SUNDAY’S OBITUARY ~ Helen Marion Lindhorst 1916-1994

Published in The Belleville News-Democrat (Illinois) 24 Jan 1994, page 10

Helen Marion Lindhorst is my maternal 1^st cousin twice removed.  She is the only known descendant of my maternal grand uncle Raphael (aka Ralph) Hunter.  Ralph had 8 siblings, seven sisters and one brother.  I’ve researched this family for many years.  I have photos of six of the seven sisters, but not a single one of Ralph or his brother Clyde.  I’m ever hopeful that someday I will find a distant cousin with family photos.  This is why I write blog posts about cousins that may be once, twice or three times removed.  Do they have descendants out there?  If so, perhaps my blog posts will encourage them to contact me.

I have transcribed Helen’s obituary which was published in The Belleville News-Democrat (Illinois) on 24 Jan 1994, page 10.

Helen Marion Lindhorst, nee Hunter, 77, of Dupo, Ill., born Oct 27, 1916, in St. Louis, Mo., died Sunday, Jan 23, 1994 at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Belleville, Ill.

Mrs. Lindhorst was a member of First Baptist Church of Dupo, Dupo, Ill., and V. F. W. Auxiliary Post 6368 in Dupo, Ill.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ralph and Lucy nee Siler, Hunter; a son, Carl Edwin Lindhorst and a sister, Elsie Beal.

Surviving are her husband, Edwin E. Lindhorst of Dupo, Ill.; a son and daughter-in-law, Col. Joseph R. and Judy Lindhorst of Freeburg, Ill.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan 26 at Dashner Funeral Home in Dupo, Ill., with the Rev. Darrell Atkins officiating.  Burial will be in Evangelical St. Paul Cemetery, Columbia, Ill.

Friends may call from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and from 8:30 a.m. until the time of service Wednesday at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church of Dupo, Dupo, Ill.

Helen’s mother Lucy was married prior to her marriage to Ralph Hunter and had a son and daughter.  This means Lucy had two step siblings and they are enumerated in the household in the 1920 census.  By 1930 her step sister, Elsie had left the household. I have not yet been able to learn anything about Elsie’s life after leaving her parent’s household. 

I do however, know that Helen’s step brother Joseph Jackson Heathcock died in a diving accident at the age of 25, on 2 Aug 1938.  I believe he had married prior to his death to a lady named Louise, but I am still trying to locate more information about them.

This leads us to Helen.  She married Edwin Lindhorst about 1936.  They had two sons.  Their first, Carl Edwin Lindhorst was born 24 Jul 1937 in Illinois.  He sadly died in a vehicle accident at the age of 17 yrs. I wrote about his death here ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ Carl E. Lindhorst, age 17–Dead in a car crash, 1954, Illinois

This means that there is only one known descendant of Edwin Lindhorst and Helen Hunter.  A son, Joseph R. Lindhorst, born about 1949. It appears, based on a newspaper article (The Columbia Star, 28 Mar 1968, page 4) that Joseph joined the U.S. Army.  In many future references to him, I see him referred to as Colonel Joseph R. Hunter.  I believe he married Judith A. Kobylinski in about 1968. 

Since I have not located an obituary or other notice of death for Col. Joseph Lindhorst, I am assuming he may still be alive.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could make contact with him and learn more about his mother, Helen?  Perhaps he has photos of her.  And, oh my, could he have photos of his grandparents, Ralph & Lucy Hunter? 

If you are related to or a descendant of any of the people I listed in this blog post, I’d love to hear from you.  Let’s exchange information.

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2023   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

 

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ Carl E. Lindhorst, age 17–Dead in a car crash, 1954, Illinois

Carl E. Lindhorst was the son of Edwin Lindhorst (1912-1996) & Helen Marian Hunter (1917-1994).  Carl is my maternal 2nd cousin once removed.

Carl was born 24 Jul 1937 in Illinois.  He is the only recorded child I have for Edwin & Helen.  How very difficult this must have been for them.  I had basic information in my database about Carl, until doing more research while writing this post.

First though, here is the article about Carl’s death in an accident between a car & a truck, on 12 Aug 1954.  Both Carl and another young man, Michael Mernick were killed in this tragic accident.

