Earnest Russell

https://www.newspapers.com/image/523397959/

Ova D. A. Hazelbaker, World War I Casualty

Ova Daniel Abraham Hazelbaker was the son of Henry Hazelbaker and Amanda Jane Pence of Gaston, Indiana. He was born 7 July 1889, the oldest surviving child ahead of sister, Iza. Another sibling died very young.

Ova was living and farming near Gaston when he registered for the draft on 5 June 1917. I paperwork described him as being of medium height, medium build, with light blue eyes and black hair. 

World War I Draft Registration

He enlisted in the Army on 21 September 1917, in Muncie, Indiana. After basic training at Camp Taylor, Kentucky, he was assigned serial number 1977304 and sent to 57th Company, 15th Training Battalion, 159th Depot Brigade. Later he was transferred to Camp Logan at Houston, Texas, then to Camp Upton, Long Island, New York. On 1 October 1917, Ova was transferred to Company A, 334th Infantry, and served with that unit until 1 April 1918.

He was shipped overseas on 16 May 1918, departing Hoboken, New Jersey, on 16 May 1918, travelling third class aboard the SS Agamemnon, a captured German passenger formerly known as the SS  Kaiser Wilhelm II. At that time, he was attached to Company L, 130th Infantry, 33rd Division and sailing with all companies of the 130th A through M. On August 28th of that year, Ova wrote reassuring words in a letter home to his sister "Do not fear for me," he said, "For I am a follower and a faithful believer in the One Superior to all now." Despite his words of comfort, she undoubtedly continued to fear for her older brother's safety so far away and in such danger.

Her fears were realized when, on 1 October 1918, at Dannevoux Wood, Cote d'Mais, France, during the Battle of the Argonne Forest, Private Hazelbaker was killed by a German shell.  Information traveled slowly during times of war and is wasn't until 7 November that word of Ova's death was sent to father Henry back in Gaston. 

Morning Reports, Company L, 130th Infantry, October 1918

He was buried in an isolated grave near Landres Et Saint-Georges Ardennes. On 12 June 1919, his remains were disinterred and moved the Grave 194 Section 95 Plot 4, Argonne American Cemetery near Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, Muese, where they would remain for two years.

Burial Card (front and back)

On 8 August 1921, the young soldier's remains were once again disinterred and began their long journey home to Indiana.  On 6 September, they arrived in Antwerp, Belgium, then on 20 September, they were loaded onto a ship bound for the United States. U.S. Army Transport ship Wheaton arrived in Hoboken, New Jersey, on 3 October, with the remains of twenty-six hundred and twenty four American soldiers, Hazelbaker's among them.. On 19 October, the final leg of the journey began when the remains were shipped to Gaston undertaker, J. F. Kimmel, passing through New York City on the 22nd where they were likely loaded onboard a west-bound train.

On 25 October 1921, the remains of twenty-nine-year-old Ova Daniel Abraham Hazelbaker were returned to the neighborhood of his youth and interred in the cemetery in Wheeling. Pallbearers were Sanford L. Hicks, Rudolph Goad, Rue Ewing, William N. Hilligoss, Ray Hibbey, and Floyd Janney, all of whom served together, and four of who departed for the front together aboard the USAT Wheaton back in 1918.

Ova was survived by his parents and sister, Iza. The Gaston American Legion Post was named in his honor.

Ova's grave in Wheeling Cemetery.

The Story of Two Little Girls

In the April of 1912, twenty-four year old William Truax married Nellie Pucciarelli, just eighteen, in Madison County Indiana. The young couple soon found out they were expecting a baby. No doubt they looked forward to the new arrival as would any young couple. At some point early on, they relocated to Muncie settling down at 509 South Madison Street. Christmas came and went and the new year dawned with all of the hopes and expectations of impending parenthood. Unfortunately on January 23, 1913, their child, a little girl, was stillborn. 

In another part of town on the same day, two men discovered a bundle floating in White River. The men were on the bank near where the train tracks cross the river then pass through Beech Grove Cemetery. The bundle was pulled from the water and upon closer examination was found to be a baby girl of about seven months gestation. With no ability to identify the child and no one coming forward to claim it, the coroner completed an autopsy then worked towards securing burial arrangements.

