Family in the 1940 Census

(This post appeared originally on my previous blog, A Face to the Sun, on September 3, 2012.)

Recently, the 1940 census came online and is now searchable by name.  I helped with the indexing, along with thousands of others, and it was finished in a record 124 days!
 
Last night I decided to search for my parents - their location and status in April, 1940.  They were not yet married; both were living at home with their parents.
Dad's family was living in Freedom Township, Henry County, Ohio, and it was Albert who reported that day to the census enumerator.  (When asked a question about where he lived on April 1st, 1935, he responded, Napoleon, but in 1940, the family lived in the country.) 

Grandpa Albert Elling was 52 and Grandma Ida was 50 at the time, and both noted that they had only completed grade 2 in school. That means that they were probably only 7 or 8 when they left school to work at home.  Albert was working as a farmer, and he said that he had worked 60 hours during the last week of March.  They were renting a house for $8.00 a month.  Ida did not work outside the home, and was labeled a housewife.  

Rudy Elling, my dad, was the only son at home and, at 17 and done with 8th grade, he was also working on the farm, but as an unpaid family worker.  (Dad had always told us that he finished 7th grade, and quit to work during his 8th grade year.)  Sisters Lorna,(14), Eleanore, (12), and Louise, (10), were also at home. Lorna had finished 7th grade, Eleanore completed 6th grade, and Louise was done with 4th grade. 

So, where were the other siblings? The oldest brother at 25, Paul was already married to Hildegarde, 19, and living in Harrison Township in Henry County. Paul's occupation was given as Farm Manager, a wage earner who made $600 in 1939.  He and Hildegarde were renting a home for $25.00 a month.  His brother, Alfred, 19, was living with the couple and working as a farm laborer.  He reported earning $450 in 1939. Paul, Alfred and Hildegarde all said they had completed eighth grade.

In the 1940 census, the 4th and 40th person listed on a page were asked additional questions by the enumerator.  Alfred was the 40th person, so we have the additional information that he spoke German in his home and he did not have a Social Security number.  Other questions were coded solely for the census bureau's information.

Still missing was the oldest daughter, Alma Elling.  She was not living at home and was not yet married.  She said she was working in the Zellers home at that time as domestic help.  Unfortunately, the Zellers didn't mention her to the enumerator as they probably thought her family would claim her.  But Grandpa didn't mention her because she was not actually living at their house at the time, so she was missed completely.
 

My mom's family owned a home worth $1260.00 in the village of Malinta, Henry County.  Father F. D. (Fred) Ordway was 39, mother, Dorothy E, was 40, and their only child, my mom, Donna A. was 14.  Fred had finished 4 years of high school, but Dorothy had only finished one.  She gave the information to the enumerator.  Donna Ordway, my mom, had finished eighth grade at the time.  Fred was a storekeeper of a retail grocery, working on his own account, meaning he owned at least a portion of the business, so his earnings were not recorded. Fred reported he worked 74 hours during the last week of March, 1940. Dorothy was a housewife and Donna was at school. 

The 1940 census was a snapshot in time for April 1940. 
Have some fun and start searching for your family!

Dorothy E. Doty Ordway

Have you ever looked at a photo of an ancestor and seen yourself?  In my grandmother's photo on the right, especially the top picture, I very much see my mother and myself.  It's time to take a little walk back in the Doty family history, beginning with my grandmother whom I never knew. 

Dorothy Elizabeth Doty was born in Monroe, Michigan at the Doty homestead - the home of her parents, George Washington Doty and Alice Newcomer Doty.  The place was really outside of Monroe and was known as Raisinville. Dorothy was the last of six chldren, three boys and three girls.  She saw the world turn into the 20th century when she was but four months old.  By the accounts of both my mother and her cousin, it was implied that Dorothy was a pampered, youngest daughter.  Her father was 51 when she was born and her mother 42. 

Dorothy is in the back, on the right.  The young man with her is not my grandfather, so this photo was taken before 1922.