St. Louis Dispatch 13 Aug 1954, page 14A

Transcription:

2 Dupo Youths Killed as Auto, Truck Collide – Carl Lindhorst and Michael Mernick, Dupo(Ill) youths, were killed and two other persons were injured last night in a head-on collision between a truck and an automobile on Illinois Route 3 near Columbia, 15 miles south of St. Louis.

Lindhorst, 17 year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Lindhorst, was driving the automobile.  Mernick, 15, son of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Mernick, was a passenger. 

The injured – Stanley Hudson, 16, and DeWayne Davis, 17, both of Dupo also were riding in the dar driven by Lindhorst.  Hudson suffered injuries of the neck and wrist, Davis cuts.  They were taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in East St. Louis.

Paul R. Miller of Charleston, Mo., driver of the truck was not injured.

I was able to locate his high school annual on MyHeritage and found a photo of him with his basketball team in 1953.

Carl Lindhorst in the front row - 3rd from left

Then I located an entire page in the Dupo High School yearbook from 1955, dedicated to Carl and a bio about him.  He sounded like a promising young man with many friends.  Like the death of anyone at age 17, you wonder what his future would have been.

1955 Dupo High School yearbook - Honoring Carl Lindhorst

Transcription:

We, the members of the class of 1955 of D.C.H.S. dedicate this page of our yearbook in loving memory of Carl Edwin Lindhorst, who was a member of our class until his fatal accident near Columbia on August 12, 1954, had been chosen editor of the 1955 El Tigre. He had been on the annual staff for two years and took part in many other activities.  He played center on the football team, and was student manager in other sports.  Popular and well liked, Carl’s friendly smile is missed in the halls of D.C.H.S.

While Michael Mernick may not be one of my ancestors, I will still honor him today by posting the memorial page from Dupo High School in 1956, the year he would have graduated.

1956 Dupo High School yearbook - Honoring Michael Mernick

I have also located a court case that was filed on behalf of those young men who were killed.  The case alleges misconduct and negligence on the part of the truck driver.  You may read the article here Mernick vs Chiodini - 1956 court case

You may visit Carl’s memorial on FindAGrave here #104355292.

It’s always sad for me to share these stories from our ancestors lives. But, as in our own lives, not everything or everyday is all ice cream and cake.  I share all of their stories to honor & remember them. 

If you are connected with anyone mentioned in this post, please get in touch.  I’d love to hear from you. 

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

MYSTERY MONDAY ~ Do you know this woman? Taken at Fenner Studio, Lima, Ohio - I would date this photo circa 1890’s Ohio

Unknown lady - fron Fenner's Studio in Lima, Ohio (showing front and back of the photo postcard) - I estimate 1890's

I purchased this photo on eBay sometime in 2019.  I routinely look for any photographs that were taken at, or mention Fenner’s Studio.  My great grandaunt, Grace HUNTER (1874-1946) was married to Charles Henry FENNER (1859-1918) and his family owned Fenner’s Studio in Ohio.  After his death, my great grandaunt, Grace, ran the studio on some level.

 

When I saw this particular photo, I thought the lady bore a resemblance to my 2nd great grandmother, Susan Caroline BOGGS, who was Grace’s mother.  I have only one photo of Susan Boggs (who married James Gillen Hunter and together they had 9 children).  Wouldn’t it be marvelous to have another photo of her?

Here’s my only photo of Susan.  This is a four generation photo that I’ve shown on my blog in the past.

Susan Caroline Boggs Hunter is seated in front, holding her great granddaughter, Dorothy Irene Milne - standing in the back are L-R, my great grandmother Florence Hunter and my grandmother Florence Bowden - this photo was taken in 1907

If I zoom in and crop only Susan, here’s what I get. 

Here are the photos side by side. 

I am fairly good at identifying old photos and recognizing my family at different ages.  I’ve examined these photos over and over and I have concluded that they are not the same person.  In looking at the shape of the eyebrows and mouth and even the eyes, I find significant enough differences that make me think they are two different people.  I have tried to zoom in to the magazine the lady in the chair is holding, but cannot see a date or place etc.

I would welcome your input on this matter.  Do you think they are the same person?  If so, why?

 

And, of course, if you recognize this woman and are related to her, I’d be happy to send you the photo.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE SPANISH INFLUENZA ~ An estimated 50 Million died worldwide–How many in my own family? (Quite timely – I mentioned Charles Fenner’s death above – he died in this pandemic)

A GREAT DISCOVERY YESTERDAY–ASK FOR HELP AND YOU MAY GET IT – A post about the value of putting your queries online and joining Facebook groups

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TODAY IN OUR FAMILY ~ It’s my great grandmother, Florence Hunter’s birthday–she would have been 150 years old today

Happy birthday to you Florence Hunter.  You were born 150 years ago today!

