Descendants of Luman Walker Lemasters & Mary Keziah Chew Facebook Group

Trying to gather information on more recent generations and helping to share family memories, photos and stay connected - I created a Facebook group page for descendants of my paternal 2nd-great grandparents, Luman Walker Lemasters and Mary Keziah Chew.

Luman Walker Lemasters Jr. (b.19 Oct 1842 Shelby Co., OH; d. 18 Nov 1931 Salamonia, Jay Co., IN) & Mary Keziah Chew (b. 13 Feb 1847 Mt. Holly, Burlington Co., NJ; d. 22 Feb 1927 Madison Twp., Jay Co., IN) were married 2 Oct 1864 at Versailles, Darke Co., OH.  

They were the parents of the following children:

Beulah Sarah (1865-1940) m. Lynn Lumas Rockwell 
Luman Cooper (1867-1933) m. Barbara Isabel Wehrly 
Phillip D. (1869-1869)
William Clifford (1870-1922) m(1). Lella Edith Lewis m(2). Willie Pannill Brown 
Mary Elsie (1873-19420 m. Matthias Jefferson Atkinson 
Bertha Fidelia (1874-1922) m. John Henry Yaeger 
Ord Otterbein (1876-1937) m. Emma W.G. Garmhausen
Edith Mabel (1879-1949) m. Henry Christian Meinholtz 
Una Maude (1884-1968) m. Senator Winfield Phillips 
Arthur Raymond (1885-1971) m. Maude Gertrude McLaughlin 
Vernon Walker (1888-1955) m. Helen Louise Garmhausen 


Spelling variations of the surname sometimes included a final 's' and capital 'M'.  Most common spelling of the surname today is LeMaster.

Descendants of Luman Walker Lemasters Jr. & Mary Keziah Chew Private group · 49 members Join Group For descendants of the various LeMaster families who descend from Luman Walker Lemasters Jr. (1842-1931) & Mary Keziah Chew (1847-1922).

 

The Doctor's Daughter, Mary Keziah (Chew) Lemasters (1847-1927), 52 Ancestors # 14

Mary Keziah (Chew) Lemasters

The 14th ancestor in my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project is my paternal great-great-grandmother, Mary Keziah (Chew) Lemasters (1847-1927).  Mary is number 17 on my Ahnentafel list, and previously I've written about the details of her life in an Exploratory Data post.

I am descended through:

* her son # 8 Luman Cooper LeMasters (1867-1933), married # 9 Barbara Isabel Wehrly (1869-1930) in 1886.  

* their son, # 4 Ord Wehrly LeMaster (1906-1971), married # 5 Ruth Pauline Haley (1911-1990) in 1932 - my grandparents.

Mary was born February 13, 1847 in Mount Holly, Burlington County, New Jersey^1,2, the daughter of Dr. E.C and Caroline B. (Woolston) Chew.  She was the oldest daughter of the family.

Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Ohio, where in 1850 they were living in Jackson Township of Montgomery County³.  By 1860, the family was living in Neave Township of Darke County, Ohio⁴, where her father was a doctor.

At age 17, Mary married Luman Walker Lemasters Jr. on October 2, 1864 at Versailles, Darke County, Ohio⁵. Luman was a Civil War veteran who had been discharged on May 4, 1864 due to injuries he had received in battle.  Luman had enlisted from Jay County, Indiana, which borders Darke County, Ohio to the northwest.  The distance between Versailles, Ohio and Portland, Indiana is about 52 miles.

While it is possible that the families knew each other before the war, my theory is that they met during Luman's convalescence, perhaps when Mary's father, Dr. Ezekiel Cooper Chew, was treating him for his war wounds.   Tax records show that E.C. Chew was listed as a physician on January 25, 1864 in Lancaster, Jay County, Indiana⁶.  Lancaster is the former name of the village of Salamonia, near where the Lemasters family was from.

After their marriage, the family alternated between living in Ohio and Indiana.  Their daughter Beulah was born in Ohio in 1865, but son Luman was born in Jay County, Indiana in 1867.  Mary and Luman lived in Darke County, Ohio, renting land where they were enumerated in 1870 in Allen Township⁷.  By 1876, they were back in Jay County when their son Ord was born, and the family was enumerated in 1880 in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana⁸.

