Not My Frank Lee – Take 2

In the midst of potty training & the holidays, I finally got a little piece of exciting mail. I received a letter from the Mayes County (OK) Genealogy Society yesterday. A copy of the following obit & a sticky note saying they “finally got the obit”. So here reads the blurry obit…

“Frank Lee, School Land Donor, Die; Funeral Thursday

(there is no date… nice of them huh? but math says it in 1976’ish)

Frank Lee, 81, pioneer resident of Lee Square community, eleven miles

southeast of Nowata ,died Monday at 4:00 p.m. after an extended illness.

Mr. Lee came from Indian Territory in 1895 from Springfield, MO.

He was well known throughout this area, and donated the acre of land

for the building of Lee Square school, which also served as a community center

for many year. He was active in and enjoyed the local singing conventions,

many of which were held at Lee Square.

Funeral services will be conducted Thursday at 2 p.m. in the Benjamin Funeral Home,

with Rev. Harvey Hardin, pastor of First Christian Church in Chelsea, officiating.

Interment will be in the Ball Cemetery.

Survivors include the wife, Mrs. Ella Lee, of the home, three sons,

Tony Lee, Springfield, MO, Florance Lee, Beneca, MO, and Frank Lee, Bartlesville;

five daughters, Mrs. Jim McMatin, Cody’s Bluff, Mrs. Paul Milam, Bartlesville,

Mrs. F. C. Myers, MIdland, TX, Mrs. T.O. Mason, Manhattan, KS, and Mrs. Edna Grant, Wollard, MO;

one sister, Mrs. J.C. Weaver, San Gabriel, CA, and one half-brother, Guy Murray.

Casket bearers include Louis Nitters [?], Lonnie Allison, Mayden Marney,

Georger Frauenberger, Bob Cox, and Lon Myers.”

Well, I can say this is NOT our Frank Lee. Good news is that this little piece of paper saves me a lot of endless unproductive research. The above Frank Lee, buried at Ball Cemetery with his first wife Maude P[auline] Lee. The above Frank has a son Frank of Bartlesville, OK in 1976’ish who was born 1922,… our Frank Lee was born 1900 & was definitely not living in Bartlesville, OK in 1976’ish. Our times lines don’t match up at all!

The 1895 date out of “Indian Territory” jumped out at me, but they came from Springfield, MO. That isn’t what we have known to this date.

The truth is that our Neuhaus family connection moved from Milwaukee, WI to Chicago, IL, at the same time that their mysterious “daughter” would have been pregnant with our Frank Lee b. 1900. They would have had to have met in Milwaukee or Chicago before any move to OK.

My research now turns to the old-fashioned way of requesting death records from the Cook County Clerk. Both daughters & the wife of Emil Neuhaus died before him. There has to be a record of something somewhere… and a lot of Chicago papers to search. I also need to track down the correct marriage for our Herman Neuhaus & see if there is any living cousins that can give us a helpful hint :)

I am going to work this Lee year to the very end :D

3rd Neuhaus Child Review

I’ve been back & forth on whether or not there’s indeed a third Neuhaus child & if indeed it was a female. So here’s my process:

(As noted by a fellow genealogist over at “Are My Roots Showing?” … I might be less in need of this blog if I kept research notes… LOL!)

…………………………….

On the 1895 Wisconsin State Census, for Milwaukee, Emil Neuhaus is clearly listed as having a total of 5 family members: 3 white females & 2 white males…all native born in the US.

We clearly know their nativity is false due to further censuses stating immigration in 1885, all listed as German born on each consecutive one… And we’ve located his naturalization record also stating he was an immigrant on “1-20-1885″…

Knowing he’s a household of 5, not 4… Look at this immigration manifest again:

Who is the eldest daughter? Who!?

If you look super closely, the numbers are listed consecutively 1…2…3…4…. Clara, Henricks, Marie, & Herman.

Also the manifest is September 1884. That wasn’t a red flag for me since the boat arrived at New York, & then they made their way to Wisconsin, which probably took months…add holidays & winter weather,… & they probably didn’t think they were truly here, as “arrived” until they reached their final destination.

