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).

 

Wehrly Family Photos

Used my Flip-Pal scanner a couple of weeks ago and was able to scan some photographs from cousin Judy (Wehrly) Solms that were in an album her mother had made.  Her brother, Frank Wehrly had told me about the photos and we were able to spend an afternoon together. Frank & Judy are my second cousins once removed. The photos were glued in an album, and I was able to stitch the family photograph together.

Frank & Kathryn (Migron) Wehrly family
Back row : Janice, Paul
Front row : Judy, Frank Sr., Kathryn, Frank Jr.

Several other photos I was able to scan in full.  It was good to be able to scan these and then share them digitally.

 

Frank & Kathryn (Migron) Wehrly in Ft. Recovery, Ohio

Frank's parents were Alva Monroe & Emma C. (Yaeger) Wehrly.  Alva was the younger brother of my great-grandmother, Barbara Isabel (Wehrly) LeMasters.

Alva M. & Emma C. (Yaeger) Wehrly

This photograph was of several members at a reunion in 1960.

Wehrly Family 1960
Hollis & Betty, Lisle & Cora, Frank & Kathryn, Norval & Mary & Grandma W.

These are the children of Alva & Emma and spouses.  Lisle married Cora Baldauf, Frank married Kathryn Migron, Mary married Norval DeLauter and Betty married Hollis Steen.

There are more photographs to sort through and scan, but it was nice to see these distant family members I had never seen before.

Exploratory Data Analysis Through 2x-Great Grandaunts & Uncles

Though it took much longer that I had hoped, have finally finished by series of exploratory data analysis through my 2x-great grandaunts and granduncles.  Previously, I had written about my results through my 2x-great grandparents.  My next steps are to move on to my 3x-great grandparents as well as start work on some of Eileen's ancestors and Corinne's ancestors.

Working on this series has allowed me to find out where there are gaps in my research and has added much data.  Now I just need to follow up with my "to-do" lists before my next research trip to make sure I use my time effectively.

Here are the links to posts about the exploratory data analysis posts for my 2x-great grandaunts and granduncles:

• Beulah Sarah (LeMasters) Rockwell (1865-1940)
• Phillip D. LeMasters (1869-1869)
• William Clifford LeMaster (1870-1922)
• Mary Elsie (LeMasters) Atkinson (1873-1942)
• Bertha Fidelia (LeMasters) Yaeger (1874-1922)
• Ord Otterbein LeMaster (1876-1937)
• Edith Mabel (LeMasters) Meinholtz (1879-1949)
• Una Maude (LeMasters) Phillips (1884-1968)
• Arthur Raymond LeMaster (1885-1971)
• Vernon Walker LeMaster (1888-1955)
• Minerva Prudence (Wehrly) Jackson (1867-1948)
• John William Wehrly (1870-1954)
• Orilla Catherine (Wehrly) Andrews (1872-1970)
• Benjamin Franklin Wehrly (1873-1895)
• Henry Leonard Wehrly (1875-1924)
• Harvey Allen Wehrly (1877-1968)
• Alva Monroe Wehrly (1878-1952)
• LeRoy Garfield Wehrly (1880-1883)
• Ida Laura (Wehrly) Scholer (1883-1963)
• Blaine Pearle Wehrly (1884-1964)
• Ethel May (Wehrly) Shreeve (1886-1951)
• Martin Nimrod Wehrly (1888-1954)
• Andrew Frank Haley (1864-1937)
• George David Ellsworth Haley (1868-1941)
• Rachel Emma Pernina (Haley) Hanlin Zorn (1869-1963)
• Charles Wesley Haley (1872-1893)
• Carrie Mae (Haley) Graves Booth Marks (1877-1956)
• Ora Amanda (Haley) Bittikofer (1884-1961)
• William A.L. Metzner (1866-1879)
• Wesley F. Metzner (1872-1953)
• Chester Arthur Wright (1896-1955)
• John Herman Pierce (1895-1959)
• Edward E. Pierce (1900-1900)
• Lillian Pierce (1902-1921)
• Nehersta Edith (Pierce) Miller Roberts (1910-1979)
• William McClellan Pierce (1913-1978)
• Cloyd J. Pierce (1916-1962)
• Charles D. Pierce (1918-1991)
• Robert F. Pierce (1923-2005)
• James Louis Pierce (1931-2002)

Exploratory Data Analysis: Bertha Fidelia (LeMaster) Yaeger (1874-1922)

Bertha Fidelia (LeMaster) Yaeger (1874-1922) was my paternal great-grandaunt.  What follows is an exploratory analysis of the biographical data I have discovered about her.

