Discovering a Divorce in Ohio

Court of Common Pleas,
Washington County, Ohio, 1900

While browsing Ohio divorce records on the FamilySearch website, I noticed that the documents often showed the wife didn't know what happened to her husband. The collection, "Ohio, Washington County, divorce records, 1894-1960," isn't searchable, but you can view each page of the filing, including the petition, detail of clerk fees, and the court's decision.

One example of a missing husband involved William B. Hite. According to his wife Julia, as stated in the court documents, William "went to the state of Virginia, ostensibly for the purpose of obtaining work, but that since September 1899 plaintiff has not heard from defendant, and received nothing from him towards her support, and that of her child, and she has been compelled to support herself - that she has not been able to locate defendant, although she has written to the point from where he was last located in 1898, but he has left said place, and she cannot discover his hereabouts..."

In 1880, the family was living in Marietta, Ohio, where William worked as a blacksmith. In the 1900 census, he was recorded twice: once with his family in Ohio (although he had not lived there for some time) and also as a boarder in Huntington, Cabell, West Virginia. Due to the divorce in 1900, it's likely that they never saw each other again, and neither remarried. William died in 1929 in Cabell County, West Virginia, and Julia died in 1935 in Marietta, Ohio.

Related Posts:

• Ancestors Who Divorced
• Records May Be Wrong Due to the Stigma of Divorce

Portrait on a 1910 Christmas Postcard

Have you seen a portrait postcard like this? It's absolutely lovely, and I couldn't let it go when I saw it in an antique shop.

The recipient of the postcard, Mrs. Libbie T. Reeves, was a postmaster in Ohio for more than three decades. The sender is a little harder to identify. The postmark is 1910 from Downington, Ohio, in Meigs County. There were three women with the name Aura who were living in that county in 1910. The most likely match is Aura Mae Wilcox Wood. She was the closest to Libbie's age, and her husband Frank was a mail carrier.

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and hope that you enjoy every moment with your family and friends!

Hotel Image Preserved in Military Records

Years ago when I ordered my 2nd great-grandfather's Civil War records, I received an added bonus. Not only did I learn that he had moved from Pittsburgh to Toledo to live in the hotel owned by his daughter and her husband Charles Prill, but he signed a notarized letter on the hotel's letterhead. This simple letter about his address change allowed me to see how the building looked. Fabulous!

"This House is Specially Adapted to Accommodate the Traveling Trade"
Letterhead from Prill's Hotel, Toledo, Ohio, 1890
(CLICK TO VIEW LARGER)

This is just another example of interesting details or special items you might stumble upon while researching your ancestors.

Charles Labbe of Ohio, Boot & Shoe Dealer

Charles Labbe lived his entire life in Canal Fulton, Stark County, Ohio. He was the brother-in-law of my 2nd great-uncle, Charles Eugene Huber of Akron.

Charles Labbe's father was an immigrant from Bavaria who settled in Canal Fulton in the 1850s and set up shop as a shoemaker. In 1870, Charles was working as a shoemaker apprentice, so it looks like he joined the family business. From the 1880 census to the 1920s, he was identified as a boot & shoe merchant. Charles had retired by 1930.

The Labbe family appeared in newspapers a few times. In 1898, Charles' son Cornelius was accidentally shot & killed at the age of 15 by a friend:

The Massillon Evening Item (Ohio), July 15, 1898

And in 1906, the Labbe family's house was struck by lightning:

Coshocton Daily Age (Ohio), August 1906

Charles Labbe died in September 1942 at the age of 85. His wife, Louise, was 95 years old when she died in 1955. They are buried in Saints Philip and James Church Cemetery in Canal Fulton, Ohio.

An interesting side note: When Charles' sister, my 2nd great-aunt Rachel, visited him in early 1942, it was mentioned in the local newspaper. However, it used her name from the first marriage, Rachel LaCroix, even though her first husband had died and she had been Mrs. Charles E. Huber since 1919.

Akron Advertisement, 1887

This advertisement appears in the 1887 publication, Recipes by Ladies of St. Paul's P.E. Church, Akron, Ohio. While most of the ads are for Akron businesses, there also are several for the Cleveland area. You can view this booklet both in the HathiTrust Digital Library and The Internet Archive.

Some of my Huber relatives moved to Akron in the early 1900s, so I wonder if this store still existed then and if they ever saw it. Most of the ads in this recipe book used text only, so this one with artwork definitely stands out.

Take time to browse publications from the areas where your ancestors lived. If they owned a business, you may find one of their old ads, but it's also a great way to learn more about the city or town where they lived and raised their families.

