Harrison Reid "Harry" McKinley, 1892-1957, Illinois and Winconsin

The original death info I had on Harry was that he died in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. I got this information from a family member...a person who is a reliable source. However, the source was in error based on the obit that I've found for Harry. Here it is.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 27 Nov 1957, Page 25
McKINLEY, Harry R., aged 65 years, of 2818 S. 71st st., beloved husband of Jennie, fond father of Kenneth McKinley, father-in-law of Gladys McKinley, grandfather of Robert McKinley, brother of Ralph of Tilden, Ill.; Olive Dickey and May Henderson of Marissa, Ill. Funeral services will be from the Finger Funeral Home, Marissa, Ill., Fri. afternoon at 2. Burial in Tilden cemetery, Tilden.

My three plus year newspaper adventure is paying off in so many instance. I've corrected the FAG memorial based on this new info.

William Stewart...A bit of a breakthrough

Here are links to the prior posts for William Stewart and family:
https://alexandermckee.blogspot.com/2011/11/william-stewart-1854-to-before-1910.html
https://alexandermckee.blogspot.com/2016/08/ella-jane-mckinley-stewart-1863-1910.html

The breakthrough involves the death of William's son, Wesley James Stewart.

I've been buried in newspaper research for two or three years now and I've been updating all of the Find A Grave memorials with all that I find so that the information is in the public domain. I've just submitted an update for Wesley's Find A Grave memorial because I've located an obit for him. Here it is.

Iola Daily Register And Evening News, Iola, Kansas, 7 Jul 1922, Page 3
Mr. James Wesley Stewart passed away last evening at six o'clock at his home 508 East Monroe street after a lingering illness. Funeral services will be held from the home tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 o'clock with the Rev. E. W. Spencer officiating. Burials will be made in Highland.

This interesting thing is that a few days later a Card of Thanks is published that indicates that Wesley's father William is still living and I'm guessing he's in Iola, Allen, Kansas.

Iola Daily Register And Evening News, Iola, Kansas, 11 Jul 1922, Page 3
Card of Thanks.
--We wish to express our thanks to our friends and neighbors for their kindness and sympathy, also for beautiful floral offerings, during the sickness and death of our husband and son.--Mrs. W. J. Stewart, William Stewart and family, Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Eshelman. 

William's wife's death in Iola in 1910 lends additional support to the notion that William is in the Iola area.

I've search the Kansas State census and the U.S. Federal Census (1910, 1920) to see if I can pick up any trace of William in the Iola area but found nothing. I've also searched (and searched some more) for a trace of William in Iola newspapers using Newspapers.com. No luck other than the one mention noted above. 

So, at this point, my working theory is that William Stewart lives past the 1922 death of his son Wesley when William is 67/68 and that he is living in the Iola area. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Ella Jane McKinley Stewart, 1863-1910, Illinois, Kansas

Update to Stewart post.

While browsing for info in Newspapers.com, I came upon an obituary for Ella. Here it is.

The Iola Register, Iola, Kansas, 8 Jan 1910, Page 3
Death at Sanitarium.
Ella Jane Stewart died early this morning at the Sutcliffe Sanitarium of tuberculosis. The body will be shipped on the evening Missouri Pacific to Tilden, Ill., for interment. The deceased was 47 years of age and had lived here for some time. Death at Sanitarium.

Find A Grave memorial = 142200676

Ella's youngest son, Wesley James Stewart, is living in Iola at the time. I'm assuming that Ella was living with him.

Update to McKee Family Tree book...Download updated copy

I've updated the McKee Family Tree book. Click the link below to download a PDF from my OneDrive account.

Updated McKee Family Tree book

Updates were made to the following people:

• Driver, Vallie Lucille (Booth) Obit
• Hansen, Priscilla (Baillargeon) Anderson Obit 
• Linenfeiser, Cynthia Sue (Lenau) Obit FAG 148448448
• McKinley, Dorothy Pearl (Mulholland) Obit 
• Wilkes, Sarah E. (Massey) McKee Obit FAG 139454771
• Nieto, Ramon John Obit FAG 148677504
• Steele, Clara Ruth (Cross) Obit FAG 144187180

In addition, note the following, which is not in the tree book.

