Suicide while temporarily insane

Otto V. Mueller is often on my mind these days. I recently requested copies of the inquest record created after his 1912 suicide. I can't help wondering what caused him to feel such despair that he chose to take his own life.

My path to Otto started with my paternal grandparents Harold Clarke Mueller and Frances Lois Mangels who were married in August of 1930:

The 1930 census was taken shortly before my grandparents' wedding, and Harold was enumerated (on line 84) with his parents and younger brother:

My dad remembered sliding down the load when Harold made deliveries in a coal truck, so the occupation listed in column 25 concerned me at first. When I mentioned to my grand-uncle Charlie that my grandfather had been a truck driver, he said, "Really? I remember him banging gold." Bingo - we have a match!

In the 1920 census Harold, his parents and grandparents lived together. Seeing the Clarkes explains where Harold's middle name originated:

Here's the family in 1910:

...and in 1900:

The list of family members is continued on a second page, including Alfred's sister Alma E. Note her occupation, then take a look at Otto's. Could Alma work in Otto's office? This becomes more evident (and more confusing) when we travel back and forth in time.

Here's the family in 1880. In those days, Mueller was spelled Müller. See how the census taker tried to correct his misspelling? Wish I knew if he was attempting to squeeze in an "e" or trying to add the umlaut.

The census taker's fumble helps explain another indexer's version of Jacob's surname. Jacob's marriage certificate was indexed under Mutler. But the marriage license clerk's attention to detail provided wonderful clues. Jacob's new wife is Mrs. Elizabeth Biedenham (actually Bidenharn, but let's not quibble about details). This helped me find Elizabeth and Otto in 1870.

Otto is consistently listed as Ohio-born. Remember the 1880 census and the 10-year difference between Otto and Alfred? Both facts make more sense after seeing the marriage record above. It suggests Otto isn't Jacob's biological son. An 1870 Ohio census confirms that hypothesis (see line 9):

Learning that Otto was Alfred's half-brother made me wonder if I should  continue to research Otto. I mean, it's not as if he's a direct line ancestor. And heck, he only shares 50% of my DNA. Hmm. But then I do have that manila folder with his name on it...

I'm glad I chose to gather just the basics on Otto, file them and move on; 'cause that's when things got interesting.

I couldn't find Otto in the 1930 or 1920 censuses. He didn't appear with Jacob and Alma in 1910. As it turns out he lived on the same street with his wife and daughter:

I couldn't find Otto and Alvina in the Chicago marriage index. More searching revealed their marriage had taken place on the other side of Lake Michigan in Berrien County Michigan, a quaint location known for elopements. I blinked hard when I read the new Mrs. Mueller's maiden name. Schmitt is Otto's mother's maiden name too. Coincidence? Except there was something familiar about a Schmitt and Kauffman couple in Ohio with a daughter named Alvina. Did Otto marry his first cousin? Time will tell. Here's the marriage record (entry 752):

So where was this family in 1920? I hadn't been able to find Otto. But I did find Alvina and Edith (bottom two lines)...

who live with Alvina's widowed brother (line 1):

Alvina is listed as a widow. But was she? Not according to Otto's sister Alma:

What happened to Otto? Before all the ugliness, things seemed to be going pretty well for this husband, father and successful businessman. Articles referencing him appeared in several newspapers; his participation in an annual cycling race as a member of the Englewood Wheelmen, and public congratulations and admiration after his promotion to city engineer.

Why is Otto's death certificate so um, I don't know, weird? Look at his place of birth, his birth date, even his date of death - on or about the 16th of April. How long did he lay dead in his garage? Alma was the informant; was she distraught? Distant? Estranged? If she lived with Otto and worked at his insurance agency years before, why didn't she know more answers?

She was right on the money regarding her parents' names (especially Elise rather than Elizabeth) and their places of birth. It's quite puzzling.

Which is why I ordered inquest records for this collateral ancestor. I sent a letter to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office requesting Otto's file on October first. A letter from them arrived the 13th saying there are five pages of written testimony. (FIVE PAGES!!) Copy costs are five dollars per page. I mailed a check the 14th. Then I started pacing in front of my mailbox. After two weeks I called the ME's office and spoke with a very nice woman. She said she had indeed received my check. She reminded me the pages had been tri-folded for nearly a hundred years and said they were working to unfold them. Once that is done, they can copy the pages and send them to me.