Oh, Foolish Young Love

My 2nd great-aunt, Elizabeth Jae Kuckert, became the stepmother of four children when she married Jacob Kuckert in Pittsburgh around 1877. One of these stepchildren was Edward G. Kuckert, whose daughter would make front-page news in 1919.

Irene Kuckert was born in 1903 and apparently fell in love with Edward H. Price. Their scheme to marry didn't turn out quite as they had hoped:

The Gazette Times (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), March 22, 1919

I'm assuming the marriage was declared null and void, but I still need to do more digging to find out what happened and if her aunt and suitor were punished. It appears that Irene might have been sent away because the very next year she was working as a housekeeper in East Liverpool, Ohio, even though her parents were still in the Pittsburgh area. 

Dear Irene then quickly fell in love again! In July 1920, she lied about her age to marry a glass worker named Andrew Schneider in Lisbon, Columbiana County, Ohio. The marriage license application showed her age as 20 when she was really only 17. But perhaps the event wasn't scandalous this time since a notice was published in the local newspaper:

East Liverpool Review (Ohio), July 10, 1920

I'm not sure yet what happened to the couple but, by her father's death in 1936, her name was Irene Leonard and she was living in Gary, Indiana. No matter what choices she made during her youth, I hope Irene's life was full of love.

Our Ancestors Didn't Travel Lightly

If you're planning a vacation this summer, consider how your ancestors packed for their trips. The advertisement below is for a "manufacturer and jobber of trunks, traveling bags." I would love to own one of these old trunks, but I definitely wouldn't want to travel with it!

R.L. Polk & Co.'s Toledo City Directory, 1889-90

I have relatives that moved from Pittsburgh to Toledo and were living there when this city directory would have been available to residents. It's surreal to think that they may have looked at the same publication that I'm viewing 125 years later.

Family Birth: Walter Charles Jackson in 1890

My 1st cousin twice removed, Walter Charles Jackson, was born 125 years ago in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His mother, my 2nd great-aunt Katherine Jae Nehren Jackson, was one of the strongest women in my family tree and had to deal with heartache many times, but Walter's birth on April 25, 1890, had to be one of the happiest days of her life.

Walter had two half-brothers who died before he was born, so he was essentially an only child. After Kate's first husband died, she married Frank Jackson, the manager of her South Side tavern. Sometime between 1900 and 1910, Walter's family moved from Pittsburgh to East Liverpool, Ohio, and they opened a restaurant at 625 Jefferson Street. When Walter was 27 years old, his father died, and he took over the business.

Walter never married and must have been a colorful character based on the newspaper stories that mention the fines he received for selling liquor and organizing dice games at his restaurant. On May 31, 1926, at the age of 36, he passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage. Kate, who must have been so happy when her son was born, had to have been devastated to bury him. She had lost two husbands and all three of her sons.

The Huber Brothers of Akron & Pittsburgh

From Views of Akron, Ohio,
and Environs, 1904

My 2nd great-grandparents, Ignace & Carolina Wey Huber, had all sons--eight of them. The oldest was born in Paris, France, but the rest (at least the ones I've found) were born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania.

John Paul Huber died at the age of 1. Two brothers, Harry and Theodore, were named in the obituary of another brother but I know nothing about them. I don't know where they were born and haven't found them in any censuses. But I haven't given up!

My great-grandfather, Joseph Henry, and brothers Frank Pius and John Peter all stayed in Pittsburgh and raised their families there. The other two brothers, Alphonse Antoine and Charles Eugene, left Pittsburgh and moved to Akron, Ohio. Charles moved first, possibly due to his employment with a railroad, and Alphonse followed almost 20 years later.

Here are five of the Huber brothers and their wives:

1. Alphonse Antoine Huber m. Anna Friedl
2. Charles Eugene Huber m. Anna Hanselman
3. Frank Pius Huber m. Amelia Kinzer or Kinzel
4. Joseph Henry Huber m. Alice Laubersheimer
5. John Peter Huber m. Julia Cliney

If there are any cousins out there who have information on Harry and Theodore Huber, I would love to hear from you!

Related Posts:

• Immigration: Leaving Children Behind
• Family Birth: Alice Huber in 1905

Did You Make a Mistake or Is the Record Wrong?

When I wrote last week's post about my second cousin, Charles Black, it reminded me that sometimes you have to recheck your information. Making mistakes during genealogy research happens to everyone, so when you find a discrepancy, it's a good idea to check your sources again to make sure you have the right person and recorded the information accurately.

But keep in mind that records are only as accurate as the information provided by the informant.

