoma Annual Conference Journals for 1944 (William) and 1950 (Emmer). 

For those of you who don't know the church history, the present-day United Methodist Church was formed in 1968 with a merger of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. Prior to that, The Methodist Church was formed in 1939 from a merger between the Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Methodist Protestant Church. The Evangelical United Brethren Church was formed in 1946 from the merger between the Evangelical Church and the United Brethren in Christ. 

An annual conference is an organizational unit of churches in a given geographical area. Each year, an annual conference is held and attended by both lay members and clergy from that geographical area. The appointments for clergy are announced at the annual conference and various other administrative type topics are discussed. The annual conference journal is published once a year and contains information about clergy, churches, and ministries of the conference. Among other things and lucky for me, it contains obituaries for church clergy and their spouses.

Below is a transcription of William's obit:

William Harmon Proffit was born July 12, 1871 at Chestnut, Sevier County, Tennessee, and departed this life at the Alva, Oklahoma, Hospital July 3, 1944.

In Tennessee he attended school and grew to manhood, entered the Ministry and at the age of 25 married Emmer Link Baker. In 1900 with his young bride he moved to Oklahoma and served a number of pastorates with the United Brethren church. In 1911 he transferred to the Methodist Episcopal Church, serving his first pastorate with the Methodists at Quinlan, in Alva district. For 18 years he served a number of pastorates in Northwest Oklahoma. While serving Quinlan for a second time, because of poor health, he was forced to retire in 1934.

In addition to his wife he is survived by three sons, Foster of Oklahoma City, James of Jenks, Oklahoma and John of Bartlesville, Oklahoma; four daughters, Golda Curtis of Waynoka, Oklahoma; Kathrine Marshall of Omaha, Nebraska; Hassie Mertena of Ponca City, Oklahoma, and Bessie Kruse of Oklahoma City, and one brother, Samuel Proffitt of Longdale, Oklahoma.

Reverend Proffit was an able preacher, studious, and a man fully devoted to the ministry. He faced life's problems cheerfully and courageously.

Funeral services were conducted at the Waynoka Methodist Church by the pastor, George B. Baker.

There were several pieces of info that I did not know prior to this obit, the most noteworthy being that he was actually a United Brethren minister for at least 11 years or so before he became a Methodist minister.  I had no idea. Now I've got it on my to-do list to research the United Brethren churches in Northwest Oklahoma and East Tennessee. I also did not know when he retired. Now I know that my assumption of sometime between 1930 and 1940 was correct. As a side note, his birthplace is likely supposed to read "Chestnut Hill, Jefferson County, Tennessee." It is right near the border of Sevier County.

Emmer's obit provided interesting information as well:

Mrs. William H. Proffitt, nee Emmer Link Baker, was born September 20, 1875, in the state of North Carolina, and passed away at Waynoka, Okla, July 5, 1949.

She was married to Mr. Proffitt in 1896 while he was serving as a local Methodist preacher in Tennessee. Their lives were spent together in parsonages in Tennessee and Oklahoma.

They came to Oklahoma in 1899 and filed on a homestead near Buffalo but later sold the relinquishment and Mr. Proffitt gave his time to the ministry. While the northwest section of the state was developing, Mr. Proffitt worked for some time with the United Brethren Church. Later he became as accepted supply with the Oklahoma Conference and then became a conference member in 1921. He was forced to retire from the active ministry because of ill health in 1935 and he and Mrs. Proffitt settled in Waynoka. He preceded his wife in death in 1945.

Seven children were born to this couple. N.F. Proffitt followed in his father's footsteps and became a Methodist preacher. He also preceded his mother in death. Six children survive: James Proffitt of Gage, Mrs. Golda Curtis of Waynoka, John Proffitt of Bartlesville, Mrs. Katherine Marshall of Omaha, Nebr., Mrs. Hassie Mertena of Ponca City and Mrs. Bessie Kruse of Oklahoma City. Fifteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren also survive.

Both during the years when her husband was in the active ministry and in later years, Mrs. Proffitt's life was given to the service of Christ and His Church. There was no task too humble for her to undertake. She asked only that she might use well the talents which had been entrusted to her. When no car was offered, she walked to do God's errands. She rejoiced to see flowers at the altar of the church on a Sunday morning and planned her garden to this end. These flowers reflected the love in her heart. The gardens around the heavenly mansions and in the parks of God's Kingdom now have another gardener and she is happy there working to maintain the beauty of the better home.