Honest to goodness, I have dreams about getting these papers! I want to know who testified and what they said. Don't you?

Surname Saturday - July Marriages

Two family weddings in two weeks; 'tis the season! And that made me wonder how many of my ancestors were married in July. Of course there are my parents, my sister, and at least one of my cousins; but those who came before the living family members include:

My second great grand aunt Zora Clarke who married John Highbarger 16 July 1879. Zora and John lived in Washington County Maryland most of their lives. They had four children.

My great grand aunt Maria Josephina Carlson married Andrew Johnson in Chicago 12 Jul 1888. Both were Swedish immigrants. Maria had been born in Börstil in Uppsala. A family story about Mary and her husband owning a boarding house led to the discovery of this marriage. Maria married the husband everyone knew 10 years after Andrew's death. She's the widowed boarding house manager near the bottom of the page below:

My first cousin thrice removed Carl E Plum married Waity Chandler 17 Jul 1901 in Chicago. Sadly Waity died in childbirth nine months later.

My great grand uncle Otto V Mueller (Bidenharn) married Alvina S Schmitt 23 Jul 1902 in St Joseph, Michigan, a popular wedding site for many Chicagoans. The couple's daughter Edith M was born June 1903. Otto was a successful civil engineer who tragically took his own life in April 1912.

Another Chicagoan and first cousin thrice removed Myrtle Alvira Youngberg married Canadian John L Miller in scenic St Joseph, Michigan 01 Jul 1910. She was 18 years old. The marriage lasted less than three years.

Yet another first cousin thrice removed Pearl May Tolf married Algernon Chastaine Porter in Chicago 19 Jul 1913. I did not know until just this moment that Algernon and Pearl lived in Virginia with their two daughters during the 1920 census. Prior to her marriage Pearl lived with her cousins Raymond and Ranghild in a Swedish Chicago neighborhood.

My great grand uncle George James Walton married Dorothea May Reifsnyder in Cleveland Ohio. The couple had one son, [Cecil] James, with whom I shared a passion for genealogy. James lost his battle with cancer just last year.

The last of my first cousins thrice removed who married in July was Ella Jubelina Tolf. She married Arthur William Nelson in Batavia Illinois 30 Jul 1914. Everyone who described Ella to me spoke very highly of her. She and Arthur had two children. Son Frank became a dentist and practiced in Batavia his entire career.

Carlson, Tolf, Walton, and Youngberg are surnames on my mom's side of the family. Clarke, Mueller, and Plum are on the paternal side of my family tree; the side I am currently researching. Some of the ancestors listed above are collateral. Their stories often add to those of my direct line ancestors. 

Do we share any ancestors? Drop me a line at livinginthepastlane [at] yahoo [dot] com. I'd love to compare notes!

Transcription Thursday ~ Claude Schmitt

The day before yesterday, I shared a death notice from the 1876 Cincinnati Volksfreund for Nicolas Schmitt, my third great-grandfather.

My latest trip to the Family History Center was really exciting. To the left is the death record of Nicolas' grandfather, Claude Schmitt.

(Note to the grandkids - Claude is your seventh great-grandfather. Read on to see the names of your eighth great-grandparents!)

My attempt to transcribe and translate Claude's record is below. Any and all comments that may refine my rough draft are welcome and appreciated:

Deces d’ Claude Schmitt

L’ an mil huit cent quatorze le douze Novembre à huit heures du matin par devant nous maire officier de l’ etat Civil de la commune d' Hellimer et Diffenbach est comparu François Schmitt tanneur age de quarante and et Jacob XXX XXX age de trente sept ans tous deux domicile à Hellimer les quel nous ont déclaré xxx Claude Schmitt, fils de Jean Schmitt et en d' Française xxx A Boulay, et décédé avous hui a deux heures du matin sans la maison a hellimer de quire avous dresse acte aque les decarant ont signes avec nous après lecture faite.

Death of Claude Schmitt
The year one thousand eight hundred and fourteen November 12 at eight in the morning before us Mayor officer of the civil status of the municipality of Hellimer and Diffenbach has appeared François Schmitt tanner age of forty years and Jacob XXX XXX age of 37 years both living in Hellimer xxx said Claude Schmitt, son of Jean Schmitt and of French xxx a Boulay, and died at two in the morning at home in Hellimer quire AYou presents the act Aque declares signed with us after reading done.