Mary was the mother of 11 children, 10 of whom survived into adulthood.  The family was affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church of Salamonia, and led to its organization in 1876.  As mentioned in the biography in the 1922 county history, Mary was a Sunday school teacher for several years.



When Mary died in Salamonia, Jay County, Indiana on February 22, 1927², she was 80 years old.  She and her husband are buried in the Salamonia Cemetery.

Sources:

1. Mary K. Lemaster obituary, Commerial-Review, Portland, Indiana, February 22, 1927, page 1.

2. Mary K. LeMaster, death certificate Book H-8, page 144 (1927), Jay County Health Department, Portland, Indiana.

3. Ezekiel Chew household, 1850 U.S. census, population schedule, Jackson Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, dwelling 901, family 901; National Archives micropublication M432, roll 714.

4. Ezekiel Chew household, 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Neave Township, Darke County, Ohio, dwelling 1166, family 1128, page 164.

5. Milton T. Jay, History of Jay County, Indiana: including its World War Record and Incorporating the Montgomery History (Indianapolis, Indiana : Historical Publishing Company, 1922), page 196.

6. Ancestry.com. U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data:National Archives (NARA) microfilm series: M603, M754-M771, M773-M777, M779-M780, M782, M784, M787-M789, M791-M793, M795, M1631, M1775-M1776, T227, T1208-T1209; Chew, E.C., District 11, Monthly Tax Lists, January 1864.
7. Luman Lemasters household, 1870 U.S. census, population schedule, Allen Township, Darke County, Ohio, North Star P.O., sheet 21, page 12, dwelling 79, family 79; National Archives micropublication M593, roll 1194
8. Walker Lemasters household, 1880 U.S. census, population schedule, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana, ED 161, SD 6, page 4, dwelling 47, family 48; National Archives micropublication T9, roll 287.
9. 

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge was created by Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small blog.  The premise is to write once a week about a specific ancestor - whether it be a story, a biography, a photograph or a research problem.

The Young Soldier, Luman Walker Lemasters, Jr. (1842-1931), 52 Ancestors # 13

Luman Walker Lemasters, Jr. (1842-1931)

The 13th ancestor in my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project is my paternal great-great grandfather, Luman Walker Lemasters, Jr. (1842-1931).  Luman is number 16 on my Ahnentafel list, and previously I've written about the details of his life in an Exploratory Analysis post.

I am descended through:

* his son # 8 Luman Cooper LeMasters (1867-1933), married # 9 Barbara Isabel Wehrly (1869-1930) in 1886.

* their son # 4 Ord Wehrly LeMaster (1906-1971), married # 5 Ruth Pauline Haley (1911-1990) in 1932 - my grandparents.

Luman was born October 19, 1842 in Shelby County, Ohio^1,2.  The Lemasters family lived in Salem Township near Port Jefferson until 1854 when the family moved to Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana near Salamonia³.

In the 1860 census of Madison Township, he was listed as Walker Lemaster, aged 17, born in Ohio, and had attended school within the year⁴.

On April 14, 1861, President Lincoln issued a call for troops to aid in putting down the Rebellion, and Luman was one of many from Jay County to answer the call.  The county history gives the details of the formation of Company C, 39th Regiment Indiana Infantry, in which Luman enlisted on July 21, 1861^2,5.

Luman's unit participated in some hard fought battles in the Western Theatre of the war, including Shiloh and Stone's River.

In May of 1863, the 39th Regiment was mounted and armed with Spencer rifles and renamed as the 8th Indiana Cavalry.  On July 3, 1863 at Decker's Forge, near Winchester, Tennessee, Luman was severely wounded when he was shot through the left breast⁶.

I have often thought about how fortunate that Luman survived this injury.  If he hadn't, I might not be here today.  The bullet passed through the first and second ribs (left side) and lodged within the thorax.

After recuperating in the field hospitals, Luman was discharged on May 4, 1864 at Tyner's Station, Tennessee.

Discharge of Luman Walker Lemasters, 1864

Within a few months of his discharge, Luman was married on October 2, 1864 at Versailles, Darke County, Ohio to Mary Keziah Chew^6,7.  Mary's father was a physician, Dr. Ezekiel Cooper Chew, and I've often wondered if Luman met her during his rehabilitation period.