My mother's cousin stated that the family was most disappointed in her choice of husbands...my grandfather.  Maybe they thought she married beneath herself, as after all, he was just a silo man from Ohio when they met.  I've written about my grandfather, Fritz Ordway and their wedding here. Then he whisked her away from her family and friends to live in Malinta, Ohio, just down the street from his parents.  They married when she was 21 and a few years later, she had her one and only child, my mother.  She chose to go home to her own mother to wait for the baby's birth, so my mother was born in the Doty home in Michigan.

Note the fancy fox fur!

My mother was only 20 years old when her mother died.  Dorothy did live long enough to see her only daughter married in 1944, but she did not see any grandchildren.  She died at the age of 46 in Malinta, Ohio, but she is buried in Monroe, Michigan with the rest of her family.

Monroe Evening News - May 4, 1946

"MRS. FRED ORDWAY

Mrs. Fred Ordway, the former Dorothy Doty, died suddenly yesterday in her home in Malinta, Ohio, of a heart attack.  The daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. George W. Doty, and the last of a family of six children, she was born August 23, 1899, in the Doty home on North Custer road.  Her marriage to Fred Ordway, who survives, was June 10, 1922, and they went immediately to Malinta to make their home.

Surviving besides her husband is a daughter, Mrs. Donna Elling of Toledo.  Services will be Monday at 1 p.m. in Malinta and burial will be in Woodland Cemetery, Monroe, Monday at 4 p.m."

More Blasts from the Past - Ordway Style

 I'm still digging through boxes and envelopes of old photos - some labeled and some not. 
I've found many of interest, of course, and I'm hoping that someone out there can help with identification on some of these.

The photo to the left was labeled "Grandpa Butch" and that's Fred (aka Fritz) Ordway.
Anyone recognize the house?  Notice that he is standing on what looks like a place for holding horses and stepping up into a buggy or mounting the horse.

 I only recognize two in this photo.  I believe the second man from the left is Bib Gunter, Amasa's brother, and the fourth from the left is Phil Ordway.  I have some other photos with the middle fellow in them, but I don't know who it is.

The newspaper clipping below shows Phil Ordway on the left and little George Delph on butchering day in 1913..

The photo on the left below is Phil Ordway (1899-1990) and his beautiful bride, Bonnie Glick (1900-1947), mother to daughters, Lois (b. 1928) and Phyllis (b. 1937.)  I don't have a wedding date for them, but would guess the mid-1920's.

 This photo was taken on the porch of my great-grandparents, Lemuel and Lizzie Ordway's home before it was enclosed with screens, as I remember it.  On the left is Phil Ordway, in the center is his father, Lem, and Marie Ordway is on the right.  Obviously, lawn care was not a priority in those days!  I am just guessing that this photo was taken in the early 1920's. 

More on Philip Delph's Life




Bruce Robinson (Philip's son-in-law,husband to Henrietta/Sue), Philip Delph,  Henrietta "Sue" Robinson (Philip's dtr.), Philip's granddaughters-Fay Ordway Gunter with her sister Marie Ordway Baker in front of her.  The three boys (Philip's grandsons) piled up are from bottom to top: Phil Ordway, Fred Ordway and Carl Delph.

 

When Philip Delph was taken in by his aunt and uncle, Philip and Catherine Lautenslager Heckler around 1853 or before, after the death of both of his parents, the Hecklers already had a son named Philip.  (They had also named a previous son Philip, but he died in infancy.) They called this second son "Peter" although really he was Philip Heckler, Jr.  The history says that Philip Delph also took on the Heckler name for awhile, probably until the real Philip Heckler needed to go by his legal name or it became too confusing for all concerned!  The Philip Heckler Sr. family already had nine children, so what was one more little boy?

It always helps me to create a timeline for my ancestor to make sure things are logical and to get a sense of the history of that person.  Luckily, quite a bit of documentation exists for the events in Philip Delph's life.