Charles Black was born in Toledo, Ohio, and I remembered that his mother was born in Pittsburgh. To refresh my memory as to where his father was born, I pulled up some of Max Black's records. When I looked at his marriage license application, I remembered stumbling upon this issue before while doing my research. You see, my research showed that Max married Catherine Prill and that her parents were Charles & Mary Jae Prill. But the marriage license application on FamilySearch for Max & Catherine indicates that her mother's name was Emma Rogers. That's not even similar to Mary Jae.

My first thought at the time was that Mary must have been Charles Prill's second wife. But after reviewing the facts, I don't think that's right. Here are the facts regarding Charles & Mary Prill and their daughter Catherine:

• The 1880 Census page viewed on Ancestry.com, which was enumerated on June 14th, shows Charles & Mary living as boarders at 2531 Carson Street in Pittsburgh (the home of Mary's sister). They do not have any children. There is a mark next to their names in the column for "Married during the Census year."
• On FamilySearch, there is a birth record for a Kate Prill in its database of Pennsylvania Births and Christenings, 1709-1950. While there isn't an image of the original record, it indicates that Kate was born in Pittsburgh on August 31, 1880, to father Chas. Prill and mother Mary Prill.
• Catherine's Ohio death certificate on FamilySearch shows her parents as Chas. Prill and Mary Jay.

So it appears that Emma Rogers named as the mother on the marriage license application was just a mistake by either the person providing or recording the information. Let me know what you think!

Family Birth: Charles Black in 1901

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

On this day in 1901, my second cousin once removed was born in Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio. His parents were Max Black and Catherine Prill. He had one brother, Walter, who was born 18 months after him.

Charles Black most likely knew his Pittsburgh-born grandparents, Charles and Mary Prill, who were also living in Toledo. They owned and operated a hotel called Prill's Hotel before Charles was born and stayed in the area until their deaths in 1920.

Charles married Nelly Kunzman on August 14, 1923, and they had two daughters. When he got married, he was working as a pricer for Walding, Kinnan and Marvin Company, a wholesale drug company. He retired from this company in 1963 as vice president and buyer, after 44 years with them.

Nelly died in 1989, and Charles died on March 12, 1996, in Riverside Hospital. He is buried in Ottawa Hills Memorial Park in Toledo.

If I have any Black cousins out there, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanksgiving and Family Reunions

Thanksgiving is the time of family gatherings. In the past, when transportation wasn't as quick or convenient, it may have been one of the few times during the year when everyone was able to get together. If you search old newspapers, you'll see many mentions of Thanksgiving family reunions.

I found this article on Newspapers.com from the December 7, 1905, issue of The Lima News in Ohio:

"The Bowers family held their annual family reunion, Thanksgiving, at the home of L.E. Crites and wife. An elegant dinner was served, the table groaning under its weight of good things to which all did ample justice. L.E. Crites and Chas Hood especially enjoyed this part of the program.

The sixty relatives gathered found many causes for thanksgiving, especially that (while a few were detained at home on account of illness) the hand of death had not visited the family in the past year.

...

The day was closed with a thank offering, consisting of various articles which were presented to the minister Rev. J.C. Cupp and family. Rev. Cupp gave an interesting talk on family reunions, their purpose and benefit, which all enjoyed. With the sinking of the sun they separated, hoping to meet again, if not here, in a better world beyond."

This family isn't part of my tree, but it's another example of the wonderful stories you can find about your ancestors by searching historic newspapers.

Be a Genealogy Skeptic

When doing genealogy research, don't believe everything you hear and everything you find. Even if you really, really want it to be the truth, details you uncover may be inaccurate. I'm here to tell you that it's perfectly ok to question.

For example, my 2nd great-grandfather was a Civil War veteran. I have a packet of his military records that confirms his service. When he died in Ohio in 1893, though, there were some statements in his obituary that don't seem to add up.

First, the Toledo Bee obituary says that he "came to America directly after the war [the German revolution of 1848] with Hecker and Schurz, two of the leaders in the revolution." Second, it says "Mr. Jay was a great personal friend of Gen. Hartranft, ex-governor of Pennsylvania, and was one of the pallbearers at the funeral of the ex-governor."

Ok, both things could be true. Who knows, maybe he was on the same ship with Hecker and Schurz before they ended up in completely different U.S. cities. And who's to say that a saloon owner couldn't be best buds with a governor? They weren't in the same Civil War regiment and lived more than 200 miles from each other, but that's not TOO far-fetched, is it?

He could be mentioned in the Governor's archived letters or perhaps there's a newspaper story that names the men who were pallbearers that day. But until I find something to connect him with these famous men, I choose to be skeptical. Remember, family members don't always get it right in stories, obituaries, or death certificates. Questioning can actually be a good thing and makes us better researchers.