You are my maternal great grandmother.  I feel as though I know you from all the research I've done.  I’m blessed to have many pictures of you.

You were born on 7 Aug 1869 in Newport, Campbell, Kentucky to James Gillen Hunter (1832-1894) & Susan Caroline Boggs (1842-1913).

You first married Robert Edward Bowden on 10 Mar 1887, at age 17, in Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio.  You and Robert had two daughters, my grandmother, also named Florence, born 31 Jan 1888 and Edna, born 1 Jan 1890.

You and Robert divorced in 1899 and you next married George Keatley Bell (1870-1952), on 16 Oct 1904.  You were married until your death in 1946.  He died 2 Nov 1952.

I remember my grandma telling me that you ran a boarding house.  In fact, it was at that very place that she met my grandfather, Joseph A. Milne.

One of the earliest photos I have is actually a 4 generation portrait taken sometime around 1907, after the birth of your first grandchild, Dorothy Irene Milne.

Back row-L-R - Florence Hunter and her daughter Florence.  Seated is Florence Hunter's mother, Susan C. Boggs and baby Dorothy Milne, her first grandchild

The next picture is a lovely group picture of you and five of your six sisters.

Here are several more photos I have put together in a video.  

(You can enlarge the video to full screen in the lower right hand corner)

Click twice if the video doesn't begin

You died 4 years before I was born, on 27 May 1946 at Osteopathic Hospital in Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri.  You were 76 years, 9 months and 20 days old.  You died after a fall at home that fractured your right femur.

I wish we could have met.  I have SO many questions I need to ask you.  How fun it would be to sit down and chat.  I bet you would have many stories to tell me.  Your daughter, my grandmother, was the original family historian and passed that love along to me.

 

Rest in peace great grandmother.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

WEDDING WEDNESDAY ~ I’ve finally located the image of my 2nd great grandmother’s third marriage–Susan Caroline Boggs (1842-1913)

 

Susan Caroline Boggs Hunter Cresse

marriage to Lewis/Louis A. Hankins

14 Apr 1909, Jefferson Co., Indiana

My maternal 2nd great grandmother married 3 times.  First to James Gillen Hunter (1832- appox. 1894) on 29 Aug 1859 in Lawrence Co., Ohio.  She was only 17 yrs. old when she married him.  They were married until his death in about 1894.  Together they had 9 children: Myra, Clyde, Lenorah, Ada, Estelle, Florence (my great grandmother), Raphael, Grace & Daisy.  James worked as a Carpenter according to census and city directory listings.  It couldn’t have been easy raising 9 children all born about 2 years apart.

Here is the record of their marriage¹

After James’ death Susan married William Lewis Cresse (Oct 1938-May 1906) on 26 Oct 1897 in Logansport, Cass, Indiana.  Susan is 55 years old at the time of this marriage.  By this time it seems that all of Susan & James’ children were out of the house and either married or living elsewhere.  In the 1900 census Susan & her second husband William can be found in Delphi, Carroll, Indiana with his son, Charles, age 26 living with them.  William was a Farmer.

The marriage of William Cresse & Susan C. Hunter is indexed² and available on both Ancestry & Family Search.  At the time I located the index in Jul 2010, there was no image.  I thought I’d check again today.  No luck!  The image is only available at the Family History Library.

Sadly, on 5 May 1906, William Cresse died just 8 1/2 years after they were married.   His cause of death was Gangrene & necrosis of upper jaw/septic infection from a tooth extraction.³ 

Susan was now 63 years old and alone again.  Somewhere along the way she met and married her 3rd and final husband, Lewis A. Hankins (1850-1927) on 14 Apr 1909 in Jefferson Co., Indiana.  The marriage only lasted until her death four years later in 1913.

Up until yesterday I had only an index referring to their marriage. By locating the image and not just the index, I can take a look at details myself.  The index I located had the date and place of the marriage, bride & grooms name’s, each of their birthplaces and the FHL film number. 

But, look at the additional and valuable information available on the image⁴.  Both of their dates of birth, their parent’s names and how many times they’ve been married.  This just gives us further evidence/sources for the story of their lives.

