I Finally Found My 2nd Grand Uncle Herbert W. "Dutch" Porter's Obituary

Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 February 2020), memorial page for Herbert W Porter (1899–1971), Find A Grave Memorial no. 173492189, citing Mount Harmony Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Mableton, Cobb County, Georgia, USA ; Maintained by Bulldog Fan (contributor 48178484).

I have been struggling for years to find the death record or obituary for my 2nd grand uncle, Herbert W. "Dutch" Porter, my great grandmother Letta Estella Porter's brother.  Because he spent many decades in Chicago I kept looking there for his death record, but none of the Herbert Porters who died there matched his information.  I also had reason to believe he had lived until at least 1974.

Now, thanks to the constant updating of Ancestry's databases, I effortlessly stumbled on his obituary yesterday, but it was in 1971 in Cobb County, Georgia!  I would never have thought to look for him there.

Porter -- Funeral services for Mr. Herbert W. Porter, age 72, 4213 Springdale Circle, Powder Springs will be conducted Wednesday at 3 p.m. from the McEachern Methodist Church with remains placed in state at 2 p.m. Rev. William G. Edwards, officiating. Interment, Mt. Harmony Memorial Gardens. Survivors include wife, Mrs. Helen Porter; sisters, Mrs. Estella Turnball, Dallas; Mrs. Annie Sue Graham, Venice, Calif.; brothers, Mr. Calvin Porter, Dallas; Mr. Orville Porter, Los Angeles, Calif.  Turk's Memory Chapel, Powder Springs, 943-3547.

"Porter," obituary, The Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta, GA), Wednesday, 29 Dec 1971, page 25, col 6; digital image, Newspapers.com (http://newspapers.com), accessed 2 Feb 2020.

© 2020 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

I Finally Found Matilda Biddle Porter's Obituary!

A couple years ago I posted some plans to research my 3rd great grandmother Matilda Biddle's obituary.  Thankfully Newspapers.com beat me to the punch and I found two variations of her obituary last week.  I may eventually see if I can find Newport, Oregon newspapers mentioning her death, but for now at least I have something!

Unfortunately, most of the information given in the obituary is about her father and her ex-husband, not her.

Corvallis Gazette-Times (accessed from Newspaper.com)
(Corvallis, Oregon)
27 Aug 1927, Sat  • Page 6

Mrs. Porter Dead
Member of Pioneer Benton Family Dies at Home at Newport
Mrs. Matilda Biddle Porter, wife of Orville T. Porter, one of Benton county's early residents, died late yesterday afternoon at the family home at Newport.  The body was brought to Corvallis and prepared for burial and the funeral will be held Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock at the grave in the I. O. O. F. cemetery.  Rev. E. J. Harper of the Madison street Methodist church will officiate. 

Mrs. Porter was born February 22, 1846, in Springfield, Ill., but apparently came west during her childhood.  She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin R. Biddle, pioneers of Benton county.  From meagre information that could be obtained, it is believed Mrs. Porter's father was Dr. R. B. Biddle, a prominent dentist in Corvallis in the early '70s, who after retiring to Pleasant Valley, 1 1/2 miles south of Philomath, established a short course in dentistry which was probably the first dental college in Oregon.  George Biddle, a brother, is said to have become a leading dentist in Eugene. 

Mrs. Porter was aged 81 years.  She is survived by a daughter who resides in Albany and a son in Seattle.  No definite information regarding the family could be obtained.

Corvallis Gazette-Times (accessed from Newspapers.com)
(Corvallis, Oregon)
30 Aug 1927, Tue  • Page 3

Was of Pioneer Family - The remains of the late Mrs. Matilda Biddle Porter, widow of Orville Porter, were interred Sunday in the I. O. O. F. cemeteryq [sic] where a brief service was conducted by Rev. E. J. Harper.  Mrs. Porter died Friday at the family home at Newport where she had resided in late years.  She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin R. Biddle who crossed the plains to Oregon in 1850, and rode in a wagon with W. B. Carter, and early editor of the Gazette, as driver.  The Porters lived in Corvallis a number of years and Mr. Porter was a teacher here.  He organized bands, was editor of a Republican paper in Albany for a time and later was a member of the Indian commission in Alaska.  He died 15 years ago.  Dr. Biddle, father of Mrs. Porter, was a prominent dentist of the 70's.  There is a brother, Dr. E. W. Biddle of Hillsborough, Cal. A daughter residing in Albany and a son in Seattle survive.

Related posts for Matilda:

Monday Is for Mothers: Matilda Biddle (1846 - 1927)
Hat Tip to Those Relatives Who Wrote Their Stories Down, Part 2
Monday Is for Mothers: Maria Evans (1814 - 1899) Part 1
Working on Wednesday: Orville Tracy Porter (1838 - 1916) North to Alaska
52 Ancestors in 54 Weeks: Week 5: Tracy Darrow Porter
Orville Tracy Porter: Divorce and Marriage
Monday Is for Mothers: Sarah Emma Biddle Spencer (1842 - 1868)

© 2019 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

My Cousin, Mary Margaret Strong, aka Margaret De Patta, Mid-Century Jewelry Artist

"De Patta with her second husband, Eugene Bielawski, in 1957. Courtesy of the Margaret De Patta Archives (Bielawski Trust)." http://www.eichlernetwork.com/blog/margaret-de-pattas-house-sale-and-her-influence-shows

My 2nd 2x removed cousin, Mary Margaret Strong (1903-1964), was a jewelry designer in the San Francisco Bay area.  I knew nothing about her until I found her in my genealogy, but she made some very cool jewelry (that I can't afford lol). 

