Census Sunday : Ord Wehrly LeMaster household, 1940, Jay County, Indiana

My paternal grandfather, Ord Wehrly LeMaster, was enumerated in the 1940 US census in Jay County, Indiana in Portland, Indiana.  His street address was 507 E. Walnut Street, Apartment 2, which matches his residence from the 1941 Portland city directory.

1940 U.S. census, Jay County, Indiana, population schedule, Ward 1, Portland, enumeration district (ED) 38-18, SD 5, sheet 13B, household 322, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 January 2015); National Archives, Washington, D.C..

The family consisted of my grandfather Ord, aged 33, grandmother Ruth, aged 29, and three children : Paul, Idola and Juanita.  My grandmother, Ruth, was the source of the information given to the enumerator, indicated by the "x" next to her name on the census.  The children were listed out of birth order in the census.  Paul was listed as 8 years old and Idola as 6 years old.

According to the census, the family was living in the same place in 1935, and all were born in Indiana.  Ord was working as a laborer for the Sheller Manufacturing Company and Ruth was a housewife.  Paul had completed the third grade and Idola had completed the first grade.

The age of Juanita is a bit hard to read, it appears as if they are saying she is 11 months old, but she should have only been around 6 months old at the time of the census.

Another anomaly to my research is that grandpa Ord's highest education listed is only stated as the 8th grade, when he did graduate from Madison Township High School in Salamonia in 1928.

The family was living next door to Mary Beal in Apartment 1. Mary was a 61 year old widow.

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.

Surname Saturday : Boye

The BOYE surname is in my paternal line.  The origins of the surname are French, although I know very little at this point about the family.

Ahnentafel # 2763 : Catherine Boye (c1635-aft1680). Catherine was born circa 1635 in Otterberg, Bayern.  She married Pierre Viellard (c1630-1680) about 1663 in Otterberg, Bayern.  Pierre was born circa 1630 in Sedan, Ardennes, Frances.  They were the parents of at least one child.  Pierre September 9, 1680 in Otterberg, Bayern.  Catherine died after 1680.

Ahnentafel # 5526 : Giles Boye Nothing further known.

Surname Saturday – create a post in which you discuss a surname and mention its origins, its geographical location(s) and how it fits into your genealogy research. Surname Saturday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Parents Deny Their Son Shot the Sheriff

Located some more information in newspaper clippings about my black sheep cousin, Harry Pierpont, and his family.  Seems the family felt like the police were harassing them because of their son's involvement with John Dillinger.  They also claimed that he didn't murder the sheriff.

His parents were Joseph Gilbert and Lena (Orcutt) Pierpont.  Lena was related to me on the Metzner side of the family.  Will have to see if I can find out anything else about their tavern plans, I believe at one point they had a restaurant near Lakeville as well.

Hammond Times, Hammond, Indiana
July 13, 1934, page 14

PIERPONTS SEEK COURT ORDER

Goshen, Ind. July 13 (U.P.) - A court order to restrain detectives from following them will be sought by Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Pierpont, parents of Harry Pierpont, Dillinger gang lieutenant.

Their intention was announced upon their arrival here to open a beer tavern two miles west of Goshen.

Both expressed bitterness over their inability to escape constant surveillance.

They denied that their son is guilty of slaying Sheriff Jesse Sarber, of Lima, O., in delivering John Dillinger from jail there last October, and claimed they neither was acquainted with the bandit leader.

They said Pierpont was at home the night Sarber was killed.  He is under death sentence in the Ohio state prison in connection with the murder.