Funeral services were conducted at the Waynoka Methodist Church, July 7, 1949, with Rev. George Parkhurst, district superintendent, Rev. George Baker of Weatherford, and Rev. Henry Morton, pastor, having part.

According to her obit, there was actually a homestead filed for in Buffalo, Harper, Oklahoma in 1899. I have it on my to-do list to request a lookup in the Federal Land Tract books on microfilm at the OK Historical Society. The cost is only $10. This will give me the location of the application and patent that I can then order from the National Archives. One discrepancy, though, is that they were living about 90 miles from Buffalo at the time of the 1900 census. Another interesting point is that is says he worked as an "accepted supply" with the Oklahoma Conference. I've googled this and found out that "supply" is a term to akin to interim pastoring. Between the two obituaries, it sounds like perhaps he pastored churches for short periods of time as an interim pastor for about 10 years before he became a full-time pastor in 1921. This obit makes it sound like he was a Methodist pastor in Tennessee, but worked with the United Brethren in Oklahoma. His obit made it sound like he was a United Brethren pastor in Tennessee. I will need to research this discrepancy as well.

My next stop is the Oklahoma City University Archives, which holds all the records from the Oklahoma Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The records of the annual conference will list the annual appointments of ministers. From 1911 onward, I should be able to find his appointments.

I need to figure out where the United Brethren records are in Oklahoma from 1900-1911. I would like to verify my great-grandmother's supposed birthplace of Crescent, Logan, Oklahoma, in 1908. If I can find out where her father was appointed, then maybe I can confirm her birthplace. I suspect that she was not born in Crescent. This is the birthplace listed on her death certificate, but it was given by her husband, who was obviously not present at her birth. She met my great-grandfather while she was teaching in Crescent, but I don't think that she was born there as well. Her parents moved all over the state because of her father's work as a minister, so I think it would be too much of a coincidence that she was born in the same town where he met her.

Have you tried finding obituaries for your ancestors in church publications? If not, I highly suggest you give it a try. You never know what you may find!

Census Sunday: PROFFITT in 1920

Well, it has been one year since my last Census Sunday post. I know, crazy, right? Well, there's no time like the present to get back on the blogging wagon. This post features the family of my great-grandmother, Hassie Cora Proffitt, in 1920. Hassie is the mother of  my paternal grandmother. In 1920, we find Hassie with her parents and siblings in Gage, Ellis, Oklahoma.

1920 U.S. census, Ellis County, Oklahoma, population schedule, Rock Township, Gage, enumeration district (ED) 65, sheet 3A, dwelling 48, family 53, Wm. H. Proffitt household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 January 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 1463.

This family is always fun to track through the census records because Hassie's father, William Harmon Proffitt, was a Methodist minister. This means the family moved around a lot as he was appointed at different churches. Ellis County is in northwest Oklahoma on the New Mexico border. The family was living on Walnut Street. William H. Proffitt, was a 48-year-old Methodist Episcopal pastor born in Tennessee. His, wife, Emmer, was age 44 and born in North Carolina. The children, all except the oldest born in Oklahoma, were as follows:

• Foster N. Proffitt, age 21, born in Tennessee, railroad laborer
• James G. Proffitt, age 18, teacher at a country school
• Goldie Proffitt, age 17
• John W. Proffitt, age 16, newsboy
• Cathrine Proffitt, age 13
• Hassie Proffitt, age 11
• Bessie Proffitt, age 7

I decided to see if I could find any information on the United Methodist church in Gage, Oklahoma, or if I could find a street view on Google Maps for Walnut St. Sure enough, when I put in Walnut St. at Google Maps, a picture of the Methodist church appeared.


View Larger Map

Then I decided to see if I could find the Methodist church in Mannford, Creek, Oklahoma, where the family was found in 1930 in northeastern Oklahoma. It is kind of hidden by the trees, but you can still see it. 


View Larger Map

Wordless Wednesday: Golda Emmer (Proffitt) Curtis

Golda Emmer (Proffitt) Curtis
Sister of my great-grandmother, Hassie Cora (Proffitt) Mertena
1902-1977

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.