• Raymond Eugene Hager (s/o Lewis Ebbert Hager + Hellen Berdelle McGuire)
  b. 3 Feb 1837 Colorado Springs, El Paso, Colorado
  d. 15 Jun 2015 Fort Collilns, Larimer, Colorado
  Click here to see his obit. FAG 149454190
• Patricia Ann Anderson (d/o Edward Michael G. Anderson + Elsie M. Beane)
  m. abt 1961
  Joseph Omer Norman Fontaine
  b. 3 Nov 1936 Chicopee, Hampden, Massachusetts
  d. 13 Jul 2002 Palmer, Hampden, Massachusetts
  Click here to see his obit. FAG 149461397
• Laura Lynette (Burns) Ratzlaff (d/o Woodrow Leonard Burns + Doris Nell Terral)
  b. 21 Sep 1962 Wasco, Kern, California
  d. 18 Feb 2014 Bakersfield, Kern, California
  Click here to see her obit. FAG 126528954
• Wilma Darlene Uptergrove (d/o Mount Vernon Uptergrove + Edna Idell Cook)
  m. 28 Mar 1972
  Jerry Ronald Dickerman
  b. 10 Sep 1934 Sherman, Grayson, Texas
  d. 25 Jun 2014 Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona
  Click here to see his obit. FAG 132124210
• Sherry Lynn (Bacak) Duffey
  m. 18 Jan 1957 Dallas, Texas to Max Wayne Duffey
  (s/o William Edward Duffey + Luna Beatrice Covington)
  b. 10 Oct 1941 Dallas, Dallas, Texas
  d. 18 May 2014 Granbury, Hood, Texas
  Click here to see her obit. FAG 130079814

Randle S. McMillan Family Tree

Randle S. McMillan Family Tree
Click the graphic once to open a larger version.
Press the Esc key to close the graphic. 

George Henry Thompson, 1864-1896, Illinois

I'm finally getting back to posting to this blog. I've been on an adventure...attended RootsTech in Salt Lake City. I've been trying to integrate an Asus Tranformer tablet into my everyday life...if I'm going to spend this much money on a toy, I need to use the toy. I've been working on the Florida State Genealogy Society newsletter...it's coming together but slowly. Today has been the first day I've had to get back to posting to this blog. So for today's post, I picked George...a random pick.

George Henry Thompson was the son of Joseph Thompson and Mary Jane McKee. He was born in Randolph County, Illinois and lived there for all of his short life. On 26 Oct 1887, George married Janette Gibson Aitken at the Prosperity UP Church, Sadowa, Randolph County, Illinois.

Janette (aka Janet) was the daughter of James B. Aitken and Mary Boyd. Janette's sister, Lydia Ann Aitken had already married into this family. Lydia married John William McKinley on 16 Jul 1885. One can guess that the family relationships played a part in the marriage of George and Janette.

George and Janette had three children: Mary Velma, Wilfred Gilmore, and Nellie Opal.

George died at a young age, 32. His obituary provides the details of his life.

Sparta Plaindealer, Sparta, Illinois, Friday, 15 May 1896, Volume 31, Number 38

Died. -- At his home in this city of consumption, Mr. G. H. Thompson on Wednesday, May 6th 1896.

Henry was one whose personal influence was felt in every phase of life in which he was placed, not words but works weighed his worth in the home, the church and social circles. As was beautifully attributed by his Pastor, the master has taken an Elder, a sweet singer from our choir, and earnest worker of which our mission church of Aurora, Illinois, will feel his loss.

We miss his kindly smile, his earnest voice, but are not robbed of sweetest memories and abiding affection.