Translation Tuesday ~ Death Notice in Fraktur

Awhile back I shared my attempts to learn to read French. While I am still far from fluent, I can muddle through enough of a document to get the gist.

And now I have another language to learn! Of course I turned to my Rootsweb friends when I received this copy of my 3rd great-grandfather's obituary. Color me embarrassed, I referred to the font as "German script". I quickly learned this artful style of writing is called Fraktur.

My French Schmitts hail from Moselle in Lorraine, a region of France that shares a border with Germany. They spoke Moselle Franconian, kind of a mix of German and French that was unique to their birthplace. It makes sense that they would read a German-language newspaper when they relocated to Cincinnati Ohio.

Three Cincinnati courthouses (and the documents therein) were destroyed by fire, so this clipping from the February 23, 1876 issue of the Cincinnati Volksfreund may be the only source of Nicolas' date of death:

In German it says, "Todes-Anzeige. Starb am Montag, den 21. Februar 1876, Abends um 11 Uhr, unser innigst geliebter Vater: Nikolaus Schmitt, im Alter von 64 Jahren, geboren in Hellimer, Lothringen. Die Beerdigung findet statt am Donnerstag Morgen um 8 Uhr, vom Trauerhause aus, No. 637 Race Straße, und wird ein feierliches Todtenamt in der St. Johannes Kirche abgehalten werden. Freunde und Verwandte sind ohne besondere Notiz dazu freundlichst eingeladen von den trauernden Hinterbliebenen."

And in English, "Death notice. Died on Monday February 21st 1876, in the evening at 11 o’clock, our beloved father Nikolaus Schmitt, at the age of 64 years, born in Hellimer, Lorraine. The entombment will take place on Thursday in the morning at 8 o’clock, starting at [the] house of mourning, 637 Race Street, and there will be solemn obsequies at St. John’s Church. Friends and relatives are invited to this without special note by the mourning bereaved."

FGS 2011 Registration

It's official. I'm registered for September's FGS 2011 Conference in Springfield Illinois! (Doing my genealogy happy dance!)

Mr. IAR is registered too which makes the upcoming trip twice as exciting. We'll be joining forces for a few workshops and exploring others on our own. Should be a talkative return trip as we compare notes and share our new-found knowledge! There were so many interesting tracks from which to choose! Here are my Friday/Saturday picks:

• After Mustering Out: Researching Civil War Veterans
• Family Search Community: Together We Can Find Our Ancestors
• Immigration and Emmigration Records on Ancestry.com
• Beginning Swiss Research
• Gateway to the West: Researching in Ohio
• Lessons from a Snoop: Collaterals and Associates
• Don't Get Burned: Getting Around the Great Chicago Fire of 1871
• Developing Effective Research Strategies
• Discovering the Goldmine of Knowledge in Court Records
• Burned Counties Research
• The Circle of Life: Genealogy Research with Vital Records
• The 1940 Census

Just glancing at the list above, I see myself ending the conference with ideas that will help when researching my Clarkes and Littrells (Civil War, Court Records, Burned Counties); the Muellers (Immigration, Swiss Research, Chicago Fire); my Schmitts (Ohio, Burned Counties, 1940 Census); the Shartzers (Civil War, Collaterals and Associates, Court Records), and my Tolfs (Court Records, Vital Records, 1940 Census).

And I'm drooling (not literally of course...okay, maybe just a little) over the Family Search Community and Developing Effective Research Strategies tracks. The countdown of days to the conference begins!!

FGS 2011 Conference

Creative Sailing to the Right Passenger List

My 3rd great-grandfather traveled from France to the US in 1854. Niçolas Schmitt and his oldest son Jules François arrived at the port of New Orleans in April of that year.

Based on the ages of the two American-born children who appear in the 1860 Cincinnati Ohio census, Nicolas' wife and French-born children joined him before 1855. Daughter Elizabeth is my direct line ancestor and it was she on whom I focused many fruitless passenger list searches.

Today instead I looked for each of Elizabeth's siblings. Within 10 minutes I located Marie-Anne with nine of the Schmitt children on the passenger list of the Ocean Home's May 1854 journey from Le Havre France to New Orleans. (See pg 6 left.)