 

To put a face to a name, here is a photo of Susan Caroline Boggs,  This headshot was cropped from a group photo.

If you are connected to any of the ancestors mentioned in this blog post, I’d love to hear from you.  Let’s exchange information.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY ~ Transit Permit for the remains of Wm. A. Boggs (1815-1899) – My 3rd great grandfather

DID MY ANCESTOR DO TIME IN SING SING PRISON? - Susan C. Boggs brother-in-law

Sources: 1 - Ohio, Record of Marriages, 1790-1950, Book 6, no. 1526, film no. 317717, digital image no. 4922498, image no. 90: page 132, Hunter-Boggs, 1859; digital images(www.familysearch.org : accessed 4 Mar 2012);

2 - Indiana - Marriage Collection, 1800-1941," database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 Jul 2010), entry for the marriage of William L. Crosse to Susie C. Hunter; citing Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941, book 16, page 470. Cit. Date: 20 Jul 2010; Name: William L Crosse Spouse Name: Susie C Hunter Marriage Date: 26 Oct 1897 Marriage County: Cass Source Title 1: Cass County, Indiana Source Title 2: Index to Marriage Record 1850-1920 Inclusive Volume Source Title 3: W. P. A. Original Record Located: County Clerk's O Book: 16 OS Page: 470

3 - Indiana Death Index, 1882-1920," database, Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1947977 : accessed 19 Jun 2018), entry for the death of William Cresse; citing Indiana Death Index, 1882-1920. Rec. Date: 19 Jun 2018.  Cit. Date: 19 Jun 2018; Name:    William L. Creese Event Type:    Death Event Date:    05 May 1906Event Place:    Delphi, Indiana Age:    66Birth Year (Estimated):    1840Gender:    Male Race:    Affiliate Repository Place:    City Health Office, Delphi Source Reference:    The source of this record is the book H-14 on page within the series produced by the Indiana Works Progress Administration; Citing this Record. Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Death Certificates; Year: 1906; Roll: 02, Roll Number: 02.  I also have the image for this record.

4 - Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Death Certificates; Year: 1906; Roll: 02, https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=60716

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

WEDDING WEDNESDAY ~ The story of Susan Hunter and James W. Trail–1846, Franklin Co., Ohio

Celebrating the marriage of

James W. Trail & Susan Hunter

Susan Hunter is my 2nd great grandaunt.  She is the daughter of Rev. Isaac C. Hunter and Emily Gillen.  Susan was born 8 Nov 1829 in Ohio.¹   She was the first child of 5 (known) children born to the couple.

On 16 Apr 1846 she married James W. Trail in Franklin County, Ohio.  Franklin County is located just about in the middle of the state of Ohio.  Most of my ancestors on this side of the family are from Lawrence County, which is southeast Franklin County, just on the border of West Virginia.  When I looked at the map of Ohio, I found that Susan was living with her parents and three siblings in Pickaway County, Ohio in the 1840 census.  Pickaway is just neighboring county to Franklin.  Susan’s father, Isaac, was an itinerant preacher so the family may have had to move around.  I wonder how Susan met her future husband, James Trail?

Here is a close up of the record of their marriage record.²

James was 25 at the time of the marriage, but Susan was only 16.  As I researched further, I found that Susan had to obtain permission from her mother in order to get married.  I was able to locate on Ancestry.com, the record of permission which is signed by her mother, Emily.³  I was redirected to FamilySearch.org to view the image.

I wonder if the reason Emily granted permission to Susan had anything to do with Emily having been widowed 4 years earlier.  She had 5 children in the house at the time ranging in age from a few months to 16 years.  It certainly couldn’t have been easy for her.  What did she do for income?  Emily then remarried a few months after Susan’s marriage to James Trail and went on to have two more children.

In the 1850 census, four years after their marriage we find James & Susan living in Fayette, Lawrence, Ohio.  They have one infant daughter, Emily A. and Susan’s brother, Isaac is living with them.  James is working as a Millwright.⁴

Susan & James had two more daughters, Ida & Lavina and one son, Isaac.  (The name Isaac obviously run in this family as Susan’s father, her brother and now her son all bear the name)

I wonder if there were more children born to Susan and James?  The fact that the first child we have for them is Emily, born 3 years after the marriage makes me wonder if other children may have died prior to her birth.  The rest of the children were all born in the “usual” time frame of about two years between each child.

This story has a sad ending.  Susan Hunter Trail, wife of James W. Trail died on June 16, 1856 (according to her headstone).  She was only 26 years old.  I find no record of her after that date.  I have never located her death record and I don’t know what she died from.  She is mentioned in the Ironton Register obituary on 19 Jun 1856, page 3.  I have never seen a copy of that article. These obituaries were referenced on the Lawrence Register website, which is how I learned about them.  However, at the current time they are no longer on the website. 

James went on to marry after Susan’s death.  I have not located the marriage record, if there is one, but he appears in the 1860, 1870 and 1880 census records with a woman named Sarah and a young son, named William D. Trail.

I believe that James Trail died in Apr 1886 as there is an obituary reference in the Ironton Register on 22 Apr 1886.  This newspaper is not online.  Oh how I wish it was because of the many ancestors from the area.

I was able, in 2012, to visit the cemetery in Burlington, Lawrence Co., Ohio where Susan Hunter Trail is buried. 

Here I am next to her headstone.

The headstone reads: Susan wife of J. W. Trail daughter of Rev. I.C. & E. Hunter born Nov 8, 1829 died June 16, 1856.

Don’t we wish all headstones had reference to the parents of our ancestor?

If you have any additional information on this couple or you are descended from them, I’d love to hear from you.

Sources:

1.  Headstone from findagrave memorial #96395510

2.  Ohio County Marriages, 1789-1994, Index & images, Film No. 285143, image number 00180

3.  Ohio County Marriages, 1774-1993, film number 000285167

4.  Definition of Millwright – a person who designs or builds mills or who maintains mill machinery

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2017 Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

SIBLING SATURDAY ~ Corp. John E. Hunter and his brother Isaac C. Hunter–Union and Confederate soldiers

I have come across the first instance in my family where brother opposed brother in the Civil War.  Much has been written in recent months about this subject.  But, I’ll stay out of the political debate and just report history as it related to my own family.

It all began when I requested and received the Civil War Pension File for my 2nd great granduncle John E. Hunter.  Until a few weeks ago I knew only an approximate birth year and place for John E. Hunter.  After contact with a cousin, via DNA, I have begun to fill out his life.  Please refer to my blog post here if you’d like to read about that cousin connection.

Another brother in that same family has been a mystery to me too.  All I had on Isaac C. Hunter was an approximate year of birth and place.

After receiving the pension file for Corp. John E. Hunter I learned the following.  That he had served with Company H, 6th Regiment, Ohio Cavalry from Oct 1861 until the end of his term of service in 1864.  During that time he had been taken prisoner of war for a short time and also sustained a gun shot wound to his left shoulder.

After his discharge from the service he married and had a son, but his shoulder continued to cause him pain and an inability to do any hard labor.  To try and improve his health he went to Shreveport, Louisiana where his brother Isaac C. Hunter was a River Boat Pilot.  John Hunter was, according to his brother’s deposition, able to work with him for a while on the river boat.  However, John became ill and ended up being treated by a physician while at Isaac’s home.
 
In reading Isaac’s deposition (see image below – click on it to enlarge it) I learned that they didn’t agree about the war and had “very little to say about it.”  That, of course, makes me want to know more.



Here is a close up of the section of the page outlined in red above.



Transcription from excerpt above – “He told me he was wounded in the U.S. Army, but said very little about it, we did not agree about the war, and had very little to say about it, I don’t know on what part of his person the wound was."

As I was able to conduct further research (and thanks to my cousin Amy) Isaac C. Hunter’s FindAGrave memorial was located. Memorial #7425900.  On the memorial you will see that Isaac aka Ike was a Private in the 1st Btn Co E Trans-Mississippi Confederate Cavalry C.S.A.  Isaac Hunter was also a member of Benevolent Association of Confederate Veterans.

NOTE:  I have no experience in looking for or finding Confederate records.  Now I get to learn something new.

It was quite obvious that these two brothers fought on opposite sides during the war.  I am still trying to find military records that would tell me more about Isaac Hunter’s service for the Confederate Army.

This is the first time I have found a member of my family who served in the Confederate Army.  It seems the majority of both mine and my husband’s family came to and stayed in the northern states.  You always read about brothers fighting against brothers, but I’d never heard of my own family on opposite sides. 

I have more information to share about these Hunter brothers, but I’ll save that for another post.

If you believe you are connected to this family, I’d love to hear from you.  Please get in touch with me.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2017 Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION