Mrs. Hercules Routs Robber With Retort

Searching for more information about my grandaunt and uncles roofing company in Richmond, Indiana, located the following snippet (1950) :

Mrs. Hercules Routs Robber With Retort

Richmond, Ind. Dec. 7 - (AP) Mrs. Bertha Hercules told police she thought a man was joking when he walked into her husband's roofing company office, pointed a gun at her and said: "Sister, I need some money and I need it bad."

She had a snappy comebakc:

"Brother, if you can find any money here just go ahead and take it."

She said the man didn't pursue the subject of money any further but walked out.

That snappy comeback might give a little insight into her character.  My dad said that his dad sold roofing for them.  Will have to see what other stories I can find.

Bertha (LeMaster) Hercules was the wife of Russell, and the daughter of Luman and Barbara (Wehrly) LeMaster.

Since this story was picked up by the Associated Press, Newspapers.com has mention of it all across the country.

Found this add in another newspaper, the address 625 Sheridan Richmond Indiana matches where Bertha's residence was listed on her death certificate.  Today, this location is a bar known as the Sheridan Pub.

Shaky Leaves : Bertha Alberta (LeMaster) Hercules (1892-1962)

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.

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

"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
Father:	L C
Mother:	B J Wherley
County:	Jay
Gender:	Female
Birth Date:	26 Jun 1892
Reference:	Jay County, Indiana Index to Birth Records 1882 - 1920 Inclusive Volume I Letters A - Z Inclusive
Book:	H-5
Page:	78

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]
Gender:	Female
Birth Date:	26 Jun 1892
Birth Place:	Indiana
Death Date:	30 Dec 1961
Death Place:	Spring Grove, Wayne, Indiana
Age at Death:	69
Father:	Luman C Lemaster
Mother:	Barbara J Wehrley
Spouse:	Russell J Hercules

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.

Marriage Record : David Sherick and Margaret Rosenberger, 1884, Seneca County, Ohio

"Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDLH-KF3 : accessed 9 August 2015), David Sherick and Margaret Rosenberger, 29 Apr 1884; citing Seneca, Ohio, United States, reference ; county courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 388,639.

Located the marriage record of my paternal 3rd-great grandfather, David Sherick, to his 3rd wife, Mrs. Margaret (Zimmerman) Rosenberger.  Their marriage took place on April 29, 1884 in Seneca County, Ohio.  Prior to this find I did not have an exact date or location of their marriage in my database.

David was 58 years old and Margaret was 49 years old, both were widowers. Margaret's husband Anthony David Rosenberger had died October 27, 1879 and David's 2nd wife Amy Byers had died December 30, 1883.

Margaret was the daughter of Barney and Sarah (________) Zimmerman.  David was the son of  David and Eve (_________) Sherick.

David's occupation in the census records listed him alternatively as a farmer and a minister.