1. Vital Records

     1.1. Birth Certificate

          Bertha was born May 31, 1874 in Darke County, Ohio¹

          The birth register can be viewed here.

          1.1.1. Birth Notice in Newspaper

               Will need to search contemporary newspapers to see if mention was made of Bertha's birth.

          1.1.2. Bible Record

               I am not aware of any surviving Bible records of the LeMaster family.  Will continue to reach out to extended family in hopes that one does exist.

          1.1.3. Baptismal Record

               I am not aware of any baptismal record for Bertha. The family was affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church.

          1.1.4. Adoption Record

               There is no indication that Bertha was adopted.

     1.2. Marriage License

          Bertha married John Henry Yaeger on May 20, 1903 in Jay County, Indiana².  The marriage license spells her surname as "LeMasters".

          A copy of their marriage license was the subject of a previous post.

          1.2.1. Marriage notice in newspaper

               Will need to search contemporary newspapers to see if mention was made of Bertha and John's nuptials.

          1.2.2. Anniversary notice

               Bertha did not survive to reach their 25th wedding anniversary.

          1.2.3. Divorce decree

               There is no indication that Bertha and John were ever divorced.

     1.3. Death Certificate

          Bertha died March 16, 1922 in Brazil, Clay County, Indiana³.  I do not yet have a copy of her death certificate.  Will need to add requesting a copy of this to my "to-do" list for my next research trip.

          1.3.1. Obituary in newspaper

               Bertha's obituary appeared in the March 17, 1922 edition of the Portland, Indiana Commercial-Review³.  According to the obituary, she underwent an operation and never recovered.  This obituary was the subject of a previous post.

               Will need to search local newspapers in Brazil, Indiana area to see if mention was made of Bertha's death.

          1.3.2. Funeral home records

               I do not know which funeral home handled the arrangements.  Because she was buried in Salamonia, will need to check local Jay County, Indiana funeral homes to see if they have any records of her funeral.

          1.3.3. Tombstone photograph

               Bertha is buried in the Salamonia Cemetery in Salamonia, Jay County, Indiana⁴.  Her tombstone was photographed as the subject of a previous post.

2. Census Records

     2.1. Federal Census Records

          2.1.1. 1920 Federal Census

               On January 3, 1920, Bertha was enumerated in the John H. Yaegar household in Brazil, Clay County, Indiana⁵, as Bertha Yaegar, wife, age 45, born in Ohio.  She could read and write and spoke English.  No occupation was listed.  Her father was born in Indiana and her mother in New Jersey.  Living in the household were her husband, John H., age 45, born in Indiana, a teacher; and children Clarence, age 16, Mary, age 14, Helen, age 13, John V., age 11, George W., age 9, and Luther L., age 2; all born in Indiana.  There were also two lodgers living in the household.

          2.1.2. 1910 Federal Census

               On April 27, 1910, Bertha was enumerated in the John H. Yaeger household in Brazil, Clay County, Indiana⁶, as Bertha F. Yaeger, wife, age 35, born in Ohio.  She could read and write and spoke English.  No occupation was listed.  She was the mother of 4 children, all living.  Her father was listed as born in New Jersey, and her mother in Ohio.  Living in the household were her husband, John H., age 35, a teacher, and children Clarence H, age 6, John V., age 1, Mary E., age 5, and Helen E., age 3.

          2.1.3. 1900 Federal Census

              On June 4, 1900, Bertha was enumerated in the Luman C. Lemasters household in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana⁷, as Bertha F. Lemasters, daughter, age 26, born May 1874 in Indiana.  Her father was born in Ohio and her mother born in New Jersey.  She could read and write and speak English.  Her occupation was a school teacher.

          2.1.4. 1880 Federal Census

               On June 5, 1880, Bertha was enumerated in the Walker Lemasters household in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana⁸, as Bertha Lemasters, daughter, age 6, born in Ohio.  Her father was born in Ohio and her mother in New Jersey.

     2.2. State Census Records

          The State of Indiana conducted state census in 1853, 1857, 1871, 1883, 1889, 1901, 1913, and 1921.  These, however, were merely for the purposes of determining legislative apportionment.

