Frank Haley called to Portland, Ind.

From: Sandusky Daily Register, Sandusky, Ohio, December 7, 1892, page 2

This snippet in the personal column of the Sandusky Daily Register is referring to the death of my paternal 2nd-great grandfather, George Washington HALEY, who died December 4, 1892 in Jay County, Indiana.


George and Frank were brothers of George J. and Rachel (GARY) HALEY.  My George was 21 years older than Frank, who was the youngest in the family.


George Washington HALEY was born May 16, 1840 in Hardin County, Ohio; was married October 14, 1862 in Ashland County, Ohio to Mary Jane SHERRICK and is buried in the Mt. Zion Cemetery, Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana.

Williamson & Spencer Funeral Home Records : Portland & Pennville, Indiana

One of the books I examined while in Portland last weekend at the Jay County Public Library was the title Williamson & Spencer Funeral Homes, Inc. Portland and Pennville, Indiana Burial Records, Book One 1892-1899, compiled and edited by Jane Ann Spencer.  This book had quite a few mentions of my family members, and has provided me with clues for more research.


One of the more interesting ones to me was the mention of Benjamin Franklin WEHRLY, who died in 1895 at age 21 years, 11 days of typhoid fever, son of William P. and Olive Jane (SMITH) WEHRLY.  According to the Day Book of Accounts at the funeral home, his father paid the account by supplying lumber.  That is just something you don't think of happening these days.  William Wehrly had a sawmill in Salamonia, Jay County, Indiana.


The book provided me with some extracted obituaries from early newspapers, but I want to follow up and get to the original sources for my database.

Funeral Record: Eli Weldon Haley (1866-1957)

Source: Eli Haley Funeral Record, Baird Freeman Funeral Home, Jay County, Indiana 1956-1958, Schindler & Saxman, ed., 1996

The Jay County Public Library in Portland, Indiana has several books of funeral home records of the Baird Freeman Funeral Home, compiled by local editors.  I was glad to find the records of my paternal great-grandfather, Eli Weldon HALEY (1866-1957).  Eli died July 14, 1957 in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.  His wife, Cora, had died in 1955.

I was glad to have located this record, as I found out that I had his death in the wrong month (I had it as June) in my database.  I need to go to the Health Department and obtain an official death certificate on my next visit.

Eli's date of death was July 14th at 6 a.m.  He was 91 years of age, being born March 24, 1866 in Erie County, Ohio.

His residence was listed as Madison Township, and his death occurred at the Stuber residence.  Vera (Mrs. Clarence) Stuber was his eldest daughter, and I know that they were taking care of them in their older years.

The record lists his father as George W. Haley and mother as Mary Jane Sherrick, which correlates to records that I have found.  He was buried in the Mt. Zion cemetery in a casket manufactured by the Batesville Casket Co., an Indiana company still in operation today.

I found it interesting to see the miscellaneous charges listed on the record, including charges for wires to Troy, Ohio and Cleveland(?) and a phone call to Marine City, Michigan.  I assume that these were made to notify relatives.  The phone call to Marine City, Michigan could have been to Eli's sister, Carrie Mae (HALEY) GRAVES, wife of Arthur GRAVES.  The Haley's were from the Cleveland area, so this might be to some other relatives.  I'm not sure who may have been in Troy, Ohio.  

The funeral record lists who to charge the bill to : Mrs. Clarence STUBER, Route 3 Ft. Recovery (Ohio); Mrs. Galen Miller, Muncie; Mrs. E.C. Kunce, Danville, Illinois; Mrs. Waymon Thornburg; and Mrs. Ord LeMaster.  These are the surviving children, all daughters.