I hope you're enjoying your summertime - I know I am. A term paper per week, combined with absorbing the history of Germany, and working full-time means I'm keeping busy this month! Fortunately, I worked ahead to give you this series.
Last week we talked about the second marriage of Elizabeth Belle Ferguson McNabb, and the descendants of the oldest child of that marriage, James F. Reed. This week, we continue with three of his five younger siblings.
Just to help find our place in the tree, here's a "map":
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| Elizabeth B. Ferguson McNabb Reed's tree |
III. Emma A Reed (1865–1934)
Emma was born on 22 November 1867, according to her Find-A-Grave memorial (though her death certificate gives the year as 1870). Raised in De Kalb County, Indiana, she married Charles Allen Picker (1871-1951) on 26 September 1894.
While I found many records that seem to tie Charles's story together, I'm not 100% that I am not just piecing together records for men with similar names and birthdates. That said, here is my best guess: He was born in Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio, to Edward H Picker (1843–1918) and Mary Ann Kaho (1848–1875). After his mother died, Edward remarried and moved the family to Colorado, where Charles grew up, appearing on the Census for 1880 in Denver, Arapahoe County. Charles may have lived with his uncle, George, in Cherokee, Montgomery County, Kansas, in 1885, before moving to Indiana, where he married Emma.
Charles and Emma had a daughter together, but they had separated by 1904, when Charles married Mary Sands in Belmont County, Ohio. After that marriage record, there is a twenty-year gap where I could not trace Charles at all - until a Charles Allen Picker turned up back in Denver, where he married Sarah "Sadie" Lamont on 11 April 1924. If this is the same Charles, he died in Denver in 1953 and was buried with Sadie, who died in 1964.
In 1910, Emma and little Myrtle were living with Emma's brother, Charles Albert Reed, according to the census. Emma married her second husband, David Daniel Moody (1845–1920) on 9 March 1916 in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana.
Emma's third husband was Charles Wesley Bowman (1882–1947), and they married on 30 December 1926. Emma died on 4 January 1934 in Fort Wayne and was buried in Lindenwood Cemetery in that city.
A. Myrtle Picker (b. 1899) born about 1899, Myrtle grew up in Fort Wayne and became involved in the theater and vaudeville scene. In 1917, the Pretty Baby company came to town, and Myrtle joined the company and went on tour with them. In August of that year, she married the producer, Al Garbelle. Their marriage was short-lived, and in 1919, Emma traveled to New York to bring her daughter back to Fort Wayne, where she lived in 1920.
After the 1920 Census, there are no definite records telling us what happened to Myrtle. She is mentioned (as "little Miss Myrtle Moody") in a 1923 newspaper item about a celebration for her mother's birthday. Sadly, that is where the trail has ended for this family.
IV. Eliza A. "Lida" Reed (1866–1951)
My best guess is that while George and Elizabeth named their second daughter "Eliza Alise" and her husband and children called her "Lyda" or "Lida." I went into much greater detail with my analysis of her records in Wednesday's essay "The Corruption of Names" if you'd like to see how my analytic process works.
Born 23 November 1867, Lyda married Norman Perry Donaldson (1868–1940) on 14 October 1890 and they lived in Auburn from then on. Norman and his twin brother, Newton, were born on 2 August 1868 to James Donaldson (b. 1835) and Susan M Sherwood (1837–1921). Norman worked drilling wells until finding employment at the Auburn Automobile Co. He retired from the plant in 1934.
Norman died on 4 December 1940 after having a heart attack, and he was buried in the Roselawn Cemetery in Auburn. Lyda died at age 84 in the Williams Convalescent home in Butler, De Kalb County, on 25 August 1951. She was buried with her husband, and they were survived by four of their five sons, 12 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. Many of these folks attended the Donaldson family reunion in 1951 (see article at right).
A. James Andrew Donaldson (1891–1951) was born in Auburn on 11 May 1891 and after attending the schools in Auburn worked as a painter. He would spend time as a tire builder working for the Auburn Rubber Corp. and as a leather cutter for the Auburn Automobile Co. before returning to his trade as a painter.