I have records of Luman's military service during the war and his pension records afterwards.  I intend to share these records in future posts.  One thing that I found interesting was the physical description given for my great-great grandfather. 

At the time of his enlistment, Luman was described as standing 5 feet 3 inches tall with black hair and blue eyes with a dark complexion.  He enlisted at Portland, Indiana for a term of 3 years.  Certainly not a tall man, but a brave one.

Company Descriptive Book
Luman W. LeMaster

8th Indiana Cavalry

Sources:

1. Young, L.I.C. Biography of the Young Family 1759-1904, Fremont, Ohio: Fremont Printing Co., 1904, p. 51.
2. Milton T. Jay, History of Jay County, Indiana: including its World War Record and Incorporating the Montgomery History (Indianapolis, Indiana, USA: Historical Publishing Company, 1922), p. 195.
3. Jay County Indiana Deed Records, Book I page 116, Jay County Recorders Office, Portland, Indiana.
4. Luman W. Lemaster household, 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana, Salamonia P.O., page 2, dwelling 10, family 10; National Archives micropublication M563, roll 269.
5. L.W. Lemaster obituary, Commercial-Review, Portland, Indiana, November 18, 1931, p. 1.
6. Milton T. Jay, History of Jay County, Indiana : including its World War Record and Incorporating the Montgomery History (Indianapolis, Indiana, USA: Historical Publishing Company, 1922), p. 196.
7. Lemaster, Howard M, & Margaret Herberger, Lemasters, U.S.A., 1639-1965, Carlinville, Illinois, 1965, p. 196.

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge was created by Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small blog.  The premise is to write once a week about a specific ancestor - whether it be a story, a biography, a photograph or a research problem.

Luman Cooper LeMasters (1867-1933), Nebraska Years, 52 Ancestors # 9

Luman Cooper LeMasters

The ninth ancestor in my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project is my paternal great-grandfather, Luman Cooper LeMasters (1867-1933).  Previously, I'd written about the details of his life in an Exploratory Data post.

Shortly after his marriage in November 1886 to Barbara Isabel Wehrly in Jay County, Indiana, my great-grandparents moved to Valley County, Nebraska.

Valley County is situated right in the center of Nebraska, and the county seat is Ord.  The city was named after Civil War general Edward O.C. Ord, who commanded the Department of the Platte.  The name Ord in my family has it origins from this man and time period.

Though I don't know the exact reason for the move to Nebraska, I can speculate that it was likely due to cheap land and the fact that Luman already had family in the area.  Luman's uncle, Jacob Lemasters (1845-1922) had moved to Valley County, Nebraska in March of 1883.  As a young couple starting out on their own, the lure of "going west" may have held a strong appeal.

I've only managed to find a few records of Luman and Barbara's time in Valley County, Nebraska.  Unfortunately, I didn't get the book or page for these records and need to get that information recorded.

Receipt for land purchase in Valley County, Nebraska

Final Receipt United States to Luman C. Lemasters, No. 4993, Receivers Office at Grand Island April 10, 1888

Received from Luman C. Lemaster of Valley County Nebraska the sum of Two Hundred Dollars and --- cents being in full for the North East quarter of Section No 20 in Township No 20 North of Range No. 13 West containing 160 acres and --- hundreth at $ 1.35 per acre.

A.H. Baker Reciever

 $200 Filed for Record April 19 1888 S.A. Patton

It would appear from the record above that they were already residents of Valley County by the year 1888 when they purchased the land.  When they first moved to Nebraska they were likely renters.

Family tradition, and at least one published genealogy¹ related that Luman and Barbara's first child, an unnamed infant, was born and died in Ord, Valley County, Nebraska in 1887.

The name of this child has been lost to history.  Even whether it was a boy or a girl is not known.  I've been unsuccessful in locating any information about the child.

The second child of Luman and Barbara, Clarence Harrison LeMaster, was born June 14, 1888 in Nebraska.  His middle name was likely chosen in honor of 1888 Presidential candidate Benjamin Harrison, an Indiana native, due to the fact that the LeMaster family were staunch Republicans.

Whether it was the economy, the struggles of losing one of their children, or a longing for home, Luman and Barbara decided to move back to Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.  They were back by May 25, 1890, when their son Chesley Franklin LeMaster was born.

A quit claim deed was filed in Valley County from Luman C. Lemaster & wife to A.M. Robbins dated August 10, 1891.

