Frank B Clark's Death

Frank Bernard Clark died September 24, 1960 in the Veteran's Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio where he had been a patient for almost a week.  He is buried in Locust Grove Cemetery in Dover, Kentucky.

The Ripley Bee, 22 September 1960

The obituary contains several mistakes.  Frank did not die in the Brown County Hospital, although he may have been there before going to the Veteran's Hospital in Cincinnati.  His father's name was John, not Jacob.  I have seen a couple of documents where his father was named as Jack so it might be that Myrtle thought Jacob was his name. Her mother -in-law was Belle.  The final mistake is in the spelling of Frank's daughter's name.  The youngest daughter was Irma, not Erma.  Small mistake, but pretty important if one is researching.

Locust Grove Cemetery, Dover, Kentucky

The Many Moves of Frank Clark and His Family

Frank Bernard and Ella Myrtle (Nower) Clark

Frank  Bernard and Ella Myrtle (Nower) Clark were my great grandparents.  Their daughter, Juanita Ruth, was my father's mother.  

As I recently looked back at the census data for Frank and Myrtle, the thing that stands out most is the fact that they moved a lot!  Each census in which they are found as a family indicates a different location for them.  

Frank and his wife, Ella Myrtle were married in Georgetown, Ohio by a Presbyterian minister, Reverend W. W. Montgomery October 2, 1907.  A marriage announcement found in the Maysville, Kentucky newspaper, Daily Public Ledger, dated October 3, 1907 states that Frank's residence was Hebron, Illinois, but that he had been visiting Dover, Kentucky for some months.  Dover was where Ella Myrtle lived. (page 1, column 2)

The 1910 United States Federal Census is the first census that the Frank Clark family is found listed.  Frank B and Ella M, as they are recorded, were living at 1115 East 8th Street in Kansas City, Missouri.  Frank's occupation was reported as a painter / contractor.  Their first child, Richard C was 2 years old at the time.  His birth place is recorded as Illinois.  From that, it can be assumed that the family left Kentucky and Ohio shortly after the marriage and lived in Illinois, possibly Hebron, for a period of time. The Kansas City dwelling in which they lived was also occupied by two other families so it is possible that it was an apartment building.  Looking on Google Maps, there is an East 8th Street, but it is impossible to know whether that is the same street where Frank, Ella, and Richard lived because street names and numbers often change due to construction or other reasons.

Frank was working for the steam railroad as a carpenter in 1920.  In this census, the family was living in a rented house at 1326 Sixth Street in Dayton, Kentucky which is located in Campbell County across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio.  Frank was forty-three years old and Myrtle, as she is listed, was thirty-five. The family had grown and eleven year old Richard now had three sisters and a brother.  Juanita was nine years old and Ernest was six.  They, along with Richard, attended school.  The two little girls, Evelyn and Francis, were four years, eight months old and two years, two months old, respectively.  Juanita had been born in Indiana while the three youngest were born in Kentucky.  It is not known if the family actually lived in Indiana when my grandmother was born or if they were just visiting, although that doesn't seem likely.  However, there were brothers of Frank who, at that time, lived in Indiana.  

Sometime between 1920 and 1930, the family moved a distance of, according to Google Maps, 3.3 miles from Dayton to Covington, Kentucky.  They were renting a house for $40.00 a month at 108 West 4th Street, and they owned a radio.  Another daughter, Irma E, had joined the family and was nine years old.  She, Evelyn, and Francis attended school.  At seventeen, Ernest did not have an occupation recorded, but did not attend school either.  Juanita was nineteen and out of school by this census date.  Richard is not listed with the family and would have been old enough to be on his own at about twenty-one years old.  In the column for Occupation, the word NONE is written for Frank.  Apparently, there was a listing for those who were unemployed at the beginning of the Depression, although I have no knowledge of what it might contain, but it is noted on the census that Frank is on Line Number 11 for the unemployed.  I will have to look into this listing to see what information is on it.  It is in the 1930 census that the question was asked whether a person was a veteran.  Frank is recorded as being a veteran of the Spanish War.  It is very possible that he was receiving a large enough pension from that war which allowed him to support the family during his unemployment.  In 1920, he did apply for such a pension, but I have not obtained those papers as of yet.