On 2 June 1917 married Celestia Carrick (1894–1959). She was the daughter of Frederick Samuel Carrick (1869–1946) and Nettie Myers (1875–1949), born on 26 November 1894. They lived in Auburn for 22 years and left in 1939 to move to Muncie, then to North Webster, Indiana, in 1946.
James died suddenly of a heart attack on 20 July 1951, just a month before his mother died. A few years later, Celestia's health also began to decline, and she died in Michigan, where she was under the care of her daughters, on 17 July 1959. They are buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Auburn.
i. Alice Lanett Donaldson (1918–1987) was born in Garrett on 23 May 1918 and attended Auburn High School in 1935. She married Warren Albert Beehler (1910–1988) on 7 March 1937. He was born on 18 September 1910 to David Christian Beehler (1867–1948) and Clemma Irene Troup (1874–1947).
Warren served in the U.S. Army from 3 January 1944 through 11 December 1945, and after the war, he was a manager for Montgomery Ward, and the family lived in Elkhart, Indiana, and in Spokane, Washington, during the 1940s and 1950s. They raised one daughter.
Alice and Warren spent their final years in Lake Havasu, Arizona. She died there in January 1987, and Warren died on 2 January 1988.
ii. Martha M Donaldson (1923–2011) was born on 5 September 1923 in Auburn and grew up to marry James Jay Stinson (1920–2007) on 6 February 1941. James served in World War II, being discharged in 1944 according to his death certificate. After the war, the couple raised their family in the New Albany area.
James died on 20 December 2007 at Westminster Nursing Home in Clarksville, Clark County, Indiana. Martha died 5 December 2011 at Kindred Care in Sellersburg, Clark County. They are buried in Kraft-Graceland Memorial Park in New Albany, Floyd County, Indiana. They are survived by a son, a daughter, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
B. Russell Charles Donaldson (1893–1963) was born in Auburn on 17 June 1893 and raised in Union Township. On 11 March 1916, he married Florence Gertrude Marsh (1898–1988), the daughter of Julius B Marsh (b. 1845) and Minnie Bell (1865–1918). Florence was born on 8 March 1898 in Garrett, and her older brother was Holly Harvey Marsh (1887-1961), whose son, Dale Emerson Marsh, married Georgia Irene Carper from an earlier post.
Russell worked for the Auburn Automobile Co., and later as a newspaper carrier agent. He and Florence had two children, but after about 15 years, they separated in 1932. She married Archie G. Weller in Chicago on 19 February 1933. Russell remarried on 14 July 1946 to the widowed Audrey O. Rohm nee Tomlinson (1896-1979).
Russell died of a sudden and unexpected heart attack on 29 July 1963 at his home in Garrett, De Kalb County. He is buried at the Waterloo Cemetery in Waterloo, De Kalb County. Florence died at age 90 on 19 September 1988 of heart failure. She is buried in the Cedar Creek Cemetery in Cedar, De Kalb County.
i. Russell Norman Donaldson Jr (1924–1991) was born on 17 December 1924 in Auburn. At 18 years of age, after graduating from Waterloo High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served from 17 March 1943 to 17 October 1945. Then, on 6 April 1946, he married Patsy Lou Holser (1927–2011) in Kendallville, Nobel County, Indiana.
Patsy was born in Kendallville on 3 January 1927 to Lawrence W Hosler (1902–1967) and Bonita Rider (1907–1958), and was raised by her mother and step-father, Earl Danzer, in Kendallville. After they married, Patsy and Russell remained in Kendallville. She worked for Campbell and Fetter Bank from 1955 until she retired in 1989. Russell worked for Lincoln Food Service and won a seat on the Kendallville city council in November 1963.
