Request for Newspaper Articles about Tom Carothers

The death certificate for Thomas Carothers indicates he died in some type of railroad related accident in Kansas City, Missouri on April 24, 1913. It is quite likely that, as with Cecil Carothers, there are newspaper articles related to Tom's death. That being the case, I have made a request of the State Historical Society of Missouri for them to search for any newspaper articles related to Tom's accident and death. I'm guessing there should be an article in Kansas City newspapers and at least an obituary in Clinton, Missouri.

I tried the online request form, but I will likely have to mail in another request with a small research fee. It is well worth it.

Boy Injured in Auto Accident Dies

I received mail from the State Historical Society of Missouri regarding my query for newpaper articles relating to the death of Cecil Carothers. It contained the following two articles:


Nevada Daily Mail and Evening Post
June 15, 1928
pg. 1, column 3

Boy Injured in Auto Accident Dies

Cecil Carothers Suffered Fracture of the Skull in Auto Crash Wednesday night.

Cecil Carothers, aged seventeen years, died at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lon Carothers, 1009 North Ash street, at eleven o'clock Thursday night as the result of injuries received in an automobile accident which occurred about eight o'clock Wednesday night.

Cecil was working for a farmer seven miles east of Nevada and was coming into town with two young men named Hoover, and when two miles east of Nevada on Hightway No. 54 the automobile in which they were riding collided with a car driven by John Streich, who lives east of Nevada. The car in which Cecil was riding turned over twice and his skull was fractured. He was taken home and Dr. Hornback was summoned, but nothing could be done for him. The other two boys were only slightly injured and no one in the Streich car was injured.

The deceased was born in Bates county and came with his parents to Nevada four years ago. He is survived by his parents and four sisters of the home address. He was a member of the First Methodist church and an exemplary young man. The funeral arrangements have not been made.



Nevada Daily Mail and Evening Post
June 16, 1928
pg. 1, column 5

The Cecil Carothers Funeral Sunday Afternoon

The funeral of Cecil Carothers will be conducted by Rev. J. Allan Webb at the First Methodist church at 2:30 Sunday afternoon and internment will be in Moore's Cemetery.

Requested: History of Westfield, Illinois, and Northwest Clark County

I have requested a copy of the book, "History of Westfield, Illinois, and Northwest Clark County", through the interlibary loan program of my local public library. It will likely take 2 to 4 weeks to arrive.

I was able to locate about 12 copies available from different libraries. None of them were local though.

History of Westfield, Illinois, and Northwest Clark County

I would like to get a complete copy of the following book:

SpC
977.371:H

History of Westfield, Illinois, and Northwest Clark County. Shawnee Mission, KS: Kesler, 1981. Illus.
Many photographs illustrate this history of Westfield and nearby communities. Topics covered include newspapers, homes, churches, schools, organizations, veterans, and the oil industry. Biographies and family histories make up half the book. There is no index.

Why? To learn more about the family of Clark's parents.

Request for newspaper articles on the death of Cecil Carothers, Part 2

I received a quick email response to my request for any newspaper articles regarding the death of Cecil Carothers. Unfortunately they were unable to find anything with a quick search through their indicies. So, I'm sending a letter with a check to pay for some research to locate the information. Don't worry, the cost is very reasonable!

Request for newspaper articles on the death of Cecil Carothers

I have sent a request to the The State Historical Society of Missouri for any newspaper articles regarding the death of Cecil Carothers. This is to follow up on my recent receipt of a copy of Cecil's death certificate. It should take 2 to 4 weeks for a response to my request. I've had very good luck with the society in the past. I was able to get a copy of the obituary of Rachel Carothers from them in the past. I've been a member of the society ever since!

My Brick Walls

Of the 13 children of Clark and Rachel Carothers, there are two which I have yet to find out what became of them. They are:

Herman L. Carothers
Alma J. Carothers

Both appear in the 1880 US Census record. However, it appears that they have passed away by 1900, as they do not appear in the 1900 US Census record, and Rachel is recorded as having 13 children, with 7 living. Those known to be living at the time are: Andrew, Thomas, Charles, Orlando, George, William and Jerome. Therefore, Herman and Alma must be among the children not living in 1900.

Herman was born in 1870, and would have been about 10 in 1880, and 30 by 1900.
Alma was born in 1874, and would have been about 6 in 1880, and 26 by 1900.

So far, I have been unable to come across any information about them after the 1880 US Census. The search continues.

Carothers Family Reunion

Last Saturday, the Carothers Family Reunion was held at the Admiral Baker Recreational Park in San Diego, California. Those invited were Mabel Carothers, and the descendants of Gerald Carothers, and extended family and friends. It was hosted by my Uncle Wade, and he did a great job putting it altogether! A great time was had by all who attended, especially all the kids. I enjoyed meeting, and reconnecting, with some of my cousins I haven't seen in years, and meeting some new ones. The youngest attendee was just 4 days old!

I distributed a photo DVD I have been working on the last few weeks with the photos mentioned in this blog entry. Included in the DVD is a document listing what was written on the back of each photo, and the scanned image file for each photo. There are 183 photos on the DVD.

Thomas Carothers, Death Certificate

Although I found the death certificate for Thomas Carothers some time ago, I just added it to my online database. Tom died from some sort of train accident. There's a good chance there is a newspaper article about the accident and death in Kansas City, as well as in Clinton.

Cecil Carothers Obituary Request

I placed a request for the obituary of Cecil Carothers and for any newpaper articles about his death on the Vernon County, Missouri message board at Ancestry.com. As Cecil died in an automobile accident, there should be some newspaper articles about the accident.

I also added an entry for Cecil at www.findagrave.com.

A Busy Time for Family History!

Although I've not spent a lot of time on genealogy lately, I've spent a lot of time on family history! For Memorial Day, we visited my inlaws and were treated to some pictures I need to scan the next time we visit! There were also some family histories that I read that we need to get copies of as well. I just got back from a week long family reunion with my wife's family. While not on vacation I've been creating a DVD photo slide show consisting of the photos I recently scanned from my grandfather's photo collection. Thanks Mabel and Aunt Lana! Copies of the DVD will be shared with all of the family at the Carothers Family Reunion to be held this Saturday! Whew!

3 Death Certificates from Missouri State Archives

Today, I received in the mail the 3 death certificates I ordered from the Missouri State Archives. It was a bargain at $1 a piece. As mentioned in my previous post, "Missouri Death Certificates Online!!", Missouri has put the full index for death certificates online, and is putting scans of the death certificates online as they are scanned. These 3 death certificates were not currently online, so I ordered them.

Cecil Carothers
Andrew Maris Carothers
Polly A. Carothers

I will have to get them scanned, and upload them. I'll add links to this post once I do so.

A note on Cecil. He died on June 14, 1928 due to injuries received from an auto accident. He was 17 years old.

Cecil Carothers - Death Certificate

One interesting note is that Cecil's father's name is listed as Alonzo instead of Orlando. Alonzo is also used for the name of the informant. Orlando is listed and Lon in some sources I have seen, but Alonzo is a new one for me. Cecil's mother's name is exactly correct, and his father's birthplace of Westfield, Clark County, Illinois is correct. Cecil's age is right, and his birth in Henry County, Missouri is right.