Even though there was no census taken in 1935, it is possible to determine where the Clark family lived during at least part of that year.  A question on the 1940 census asks where each person was living on April 1, 1935.  A unique feature of this particular census is that it also indicates the person who gave the information to the enumerator and in this case, it was Myrtle.  Myrtle reported that on April 1, 1935, she and Frank lived in Dover, Kentucky.  I know that the family was in Dover by 1932 as that was the year my grandmother, Juanita, married my grandfather, William Wayson and, according to their marriage record, both of them resided in Dover, however, I do not know how many years Frank, Myrtle, and the  younger children stayed there.

Five years later, in 1940, Frank and Myrtle are empty nesters. They are living by themselves back in Dayton, Kentucky at 816 Second Street.  They are still renters and they paid their landlord $19.00 a month  to live in the house.  Frank was sixty-four and Myrtle was fifty-five.  She told the enumerator that she had completed three years of high school, but she must not have known the highest grade completed for Frank as the space allocated for him is blank.  He was a painter once again and owned his own business.  In 1939, he worked a total of twenty weeks and earned $240.  It is noted that he also had additional income other than a salary which I assume is a military pension, but that has not been proven yet.

The 1940 census is the latest census that has been made public so my census research for Frank and Myrtle ends there, but I know that Dayton, Kentucky was not their last residence.  In 1957, the year of my birth, they lived in the small town of Ripley, Ohio.  Frank was in his early eighties and Myrtle was about seventy-two.  This would be the last place they would reside together.  In 1960, Frank died and the next year, Ella Myrtle made her final move to the Grant Rest Home in Georgetown, Ohio where, in December 1962, she followed Frank in death. 

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Census Links and Citations (actual Images for 1910 - 1930 require an Ancestry.com subscription)

1910 United States Federal Census  - "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2YD-KWT : accessed 20 July 2015), Frank B Clark, Kansas City Ward 8, Jackson, Missouri, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 93, sheet 5A, family 144, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,374,799.

1920 United States Federal Census - "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH2T-T2Z : accessed 20 July 2015), Frank B Clark, Dayton Ward 1, Campbell, Kentucky, United States; citing sheet 12B, family 265, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,820,564.

1930 United States Federal Census - "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMXK-1ZK : accessed 20 July 2015), Frank B Clark, Covington, Kenton, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 0006, sheet 7B, family 146, line 65, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 761; FHL microfilm 2,340,496.

1940 United States Federal Census - "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7RH-6NW : accessed 20 July 2015), F B Clark, Ward 2, Dayton, Magisterial District 3, Campbell, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 19-49, sheet 5B, family 90, NARA digital publication T627 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012), roll 1290.


© 2015, copyright Lynn Ann Wayson Koehler. All rights reserved 

From the Pages...Baseball in Ripley, Ohio

With tonight's All Star baseball game being played in Cincinnati, I am reminded of my grandfather, George Haitz, who loved baseball.  He was a loyal Cincinnati Reds fan, and he would often have both the radio and television tuned to the Cincinnati Reds game during the season.  

My grandfather spent his entire life in Ripley, Ohio and it's no wonder he was a baseball fan.  The small town has a rich baseball history that certainly fed his love of the sport.  He contributed to the history as during the 1940's, he played and was a coach for the small town team.

In the late 1800's, the small towns, on both sides of the Ohio River, near Ripley had amateur baseball teams. They competed with each other and the newspapers contained stories of the rivalries, games, and players.  This From the Pages... post centers on the Ripley teams.  Since I do not have access to the archived Ripley Bee here in South Carolina, the articles are from the Maysville newspapers, The Daily Public Ledger and The Public Ledger, which can be found on the website, Chronicling America.

In 1910, Herbert Whitley, his wife Sarah, and their infant twin daughters lived on Second Street in Ripley. Herbert was a clothing merchant and the manager of the Ripley baseball team.  At that time, playing baseball on a Sunday was illegal in Ohio.  Evidently, Herbert didn't agree with the law!  An earlier fine did not deter him from trying again which then resulted in his arrest.