Although Marianne 35, Jean Nicolas 11, Pierre Ferdinand 9, Anne-Marie 8, Sophia 7, Elisabeth 6, Christina 5, Pauline 4, Emilie 9/12, and François 5/12 are listed as Suisse (Swiss), this is clearly my French family.

This means the family was separated for only a short time - just a few weeks. But oh, how difficult it must have been for Marie-Anne to care for seven small children and two infants while crossing the ocean to their new life in America!

And while finding this passenger list was wonderfully exciting, it does raise a few questions. For starters, how can Emilie (9 months old) and François (5 months old) have the same mother?

Rather than focus on that just yet, I think I'll spend May Day enjoying this precious new genealogical treasure. And thanking Pauline, my 2nd great-grand aunt, who guided a search engine to the right page.

Sunday's Obituary ~ Carl Plum

From the March 4, 1902 issue of the Chicago Daily News;

"Carl Plum, March 3, 1902, beloved husband of Anna Plum (nee Schmitt) and father of Clara Hasse, Nana, Carl E., Julius, Robert and Arthur Plum, aged 62 years and 9 months. Funeral from late residence, 6946(?) Stewart Ave., Thursday at 10 a.m. to Graceland. Cincinnati papers please copy."

Carl was my second great-grand uncle-in law. His wife Anna-Marie was (my second great-grandmother) Elizabeth's sister. Immigrants Carl and Anna were married in Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio before relocating to Chicago shortly before The Great Fire of 1871.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Clarke and Littrell

Mary Ella (nee Littrell) and William Penrod Clarke

On this Day in Her-Story ~ 1890 ~ Bessie Littrell

One of my resolutions for 2011 is to focus on my paternal grandfather's side of the family. Toward that end, I printed a calendar of birth dates for those ancestors and their families. I'd like to celebrate each of these special days by determining what I "know" about the birthday boy or girl.

Bessie F. Littrell is my first cousin thrice removed. Her father John and my 2nd great-grandmother Mary are the only known children born to Charles Littrell and his first wife Margaret in Salem Virginia.

After Margaret's death (?) Charles married Mrs. Julia DeMasters, a widow/divorcee (?) with three children. The couple had a son in 1868 and the blended family moved to Springfield Ohio shortly thereafter.

Bessie's parents John H. Littrell and Sarah E. Drumen were married in Shelby County Ohio May 15, 1883. John was a foreman at an iron works company in Springfield for many years.

When she was 20, Bessie married William H. McMahon. Their March 28, 1910 marriage license states "it is expected that Rev. Gardner will solemnize the marriage". The 1930 census shows that the couple and baby Marjorie J. McMahon reside in Reno Nevada. William died in 1969 and Bessie died in 1978, both in Santa Clara California.

Hmm. It appears I don't know very much about Bessie. As a first cousin thrice removed, that's okay for now. The real gift on Bessie's birthday was the opportunity to go through my Littrell notes and formulate a research plan.

Charles seems to have disappeared in Ohio. I'll have to do some sleuthing to see if he'll turn up. And I'd really like to know what happened to Margaret (Bessie's grandmother) in Virginia. There is a birth and death register for Roanoke County on microfilm at the Family History Library. That seems like a good place to start.

Surname Saturday - Gury

My third great-grandmother was Marie Anne Gury, born April 1818 in Francaltroff, Moselle, France. After marrying Nicolas Schmitt, Marie moved to Hellimer and had 10 children before immigrating to the United States in the early to mid 1850s. The family settled in Cincinnati.

Another Gury descendant shared a photograph of a woman who may have been Marie's sister Christina. There are women named Christina in nearly every generation of the Gury family, so the possibility of a connection is strong. The Christina in question was the Mother Superior in a convent in France. This makes me cautiously optimistic; there may be some interesting records available.

Surname Saturday ~ Grosse, Gury, Schmitt

Fashionable women ~ 1850

I'm enamored with my paternal French line; learning to speak French while driving, reading French history books, translating birth records during my lunch hour, ordering films from the Family History Library every Tuesday evening. Some might say I've become addicted, but that's not true. I've been addicted all along.

New clues show themselves frequently, but most often they come accompanied by more questions. 