Funeral services were held Friday morning, and were attended by a large circle of sympathizing friends. Rev. John A. Henderson and R. E. Wilkin, officiating. Interment in Caledonia cemetery.

With George's death, Janette became responsible for raising her three children on her own. She moves to Kansas and can be found with an uncle James A. Aitken. Presumably this never-married uncle needed someone to take care of his home or perhaps he simply wanted to help his widowed niece and her children. Whatever the case may be, Janette and her children lived with James in Kansas. A relative sent Janette's obituary.

Janetta Gibson Aitken was born in Randolph County, ILL., August 24th 1869, and died at her brothers, near Roxbury, August 26th, 1919, aged 50 years and 2 days, after an illness of four months during which she was a patient sufferer.

She married October 26th, 1887 to George H. Thompson of Sparta, Ill., who preceded her in death 23 years ago. To them was born three children, Velma, Wilfred and Nellie.

At an early age she united with the United Presbyterian church Prosperity, near Tilden, Ill. After her marriage she united with the U.P. chuch, Sparta, Ill, later to the U.P. church in Aurora, Ill., and then to the 1st U.P. church at St. Louis, Mo. On coming to Kansas two years ago last April she brought her letter and placed it in the Roxbury Presbyterian church, of which she was a member at the time of her death, always trusting in Jesus Christ as her savior.

She leaves to mourn her loss, three children, two grandchildren, two brothers, two sisters, one of which lives in Randolph, Ill., and a host of relatives and friends.

Death bears our loved one to the tomb,Our hears are rent with grief,
But Jeasus Christ Our Blessed Lord,
Alone can give relief.
Amens oft are hard to bare,
Life's burdens_______us hear,
They sorely pray ______ friend,
But God will be our truest,
And dry away our tears.
We'll miss our mother and loved one dear
Who from us past away,
But if we're faithful to our God,
We'll meet in endless day.
So let us live while here we stary,
Amidst life's toil and pain,
That shen by death we're called away,
'Twill be eternal gain.

George and Janette's children go on to live their lives in Kansas. Here are the details.

Child 1: Mary Velma Thompson
b. 31 May 1889 Sparta, Randolph County, Illinois
d. Apr 1949
m. 14 Oct 1914
John Karber
b. 1 Oct 1893 Gypsum, Saline County, Kansas
d. Mar 1973 Gypsum, Saline County, Kansas
One child: Paul Thompson Karber

Child 2: Wilfred Gilmore Thompson
b. 19 Apr 1891 Sparta, Randolph County, Illinois
d. 29 May 1923 McPherson, McPherson County, Kansas
m. 28 Feb 1917 McPherson, McPherson County, Kansas
Grace Belle Walker
b. 15 Mar 1897 Durham, marion County, Kansas
d. 15 May 1960 Newton, Harvey County, Kansas
Two children: George Henry Thompson and Janette May Thompson Patton.

Child 3: Nellie Opal Thompson
b. 20 Nov 1893 Aurora, Kane County, Illinois
d. 24 Jul 1979 Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas
m. 1916
William Locke (Divorced)
m. 23 Jun 1917 Salina, Saline County, Kansas
Wiliam Irving Boyd
b. 10 Mar 1889 Great Bend, Barton County, Kansas
d. 30 Sep 1949 Salina, Saline County, Kansas

You can find Find A Grave entries for all members of this family with many of them including obituary-based details.

As always, if you're reading this post and you have info you want to trade, I'm happy to trade info with other researchers.


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Louise E. (Cook) McKinley 1910-1964 Illinois

I've been at RootsTech 2012 all week and been in and out of the library as time permits. I was hoping that the library had acquired additional books since the last time I was here. They have...just not books that include references for my family. My one meager find was for Louise E. (Cook) McKinley. I found a burial location for her along with correct dates of birth and death. Here's her info:

Louise E. Cook d/o Harry and Lillian Cook
b. 7 Jun 1910 Illinois
d. 27 Aug 1964 (buried Caledonia Cemetery, Sparta, Illinois)
m. 4 May 1934 Tilden United Presbyterian Church, Tliden, Illinois
Gilbert Lester McKinley s/o Samuel Gilmore McKinley and Cora Margaret Edmiston
b. 30 Jan 1913 Illinois
d. 21 Dec 1995 Charleston, Coles County, Illinois

Louise and Gilbert had two children: Martha and Edward.

