Funeral Home information about Della Herring

I received a response from Klingner-Cope Family Funeral in Springfield, MO. Here is the information:

Name: Della Herring
Date of birth: September 10, 1893
Date of death: January 2, 1972
Time of death: 6:15 am
Place of death: Home / Sunshine Acres
Age: 78
Birthplace: Missouri
Father: William M. Herring
Mother: Sallie A. Byers
Internment: Greenlawn Cemetery
Survivors: Gerald M. Carothers, nephew and Mrs. J. W. Jesiel, niece

This would confirm I have the right Della Herring. It also provides where she was interned and a name for her niece, although I'm sure it is her husband's name. But, it's a start.

Greenlawn Memorial Gardens is also known as Greenlawn Cemetery
3506 N National Avenue
Springfield, Greene County, Missouri 65803
417-833-1212

I'll have to contact them next to get the location of the grave and whether or not it has a marker. Perhaps they will send me a picture of the marker, if there is one.

Record of Myrtle Herring's birth

Henry County Missouri Early Birth Records

KEY: surname, first name - sex - birth date - birthplace - birth order - mother's first and maiden name if given- mother's age - bca=mother's approximate birth year calculatedfrom age given - mother's birth place - (mother's nationality)- father's first name - fathers age - bca=father's approximatebirth year calculated from age given - father's birth place -(father's nationality) - father's occupation - name of birth attendant- address of attendant - county record book number - page number. The original record books can be found at the Henry County Museum in Clinton, MO.

HERRING, unnamed - female - b: May 6 1885 - 2nd child of Sallie A. BYERS - age: 21 - bca: 1864, MI - fth: Marion F. - age: 22 - bca: 1863, CA - occ: farmer - att: W. A. Davison, Clinton - bk: 5, pg 32

I found this information here.

Sunshine Acres Rest Home in Springfield, Missouri (Della Herring)

You will notice in Della Herring's obituary that she was a resident of the "Sunshine Acres Rest Home". I believe that the following information is about this institution and what became of it.

In Missouri, county government was legally bound to provide that "poor persons shall be relieved, maintained and supported by the county of which they are inhabitants" (Missouri R.S. 1909@1333). The county treasurer had to maintain a separate fund for this purpose. The statutes further provided that "aged, infirm, lame, blind or sick persons who are unable to support themselves and when there are no other persons required by law and able to maintain them, shall be deemed poor persons."

In Greene County the County Poor Farm was charged with the care of indigent and ill citizens who had no other resources for care. This agency was later known as the County Home and in 1955 became Sunshine Acres. The facility closed in 1978.

This was found on this page.

The following also talks about the same facility:

Alms Cemetery and Alms House
The Almshouse Cemetery is notable for its original modesty. The majority of the headstones were hand-made of concrete by the residents of the Almshouse. The Cemetery is not large by some standards, but many bodies are believed to be buried there which may have never had markers (estimates are as high as 1,000). The cemetery was literally abandoned when the last Almshouse known as “Sunshine Acres” discontinued operation. The buildings were demolished and the property was turned into a pasture. There is a large marble Historic Marker (placed at the site in 1979) which stands near the Northwest corner of the cemetery. The Almshouse Cemetery, although ostensibly barren of names and dates, actually may ultimately provide a wealth of information about the people of Springfield and Greene County, their attitudes concerning the poor, the mentally disturbed, the abandoned and the individuals not otherwise entitled to a more distinguished place in society. As information surfaces about this cemetery, insight into the lives and culture of the people of Greene County in the period from 1930 through 1970 is revealed. The lives of Greene Counties’ rich and the influential are well documented. This site is special for its potential to tell the little-known stories of the other people of Greene County.
County registration date: Aug. 21, 2000.

This info was found on this page.

Della's Probate Records

I received the probate records for Della Herring, but they were not too informative. I received 3 copies, 2 of which were identical. They all involved Klingner. I'm assuming she died without a will, no significant property and no close relatives. What became of her personal effects? Who knows. Her obituary listed a nephew, which is my grandfather, Gerald Carothers, and a niece, who would have to be a daughter of Melvin Herring, Della's brother. I'll need to contact the county to ensure I got everything, i.e. there was no copying error.

I sent a letter to Klingner a couple of days ago asking for copies of any records they may have. I would like to know what became of her remains, i. e. if she was buried, what cemetery she is buried in.