I have some more research to do on Cecil. There must be newspaper articles for the accident and obituary and funeral.

Andrew Maris Carothers - Death Certificate

Polly A. Carothers - Death Certificate

More memories of Aunt Crete from a great niece

Here are some more memories of Aunt Crete from her great niece, Martha:

Aunt Crete had a little cabin in Crown King where she spent the summers. In winter she would go down the mountain to lower and warmer climates. She had a pension of some kind but she did not have many worldly possessions When I was small I would visit her at her cabin and we would have tea parties served along with my mud pies. She was very good with children. The last time that I saw her she was living in Congress Junction, AZ. Don and I can't remember the year.

She was an avid baseball fan and listened to the world series with out fail and knew ever player in the leagues and their family histories. She had a radio that she kept by her bedside in her little cabin and it played night and day. She was very knowledgeable about current affairs, especially politics.

All her Redwine siblings that I knew were tall people except Grandma Ella who was rather petite. Aunt Crete was tall as well. She had a little dog named Minnie Mouse that was very dear to her and any time you saw her little Minnie Mouse was close by.

About Charley Yount. I don't know a lot about him and I am having a hard time tracing my Younts. Grandma did divorce him and from what I understand he liked the ladies and was not true to her. He did have the second marriage and another daughter. I think her name was Lena. A lot needs to be done on my Yount research. Grandma married Walter Tewksbury, whom she met while visiting Vivian in Crown King. He was the only grandfather that I knew. I called him Uncle Tewks.

I have a brother, Charles Anthony Nelson, who still lives in Crown King in the house we grew up in. He was named after Charley Yount and I have a son named Charles. Even though Charley Yount was far removed from his family during their growing up years his name has been carried down through the generations.

Aunt Crete was named after president James Garfield's wife, Lucretia Randolph Garfield.

Martha also sent me my first picture of her grandmother, Ella Tewksbury, and Aunt Crete.
















Here is what Martha says about the picture:

This precious picture is of Grandma and Aunt Crete.....Aunt Crete being the taller one holding her hat. It was taken in front of Jean Yount Burges Ward's house in Prescott. Jean was Ella's youngest daughter.

Thanks Martha!

Memories of Aunt Crete from a great niece

In my quest to learn more about Lucretia Carothers, who was married to William Henry Carothers, I decided to try and locate descendants of Lucretia's sister, Ella Tewksbury. Ella lived in the same area and was mentioned in Lucretia's obituary. If you review my last post, you will notice I was zeroing in on Martha Jane Stewart, Ella's granddaughter.

Imagine my surprise when, out of the blue, I got an email from Martha just 4 days after my post! That is the power of the internet for you. It brings people with common interests together, regardless of the distance.

With Martha's permission, I'm posting her email as she shares some of her memories of Aunt Crete:

I stumbled on to your web site as I was looking for my Yount family. I am Martha Jane Nelson Stewart, daughter of Vivian and Hugh Nelson and granddaughter of Ella Yount Tewksbury and great niece of Lucretia Carothers. "Aunt Crete" was a sister to Ella.

Aunt Crete was a very colorful lady and I thought the world of her. She never had any children so her nieces and nephews were very special to her. She died in Prescott, Arizona and I have her death date somewhere in my papers. I will look it up for you but I am very unorganized these days and it will take me a while. Please feel free to ask questions about her and if I can answer I will surely do so. I never met Mr. Carothers. I lived in Crown King, Arizona, an isolated mining town about sixty miles from Prescott and it was not often that my family went to Prescott. I seem to remember going by Aunt Crete's apartment one time and Mr. Carothers was there but he was ill in the bedroom and I did not see him. This is a memory from childhood and may not be true.

Obituaries for Vivian F. Nelson and John Hugh Nelson

The City of Mesa Public Library came through in response to my request for the following obituaries:

Vivian F. Nelson
CROWN KING - Vivian F. Nelson, 81, a retired postal service worker in Crown King, died Nov. 21, 1985, at Arizona Pioneer Home in Prescott. Mrs. Nelson, of Crown King, was born in Knoxville, Tenn., and moved to Arizona in 1925. She had worked as a practical nurse for the Arizona Pioneer Home in Prescott for 15 years.

Survivors include a daughter, Martha J. Stewart; son, Charles; two sisters; two brothers; 12 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandson.

Friends may call from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at Hampton Funeral Home, 240 S. Cortez, Prescott. Services will be at 2 p.m. today at Arizona Pioneer Cemetery on Iron Springs Road in Prescott.

Arizona Republic, Section D2, 23-Nov-1985

John H. Nelson
GLENDALE (Special) - Funeral services will be in Glendale for John Hugh Nelson, 64, native Arizonan who died Friday in Sacramento, Calif.

Services tentatively have been set for 10 a.m. Wednesday in Brazill-Whitney Mortuary. Burial will be in Resthaven Park.

Mr. Nelson, born in Prescott, lived at Crown King for more than 30 years. He was a veteran of World War I. He was associated with his grandfather, the late George P.
Harrington, in the development of the Philadelphia Mine at Crown King.

Later, he worked as a mill man for other mining companies in the Bradshaw Mountain area, including the Swastika and Golden Turkey.

Survivors include his mother, Mrs. Essie R. Nelson, of Phoenix; two sons, John David Nelson and Charles Anthony Nelson, Crown King; a daughter, Mrs. Martha Jane Stewart, La Mesa, Tex.; two brothers, J. Louis Nelson, Phoenix, and William O. Nelson, Glendale; two sisters, Mrs. Emma R. Wenker, Globe, and Mrs. Harry W. Nason, Phoenix; and seven grandchildren.

Arizona Republic, Section 35, 27-Jun-1960

This post records how I found the sources for John and Vivian's obituaries.

Regarding Martha Jane Stewart (Nelson), there are four children born in Howard County, Texas to a Donald Ray Stewart and Martha Jane Nelson. La Mesa, Texas is in Dawson County, Texas, but Dawson and Howard counties are adjoining each other.

John David Nelson's obituary, 1973

In response to an obituary lookup request for John David Nelson I made this morning on an Ancestry.com message board, a very nice volunteer, provided the following:

Arizona Republic Newspaper, 21 Mar 1973
John D. Nelson
PRESCOTT - Services for John D. Nelson, 47, who died Saturday in the Veterans Administration Center, will be at 2 p.m. today in the VA Center Chapel. Burial will be in the VA Cemetery.

Mr. Nelson was born and reared in the Crown King area, where he resided until 1966. He was a great-grandson of the late George P. Harrington, who was the founder of the Crown King and Phil mines. He had several mining claims in that area.

He was a Navy veteran of World War II. He had been employed by the Grant Tile Co. of Prescott for the past 10 years.

Survivors include his wife, Betty Jo; his mother Mrs. Vivian F. Nelson; his grandmother, Mrs. Ella B. Tewksbury of Crown King; two daughters, Mrs. Jay Lynn
Howell of Cottonwood and Mrs. Debbie Lee Harper of Welton; three sons Walter H., Samuel D. and Joseph A., all of Prescott and two grandchildren.