Her original name was Mary Margaret Strong.  She married Sam De Patta (1900-1967), a hat salesman, in 1928, and although she later remarried she kept his last name.  Her second husband, Eugene Bielawski (1911-2002), was also an artist.

Accoring to Wikipedia:

Margaret De Patta (née Strong; 1903–1964) was an American jewelry designer active in the mid-century jewelry movement.[1] Her innovative jewelry was influenced by the "Bauhaus school, constructivism, and democratic ideals".[2] Her work is collected in many major museums including the Smithsonian American Art Museum[3] and the Oakland Museum of California.[4] The first major retrospective of her work, Space-Light-Structure: The Jewelry of Margaret De Patta, opened at the Museum of Arts and Design in 2012.[1]

Her obituary named her as Margaret DePatta Bielawski:

San Francisco Chronicle
Sunday, Mar 22, 1964
Page: 30
from GenealogyBank.com 

Bielawski - In Oakland, March 19, 1964, Margaret DePatta Bielawski, beloved wife of Eugene Bielawski and sister of Mrs. Benjamin Ginsburg of Van Nuys, Mrs. William, J. O'Brien of Oakland and Harold Strong Jr. of San Diego; aunt of Mrs. M. Mathans of Escondido, Mrs. Charles Carter of Santa Maria and Miss Diane O'Brien of Oakland.  A member of the Metae[sic] Arts Guild, the Designers Craftsmen of California, and the American Craftsmen Council.  A native of Tacoma, Washington. 

Private services were held Saturday afternoon, March 21, in Oakland.
(Albert Brown Mortuary)

Margaret's grandmother was a sister of my 2nd great grandmother Mary Jane (Tibbetts) Hartley.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Mozart's Obituary

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791), as drawn by Dora Stock in 1789. Wikipedia image https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart#/media/File:Mozart_drawing_Doris_Stock_1789.jpg 

Don't feel bad if you can only find the barest of obituaries for your ancestors.  Even some of the biggest names around get short shrift.

London World (London, England)
December 21, 1791
page 2, col 2
from NewspaperArchive.com 

Wolfgang Mozart, the celebrated German Composer, died at Vienna on the night of the 5th inst.--By his death the Musical World will sustain an irreparable loss.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Rebecca (Paul) Hartley (1806-1901) Dies in Cedar Rapids

The only image I have of Rebecca (Paul) Hartley and her husband George Washington Hartley (1805-1880).  Courtesy of Sarah Bennett.

My 3rd great grandparents Rebecca Paul and George Hartley were the parents of my 2nd great grandfather James Monroe Hartley (1846-1904)

Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette (from NewspaperArchive.com)
January 5, 1901, Saturday
page 7, col 2 

A Splendid Life Closed. 

Brief Sketch of Mrs. Rebecca Hartley, Who Died Yesterday. 

Mrs. Rebecca Hartley, who died at her home at 1123 South Third street yesterday morning at the age of 91 years, leaves over one hundred living lineal descendants to mourn her death. 

The exceeding good health of this aged lady all through her life is something remarkable.  From the time she was an infant till death closed her eyes in sleep she never employed a physician for either herself or her children.  Up till but a few weeks ago she managed all of her own business affairs and even to the day before her death did much of the work in her own kitchen.  She was hearty, hale and exceedingly bright till about six weeks ago, when she fell and injured her hip and it is believed by her children that this injury hastened her to the end of her life. 

The evening preceding her death she ate a hearty supper and retired.  Yesterday morning she announced to those about her that she was tired and not ready to arise.  She fell quietly into a peacful sleep, from which she never awakened. 

Rebecca Paul was born of Quaker parentage in Philadelphia, Pa., on January 13, 1806.  She was married to George Hartley March 17, 1825, and in the fall of 1829 crossed the mountains with her husband and two small children in a stage, settling in Cincinnati, O., for a short time.  In the year 1831 they moved to Indiana and two years later to Missouri, where they remained but a few months.  In 1834 they located in Jersey county, Illinois, and ten years later came to this state, settling in Lee county.  They returned to Illinois in 1853, but came back to Iowa in 1853, settling in Johnson county, where they remained for three years.  They then came to Cedar Rapids and the lady has ever since made this her home, her husband dying in 1880, at the age of 75. 

She was the mother of eleven children, seven sons and four daughters. The oldest one living is Solomon, now 73, who has resided with his mother in this city for many years. Two of the daughters and one son have died.  She was the grandmother of sixty-four children, fifty of whom are living, and the great-grandmother of sixty-three children.  Of the latter there are fifty-four living. 

Mrs. Hartley clung to the custom of her religion through her entire life, making all of her clothes, silk and calico alike, from the same pattern.  Her dress was that of the Quaker and she ardently followed up the teachings she had received when a child.    She lived a plain and simple life, performing the duties of a gentle mother and loving wife.  Her years were many and were happy ones, as she enjoyed a health which few are favored with in this life's lot.  All of the children living, with the exception of three boys in California, will be here to attend the funeral.  Final arrangements for the services and interment have not been complete.

Her will is transcribed here.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

"Death Strikes After Nuptial At Las Vegas"

Betty Eloise Brownell was my 3rd cousin 1x removed, a great granddaughter of William Penn Hartley, one of my 3rd great uncles  The newspapers reported her as being 19, but I believe she was actually 17.

I found my great uncle William Penn Hartley's obituary the other day.  He had lived a long, full life, and those types of obituaries are bittersweet, but not usually heart-wrenching.  The obituaries I dread are the ones for young people.

The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, California)
03 Dec 1939, Sunday
Page 13, col 7
from Newspapers.com 

Death Strikes After Nuptial At Las Vegas 

Bridegroom, Friend Seriously Injured as Auto Blows Tire On Desert, Overturns
A bride of but a few hours and a companion were fatally injured yesterday when their automobile crashed as they were returning to Los Angeles from the wedding ceremony in Las Vegas. 