Know all men by these presents that we Luman C. Lemaster and Isabelle B. Lemaster, husband and wife, of the county of Jay and State of Indiana, for the consideration of six hundred Dollars, hereby quit claim to A.M. Robbins of the county of Valley, and State of Nebraska the following described real-estate, situated in the county of Valley and State of Nebraska, to wit : North East Qt Section twenty (20), township twenty (20) Range thirteen (13) west.  In witness whereof we have set our hands this tenth day of February 1890.  Luman C. Lemasters Isabelle B. Lemasters

In presence of Geo. Theurer

State of Indiana, Jay County, SS : Be it remembered, that on the tenth day of February 1890 before the undersigned, a Notary Public in and for said county, personally came Luman C. Lemasters and his wife Isabell B. Lemasters to __ known to be the identical person described in and who executed the foregoing Deed as grantor, and acknowledged said instrument to be their voluntary act and deed.  Witness my hand and official seal the day and year last above written.  D. Skinner, Notary Public 

The time spent by the family in Valley County, Nebraska was less than three years, likely from mid-1887 to early 1890.  They bought 160 acres and were able to sell it for three times what they paid for it.  While there are many LeMaster relatives who stayed in Nebraska, for my direct line, the Nebraska years were a small blip in their lives.

Sources : 

1. Rummel, Merle & Madeline Olt, comp., "Three Sons of Steffan Petry, 1729-1977", Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD, 1977, p. 385.

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge was created by Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small blog.  The premise is to write once a week about a specific ancestor - whether it be a story, a biography, a photograph or a research problem.

Charles Butler household, 1940, San Diego County, California

Located the 1940 census record of the Charles Butler household in San Diego County, California.  Charles was my paternal 3rd cousin twice removed.  Our common ancestors were Jacobs Lemasters and Hannah ________.  Charles' parents were Frank Carlos Butler and Clara LeMasters.

1940 U.S. census, San Diego County, California, population schedule, San Diego, enumeration district (ED) 62-107, SD 20, sheet 4A, 3083 Island, household 74, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 January 2017); National Archives, Washington, D.C..

At the time of the enumeration, Charles and his wife were living in the city of San Diego.  The census states that Charles owned his home, its value was $1000 and was not a farm.  Charles was 55 years old and born in Missouri.  His wife, Linda, was 50 years old and born in Canada.  In 1935, their residence was the same place.

The record shows that both Charles and Linda had completed the 8th grade.  Charles' occupation was listed as a janitor in a public school, while Linda had no occupation listed.

Also living in the household was their son Frank, age 26, born in California, working as a tire retreader; and mother-in-law Mary Hoag, age 64, widow, born in England with no occupation.

If you have any additional information or are connected to this family, I'd love to hear from you.

Baby Steps : LeMaster and Wehrly DNA

Made contact with Jeffrey, an AncestryDNA match who was predicted to be a 3rd cousin to see if we could compare information and chart our common DNA.  Jeff and I are actually 2nd cousins once removed - our common ancestors were Luman Cooper LeMasters and Barbara Isabel Wehrly.

According to AncestryDNA, we shared 189 cM over 10 DNA segments.  Unfortunately, AncestryDNA doesn't give you a chromosome browser to show you exactly which chromosomes we match on.  It's knowing where we match that can help segregate which DNA comes from the LeMaster side.  

I was able to have Jeffrey to upload his AncestryDNA results to the 3rd party site GEDMatch.  Here are the results of the comparison of our DNA:

GEDMatch shows us matching on 8 segments and 192.4 cM.  The differences between AncestryDNA and GEDMatch are due to the cutoff minimum in GEDMatch to be counted as a matching segment.

As you can see, Jeffrey and I match on chromosomes 4,5,6,8,15,18 & 21.  We have a break in chromosome 6 with two long stretches of shared DNA.  

Next, I compared Jeffrey's results with that of my first cousin Debbie to see where they matched each other.

They only match on 4 segments for 62.5 cM.  The matching chromosomes are on 2,8,15 & 16.

I also compared Jeffrey to my dad, to see what DNA they share together.

Jeffrey and my dad share 11 matching segments and 344.5 cM of DNA, much more than he shares with Debbie or myself.  The chromosomes they match on are 3,4,5,6,7,8,10,15,18 & 21 - including two sections on chromosome 6, just like he shared with me.