Wordless Wednesday: Katherine (Proffitt) Marshall

Katherine Proffitt Marshall
Sister of my great-grandmother, Hassie Proffitt Mertena
1906-1988

Surname Saturday: PROFFITT

The PROFFITT line is that of my paternal grandmother's mother, Hassie Cora PROFFITT.

Hassie Cora PROFFITT

Born 26 Feb 1908 in Crescent, Logan, Oklahoma

Married Merlen Paris "Zack" MERTENA 14 Feb 1931 in Mulhall, Logan, Oklahoma

Died 07 May 1986 in Lake Charles, Calcasieu, Louisiana

Buried at Mimosa Pines Cemetery in Carlyss, Calcasieu, Louisiana

William Harmon PROFFITT

Born 12 Jul 1871 in Jefferson County, Tennessee

Married Emmer Link BAKER 17 Dec 1896 in Chestnut Hill, Jefferson, Tennessee

Died 03 Jul 1944 in Alva, Woods, Oklahoma

William was a circuit riding Methodist preacher who moved from Tennessee to Oklahoma around 1900 to minister to the Native Americans there.

John PROFFITT

Born 04 Jul 1838 in Jefferson County, Tennessee

Married Catherine Elizabeth DICKEY 11 Mar 1858 in Jefferson County, Tennessee

Died 05 Jun 1882 in Jefferson County, Tennessee

Samuel PROFFITT

Born 13 Feb 1799 in Ashe County, North Carolina

Married Sarah WEBB 01 Feb 1821 in Jefferson County, Tennessee

Died 29 Nov 1876 in Chestnut Hill, Jefferson, Tennesse

There are some discrepancies in Samuel's birthplace. A lot of unsourced online trees say he was born in Elk Shoal, Yancey, North Carolina, but it appears that his father, James, was living in Ashe County, NC at the time of the 1800 census, just one year after Samuel's supposed birth date. James lived in Buncombe County, NC at the time of the 1810 census, so me must have moved there between 1800 and 1810. Yancey County was formed from parts of Buncombe County in 1833. From this information, it appears more likely that he would have been born in Ashe County and then moved to Buncombe (present-day Yancey) County as a young boy.

James Wesley PROFFITT

Born 26 Jan 1766 in Goochland County, Virginia

Married Mary CLAWSON about 1794 in Wilkes County, North Carolina

Died 20 Nov 1846 in Elk Shoal, Yancey, North Carolina

John PROFFITT

Born 28 Aug 1727 in Goochland County, Virginia

Married Susannah ARRINGTON 10 Mar 1757 in Goochland County, Virginia

Died 15 Nov 1813 in Wilkes County, North Carolina

He was an elder of the Old Roaring River Baptist Church in Wilkes County, NC.

Sylvester PROFFITT

Born abt 1698 in Perth, Scotland

Married Alice PLEASANT abt 1724 in Goochland County, Virginia

Died 10 Apr 1767 in Goochland County, Virginia

Sylvester was among the Scottish Jacobite soldiers captured by the English army in Nov 1715 at Preston, Lancashire, England. He was sent to America as an indentured servant and is found on the ship manifest of the Elizabeth and Anne, which landed at Yorktown, Virginia on 12 Oct 1716.

Saturday Night Fun: Where Were They in 1909? Part I (My Paternal Side)

Randy's Saturday Night Fun this weekend asks us where our ancestors were in 1909 and if we've found them in the 1910 census.

Well, none of my grandparents were born until 1928, 1930, 1932, and 1935, so I'll have to start with my great-grandparents. I know, I'm a baby in the genealogy world!

My paternal grandfather's father, Bienvenue TRAHAN, was born 26 Oct 1908 in Vatican, Lafayette, Louisiana. So he was a baby living in the home of his parents, Oscar TRAHAN and Virginia PREJEAN. I have found them in the 1910 census in Police Jury Ward 2, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. Oscar was a farmer. They had a farmhand, Joseph Babin, age 14, living with them. Bienvenue was their only child, age 1. Oscar's parents, Theoville TRAHAN and Anna WISE, were living next door, as was Oscar's brother, Honore TRAHAN, and his wife, Azema CHIASSON, with their eight children. On the other side of Oscar and Virginia were Virginia's parents, Paul Lucius PREJEAN and Alicia BERNARD, with several of Virginia's younger siblings living at home. In addition, between Oscar and Virginia and Virginia's parents were Virginia's paternal aunt, Marie Zulime PREJEAN and her husband, Ferdinand ISERINGHAUSER, with their daughter. Sounds like a crazy episode of Everybody Loves Raymond! And not to mention that Anna WISE's brother, Adam WISE, was living with Honore and Azema as their hired farmhand.