We have one day left for RootsTech. Everything will be over by about 3 p.m. tomorrow. I may go back to the library just to see what's up. I may just come back to the nice warm hotel room and huddle. My poor Florida climate acclimated bod isn't doing well in this cold arid mountain environment. No more winter conference!


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Daniel Webster Blaylock 1882-1958 Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland

I'm not sure how I got started on looking for newspaper items for Daniel Webster Blaylock. Daniel went by D. W., and while hacking around in Newspaper Archives, I happened upon more than 100 newspaper entries for D. W. Blaylock in Edwardsville, Madison County, Illinois. Most of these entries are for Mrs. D. W. Blaylock (Mary Zulu (McKinley) Blaylock). Mary played bridge, directed local theatrical events, and was an Eastern Star. Here are the family details.

Daniel Webster Blaylock (FAG 82726831)
b. 22 Dec 1882 Millheim, Perry County, Missouri
d. 25 Nov 1958 Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland
m. 23 Apr 1919 Tilden, Randolph County, Illinois
Mary Zulu McKinley (FAG 80968687)
b. 4 Jun 1893 Lakewood, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
d. ?? Mar 1989 Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland

Child 1:
Living Blaylock
b. 6 Oct 1929 Edwardsville, Madison County, Illinois
m. 20 Jun 1952 where?
Living Adams
b. 27 Mar 1931

I haven't had much luck in identifying D.W.'s parents. However, among the newspaper articles was a death announcement for his mother.

The Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, Illinois, 7 Dec 1933

Mrs. J. M. Blaylock Dies.
Mrs. J. M. Blaylock, 68, mother of D. W. Blaylock of this city died yesterday in Flat River, Mo. Funeral services will be conducted tomorrow in that city. Mr. and Mrs. D. W, Blaylock will attend the service.

          Note: Flat River is in Saint Francois County, Missouri.

Here's a timeline for D. W.

1882 ( 0) born Millheim, Perry County, Missouri

1890 ( 8)

1900 (18) living Indian Territory, Missouri  Source: cens (Boarder)

190? (2?) attending Rolla School of Mines Source: newspaper

1910 (28) living Edwardsville, Madison County, Ilinois Source: cens

1918 (36) living Glen Carbon, Illinois (Mining Engineer) Source: WWI record

1919 (37) married Tilden, Illinois

1920 (38) living Edwardsville, Madison County, Illinois Source: cens w/Mary

1920 (38) listed in Am. Inst. of Mining, Metallurgical... Chief Mining Engr. Source: Google books

1930 (48) living Edwardsville, Madison County, Illinois Source: cens w/Mary

1935 (53) moves to Bethesda, Maryland Source: city directory

1940 (58) living Lakewood, Ohio Source: newspaper

1942 (60) living 1055 Sylvan Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio Source: WWII (Defense Plant Corp)

1950 (68) living

1955 (73) living Lakewood, Ohio Source: newspaper

1956 (74) living Lakewood, Ohio Source: obit

1958 (76) died Maryland...no obit in Washington Post; however, there was one in Illinois

The Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, Illinois, 26 Nov 1958

D. W. Blaylock
Word was received here Wednesday morning of the death earlier of D. W. Blaylock of Bethesda, Md., a former resident and mining engineer for the Madison County Coal Co., whose main office was located at Glen Carbon for many years.
The deceased, who suffered a stroke two weeks ago, is survived by his wife, a son, D. W. Blaylock, Jr., and two grandsons.
Funeral services and burial will be held Saturday afternoon at Marissa. The time is 2 o'clock.

Here's a smattering of the newspaper articles.