Daily Public Ledger, 5 May 1910 , Maysville, Kentucky

Daily Public Ledger, 25 June 1910, Maysville, Kentucky

By the next year, the law prohibiting Sunday ball games was off the books and the national pastime was once again enjoyed on Sunday by the citizens of the area.

Daily Public Ledger, 11 May 1911, Maysville, Kentucky

Talk of forming a league began in 1912.  There was the Blue Grass League in Kentucky, however, the President of the Cincinnati Reds and the National Baseball Commission, August Garry Herrmann,  was ruling against new teams joining.

Daily Public Ledger, 23 February 1912, Maysville, Kentucky

There were some spectators who did not want to pay admission to the ball game.  Just how big was that tree and did their names get published?  I might have to put to look that up the next time I am in Ripley on my To-Do list !

The Public Ledger,  3 August 1916,  Maysville, Kentucky

The 1920 baseball season season started out with an opening game against Maysville.  The Ripley uniforms were "dandy"!

The Public Ledger,  25 March 1920,  Maysville, Kentucky

Unfortunately for Ripley, Maysville won that opening game.  This article lists some of the players for both teams.

The Public Ledger,  12 April 1920,  Maysville, Kentucky

The rivalry with Maysville that year was evident. 

The Public Ledger,  23 July 1920,  Maysville, Kentucky

Louis Frebis, a Ripley boy, left his home team to play for Zanesville in 1921.

The Public Ledger,  2 March 1921,  Maysville, Kentucky

We will end our look at Ripley baseball with an article from the end of the 1921 season with the team looking forward to 1922 with a new field leased from Fred Hauke and $10 shares in the association being sold.  Baseball was an important part of Ripley history!

The Public Ledger,  28 September 1921,  Maysville, Kentucky

   

Marriage Banns for Albert Haitz and Mary Louise White

While I have had good luck in finding marriage license and certificate records online for my Haitz family members, my luck ran out with Albert and his bride, Mary Louise White.  If I want to have a copy of their record, it looks like I will need to go to the Brown County Probate Court to get one so that task has been added to my To-Do list.

My search for some record of their 1940 marriage, however, was not entirely in vain.  I found a notice of the third reading of the marriage banns in a Portsmouth newspaper on the website, Newspapers.com.  

The Third Reading of the Marriage Banns for
Albert Haitz and Mary Louise White.

Marriage banns are published three times before a marriage in a Catholic Church, and some other Christian churches, not only to announce the forthcoming wedding ceremony, but to allow time for  anyone to come forward with objections to the marriage.  The banns for Albert and Mary Louise's marriage were read for the third and final time in Saint Michael Catholic Church in Ripley, Ohio on Sunday, February 4.  The wedding took place the next day, February 5.

"Couple To Wed," Portsmouth (Ohio) Daily Times, 4 February 1940, marriages banns were read for the third time at St. Michael Church for Albert Louis Haitz and Mary Louise White; digital images, Newspapers.com (http://www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 June 2015); citing the original.

Marriage of Joe William Haitz and Hestel Faye Swearingen

This is another of my grandfather's siblings who was married by Father Anthony Hoch who the subject of my previous post.  

1936 Marriage License and Certificate for
Joe William Haitz and Hestel Faye Swearingen

Joe William, or Joe Bill as everyone called him, married Hestel Faye Swearingen on Saturday, August 29, 1936.  He was 27 years old and a farmer.  She was 25 and her occupation is listed as housekeeper.  She most likely helped her mother at home.  

Her parents were Homer Swearingen and Bertha Sheeler was her mother.  They lived in Decatur, Ohio where they were farmers.  

Ohio, County Marriages, 1789 - 2013, page 169, Brown County, Joe William Haitz and Hestel Faye Swearingen, 29 August 1936; digital images, Family Search, Ohio, County Marriages, 1789 - 2013 (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 23 June 2015); records found in county courthouses. 