My paternal grandfather's mother, Beatrice Marie BONEAUX, was not born until 26 Aug 1910, but her parents, Maurice BONEAUX and Marie Alice SONNIER, were married 10 Sep 1908 in Carencro, Lafayette, Louisiana. I know from compilations of church records that they had a daughter, Marie Florine BONEAUX, on 7 Aug 1909, but she died on 18 Sep 1909. In 1910, Maurice and Marie Alice were living in Police Jury Ward 1, Lafayette, Louisiana. Maurice was age 27 and working as a salesman, barber, and farmer, which is confirmed by family stories that he always had his hands in everything. Marie was age 19. The census confirms that there was a child who was born and died before the census. Next door to Maurice and Marie were Maurice's parents, Dominique BONEAUX, age 70, and Alida MOUTON, also age 70. Dominique does not have an occupation, but "own income" is written next to "none" for occupation. Next door to Dominique and Alida were Maurice's older brother, Joseph BONEAUX, and his wife, Edmee RICHARD, and their four children. Joseph was a miller in a grist mill working on his own account, so I'm assuming this means that Joseph owned the grist mill. Our family still owns this land and the one remaining house still on it.

My paternal grandmother's father, Merlen Paris MERTENA, was not born until 9 Sep 1910. His parents were John Henry MERTENA and Blanche WELDEN. They married on 25 Dec 1907 in Mulhall, Logan, Oklahoma. J. Henry and Blanche MERTENA, both age 26, are found in Oak View, Logan, Oklahoma, in 1910. They had not yet had any children. John Henry was working as a farmer.

My paternal grandmother's mother, Hassie Cora PROFFITT, was born 26 Feb 1908 in Crescent, Logan, Oklahoma. Her parents were William Harmon PROFFITT and Emmer Link BAKER. Her father was a circuit-riding Methodist Episcopal preacher, so no telling where they were in 1909. They seem to have moved every year or so. In 1910, they were in Harrison, Kingfisher, Oklahoma, with six of their seven children, including Hassie, age 2. Their seventh child was not born until 1912. William was 38 and Emmer was 34, and it does say that he was a minister.

As it is very late, and I still have not mentioned my great-grandparents on my mom's side, I think I will have to save part II for Sunday morning fun. Stay tuned!

Worldess Wednesday: William Harmon Proffitt

This is a picture of my great-great-grandfather, William Harmon Proffitt, the father of Hassie Cora Proffitt, my great-grandmother. He was born 12 Jul 1871 in Jefferson County, Tennessee, and died 3 Jul 1944 in Alva, Woods, Oklahoma. He married Emmer Link Baker on 17 Dec 1896 in Chestnut Hill, Jefferson, Tennessee. The family moved to Oklahoma, where six of their seven children were born, around 1899. He was a circuit-riding preacher for the Methodist Episcopal Church. They lived in several different counties in Oklahoma, primarily in northwest and north central Oklahoma.

A Tribute to My Great-Grandmother, Hassie Cora (Proffitt) Mertena

I've decided at the last minute to get in a posting for the 68th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy, "A Tribute to Women." My tribute is to my paternal grandmother's mother, Hassie Cora (Proffitt) Mertena. I've previously blogged about Hassie and my great-grandfather, Merlen Paris Mertena here. I've always admired my great-grandmother because she is the only one of my great-grandmothers who had a career before she was married and who has a college degree. I had the pleasure of getting to know her a little before she died when I was 5 years old. I think her death is actually the first time I had ever experienced anyone I knew dying. I remember playing with paper dolls at her house with my sister, and begging my mom to take me down to the little creek at the end of her dead end street.