The common ancestry of all of us testing above are the LeMaster and Wehrly lines, so the DNA we share has to come from these branches or upline from them.  Right now chromosome 6 seems to be behaving very interestingly.

I'm beginning to collect data on matches that I share from the three testing sites to chart out an mark which DNA is coming from which side of the family. This will come in handy for helping those distant matches that triangulate with us in finding the common ancestors.

He Drowned in the Potomac

Sometimes an ancestor or relative seems to call out to you, wanting their story to be told.  Before yesterday, all I knew of William H. Cunningham was his year of birth (1905) and date and place of death (1929, Washington D.C.).  While working on updates on his father, John W., I was drawn to search old newspapers to see what I might find.  It turns out this led me on an interesting search.

John W. Cunningham (1868-1947) was my paternal first cousin 3 times removed, the son of William E. Cunningham and Rachel Lemasters.  Our common ancestors were the Rev. Luman Walker Lemasters and Nancy Young.  While updating his death certificate information from Ancestry.com, I found out that at one time he was the Sheriff of Jay County, Indiana.  Curious to see what stories might mention his service as Sheriff was what led me to the unknown story of his son, William H. Cunningham.

The Daily Reporter (Greenfield, Indiana), May 13, 1929, page 1

The story that grabbed my attention was a news report that appeared in several newspapers across the state, telling the tale of William's death by drowning:

Young Man Drowned.

Portland. - This city city was shocked today to learn that William Cunningham, 24-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. John W. Cunningham here, a student at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. was drowned in the Potomac River while canoeing Sunday.  According to reports from Washington the body has not yet been recovered.

What a sad fate.  I immediately began searching for more information, and found a little more detail in a similar news report:

Indianapolis News (Indianapolis, Indiana), May 13, 1929, page 14

Hoosier Student Drowns.

Potomac River Has Not Yielded Body of Portland Young Man.

Portland, Ind., May 13 (A.P.) - Mr. and Mrs. John W. Cunningham, of this city, have received a message telling of the death of their son, William Cunningham, age twenty-four, by drowning in the Potomac river at Washington.  The body has not been recovered.

The young man, a student at Georgetown University, was riding in a canoe with two other students when the craft was upset by a whirlpool.  He told his companions to swim to shore and he would bring the canoe in.  They swam to safety, but Cunningham was carried under the surface by another whirlpool.

The parents, one brother and one sister survive.  His father is a former sheriff of Jay county.

 Looking for a death record, I searched FamilySearch and located a record of his death, which gives the date as May 18, 1929.  This may be the date when his body was recovered.  I was unable to obtain an image of the record, only the following:

 

This record gives me William's middle name as Harvey.  He was named for his grandparents - William Cunningham being his paternal grandfather and Harvey Drake being his maternal grandfather.

Knowing that he was a student at Georgetown University, I went online to see what they had in the way of digital archives.  They have their old yearbooks and newspapers available for viewing.  In the May 16, 1929 edition of the student newspaper, the Hoya, I found the following article:

Hoya, Vol. 10, no. 28 (May 16, 1929), page 1

 F.S. STUDENT DROWNED SAT.

W.H. Cunningham loses Life in Potomac as Canoe Capsizes Below Chain Bridge

W.H. Cunningham, 24-year-old junior at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service, was drowned in the Potomac River last Saturday afternoon when a canoe in which he was riding with two companions turned over in the swift water about half a mile below Chain Bridge.

Cunningham, with Willard Burkett and W.W. Stevens, his roommates and fellow students, started up the river for an outing early in the afternoon.  At Dempsey's boat house they were joined by a friend, George Davlin.

In two canoes they stared to paddle up the river.  About half a mile from the bridge they came to a swift stretch of water and Cunningham and Burkett tried to make their way through in their canoe.  Unable to force their way through the rapids, they paddled to an island where they were joined by Stevens and the three of them resumed the attempt.

They had progressed about 100 yards into the swift water when the canoe was caught broadside in the rapids, the water spinning the frail craft around and tipping it over.  Burkett, who had been kneeling in the bottom of the canoe, was nearly drowned when his leg was caught in a seat.  All three of the boys came to the surface and seized the canoe.