In serious condition at the county hospital were the bridegroom and a friend.
The accident, occuring on highway 91 (Arrowhead Trail) three miles west of Halloran Springs, 15 miles east of Baker, at 2:30 p.m., resulted in the death of Betty Brownell Bromley, 19, the bride, and Beatrice Suddeth, 26, who with her husband accompanied the two young people on their wedding trip. 

Mrs. Bromley died in an ambulance en route to the county hospital and Mrs. Suddeth died at the hospital at 9 o'clock last night. 

At the county hospital are the bridgegroom, Brooks Bromley, 24, and his friend, B. E. Suddeth.  Bromley suffered shock and injuries to the head, while Suddeth incurred a fractured hip, attendants said. 

The young people had been married in Las Vegas in the morning and were on their way back to Los Angeles when the accident occured. A blown tired caused the accident, said Deputy Coroner William J. Weller. 

Mrs. Suddeth Driver 

After the tire blew out, the car careened along the highway for 253 feet, then plunged down a 16-fout embankment, Weller reported.  He said Mrs. Suddeth was at the wheel at the time. 

The party had left Los Angeles at 4 a.m., Weller reported.  Bromley resided with Mr. and Mrs. Suddeth at 2315 South Hill street and Mrs. Bromley, Betty Brownell before her marriage, on the Eighty-seventh street, he said. 

Mrs. Bromley's death was attributed to shock and internal injuries, while Mrs. Suddeth died of shock and head injuries, the deputy cornoner[sic] said. 

Both bodies were taken to the Mark B. Shaw mortuary, where an inquest is pending, said Coroner R. E. Williams.

I suspect Betty and Brooks married in Las Vegas because it was a Gretna Green place, and perhaps she didn't have her parents' consent (she was 17, despite the newspaper account that she was 19).  According to the FamilySearch article "Gretna Greens in the United States":

A Gretna Green is a favored marriage place. When a couple runs away from their home area to get married in a place with fewer marriage restrictions, the place they go is often called a "Gretna Green."[1] They may want to marry at a younger age, want to wait a shorter period after obtaining a licence, want to marry without parental consent, want to avoid procedures such as blood tests, want less paper work, want to avoid paying a marriage bond, want to keep the marriage a secret, want a less expensive marriage, or want to marry a closer cousin than their home district will allow. Or there may be a special romantic place to elope. Some couples wanted to wed in the same place their friends got married. When enough couples resort to a particular place it may gain a reputation as a Gretna Green.
In common law, a "Gretna Green marriage" means a marriage transacted in a jurisdiction that was not the residence of the parties being married, to avoid restrictions or procedures imposed by the parties' home jurisdiction.[2]

Or maybe they just didn't want to wait, or deal with the expenses of a formal wedding?


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Proof That the Newspaper Databases Are Updated

How I relate to my 3rd great-uncle William Penn Hartley (1839-1920), an older brother of my 2nd great grandfather James Monroe Hartley (1846-1904).

I distinctly remember not finding this guy's obituary when I searched for it a few years ago.  Behold, proof that these newspaper databases do increase their holdings over time--I finally found it!

William Penn Hartley
1839–1920
B. 27 OCT 1839 • , Jersey, Illinois, United States
D. 3 JAN 1920 • Eldora, Hardin, Iowa, United States

Hardin County Ledger
January 8, 1920, Thursday
page 1, col 2
from NewspaperArchive.com 

William P. Hartley 

William Penn Hartley was born October 27, 1839 at Alton, Ill., son of George and Rebecca Hartley.  He spent the early part of his life at La Salle, Ill. coming to Iowa with his parents in 1863.  He was married to Miss Elizabeth Welsh at Iowa City January 7, 1864.  Mrs. Hartley passed away March 3, 1913.  There were eight children born to them: George, who died at the age of fourteen, Edgar, who died May 26, 1918, Mary Brownell of this city, Elizabeth Walker of Omaha, Neb., Grace Brown of St. Louis, Ill., Ida Hartley also of this city, Maxemella Day of Norman, Okla., and William H. of Des Moines.  He is also survived by one brother, Mark, of Paris, Calif. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hartley were both converted in the United Brethren church in 1871 and united with the Methodist Episcopal church where they were loyal and active members until death. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hartley came to Grundy County 44 years ago, settling on their farm six miles east of this city, where the family made their home until three years ago, when Mr. Hartley and his daughter, Ida located in Eldora, where he passed away at 7:00 o'clock Saturday morning, January 3, 1920. 

Mr. Hartley had been in failing health the past two years, for the past two months he has been confined to his bed. 

His daughter, Miss Ida has been his faithful nurse. 

Funeral services were hold at the M.E.church on Monday afternoon, conducted by Rev. Raodman, a former pastor and Rev. Smith.  Mr. Roadman used as the theme of his discourse, the life of the deceased, and how through the long years, he had kept contented and had radiated sunshine, with his poems, that he had written for his own amusement and for the cheer of his many friends who loved his homely sayings, and thoughts.  He used a number of them, from the volume that he had there for that occasion and they had much of merit and kindliness, through them all. 

Burial was in the Eldora cemetery

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

My Cousin was an Interior Designer in Los Angeles

Adele Faulkner designed this room for Carmen Miranda.  Image from AD in the '40s.

My 3rd cousin 1x removed, Adele E. Devoe Loyd (died Adele Faulkner Quinn) was a very successful interior designer and syndicated columnist:

Orange County Register (Santa Ana, CA)
Wednesday, October 25, 2000
Edition 1, page: Obituaries
by Robin Hinch 

Adele Faulkner-Quinn lived life by her own design - An eye for style and a heart for those in need made her more than whole. 