Russell was involved in a two-car collision on 24 January 1991 and died from his injuries on 8 March 1991. He was buried in the Lake View Cemetery in Kendallville. After his death, Pasty returned to work part-time at the bank from 1991 until 2009, and she served as a volunteer at the Mid-America Windmill Museum in Kendallville and sponsored the new Kendallville Library.
Patsy died on 24 February 2011 at Chandler House in Kendallville and was buried with Russell. They are survived by two daughter, five grandsons and a granddaughter, and seven great-grandchildren, as well as step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
ii. Sally Diana Donaldson (1929–1971) was born on 20 July 1929 in Auburn, and she was about four years old when her parents separated. While her brother stayed with their father, Sally went with her mother to live in Chicago, and her step-father, Archie Weller. She appears to have remained in Chicago, unmarried, until her death at age 42 on 4 December 1971. She is buried with her mother in the Cedar Creek Cemetery in Cedar, De Kalb County.
C. Newell Edward Donaldson (1900–1962) was born on 6 April 1900 in Auburn. He found work as a painter and decorator and established himself early on. He married Ruby Bassett (b. 1903) on 6 July 1923, but they soon divorced, after she admitted to preferring a wilder lifestyle than Newell would tolerate.
He married again on 4 June 1927, this time choosing Georgia L Phelps (1907–1987), daughter of Clyde E Phelps (1883–1945) and Sophia G Picker (1885–1944), for his bride. Georgia was born on 22 September 1907, and also grew up in Auburn. They raised two sons together, one of whom is still living, and Newell made his living working at the Auburn Automobile Co. for 11 years, then at Fort Wayne Decorators before partnering with his son, Joe, in Donaldson Decorating in Auburn. Newell also served on the De Kalb County Alcoholic Beverage board from 1950 on.
Newell died on 26 February 1962 and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Auburn. Georgia died in Fort Wayne on 2 November 1987 and was buried with Newell in Woodlawn Cemetery.
i. Joe Edward Donaldson (1928–2018) was born 19 May 1928 in Auburn. He was a veteran of the United States Air Force and served during the Korean War, spending 18 months in Africa. After the war, JD went to work with his father's Donaldson Decorating company.
He married Fannie Jane Cox (1934–2018) on 5 February 1955 at the First Presbyterian Church in Auburn. Fannie was born on 8 June 1934 to Orland Dwight Cox (1900–1989) and Mary D. Gaylord (1903–1993). She and JD raised two sons together, both of whom are still living.
JD painted many homes in the Auburn area over 52 years, and because he loved the Eckhart Public Library fountain, he always volunteered to paint the fountain. After Newell died, JD was the owner of JD's Decorating.
Fannie and JD were divorced and each remarried in 1975. Fannie Jane Pepple died 15 March 2018 at Betz Nursing Home in Auburn, and she was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. JD died at his home in Auburn on 12 September 2018, and he was also buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. They were survived by their two sons, four grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren, as well as several step-children and step-grandchildren.
D. Glenwood Linden "Glenn" Donaldson (1904–1976) was born on 6 September 1903 in Auburn. On 30 April 1927, Glenn married Emma L Radabaugh (1909–1971), the daughter of John Radabaugh (1874–1915) and Zoma Bell Wolff (1878–1951), who was born on 9 May 1909 in Marion County, Indiana.
i. Rose Marie Donaldson (1927–2014) was born on 28 October 1927 in Auburn and graduated from Waterloo High School with the Class fo 1945. She married Daryl Oliver "Todd" Ford (1924–1999), son of Rollie A Ford (1895–1945) and Cladie Olive Fee (1893–1945) on 16 February 1946. Todd was born on 28 January 1924 in Pleasant Lake, Steuben County, Indiana and served in the U.S. Army, enlisting on 12 March 1946.