However, I wasted some quality hours trying to locate another possible manifest match, wondering if I jumped too quickly (I hate second questing myself)…which nothing added up like this one. (Again, yet another point clearly made if I’d only kept research notes!)

But only 4 vs. 5 caught my eye… Possibilities?

1- Clara immigrated pregnant… Had child in US… Maybe also aiding in the months it took to travel to Wisconsin… (which would make this child a very young match for our Frank Lee)…about 15-16 yoa.

2 – The extra child was a “grandchild”, a “niece”, or a “sister”….

Well, I went back to the 1900 census to see what I might have forgotten or overlooked… Apparently Clara is listed as having 3 children in which 3 are living. However, as you can see below, only the son is living at home. Where are both the girls then in 1900?

A German Printer in Chicago, IL

So we can clearly & reasonably deduct that there is indeed a third Neuhaus child & SHE is female. We can make a safe assumption she’s roughly 15-16 years of age at time of Frank Herbert Lee’s birth in 1900. We will refer to her as “Gladys” Neuhaus as listed on Frank Herbert’s marriage record in 1920.

Now to locate Gladys Neuhaus…& her untold short story…

The Death of Emil Neuhaus

I am getting my mail from Japan in pieces & today I got the death certificate of Emil Neuhaus. I love these kinds of documents & Cook County, IL, again… is so great! 

Emil Neuhaus died November 30 1937 in Cook County, IL in his residence on 1824 North California Avenue… It all sounds rather normal information….

He had retired from his job of 40 years as a printer in 1926. Clara had died before him, leaving him widowed. Unfortunately, his birth place & his parents information is “unknown” … which was the real reason for requesting this record. the informant appears to be a Mrs. Clara Irvin [sic: spelling of last name is very hard to make out]. Who is this “Clara”? Is she related? (Why did it has to be another “Clara”? Is it just happenstance or a real connection?…grrrr!) 

However, Emil died from “strangulation due to a self adjusted rope around the neck”.  The handwriting is hard to make out, but there is more to this story because after the rope around the neck there is an “&….”  then… “in the bathroom”. He is listed as a suicidal for his cause of death. At 82 years of age, this seemingly successful man took his own life in the form of strangulation. Why? Did he leave a note?

He was buried December 3, 1937 at Eden Cemetery [sic: now Eden Memorial Cemetery] in Schiller Park, IL. Turns out this is a very German cemetery… across the way from a Jewish Cemetery & another ethnic cemetery of sorts. Makes since being that he was German & stuck closely to those roots. Would he have killed himself due to the war & persecution of the Germans in the States?

I wasn’t able to find an American newspaper in English with any information about his death. I suppose it would be listed in the German newspaper that he was once a printer for…? Hmm… However, there is no online listing of Emil in this cemetery. Off to write another letter .. or two :)

Wilbert Raymond Tuttle Connections

Out of curiosity… I opted to seek out & understand the man who gave such pivotal information on Frank Herbert Lee’s Delayed Certificate of Birth…

Mr. Wilbert Raymond Tuttle, born 9 October 1871 in Illinois.

“Bert” as he was known, was only a distant attachment to our Lee family, but left a lasting impression. Reports & stories have left “Bert” as a mere “acquaintance” to the Lee family as a whole, but he was closer than that I believe, especially with his marriage to Miss Marie Neuhaus.

Because the Lee family hasn’t clearly expressed a understandable connection with Bert, this detachment might be reality now. However, though his marriage to Marie Neuhaus lasted only about 8 years, it was when Frank Herbert Lee was a teenager becoming a man in our society…a truly impressionable time. Wilbert isn’t reported as being an accepted father figure to Frank Herbert Lee, but rather a “family friend”. However, it has been said Frank would refer back to him over time: “Bert is doing… Bert said…, etc.” He must have been much closer than believed… Especially since he was contacted & provided information for Frank 20 years after Marie died!