=====
The Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, Illinois, 20 Oct 1928, Page 3
D. W, Blaylock attended an Alumni banquet of the Rolla School of Mines , in St. Louis, last evening.
According to Wikipedia: Missouri University of Science and Technology was known as the University of Missouri–Rolla and originally Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy. The school is an institution of higher learning located in Rolla, Missouri and part of the University of Missouri System.
=====
The Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, Illinois, 30 Oct 1928, Page 2
Move Into Residence,
Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Blaylock have moved into the Barnsback residence on St. Louis street,
=====
The Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, Illinois, 8 Jul 1932, Page 1
Rushed to Hospital.
D. W. Blaylock of this city was rushed to St. Elizabeth's Hospital at Gianite City this morning.
=====
The Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, IL, 1 Dec 1933, Page 3
Mr. and Mrs. D. W Blaylock and son, Danny, spent Thanksgiving Day with Mrs. Blaylock's mother, Mrs J. H McKinley at Marlssa, Ill.
=====
The Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, IL, 2 May 1935, Page 3
Bridge awards were given to Mrs. A. E. Stolze, Mrs. D. W. Blaylock and Mrs. R. I. McKee. A light luncheon was served the guests during the latter part of the afternoon.
=====
The Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, Illinois, 22 May 1937, page 2
Returning From Meeting.
D. W. Blaylock, a mining engineer of this city, returned Fnday night from Cincinnati, O, where he attended a four-day session of the American Mining Congress.
=====
The Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, IL, 10 Aug 1940, Page 3
Mrs. D. W. Blaylock and son, Danny, of Cleveland, Ohio are spending the week-end here with Dr. and Mrs. O R. Keenan at their home on East Park street.
=====
The Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, IL, 13 Feb 1948, Page 4
Mrs. D. W. Blaylock spent several days in Marissa, as guest of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. H. McKinley.
===== 
The Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, Illinois, 16 Aug 1955, Page 3
Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Blaylock, former residents, now of Lakewood. 0., were weekend guests of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Wollbrinck.
=====

During the last years of their lives, the Blaylocks seem to split their time between Lakewood and Bethesda. Living descendants of this family live in the Bethesda, Maryland area.

William Stewart, 1854 to before 1910, Ireland, Illinois

I've spent another fruitless night searching for information on William Stewart and his family members. Here's what I know.

William Stewart (s/o unknown Stewart and Ann unknown)
b. Aug 1854 Ireland...came to U.S.A. at age 6
d. Before 1910 possibly in Illinois but who knows?
m. Where? When?
Ella Jane McKinley (d/o Robert W. McKinley and Sarah McKee)
b. 12 Apr 1863 Randolph County, IL
d. 10 Jan 1910 Iola, Allen County, KS

William and Ella had the following children:

Child 1:
Ruana Stewart
b. 8 Apr 1882 IL
d. 6 Mar 1915 Vega, Oladham County, TX
m. 5 Sep 1900 Prosperity UP Church, Sadowa, Randolph County, IL
Herbert Glenn Green (s/o Benjamin Parker Green and Sarah Gette or Getting)
b. 27 Feb 1876 Saint Clair County, IL
d. 23 Feb 1949 Vega, Oldham County, TX

Child 2:
William Melvin Stewart
b. 30 May 1884 Pickneyville, Perry County, IL
d. 17 Apr 1979 Hereford, Deaf Smith County, TX
m 22 Aug 1912 where?
Margaret Carrie Taylor
b. 1 Jan 1891 Gainesville, Cooke County, TX
d. 25 Sep 1977 Deaf Smith County, TX

Child 3:
Robert Blanchard Stewart
b. 14 Jul 1886 Swanwick, Perry County, IL
d. 18 Oct 1967 Freeburg, Saint Clair County, IL
m. 5 Jun 1912 Belleville, Saint Clair County, IL
Ella Winterbauer (d/o Charles A. Winterbauer and Rosa C. unknown)
b. Mar 1894 Illinois
d. 14 May 1979 Red Bud, Randolph County, Illinois

Child 4:
Wesley James Stewart
b. 18 Aug 1887 Swanwick, Perry County, Illinois
d. before Oct 1967 perhaps in Texas...Can you help?
m. Where? When?
Lela G. Eshelman (d/o William Eshelman and Olive E. Blanche French)
b. Feb 1891 Indiana
d. Where? When?