     2.3. Agricultural Census Records

          I have not yet investigated these types of census records to see what light might be shed on the LeMaster farm.

3. Military Records

     3.1. Draft Registration

          Not applicable, as Bertha was a female.

     3.2. Pension Records

          I am not aware of any military service by her husband or father that would have made Bertha eligible for military benefits.  Her father did serve in the Civil War, but I don't believe she ever received any minor's benefits.

     3.3. Service Records

           Not applicable, as Bertha was a female.

4. Land Records

     4.1. Deed Records

          Deed records need to be thoroughly searched in Clay County, Indiana to see what items might mention Bertha and John.  Will add this to my "to-do" list for my next research trip.

     4.2. Plat map / county map

          Plat maps for Clay County, Indiana need to be researched as well. Will contact the local historical society to see what information they might have on Bertha and John.

5. Supplemental records

     Supplement records available for research on Bertha include city/county directories, court records and will and probate records.  Will add these to my "to-do" list for my next research trip.

Sources:

1. Ohio Births and Christenings, 1821-1962, digital images, FamilySearch Internet online [www.familysearch.org], accessed 6 February 2011.
2. Jay County, Indiana, Original Marriage License: "John H. Yaeger to Bertha Lemasters, 1903"; County Marriage Returns Collection; Jay County Historical Society, Portland, Indiana.
3. Mrs. John H. Yeager obituary, Commercial-Review, Portland, Indiana, USA, March 17, 1922, page 2.
4. Salamonia Cemetery (Jay County, Indiana), John H. and Bertha F. Yaeger marker, photographed by Travis LeMaster.
5. 1920 U.S. census, Clay County, Indiana, population schedule, Ward 4, Brazil, enumeration district 27, SD 5, sheet 3, 604 S. Walnut, dwelling 85, family 85; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 April 2013); National Archives, Washington, D.C.
6. 1910 U.S. census, Clay County, Indiana, population schedule, Ward 4, Brazil, enumeration district 6, SD 5, sheet 12A, 704 S. Walnut, dwelling 269, family 269; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 April 2013); National Archives, Washington, D.C.
7. Luman C. Lemasters household, 1900 U.S. census, Jay County, Indiana, population schedule, Madison township, ED 62, SD 67, sheet 3, dwelling 59, family 60; National Archives micropublication T623, roll 380.
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.


This post was developed as part of the series relating to Building My 2011 Research Template, an attempt to systematically document and source the details of my ancestors' lives. Comments regarding this template and the conclusions drawn in this article are welcomed.

Marriage License : John Yaeger to Bertha LeMasters, 1903

Source : Jay County, Indiana, Original Marriage License: "John H. Yaeger to Bertha LeMasters, 1903"; County Marriage Returns Collection; Jay County Historical Society, Portland, Indiana

Marriage License

State of Indiana, Jay county, SS

TO ALL WHO SHALL SEE THESE PRESENTS, GREETINGS:

Know Ye, That Any person empowered by law to solemnize Marriages is hereby authorized to join together as HUSBAND and WIFE,

John H. Yaeger and Bertha LeMasters

and for so doing, this shall be his sufficient authority.

In Testimony Whereof, I, E.W. Fitzpatrick Clerk of the Jay Circuit Court, 

hereunto subscribe my name and affix the seal of said Court at Portland, Indiana, this 20th day of May 1903

E.W. Fitzpatrick, Clerk

CERTIFICATE OF MARRIAGE

STATE OF INDIANA, JAY COUNTY, SS:

This certifies, That I have joined in Marriage as HUSBAND AND WIFE, Mr. John H. Yaeger and Miss Bertha LeMasters on the 20th day of May 1903

Philip LeMasters

This record of the marriage of John Henry Yaeger (1874-1963) and Bertha Fidelia (LeMasters) Yaeger (1874-1922) was located at the Jay County Historical Society.

The minister was Bertha's great-uncle, Philip LeMasters (1836-1915) a Methodist minister.

I have seen the surname spelled both Yaeger and Yeager, believe that Yaeger was the preferred spelling.  See tombstone and obituary.

After their marriage, the moved to Brazil, Clay County, Indiana before the 1910 census.

Wehrly Family, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana (1907)

Source: Complete Directory of Jay County, M. & M. Directory Co., Portland, Ind., 1907, p. 239

These listings of the WEHRLY family in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana in 1907 are of my paternal 2nd-great grandfather, William P. WEHRLY, and his sons, Harvey and Alva.