Unable to right it, they began drifting downstream.  Stevens swam to shore.  Burkett and Cunningham continued to drift with the canoe, calmly discussing the best means of reaching shore without damage to themselves or the craft.  Burkett, at Cunningham's suggestion, removed the pillows from the canoe and seized one of the paddles which was floating alongside.  With this burden he released his hold and started for the Virginia short [sic], calling to Cunningham to steer the canoe into shallow water if possible.  Cunningham answered that he thought he would be able to bring it ashore.

Burkett, on reaching the shore, looked around for his companion.  He saw the canoe bobbing in the current, but Cunningham had disappeared.

Burkett ran back up stream to the point where Davlin was in the other canoe.  They paddled down the river in a futile search for their friend.

The drowned youth, said to have been a strong swimmer, lived in Portland, Ind.  With Burkett and Stevens, he attended Western Reserve University before coming to Washington.  The three boys lived together here at 2410 Twentieth Street.

This article not only gave me the important details of how William died, but also gave me avenues of additional research - the fact that he had attended Western Reserve University as well.  I will need to research local newspapers in Jay County on my next trip to the library.

There is much more to research on this young man and his life, but at least now the story of his untimely death will be known.

William is buried in Green Park Cemetery in Portland, Jay County, Indiana.  A memorial page for him exists at the FindAGrave site.

FindAGrave Correction : John P. Wehrly (1838-1909)

Received an email recently with a correction to my entry for John P. Wehrly (1838-1909) at the FindAGrave site.  I had his death year listed as 1910, which is clearly what is on his tombstone.

However, the records from the Baird & Hardy Funeral clearly state that he died in 1909.

Baird & Hardy Funeral Home Record

Name of Deceased        John P. Wehrly
Record Number   Number 89
Place of Birth  Pa.
Date    August 28, 1838
Place of Death  South Portland
Date    December 13, 1909
Age at Death    71 years, 3 months, 16 days
Cause of Death
Sex
Color
Social Status
Occupation
Name of Father
Name of Mother
Nativity
Physician       Dr. Paddock
Time of Funeral
Services        Salamonia
Interment at    Salamonia
Burial Date     December 15, 1909
Minister in Charge

Checking my RootsMagic database, I had cited his death date as December 13, 1910 from Baird & Hardy Funeral Home Records: Jay County, Indiana 1909-1911 (N.p.: n.p., n.d.), .  Somehow I must have mistyped the date.

John was the husband of my paternal 2nd-great grandaunt, Catherine E. Lemasters (1840-1911), daughter of Luman Walker and Nancy (Young) Lemasters.  John was a farmer in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.

I need to search out an obituary for him and see what additional information I can find on my next trip to Jay County.

Young Family Reunion, 1911

Steuben Republican
Angola, Indiana
August 16, 1911, page 6

Found this mention of the Young family reunion at Newspapers.com from 1911. This was the 10th annual reunion of the family.  I recognize many of the names, but there are quite a few that I need to research to see how they fit into the family.

YOUNG REUNION

The tenth annual meeting of the Young families was held at the pleasant home of George Straw at Clearlake, Indiana, August 10, 1911.  All nature seemed to aid in the pleasure of the visits, bathing, boating and other sports for the young, and the cheerful greetings of the older ones filled up the forenoon, and in the afternoon business, speeches, etc.  There were six deaths and eight births during last year.  The next reunion will be held at Carey, Ohio, about the 15th of August, 1912.

The following persons gave interesting talks: L.I.C. Young, Rev. Phillip Lemasters, Miles Mulholand, Rev. G.W. Staley, Chauncey Young, Mary J. Young, S.D. Young, L.W. Lemasters, Sarah Staley and J.W. Young.  There were fifty-one who came from a distance: Mrs. Jennie Brown, of Chattanooga, Tenn.; Mrs. Blanche Foster and daughter, of Unity, Maine; S.D. Young and wife, Rev. G.W. Staley and wife, J.W. Young, wife and son. Grant Shaley, wife and daughter, Mrs. Dill and daughter and Bessie Murphy of Anna, Ohio; Mr. and Mrs. Jas. G. Young and daughter, of Belle Center, Ohio; Mr. and Mrs. Miles Mulholland and daughter, Mrs. E. Brashears and Mrs. Essie Rangers, of Carey, Ohio; W.F. Huber and wife, V.D. Huber, wife and daughter and son, of Green Springs, Ohio; Mrs. Delilah Young, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Cole and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. James Smith and Mr. and Mrs. W.L. Hutchins, of Fremont, Ohio; Rev. Phillip Lemasters of Spencerville, Ohio; Mrs. Edith Meinholtz and daughter, of Oklahoma; L.W. Lemasters of Jay county, Indiana; Geo. Ralston and family, (by auto) from Sherwood, Michigan.  There were 103 enjoyed a very satisfying dinner of all good things to tickle the pallet, also ice cream and cake at time of dispersing.