Adele Faulkner-Quinn used to say that "a life without productivity is an unhappy life.'' By that standard, Adele was deliriously happy. 

Whether at work as a nationally known interior designer or as a longtime volunteer for Interval House Crisis Shelters, she always had a new project in the works well before completing the first. 

She was a whirlwind of activity -- both physical and mental -- who exhausted the far-younger shelter staff members (they say a day with Adele was like having the blood drained out of them) and regarded sleep as a necessary evil. So she did it in short shifts: four hours of sleep, six hours of work. 

After retiring from her design company, Faulkner and Associates in Los Angeles, she spent the next 20 years guiding the construction, renovation or redesign of Interval House's four Orange County facilities for battered women and their children. Her eye for detail and concern for the project's clients had her calling Interval House staff at midnight to ask things like, "Where do they bathe the toddlers?'' as she pondered the best way to arrange the rooms. 

No one who met Adele forgot her, and no one slipped away without learning something from her, from design tips to remembering to dust the tops of door frames (she was big on cleaning.) 

Few got away without donating something. Each time she entered her bank, she'd ask the manager, "When are you going to give those sofas to Interval House?'' They are now in Quinn Residence, named after her. 

On job sites, she sometimes complained to the contractor about inferior materials. He'd retort, "Well, you ARE getting them free.'' 

She'd give him a stony look and say evenly, "When you're giving to the less fortunate, when you're doing work for those that need our help, you need to give the same quality -- if not better -- as for your very best client.'' 

They did, and later thanked her for the honor. 

Adele was 88 when she died Sunday. 

She grew up in Southern California going to building sites with her contractor father. She taught herself architecture and design, and had such a collection of books on the subjects that libraries were vying for it. 

She taught at the UCLA School of Design for many years, in addition to designing home interiors for the rich and famous, including the Mattel (toy) family and comedian Harold Lloyd. 

She also worked for Carmen Miranda -- until she asked Adele to make casts of her legs and use them as lamps. "That,'' said Adele, "is where I draw the line.'' 

Her name appeared frequently in architectural digests -- and also in L.A. gossip columns. 

She was a colorful and eccentric figure in her exotic outfits and outlandish hats. 

She was married four times, the fourth to Bill Quinn, former editor of the Seal Beach Journal. They lived in an artfully converted fishing shack in Sunset Beach and were married 25 years when he died of cancer in 1988. Her only son died of cancer in 1990. 

It was through Bill, who covered its opening, that she learned of Interval House. She began volunteering in 1983, and it became the focus of her life. 

She solicited donations, wrote proposals, wrote a guide to cleaning the houses (if you didn't know how to clean when you entered Interval House, you most certainly knew when you left) and did the chore charts. No job was too menial for Adele. 

She was vain, funny and direct. When hospitalized after an accident, she was demanding blueprints in the emergency room. Her hair was always coifed and lipstick freshly applied. 

She told staffers they should always apply excellence to what they were doing. "Whether buying toilet paper or doing the chore chart, do it like a master,'' she'd say. 

She turned each of the shelters into a work of art -- carrying out the international theme of the Interval House program. She always said she wasn't a counselor, but many clients found her to be both an inspiration and a wonderful listener. 

Adele took pride in her appearance and in her work to the very end. If she had placed a silk ficus, and returned to find it moved, she promptly returned it to the spot she had chosen. 

She "adopted'' all her friends, calling one her adopted daughter, another her adopted son. Carol Williams, executive director of Interval House and many years her junior, she called her adopted mother. 

Adele never hesitated to quip that security was having a mother younger than you are.

Adele was a great granddaughter of Marquis Hartley (1836-1924), an older brother of my 2nd great grandfather James Monroe Hartley (1846-1904).

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

No Obituary Found for my Grandmother's Sister Alvira Fister

Alvira Fister, January 28, 1918 - July 29, 1924.  Courtesy of Tom Cairns.

Four years ago I posted about my great aunt Alvira Fister, my grandmother Margaret (Fister) Hartley's sister, who died at 6-years-old of whooping cough in Plano, IL in the summer of 1924.  I have not found an obituary for her yet.



© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Some Notes on Ival Lenard Fister (1915-1984)

Ival Fister was one of my grandmother's brothers. Courtesy of Tom Cairns.

Ival Lenard Fister (April 4, 1915 - July 6, 1984) is one of my grandmother Margaret (Fister) Hartley's brothers.  Most of what I know about him, unfortunately, revolves around his criminal record.

The only personal anecdote from my father about Ival was that Ival once came to San Diego (in the 1960s probably), looking for money, and my grandfather George Hartley Jr. gave him some with the stipulation that he not come around anymore.

Ival's Christmas card, date unknown, probably 1930s.  Courtesy of Tom Cairns.

Ival did make the papers.  I don't know what problems he had before these newspaper stories, but it struck me that they happened only 9 months after his mother Mette Karine "Mary"s death (his father Ben Fister had died a year earlier):

Daily Illinois States Journal (Springfield)
8 Sep 1935, Sunday
Page 9, col 4
from GenealogyBank 

Escapes Jail
Ival Fister, 20-year-old prisoner charged with housebreaking, escaped from the Morgan county jail this morning by hiding behind a cell block and taking his bid for freedom while the turnkey and assistant turnkey were serving the morning rations.
A search was soon started for the youth, who in July confessed to several house robberies here.  He was being held under bond awaiting action from the November grand jury.

Daily Illinois State Journal (Springfield)
21 Nov 1935, Thursday
Page 19, col 8
from GenealogyBank

Ival L. Fister, 21, who escaped from the Morgan county jail on Sept. 7, has been arrested by police at St. Joseph, Mo.  His identity was established by means of fingerprints sent ot Washinton, D. C. previous to Fister's jail break here.