The knowns:

• My 3rd great-grandfather, Nicolas Schmitt, was born in 1813 in Hellimer, Moselle, Lorraine, France.
• His parents were Francois Schmitt and Elisabeth Grosse.
• His wife was Marie-Anne Gury, born in 1818 in Francaltroff, Hellimer, Lorraine, France.
• Nicolas had at least two siblings, younger sisters Elisabeth and Barbe.
• He traveled to America with his eldest son Jules in April 1854.
• Nicolas and his family settled in Cincinnati Ohio.
• Several children, including my 2nd great-grandmother emmigrated to Chicago where they raised their children.

The unknowns:

• When did the remaining family members arrive in America?
• What happened to Francois, the last child born in France?
• What happened to Joseph, the first child born in Ohio?
• Did Jules really die in Ohio, or did he relocate to Chicago leaving his wife and children behind?
• Was Nicolas the first, one of several, or the only Schmitt that left France?
• Where is the elusive marriage record of Nicolas and Marie-Anne?
• and so many more unknowns; far too many to list.

The next steps:

• Order microfilm for 1792-1810 birth, marriage, death records for Hellimer.
• Continue checking the mailbox for the will that will tell if the French-born Ohio-residing Emile Schmitt who married Mary Kauffman is "my" Emile.
• Translate Barbe's birth record; it includes her parents' ages.
• Search passenger lists for my 2nd great-grandmother and her siblings.
• Determine whether the brother mentioned as co-owner of John Schmitt's restaurant in Chicago is Jules.

And so, as we French say, la recherche se poursuit!

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Hester Ann (Leffel) Clarke

Hester was born 30 Nov 1863 in Springfield, Clark County, Ohio to Reuben W. and Rachel J. (McClelland) Leffel.

She married Norman A. Clarke 23 Nov 1887 in her hometown of Springfield. The couple moved to Dayton where Norman worked as a foreman, first in a manufactoring shop, then in a sewing machine factory. Hester cared for their home.

Hester did not have any children. She died at the age of 48.

From the Monday April 1, 1912 issue of The Springfield (Ohio) Daily News page 9, "CLARK - The body of Mrs. N. Clark, who died in Dayton, and who was a sister of Mrs. C. L. Reese, will arrive here at 8:17 o'clock Monday night over the Big Four and will be taken to the residence of Mr. Reese, 1840 South Limestone street. The funeral will be held Wednesday at 2 p.m. from the Reese home and burial will be at Fernclliff cemetery."

This headstone photo was a gift from a fellow contributor at Find A Grave. It took two trips to the cemetery to locate the marker because it was covered with snow. The volunteer said because the headstone is lime, the letters and numbers are already wearing away.

I very much appreciate the photograph and knowing where Hester was laid to rest. But I can't help thinking this is such a dismal looking memorial to a woman's life.

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Norman A. Clarke

Norman A. Clarke was born in Funkstown, Washington, Maryland on March 30, 1862. As a young man, he and his brother traveled from Maryland to Springfield, Clark, Ohio where he married Hester Ann Leffel in November of 1887.

The couple moved to Dayton Ohio, where Norman was a foreman in a manufacturing shop. Hester died in 1912.  Norman brought her body back to Springfield to be buried with her birth family. They had no children.

I lost track of Norman for a bit, but caught up with him through a marriage certificate filed when he remarried in Chicago where his brothers lived. Adele Curie(?) had also been married previously and she had a young son.

Norman and Adele move to Lafayette, Tippacanoe, Indiana where Adele had family. Norman worked as a foreman in a card factory. By 1930, Norman had retired. He and Adele lived out their last few years in Dayton. They are buried at Woodland Cemetery near Adele's son Charles Leigh Paulus.

Norman is my 2nd great-grandfather's brother. He left a better paper trail than ggg William Penrod Clarke. Through Norman, I have been able to learn a tremendous amount about William and their nine siblings. Knowing Norman was in Ohio when William was in Illinois helped verify the identity of my 3rd great-grandfather back in Funkstown, Washington county, Maryland.

Recently Norman provided another clue that may help explain how, when, and why the brothers traveled to Ohio. "Early Clark County Ohio Families Vital Statistics" states Norman's sister-in-law Ada Mary Leffel married Clinton L Reese who was born January 11th, 1857 in...drum roll please...Washington County, Maryland.