----

Of those listed in this announcement, the L.W. Lemasters listed is my paternal 2nd-great grandfather, Luman Walker Lemasters Jr. (1842-1931), son of Rev. Luman Walker and Nancy (Young) Lemasters.  The Rev. Phillip Lemasters (1836-1915)  listed is his brother.  The Edith Meinholtz of Oklahoma is Edith Mabel (LeMasters) Meinholtz (1879-1949), daughter of Luman Walker and Mary Keziah (Chew) LeMasters.  The daughter mentioned would be Mary Wilhelmina Meinholtz (1911-1935), who had just been born in February of 1911, one of the births mentioned during the year.

The L.I.C. Young who gave a talk was Lewis I. Charles Young (1837-   ) who later wrote a genealogy of the Young family.  He was the son of Charles and Nancy (Scothorn) Young.

The Miles Mulholland who gave a talk was the son of Hugh and Mary (Young) Mulholland.  This Mary Young was the daughter of Phillip and Nancy Ann (McLane) Young.

The members of the Staley family are not yet in my database, but may be descendants of Catherine Young and John Staley.  Catherine (1813-1898) was the daughter of Phillip and Nancy Ann (McLane) Young.

I have a lot more research to do on this rather extensive family, but it was nice to find mention of the attendees at this family reunion.

Researching Darke County, Ohio

Last Sunday I spent the day in Darke County, Ohio, researching my genealogy and getting a history lesson from my dad.  After our day in Jay County on Saturday, we headed out to Greenville, Ohio on Sunday.  My plan was to visit the Garst Museum and their genealogical library which had been on my "to-do" list for quite some time.

As we crossed over the state line, dad shared a few stories about his high school and college days and 3.2 beer.  Ohio allowed 18 year-olds to drink 3.2 beer, and since Jay County was just a few miles away, it was common for them to come over to Ohio.  When we arrived in Greenville, we drove around a bit and located the Triangle bar, where dad and friends from Ball State came down to dance.  It was closed, being a Sunday, but it was interesting to hear dad open up a little bit about his youth.

The first place we visited in the area was the Webster Cemetery (aka Dutch) in Allen Township.  I had previously visited this cemetery two years ago with Eileen.  We quickly located the graves of Nathaniel Chew (1786-1866), dad's 3rd-great grandfather, and Caroline Bishop (Woolston) Chew (1826-1879), dad's 2nd-great grandmother and the first wife of Ezekiel Cooper Chew.  These tombstones had definitely weathered since my last visit.  Also in the plot was the infant Phillip D. Lemasters (1869-1869), the younger brother of dad's grandfather.

This cemetery lies on the Lightsville-Rossburg Road, and I later found out that the former Methodist Episcopal Church that sat there was torn down in the 1890s.  

Waiting for the museum to open, we had to make a lunch stop at Maid-Rite, a Greenville tradition.  We were the second and third customer of the day, some local beat us in the door to be the first customer of the day.

After a bit to eat, we stopped by a pioneer cemetery that we noticed as we were driving around looking for the Triangle bar.  The grave markers of several War of 1812 veterans and other pioneer citizens are preserved there as well as a small stockade.

Always the history teacher, dad took me down to the site of Fort Jefferson.  After visiting the site of Fort Recovery on Saturday and learning more about St. Clair's Defeat and the history of military operations in Ohio in the early 1790s.

And then, the researching began.  The museum opened at 1 p.m., and after paying the admission fee, which allows you to tour the museum and use the genealogy library, I was ready to dig in.  The nice volunteer pointed me in the direction of the surname files.  With over 5000 surnames in its files, the library has quite an extension collection.  Planning for the trip, I had printed off a list of individuals who resided in Darke County before 1930.  Some of my paternal ancestry was briefly in the county, but even on my maternal side there were some collateral relatives who lived in the county as well.