Hassie was born on 26 Feb 1908 in Crescent, Logan, Oklahoma, to William Harmon Proffitt and Emmer Link Baker. She was the sixth of seven children. William was a minister with the Methodist Episcopal Church, so the family moved around quite often. In fact, William and Emmer had moved to Oklahoma around 1898-1899 from Tennessee in order to minister to the Native American population in Oklahoma.

Hassie is found with her parents at age 2 in 1910 in Harrison, Kingfisher, Oklahoma, in the U.S. census. Kingfisher County is just one county west of Logan County where Hassie was born and where she later married, in north central Oklahoma.

Below is a picture of Hassie with her parents and siblings taken at Fort Supply, Woodward, Oklahoma, in the northwest part of the state. Hassie is the second child standing on the left. This picture appears to have been taken about 1915-1916.



She is next found in 1920 at age 11 with her parents in Rock, Ellis, Oklahoma. Ellis County is in northwest Oklahoma on the border with northwest Texas.

By 1922, the family had moved to Buffalo, Harper, Oklahoma, near the border with Kansas. Hassie graduated from the 8th grade at Buffalo High School in May 1922.



In 1925, Hassie graduated from Ingersoll High School in Ingersoll, Alfalfa, Oklahoma. Alfalfa is two counties east of Harper County, also on the Kansas border.





Below are pictures of Hassie and her friend Ramona Madison, Hassie and the Ingersoll High girls' basketball team, and the graduating class of 1925 from Ingersoll.

UPDATE: I posted this pic on a message board for Alfalfa County and received a message from Marty Myers who said she would love to pass on the pictures to a lady named Ila Wessells, who had written a book on Ingersoll. This is what Ila had to say about the pic:

The basketball team was coached by my father Elbert Marlatt. He was also princpal. Reading left to right-Ethel, Edna or Elnora Appleton, Lillie Gerrels, Fannie Gerrels, Helen Haas, Pearl Wheeler, Hassie Proffitt, Viola Easterling, Lucille Tullis and Hazel Easterling. Lillie and Fannie was my husband's aunts. Viola was my aunt.

UPDATE: After poking around in census records, it looks like this pic was likely taken after the family moved to Logan County in the late 1920s. I've found Ramona Madison in Mulhall for several census years. This photo appears to have been taken on the same day as some other photos I have with names actually written on the back (yay!), which are not posted here. Those names have also been found in Logan County for several census years.


The guy in the Ingersoll class picture must be Carl Weigand, the only guy mentioned in the graduation program. Hassie is the one on the far left. It's funny that the program only mentions 5 graduates, but there are 6 people here.

In 1925, Hassie started college at the Northwestern State Teacher's College in Alva, Woods, Oklahoma, the county between Harper and Alfalfa Counties. This was a 4-year teacher's college founded in 1919 that is now Northwestern Oklahoma State University. She transferred around 1928 to Central State Teacher's College in Edmond, Oklahoma, Oklahoma. Central State Teacher's College was founded in 1890 as the Territorial Normal School. It became a 4-year college in 1919 and is now the University of Central Oklahoma. I have a suspicion the transfer was due to her father being transferred from northwest Oklahoma to Crescent in Logan County, returning to where Hassie was born. Logan is just one county north of Oklahoma County. Below are some of Hassie's report cards from college, as well as a picture that we think is her with her classmates at one of the colleges, perhaps her graduating class at Central. Hassie is the third one from the left in the front row.



After only attending school one year, it appears that Hassie received a teaching position in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, from 1926-1927. Pawnee County is two counties northeast of Logan County. Her teaching contract stated that she held a "certificate of the 2 year state grade." She made only $85 per month!! It appears from her report cards that she returned to college after teaching here. Perhaps this was something like a student teaching experience??

Below are pictures of Hassie with the family she boarded with in Pawnee County and her class.



In July 1928, Hassie was issued her teaching certificate from Oklahoma Department of Education.

Hassie taught at Lone Star School in Crescent, Logan, Oklahoma, from 1928 to 1930. Her parents were living in Crescent at the time. This is also where Hassie was born. Below are her teaching contract for the 1930-31 school year and one of her classes.