Secondly, Wilbert was the last living “relative” Frank had been close to by 1950…

In my research, I found I was quickly stonewalled again with Mr. Tuttle. After & before the 1920 Federal Census, he’s nowhere to be pinpointed. Immediately I wonder what these Lees & Mr. Tuttle have in common! Why are they missing in common records?

That was until a late night google search landed me in the hands of Cindy. Her listing online was a simple excerpt of some family facts surrounding Mr. Tuttle & his first wife, stating that Wilbert Raymond Tuttle was born 1869…

This was partly the issue I kept running into… a birthdate that wasn’t matching up. I could find a Wilbert Tuttle born 1869 or 1871 but never the acclaimed 1873… However, I was committed to my whim & contact her via her online page. Turns out Cindy had been stonewalled with Wilbert Tuttle after 1900!

We shared a few stories, including Bert’s hard personality & commonly disliked demeanor :) After a full night of research I was able to link up our Wilbert Raymond Tuttle to “Cindy’s” Wilbert Raymond Tuttle, via his brother Rollo Tuttle who seemed to go by Robert Tuttle in the end, & his children throughout the census years until I found them in the same household with John Milton & Eliza (Lyda) Tuttle in 1880. Bert remained close to his Mother & his Brother’s family, even a Taylor member (Joseph Taylor) was rejoined with the Tuttles in 1930 in Chicago, IL, solidifying all our doubts in belief.

Turns our that our Wilbert Raymond Tuttle was married prior to Miss Marie Neuhaus, at age 22, to Carrie Taylor. He had three children (May, Pearl, & Earl) whom, after Carrie died about 1903, were left in the care of her parents in Wisconsin, and was hardly heard from again while he finished out his life in Chicago, IL,…

Where we pick him up in our Lee family :)

I personally can’t account for Bert’s hard personality. However, losing two wives so young in each marriage had to be hard to accept. Living with his mother always so near & a father that died early in his life had to also play a role in demeanor. He is believed to have died around 1953 in Chicago, IL… He seems to have outlived everyone around him…

Thank You Cindy for Sharing!

Earl Tuttle with his father Wilbert Raymond Tuttle.

The Folds of Time

You have to be kidding me! Is this really possible? I’m pretty sure it’s illegal in some natural set of laws!!

After much clicking & back clicking & redefining my search perimeters… I find an immigration document for…wait for it… No…wait…are you ready?

 

Who is the third child? Who!?

Clara Neuhaus,… Herman, & Marie… but who is the one in the middle… in the folds?

On my photo editing software & some manipulation of my computer screen I tried to see whatever I could see, but I still can’t make out much of anything other than there is another person with them… uggh! To me it appears to be… Heinrichs Emil…. The father? This is definitely not “Gladys”… Is the third child lost in the folds & age of time?

What’s your opinion? Think there’s another lost in the folds of time?

The 1900 Census said 3 children were all still living… Who is #3?

In 1884 even the eldest child would have still been too young to be left behind in Germany,… And it appears to be a single number, possibly “9”. Thats definitely not Emil’s age….

The manifest was folded & looks to have been very well weathered, so the crease of the fold is dark & can’t be opened completely, thus the scanned microfilmed image lends no help ;Q

Many families experienced what we call “chain immigration” where a family member comes first, or a few come, then a few more, or the rest of the family until they are all immigrated to their new homeland. However, Emil & his family were able to travel together.

You’re probably wondering why Clara is listed as head of household & not Emil, huh? Clara on many records is 10 years Emil’s senior, making her the eldest family member. Usually when making a list of persons they were listed in age/birth order.

Emil & his family arrive in New York on the 18th of October in 1884. [sic: Emil claims he came to America in 1885 on both his census & January 1885 on his naturalization card…which I presume is when he reached Wisconsin.) The family is said to have originated for this trip from Saxony (Kingdom State). They departed from Bremen, Germany, where the ship came up a large river & then made its way back down this channel to the open sea setting sail for their new homeland… America of freedom & riches.