Fortunately, I'll be visiting with my Aunt Lana next month and she has some information about Aunt Della. Della would take train rides to Southern California to visit her nephew, and my grandfather, Gerald Carothers and his family. Aunt Lana also has Della's letters that she wrote to them over the years. I'm guessing she will have some pictures of Aunt Della too.

Della Herring's obituary

I have received a response to my Ancestry.com message board request for an obituary lookup for Della Herring. It is as follows:

Springfield Daily News, Wed., Jan. 5, 1972

MISS DELLA HERRING
Miss Della Herring, 78, of the Sunshine Acres Rest Home, died at 6:15 a.m. Sunday there after a long illness. She is survived by a niece and a nephew. Funeral arrangements will be announced by Klingner.

If this is the Della I'm looking for, and I think it is, then the nephew is my grandfather Gerald Carothers.

The SSI birth date of September 10, 1893 and the above death date of January 2, 1972, yields an age of 78 years, 3 months and 23 days at her death. Gerald died in the following year.

Klingner has been renamed to:

Klingner-Cope Family Funeral
1635 N Benton AveSpringfield, MO 65803
(417) 862-0511

I also received an email that Della's probate records will be mailed to me free of charge. I'll post the info as soon as it arrives.

In search of Della Herring, SSN?

The Social Security Death Index at Rootsweb gives the following information:

Della Herring
Birth: Sep 10, 1893
Death: Jan 1972
Last Residence: 65802 Springfield, Greene County, Missouri
SSN: 491-03-4168
Issued: Missouri

Could this be the Della Herring to which I'm related?

Searching the Greene County, Missouri website probate records, I found the following:

Della M. Herring
Date: 1972-02-28
Cross File: C10-994
Reel Number: *B62-0598
Box: 391

The date would seem to match the date of death in the SSN information. I have requested a copy of the probate records. I will be requesting a copy of the SSN application form.

The Greene County, Missouri connection is further confirmed by the information in this earlier post.

Missouri Links

The State Historical Society of Missouri
Missouri Death Certificates, 1910 – 1955
Bushwacker Museum - Nevada, Vernon County, Missouri
Henry County Museum - Clinton, Henry County, Missouri
Greene County - Greene County, Missouri
News-Leader.com - Springfield, Greene County, Missouri Newpaper online, genealogy section!
Greene County Records
Springfield-Greene County Library - Local History and Genealogy
Consortium of Ozarks Libraries Catalogs
Ozarks Genealogical Society

Useful internet resources

WorldCat is the largest library network in the world
County Maps - http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/
Social Security Index
http://www.findagrave.com/
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), General Land Office (GLO) Records Automation web site
footnote.com Historical documents.
Genealogy Blog Finder
NewspaperArchive.com

Regional Links
Arizona Links
Colorado
Illinois Links
Indiana Links
Minnesota
Missouri Links

FindAGrave.com - Carothers by State

City Directories of Prescott, Arizona

While in Prescott, AZ I was able to collect the information below from Prescott City Directories located in the Sharlot Hall Museum archives. They did not have a city directory for the years between the ones listed.

1935-1936	Carothers Gerald M clerk r Rief Hotel 238 1/2 North Cortez St
1937	Carothers Gerald M (Dixie) clk Rawson's Liquor Store r 212 S. Marina
1939	Carothers Jerry (Dixie) deskman Prescott City Police h 720 Butte
1939	Carothers W H laborer 720 Butte
1941	Carlisle Crete seamstress WPA r Linn Hotel
1941	Carothers Gerald M (Dixie) patrolman City Police Dept r 209 (rear) N Alarcon
1948	Carothers Gerald (Mable) emp Shamrock Tavern r 340 S Cortez
1948	Carothers Mable (Gerald) emp Crowell & Elrod r 340 S Cortez

Bertha Lucretia Redwine in 1900 US Census

In putting together a timeline of Lucretia's life, so that I can start researching the missing information, I have found her in the 1900 US Census living with her parents in Cocke County, Tennessee, Civil District No. 16.

Bertha's age is listed as 18 and Ella, her sister, is 16.

Bertha's father's occupation is as a station agent, and her brother, Thomas, is an assistant station agent.

In the 1910 US Census, Bertha and Ella are no longer living with their parents. I have not found them yet. Their father James died in 1911.

FindAGrave.com additions - Orlando and Mary Carothers

I added Orlando Oscar Carothers and his wife Mary Virginia Elliott to www.findagrave.com.