Tombstone Tuesday: Luman Cooper & Barbara Isabelle (Wehrly) LeMasters

My paternal great-grandparents, Luman Cooper and Barbara Isabel (Wehrly) LeMasters, are buried in the Salamonia Cemetery, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.

Luman was born May 27, 1867 in Jay County, Indiana, the son of Luman Walker and Mary Keziah (Chew) Lemasters.

Barbara was born March 14, 1869 in Jay County, Indiana, the daughter of William P. and Olive Jane (Smith) Wehrly.

Luman and Barbara were married on November 13, 1886 in Jay County, Indiana. They moved shortly after their marriage to Ord, Valley County, Nebraska, but returned to Jay County, Indiana after the death of their first child. They lived out their remaining years on their farm in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.

Luman and Barbara were the parents of thirteen children, all but the first child were born in Jay County, Indiana.

• [unknown name] LeMasters (1887-1887) died in infancy in Valley County, Nebraska
• Clarence Harrison LeMasters (1888-1963) married Ferry May Bickel, had 5 children
• Chesleigh Franklin LeMasters (1890-1960) married Clara Louise Burkey, had 6 children
• Bertha Alberta LeMasters (1892-1961) married Russell J. Hercules, had 4 children
• Floyd LeMasters (1894-1982) married Shirely Opal Gagle, had 2 children
• Gerald Walker LeMasters (1896-1987) married Mabel Agnes Kantner, had 3 children; married Pearl Lovina Smith, had 2 children
• Stanley Duey LeMaster (1898-1982) married Anna Beard, had 4 children
• Dorothy Dot LeMaster (1900-1984) married Charles Glendon Hunt, had 3 children; married Glen Lock
• John Leland LeMaster (1902-1980) married Dortha LeEtta DeLauter, had 6 children
• Freda Claire LeMaster (1904-1979) married James Orville LaFollette; had 2 children
• Ord Wehrly LeMaster (1906-1971) married Ruth Pauline Haley, had 6 children. These are my grandparents.
• Mary Olive LeMaster (1909-) married Virgil Thornton Taylor, had 1 child.
• Elvin Cooper LeMaster (1912-2000) married Cleo Belle Hanks, had 4 children.

Wright-Lambertson marriage: Madison County, Indiana

My maternal grandparents marriage license from Madison County, Indiana contains a wealth of information.

MALE
1. The full Christian name and surname of this man is William Lee Wright
2. His color: White
3. Where born : Madison Co., Alexandria, Ind.
4. When born : December 1, 1919
5. Present residence: R # 2, Alexandria, Ind.
6. Present occupation: Factory employee
8. Is this male contracting party of nearer blood kin to the female contracting party than second cousin? No
9. Full Christian and surname of father : Virgil Lee Wright
10. His color: White

11. His birthplace : Madison Co., Ind.
12. His occupation : Farmer
13. His residence : R # 2, Alexandria, Ind.
14. Full Christian and maiden name of mother : Edna Muriel Pierce
15. Her color: White
16. Her occupation: Housewife
17. Her birthplace: Madison Co., Indiana
18. Her residence: R # 2, Alexandria, Ind.
19. Has the male contracting party been an Inmate of any county asylum or home for indigent person within the last five years? No
21. Is this his first marriage? Yes
26. Is the male contracting party afflicted with epilepsy, tuberculosis, venereal or any other contagious or transmissible diseases? No
27. Is he an imbecile, feeble-minded, idiotic or insane, or is he under guardianship as a person of unsound mind? No

FEMALE
1. The full Christian and surname of the woman is Bonnie Mae Lambertson
2. Her color: White
3. Where born: Madison Co., Elwood, Ind.
4. When born: Feb. 18, 1924
5. Present residence: R # 3, Elwood, Ind.
6. Present occupation: none
7. Full Christian and surname of father: Clemon Lambertson
8. His color: White
9. His birthplace: Hamilton Co., Cicero, Ind.
10. His occupation: Cabinet-worker
11. His residence: R # 3, Elwood, Ind.
12. Full Christian and maiden name of mother: June Gilliland
13. Her color: White
14. Her occupation: Housewife
15. Her birthplace: Monroe Co., Bloomington, Ind.
16. Her residence: R # 3, Elwood, Ind.
17. Has the female contracting party been an inmate of any county asylum or home for indigent persons with the last five years? No
18. Is this her first marriage? Yes
22. Is the female contracting party afflicted with epilepsy, tuberculosis, venereal or any other contagious or transmissible disease? No
23. Is she an imbecile, feeble-minded, idiotic or insane, or is she under guardianship as a person of unsound mind? No

In the margins is this note : "Consent of parents on file". At the time of this marriage application, Bonnie was under the age of eighteen.

There are a few errors in the information given by my grandmother regarding the birthplace of her mother, but I'm sure that was what she had been told.

Grant County, Indiana resource

Here's a resource for those who may have relatives in Grant County, Indiana. Check out www.grantcounty.net and then click on Departments>Health Department>Vital Records and then click on 'Death By Name'. Here you can search for your family members information and there are links to contact the Health Department to obtain a copy of the death certificate.

One thing I noticed was that the database contained final disposition of the body and the name of the informant, something that could provide clues for further research and answers as to where some of the information came from. The database doesn't state the time frame of the data, but I was able to find deaths from the 1930s all the way to the present.

Grant County is where I reside, and while I don't have much family here, I was able to find out information about some collateral relatives who died in Grant County. I searched my RootsMagic database for anyone I could find in Grant County, and was able to add some information.

There are some LeMaster names in the database who are not close relatives, including :

Paul B. LeMaster death date 5/22/1980 Marion, Indiana. His place of birth was not given, but the date was 8/24/1925. His father was Charles B. LeMaster and mother was Clarisse Busheart.

Raleigh K. LeMaster death date 2/25/1994 Marion, Indiana. He was born 4/16/1908 in Flat Gap, Kentucky. His father was Henry B. LeMaster and mother was Vergie Florence Harris.

Stanley S. LeMaster death date 3/2/2001 Marion, Indiana. He was born 4/10/1935 in Paintsville, Kentucky. His father was Ochal R. LeMaster and mother was Ruth G. Lyon

Roba E. LeMaster death date 1/21/1980 Marion, Indiana. He was born 12/2/1898 in West Virginia. His father was John D. LeMaster and mother was Sarah Pratt.

Jewell E. LeMaster death date 12/22/2005 Marion, Indiana. She was born 12/31/1918 in Keaton, Kentucky. Her father was Tommy Bailey and mother was Erie M. Evans.