Alva Monroe WEHRLY (b. 1878) is a bit of a mystery as to why his wife and children are not listed.  He was married in 1901 to Emma YAEGER and they would have had 3 or 4 children by the time of this directory.  I know of no other Alva WEHRLYs in the family that this could have been.


Harvey Allen WEHRLY (b. 1876) had married Nettie SHREEVE in 1898, and is listed here with her and daughter, Ada.


William P. WEHRLY (b. 1845) married Olive Jane SMITH in 1866 in Jay County, right after returning from the service with 130th Indiana Infantry.  His youngest son, Martin Nimrod (b. 1888) is listed as still living with them.

Wed 45 Years: Mr. & Mrs. Lisle Wehrly

Wed 45 Years

Mr. and Mrs. Lisle Wehrly, Salamonia, will celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary with a family dinner Sunday at the home of their son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Glen Theurer.

The couple was married on April 3, 1924, in Fort Recovery, Ohio.  Pastor D.R. Honn officiated.  Mrs. Wehrly is the former Cora Baldauf.

The Wehrlys have three children, Alva A., Portland; Mrs. Glen (Catherine) Theurer, RR 6, Portland, and Mrs. William (Pauline) Perkins, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.  They also have six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Wehrly is a retired carpenter.

---

This clipping was part of the collection found at the Jay County Historical Society.  I believe that it came from the Portland Graphic newspaper.

Lisle WEHRLY was my paternal 1st cousin twice removed, the son of Alva Monroe and Emma C. (YAEGER) WEHRLY.

Tombstone Tuesday: Carl E. and Hazel M. (Wallace) Wehrly

Source: Salamonia Cemetery (Jay County, Indiana), Carl E. and Hazel M. Wehrly marker, photographed by Travis LeMaster, 26 March 2009.

Carl Ethan and Hazel May (WALLACE) WEHRLY are buried in the Salamonia Cemetery, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.  Carl was my paternal 1st cousin twice removed.


Carl was born February 26, 1905 in Salamonia, Jay County, Indiana, the son of Alva Monroe and Emma C. (YAEGER) WEHRLY.


Hazel was born January 21, 1910, the daughter of John and Hazel May (NEWTON) WALLACE.


I do not yet know when and where they were married.


Carl died August 23, 1946 in Portland, Jay County, Indiana.  Hazel died in 1978.


Tombstone Tuesday – To participate in Tombstone Tuesday simply create a post which includes an image of a gravestone of one or more ancestors and it may also include a brief description of the image or the ancestor. This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Sunday's Obituary: Bertha Fidelia (LeMaster) Yaeger (1874-1922)

Source: Commercial-Review, Portland, Indiana, March 17, 1922, page 2.

MRS. JOHN H. YEAGER DEAD BRAZIL, IND.

Mrs. Bertha Yaeger, 47, wife of John H. Yaeger of Brazil, Ind., passed away Thursday noon.  She underwent an operation Sunday noon and never recovered.  She was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L.W. LeMaster of Salamonia.  Mr. Yaeger was a principal for sixteen years in the schools at Brazil, and also taught in the Madison Township schools.  Mrs. Yaeger was formerly a teacher in the Michigan schools and taught in Portland and Madison Township schools about nineteen years ago.

The deceased is survived by the husband and six children, Clarence, Mary, Helen, John Vernon, George Walker and Luther.  She is also survived by the following brothers and sisters: Mrs. L.L. Rockwell of Fort Recovery; L.C. LeMaster , west of Salamonia; W.C. LeMaster of Denver, Colo.; Mrs. M.J. Atkinson of Salamonia; Mrs. Henry Meinholtz of Alamosa, Colo.; Mrs. S.W. Phillips of David City, Neb.; A.R. LeMaster of Geneva, and Drs. O.O. and V.W. LeMasters, both of Sydney, O.

The body will arrive in this city Saturday and will be taken to the home of Mr. and Mrs. L.W. LeMaster at Salamonia, where it will lie in state until the hour of the funeral.  The complete funeral arrangements will be announced later.

----

Note the surname is spelled both Yeager and Yaeger in the same obituary, almost as bad as LeMaster/LeMasters.  The tombstone in Salamonia Cemetery spells the surname Yaeger.

I didn't know that Bertha taught in Michigan, will have to research this as well.