---
NOTE The newspaper obituary states he was born in Crown King however his birth certificate at: http://genealogy.az.gov/lists his birth location in Maricopa County.

This is from 33 years ago, but provides the names of John's family members, and confirms that his mother is Vivian F. Nelson. I can now track down John's children, who are the great-grandchildren of Ella Tewksbury, sister to Lucretia Carothers. It is my hope they can shed some light on Lucretia, because as far as I know, she has no descendants.

To learn about the George P. Harrington mentioned in this obituary, check at the Crown King, Arizona website.

Obiturary lookup request for John and Vivian Nelson

I have requested an obituary lookup from the City of Mesa Library for John and Vivian Nelson.

Anna Dean Yount's descendants

Anna Dean Yount has two daughters from Arizona birth certificates, while married to Everett Van Hoose.

Alma Rae Van Hoose was born in 1928 and Violet Reva Van Hoose was born in 1929.

Theodore Yount's descendants

The Sharlot Hall archive website lists the following obituary reference for Theodore Yount:

Theodore Kermet Yount
Printed:Prescott Courier.
Date of Obit: 23 Dec 2005.
Page Column:6a c6.
Born:Briceville, Tenn.
Died: Prescott Veterans Hospital, Prescott, Az.
Date of Death:22 Dec 2005
Date of Birth:13 Aug 1922
Funeral Home:Hampton Funeral Home

From the Prescott Daily Courier online, December 23, 2005:

Theodore Kermet Yount, 83, of Prescott, born Aug. 13, 1922, in Briceville, Tenn., died Thursday, Dec. 22, 2005, at the Prescott veterans hospital.

A memorial service will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 30, at the VA Chapel at the VA Center, 500 N. Highway 89 in Prescott.

The family suggests memorials be made to the VA Hospice Unit at the VA Hospital, 500 N. Highway 89, Prescott, AZ 86313.

Arrangements by Hampton Funeral Home.

Well, I was hoping for more info!

Marriage of Ella Beatrice Redwine and Charles Wesley Yount

Ella Beatrice Redwine and Charles Wesley Yount are listed as a family with 5 children in the 1920 US Census in Tennessee. In 1930, a 10 year older Charly is listed as a family with Minnie E., his 27 year old wife, and a daughter under 1 year old.

Hmmm... If this is the same Charly, it would seem Ella and Charly divorced, and she ended up in Arizona, while Charly stayed on in Tennessee.

Vivian Frances Yount's descendants

In my continuing quest to learn more about Bertha Lucretia Redwine, 2nd wife of William Henry Carothers, I am researching the descendents of her siblings, as they are likely to have some pictures of her, if not some knowledge of her.

In previous posts, I've mentioned Lucretia's sister EllaTewksbury who had a daughter named Vivian Frances Yount. Vivian married John Hugh Nelson, and later died and was buried in Prescott. Looking in the Arizona online birth certificates, I found one child of John and Vivian. His name is John David Nelson.

The SSDI list the following info:

Name: John Nelson
Last Residence: 86301 Prescott, Yavapai, Arizona, United States of America
Born: 21 Nov 1927
Died: Mar 1973
State (Year) SSN issued: Arizona (Before 1951 )

This would appear to be John David Nelson, as the birth date matches and the locations match.

From the same source, there is also a birth certificate for John Hugh Nelson. This lists John Hugh as being born on Sep 8, 1896, and lists his parents as John Nelson, 32, born in Stockholm, Sweden, and Esther Rebecca Harrington, 22, born in Taylorville, Illinois.

The Mesa Arizona Regional Family History Center lists the following obituary:

NELSON, JOHN HUGH
Age: 64
Arizona Republic, Section 35
Date: 27-Jun-1960

The same source lists an obituary for Vivian:

NELSON, VIVIAN F.
Age: 81
Arizona Republic, Section D 2
Date: 23-Nov-1985

Morris, Dedimiah and Andrew Jackson Carothers burial sites

The Illinois Trails website lists an Morris Carothers and his wife, Dedimiah, as being buried in the Connelly Cemetery in Parker Township, Clark County, Illinois.

The following is the information about Morris Carothers:
birthdate: 03 Jun 1808
death date: 17 feb 1869
age at death: 60y 8m 14d

The following is the information about Dedimiah (Connelly) Carothers, w/o Morris:
birth date: 22 Mar 1806
death date: 16 jul 1835
age at death: 29y 3m 24d

The Illinois Trails website also lists an A. J. Carothers buried in the Good Hope Cemetery in Westfield Township, Clark County, Illinois. This is a good match for Andrew Jackson Carothers, a younger brother of Clark Carothers.

The following is the information about A. J. Carothers.
birth date: 23 Feb 1842
death or burial date: 17 jan 1866
age at death: 23y 10m 22d

Grandpa Gerry on the Racetrack!

Below is one photo from Aunt Lana's collection that I found quite interesting. I don't know where or what year this photo was taken, but Gerry's cousin Gordon Herring, and his nephew, Bob Herring, spent many years on the racetrack. This is the first I've learned of Grandpa Gerry being on a racetrack. I'd love to know the backstory on his being on the racetrack. In any case, it's a fun photo!


















Update July 3, 2006: This picture must have been taken sometime in the 1940s, likely in Prescott, AZ. My dad remembers Gerald racing. Gerald's wife Mabel mentioned that she was always concerned when Pops was racing in Prescott. I would like to know how Gerald got involved in racing as his cousin Gordon Herring was into racing big time, and died in a racing accident. Also, Gordon's son Bob also was into racing as well. There must be something in the Herring blood as several of Gerald's descendants also lean toward speed and racing.

A Visit from Aunt Lana

Today Aunt Lana came to my home with a box full of family photos. Some are over a hundred years old! She and her mother were kind enough to leave them in my care to scan them. There are so many photos to scan, I will do an inventory of them first. I need to scan them quickly and return them. I want to return them to their owners as soon as possible. They are are priceless family photos. There are many pictures of individuals I don't even have a photo of yet! There are many photos of my grandfather Gerald and his parents at just about every stage of life from toddler to old age. There are many, many photos of the Herrings, from whom I descend. As well as many photos of various Uncles, Aunts and cousins. I would guess that Aunt Della gave her photos to Gerald, and some are from Gerald's dad, William Henry.

Once I have scanned the photos I will create some CDs of them to share with the rest of the family. I'm sure there are many photos that many of them have never seen. It will be quite a treat!

Missouri Death Certificates Online!!

Missouri death certificates are now available online!!

This includes dates from 1910 to 1955. There is another online database for dates prior to 1910.

The full index for the 1910 to 1955 database is available, but images are only available from 1910 to 1920. More images will be added, and copies for those not availabe online can be requested.

I located a death certificate for Joseph Jennings Carothers. He was buried in the Carrsville Cemetery. I added an entry for Joseph at the Find A Grave website.























The names of 50 individuals with the surname Carothers appear in the database, including several in Henry County: Rachel(l), Andrew, Joseph, and Polly. I'll have to examine all of them in more detail in the future!