1832 - The Delphs, Hecklers and Lautenslagers emigrated from Germany to America.  (More on that later.)

June 17, 1845/1846 - Philip Delph was born to Johann Georg Delp and Christiana Lautenslager.  I have never found an actual birth record.  The censuses indicated he was born in Ohio.

May 4, 1849 - Elizabeth Witzgall was born.  (Future wife of Philip)

1850 - The census for that year indicated that Philip at age 4 was living with his parents and four siblings (Elizabeth, Margaret, Caroline, George) in Jackson Township, Crawford County, Ohio. The census taker visited the family on August 8, 1850,

August 29, 1850 -Philip's mother, Christiana, died at 42 years, 2 months. 

October 20, 1851 - Philip's father, Johann Georg died at 45 years, 10 months, 8 days.

September 1853 - Guardianship papers were filed for the children.  No doubt they were already placed in the homes of the family, but this move appointed Peter Ludwig as guardian to watch over their affairs. Philip was 8 years old.

1860 - Philip, at 15, was living with his aunt and uncle, Philip and Catherine Heckler Sr. in Crawford County.

1861 - Philip Heckler Sr. purchased land and moved to Henry County, bringing Philip Delph to Monroe Township. The Civil War was beginning.

1869 - 1870 - Philip Delph bought land to clear and farm in Monroe Township, Henry County, OH.  I was unable to locate Philip in the 1870 census, even though it only seemed logical that he would be working on his land in Monroe Township.

January 30, 1871 - Philip Delph married Elizabeth Witzgall, daughter of William and Henrietta (Smith) Witzgall. 

November 17, 1871 - Their first child, a daughter was born.  They named her Cora, but she was known as "Corrie."

September 11, 1873 - It's a second daughter who was named Julia or Juliana, but known as "Julie."

March 21, 1876 - It's a son!  Otis William, known as "Pat"

November 18, 1878 - My great-grandmother was born - Elizabeth Margaret Caroline, named after her three aunts, Philip's sisters.

June 4, 1880 - The census taker visited the Delph farm and made his notes: Philip Delp, a farmer, 34 years old and living with wife Elizibeth, 31, who was keeping house with children: Cora, 8; Julia, 6; Ottas, 4 and Elizibeth, 1 and George, 30, Philip's brother.

February 1881 - Another daughter, Henrietta was born, known as "Sue."

April 2, 1883 - Son George Roland was born. 

September 6, 1885 - Son Clarence Philip was born.

1888 - Orville D. Delph was born.  Sadly, Orville died in 1900 at the age of 11 or 12.  He is buried with his parents in Hoy Cemetery.

July 12, 1894 - Cecil Benjamin Delph was born, the final child for Elizabeth and Philip.  Elizabeth was 45 years old.

April 22, 1919 -  Philip Delph died at the age of 73 years, 10 months and 5 days. His death certificate indicated he died of organic heart disease. The math shows his birthdate to be June 17, 1845, but 1846 was put on the tombstone. Elizabeth, his wife, also did not know the names of Philip's parents to report.
Did they never discuss his history?  Maybe not.  He was very young when he lost his parents.

September 3, 1947 - Elizabeth C. Witzgall Delph died, having lived to the age of 98 years, 3 months and 29 days and having given birth to at least 9 children. Her birthplace on the death certificate was listed as Manchester, Ohio. Cause of death? Cerebral apoplexy (stroke). 

Philip Delph was a farmer all his life.  His love for his family is evident in the photos that have survived.  My mother once told me that he insisted on speaking German in the family and was pretty stubborn about it.  How precious his family must have been to him after growing up without his biological parents and away from his brother and sisters. 



Hoy Cemetery near Malinta, Ohio



I welcome comments on this blog topic or help in furthering the research.  All blog comments are moderated, so it may be a few days before it is actually posted.  Inappropriate or unrelated comments will be deleted.