Sunday’s Obituary – if you have obituaries of family members and ancestors, consider posting them along with other information about that person as part of Sunday’s Obituary. This is an ongoing series developed by Leslie Ann at Ancestors Live Here.

Tombstone Tuesday: William Henry Wehrly

Source: Salamonia Cemetery (Jay County, Indiana), William H. Wehrly marker, photographed by Travis LeMaster, 26 March 2009.

William Henry WEHRLY is buried in the Salamonia Cemetery, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.  William was my paternal 1st cousin twice removed.


William was born 1911 in Jay County, Indiana, the son of Alva Monroe and Emma C. (YAEGER) WEHRLY.


In the 1930 census, he was listed as an 18 year old farm laborer in his father's household in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.


William died in 1958.  I do not yet have information regarding the exact date.


Tombstone Tuesday – To participate in Tombstone Tuesday simply create a post which includes an image of a gravestone of one or more ancestors and it may also include a brief description of the image or the ancestor. This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

When You Break The Microfilm Reader, It's Time To Go Home

Microfilm reader at Jay County Public Library

My first research trip of 2011 turned out to be a productive one.  I had planned a visit to the Jay County Public Library in Portland, Indiana in order to obtain copies of obituaries from the local newspaper.  Prior to my trip, I had created a "to-do list" using the features of my RootsMagic database.

Though my focus was going to be strictly on obituaries, I decided to contact the Jay County Historical Society via email to see if by chance someone could come in on Saturday and let us look around.  Normally, the museum is only opened through the week.  On my last research trip, the microfilm reader at the library stopped working, and I wanted to have a back up plan in case it was broken again.

My dad wanted to go with me on this trip, and I was excited to have him come along.  He's been getting interested in family history again, reading my blog daily, doing off site research and preparing mini-history books on our ancestors.  We met at 7 a.m. in the morning and headed out to Portland.

Arriving at the library, my cell phone rang and it was Tom Young from the Historical Society letting me know that he could open the museum for us and let us do some research.  We agreed to meet at 10 a.m., so that still gave dad and I a few hours at the library.

As I quickly began to scour the local newspapers, which stretch back into the 1880s, I was pleased with the rate of success.  At only $0.15 per copy, these obituaries are a bargain.  I only wish that the entire collection of these small town newspapers were online somewhere, such as Ancestry, so that I could do an every name search and locate tidbits of information about the daily lives of the families.  The society notes in the earlier newspapers are great sources of information.

Just before 10 a.m., we headed down the Historical Society, where we met Tom.  My dad and Tom graduated from Portland High School in the same class, and as we talked we also realized that we have a distant connection through the Haley-Easterday families.  Tom mentioned that he has read my blog, always nice to hear that as well.  Will have to see what more information I could share with Tom about the Haley and Easterday families.

I wanted to focus on the records of the township schools at the museum, and right away dad found a school photo from 1931-32 of Mt. Zion school in Noble Township that had included his mother, Ruth Pauline Haley.  Fortunately, someone had taken the time to identify each and every person in the photo.  Very serendipitous to find such a picture right off the bat.

We spent about two hours at the museum, where I obtained copies of anniversary notices from the local newspapers, recipes submitted by family members to locally-published cookbooks, funeral home records and marriage supplemental transcript records.  Someone had taken the time to print these from the courthouse and place them in binders at the Historical Society, giving me access to information that normally would have been locked up at the courthouse on a weekend.

It's easy to get so involved in your research that you forget to eat, but around noon we decided that we'd better not overstay our welcome with Tom. We thanked him for letting us research on Saturday, and headed to lunch for a sandwich.

After lunch, we called my aunt Juanita and uncle Harold, and found out they were home.  We were able to visit with them for a good couple of hours, sharing the information we had just discovered.  Dad gave Juanita a booklet he had put together on the Lemasters family, including records on our ancestors' Civil War service.  Harold and Juanita shared some memories about the members of the families in the obits I had discovered.  My cousin Mark and his wife and daughter showed up right as we were leaving, and it was good to see them again.  Dad told them about this blog, so hopefully they will check it out and see some of the information we've discovered.

Then it was back to the library for a couple more hours of research.  Dad was digging into the plat maps and the city directories while I was burning up the microfilm reader printing obituaries.  As in the morning, was able to make great headway.  Just around 4 p.m., however, the microfilm reader decided it was time to surrender.  The reel just refused to advance forward or backwards. That was my cue that it was time to call it a day.  After notifying the staff of the problems, we decided to pack it in and call it a day.

