THE
CHILDREN OF
JOHN F. FRIEND & IDA
MAY STRAUB
Today’s GenBlog
series of the children of John F. Friend and Ida May Straub is their eldest
daughter, Laura Etta (Lauretta) Friend. For the longest time, she has been one
of the hardest person to research in this family, besides her younger sister,
Mable May Friend. In general, it’s been the lack of availability of information
or resources to be found prior to the internet, and without going directly to
the local libraries who might have the right information or resources.
Ancesty.com and FamilySearch has proven to be most useful because of the 21st
century advanced technology, that is, if the database has been transcribed---in
some cases, properly transcribed---nonetheless, these voulunteers are wonderful
individuals who’ve taken the time to make it possible for researcherss. The research
methods long ago would’ve never produce what I’ve been able to find today on
the internet.
______
Laura Etta (Lauretta)
Friend
Laura grew up on a farm on the west or south
sides of Grand Island, but mostly in Center Township, with her parents. She
then married to Adrian B. Cissna in 1898, and moved near or in the city. And then
in less than seven months later she had a baby daughter named Emma B. Cissna. (Hummm?!? Isn’t normal pregnancy nine months
long??) Perhaps Emma was a premie (or
perhaps, wait a sec! (How old was Laura??) There must have been some promiscuity
a-goin’ on? Ha! Who knows!) After Emma’s birth or when she was small child,
Laura and her husband decisively headed to the West Coast, conversely around
1903 to 1906 because that’s about the time her Aunt Amelia and Uncle James West
left for Seattle, Washington. And also around the time her brother, John
Franklin “Frank” Friend wennt as well, and met a Swedish gal to marry.
Apparently,
Laura’s Uncle James had been employed as a painter in Seattle as early as 1903;
and so, I think, Adrian had picked up, or has been offered, to work in that
trade as well. The first mentioned of this for Adrian’s trade was in the City Directory of Seattle, Washington in
1907. Meanwhile, about the same time-frame, Laura’s parents and her other
siblings had moved to Angora in Morrill County, Nebraska. Again, I need to be
reminded that I never knew all of this about Laura’s locality until I had
access to Ancestry.com and FamilySearch, which eventually lead me to her in
Seattle. And then to find out Laura had been remarried and died in Seattle; and
all because of this I had to be persistence in my research and be techie smart
to find her til the end.
What Do I Know About Laura & Her Family? Here are some facts I have on Laura Etta
(Lauretta) Friend. She was born on June 16, 1881 in Grand Island, Nebraska. She
grew up on her father’s rented farms in and around the westside (Center
Township) and southside (Washington Township) of Grand Island. She had been wedded
twice. First to Adrian Brooks Cissna, and then to Charles Allen West. On April
9, 1898, nine and a half weeks prior to her 16th birthday, Laura married Adrain
in Grand Island; and then, six (6) months and 23 days later she had Emma. (Surprise! A family history “skeleton in the
closet” scenario, folks!) Then much later in her life, of course, after the
death of her first husband, Laura remarried to a man named Charles A. West on
November 26, 1930 in Seattle, Washington. Before continuing on, I’ve only had
Laura’s name taken from the family bible and census records as “Laura E.
Friend” or just Laura. The Lauretta reference came because of her having been
listed in the city directory as such. That gave me the idea that her mother had
intended to named her eldest daughter after a sister named Etta, well, Amelia
Etta Straub. So---I’ve decided to put Laura’s name on records as Laura Etta
(Lauretta) Friend. I believe she was named Laura Etta in reference to the
“Laura E.” I keep seeing on records.
Laura and
Adrain were blessed with their only child, a daughter, named Emma B. Cissna.
She was born on November 13, 1898 in Grand Island. So, is Emma a “gun-shot
wedding” baby or a “premie”? I personally think, it’s the first; because where
there’s some promiscuous involvement---I’m sure it has something to do with the
man being ten years older than her---and, her papa found out she was with child
and wasn’t happy about it. (Of course,
there was this handwritten (permission) note attached to Laura and Adrian’s
marriage certificate.) Anywas, Laura had served in her small family as a
wife and mother; and then, in her community as a clerk and cook for some baker
or restaurant.
It wasn’t
until recently, I’ve discovered THE when and THE where of Laura’s
death. And yet, I was astounded, that this information had been on Ancestry.com
all along---well, it’s only been online since 2014 so I must haven’t had the
time before. According to their database, her death information her name was
recorded incorrectly. So I thought, well since I couldn’t see the actual
certificate, I went to the Washington State Digital Archives site to verify
this information. (I’ll be damn! It’s
correct.) Supposedly her second husband, Charles, wrote it down as
“Loretta” instead of her proper name of Laura E. or Lauretta as we would’ve
known her by.