William Carothers in Illinois in 1850, Missouri in 1860

I have discovered a William Carothers in Richland Precinct, Clark County, Illinois in the 1850 US Census. He is the right age to be the brother of my direct ancestor Clark Carothers. The census records the following information about William:

Age: 24 years old
Birthplace: Indiana
Occupation: farmer

He is living with:

Jane, 26 years old, born in Kentucky
James, 2 years old, born in Illinois
William, 12 years old, born in Illinois
Nancy, 6 years old, born in Illinois

In the 1860 US Census of Union, Putnam, Missouri, we have the following:

William, 33, born in Indiana
Jane, 37, born in Kentucky
James, 13, born in Illinois
Henry, 11, born in Illinois
Joseph, 9, born in Illinois
Mary, 7, born in Missouri
Margaret, 5, born in Missouri
Anna, 1, born in Missouri

Thornton Carothers in California in 1860

I have discovered a Thornton Carothers in Bear River, Yuba, Calfornia in the 1860 US Census. He is the right age to be the brother of my direct ancestor Clark Carothers. The census records the following information about Thornton:

Age: 23 years
Occupation: farm laborer
Born in Illinois

Thorton was among 8 men working as farm laborers on the farm of Henry Reed, age 67.

In 1860, Clark's brother Thornton would be about 23 years old. The more I learn about my Carothers relations, the more I discover how many of them came to Calfornia.

Angeline Carothers, maiden name is Vint?

From the "Early American Marriages: Virginia to 1850" by Dodd, Jordan R, et. al., we have the following marriage:

Groom: WILLIAM JOHNS
Bride: ANGELINE VINT
Date: 22 June 1841
County: Pendleton

This looks like a good candidate for the Angeline who later married Morris Carothers in 1852 in Clark County, Illinois. The oldest daughter of William and Angeline was born in Virginia about 1842, the next we know of was born in Illinois about 1846.

Angeline Johns

Angeline Johns married Morris Carothers on March 28, 1852 in Clark County, Illinois.

In the 1850 US Census of the Richland Precinct, Clark County, Illinois, Morris is found without his wife, Sarah Morrell, who he married on December 1, 1835. As far as I know, Sarah is the mother of Clark Carothers.

Angeline Johns had been married to William Johns, who died September 1, 1851. In the 1850 US Census of Salisbury Precinct, Coles County, Illinois, page 74, William and Angeline are listed with 3 children as follows:

William Johns, age 30, birthplace: Va
Angeline Johns, age 26, birthplace: Va
Elizabeth J., age 8, birthplace: Va
Andrew J., age 5, birthplace: Ill
Rebecca A., age 3, birthplace: Ill

The children and Angeline appear with Morris in the 1860 US Census, Parker Township, Clark County, Illinois.

This information is recorded in the "History of Westfield Illinois and Northwest Clark County 1981", a publication at the Kansas State Historical Society.

Letter to Susan Kline

Tomorrow I'm sending a letter to Susan Kline, the daughter of Joan Christensen. Susan and I are second cousins, one time removed. I'm hoping to learn more about my cousin and her family, and about the additional information she has about our common ancestors, Francis Marion Herring and his wife, Sallie Alice Byers.

Obituary for Joan Keisel Christensen

Gary was kind enough to respond to my lookup request for an obituary of Joan Doris Christensen. The obituary is from the Monterey County Herald, April 18, 1995.

Note that Susan Kline of Mason, Michigan is listed as her daughter. Her son Stephen was living in San Diego in 1995. I'll have to see if he is still there. As Stephen's surname is not provided, it is likely Christensen.

What Became of the murderer of Michael Turnbull

Some background on the following newspaper article excerpts can be found here.


BILL TOUGHENS INSANITY DEFENSE

"The House Judiciary Committee has introduced a bill that would make it tougher for accused criminals to plead insanity as a defense and ensure that those found insane were confined longer, said Rep. Elaine Wells, D-Carbondale. Wells pushed for the bill after Wichitan Gary Cox was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the slaying of Michael Turnbull, 18, who had lived in Wells' district. Prosecutors now must prove be yond a reasonable doubt that someone using insanity as a..."

Published on February 27, 1988, Page 4B, Wichita Eagle, The (KS)


JUDGE DENIES APPEAL FOR HOSPITAL CHANGE

"A man sent to a state mental hospital after killing one person and injuring three others in a 1987 shooting spree at a Wichita fitness club lost his bid Monday to move to a less restrictive hospital for treatment. A judge found Gary Cox, 33, not guilty by reason of insanity after Cox admitted to shooting four people at the Nautilus Fitness Center at 2234 S. Oliver. Michael Turnbull, 18, was killed and three others were wounded. Physicians later diagnosed Cox as a paranoid schizophrenic who..."

Published on November 23, 1993, Page 3D, Wichita Eagle, The (KS)


JUDGE WON'T LET INMATE SWITCH HOSPITALS

"A man sent to a state mental hospital after killing one person and injuring three others in a 1987 shooting spree at a Wichita fitness club lost his bid Monday to move to a less restrictive hospital for treatment. A judge found Gary Cox, 33, not guilty by reason of insanity after Cox admitted to shooting four people at the Nautilus Fitness Center at 2234 S. Oliver. Michael Turnbull, 18, was killed and three others were wounded. Physicians later diagnosed Cox as a paranoid schizophrenic who... "

Published on November 23, 1993, Page 3D, Wichita Eagle, The (KS)


GETTING TOUGH ON THE MENTALLY ILL

"TOPEKA In 1987, Gary Cox walked into a Wichita fitness center, pulled out a gun and opened fire, killing an 18-year-old man and wounding three other people. At Cox's trial, a judge agreed with doctors who said Cox was a paranoid schizophrenic who, at the time of the murder, hallucinated that he was about to be stabbed. The judge found Cox not guilty by reason of insanity and sent him to Larned State Hospital, where Cox remains a patient. To state Rep. Elaine Wells, R-Carbondale, ..."

Published on January 16, 1994, Page 1B, Wichita Eagle, The (KS)


SPA KILLER READY FOR RELEASE

"Doctors at Osawatomie State Hospital say the man who killed a teenager and wounded three people in a Wichita health club in 1987 is ready to rejoin society. Gary Cox, 35, has spent the past eight years being treated for paranoid schizophrenia. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Turnbull on Feb. 26, 1987, at the Nautilus Fitness Center, 2234 S. Oliver. Sedgwick County prosecutors can't talk about Cox's case until..."

Published on October 1, 1995, Page 1B, Wichita Eagle, The (KS)


HEALTH CLUB GUNMAN WILL NOT BE FREED \ JUDGE: PSYCHIATRIC CARE MUST GO ON
"Gary Cox - the man who killed one person and wounded three others in a 1987 shooting spree at a Wichita fitness center - will not be released from a state mental hospital, a Sedgwick County District judge ruled Friday. But District Judge Dan Brooks warned Cox's victims and their families that there is a chance he'll reconsider his ruling if Cox continues to make progress in the treatment of his paranoid schizophrenia. "It is progress of a sort that makes..."