We called my uncle Paul and aunt Betty, found out they were home, and stopped by for a visit on the way out of town.  We again shared the research and gave them a copy of the family history dad had put together.  Uncle Paul remembered some stories and shared a few tidbits about the family members whose obituaries I had obtained.  Cousin Nancy stopped by and we found out she is getting married in June; also saw cousin Phil briefly.

It was a long day, but a good day from a research standpoint.  Now I just have to source the data, and will post copies of the obituaries on the blog.

Finds from the visit to the Jay County Public Library:

• Information regarding the 1949 polio epidemic in Portland, something I want to document as it affected my family
• Obituary of Patty Lou LeMaster, age 12, from the November 1, 1945 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Maxine Elizabeth LeMaster, age 10, from the April 4, 1931 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• LeMaster, Sr., age 77, from the January 14, 1980 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Clarence Harrison LeMaster, age 75, from the November 29, 1963 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Elvin Cooper LeMaster, age 87, from the May 17, 2000 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Garth Luman LeMaster, Sr., age 76, from the February 6, 1998 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Bertha A. (LeMasters) Hercules, age 69, from the January 2, 1962 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of John Leland LeMaster, Jr., age 50, from the March 28, 1973 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of William A. LeMaster, age 54, from the October 16, 1978 edition of The Commerical-Review.
• Obituary of Roger A. LeMaster, age 45, from the March 6, 1972 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Bertha (LeMasters) Yaeger, age 47, from the March 17, 1922 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Beulah S. (LeMasters) Rockwell, from the July 18, 1940 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Catherine Elizabeth (Lemasters) Wehrly, from the December 26, 1911 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Ralph V. LeMaster, age 73, from the February 1, 1996 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Floyd LeMasters, Sr., from the February 12, 1982 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Mary Elsie (LeMasters) Atkinson, age 70, from the June 5, 1942 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Ord Otterbein LeMasters, from the September 15, 1937 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Rachel (Lemasters) Cunningham, from the March 12, 1913 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Maude (LeMasters) Phillips, from the September 16, 1968 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Matthias Jefferson Atkinson, age 59, from the August 25, 1923 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Ferry Mae (Bickel) LeMaster, age 86, from the July 21, 1978 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Ora Lee (Brady) LeMaster, age 87, from the April 16, 2008 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Clara L. (Burkey) LeMaster, age 90, from the October 31, 1985 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Dr. William Anderson Chew, from the January 7, 1914 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Carrie V. (Haley) Thornburg, age 98, from the August 6, 2003 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Obituary of Larry LeMaster, age 24, from the February 28, 1974 edition of The Commercial-Review.
• Wedding announcement of Ora Lee Brady and Garth L. LeMaster from the May 11, 1942 edition of The Commercial-Review.

Finds from the visit to the Jay County Historical Society:

• Photograph of my grandmother, Ruth Pauline Haley, int he Mt. Zion School of Noble Township, 1931-32.
• Funeral record of Frank Haley, August 1, 1937 from the Baird Funeral Home.
• Marriage supplemental record of Pearl M. Metzner to Edward H. Baumgartner from June 2, 1915.
• Marriage supplemental record of Archibald E. Chew from October 27, 1909.
• Marriage supplemental record of Mamie Petry from October 12, 1907.
• 45th Anniversary announcement of Mr. and Mrs. Lisle Wehrly, from April 1, 1969.
• 50th Anniversary announcement of Mr. and Mrs. Vern Haley, from March 3, 1966.
• LeMaster entries in the 1927 Jay County Directory
• LeMaster entries in the 1941 Portland, Indiana City Directory
• LeMaster entries in the 1949 Portland, Indiana City Directory

I'm looking forward to planning out my next research trip.  

Tombstone Tuesday: John H. and Bertha L. (LeMasters) Yaeger

John Henry and Bertha Fidelia (LeMASTERS) YAEGER are buried in the Salamonia Cemetery, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.  Bertha is my paternal great-grandaunt.


John was born October 4, 1874 in Jay County, Indiana.  I do not know his parentage.


Bertha was born May 31, 1874 in Darke County, Ohio, the daughter of Luman Walker and Mary Keziah (CHEW) LeMASTERS.


