Golden Wedding Anniversary

This post features an item found in my great-grandmother’s scrapbook from the 1940s. To view all posts about the scrapbook, click here.

My great-great grandparents, Seymour and Patience (Swinney) Shook celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on September 18, 1942. Their daughter, my great-grandmother, Hazel (Shook) Rork, saved this newspaper clipping about the anniversary.

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Treasure Chest Thursday: WWII Newspaper Clippings

This post features an item found in my great-grandmother’s scrapbook from the 1940s. To view all posts about the scrapbook, click here.

In my great-grandmother’s scrapbook from the 1940s, she kept various newspaper clippings that show a little bit of what life was like during WWII.

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Bower Rork, 1822-1863

I did a little Ancestry.com research on Bower Rork, my great-great-great grandfather. There is still a lot more to do, but here is what I have so far:

Bower Rork

Born: August 18, 1822 in Hamilton County, Ohio

Bower appears in the 1830 and 1840 U.S. Census for Hamilton County, Ohio and Decatur County, Indiana, respectively. He is listed in his father, John’s household. The census in those years did not list each individual member of the household, so it is difficult to learn any other details.

Marriage: Family records show that Bower married Sarah Mozingo on March 26, 1844 in Decatur County, Indiana.

Children (this information comes from census records):

William Harrison Rork, born April 30, 1845

Elizabeth Anne Rork, born in 1847

Thomas J. Rork, born in 1852

Phebe Rork, born in 1853

Sarah Elizabeth Rork, born in 1856

Bower Rork, born in 1858

James Thornton Rork, born in December 1861 (my great-great grandfather)

Charles Edward Rork, born in 1862

Occupation: Bower is listed as a farmer in Decatur County, Indiana in the 1850 U.S. Census and in Ripley County, Indiana in the 1860 U.S. Census.

The 1850 Census is a nice example of how the family must have taken care of each other. Living next door to Bower and Sarah were Bower’s parents, John and Anna, with several of their children. On the next page is Sarah’s mother, Amelia Mozingo, and two grown daughters. Amelia was apparently a widow, and it looks like Bower and Sarah must have helped to provide for her and Sarah’s two sisters.

1850 Census, page 1
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1850 Census, page 2
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Military Service: I found a record of a Civil War Draft Registration for Bower in June 1863. He was 40 years old and listed as a farmer in Jackson Township, Ripley County, Indiana.

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I have not been able to find any other documents regarding Bower’s military service, if he served at all. He died just a few months after the draft registration. I will have to do some more research to see if his death was related to the war or something else.

Death: October 31, 1863

Burial: Napoleon Lutheran Cemetery, Napoleon, Indiana

I wish I had a picture of Bower, but I guess this photo of his grave site will have to do:

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Mystery Monday – Mary Ann (Engle) Rhodes

My great-grandmother, Mary Ann (Engle) Rhodes is a bit of a mystery. Maybe someone who is reading this will be able to help me.

Here’s what I know:

• Mary was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 10, 1876.
• I have an 1880 U.S. Census record for her, where she is living in Cincinnati, Ohio with her parents, Edward and Anna (Seiler) Engle.
• According to family records, Mary’s father died in 1886, when she was 10 years old, and her mother died in 1890, when she was 13 years old.
• Mary married James Omer Rhodes on June 25, 1902 in Brookville, Indiana.
• I have all of the census records for the rest of her life. She lived in Indianapolis, Indiana until she died in 1958.

Gravestone for Mary Ann (Engle) Rhodes at Spring Valley Cemetery in Lawrence, Indiana.

The mystery is this: Where did Mary go when her mother died? She was only 13 years old. I have not been able to find any record of her in the 1890 Census (some of the Hamilton County, Ohio records survived the fire) or the 1900 Census. I also do not know how she ended up in Indiana after growing up in Cincinnati. I’m guessing it has something to do with the story of how she met her husband.

So, do you know anything or have any advice? Help me out!

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Sunday’s Obituary: Seymour Horatio Shook, 1945

This post features an item found in my great-grandmother’s scrapbook from the 1940s.

This is the obituary of Seymour Horatio Shook, who was my great-great-grandfather. He lived from 1868-1945. The photo is in three pieces. He sounds like a well-loved man!

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