They made a stop at Southampton, England before making it to New York. They embarked with 874 passengers on board to make about a 19 day journey aboard a steam liner with 4 masts. Can you imagine?

Why did they end up in Wisconsin? What lead them to America in 1884, besides the obvious world wide wave of propaganda? Was there more family in America that they met up with? So many questions… And when does this get us back to Frank Lee & his family?

Always A Little Proof In The Pudding

After finding Marie Neuhaus Tuttle’s death certificate, I finally had a clue as to her parents & her family prior to the Lee or Tuttle connections.

The family story held Frank Herbert Lee was raised by “family” in Chicago, IL…on his mother’s side. They were “German” & were “printers” there in Chicago. Remember, every family story is like a good game of “operator” or “telephone”, but there are always hidden facts in the story :)

With Emil Neuhaus, wife Clara, from Marie’s death record, I went hunting!

 

A German Printer in Chicago, IL

TADA! The 1900 US Federal Census shows that Emil Neuhaus was living in Chicago, IL with his wife, Clara, and one son, Herman. They were all born in Germany! And the men are working as printers!!

It also notes that Clara was the mother of 3 children in which all 3 are living in 1900. Three? Well Marie is one, Herman is two, … who is number three? Is that our mysterious “Gladys” on Frank Herbert Lee’s (1900) marriage record to Mardell Beamer?

After further research I find a 1895 Census for the Sate of Wisconsin with Emil Neuhause & 2 males & 3 females living in Milwaukee, WI! So the other child is a female, this has to be our “Gladys”, biological mother of Frank Herbert Lee? And in Milwaukee? Could it be that Frank Lee & Gladys actually meet in Milwaukee & married, then went to OK, where they had their son in Pryor Creek, OK?

So how did Clara Marie Neuhause get on Frank’s delayed birth certificate? I am “hypothesizing” that it was twisted with Wilbert Tuttle. A man in his 80’s at the time of the affidavit, was probably a little confused. Having met & married Marie Neuahaus with Frank already in her care, to him she was always his mother. She was most likely born Clara Marie, named after her mother. To keep the name confusion to a minium she went solely by Marie Neuhaus. Marie was indeed born in 1882. These are all facts that were hidden in the family story line.

Now to try & find the Neuhause immigration & migration to the US, WI, & IL. Where is the missing child? Is she “Gladys”? Where in Germany are they from? Why did they come to America? And how did they get to Wisconsin & then to IL to become printers?

Death of Marie Tuttle

FamilySearch.org wins my heart this week! Another happy dance!

While I am still waiting on the official copy from the state of Illinois, Familysearch.org just gave me a visual copy of Mrs. Marie Tuttle’s Death Certificate!

According to this death record, Marie Tuttle was born Marie Neuhaus on April 14, 1882, in Germany. Her father was Emil Neuhaus & her mother was Clara Neuhaus, both also born in Germany.

Most likely she was also Clara [Marie], but to keep the name confusion down she went solely by Marie.

Marie died November 13, 1921 in Chicago, IL, due to peritonitis [sic; abdominal pain] with complications from salpingitis [sic: inflammation of the fallopian tubes] at 6:40 PM. She was buried at Arlington [Heights] Cemetery on November 16, 1921.

The informant was Wilbert Raymond Tuttle, her husband from the 1920 Census.

It is appearing that Marie Tuttle is our Clara Marie Neuhaus Tuttle, listed on Frank Herbert Lee’s delayed birth certificate. This doesn’t help the mystery of Frank’s parents, but when put into a timeline perspective, Wilbert Tuttle was in his 80’s when he gave that affidavit of personal knowledge to Frank’s birth. Any amount of confusion could have set in…

The fun part… my husband’s line definitely has a strong German lineage from various sides of this Lee line!

Off to find Emil & Clara Neuhause… :D

Delayed Certificate of Birth

One of the greatest joys of genealogy is finding the documents that verify your lineage & give you clues to the next generational line. I usually get a document & do a “happy dance” for a few minutes, before catching my breath, & sitting down to scour it for all the obvious & hidden information.