John and Bertha married May 20, 1903 in Jay County, Indiana.  They had 6 children, and lived in Clay County, Indiana where both were teachers.


John died in 1963.  Bertha died March 16, 1922 in Clay County, Indiana.


Tombstone Tuesday – To participate in Tombstone Tuesday simply create a post which includes an image of a gravestone of one or more ancestors and it may also include a brief description of the image or the ancestor. This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Amanuensis Monday: Sketch of Luman W. LeMasters

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

Today I'm looking at the biographical sketch of my paternal 2nd-great grandfather, Luman Walker LeMASTERS, which appeared in the book "History of Jay County, Indiana: including its World War Record and Incorporating the Montgomery History", by Milton T. Jay, 1922, Historical Publishing Company, page 195.





Luman W. LeMasters, an honored veteran of the Civil War and one of the best known farmers and landowners of Jay county, proprietor of "Lookout Hill Farm" in Madison township, where he makes his home, this farm being on rural mail route No. 6 out of Portland, is a "Buckeye" by birth, but has been a resident of this county practically all the time since he was twelve years of age, a period of about seventy years, and thus has been witness to and a participant in the amazing development that has taken place in this community since what might properly be regarded as pioneer days, for there was still much of the primeval wild here when he first came to this county.  Mr. LeMasters was born on a farm in Shelby county, Ohio, October 19, 1842, and is a son of Luman W. and Nancy (Young) LeMasters, Virginians, who became residents of Ohio in their childhood days and were there married. The elder Luman W. LeMasters was born in that section of the Old Dominion that came to be organized as West Virginia in Civil War times.  He was reared as a farmer and also became a "local" preacher of the Methodist Episcopal church.  After his marriage he made his home on an eighty-acre farm which he owned in Shelby county, Ohio, and there remained until 1854, in which year he moved with his family over into Indiana and located on a quarter section of land he bought in Madison township, this county, the west "eighty" of which is now owned by his son Luman, the subject of the sketch.  On that place the elder Luman W. LeMasters and his wife spent the remainder of their days, their influence for good in that community continuing a pleasant memory in the neighborhood.  He died on April 15, 1888, and his widow survived until August 26, 1904.  They were the parents of nine children, six of whom are still living, the subject of this sketch having three sisters, Phebe J., Mary P., and Martha J., and two brothers, Jacob and John LeMasters.  As noted above, the junior Luman W. LeMasters was twelve years of age when he came to Jay county with his parents in 1854.  He grew to manhood on the home farm in Madison township, completing his schooling in the neighborhood schools and by two years of attendance at the old Farmers Academy at College Corner, and was living on the farm when the Civil war broke out.  On July 21, 1861, he enlisted his services in behalf of the cause of the Union and went to the front as a member of Company C of the 39th regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which presently was reorganized as the 8th Cavalry, and with that gallant command was serving when on July 3, 1863, while on a charge against the enemy at Deckers Forge, two and one-half miles south of Winchester, Tenn., he was shot through the left breast, receiving a wound which terminated his further usefulness as a soldier, putting him on the invalid list.  In March, 1864, Mr. LeMasters received his discharge and in the following fall was married and began farming for himself as a renter of land in this county.  Three years later he moved over into Darke county, Ohio, and was there engaged in farming for nine years, at the end of which time he returned to Jay county and took charge of the home farm in Madison township.  In 1904 he bought the west "eighty" of that quarter section and is still living there, practically retired since 1907, renting his fields.  Mr. LeMasters is a Republican,  is a member of Henry McLaughlin Post, No. 516, Grand Army of the Republic, at Salamonia, and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church of that village.  It was on October 2, 1864, that Luman W. LeMasters was united in marriage to Mary K. Chew, who has thus been his helpmate for more than fifty-seven years.  Mrs. LeMasters was born in Camden county, New Jersey, February 13, 1847, and is a daughter of Dr. Ezekiel and Caroline B. (Woolston) Chew, both of whom were born in that same state.  In 1855 Dr. Ezekiel Chew moved with his family from New Jersey to Farmersville, Ohio.  