Published on October 21, 1995, Page 1D, Wichita Eagle, The (KS)

Joan Doris Christensen (Herring) in CA Death Index

From the Social Security California Death Index, here is information about Joan Doris Christensen (Herring):

Name: CHRISTENSEN, JOAN DORIS
Sex: FEMALE
Birth Date: 3 Dec 1928
Birthplace: ARIZONA
Death Date: 13 Apr 1995
Death Place: MONTEREY
Mother's Maiden Name: DINKLAGE
Father's Surname: HERRING

Bessie M. Herring, obituary

Thanks to Cari for responding to my request for a copy of Bessie's obituary.

Boulder Daily Camera
Boulder, Colorado
Dec 20, 1976

Bessie M. Herring

Memorial services for Bessie Margaret Herring were held today at Frasier Meadows Chapel.

She was born in Ft. Scott, Kan., on Nov. 7, 1886, and died on Dec. 6 at the age of 90 in Frasier Meadows Manor in Boulder after an extended illness. She married Melvin M. Herring of Ft. Scott in 1918, and the couple moved to Arizona in 1922. Mr. Herring died in 1961. Mrs. Herring moved to Boulder in 1962.

Survivors are her daughter, Joan Keisel, Carmel, Calif.; sister Louise Copping, Chicago, Ill.; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

This obituary has a great deal of information about the family I did not know. It also confirms other information I already have. Melvin passes away in 1961, I would guess in or around Phoenix, so I should be able to find an obituary for him.

One subject of interest is what became of Melvin and Bessie's daughter Joan. From information in this obituary, and that of Gary D. Kline, it seems Joan married Jack Keisel and moved to Carmel, Calif. This is in 1976. By 2002, Joan appears to have married a Mr. Christensen, and had passed away. This should help track down more information about Joan.

Gary D. Kline, obituary

My thanks to Timothy Bowman, of Lansing, Michigan, for answering my request for an obituary for Gary D. Kline.

Copied from Lansing State Journal;
Lansing, Michigan; Sat.March 9-2002.

Kline, Gary D.
Lansing
Age 54, died March 7, 2002. Born April 1, 1947, in Flint, MI, Gary was a Veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam as a 1st Lt. He was preceded in death by his father, Clifford and mother-in-law, Joan Christensen. Surviving are his wife of 31 years, Susan; daughter, Stephanie, and son Scott, both of Lansing; mother, Shirley of Mason; brother, Keith of Flushing; sister, Shelley McDaid of Fruitport; father-in-law, Jack Keisel of AZ; brother-in-law, Steve Keisel of CA. Private Memorial Services will be held. The family will receive friends at the Gorsline-Runciman Co. Ball-Dunn Chapel, 621 S. Jefferson, Mason for a memorial visitation Sunday from 2-4 PM.

RIP Gary D. Kline

Well, this isn't good news! The Social Security Index lists the following info:

Name: Gary D. Kline
Born: 1 Apr 1947
Died: 8 Mar 2002
State (Year) SSN issued: Michigan (1964)

If this is the Gary I'm trying to contact, it would explain my inability to do so! I'll have to look for an obituary.

So far, this is all I've found. The original online obituaries are no longer available at the Lansing State Journal.

Lansing State Journal... for many years. Kline, Gary D. Lansing Age 54, died March 7, 2002. Born April 1, ... ... Lansing; 4 sons, Gary (Kathy) of Grand Rapids, James (Elaine) of Saranac, Kevin ... ... , in Flint, MI, Gary was a Veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam as a 1st ... ... St. John, Howard Gary Leslie, MI Passed away March 6, 2002 at the age of 52. He ...
Lansing State Journal... Home, Mulliken. Kline, Gary D., 54, died Thursday. Arrangements by Gorsline- ... ... St. John, Howard Gary Leslie, MI Passed away March 6, 2002 at the age of 52. He ...
Lansing State Journal... Funeral Home. Kline, Gary D., 54, Army veteran, died Thursday. Private ... ... ; brother, Gary (Edna) Abent; sister-in-law, Margaret Abent and many nieces ...

Parents of William F. Dinklage

Here is a post about William F. Dinklage, Bessie's father, that comes from someone I have come across before regarding the Herring family I'm looking into, but I've never been able to contact. I'll have to see if the mailing address is one I have tried before. Bessie is the daughter of William F. Dinklage and his wife, listed below as Annice Rosetta Humphrey.

Author: Gary D. Kline
Subject: HUMPHREY/LYON/DINKLAGE/LITTLE/GOLDEN
Date: 01/24/1998

Email: GDKskills@AOL.com
Mailing address (optional):768 Wildemere Dr.; Mason, MI 48854-1352

Query: Early KS pioneer (i.e., before 1870), Horatio Winsted HUMPHREY (b. 17 Apr 1828 in VA, d. 28 May in Ft. Scott KS, buried in National Soldiers' Cemetery in Ft. Scott). Went on California gold rush in 1848-9, but returned to Pike Co. IL. Married Margaret Ann LYON (b. 15 Dec 1853 in Hampshire Co. WV, d. 23 Aug 1926) on 15 Dec 1853 in Pike Co. IL. Went to KS in 1856 to homestead at Uniontown, served as postmaster at Valley, and moved to Ft. Scott about 1866. Enlisted from Adams Co. IL at Quincy on 27 Feb 1864 as a private in Co. D, 5th regiment, IL Volunteers Infantry.

His children were:
Fielding Highland (b. 25 Oct 1855, d. 19 Oct 1909, unmarried)
Annice Rosetta (b. 2 Feb 1855, d. 1 May 1879, m. William F. DINKLAGE 1 May 1879, 7 children)
Lily Jane (b. 25 Feb 1959, d. 8 Jun 1886, m. Joseph S. GOLDEN, no children)
Ide May (b. 9 Oct 1869, d. ?, m. John H. LITTLE, 5 children)

Bessie M. Herring (Dinklage) in 1910 US Census

I have found Bessie M. Dinklage, 23, in the 1910 US Census living with her parents in Fort Scott, Kansas at 1207 Scott Ave. This is listed as the 5th ward of the city, enumeration district 46. Her father is William F. Dinklage, 54, and her mother is Anna R., 52. William and his parents were born in Germany. Anna was born in Illinois, and her parents in Virginia. Bessie has two siblings, both born in Missouri, a sister Lois A, 14, and a brother William K., 12. William F. is employed as a candy maker and Bessie is a teacher at a Business College.

The 1880 US Census lists William F. and his wife, Anna R., living in Fort Scott, Kansas, in the second ward, with no children, and William working as a candy maker.

Melvin and Bessie Herring in 1930 US Census

Melvin M. Herring, age 42, and his wife Bessie, age 43, appear with their children Gordon, age 9, and Doris J., age 1, in the 1930 US Census of Creighton, Maricopa County, Arizona. 2014 24th Place East is their street address.

Melvin and his parents are all listed as born in California. Bessie and her mother were born in Kansas, and her father in Germany. Gordon was born in Kansas, and Doris in Arizona.

Melvin and Bessie worked for the Fuller Brush Company, Melvin as the branch manager, Bessie as a secretary.

Melvin answered yes to being a veteran of WW.

