Wednesday's Portrait: Earl Mason Mendenhall

 Today's Portrait:

Photo from Findagrave.com

Earl Mason Mendenhall (1925-1961)- Deputy police officer in Ventura County, California. 

On 15 Jul 1961, he was transporting an mentally ill prisoner. For whatever reason, the prisoner was not handcuffed and was sitting in the front passenger seat when he reached over, grabbed the steering wheel, causing the car to run into a concrete bridge pillar. Mendenhall died while the prisoner escaped. 

In Memory of Neil E. Mendenhall

This post is in memory of my Uncle Neil, Neil E. Mendenhall

Neil was born on 06 Oct 1947 in Dayton, Ohio, the 3rd of 4 children to Harold Earl Mendenhall (1916-1989) and Helen Ruth Seaver (1923-1981). 

I am in love with this picture! I'd say he was probably about 3 in this picture? So, this would be about 1950

Neil with his 3 siblings and grandparents (he's the one who looks like he's eating an apple)

Neil served in the US Army as a Specialist Technician Fifth Grade in Vietnam 

Neil passed away on 06 Dec 2019 in Grapevine, Texas after suffering from blood clots that resulted in numerous heart attacks. He was a passionate man of the Lord and loved his family and his work. He leaves behind a loving wife, 2 daughters, 5 grandchildren, 2 sisters and a brother.

Neil's inurnment took place on Monday, Dec 16 at the Dallas Fort-Worth National Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.

                             

Kennedy's- Part 3: The Kennedy Curse

(This is the 3rd of the Kennedy Posts. Please visit the 1st post and 2nd post).


With the flood of news lines about Saoirse Rosisin Kennedy Hill's death ruled a drug overdose, I thought it fitting that I write a 3rd Kennedy blog post about the well-known Kennedy curse.

Many people believe that the Kennedy family is cursed because of their string of accidental deaths and incidents. Others' just make it out to be a coincidence because it spans through many generations. Well, whatever you believe, it is truly unusual. 

Accidental Kennedy deaths in Red and other incidents in Blue  

~1941- Rosemary Kennedy (1918-2005)- sister of JFK- underwent a lobotomy at the age of 23 to "fix" frequent seizures and mood swings. It failed and she became unable to walk or speak well. She was institutionalized most of her life until her death in 2005 when she was 86 years old.

~1944- Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (1915-1944)- died in a plane crash during WWII in England. He was 29 years old. 

~1948- Kathleen Agnes Cavendish ('nee Kennedy" (1920-1948)- died in a plane crash in France. She was 28 years old. 

~1956- Arabella Kennedy- Stillborn daughter of John F. (JFK) and Jackie Kennedy.

~1961- Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888-1969) suffered a massive stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side and aphasia, which affected his ability to speak. 

~1963- Patrick Bouvier Kennedy (1963-1963)- infant of John F. (JFK) and Jackie Kennedy. Died of respiratory failure 2 days after a premature birth. 

~1963- John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) (1917-1963) was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas Texas. He was 46 years old.

~1964- Edward Moore Kennedy "Ted" (1932-2009) survived a plane crash in which two others died. He suffered from a broken back, punctured lung, broken ribs and internal bleeding.

~1968- Robert Francis Kennedy (1925-1968) was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles. He was 42 years old.

~1969- Ted Kennedy (1932-2009) accidently drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, fatally killing his 28 year old passenger.

~1973- Joseph P. Kennedy II (b. 1952) crashed his jeep, leaving one passenger paralyzed and another injured. 

~1973- Edward Moore Kennedy Jr. (b. 1961) was 12 years old when part of his right leg had to be amputated due to bone cancer. 

~1984- David Anthony Kennedy (1955-1984)- Robert Francis' son died of a drug overdose in Palm Beach, Florida. He was 28 years old.

~1991- William Kennedy Smith (b. 1960)- son of Jean Ann Kennedy, was arrested, charged and later acquitted of rape with a young woman at the Kennedy Estate in Florida. 

~1997- Michael LeMoyne Kennedy (1958-1997)- Robert Francis' son died in a skiing accident in Aspen, Colorado. He was 39 years old. 

~1999- John F. Kennedy Jr. (1960-1999)- JFK's son died in a plane crash in Massachusetts along with his wife Carolyn. He was 38 years old, she was 33.


~2011- Kara Anne Kennedy (1960-2011)- daughter of Edward Moore Kennedy, first had lung cancer and then died of a heart attack at the age of 51.

~2012- Mary Kathleen Richardson Kennedy (1959-2012)- Wife of Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. She committed suicide at the age of 52. 

~2014- Josephine Ethel Kerr (2014-2014)- daughter of Kyle Rose Kennedy and granddaughter of Michael LeMoyne Kennedy- died in infancy. 

~2019- Saoirse Roisin Kennedy Hill (1997-2019)- daughter of Courtney Kennedy, died of a drug overdose. She was 22 years old. 