The two tragic stories came together, possibly in the offices of Beech Grove Cemetery or at the funeral parlor of Moffitt and Groman, no one knows where for sure. A young couple in the throes of grief having just lost their first-born child consented to have the unknown little girl buried with their own. Their generosity likely allowed them their own sense of peace that neither their baby, nor the unknown baby, would be alone. The two children were buried in Beech Grove, Section C, Single Lot 125 on January 24, 1913. The grave is likely unmarked, but that has not yet been confirmed. 

Left Behind

If there is one thing more tragic than losing a child, it might be losing a child hundreds of miles from where you live then having to leave them behind and return home without them. I recently stumbled across a mention in the newspaper, The Muncie Daily News of May 31, 1880, where a little girl had passed away while her family was visiting the Muncie area. Anna E Allen and her parents, known only as J and A M Allen according to her stone, were visiting a Mr Montgomery living a few miles south of town when the two-year-old died. No cause of death was noted but the little girl was laid to rest in Beech Grove Cemetery lot 505. Her sad little marker is in poor shape, both weather-worn and broken with the upper spire portion now in three pieces. Also buried on the lot are James H Montgomery, a Civil War veteran, his wife, Mary, and Rebecca, probably his mother.

 
Anna E, dau of J & A M, Allen died May 28, 1880, aged 2 y __ m & 28 d

A quick review of Ancestry's trees (also know as poison ivy) show six public trees and one private tree that include a little girl that fits her description pretty closely. Every one that lists a death location for their girl says she died in Warrensburg, Macon, Illinois, but not one of those public trees gives a source for their information. If this, indeed, was the same little girl, she would have apparently been the daughter of Josiah and Anna Margaret Ann (Brindle) Allen. I expect one person guessed that little Anna died in Illinois and others simply ran with it as fact. 

The following is garnered from various sparcely-sourced Ancestry trees. If this is your family, please do you own research rather than take this as gospel: Anna Margaret Brindle's sister was Mary Elizabeth Brindle, wife of James Henry Montgomery of Daleville, Indiana (just southwest of Muncie). This certainly fits well with our little girl, enough so that I may reach out to some of those tree owners and see if they will correct/update their information. 

Despite being buried 450 miles from home, this little girl has not been forgotten. She was not buried alone, but with her aunt and uncle, and will hopefully be reunited with the rest of her family tree in the digital world.

When a Deed is More Than a Deed

Deeds can be unexpected jackpots for a researcher. How much information can there be? A seller or two, a buyer or two, a description of the parcel, a price. The usual stuff. But occasionally, situations are such that unexpected details are included that can fill in the blanks and link family members otherwise misplaced.

When Sophia Stewart passed away January 26, 1886, she was the 84 year old widow of James Stewart who had passed away 14 years prior. When scrolling through the Delaware County, Indiana, deeds, there is one listing Sophia as the grantor dated February 2, 1888 (actually mis-indexed as January). How does that happen? It takes time to settle an estate and it isn't unusual for probate to drag out for several years. 

The grantee (the buyer) was George Goings, Delaware County resident, who was paying $275 for a parcel of land described as "Lot Number two, 2, in Block Number four, 4, in S B Murphey's addition of the town of Albany, in Delaware County, Indiana, Except Sixteen & one half (16 1/2) feet front and length, off from the East side of said lot 7, seven..." Pretty standard stuff for a deed of about any time frame, Right? 