Ella Mae Herring is not Gordon's wife

In a previous post, I found an Ella Mae Herring who was a possibility for the wife of Gordon Herring. The following obituary from The Kansan, dated Jan 19, 2001, would indicate this is not the case.

Ella Mae Herring
RAGO -- Ella Mae Herring, 80, died Wednesday (Jan. 17, 2001) at Hutchinson Hospital.

She was born Dec. 27, 1920, to Albert and Lavaga (Dayton) Ferarese in Montana. She married W. Roscoe Herring July 2, 1936, in Colorado. He preceded her in death July 8, 1984. She was a longtime resident of Rago, previously living in Sedgwick. She was a hairdresser and homemaker.

Survivors include: two sons, Donald Herring of San Diego and Robert L. Herring of Wichita; a daughter, Marjorie Wells of Sedgwick; companion, Gale Reida of Rago; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

She also was preceded in death by a brother, Leroy Ferarese.

Visitation will be from noon to 8 p.m. Friday at Livingston Funeral Home in Kingman. Funeral service will be 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Graveside service will be 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Sedgwick Cemetery.

Memorials have been established with Kingman Community Hospital in care
of the funeral home, P.O. Box 453, Kingman, KS 67068.

The similiarities are quite close, but no dice. For instance, notice Ella's son Robert Herring, then read this post. The Ella Herring I'm looking for had a son name Bob.

So far, I believe all I have at the moment is the name of Gordon's wife on his death certificate as Ella Lavoras.

Ella Mae Herring - Obituary

Wichita Eagle, The (KS) - January 19, 2001

Deceased Name: Herring, Ella Mae
Herring, Ella Mae, 80, hairdresser and homemaker, died Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2001. Service 10 a.m. Saturday, Livingston Funeral Home, Kingman.

Survivors: companion, Gale Reida; sons, Donald of San Diego, Robert of Wichita; daughter, Marjorie Wells of Sedgwick; six grandchildren; five great-grandchildren. Memorial established with Kingman Community Hospital.
Salina

Wichita Eagle, The (KS)
Date: January 19, 2001
Edition: main
Page: 10A
Record Number: 0101210119
Copyright (c) 2001 The Wichita Eagle

Ella Herring (Gordon's wife?)

Could this be Gordon's wife?

From the Social Security database:

Name: Ella M. Herring
Last Residence: 67142 Spivey, Kingman, Kansas, United States of America
Born: 27 Dec 1920
Last Benefit: 67135 Sedgwick, Harvey, Kansas, United States of America
Died: 17 Jan 2001
State (Year) SSN issued: Colorado (before 1951)

Gordon Kenneth Herring - Death Certificate

I received a copy of the death certificate for Gordon Kenneth Herring from the Minnesota Department of Health yesterday. That took over a month to get here! Here is an earlier post where I mention I will be requesting the death certificate.

I will try and post a link to the image of the death certificate once I have it scanned and uploaded to my website. For now, some highlights.

Gordon Kenneth Herring
Date of death: Aug. 24, 1964, 2:45pm
Place of death: St. Mary's Hospital, Rochester, Olmsted, Minn.
Cause of death: Cerebral hemorrhage and edema due to cerebral contusion
How injury occurred: Racing accident - stock cars
Place of injury: Steele county Fair Grounds, Owatonna, Steele, Minn.
Time of accident: Aug. 23, 1964, 3:30pm
The informant is from the Mayo Clinic Records.

An operation was performed on Aug. 23, no doubt to try and manage the hemorrhaging and edema.

Gordon's usual residence is listed as Golden, Jefferson County, Colorado. With a mailing address listed as Box 583 out of the Golden Post Office. This is on the western edge of Denver.

Date of birth: Aug. 8, 1920
Age: 44 years
Usual occupation: Trucker
Birthplace: Kansas
Father's name: Marvin M. Herring
Mother's maiden name: Besse ?
Spouse's name: Ella Lavoras

Gordon's body was sent to Arvada, Colorado from the Riley Funeral Home in Rochester, Minn. There are several cemeteries in the area: Arvada Cemetery, Crown Hill Cemetery and Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Gordon is likely buried in this area.

My Virtual Cemetery - www.findagrave.com

FindaGrave has a nice indexing feature they call a "virtual" cemetery. It is a way to put all of the FindaGrave entries into one "cemetery". Thereby making it easy to quickly locate entries.

Click here to visit my My Virtual Cemetery.

I recently added the entries for Sallie and Della Herring into www.findagrave.com.

Steele County Fair and Gordon Herring

A responder to one of my posts, on a genealogy message board, requesting obituaries or news articles regarding Gordon Herring's accident mentioned that it was likely during the Steele County Free Fair.

This same responder mentioned that he was probably taken to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota after his accident.

Greenlawn Cemetery, Springfield, Missouri

I have to say "Thank you" once again to Terri Mindock for responding so kindly to my request on an Ancestry.com message board for a snapshot of the markers of Sallie Alice Herring (Byers) and her daughter, Della Herring. All of the images in this post were taken by Terri.

The web/internet connects people from all over the world, allowing information to be located and retrieved much more easily. But in genealogy, it often requires volunteers who are willing to sacrifice there time and effort on the behalf of complete strangers. This is one such case.

To view a larger version of the pictures in this post, just click on the picture. Click your Back button to return.

Sallie and Della are buried in the Greenlawn Cemetery in Springfield, Missouri. The following picture is of the entrance sign to the cemetery.



In the picture below, Terri circled and labeled the markers to show the locations of the markers in relation to each other.



The following marker is Sallie's.



The following are two pictures of Della's marker.

RSS Feed

I forgot to mention that this blog has an RSS feed. It uses an Atom formatted XML site feed.

The URL for the feed is in my sidebar, and is below:

http://carothersgenealogy.blogspot.com/atom.xml

New Database Reports Added

I added some new reports to my online Carothers Genealogy database. Click on the link below to try them out. You will need to login to view the information of the living individuals in the database.

New Reports!

WWI Draft Registration Cards

The following are some WWI draft registration cards. To view a larger image, click on the image.

Minnesota Links

Minnesota Historical Society

Colorado Links

Denver Public Library Online - Genealogy and Obituaries
Boulder Genealogical Society
Jefferson County

Bessie Herring - Social Security Record

There is a Social Security Record for Bessie Herring and it contains the following:

Name: Bessie Herring
SSN: 527-34-4160
Last Residence: 80303 Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
Born: 7 Nov 1886
Last Benefit: 80262 Denver, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
Died: Dec 1976
State (Year) SSN issued: Arizona (Before 1951 )

This Bessie is a good candidate for Melvin Herring's wife. The SSN was issued in Arizona before 1951, and we have a birth certificate for her daughter Doris in Phoenix, Az in 1928. And her birth year is right, I'm not sure if I have her exact birth date anywhere else, I'll have to check on that. Her last benefit was in Denver, CO and last residence was in Boulder, CO, which is where Gordon, her son and Bob her grandson are associated with automobile racing in the Denver, CO area.