Child 5:
Ella Ethel Stewart
b. Jul 1893 Illinois
d. Where? When?
m. 5 Jan 1915 Wichita Falls, Wichita County, TX
George Hal Shirey (s/o George H. Shirey and Mary Gates)
b. 28 Oct 1888 Loogootee, Martin County, IN
d. Where? When?

The first time I can pick up William Stewart is on the 1880 census. He's living with his brother Samuel and his mother Ann in Grand Cote, Perry County, IL.

William marries in 1881 and the children are all born between 1882 and 1893...during the dead zone created by the burned 1890 census.

The next time I'm able to find something on William is the 1900 census. The family is living in Marissa, Saint Clair County, IL.

I'm speculating that William dies between 1900 and 1910 because Ella dies on 10 Jan 1910 in Iola, Allen County, KS. She appears to be living with her son Wesley and his wife Lela. Wesley and Lela appear on the 1910 census in Iola and no other family member lives in the area. According to an index Ella is buried in Tilden, IL.

To date, I haven't found an obituary for William or Ella Stewart...and it's not for lack of trying. Notice that many of the children are in Texas. William and Ella's son, William Melvin Stewart leads the move south to Texas, moving to Deaf Smith County, TX in 1908. His sister Ruana and her family are in Deaf Smith County by the 1910 census. Youngest sister Ella Ethel Stewart is also in Texas by 1910. Wesley is in Iola, KS; however, the 1920 census placed Wesley in Cement City, Dallas County, TX. Only Robert Blanchard Stewart stays in the Illinois area. Robert works in his Uncle Lemuel's business, L. R. McKinley and Sons Chevrolet Company.

The scattering of the children at such an early age speaks to William Stewart's early death. I can't tell if he dies in Illinois, Texas, or Kansas...my best guess is Saint Clair County, Illinois. I've looked in all three places with no luck. Unless someone reading this posting has more information, I'm assuming finding a death date and location for William will have to hold until I am able to get to the Randolph County Genealogical Society library in Steeleville, Illinois. Even then I'm not assured of success. When William's wife Ella Jane dies in 1910, it's her father Robert McKinley who pays her passage home and pays for her burial...somewhere in Tilden, IL. Alas, under the circumstance, William might be anywhere. If you have more information, I'd love to hear from 'ya.

Earl Renwick McMillan 1893-1982 Illinois, Washington, California

Every family tree has its black sheep and its stars. Earl Renwick McMillan is a family star. Here are the vitals:

Earl Renwick McMillan
s/o Randle S. McMillan and Nancy Harriet McKinley (d/o Robert McKinley and Sarah McKee)
b. 12 Dec 1893 Marissa, Saint Clair County, Illinois
d. 1 Dec 1982 Sacramento, Sacramento County, California
m. Where? When? Can you help?
Anna Shampaign
d/o Charles E. Shampaign and Margaret Cavanaugh
b. 21 Feb 1896 Saint Louis, Saint Louis City, Missouri
d. 22 Feb 1989 Sacramento, Sacramento County, California

Earl and Anna had two children: Edward and Margaret.

As you'll see from Earl's obituary, this family spent the majority of their lives in the Seattle area.

So why is Earl a star? I'll give you a hint before you read his obituary. Earl is personally responsible for countless hours of summer time family fun around a barbecue. Ready for his obituary?

The Seattle Times, Wednesday, December 15, 1982, Page F15

Rites for Earl McMillan, 89, inventor of charcoal briquettes

Memorial services for Earl R. McMillan, 89, former mining engineer, will be at 2 p.m. next Wednesday at the Bellewood Presbyterian church in Bellevue. He died Dec. 1 in Sacramento, where he has lived the past several years.