Image provided by a relative :) Thank You!

Delayed Certificate of Birth by 51 YEARS!

When it came to Frank Herbert Lee (the son) born 1900 in Pryor Creek, OK, I was certain that his birth certificate was the key to his elusive parents: Frank Herbert Lee (1875) & Clara Marie [sic: Gladys] Nuahause. That was until I got it…

His birth certificate is a Delayed Certificate of Birth… by 51 YEARS! 51 years? WOW!

My immediate first question is: “Why 51 years later?” My second question is: “Where’s the first or original certificate of birth?”

Frank Herbert Lee had to go through a lot of effort to accomplish this feat. He had to have a lot of documentation & witnesses to quasi prove his birth. So the mystery remains in tack about the events that lead to his brith in Pryor Creek, OK, 1900.

What I found even more interesting than a need for a delayed birth certificate just a few years before his death (1955), was that he was able to serve in the US Army without a birth certificate?! I quickly looked to my husband (Navy dude himself) & asked if & how this was even possible. He asked me if there was a war going in during his enlistment…. Yes, of course! World War II. He then assure me, it was possible. (As I still frown & scrunch up my forehead in doubt…)

Another interesting point is that the affidavit of personal knowledge was given by “Wilbert R. Tuttle”. The same man he was boarding with in 1920 in Chicago, IL, right before his marriage in OH the same year. Though some information seems incorrect on the census, & he is listed as just a “boarder” to Wilbert Tuttle, could this be the family he was living with in IL? I presume Wilbert Tuttle had to be close to Frank Herbert Lee to provide an affidavit of personal knowledge, right?

Also all his “witnesses” are from about 1920 in his life & onward. So, is all his family & close family friends dead by 1920? So, how “factual” is a 51 years delayed birth certificate?

I suppose the “original” certificate of birth may have never existed. Oklahoma wasn’t a state until 1907, therefore, before 1907 there was no law mandating vital record reporting. Another possible scenario is if he was indeed part Cherokee, his record of birth wouldn’t be with the state at all.

What I do know is a stork didn’t just drop him off & he wasn’t born from dirt under a rock. He has a story I can’t wait to uncover!

NOTE: this is a document to prove birth first & foremost when it was created, not his lineage. Thus, the mystery continues….

Dusting Off Little Big Tracks – Part II

After a few days of researching the last known location of Frank Lee (son) & his father Frank Herbert Lee, Pryor Creek, OK in 1900, I find that Frank’s parents are lost in a time of constant change. Dusting off their tracks is proving to be a real challenge. Within just a few years things would take another shift & change the complete history of area where present day Pryor, OK, lies.

Due to many relocation efforts by the ever-expanding United States, the Native Americans found themselves all shoved into a small area known as present day Oklahoma. Before Oklahoma became an official state in 1907, Oklahoma fell under many surrounding governments like Kansas & Arkansas, including the Five Civilized Tribes.

Finding my ancestors tracks is tricky. Trying to decided if the Cherokee family story holds water or if he is just a white man in Indian Territory… is proving to be a heck of a challenge. He was definitely in Oklahoma while it was considered Indian Territory, but by 1900 many whites were already living in Oklahoma due to “land runs” and the railroad.

As I fill in the history of the area into Frank Herbert Lee’s timeline, it continues to be confusing:
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1870-1871: Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (now known as Union Railroad) is started & reached current day location in Pryor, OK. At one point Dalton’s Gang attempted to rob a train right there in Pryor.

Abt. 1875 BIRTH: [Milwaukee, Milwaukee], WI – male, unknown date, Frank Herbert or Herbert Frank Lee.

1880 CENSUS: unknown

1887: The area known as Coo-y-yah (“Huckleberry” in Cherokee) was changed to Pryor Creek, OK, by the Post Office.

1889: First Land Run – “unassigned lands” were purchased from the Native Americans by federal government opening up white settlement …the birth of Oklahoma Territory. From 1890-1906 a number of reservations were absorbed into the formation of OK.