The fugitive was arrested at St. Joseph, Mo., on charges of attempted robbery.  State's Attorney W. B. Absher stated today that if Fister secured an acquittal in Missouri, he will be returned here to face a charge of house burglary.

Daily Illinois States Journal (Springfield)
12 Dec 1935, Thurs
Page 13, col 8
from GenealogyBank 

Morgan Sheriff Takes 2 Men to Penitentiary
Jacksonville, Dec. 11. - Clarence Miller, Jacsonville, recently sentenced to an indeterminate term at the Menard penitentiary, and Ival L. Fister, confessed burglar, were taken to Menard today by Sheriff Kenneth Woods.  Miller was found guilty of a part in the recent shooting of Sheriff Woods.

Daily Illinois States Journal (Springfield)
22 Apr 1939, Saturday
Page 4, col 1
from GenealogyBank 

to receive hearing on Monday by the states parole board:
"Morgan county.--Kenneth Busch, Ival L. Fister."

Daily Illinois States Journal (Springfield)
27 Apr 1940, Saturday
page 3, col 8
from GenealogyBank 

to receive hearing states parole board:
"Harry Wilson and Ival L. Fister, both of Morgan county,"

The Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
9 Aug 1942, Sun
Page 4
from Newspapers.com 

Watch Girl's Home and Catch Convict
Philadelphia, Aug. 8. (AP) - A Washington girl's love for a fugitive convict unwittingly brought about his capture, detectives testified today. 

The story was told to Justice of the Peace Howard C. Meredith, who ordered Ival L. Fister, 27, turned over to Virginia officers. 

Recently Arlington county authorities learned that a young woman known to be friendly with Fister had quit her Washington job and come to Philadelphia, gaining employment as a domestic in a suburban Merion home. 

They followed and with local officers took up watch outside the place the girl worked.
Last night, the detectives said, Fister alighted from a bus and came to the apartment house.  He was arrested. 

Police added they understood he also was wanted in Oregon on a homicide charge.

Evening Star (Washington, DC)
15 Aug 1942, Saturday
Page 16, col 4
from GenealogyBank 

Arlington Jail Fugitive gets 30-Year Sentence
Ival L. Fister, 27, yesterday was sentenced to 10 years each on three counts of burglary by Judge Walter T. McCarthy in Arlington County Circuit Court.  The sentences are to run consecutively. Fister will serve his sentence in the Virginia State Penitentiary.
The prisoner, who previously had pleaded guilty, escaped from the Arlington County jail in January by cutting through his cell bars with several razor blades and then soaping his body to squirm through a narrow space.
He was seized August 7 by Detective Capt. Hugh C. Jones in Ardmore, Pa., after Capt. Jones had trace the man through a Washington girl.  The girl, police said, gave up her job here and went to Philadelphia where she was employed as a domestic.  Fister was taken into custody at the girl's apartment by police who were watching the place.  

Daily Illinois States Journal (Springfield)
6 Jul 1961, Thurs
Page 9, col 1
from GenealogyBank 

granted parole
"Ival L. Fister of Morgan County, who has served 5 years and 10 months of 1 year to life sentence at Menard,"

Ival died in Chicago, Cook, Illinois on July 6, 1984.  It is unknown to me if he had any wives, girlfriends, or children.


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Obituary For My Grandmother Margaret (Fister) Hartley

Me and my grandmother, Margaret Alvide (Fister) Hartley (1912-2000), circa 1981.  From my personal collection.

I've been posting my grandmother's siblings' obituaries in birth order, and she was next.  I knew Grandmother all my life, and I wish I had asked her more questions about herself (isn't that always the way?):

San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA)
July 29, 2000
Editions: 1,2,7
Pages: B-7:2,7 B-9:1
HARTLEY, MARGARET 

Margaret Fister Hartley 88, died on Wednesday July 26, 2000, at Scripps Memorial Hospital, following a heart attack. She had been in good health until her death. She was a resident of Pacific Regent in San Diego.

Mrs. Hartley had resided in San Diego for 55 years. She was the widow of the late Dr. George Hartley, Jr., a prominent physician who served as Chief of Staff at Scripps Memorial Hospital in 1959. Dr. Hartley was a member of a pioneer San Diego family which has been involved with the growth and leadership of the city. 

Mrs. Hartley took an active roll in cultural organizations. She served on the boards of the San Diego Symphony Association, the Globe Guilders, the Assistance League of San Diego County, and the San Diego Medical Auxiliary.

A Memorial service will be held in the sanctuary of La Jolla Presbyterian Church, 7715 Draper Avenue, La Jolla on Saturday, July 29, at 10:30 a.m. A reception will follow at Pacific Regent, 3890 Nobel Drive in San Diego. Survivors include a daughter, Margaret Ann Hartley of McLean, Virginia, sons Robert F. Hartley and George G. Hartley, both of San Diego, three grandchildren, Julianna Dudas, Alexandra Dudas and Christine Hartley. Also survived by two sisters.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Edith F. Bornhoeft Dies

Edith Fister (1910-1985), a sister of my grandmother Margaret (Fister) Hartley.  Image courtesy of Tom Cairns.

I didn't know Aunt Edith as well as I knew Aunt Fern, but I do have a memory of her as a health nut.  A search in Chicago newspapers in the late 1950s/early 1960s shows she was a regular participant with various week-end hikes associated with the volunteer organization Prairie Club of Chicago.

Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
July 18, 1985
page 11 (Sports Final edition)
from GenealogyBank 

Services for Edith F. Bornhoeft, 75, a retired Atomic Energy Commission employee, will be held Friday in San Diego. 