52 Ancestors Biography- Edna Grace Niles

Some Surprises ahead! 

Edna Grace Niles- my great-grandmother

Born: 24 May 1894, Darke County, Ohio

Parents: Joseph Niles (1857-1933) & Anna E. Shomber (1868-1947). 
(When I first started doing research YEARS ago, I had different parents for Edna..there are trees on Ancestry.com that has the same wrong names as well. But, a couple of years ago, a cousin messaged me Proof of her real parents- the joys of collaboration!)

Siblings:
Edna had at least 2 siblings: 
1. Bertha "Bessie May" (1886-1966)
2. Earl David (1891-1969)


Edna married my great-grandfather- Earl Dwight Mendenhall (1894-1972) in 1915 in Darke County, Ohio. You can read his biography Here.

They had 3 children: 
1. Harold Earl (1916-1989) (my grandfather)
2. Robert Eugene (1919-1993)
3. Ruth Eileen (1926-2002)


I knew most of this when researching Edna...but there were a few surprises and interesting facts--- 

Surprise 1: Edna married secondly on 13 Jul 1931. I don't know when she divorced Earl. Her new husband was Fillmore Hax Chapman (1886-1941), son of Eugene Baldwin Chapman (1855-1937) & Pauline Hax (1856-1913). 

Surprise 2: Edna died on 28 Jul 1933 in Union City, Indiana at the age of 39. I knew this. However, after JUST discovering her death certificate, I read her cause of death as: "Coronary Embolism 6 hrs after delivery"... This sparked my interested in 2 ways: 
            1. Factor V Leiden (an inherited disorder of blood clotting) runs in my                 family, so for her to die of a blood clot in the heart, makes sense.
            2. She gave birth??! I didn't know she had anymore children before 
                her death.  

So...NOW, more research! I found a birth certificate with both Edna and Fillmore's names: Jack Chapman, born 27 Jul 1933 in Union City, Indiana. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything else about this baby- whether he died or lived. In 1940, Fillmore was a salesman, living with his brother. This doesn't mean that the baby died though, just means he didn't have custody. The baby might have been adopted after the death of his mother. WHO KNOWS.

Something interesting occurred to me while scanning through all my research. In some of the records (the first marriage document between Edna and Fillmore), Edna's name was Eileen. This threw me off because her name is Edna Grace. Also, Fillmore's death certificate, his deceased wife's name is Eileen as well. Maybe this was a nickname? Either way, her daughter with Mendenhall, her name was Ruth Eileen. And Ruth EILEEN married a Jack. Obivously, this is just pure coincidence and has no meaning whatsoever in any aspect, I just thought it was interesting! AND my 8 year old son's name is Jack...LOL



Edna died so young- only 39 years old. She was buried in the Greenville Union Cemetery in Greenville, Darke County, Ohio. 

The Suicide of James A. Moon

My 3rd cousin, 6x Removed- James Aaron Moon

If you ever visit Lafayette, Indiana, make sure you visit a legendary hotel named the Lahr. AND, if you're daring, stay in room 41.

Side Note: (I really liked my beginning so I kept it, although, you cannot stay in room 41... the building that once was the Lahr hotel, is now an apartment building, sadly).

In this room, 143 years ago, 38 year old James Aaron Moon committed suicide in the most unique fashion-even by today's standards! James was a civil war veteran, a farmer, husband and a father. He also took his own life with a homemade guillotine!

This is James Moon, born on 04 Jun 1838 in Mill Creek, Indiana. He was the son of Enoch Moon (1806-1881) and Elizabeth Lewis (1807-1868). He married Mary Cox (1837-1913) on 16 Sep 1858 and they had 6 children. 

1. Arthur Tellus (1860-1925)

2. Adella C. (1862-1901)

3. John Luther (1867-1920)

4. William Aaron (1869-1941)

5. Frank Marion (1871-1931)

6. James Albert (1877-1926)

On Saturday, June 10, 1876, he checked into the Lahr Hotel and then went to a hardware store to purchase a 12 inch axe head and two pieces of iron plate. He purchased cotton batting and chloroform from a drugstore and retired to his room. By midnight he was dead. 

With all of these items and a soap box and a candle, he had created an auto-decapitation machine. 

His head lay inside the soap box which was lined with the cotton batting soaked in chloroform. The candle was used as a "trigger"- see pictures. 

It is unclear why he why he wanted to die, but his death was ruled an suicide. His body was found by a maid the next morning. Because his door was locked, she had to enter in the joining room next to his. 