While she was teaching here, she met my great-grandfather, Merlen, who lived in nearby Mulhall. I believe Hassie's younger sister, Bessie, went to high school with Merlen. Merlen was two years younger than Hassie. They married on 14 Feb 1931, the topic of my previous post on them. They married at the Methodist church in Mulhall. My great-uncle, their oldest child, William John "Bill" Mertena, was born on 20 Aug 1931 in Frederick, Tillman, Oklahoma, where Hassie's parents were living. Tillman County is in southwest Oklahoma on the border with Texas. Below is a picture of Hassie with Bill at the house of her in-laws', John Henry Mertena and Blanche Welden, in Mulhall.

Like many women of her time, Hassie quit her teaching job once she married and had children, though the newspaper announcement of her marriage states that she finished out her school term. She and Merlen had three other children: Merlene Golda (my grandmother) in 1935, Joseph Henry "Tony" in 1941, and Jill Darlene in 1946.

Below are pictures of Hassie in later years. The one of her at the table with the Life magazine was taken by Bill around 1955-1960. The other was taken at daughter Merlene's house at Christmas time in 1981, the year I was born.

Happy Valentine's Day

L to R: Hassie Cora PROFFITT, Merlene Golda MERTENA, Merlen Paris "Zack" MERTENA. Taken 2 Feb 1955 on the wedding day of Merlene and Benford Maurice TRAHAN in Vinton, Calcasieu, Louisiana. The house in the background belonged to Benford's parents, Bienvenue TRAHAN and Beatrice Marie BONEAUX. Benford and Merlene later lived in the house.

This Valentine's Day is dedicated to my great-grandparents, Merlen Paris "Zack" MERTENA and Hassie Cora PROFFITT, who married on 14 Feb 1931 in Mulhall, Logan, Oklahoma. They are the parents of my paternal grandmother, Merlene Golda MERTENA.

Logan County, Oklahoma, Marriage Book 25: 47, Mertena-Proffitt; FHL microfilm 378,328.

"Friends Honor Mertenas," clipping from unidentified newspaper, c. Feb 1931; supplied by Merlene (Mertena) Trahan, Vinton, Louisiana. Merlene is the daughter of Merlen and Hassie.

Before they married, Hassie was a schoolteacher. Zack and Hassie had 4 children from 1931 to 1946:

1) William John "Bill" MERTENA was born on 20 Aug 1931 in Frederick, Tillman, Oklahoma. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in journalism. He served with the U.S. Army in Korea and retired from the Army Reserves as a lieutenant colonel. He worked as a journalist for the American Press in Lake Charles, Calcasieu, Louisiana and in Olympia, Thurston, Washington. He married Eva Jo WARD on 6 Apr 1958 in at First Methodist Church in Lake Charles. They had five children. They later divorced in 1986. He then married Betty ESTES. Bill died on 8 Oct 2001 in Olympia and was cremated.

2) Merlene Golda MERTENA was born on 28 Jul 1935 in Mulhall, Logan, Oklahoma. She graduated from Sulphur High School in Sulphur, Calcasieu, Louisiana, in 1953 and attended McNeese State University in Lake Charles. She married Benford Maurice TRAHAN on 2 Feb 1955 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, in Vinton, Calcasieu, Louisiana. She is retired from being a travel counselor with the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. Benford and Merlene have four children and seven grandchildren.

3) Joseph Henry "Tony" MERTENA was born on 15 November 1941 in Guthrie, Logan, Oklahoma. He married Gloria Maxine CARLIN of Sulphur. They had one child. He worked at the Citgo oil refinery in Sulphur for over 20 years. Tony died 30 Jan 1998 in Lake Charles. He is buried at Niblett's Bluff Cemetery in Vinton.

4) Jill Darlene MERTENA was born 29 Sep 1946 in Ponca City, Kay, Oklahoma. She married Robert James "Bobby" ELLENDER on 2 Apr 1971 in Orange, Orange, Texas. She is retired from being a hairdresser.

Hassie and Zack moved from Mulhall, Oklahoma, to Ponca City, Oklahoma, around 1942. They then moved to Sulphur, Louisiana, around 1952, due to Zack's job transfer with Conoco, from where he retired as an operator. He was known as a great storyteller. He died on 7 May 1989 in Sulphur. Hassie died on 7 May 1986 in Lake Charles. They are both buried at Mimosa Pines Cemetery in Sulphur.