Now we get to the good part. Sometimes deeds are transferred from the administrator or executor of an estate. Usually they only list "John Doe, administrator of the estate of Mary Jones" or something similar for the grantor (the seller) information. If the case of Sophia, it didn't play out that way. Not only did the deed apparently list every heir of Sophia's estate, it included the residence of most of them. That list is as follows:

Morris R Stewart and Hannah Stewart his wife of Osage County, Kansas
James J Stewart Jr and Emma Stewart his wife of Coffee County, Kansas
Benjamin F Stewart and Minerva C Stewart his wife of Kansas
Margaret S Manifold and Joseph Manifold her husband of Woodson County, Kansas
James J Stewart Sr and Rachel A Stewart his wife of Jay County, Indiana
Elizabeth P Racer and James W Racer her husband of Jay County, Indiana
William W Fishback and Sarah C Fishback his wife of Jay County, Indiana
Martha J Scott and Thomas H Scott her husband of Jay County, Indiana
Sophia Cunningham and Hamer Cunningham of Jay County, Indiana
Lucinda Dowden unmarried of Delaware County, Indiana
Alfred E Wingate and Margaret Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
Orena B Thomas and Henry Thomas her husband of Delaware County, Indiana
Elisha R Wingate and Letta Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
Boothe W Wingate and Sarah C Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
Sarah S Krohn and John S Krohn her husband of Delaware County, Indiana
Thomas M Wingate and Sarah E Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
David W Wingate and Samantha Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
Colby C Wingate and Mary Wingate his wife of Jay County, Indiana
Margaret Pepple unmarried
Isaac W Wingate and Hannah Wingate
John Fishback & Clarinda Fishback his wife of Blackford County
Rebecca Klugh
Mary L Ray and Charles Ray her husband

Forty-three people, two states, and six counties. Research clues abound. While I am not following up on these names to determine the precise relationships to Sophia Stewart, I did want to illustrate that deeds may include much more information than one might expect. Do not flip through a index and discount records that may seem just outside of the time frame for a particular event. ALWAYS look at the original document whenever possible, a transcript if the original is unavailable, or even an extraction. DO NOT STOP at the index! You maybe missing a ton of information. Like the names of forty-three heirs.

The Lost Chalfant Children

This is how a researcher gets sucked into a rabbit hole of researching something totally unrelated to the original topic. Jeese Baily (various spellings) Chalfant passed away on December 17, 1932 in Gaston, Delaware County, Indiana. The 86 year old Civil War veteran had been suffering from pneumonia for almost two weeks so his death may not been much of a surprise. His will admitted to probate in early January 1932. He left everything, personal and real, to his wife Pauline, then upon her death, it was to be sold and the proceeds split evenly among hos children. Those children listed were Dema D McLaughlin, Noah H Chalfant, Anna J Heavenridge, Marion F Chalfant, Emma H Brimhall, Minnie V Boyle and Olive B Watson.

He set aside monies for a family monument to be erected in the Matthews IOOF Cemetery if one had not been installed prior to his death. His wife of more than 65 years,  Paulina, had actually died earlier in 1932 and son, Edward passed in 1904. Both were buried there, and share, along with Jesse, a respectable grey granite triple marker. What was interesting is that Jesse also directed "...if there has not been markers erected at the graves of my two children in Bethel Cemetery, Harrison Township, Delaware County Ind. I hereby direct that markers be placed at their graves."

We know where, but who? Delaware County birth records provide us with some answers. On June 26, 1886, Jesse and Paulina (Benbow) Chalfant had a daughter. A simple knee high marker can be found in Bethel Cemetery that reads "Anna Chalfant June 26 1886-June 26 1886". The couple had a little boy, born December 24, 1890. A corresponding and matching stone reads "Ora Chalfant Dec 24 1890-Feb 27 1891".

Bethel Cemetery, Bethel, Harrison Township, Delaware County, Indiana

[Used with permission of the photographer]

With the timing of their births and deaths, Anna being stillborn or dying shortly and Ora's total life falling between census enumerations, their very existence could have easily been forgotten. Thankfully, executor John A Hall followed through on the instructions left by their father Jesse to ensure those babies were not lost to time. 

Short-Lived But Well-Loved

During the late evening hours of May 14, 1909, someone padded softly onto the front porch of the Fordyce home at 228 South Lincoln Street in Muncie. The person, apparently a young woman, left a bundle there in hopes of it being found. The family, carpenter James Leonard Fordyce, wife Henrietta, and adult daughters Edna and Mabel, saw a woman outside near the house around 9 o'clock, but no one thought twice about it. There was a well near the house that was regularly visited by strangers. Shortly after, the family called it a day and went to their rooms for the night. About 10 o'clock, Mrs Fordyce woke to what sounded like a baby crying. She woke her husband but the two initially attributed it to neighborhood cats, but as the sound continued, the couple made their way down to the front door. One can imagine there surprise when they opened to door to a month old baby boy waiting there. Soon, the house was abuzz with excitement. Police were summoned and Chief Van Benbow and Capt Hamilton Beall quickly arrived to investigate.

