Bertha Alberta (LeMaster) Hercules (1892-1962) was my paternal grandaunt, the daughter of Luman Cooper and Barbara Isabel (Wehrly) LeMaster. Ancestry.com is currently showing 7 hints from historical records for her in my LeMaster and Allied Families member tree.
I have ignored the Ancestry Member Tree hints for now and will concentrate on the records.
There are a lot of records to update in my RootsMagic database, including census records.
In the 1940 census of Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana, Bertha was living with her husband, Russell, son Murvel and daughter-in-law Margaret. They owned their home and had lived at the same residence in 1935. Russel was a woodworker in a lumber yard and Murvel was a life insurance salesman.
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| 1940 US Census, Wayne County, Indiana, population schedule, Ward 5, Richmond, enumeration district (ED) 89-32, SD 10, sheet 9B, 625 Sheridan St., family 190, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 August 2015); National Archives, Washington, D.C.. |
I already had the 1930 census sourced in my database for the family, they were living in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana in the Bertha's father's household. Likewise, I already had the 1900 census record where Bertha was a 7 year old living in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.
In the 1921 city directory of Richmond, Indiana lists the family as :
Hercules, Russel J (Bertha A), woodwkr Louck & Hill Co, h 79 State
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| "U.S. City Directories", database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 Augst 2015), 240; citing "Richmond, Indiana City Directory (Indianapolis, Indiana: R.L. Polk & Company, 1921–1922)." |
Because of this find, I now know the company that Russel was working for, Louck & Hill. A brief search online found some photographs of the company site.
There was a hint to Bertha's FindAGrave memorial page, which I currently maintain.
Another database was Indiana Births, 1880-1920, which takes information from the WPA birth indices.
| Name: | Lemaster |
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| Father: | L C |
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| Mother: | B J Wherley |
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| County: | Jay |
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| Gender: | Female |
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| Birth Date: | 26 Jun 1892 |
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| Reference: | Jay County, Indiana
Index to Birth Records
1882 - 1920 Inclusive
Volume I
Letters A - Z Inclusive |
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| Book: | H-5 |
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| Page: | 78
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This gives me the exact book and page for Bertha's birth certificate, which I currently do not have a copy. Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.
The most interesting find was the database Wayne County, Indiana, Quaker Funeral Home Records, 1939-1974, which contained a copy of Bertha's death certificate.
| ame: | Bertha Alberta Hercules
[Bertha Alberta Lemaster] |
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| Gender: | Female |
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| Birth Date: | 26 Jun 1892 |
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| Birth Place: | Indiana |
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| Death Date: | 30 Dec 1961 |
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| Death Place: | Spring Grove, Wayne, Indiana |
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| Age at Death: | 69 |
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| Father: | Luman C Lemaster |
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| Mother: | Barbara J Wehrley |
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| Spouse: | Russell J Hercules |
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This is the funeral home's copy of her death certificate, showing that Bertha died in Spring Grove, Wayne County, Indiana at Reid Memorial Hospital on December 30, 1961. She lived at 625 Sheridan Street, same address as found in the 1940 census. Her occupation was listed as the co-owner of Builders Supplies. She died of acute pulmonary edema. She was 69 years old and died at 10:25 p.m. Her burial date was January 3, 1962 at Salamonia Cemetery, Salamonia, Indiana.
If you are related or have any additional information or corrections, I'd love to hear from you.