I had great success in the surname files on my maternal lines - the Groendykes and the Lambertsons, and found some information on the Hummel collateral line of my paternal side.  In addition, I was able to find some records from the atlas regarding where the land my Chew family held, and likely where my LeMaster family resided.  Because my families were only in the county for a short period of time, I didn't find much on them in the more general interest books.   We only spent about two hours there, as we were getting tired, but it was definitely worth it.  It will definitely be on my list of places to return again to research, as they had so many family files to research.

We also took the time to explore the museum, including the Annie Oakley collection, and I must say it is one of the nicer small museums I have been in.  Their collections on local history, examples of pioneer life, farming, racing, etc. is definitely worth stopping by to see.

I will be sharing more about what I've found in future posts.

Census Sunday : Nancy J. LeMasters household, 1940, Merrick County, Nebraska

My paternal first cousin three times removed, Nancy J. LeMasters, was enumerated in the 1940 census in Palmer, Merrick County, Nebraska.  She was renting a room at the Coolidge Hospital where she worked.

1940 US census, Merrick County, Nebraska, population schedule, Coolidge Hospital, Palmer, enumeration district (ED) 61-8, SD 3, sheet 7B, [no household number], ; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 April 2015); National Archives, Washington, D.C..

The household consisted of Nancy, aged 55, her mother, Sarah, aged 80, and a hired girl, Ruby Wagner, aged 21.  Nancy was single and born in Nebraska, Sarah was widowed and born in Indiana, and Ruby was single and born in Nebraska.  In 1935, the residence for Nancy and Sarah was St. Paul, Howard County, Nebraska, and for Ruby, her residence was Greeley County, Nebraska.

Nancy's occupation was listed as supervisor of nurses at the hospital.  Nancy had no occupation listed and Ruby's occupation was a housekeeper.  Nancy's previous occupation in the 1910 census was that of a school teacher.

Sarah was the widow of my paternal second great granduncle, John Stevens Lemasters, son of Rev. Luman Walker and Nancy (Young) Lemasters.  John was the youngest of the family.  He married Sarah I. Wilson in 1881 in Jay County, Indiana and moved to Nebraska by at least 1900, where they were living in St. Paul.

Prior to this find, I didn't have any information past the 1910 census on Nancy, nor did I know where Sarah was after her husband's death in 1932.  All are buried in the Elmwood Cemetery, St. Paul, Howard County, Nebraska.  A quick search on the internet shows that Coolidge Hospital was both a hospital and sanitarium, and today may be part of a mental health facility.

Census Sunday is a daily blogging prompt used by many genealogy bloggers to help them post content on their sites.

State & Federal census sheets are filled with information for genealogists. Both the population & non-population schedules give us insights into the lives of our ancestors. What have you found that is Surprising? Reassuring? Bewildering? Census Sunday is a daily blogging prompt suggested by Colleen Pasquale of Leaves and Branches.

Military Monday : Vernon Walker LeMaster, World War II Draft Registration, 1942

Working my way through the hints in the Ancestry database for World War II Draft Registrations, 1942 and located this registration in Shelby County, Ohio for Vernon Walker LeMaster, my paternal great granduncle.

"World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942," digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 March 2013); citing Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II, Fourth Registration: Ohio, National Archives, Washington, D.C..

The draft record adds to the information I've collected about Vernon, who was the son of Luman Walker Lemasters and Mary Keziah Chew.  Vernon's draft registration gives his date of birth as December 4, 1888 in Jay County, Indiana, which is consistent with what was reported on his World War I Draft Registration.

Vernon was 53 years old at the time of the registration, and his nearest living relative was his wife, Helen (Garmhausen) LeMaster.  There place of residence was listed as Bon Air Drive in Sidney, Ohio.  His mailing address was the Ohio Building, which was where his office was located - his occupation was listed as a self-employed physician.

Physically, Vernon was described as having a light complexion, white male, 5'11" with brown eyes and grey hair.  He weighed 200 lbs.

Military Monday – We all have ancestors who have served in the military. Military Monday is a place to post their images, stories and records of their service in various branches of the military. Military Monday is an ongoing series by Cindy at Everything’s Relative – Researching Your Family History.