Capt Beall and his wife lived next door. Mrs Beall came forth and said that she had seen the woman come onto the Fordyce's porch but then left hurriedly. She speculated that the woman may have thought they were already in bed. Curiosity got the better of her and Mrs Beall stepped out of the back of her house to see where the woman went. In the dark, she got no good look at the woman crossing the tracks headed south. She shrugged it off and didn't think twice until she, too, heard the baby cry. She reached the Fordyce porch about the same time as the home-owner.

With no good look at the woman, there was no description to distribute and virtually no leads to follow up on. The tracks run just to the south of the house heading west through downtown, north east to Albany or east to Selma. She could have come from virtually anywhere. And gone back there just as quickly.

The child, a baby boy of about a month, appeared clean and well-kept, but was under-nourished. A clean change of clothing was tucked in with him. He was found to have a bit of a cold. After a string of questions for the dazed family, the officers concluded the child was in good care, at least until another plan could be put in place. Mr and Mrs Fordyce had raised three children of their own, a son Frank, and the two daughters. They had also taken in Mr Fordyce's young nephew, Rhotan Malcolm, about 3 years old at the time.

The baby seemed happy enough and reveled in the attention from the Fordyce family and all those who stopped by to see him. More than seventy-five people stepped up within 4 or 5 days to apply to take the little fellow in hopes of keeping him out of the children's home. Most would make fine arrangements for the baby.  The family, along with the local probation department, worked together in an effort to select a suitable foster family for him. The Fordyces could not afford to keep him as their own, but were willing to keep him until one was decided on. They hoped a decision would be made soon so they would not become too attached to him. He was doing well in their care though. His cold seemed to be subsiding, as was some tummy trouble resulting probably from his new diet.

After a week of contemplation, the family of oil worker Edward Fleming of Selma was selected to take the child. Mrs Cora Fleming had given birth to a baby boy of her own on January 4 of that year. Unfortunately, he only survived for about a day. They were willing and able to provide a loving environment for this abandoned child. They took their new baby to his new home on Friday May 21. Whether the process was much less cumbersome in 1909, or it was expedited based on the facts of the case, papers filed Monday May 24 resulted in the finalization on Tuesday the 25th. Probation Officer A M Van Nuys and the Board of Children's Guardians approved of the choice of the Fleming family. Judge Leffler of the Circuit Court agreed. The baby that had found himself a topic of front page news about 2 weeks prior left the court room as Ralph Eugene Fleming, legal child of Mr and Mrs Edward Fleming.

We don't know much about the next few months of Baby Ralph's life. One could imagine the little family making the most of their unexpected addition, especially after their heartbreak earlier in the year. But it seems that some health issues were not completely overcome. Tragedy struck. Little Ralph, the abandoned waif turned beloved community prince, passed away at his home near Selma in July of the same year.

Our Darling Babies
Children of Edward & Cora Fleming
1909
(Photo used with permission of photographer)

Both baby boys, Edward and Cora Fleming's natural born son and the adopted Ralph, are buried under this sad little marker in White Cemetery on the north side of Selma. The lettering across the top is a bit hard to read but says "Our Darling Babies".

Edward and Cora moved from Selma to Oklahoma following Ralph's death. In August of 1911, Cora gave birth to Edith Lucille. Cora and one-year-old Edith returned to Selma for a visit. No doubt old family friends were overjoyed at the site of the little girl. Edward and Cora passed away in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, decades later, Edward on May 27, 1942, and Cora on July 20, 1957. Daughter Edith, later Mrs J C Harris, lived to the ripe old age of 87.

If anyone has additional information on Ralph, please leave a comment or drop me a line at banksofwhiteriver@gmail.com. I am still looking for Ralph's death certificate should anyone come across it!