Bessie lived to be 90 years old! I noticed she was listed as being born in Fort Scott, Kansas on Doris' birth certificate. Dinklage, Bessie's maiden name, seems familiar to me. I've looked over a lot of Fort Scott records, so it could just be from that. Perhaps I've seen the name associated with Melvin in Fort Scott. Another thing to check into.

I've been to Boulder a couple of times and didn't even know any of this history. I can now start tracking down this new information on Bessie. Her obituary, death certificate, SSN request form. She may be buried in the Boulder area. Perhaps I will be able to locate some information about Melvin's death and burial. Also, I wonder if Bob is still alive and in the area.

Bob and Gordon Herring and Racing

I sent an email to the Colorado Automobile Racing Club (CARC), and received a friendly response to ask around about the Herrings and this link to the Colorado Racing Memories website. It has pictures and articles about Bob Herring's racing career running from 1964 to 1977. Bob is Gordon Herring's son. And I believe Gordon is Melvin Herring's son.

There is a death certificate for Gordon in the Minnesota state records:

Name: Gordon Kenneth Herring
Birth Date: 8 Aug 1920
Death Date: 24 Aug 1964
Death County: Olmsted
State File Number: 013957
Certificate Number: 013957
Certificate Year: 1964
Record Number: 1578573

I will send off for it soon. Here's the link for the Minnesota Dept. of Health webpage with the information for requesting a death certificate.

Gordon Kenneth Herring

Gordon Kenneth Herring is listed as a son of Melvin M. Herring and Bessie in notes written by my grandfather, Gerald Carothers. He also writes that he was born in 1920 and died in August 1964 in Rochester, Minn at a racetrack. Gordon was my grandfather's cousin.

I found a Gordon Herring in the Social Security database as having been born on August 8, 1920 and dying in August 1964.

Googling around there are references to Gordon Herring who is involved in racing sprint cars, and that he died in a racing accident at a racetrack in or near Owatonna, Minnesota in August 1964.

Here is a Gordon Herring who is a lifetime member of CARC, the Colorado Automobile Racing Club. I should check into this to see if it is the same Gordon.

Rather than list these references, I'll just leave the google link. I'll have to look into Gordon some more. There must be some information out there about him. I also need to look into whether he was married and had any children. Being 44 when he died, it is quite likely.

Gordon was Doris Joan Herring's older brother. That's two kids for Melvin and Bessie. Given that Doris was born in 1928 and Gordon in 1920, he would be the other child referred to if Bessie is also Gordon's mother. I will assume that is the case for the moment.

I have left a obituary lookup request and newspaper articles relating to the accident and death of Gordon on a message board for Steele County, Minnesota. Owantonna is in Steele county.

Another branch revealed

I received a letter from my Aunt Lana containing a filled out family record for her descendants, 3 sons, all married, and 2 grandchildren. Time to update my database!

Sallie and Della Herring obituaries

Thanks to William Hall of Missouri, I have received two obituaries for Della Herring, and two for her mother Sallie Alice Herring (Byers). I also have a copy of information about Sallie from a document titled "Klingner Funeral Home Records".

From this, I have learned the following about Sallie:
Died: 25 Oct 1938
Born: 25 Jul 1864 in Michigan
Father: Joseph C. Byers, born in Ohio
Mother: Catherine Lynn, born in Ohio
Survivors: Melvin M. Herring, Prescott, AZ and Della M., Springfield, 3 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild

1 of her grandchildren is my grandfather, Gerald Carothers, and the 1 great grandchild is my father, who was born in Dec of 1937 in Prescott, AZ.

A Family Visit

My family and I visited with my Aunt Lana. It is the first time she and I have been together since I was a child. I gave her some family pictures, some she had never seen of her father and his parents. I also gave her a personalized pedigree chart and descendants of Clark and Rachel Carothers. I asked Lana to fill out and return a family sheet on her children, so that I can add them to my records. This will fill in another branch of the descendants of Clark and Rachel Carothers.

Lana had some notes her Dad, my grandpa, had written regarding our family. She also shared a letter from Della Herring, grandpa's aunt, in which she detailed her funeral arrangements, and the fact that her mother, Sallie Alice Herring (Byers), is buried next to Della's plot in the Greenlawn Cemetery in Springfield, Missouri.

I have also received an email from someone who has offered to send me a copy of Della and Sallie's obituaries. I have a copy of Della's obituary, although it may not be the only one. It was pretty brief. I do not have a copy of Sallie's obituary, so it will be great to get a copy of it.

Birth Certificate of Doris Joan Herring

I found a copy of the birth certificate for Doris Joan Herring.

Who is Doris Joan Herring? She is the daughter of Melvin M. Herring and Bessie M. Dinklage. Melvin is my grandfather Gerald's uncle, and Doris is my grandfather's cousin. Did you follow all of that? Doris is also Della Herring's niece.

Melvin was born in Yolo County, CA and Bessie was born in Fort Scott, Kansas. They also have another child.

Della Herring's Cemetery Marker

I called Greenlawn Cemetery in Springfield, Missouri, and they were kind enough to go out into the cemetery and visually inspect Della Herring's grave site to determine whether she had a grave marker or not. She does! The marker is about 8 x 14, it has her name and birth and death dates.

Della Herring's SSN application

I have received a reply from the Social Security Administration regarding my request for a copy of Della Herring's Social Security Application form. The form confirms information I already have, and provides some new information.

Name: Della Minnie Herring
Address: 331 West Locust, Springfield, Missouri
Employer: Hamlin, Hamlin & Hamlin
Employer Address: 212 1/2 E. Commercial St., Springfield, Missouri
Age at last birthday: 43
Birthdate: September 10, 1893
Birthplace: Clinton, Missouri
Father: Marion Francis Herring
Mother: Sallie Alice Byers
Sex: Female
Color: White
Date signed: December 4, 1936
Signature: Della M. Herring

This confirms Della's parents, and that I have the right Della Herring. Also, it confirms the birth date and place.

New information is that Della's middle initial stands for Minnie. Also, her address and information about her employer at the time. There is a possibility that some information about her can be had from that source.

It looks like Della was living just a few blocks from her place of employment at the time.

Greenlawn Funeral Home reply about Della Herring

I have received a reply from the Greenlawn Funeral Home regarding my request for information about the burial of Della Herring. The only information they had was the location of her burial:

Section 04, Lot 07, Grave 6

I will call and see if she has a marker. If so, I'd like to get a picture of it.

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.

Anna Dean Deck's husband

As Anna Dean Deck is buried in Rose Hills, it is likely her husband is as well. So, using the Rose Hills online grave locator, I looked for a male Deck buried next to Anna.

James Forrest Deck

Date of Death: 02/03/1977
Burial Property Name: Floral Lawn
Burial Section: 1
Burial Lot: 912
Grave/Niche: 1
Entrance Gate: 1

James and Anna are buried next to each other.

The Social Security Death Index yields the following for James F. Deck:

Date of birth: 15 Sep 1913
Place of birth: Georgia
Date of death: 3 Feb 1977
Last Residence: Baldwin Park, Los Angeles, CA 91706
Age at death: 63 years

No information is provided about his parents' names.

Family visits yield family treasures!