Father Anthony Hoch, Catholic Priest

The last two posts contained the marriage licenses and certificates for two of my grandfather, George Henry Haitz's siblings.  Both Robert and Emma were married by Father Anthony Hoch who was the Catholic priest assigned to Saint Michael Church in Ripley, Ohio at that time.  This prompted me to see what I could find about Father Anthony.

Portsmouth Daily Times
16 January 1942

Father Anthony was born in Germany in 1881.  By 1900, he had immigrated to this country and was enrolled as a student at St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama. (1900 census)  St. Bernard Abbey is still operating today as a monastery for Catholic Benedictine monks.  

Shortly after he was enumerated in the 1900 census, Father Anthony was sent by the Benedictine Order to Hungary to learn the Magyar language and to study the customs and character of the Hungarian people in preparation for a mission in Virginia.  Upon his return in 1902, he, along with another priest, Father Vincent, was sent to Pocahontas, Virginia where there was a large congregation of Hungarian people.  CATHOLICISM AND COMMUNITY: MOUNTAIN MISSIONS AND "NEW" IMMIGRANTS IN APPALACHIA

I wasn't able to locate Father Anthony in the 1910 census, but he was still living in Pocahontas in 1920.  By 1930, he was back in Cullman, Alabama at the Abbey.  He is listed on that census as a Catholic clergyman.

Portsmouth Daily Times
14 January 1942

St. Ann's Mission is located in Nile Township, Scioto County, Ohio.  It was a mission church of St. Michael Catholic Church in Ripley, Ohio.  In August 1933, St. Bernard Abbey sent Father Anthony Hoch to replace Father Ambrose Reger to care for St. Ann's. Brasilia de la Santa Maria 1990  I assume that this was when Father Anthony arrived in Ripley as the priest for St. Michael's.  In the 1940 census, he is listed as the priest for the church and Anna Germann is listed as his housekeeper.  

Father Anthony did not live a long life.  At the age of 61, he was found slumped over in his car after a visit to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society in Cincinnati.  His death was ruled as a coronary occlusion.  The newspaper articles I found of his death claim he was very much loved by his congregation.  His funeral was held at St. Michael, but his burial took place at St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama.  

Emma J Haitz Marries Elwood Griffith

1938 Marriage License and Certificate
Leonard E Griffith and Emma J Haitz

The 1938 marriage document for my great-aunt Emma J Haitz and Leonard E Griffith can be found in the Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 database on Family Search.  From it, I was able to learn several new pieces of information while it also raised a couple of questions.  

I was not aware that Emma's husband was named Leonard.  All I have ever seen or heard was Elwood.  For this marriage license application, he stated his birthdate as February 7 and since he was 20 years old that previous February.  He still resided in the town and was a truck driver there.  His parents were Marion Griffith and Selma Shelton.  It was his first marriage.

Emma J Haitz was about 5 years older than her husband according to this document.  Her date of birth was December 7 and her 26th birthday was just around the corner from the time she and Elwood were granted the marriage license.  I do not know what Emma's middle name was and finding out has been added to my To-Do list.  Her parents were Joseph and Henrietta (Koehler) Haitz and she was a housekeeper, most likely helping her mother at their house in Ripley, Ohio.  She had not been previously married.

Due to Leonard's age, the consent of his father was required and Marion's signature is below that of the couple's.

The Rev. Father Anthony Hoch of St. Michael Catholic Church in Ripley married the couple.  His signature can be found on the bottom of the marriage certificate that was filed and recorded in probate court on December 22, 1938.  Therein lies the big question I have about this marriage.  The date that Father Anthony wrote on the marriage certificate is December 26, 1938, but how can a certificate be filed before the marriage was performed?  Did Father Anthony make a mistake in writing the date?  Was the marriage performed on November 26 instead of December?  Writing the wrong month would be an easy mistake to make, especially if the calendar had already turned by the time Father Anthony had completed this form.  It can be easily seen that he had already written Leonard's name where the date is indicated.  

My plan is to try to find a wedding announcement in The Ripley Bee that will clear up the mystery when I can get a chance to take a road trip to Ohio.  Until then, the question remains!