April 1889 – First Land Run
September 1891 –
April 1892 –
September 1893-
May 1895 – Last land Run

Homestead Records @ Bureau of Land Management- General Land Office – which I searched & only find a Frank Lee for two years: 1909 & 1925 both far west of the state around the panhandle, not near Mayes County, OK. Also well after the birth of his son Frank Lee, so I am not sure he was driven into Oklahoma for free land.

1890 CENSUS: if wasn’t lost in fire, unknown; There isn’t a solid match on the Indian Territory Censuses 1890-1906, via Ancestry.com either.

1897: Whitaker Orphan’s Homes was established for white orphan’s in Cherokee Territory.

1898: The City officially took Pryor Creek as their name under the laws of Arkansas.

Abt 1900: Okmulgee, OK – Family story holds he met & married Clara [Gladys] Marie Nuahause [Newhause, Nayhouse, Newhouse, etc] about this time in Okmulgee,OK…

1900 CENSUS: Not listed in Pryor Creek, OK census, all 12 pages of whites & Indians.

1900 CHILD: Pryor Creek, Indian Territory (Cherokee Lands), OK; male, 22 September [1899] 1900, Frank Herbert Lee

1907: 16 July, Mayes Country is officially a county in the state of OK. This also marks the beginning of required records reporting. Prior to this, Mayes County was in Cherokee lands.

1909: “Creek” was dropped from Pryor Creek by the post office,

1911: Water, sewage, & gas was established in Pryor.

1942: “more that 50 people were killed during the tornado that struck on April 27, 1942”

DEATH: Unknown – But family story says he probably died in OK, buried in Pryor Creek, OK.
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I am hoping that you are starting to see the importance of timeline, especially in locating an elusive relative :D

A Time Line In Their History – Part I

Your ancestors had an entire life that not only predicted their lifestyle, but also tells you so much about the person they were & had became.

A collection of records merely give you small scopes of a moment in their life…just a day… A day in which they were born. A day in which the census taker stopped in & gathered their information. A day in which they were married. A day in which they were buried. All just snapshots of a day in their whole life.

When it’s time to create a bigger picture, much like a puzzle board, you have to take into account of their location’s history. (Again, this is where time lines really come in handy!) This is where a general “family historian” crosses over from an amateur to a “genealogist” going professional.

“Aunt Susie” who keeps the family stories, photos & some records (maybe even every record) may have never considered much more to the family’s time line other than the dates on the paper. However, a time line on locations & events, with history, can totally alter what “Aunt Susie’s” stories have been repeating all these years… especially in Native American Research, where specific locality as everything to do with a specific time :)

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My elusive Frank Herbert Lee was at one time, at least at the birth of his son in 1900, living in Pryor Creek, OK. His life & his story remain a mystery. So these last few days I wanted to look into his time line more.

Based on family stories & what little facts , here is what we have:

Abt. 1875 BIRTH: [Milwaukee, Milwaukee], WI – male, unknown date, Frank Herbert or Herbert Frank Lee.

1880 CENSUS: unknown

1890 CENSUS: if wasn’t lost in fire, unknown

Abt 1900: Okmuglee, OK – Family story holds he met & married Clara [Gladys] Marie Nuahause [Newhause, Nayhouse, Newhouse, etc] about this time in OK…

1900 CENSUS: unknown

1900 CHILD: Pryor Creek, , OK; male, 22 September [1899] 1900, Frank Herbert Lee

DEATH: Unknown – But family story says he probably died in OK & buried in Pryor Creek, OK…

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This is a great way to also keep your notes in your genealogy software program. It will give you a very helpful quick reference not only to the records you are missing, but to the information you need to still gather with the dates & locations! It is like a locations & evidence time line all-in-one! Many individuals over look this step because they think it is redundant or unnecessary. However, this is where the truth starts to build & take shape. It’s VERY IMPORTANT to keep notes.

Follow along over the next few weeks to see how this time line shapes up & more examples and information on how to keep some good notes!

So it is time to fill in some blanks….