On a visit to my parents home today, I was able to scan some photos that I have long wanted copies of. The first one is of my grandmother, Dixie Chloe Black.



Next is a photo of my grandfather, Gerald Carothers in his Prescott Police uniform.



The following is Gerald Carothers and his son and my dad, Edwin Carothers, in 1956.



The following is Edwin Carothers in his youth.



The following is William Henry Carothers and his grandson, Edwin Carothers.



Gerald Carothers with his parents, William Henry Carothers and Myrtle Elizabeth Herring in Fort Scott, Kansas in 1922.



I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Illinois Links

Illinois County Boundaries 1790 to present
Illinois Trails, History and Genealogy
Illinois Trails, Clark County

Burial place of Amanda Jane Carothers?

I found the following information here:

Good Hope Cemetery
Westfield Township, Clark County, Illinois

Carothers, A. J.
born: 23 Feb 1842
died: 17 jan 1866
age: 23y 10m 22d

Could this be the burial location of Amanda Jane Carothers?

There are also lots of Lowerys buried in this cemetery. I'll have to look into that.

Alva and Alma Carothers (twins)

I found the death notice below while searching with Google:

"Clark County Herald", May 20, 1874
An infant of Mr. and Mrs. Clark Carothers who live in New Richmond, died last Saturday night. It was but a few day's old and was one of a pair of twin. The remaining one is not expected to live. It is so arranged by an alwise God, that the young as well as the old must be taken from us.

Little Alva Carothers lived only 10 days, but Alva's twin, Alma survived to be listed in the 1880 US Census. Beyond that, I have yet to find out what became of Alma.

An interesting piece of information is that Clark and Rachel are living in New Richmond.

Here is a useful Illinois website.

Here is a picture of the marker for John Allan, Jr.
















Here is a picture of the marker for Ardell Holman Stevens.

Black Family Headstones

I've added a few more headstone pictures from my recent trip to Blanding, Utah to my online database. Below is the headstone for Chloe Allan.






















Below are the headstones for Benjamin Daniel Black and his wife Susan Louisa Palmer.

Family Photos

I received the two photos I ordered from the Sharlot Hall Museum archives earlier this month while in Prescott, AZ.

The photo below is of my grandfather, Gerald Carothers. The archive does not have the negative for this picture, just a copy of the picture itself.




The photo below is of my Uncle Wade as a young boy. It is a classic picture. The negative for the picture is in the archive and it is labeled "Wade Carothers". Click on the picture to view a larger copy.

Anna Dean Deck - Lucretia's Niece

Sometimes you get lucky. I was reviewing my entry with the California Social Security Death Index information for Anna Dean Deck, Lucretia Redwine's niece by her sister Ella, when I noticed her last residence was Baldwin Park, Los Angeles, CA. On a whim I checked the Rose Hills Memorial Park to see if she was buried there. They have a "Grave Location Search" feature on their website. Sure enough, Anna is buried there! The information from the search yields:

Anna Dean Deck
Date of Death: 02/15/1995
Burial Property Name: Floral Lawn
Burial Section: 1
Burial Lot: 912
Grave/Niche: 2
Entrance Gate: 1

My grandfather Gerald Carothers is also buried in this cemetery. That is what made me think of it in the first place. As Lucretia was Gerald's step mother, and Anna's Aunt, that would make Gerald and Anna cousins, eh?

Blanding, Utah

My family and I attended the Black Family Reunion in Blanding, Utah this summer. My paternal grandmother is Dixie Chloe Black, and the reunion is for the descendants of Dixie's father, Edwin Zemira Black. We all had a great time, especially the kids who enjoyed meeting and playing with cousins.

I lived in Blanding for several months during 1969 as a young child. And for many relatives in Blanding, that was likely the first and last time they saw me until this reunion.

We did spend several hours in the Blanding City Cemetery looking for the graves of relatives, only to find on the way out that there was a very nice map and directory at the entrance that we had overlooked on arrival!

Below is the grave marker of Edwin Zemira Black and Chloe Allan. Ardell Palmer is listed on the marker, but as you notice there is no death date for her because she is still alive. We met her at the family reunion. Ardell is a very sweet woman. You can click on the image to see a larger version of the image.



Below is the grave marker for my paternal grandmother and her husband Duke Sober. You can click on the image to see a larger version of the image.



I have many more pictures, but alas, not enough time at present. More later!

Information from Prescott, AZ visit

The following are some documents I collected copies of while in Prescott, AZ.

For Gerald Carothers and Dixie Chloe Black, I have a copy of their Marriage License and Marriage Certificate.

For John H. Carlisle and Bertha Lucretia Redwine, I have a copy of their Marriage License and Marriage Certificate.

I also have some pictures of grave markers from the Mountain View Cemetery in Prescott, AZ. Unfortunately, William Henry Carothers and his wife Lucretia have no markers. I plan on chatting with the family and raising some money to remedy that. Of course, the cemetery has excellent maps of the locations of all the graves, and we did stop by William and Lucretia's graves.



Edwin Richie Black is a cousin of my father's that drowned while training for the FBI in New Orleans. I hope I got that right. I'll have to get more information on that. I believe he is the son of Allan Black who lived in Prescott, AZ working as a plumber. Uncle Allan was there when Dixie Black and her sister, Zelma, lived in Prescott. I'll have to collect more information to nail that down better. My Dad told me about his grave being in this cemetery, so we stopped by Edwin's grave.



Ella B. Tewksbury is Ella B. Redwine, Lucretia's sister. Ella took care of the arrangements for Lucretia's burial. In fact, William Henry Carothers is buried in the grave directly to the left of Ella's husband.



This is the grave marker for Ella's husband, Walter Scott Tewksbury.

Arizona Links

Map of Arizona Counties
Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates
Arizona Gravestones.org
Sharlott Hall Museum
Mesa Arizona Regional Family History Center
City of Mesa Library on the Web - Arizona Republic and East Valley Tribune newspaper obituary lookups

Reporting from Prescott, AZ

Today I was able to visit the Mountain View Cemetery in Prescott, AZ to visit the graves of:

William Henry Carothers
Bertha Lucretia Carothers (Redwine)
Ella B. Tewksbury
Walter Scott Tewksbury
Edwin Richie Black

The first two were unmarked graves, and the last three were marked. I'll post pictures later.

The cemetery manager was very helpful. He looked up the records and, maps in hand, showed me to each grave. I really appreciated his help!

I'm going to get markers for William and Crete. I'll see if some of the other descendants want to contribute.

I was also able to spend 3 hours at the Sharlott Hall Museum archives examing records related to:

William Henry Carothers
Bertha Lucreatia Carothers (Redwine)
Gerald Carothers
Dixie Black

I was able to locate information in city and telephone directories. I ordered a print of a picture they have of Gerald in his navy uniform and another picture of his son Wade. I should get them within a month. I also got copies of the marriage license and certificate for the following:

Gerald Carothers and Dixie Black
John H. Carlisle and Bertha Lucretia Redwine

While I was able to learn alot, I am also left with more questions to try and answer.

Tomorrow my family and I are off to Blanding, Utah, for the Black family reunion. Black as in Dixie Black.