How I am related to Moon: 

Mordecai Mendenhall (1713-1803)

(Common Ancestor)

Aaron Mendenhall      Siblings        Richard Mendenhall

Dinah Mendenhall                        Joseph Mendenhall

Enoch Moon                                Richard Mendenhall

James                                        Aaron Mendenhall

                                                Richard Mendenhall

                                                Marion R. Mendenhall

                                                Earl D. Mendenhall

                                                Harold E. Mendenhall

                                                My Mother

                                                Me-Carrie

Cousins are different flowers from the same garden, Part 2

This is Part 2, if you would like to read Part 1 first, Click Here



I really enjoyed putting together the chart for my 3rd great-grandparents children and grandchildren on the previous post, that I wanted to see how they differed from my other set of "great-grandparents" on my Mendenhall side.

Originally, I was going to write a post about my 3rd great-grandparents, since I did the same on the Jeckering side, but that would be Richard Mendenhall (1852-1924) and his wife Margaret Frances Pierron (1851-1923) and they only had 2 children, so I'm writing about my 4th great-grandparents instead. 

My 4th great-grandparents were Aaron Mendenhall (1828-1894) and Christena M. Spielman (1835-1920). Neither one were immigrants like my Jeckering side. In fact, Aaron Mendenhall's 4th great-grandfather John Mendenhall (1659-1743) (my 10th great-grandfather) immigrated to America from England in December of 1685. Aaron was a farmer in Darke County, Ohio and unlike his Quaker ancestors, served in the military. In the civil war, he served as a Corporal of Company F, 152nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. 

Aaron and Christena had 10 children, let's see how many grandchildren they had! 


Aaron and Christena Mendenhall's children & number of children:
              

1. Richard Mendenhall (1852-1924)

            -Wife- Margaret F. Pierron (1851-1923); 2 children.

2. Mary Ann Mendenhall (1854-1929)

            -Husband- Robert G. Brandon (1845-1912); 10 children.

3. Sarah L. Mendenhall (1856-1930)

            -Husband- John Vankey (1851-1932); 5 children.

4. David Mendenhall (1857-1894)

            -Wife- Lucinda Belle Wellbaum (1865-1952); 5 children.

5. Rachel Olive Mendenhall (1858-1927)

            -Husband- John Straker (1855-1930); 10 children.

6. Jacob Mendenhall (1862-1914)

            -Wife- Elizabeth Jane Kairchner (1864-1932); 2 children.

7. Edward Mendenhall (1864-1866) (died at 1 year old)

8. Laura B. Mendenhall (1867-1885) (died at 18 years old)

9. Julietta Mendenhall (1870-1920)

            -Husband- Edward William Butts (1868-1941); 2 children.

10. John W. Mendenhall (1877-1894) (died at 17 years old)

 Aaron and Christena had 10 children and even though 3 children never had children (2 died young),  they still had 36 grandchildren.

Grandchildren in order of Birth: 

(If you see a 👶 (baby) symbol, it means the child died before adulthood)

Date	Month	Child	Parent
1872	August	Penina Brandon	Mary Ann
1873	July	Marion Richard Mendenhall	Richard
	October	Webster Pearson Brandon	Mary Ann
1875	April	Mary Lydia Mendenhall	Richard
	November	David Clement Brandon	Mary Ann
1877	August	Alfred Elliott Brandon	Mary Ann
1878	May	Edward F. Straker	Rachel
1879	March	Sarah Etta “Sadie” Brandon	Mary Ann
1880	January	Jacob D. Straker	Rachel
1881	September	Alice Belle Brandon  👶	Mary Ann
	October	Henry Harley Straker	Rachel
	December	Christina Belle Vankey	Sarah
1883	September	Bessie L. Vankey	Sarah
1884	January	Jesse Clifford Mendenhall	Jacob
	March	Lettie E. Brandon  👶	Mary Ann
	March	Chesta B. Straker	Rachel
	August	Ida Belle Mendenhall  👶	David
1886	January	Thomas Brandon	Mary Ann
	May	James B. Mendenhall	David
	October	Lucy Etta Vankey	Sarah
1887	February	Richard Ervin Straker	Rachel
1888	June	Basil Brandon	Mary Ann
	August	Hazel D. Mendenhall	David
1889	June	John Roma Straker	Rachel
1890	August	Plumma Brandon  👶	Mary Ann
	October	William Otto Vankey	Sarah
1891	January	Earnest Leroy Mendenhall	David
	August	Manley Leonard Straker	Rachel
	August	Stanley Glenard Straker	Rachel
	December	Corwin Guy Mendenhall	Jacob
1893	July	Harry Mendenhall  👶	David
1894	?	Samuel L. Vankey  👶	Sarah
1897	November	James Asher Straker	Rachel
	?	Clure G. Butts	Julietta
1899	April	Balma Robert Straker	Rachel
1908	September	Elizabeth Virginia Butts	Julietta

                       

Out of 36 grandchildren, only 6 died before adulthood. It's hard to say "only" because that's a child lost, but when child death was common, I'd say 6 out of 36 isn't bad! Either way, this family had a lot of love. 💗

Try this with one of your "big family" ancestors and see what number you come up with!