Mrs. Bornhoeft, a former Western Springs resident, died Tuesday in a San Diego nursing home. 

She had been a technical employee of the commission at the University of Chicago and at Argonne National Laboratory near Batavia. 

She was active in the Prairie Club of Chicago and was a member of the San Diego Chapter of the Sons of Norway. Survivors include four sisters and a brother.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Fern Evelyn Fister, 1907-2003

Fern Evelyn Fister (1907-2003), my grandmother Margaret (Fister) Hartley's sister.

Finally, a Fister that I knew!  She was my great aunt, although I just called her Aunt Fern.  She was one of the nicest people I've ever known, and always sent birthday and Christmas cards and a family newsletter (how I wish I had a copy now).

Me and Aunt Fern, circa 1980.  From my personal collection.

Her obituary doesn't say it, but she was a secretary for author Norman Maclean while they were at the University of Chicago (some time between 1940 and 1973):

San Diego Union-Tribune, The (GenealogyBank)
October 25, 2003
Edition: 1,2,6,7
Page: B-6:7 B-4 B-10:6 B-8:2 

FERN EVELYN FISTER
Dec. 4, 1907-Oct. 20, 2003 Fern Evelyn Fister, 95, of San Diego died Monday. She was born in Newark, Ill., and was an administrative assistant at the University of Chicago. She was a member of the American Association of University Women and the Pacific Beach Garden Club. 

She is survived by a sister, Doris Shulkin of San Diego. 

Services: 1:30 p.m. Monday, Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church, 1675 Garnet Ave., San Diego. 

Entombment: El Camino Memorial Park, San Diego. 

Donations: Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church, 1675 Garnet Ave., San Diego, CA 92109. 

Arrangements: Pacific Beach Chapel.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

No Obituary Found for Myron Fister (yet)

My great-uncle Myron Benjamin Fister (1905-1986), posing with his saxophone in this undated picture.  Image courtesy of Tom Cairns.

My grandmother Margaret (Fister) Hartley's brother Myron was unknown to me until recently.  I haven't found an obituary for him but here is what I know about him so far:

• He (and a twin sister Glady May Fister, whose fate is as yet unknown) were born August 20, 1905, to Benjamin and Mary Fister (likely in LaSalle County, Illinois, alternately in Newark, Kendall, IL).
• He grew up in the Plano/Newark area of Kendall County, Illinois, which is just west of the larger Chicago metropolitan area.
• He married Linnea Ruth Hedwall (1904-1993) on September 1, 1928 in Chicago.
• He was living with his wife at his mother-in-law's house in Chicago near Washington Park in the 1930 Federal Census. He was working as an agent in an insurance office.
• His only child, daughter Ruth Elaine Fister, was born on July 5, 1930, in Chicago.
• 10 years later he and his small family were still living with his mother-in-law Hilda in the same place.  He was working as a service worker for the Root Bros manufacturing company.
• As of July 1966 he was living at 9316 50th Ave, in Oak Park, IL, a little less than 10 miles west of his previous home.
• His daughter Ruth Elaine Fister Johnson died October 12, 1969, at the young age of 39 in Midland, Michigan (she had one surviving daughter).
• About 1971 he was made assistant band leader of the Valley of Chicago Shrine Band.  I think that further research on Myron should include information about his membership with the Scottish Rite/Shriner organization.
• He died in Illinois on December 21, 1986 (likely in Lake Bluff, Lake, Illinois, midpoint between Chicago and Milwaukee, WI).
• I find a record in the United States Public Records, 1970-2009 database of Myron Fister living in Traverse City, Traverse, Michigan, as of July 13, 2001.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

The Man With the Flag Pants

The death certificate of my 1st cousin 4x's removed, Joseph H. Foster (1819-1890), a grandson of my 4th great grandmother Mary Gwinnup and her second husband Antonio Joseph Oneto (? - ?).  Although he married twice he had no known children.  "Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6GY8-CPR?cc=1320976&wc=9FTM-829%3A1073245201 : 16 May 2014), 004009726 > image 1948 of 1961; Philadelphia City Archives and Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

I think of this cousin every year around the 4th of July because he was apparently known for his flag pants, according to his second obituary:

Philadelphia Inquirer (GenealogyBank)
20 Nov 1890
page 6
FOSTER.--On the 17th inst., Joseph H. Foster, in the 71st year of his age.
The relatives and friends of the family, and the Masonic bodies of which he was a member, are respectfully invited to attend the funeral services, on Thursday morning, at 11 o'clock precisely, at his late residence, No. 1317 Arch street.  Interment private. 

Philadelphia Inquirer (GenealogyBank)
21 Nov 1890
page 5
Joseph H. Foster Dead.
The most noted "awning man" this city ever boasted, Joseph H. Foster, was buried from his home, 1317 Arch street, yesterday.  For more than forty years he made awnings---money out of his business, too.  He was known as the man with the flag pants, and always wore a big diamond in his necktie.  He was prominent in Masonic and Knights Templar circles.

I do wish I had a picture of him!

More detail about his work was given in Pennsylvania Historical Review, Gazetteer, Post-office, Express and Telegraph Guide : City of Philadelphia : Leading Merchants and Manufacturers (1886), page 211:

Joseph H. Foster, Awning Maker, etc., No. 448 North Third Street.--Mr. Foster began business in 1844. He occupies commodious premises and given employment to a large force of hands, manufacturing a line of goods unsurpassed for quality, durability and general excellence.  He is prepared to furnish sails for boats, American and business flags of all nations, awnings, tents, wagon and canal boat-covers, etc., and he also supplies sacking bottoms. hammocks, bags, etc., at short notice.  A specialty is made of splicing fall and wheel rope and repairing.  Mr. Foster is a thoroughly practical man, familiar with every detail of his business, and his aim has always been not only to secure trade, but to retain it by selling a first-class article at a reason-able figure.  He comes from an old Philadelphia family, and is well and favorably known both as a citizen and merchant.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

No Obituary for Russell Gayhardt Fister?

