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| Green Bay Press-Gazette (abt 1951) |
Think about it, I'm dedicated to my genealogy research but everything ends up getting in the way. Life just has a tendency to do that. When I started my blog a little over a year ago, I told myself that I wasn't going to give it up. I didn't know what I was doing, but I was going to post and I was going to post regularly.
Even if I only transcribe an obituary, I'm looking at it and making sure it's in my tree and citing it. I've got tons of obituaries that haven't made their way into my tree so this is a good thing, but I've been trying (when the kids aren't saying, "Mommy, mommy, mom, mom, ma..." every 2 seconds) to do more then just transcribe. I'm trying to see if there's anything new that I can find online while I'm doing it. Sure not everything is online, but not looking doesn't help, and when I conduct this research I can always put into my Research Log what I need to do offline. Research and planning at the same time. Sweet!
So this is what I'm tackling this evening as I watch the playoffs...
"Long Illness Fatal To Frank Dart, 49
Frank Dart, 49, 1203 Reber street, died in a local hospital early Wednesday evening following a lingering illness. He had been employed by the Van Drisse Motor company for 28 years, and for the last year by the Checker Yellow Cab company.
Survivors are his wife, the former Mildred Van Caster; two sons, Donald and Cletus, Green Bay; and a daughter, Mrs. Bernard Motquin, Green Bay. Also surviving him are six grandchildren; his mother, Mrs. Louise Dart, Green Bay; and two brothers, George, Green Bay, and Richard Algoma. He's father died a year ago, and a brother, Harvey, preceded him in death four years ago.
The body is at the Schauer and Schumacher funeral home, where the rosary will be said at 8 o'clock each evening. Funeral services will be held at 10 o'clock Saturday morning in the Cathedral. The Rev. John Gehl will offer the requiem mass and burial will be in Allouez cemetery."
Since this was one of those clippings that I have with no publication information, I had to do a little research on the newspaper. I confirmed my suspicions (using Google maps) that 1203 Reber Street is in Green Bay, Wisconsin, so I'm fairly certain that the newspaper was The Green Bay Press-Gazette. As for the date of death and birth. Sadly only an age was given for Frank Dart and no birth. I do have Frank (and his siblings) already in my family tree, but I had no birth. So here we go...
I searched on Ancestry.com and found a record for his birth on December 1, 1903 (in the Wisconsin Birth and Christenings Index, 1826-1908, FHL Film# 1302886) to John B Dart and Louisa Jadin. This was a great find since I had no maiden name for his mother and no death date for his father, Jean Baptiste. Now, I'll at least be able to estimate since the obituary tells us he died a year earlier. I also didn't have any information on his brother, Harvey's, death so I can estimate that one too.
I actually had no spouse for Frank previously. Now I do and there is another Van Caster in my family tree already, not Mildred, but it may be a relative. All the same region! No proof yet though. Moving on....
Since I had no spouse for Frank, I had no children. Now I've been able to add and cite them. Of course I have no name for his daughter since, at that time, it was acceptable to say nothing more than "Mrs. Bernard Motquin". An irritant to genealogists everywhere...er...I mean an exciting new puzzle to try to solve!
A quick online search wasn't favorable for finding a name for his daughter, but I have high hopes of finding her, Jean Baptiste, Harvey, and many more people as I get through the hundreds of newspaper clippings that were passed on to me and my blog will help me get there. I just need to persevere!
[Frank Dart is my husband's 1st cousin twice removed].