McMillan was the manager of coal operations and the chief mining engineer for Northern Pacific Railroad from 1946 to 1962, when he retired. Prior to that, he worked for the firm’s subsidiary, the Northwestern Improvement Co., managing coalmining operations in Roslyn and Cle Elum from 1930 to 1945.

He was part owner of the Northwest Briquetting Co., which made briquettes out of coal, a method he invented. He also served as a mining consultant and was assistant superintendent for the Bureau of Mines here.

McMillan, a 1917 civil engineering and geology graduate of the University of Missouri, received honorary mention on the All American football team and was captain of the school’s championship baseball team.

He also received an advanced mining degree from the University of Washington in 1919.

He was past president of the West Coast Minerals Association, past chairmen of the North Pacific section of the American Institute of Mining Engineers and an elder of the Laurelhurst and Bellewood Presbyterian churches.

He was also a member of Seattle Rotary, the Arctic club and was a Mason. He served in the Army during World War I.

Surviving are his wife, Anna; a daughter, Margaret Ann, Sacramento; a son, Edward, Bainbridge Island, and a sister Bessie Orr, Springfield, Ill.

Remembrances are suggested to the Seattle Rotary Foundation or to Bellewood Presbyterian Church.

So the next time you pull out a hibachi and fire up the coals, be sure to hoist a beer in tribute to Earl.

Notice that there's no burial spot for Earl mentioned in his obituary. His wife's obituary also contains no burial location. Therefore, there are no Find A Grave memorials...yet. So I guess I'll be sending for death certificates (if I can) to see if they include burial information. I've already written to Earl's son and he indicated that the family has no interest in this project.

On another front, if you've never looked for patents or scholarly papers, you should. You might be surprised to find an inventor or two in your family. In Earl's case, his name appears on many patents based on his work and his published scholarly papers are cited. You can do a general Google search and many of these types of items will be included in the returns. However, you should also check Google's dedicated searches. On the Google home page, click the More link, and then click Even more. A list of dedicated searches sorted into groups displays.   

I had occassion to point out the patent search during a presentation. The next time I went to a meeting a lady walked up to me and told me that a relative of her's had a dozen patents. She wouldn't have looked had I not mentioned the patent search in passing.

Based on my experience, it's always worth a quick check while I'm watching TV.

Staying Connected Pays--Hinerman Update

When we last left Catherine Agnes (McKinley) Hinerman, I had requested a death certificate. Requesting the certificate was the suggestion of a kindly stranger, who sent me the address for an ordering spot. The objective was to see if the certificate included the name of the cemetery where Catherine is buried. It did!

You can find Catherine's memorial on Find a Grave (76781021).

So with a little hint and $9.00, I was able to change Catherine's custom ID from O for obituary to FO for Find A Grave and obituary. If you missed the posts about the custom ID field, I use a series of IDs in a custom ID field that my software includes to help me target my searches.

Public vs. Private

When I think of my genealogy work, I think of it in terms of public and private.

The public aspect of it includes entries in this blog and posting lots and lots of info at Find A Grave. My objective is to put as much info in public spaces so that anyone searching in the future won't have to go far to find what they are looking for...and perhaps contact me. I also maintain a website that is in great need of an update, and two books that I've been picking at for quite a while.

The private part of my genealogy involves the info in my database, which encompasses so much more than I've been able to place in public spaces. In addition, there are a couple of special cases, where I have some information to place in a site like Find A Grave but not as much as I need. Case in point is Catherine Agnes McKinley (Mrs. Charles Philip Hinerman). I have her obituary, but no place of burial, except Belleville, Illinois. Belleville has several cemeteries with no indexes that I'm aware of.

Minneapolis Morning Tribune, Monday, 7 Oct 1957, Page 1

Mrs. Hinerman, Pastor's Wife, Dies at 37

Mrs. Catherine A. Hinerman, 37, wife of the Rev. C. Philip Hinerman, pastor of Park Avenue Methodist church, died Sunday.