My great uncle Russell G. Fister (left), with his wife Winona Kathryn Simons (1911-1996), sister Margaret Fister Hartley (my grandmother), and brother-in-law George Hartley Jr., (my grandfather), likely in Arlington, VA in 1939. From my personal collection.

This guy must have had an obituary, but so far I can not locate one.

Things I know about great uncle Russell Fister (1903-1975):

• He was born in Illinois (probably in LaSalle county) on August 14, 1903.
• When he was 17 he joined the Marine Corps as a private first class
• the 1920 Federal Census shows him as a living in the Marine barracks on Parris Island, Beaufort, South Carolina.  He would reenlist in 1921 and go to the Marine Barracks Navy Yard in Washington D.C. where he was at the Clerical School detachment/clerk for the post quartermaster(?).
• By the late 1920s he was in Poplar, Roosevelt, Montana (Fort Peck) working as an Indian agent, and he married Winona Kathryn Simons in December 1929 at Wolf Point, MT (she was 1/8 Assiniboine). They had one daughter in 1939.
• In the 1930 Census he was living with Winona in Poplar, MT, and was a Lease Clerk at the Fort Peck Indian Agency.  He appeared in several Indian censuses in the 1930s.
• The 1940 Federal Census indicated that he and his family lived in Washington, D.C in 1935.
• In the 1940 Federal Census he, Winona, and their daughter lived in Arlington, VA.  He was working as an Indian Bureau Administrative(?) Assistant for the Department of the Interior.
• In late 1943 he and Winona divorced.
• 1943-1947 I find record of him acting as Director of Credit in Chicago for the Office of Indian Affairs - Extension Division in Montana.
• In Oct 1948 he married his second wife Laurine Grantz in Chicago.
• About 1953 he was in Window Rock, Apache, Arizona.  My father has told me that he met him during a family vacation in the area.  I don't know if Russell just met them there or if he was working there?
• 1955-1957 (and possibly more years before/after) he was working as Superintendent for the Anardarko area/field office in Pawhuska, Oklahoma (I think he was in Chicago during this).
• About 1959 Russell retired and opened a coin shop Numismatics:

Berwyn Life Newspaper
abt August 1959
page unknown/clipping
courtesy of Ancestry user mlecuyer25  

Numismatics (Coin Shop) Opens 

Numismatics is the new sign on an establishment just opened at 6733 W. 26th st. Numismatics, the science of coins, tokens, medals, paper money and objects closely resembling them in form or purpose, is more often referred to as coin collecting. 

R. G. Fister, who owns and operates this new coin shop, recently retired after more than 37 years of the U.S. Government, 32 of which he spent living and working among Indians in various parts of the United States.  His main hobby over these years was coin collection.  He is a member of the Chicago Coin Club and the American Numismatic Association.

According to a photocopy (courtesy of Ancestry user mlecuyer25) of R. G. Fister's business card/letter heading the following type of products were available at Numismatics: U.S. coins, foreign coins, medals and medallions (sales, purchases and appraisals), accessories and supplies, vari-colored plastic coin holders, and commemorative medals, badges, wooden nickels, etc. produced to order. 

• A family group sheet that I personally own had him living at 1350 N. Astor, Chicago, IL in July 1966.
• Russell died on February 13, 1975 in Chicago**:

Name: Russell Gayhardt Fister
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 13 Feb 1975
Event Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
Event Place (Original): Address: 1350 N Astor
Residence Place: Gender: Male
Age: 71
Age (Estimated): Marital Status: Married
Ethnicity: Race: White
Occupation: Executive
Birth Date: 14 Aug 1903
Birth Year (Estimated): Birthplace: , , Illinois
Death Year (Estimated): Funeral Home: Lain And Son Inc
Burial Date: 17 Feb 1975
Burial Place: Chicago, , Illinois
Cemetery: Graceland
Father's Name: Ben Fister
Father's Birthplace: Mother's Name: Mary Anderson
Mother's Birthplace: Spouse's Name: Laurine Grantz
Spouse's Titles and Terms: Spouse's Gender: Informant's Name: Rhodora Hopkins
Certificate Number: Record Number: Entry Number: 604290
Source Reference: GS Film Number: Digital Folder Number: 101276894
Image Number: 01075

**"Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1994," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2MN-XBVR : 18 March 2018), Russell Gayhardt Fister, 13 Feb 1975; citing Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States, source reference , record number , Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm.



© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Obit for Lyla Maria Fister Miller, 98

My great aunt Lyla Maria (Fister) Miller, 1901-1999), probably in the mid-1920s when she was a nurse at Washington Park Hospital in Chicago.  Image courtesy of Tom Cairns.

My grandmother's sisters Edith and Fern lived out here in San Diego, but the rest of her siblings were unknown to me, except for Lyla, who I met briefly in the late 1980s.

She was my grandmother Margaret Fister Hartley's oldest sister:

Corry Journal (Corry, Erie, PA)
Friday, August 6, 1999
page 2 

Lyla Maria Fister Miller, 98 

Lyla Maria Fister Miller, 98, formerly of 218 E. Smith Street, Corry, died Thursday, Aug. 5, 1999, in Corry Manor Nursing Home. 

Mrs. Miller was born June 29, 1901, in Newark, Ill., a daughter of the late Benjamin and Mary Corina Anderson Fister. 

