FOLLOW UP ON HOBART B. STEWART–MURDER VICTIM

In a post on February 13th, I wrote about the tragic killing of Hobart B. Stewart.  He was killed during an escape attempt from the Boys  Industrial School in Fairfield County, Ohio.  You can read about it in this post:  http://www.michiganfamilytrails.com/2014/02/thriller-thursdayhobart-b-stewart.html

I could not locate any death certificate or burial record for Hobart Stewart, in my usual haunts like FindAGrave, Ancestry or Family Search.  I checked on FindAGrave in Woodland Cemetery, Ironton, Lawrence, Ohio, as that is where is deceased wife, Marcella is buried, according to her death certificate.  Neither of them were listed on the site.  

Next, I went to the Ohio Historical Society website, as I know that they have vital records information at that site.  I put his name into the search criteria and up popped this record:  STEWART, Hobart B., 12/17/1936, Fairfield County, Cert. 75584 (Ohio Death Certificate)

I knew that had to be our Hobart because the date of death and location matched what information I already had.  I was able to order the certificate online for only $7.  About 6 days later the certificate arrived in the mail.

NOTE:  I'm as excited as a kid at Christmas when I get the mail and see that a record I ordered has arrived.
 

DEATH CERTIFICATE FOR HOBART B. STEWART (click to enlarge the image)

This certificate confirms much of what I already know such as his date of birth, date of death, his parent’s names and that his death was a homicide.

WHAT NEW INFORMATION DID I LEARN FROM THIS CERTIFICATE?

• His residence at the time of his death – 1123 S. Broad
• That he was married at the time of his death to a woman named Ruth who was the informant on this certificate.
• That he was either buried or removed to Ironton, Ohio
• That an autopsy had been performed after his death
• The name of the Coroner who performed the autopsy
• The name of the funeral home and that his body was embalmed

All of these items help to complete the story for Hobart B. Stewart.  Of these items the most surprising to me was that he was married at the time of his death.  There was no mention of a wife in any of the articles I read.  

NOTE:  I have not located an actual obituary for him yet.  

We know his wife, Marcella died in 1930. 
So who is Ruth and when did they marry?

I have not located a marriage record for Hobart & Ruth yet, despite my intensive efforts on familysearch.org and Ancestry.  

However, I did locate two CITY DIRECTORY listings which have Hobart and a woman named Ruth in the same house in 1934 & 1936.  This certainly fits with her being his wife on the death certificate.  Also of note is that his son Charles H. is listed in this directory at the same address.

Here are images of those directory listings.

1934 Lancaster, Ohio directory listing for Hobart B. Stewart

1936 Lancaster, Ohio directory listing for Hobart B. Stewart

  
TIP:  City Directory listings can tell you a great many things about someone and they are a very useful source of information which I use frequently.

What did I do next?

I went onto one of the genealogy Facebook pages I belong to and posted a query about the burial location for Hobart B. Stewart.  The name of the page is  I Come from Lawrence County/Ironton, Ohio   

Here is my post.

"Looking for burial site in Ironton. Hobart B. Stewart died on 17 Dec 1936. Actually he didn't just die, he was murdered. The incident occurred in Hocking, Fairfield, Ohio and the Boys Industrial School. I sent for and have just rec'd his death certificate. I have tried locating him on FAG, with no luck. His death cert states he was buried/removed to Ironton. It does not have "cremation" circled, so I'm assuming he was buried, although not certain. His first wife was M...arcella Jean Wood who died in 1931. She is buried at Woodland Cemetery in Ironton. I'm wondering if he could also be in Woodland?
If any of you have any idea, records from Woodland or other info, I would be very grateful. AND, if any of you are related to this family I would love to hear from you. Thanks!"

Within an hour I had a response from someone I have communicated with often via the Ohio Facebook groups I belong to.  She told me that Hobart is buried at Woodland Cemetery in Ironton, Ohio and gave me a burial number.  

TIP:  As I have said before, belonging to regional groups on Facebook and being on social media in general, is a great way to enhance your research and meet others who can assist you.  It’s also fun to assist them when they need something.

Now I need to call Woodland Cemetery and see if I can find his exact location.  

What I did today was to double check entries at Woodland Cemetery on FindAGrave.  There were none for either Hobart or his wife, Marcella.  

I created memorials for them and requested photos of their headstones.  There are several Facebook friends who are regular photo volunteers in the area.  I may have to wait til the weather clears though, in order for the photos to be taken.

Here are the links to the memorials:

Hobart B. Stewart memorial #125478990

Marcella Jean Wood Stewart memorial #125480839

WHAT I STILL WANT TO DO

As I said in my previous post about Hobart B. Stewart.  I would like to know what became of his children and I am still looking.  I have not been able to locate any information about them after the 1940 census.

If you are related or have information about Charles H. Stewart, born 30 Apr 1918 in Ohio or Phyllis Jane Stewart, born Feb 1926 in Ohio, please contact me.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST:

ADDING SIBLING LINKS TO FINDAGRAVE MEMORIALS

CEMETERY RECORDS - WHAT THEY CAN TELL YOU, HOW TO USE THEM

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall