Tombstone Tuesday: Matilda (Mac Elvey) Beerbower

Matilda L. (MacElvey) Beerbower-Headstone. Posted with permission of photographer.
Matilda L. (MacElvey) Beerbower-Headstone in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana. Posted with permission of photographer.

 

Matilda Louise MacElvey (or Matilda L. McKelvey) was born possibly in Massachusetts or more probably in Missouri on 27 Jan 1823 to unknown parents. At age 16 she married Eleazer John Beerbower (or John Eleazer Beerbower- German folks used their two names interchangeably throughout their lives, and he also was known as E.J. Beerbower); he was 23. They married 07 Mar 1839, and one year later, at age 17, she became the mother of twins on 01 Apr 1840. Son Polaski only lived 10 days, but his twin Caspar, named after Eleazer’s father and grandfather, survived longer, though only to 9 months and 25 days. The twins were buried in Dovel Memorial Cemetery, Pickerington, Fairfield, Ohio, so probably were also born in the area.

In 1842 the family was still living in Ohio where son Samuel T. Beerbower was born on 10 Nov 1842. He may have been named in honor of his paternal uncle, Samuel Beerbower (1824-1890). In August of 1844, at age 21, Matilda gave birth to son George who only survived 3 days; he also is buried in Dovel Memorial Cemetery. How sad it must have been to lose three precious children so early in life!

Healthy children, thankfully, then followed every few years to join their sibling Samuel T. Beerbower: Stephen Russell Beerbower was born in 1845 in Ohio; James M. Beerbower on 02 Mar 1848 in Ohio; Edgar P. Beerbower was born 28 Jun 1849 in Pinkerington, Fairfield County, Ohio. (He is your ancestor if you are descended from Anna May Beerbower Helbling; he was sometimes called Edward P. Beerbower instead of Edgar.)

In 1849, the family moved to Delaware, Delaware County, Ohio; in 1850, they uprooted again and moved to Marion County, Ohio. Eleazer was a saddle and harness maker there, a trade he had learned as a young man.

A daughter was finally born into the family: Mary Emma Beerbower, born 10 Mar 1852 in Marion, Ohio, followed by another son, Eleazer John Beerbower, named after his father, on 10 May 1858, also in Marion County, Ohio.  Matilda had given birth to a child every 1-3 years previously, before this six year gap. Matilda was just 35 when their ninth child was born.

In 1866, John (Eleazer John Sr.) moved to Indianapolis for a new job, but Matilda and the family stayed in Marion for one year before joining him. We have been unable to find a record of the family in the 1870 US Federal Census in Indianapolis, but the indexing of the name has some pretty creative spelling; hopefully they will turn up one of these days. They were found again in the Indianapolis 1880 census, with John working in the upholstery business.

Matilda’s husband John died at age 67 in Indianapolis on 24 Oct 1882.

The biography of son Samuel T. Beerbower states his widowed mother was living in Indianapolis in 1883. The Indianapolis City Directory of 1885 lists Matilda as the widow of Eleazer J., living at 5 Vine St.

Matilda is found again in the 1900 US Federal Census taken 9 June 1900. She was the head of household and living at 605 East Pratt St. in Indianapolis with her divorced son, Edgar Peter Beerbower (our ancestor- they got back together though and remarried- a story for another day). The census also notes that Matilda was born in June 1828, had 9 children, 6 still living, and that her parents were born in Maryland.

Matilda L. (MacElvey) Beerbower- Death Notice in The Indianapolis Journal_v50_n200_p8_c1.
Matilda L. (MacElvey) Beerbower- Death Notice in The Indianapolis Journal. (Click to enlarge.)

Matilda (McKelvey) Beerbower died about 5 weeks after the census, on 18 Jul 1900, at the age of 77. She had suffered from heart trouble for a number of years. (Understandable with the loss of so many loved ones!) She was laid to rest in Crown Hill Cemetery, Section 32, Lot 202, on 21 Jul 1900. Two of her dear sons, Edgar Peter and Stephen Russell, were later buried in the same lot.

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Polaski  Beerbower Memorial on Find A Grave: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=42557087

2) Caspar Beerbower Memorial on Find A Grave: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Beerbower&GSiman=1&GRid=42557101&

3) Samuel T. Beerbower on Find A Grave, which includes a bio of his parents. Have been unable to yet find the source of the FAG info. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=88047453

4) 1860 US Federal Census: Source Citation: Year: 1860; Census Place: Marion, Marion, Ohio; Roll: M653_1006; Page: 326; Image: 123; Family History Library Film: 805006.

5) 1880 US Federal census: Source Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana; Roll: 295; Family History Film: 1254295; Page: 227B; Enumeration District: 113; Image: 0156.

6) 1900 US Federal census: Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana; Roll: 387; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0044; FHL microfilm: 1240387.

7) US City Directory for Indianapolis, Indiana: Source Information: Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

8) Matilda L. MacElvey Beerbower Memorial on Find A Grave: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=BEE&GSpartial=1&GSbyrel=all&GSst=17&GScntry=4&GSsr=2641&GRid=45869801&

9) “Found Dead in Bed, Mrs. Matilda Beerbower, an Old Resident of the City,” in The Indianapolis Journal, July 19, 1900, Vol 50, Number 200, Page 8, Column 1.  https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=IJ19000719.1.8&srpos=11&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN-+Beerbower—–#. Indiana newspapers may also be found on the Chronicling America website.

10) The History of Marion County, Ohio…Leggett, Conaway, & Co., Chicago, 1883, pages 531, 555-6: https://archive.org/stream/historyofmarionc00legg#page/n5/mode/2up 

11) See our Beerbower Family Tree Page by clicking this link.

 

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Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

 
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Workday Wednesday- Dora Russell Aiken

Dora J. Russell Aiken-Business Card
Dora J. Russell Aiken-Business Card (Click to enlarge.)

Dora J. RUSSELL was born to David S. RUSSELL (1833-1897) and Rebecca Ann LUTZ (1841-1916) on 05 April 1862 in Flora, Clay County, Illinois (per death certificate) or Lorraine Village, Black River Township, Lorain, Ohio. (I think the latter, though some family researchers insist on Flora, IL, and her daughter listed Flora as Dora’s birthplace on the death certificate.) Dora had an older sister named Cora, so in the family they were affectionately known as “Cora and Dora from Flora.” There were two brothers as well: George Franklin Russell (1870-1927) and Claude Elmer Russell (1875-1942).

We have been unable to find the family in any 1870 census, but in 1877, Dora, just 13, was working in Caledonia Twp., Michigan as a domestic servant in the home of William and Mina Tick. Dora is then found in 1880 in Black River Twp., Lorain Co., Ohio with her family, where she was working as a milliner at age 16.

Dora married William H. AIKEN about 1883 and their first child, Dorothy Adele AIKEN(1884-1953), was born in Black River, Lorain, Ohio. The family lived in Amherst, Lorain, OH in 1885. Their son Claude Frank AKEN (or Frank Claude AIKEN) (1887,88, or 89?-1944), was also born in Lorain Co., Ohio.

In 1900 the family was living in New Madrid, Missouri. By 1910 they had moved to Florence, Fremont Co., Colorado with just son Claude- daughter Dottie had married Samuel J. Lee in 1906 and they were living in St. Louis, Missouri at the 1910 census.

Dora and her husband split up sometime between the 1910 census and the 1917 St. Louis City Directory that lists her as a widow and working as a nurse. (Thus the above business card is probably from that era.) She may have lived with her son Claude Aiken and his wife around 1915 in Chicago and again (still?) in 1917, as Claude’s World War I Draft Registration of 05 June 1917 in Oakville, St. Louis Co., Missouri notes that his mother and his wife are both dependents.

Dora Russell Aiken is found in the 1920 US Federal Census in St. Louis, Missouri with her daughter Dorothy “Dottie” (Aiken) Lee and Dottie’s husband Samuel J. Lee. At the 1930 census, the household consisted of her son-in-law, Samuel J. Lee, his wife Dorothy (Aiken) Lee, their son Lloyd Eugene “Gene” and his wife Ruth Nadine (Alexander) Lee, and their young son Robert Eugene Lee, Dora’s great-grandson. She lived the remainder of her life with her daughter and son-in-law.

Four generations of Aikens: Dora (Russell) Aiken sitting, her daughter Dorothy "Dottie" (Aiken) Lee, Dottie's son Lloyd Eugene "Gene" Lee, and Gene's son Robert Eugene Lee sitting on his great-grandmother's lap. Taken about 1933 at the house on Alamo in St. Louis, Missouri.
Four generations of Aikens: Dora (Russell) Aiken sitting, her daughter Dorothy “Dottie” Adele (Aiken) Lee standing behind her, Dottie’s son Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee, and Gene’s son Robert Eugene Lee sitting on his great-grandmother’s lap. Taken about 1933 at the house on Alamo in St. Louis, Missouri. (Click to enlarge.)

Dora (Russell) Aiken died on 7 Apr 1935, and is buried with her daughter Dorothy and son-in-law Samuel Lee  in Memorial Park, MO. Her son Claude Frank Aiken is buried nearby.

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) My Find A Grave Memorial# 57013339 for Dora Aiken Lee: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Aiken&GSiman=1&GScid=30159&GRid=57013339&. Accessed 2/25/14.

2) 1880 US Federal census for David S. Russell: Source Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: Lorain, Lorain, Ohio; Roll: 1042; Family History Film: 1255042; Page: 345B; Enumeration District: 163; Image: 0040. Accessed at Ancestry.com 2/25/14.

3) 1900 US Federal Census for William H. Aiken: Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: West, New Madrid, Missouri; Roll: 877; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0078; FHL microfilm: 1240877. Accessed 2/26/14.

4) 1910 US Federal Census for William H. Aiken: Source Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: Florence Ward 3, Fremont, Colorado; Roll: T624_119; Page: 30B; Enumeration District: 0069; FHL microfilm: 1374132. Accessed 2/26/14.

5) 1917 City Directory- St.. Louis, MO: Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Accessed 2/26/14.

6) 1917 US Draft Registration for Claud F Aiken: Source Citation: Registration State: Missouri; Registration County: St Louis; Roll: 1683865; Draft Board: 3. Accessed 2/26/14.

7) 1920 US Federal Census for Samuel J. Lee: Source Citation: Year: 1920; Census Place: St Louis Ward 24, St Louis (Independent City), Missouri; Roll: T625_960; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 468; Image: 245. Accessed 2/26/14.

8) 1930 US federal census for Samuel J. Lee: Source Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: St Louis, St Louis (Independent City), Missouri; Roll: 1245; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0239; Image: 830.0; FHL microfilm: 2340980. Accessed 2/26/14.

9) Family ephemera and photographs- treasures all.

 

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Copyright 2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

 
We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.



Mystery Monday- Mabel Mulhollen

"Mabel Mulhollen, cousin to Dottie Lee."
“Mabel Mulhollen, cousin to Dottie Lee.”

This photo was found in with the papers and photographs of Dorothy Adele (Aiken) and Samuel J. Lee. We do not know how the Mulhollen and Aiken families are connected. Dottie, as she was called, was born 01 June 1884 in Black River, Lorain Co., Ohio to William Hanford Aiken (1859-1942) and Dora J. Russell (1864-1935).

There is a Mabel Mulhollen found in the 1910 US Federal Census in Reade, Cambria, Pennsylvania. Mabel was living with her parents, Fleming and Hester (?) Mulhollen and she was 6 years old. Her father was a farmer. She is found in the same family and place in 1920, working as a telephone operator at age 16. This Mabel would have been 20 years older than Dottie, but that is possible with cousins.

Find A Grave has a listing for Mabel Mullhollen North. It states her mother’s maiden name was Glasgow, and that Mabel was married to Blair S. North (1901-1973). Their children were Betty, Ruth, Jack, and Walter Blain North. Per FAG, she died 06 Jul 1976 in Pennsylvania, and is buried in Allemansville Cemetery,  Allemans, Clearfield, Pennsylvania.

We would be very interested in learning how Mabel was related to Dottie- please contact us if you know.

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) 1910 US Federal Census for Mabel Mullhollen: Source Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: Reade, Cambria, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1324; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 0149; FHL microfilm: 1375337. Accessed 11/18/2013 on Ancestry.com.

2) 1920 US Federal Census for Mabel Mullhollen: Source Citation: Year: 1920; Census Place: Reade, Cambria,Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1547; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 219; Image: 942. Accessed 11/18/2013 on Ancestry.com.

3) Find A Grave Memorial for Mabel Mullhollen North, Memorial # 89226566. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=89226566, accessed 11/18/2013.

 

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