Services will be 2 p.m. Tuesday at Park Avenue church, with the Rev. Blaine Lambert, assistant pastor, officiating. The body will be at the church after 2 p.m. today. Burial will be in Belleville, Ill.

Survivors include her husband; a son Philip Christian; a daughter, Karen Susanne, Minneapolis; her parents, Mr. and Mrs. L. R. McKinley, Belleville, and three brothers. L. Dean, W. Wayne and Leland C. N. McKinley, all of Belleville.

 Here are the vitals:

Catherine Agnes McKinley
(d/o Lemuel Ranson McKinley and Catherine Louella Stevenson)
b. 8 Jan 1920 Tilden, Randolph County, Illinois
d. 6 Oct 1957 Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota
m. 8 Jul 1941 (Don't know where)
Charles Philip Hinerman
b. 20 Jun 1918 Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia
d. 22 Mar 2001 Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina

Charles and Caterine had two children: Karen Suzanne and Philip Christian.

As you can see, I know a whole lot that I would love to post to Find A Grave...except I have no burial location. So my next best option is to post the details here and see what happens next.

Genlighten and Obituaries

As the editor of Florida Lines (FSGS newsletter), I try to keep abreast of anything new that develops so that I can alert users. So it was with Genlighten, which is a service that matches an info seeker and a local researcher. In most cases, researchers charge a minimal fee to look up info for you. I haven't been to Genlighten much lately. Mostly because they didn't have many researchers in geographic areas that were of interest to me. While I've been away, the list of researchers have grown. So I've booked the following obituary searches:

Earl C. Crain, d. 13 Aug 1999, Baldwin, MO
John William Knierim, d. 12 Jun 1940 Kirkwood, MO
Roy O. Mangano, d. 26 Jan 1996 Saint Louis, MO
Olive (McClure) McGuire, d. 14 Dec 1919 Colorado Springs, CO
Mamie Alice (Boyd) McGuire, d. 10 Jan 1974 Colorado Springs, CO
Ellen Ida (Jones) McKee, d. 7 Jan 1949 Firman Desloge Hospital, St. Louis, MO
Helena (Reitz) McKee, d. 8 Sep 1951 Saint Louis, MO
Ira Jesse McKee, 29 Jul 1954 Maplewood, MO
James McKee, d. 6 Jan 1924 Saint Louis, MO
James William McKee, Jan 1964, Maplewood, MO
Katheryn M. McKee, d. 20 Dec 1989 Saint Louis, MO
Roger McKee, d. Mar 1979 Saint Louis, MO
Minnie Florence (Plumber) McKinley, d. 9 May 1908 Saint Louis, MO
Roy George Paglusch, d. 19 Aug 1947 Saint Louis, MO
Roy Leonard Steele, d. 11 Mar 1986 Puyallup, WA

We'll see how good the Genlighten researchers are.

Scanning...scanning...scanning

I finally managed to get into Garry's office yesterday and scanned a lot of the documents that I've been collecting for years. I've spent this morning getting them into files and backing them up onto an external drive. Of course, I also have them stored in my Hotmail account so that if I lose them, I have another source. Now when someone contacts me, I'll be able to send them docs electronically...a great convenience for everybody concerned. So here's a list of what I have scanned:

Harvey Campbell Will
James E. Campbell Will
George Leemon Will
William Leming Will
Alexander McKee Will
George McKee Will
George McKee Civil War Record
Joseph Alexander McKee Civil War Record
Robert McKee Will (This will lists the entire McKee family in 1882.)
Susana Gilmore McKee Will
William McKee Will
Robert McKinley Will
Joseph Edward Thompson Guardian Bond
Joseph Thompson Will
Joseph Thompson Civil War Record

I've also scanned a flock of birth, marriage, and death certificates. If you find something of interest in this list, email me and I'll send you the scanned copy.