Two years later he moved to Ft. Jefferson, in Darke county (Ohio) and after a sometime residence there came to Indiana.  He made several changes of residence after coming to this state, but finally located in St. Joseph county, where his last days were spent, his death occurring there in August, 1888.  His wife died on February 27, 1879.  They were the parents of ten children, of whom seven are living, Mrs. LeMasters having one sister, Sarah F., and five brothers, Nathaniel D., Cooper, Charles, Virgil and Donald Chew.  To Luman W. and Mary K. (Chew) LeMasters have been born ten children, Beulah S., Luman C., William C., Elsie, Bertha, Ord O., Edith, Maude, Arthur and Vernon, all of whom are still living.  Beulah S. LeMasters married L.L. Rockwell, who is engaged in the garage business at Ft. Recovery, Ohio, and has four children, Claude, a Noble township farmer, who married Opal Loy and has two children, Catherine M. and Duetta; Opal, who married Daniel Grile, who is operating a garage at Geneva, Ind., and has two children, Lester and John Lynn; Edith, wife of Cecil Bickel, a Madison township farmer, who has one child, and Anna.  Luman C. LeMasters, a farmer of Madison township, married Belle Wehrley and has twelve children, Clarence, a Madison township farmer, who married May Bickel and has three children, Kenneth, Mary I. and Luman; Chesley, now living at Richmond, Ind., who married Clara Burkey and has two children, Donald and Doris; Bertha, who married Russell Hercules, of Richmond, Ind., and has two children, Mervil and Isabella; Floyd, a Noble township farmer, who married Opal Gagle and has one child, Remonda; Gerald, who is the garage business in Pennville and married Mabel Kantner and has one child, Maxine; Stanley, who is at home; Dorothy, wife of Charles Hunt, of Richmond, Ind.; John, a teacher in the schools of the county, making his home in Madison township, and who married Dorothy Delauter and has one child, Geraldine, and Freda, Ord, Mary O., and Elvin C., who are at home.  William C. LeMasters, who is now living at Victor, Col., where he is the proprietor of a moving picture theater, married Lella Lewis and has four children, Gladys, who married Lloyd G. Moser, of Mt. Rosa, Col., and has two children, Carrie and Bobby; Lella, who married Earl Slinkard and is living in California, and Ralph and William, at home.  Elsie LeMasters married M.J. Adkinson, a farmer of Madison township.  Bertha LeMasters married John Yaeger, who is now principal of schools at Brazil, Ind., and has six children, Clarence, Mary, Helen, John V., George W., and Luther L.  Dr. Ord O. LeMasters, now a practicing physician at Sidney, Ohio, married Emma Garmenhouser.  He and his wife have an adopted daughter, Isabella.  Edith LeMasters married Henry Mineholtz, who is now engaged in the mercantile business at Alamosa, Col., and has four children, Wilhelmina, Lucile, Helen E. and Marjorie M.  Maude LeMasters married Dr. S.W. Phillips, a veterinary surgeon, now living at David City, Neb., and has two children, Donald and Louise.  Arthur LeMasters married Maude McLaughlin and is now engaged in the garage business at Geneva, Ind.  Dr. Vernon LeMasters, a veteran of the World war and a practicing physician, now living at Sidney, Ohio, married Helen Garmenhouser and has one child, a son, Robert.  Doctor LeMasters was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Medical Corps of the United States army during the war and served for eighteen months overseas.  Mr. and Mrs. LeMasters were among the most active promoters of the movement which led to the organization of the Methodist Episcopal church at Salamonia in 1876 and thus for more than forty-five years have been prominently identified with that congregation.  Mr. LeMasters served as a member of the board of trustees of this congregation until 1920 and for more than forty years was class leader, while for many years Mrs. LeMasters was one of the leading teachers in the Sunday school.




John Newmark at TransylvanianDutch started this Monday genealogy meme, which has quickly spread throughout the Geneablogger community. I am excited to be a participant and transcribe the records of my family.

Tombstone Tuesday: Alva M. and Emma C. (Yaeger) Wehrly

Alva Monroe and Emma C. (YAEGER) WEHRLY are buried in the Salamonia Cemetery, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.  Alva is my paternal great granduncle.


Alva was born December 18, 1878 in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana, the son of William P. and Olive Jane (SMITH) WEHRLY.


Emma was born April 1, 1882 in Salamonia, Jay County, Indiana.


Alva and Emma were married on October 1, 1901.  They had 7 children.


Alva died March 8, 1952 in Portland, Jay County, Indiana.  Emma died December 6, 1964 in Portland, Jay County, Indiana.


Source: Salamonia Cemetery (Jay County, Indiana), Alva M. and Emma C. Wehrly marker, photographed by Travis LeMaster, 26 March 2009.