Funeral Record: Cora Belle (Metzner) Haley (1868-1955)

Source: Cora Belle Haley Funeral Record, Baird Funeral Home, Jay Co., Indiana 1954-1956, Saxman & Schindler, compiler, n.d.

At the Jay County Public Library I was able to locate the funeral record for my paternal great-grandmother, Cora Belle (METZNER) HALEY, who died April 28, 1955.

Cora died in Madison Township, at the Stuber residence.  Vera (Mrs. Clarence) STUBER was her eldest daughter, and was taking care of her.  It is my understanding that Cora had been blind in her later years.

Cora died April 28th at 6:40 p.m. in the evening, aged 86 years.  She was born August 21, 1868 in Jay County.

The name of her father was given on this record as Adam Haley, an obvious error, as Haley was her married name.  Her father's name was John Adam METZNER, known more often in records as Adam.  Her mother is listed as Clara Metzner, which was her married name - her mother's maiden name was Clara MOULTON.

Cora was buried in an oak casket manufactured by Hutton.  I'm wondering if this was the J.M. Hutton Company of nearby Richmond, Indiana.

There were miscellaneous charges for wires to Chicago and Marine City (Michigan), and a phone call to what looks like Evast, Michigan.  These were probably to notify relatives.  More than likely, these were relatives on the Haley side, as I haven't discovered any surviving out-of-town Metzner relatives.

The bill for the funeral was to be charged to Mrs. Clarence Stuber, Route 3 Ft. Recovery, Ohio; Mrs. Galen Miller, Muncie; Mrs. E.C. Kunce, Lawrenceville, Illinois; Mrs. Waymon Thornburg; and Mrs. Ord LeMaster.  These were the surviving children (all daughters) of Cora and Eli Haley.

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.