Rose and Todd raised their family in Waterloo. She worked at Charleston Metals for 23 years before retiring in 1989, and he was a self-employed contractor. Todd died of prostate cancer on 30 August 1999 and was buried in Waterloo Cemetery. Rose died 5 January 2014 and was buried with her husband. They are survived by three sons, two daughters, 14 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren.
ii. Ralph Linden Donaldson (1929–2001) was born on 9 January 1929 in Auburn, and served in the U.S. Army just after World War II, achieving the rank of Corporal. He married in 1949 and raised his family in the Waterloo area. He died on 11 October 2001 after choking on food and was buried in Waterloo Cemetery. He is survived by his wife.
E. Gerald LeRoy Donaldson (1906–1986) was born on 6 August 1906 in Auburn, the youngest son of Norman and Lyda Reed Donaldson. On 9 October 1926, he married Wilma Dora Zigler (1908–1980), the youngest daughter of Charles Preston Zigler (1875–1962) and Amanda Lanius (1881–1911). Wilma was born in Montpelier, Williams County, Ohio, on 13 May 1909.
Gerald worked as a plumber Wilma worked as a store clerk; they raised their family in Auburn. Wilma died of an acute coronary thrombosis on 16 September 1980, and Gerald died from a heart attack on 25 February 1986. They are buried in Waterloo Cemetery. They are survived by two of their four children.
i. Annabelle Donaldson (1927–2000) was born 21 April 1927 in Auburn and graduated from Auburn High School, Class of 1945. She married Maurice Eugene "Gene" Stafford (1924–2003) on 21 April 1946 in Auburn. Gene was born on 8 August 1924 to J. Frank Stafford (1869–1956) and Dora Shields (1884–1950) and was wounded in action while serving as a private in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II.
Annabelle served as secretary-treasurer of Waterloo Press Inc from 1958 until her death. She was a bus driver for the DeKalb Central United School District for 15 years, retiring in 1992. Gene was a printer, and published for the Waterloo Press. They raised four sons and a daughter.
Annabelle died at age 73 on 5 June 2000 at her Waterloo home. Gene died on 1 July 2003 at DeKalb Memorial Hospital, in Auburn. They were buried in Waterloo Cemetery, and they are survived by four of their five children, eight grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. Their grandson, Dennis Duane Stafford (1966–1994), died on Christmas Day 1994, after crashing into a guard rail with his car on 22 December.
b. Randy Lee Stafford (1949–2002) was the second child of Gene and Annabelle Donaldson Stafford, born on 26 July 1949 in Auburn. He died of lung cancer on 28 June 2002 and was buried in Waterloo Cemetery.
ii. Jack Leroy Donaldson (1928–1993) was born on Christmas Day 1928 in Auburn to Gerald and Wilma Zigler Donaldson. He married Betty Jean Deal (1932–2007) on 2 September 1950. She was the daughter of Walter Arthur Deal (1909–1961) and Ida Arvella Murphy (1912–1986), born on 25 July 1932.
Jack and Betty had three daughters, one of whom survived to adulthood. Toni Rae Donaldson (1951-1955) and Kim Renee Donaldson (1960) are both buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Edgerton, Williams County, Ohio. Jack died on 24 July 1993, and is also buried there.
After Jack's death, Betty married Brooks Reign Fee (1918–2013) on 5 December 1995. She died in Edgerton on 23 January 2007 and is also buried in Maple Grove Cemetery. Jack and Betty were survived by one daughter and two grandchildren.
V. Mary Reed (1868–1869) was born about 1868, according to The Callin Family History, and died "at one year old." No other records have been found.
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I'll stop there for now - we have one more set of siblings to look at next week, and we'll be finished with the Reed family for now. (You're never really finished with family history...I hope!)
As always, if you've found one or more of your relatives mentioned in this blog, please get in touch. You can comment below (anonymous comments are usually not as helpful), or email "mightieracorns" at Gmail.com.
We now have more ways to reach out:
a Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/MightierAcorns/
a Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/MightierAcorns
a Ko-Fi cup - https://ko-fi.com/mightieracorns
...and if you prefer a private group, we still have the Callin Family History group on Facebook for "cousins only" (there will be a question about how you're related to the family before you can join).
Until next time... Happy Hunting!
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