She was raised and educated in the Newark area where she graduated from Newark High School in 1919.  Following high school, she attended and graduated from Washington Park Hospital with a nursing degree.  After graduation, she worked for Washington Park Hospital for several years.  In 1926, she had been a surgical floor supervisor at the Illinois Central Hospital. 

Mrs. Miller moved to Marinesco, Mich., after her marriage and resided there for many years.  She had also resided in Cicago, Ill., and later in Youngstown, Ohio.  In 1987, Mrs. Miller moved to Corry to be near her daughter and grandchildren. 

Mrs. Mller attended St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Corry.  While a resident of Youngstown, Ohio, she had been a member of the Eastern Star there. 

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Jesse LeRoy Miller Jr., in 1987.  They were married August 16, 1927, in Chicago, Ill.  Also preceding her in death was a daughter, Kathryn M. Keller, in 1990; a sister, Edith Bornhoft; and five brothers, Roy, Lyle, Russell, Alvin and Myron Fister. 

Survivors include a daughter, Susann E. Rozelle of Corry; a son, Eugene LeRoy Miller of King George, Va.; three sisters, Fern E. Fister, Margaret Hartly and Doris Cairns Shulkin, all of San Diego, Calif.; and three grandchildren, Eric John Rozelle of Glenham, N.Y., Jay Thomas Rozelle of North East and Suzanne Janine Baron her husband, Michael, of Rock Springs, Wy. 

No calling hours or funeral services will be observed.  Correspondence is welcome and can be addressed to Susann Rozelle... 

Burial will be made in Greenhaven Cemetery in Canfield, Ohio. 

Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, Corry Unit, 2 South Center street, Corry, Pa. 16407. 

Funeral arrangements are under the director of the Bracken Funeral Home, 315 North Center street, Corry, PA. 16407.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

The Search for My Great-Uncle Alvin Reginald Fister's Obituary (updated with obituary)

My grandmother Margaret Fister's brother Alvin Reginald Fister (1899-1976).  He lived most of his life in the areas outside Chicago, but some time after 1966 he moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he died.

After spending a good part of the day looking in historical databases (both subscription and free, even public library and community college subscription databases) for an obituary or death notice in Memphis for Alvin Fister in the 1970s, I came up empty-handed. I didn't find any obituary mention of him in Illinois, either.    This is quite a blind spot--hopefully there will be Memphis newspapers available in the 1970s and 1980s sometime soon.

The few things I know about him:

• He served in the Army during WWI
• He married Ilona Elizabeth Michalez in 1926 in Chicago, Illinois
• in the 1930 Federal Census he was working as a Planning Engineer in the manufacturing industry
• in the 1940 Federal Censu he was "Labor Rate" Engineer in the telephone manufacturing industry
• he and his wife had 4 children: Mary, Alvin Jr., Paul Michael Fister, and Russell Benjamin Fister

I need to contact my Fister relations and see if they have an obituary for him.

EDITED TO ADD:  Found it!  The image for his obituary is a little blurred so a direct search didn't work, but a search for his sister Edith (Fister) Bornhoeft kicked out his obituary in the Chicago Tribune:

Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois)
25 Nov 1976, Thu
Page 67, col 4
from Newspapers.com 

Alvin R. Fister Sr., of Memphis, Tenn., formerly of Downers Grove, beloved husband of Lilly, nee Michael,; fond father of Mary (Theodore T.) Jansey, Alvin R. Jr.(Susan), Paul Michael (Nelda) and Russell B.; brother of Myron B., Lila Miller, Fern Fister, Edith Bornhoeft, Margaret Hartley and Doris Cairnes; grandfather of eight; great-grandfather of one.  Service Friday, 10 a.m. at the Adams-Winterfield Funeral Home, 4343 Main St., Downers Grove. Interment Clarendon Hills.  Visitation Thursday 7 to 9 p.m. 968-1000

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

A Reminder That Not Everything is Online

The only adult picture I have of my great uncle Roy Alexander Fiester (1895-1972), son of Mette Karine and Ben Fister, and oldest brother to my grandmother Margaret (Fister) Hartley.  Courtesy of Tom Cairns.

I intended to blog my great uncle Roy Fiester's obituary today, but discovered that despite a search through GenealogyBank, NewspaperArchive, Newspapers, and Google Newspaper Archive, I couldn't find it.  Fortunately there is at least a reference to the obit's existence at the Aurora Public Library in Illinois (he lived in Aurora most of his life):

Roy had an obituary on the 18th and 19th of February, 1972, in The Beacon.  His wife's obit is also listed, but I already have that obituary.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Mrs. Mary Fister Dies at Plano

My great grandmother, Mette "Mary" Fister, with her youngest daughter Doris Fister (my grand aunt), probably in the late 1920s.

The Aurora Beacon-News
Tuesday, 8 Jan 1935
page 2(?) 

Mrs. Mary Fister Dies at Plano 

Plano, Ill., Jan. 8.--Mrs. Mary Fister, widow of the late Ben R. Fister, a resident of Kendall county for 40 years, died yesterday at her home in Plano.  She was born at Stavanger, Norway, Nov. 25, 1876.  Her maiden name was Mattie (Mary) Crina Anderson.  She was married Oct. 18, 1894.  Mr. Fister died May 2, 1934. 

Surviving are five daughters, Lila, Fern, Edith, Margaret, and Doris***, five sons, Roy, Alvin, Russell, Myron and Ival, nine grandchildren, three sisters and one brother.
Funeral services will be held Thursday afternoon from the home at 1:30 o'clock and from the Plano Lutheran church at 2 o'clock.  Burial will be in the Plano cemetery.

***The daughters are pictured here, around the time of Mette "Mary" Fister's death.


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.