On October
24, 1939, Laura E. “Loretta” West passed away in the community called Algona,
Washington---a suburban community in the Greater Seattle area. So---is this all
the facts on Laura? Probably so BUT there’s more I’m sure of it! I still need
to figure out what happen to her remains. Maybe she’s buried or maybe she’d
requested a cremation, and probably, ashes scattered, like her first husband?
Maybe?!? I guess I need to order that death certificate.
Who Were Laura’s Spouses? Adrian Brooks Cissna was Laura’s first
husband. He was born November 10, 1871 in Seal, Pike County, Ohio. He was the
second son of Adrian H. Cissna and Mary Sarah Barr. His father remarried after
his mother’s death. Adrian spent his early years in Pike County, and then in
his early adulthood, he spent it in Columbus County, Ohio before he’d moved to
Grand Island. His father and step-mother remained in Columbus County, but I
believe his older brother, either eventually or had followed Adrian out West. I would have to
study his brother’s migration pattern to know for certain, other than I do know
Adrian and his brother were in Seattle together. After coming to Nebraska, Adrian
probably met Laura shortly thereafter, but that’s not totally clear---just yet---because
I don’t know exactly when he went West. Two years after his nuptial to Laura,
Adrian was found working as a farm laborer in Center Township, pretty much near
Laura’s family; and he was listed as a “servant” under the head of household,
namely, Benjamin Mc Master. I haven’t been able to determine the WHY
Adrian had moved to the Midwest; and I guess that’ll be another research
project for me at a later date. After his marriage, and the coming of his only
child several “short” months later, Adrian eventually moved to Seattle around
1905 or 1906 to become a painter. It’s not an artist profession, believe me,
but I’m sure, he was painting houses, or whatever’s larger than a canvas board---documents
I’ve fouind didn’t specify exactly what “painter” is. I’m assuming there wasn’t
a need to either.
Adrian
worked until he was aged 53 when he passed away on July 20, 1925. He died of
coronary artery disease, basically a heart attack. He and Laura had spent 27
years before his passing. He death however wasn’t a total lost for him because
Adrian got to watch his daughter grow up, get married, and to meet his two
grandbabies, Herbert Adrian Munter and Lorriane Marie Munter, and probably
watched his son-in-law fly airplanes.
After five
years of her husband’s death, and at the age of 49, Laura decided to get remarried.
She met a man by the name of Charles Allen West. Charles having been born in
June, 1868, and was from Pike County, Michigan, it assume to his birth place.
Charles was the middle son of Hiram West and Mary J. Weirs. I have recently
discovered this interesting tid-bit about Charles and his family lineage. He
was also a half-brother to James A. West, who’d married to Laura’s mother’s
sister, her Aunt, Amelia Etta Straub. Concurringly, it’s the same aunt and
uncle who’d moved to Seattle around the turn of the 20th century. Both the
Straub and the West Families were Nebraskan transplants from Pennsylvania and
Michigan, respectively. Also, Charles had been married, twice---before and
after. His first marriage was to a woman named Clara E. Crandell; and then
again, after Laura’s death, to Mrs. Alice Maud Lowe, maiden name Ruttan.
Apparently in his three marriages, Charles never procured offsprings. On records
he died on January 24, 1949 in Auburn, Washington, yet another suburban
community of the Greater Seattle area.
Who’s Laura’s Daughter? Emma Brooks Cissna was an only child of Adrain
Brooks Cissna and Laura Etta (Lauretta) Friend. It seems that Adrian named his
daughter after an aunt on his father’s side. Emma was born on November 13, 1898
in Grand Island, Nebraska. After her formal educational years were completed,
she worked as a telephone operator for a couple of years for Seattle’s
telephone company in 1916 and 1917. Then late 1917, Emma married Herbert Arthur
“Herb” Munter, the legendary aviator of Seattle and a veteran of both World
Wars. They were wedded on November 21, 1917. Life for Emma must’ve never been
dull with such an ambitus husband who flew airplanes all the times. (I promise to do a separate GenBlog on Emma
and Herb Munter.)
Emma and
Herb had been blessed with two children, Herbert Adrian and Lorriane Marie.
Herbert---or “Herb” as his friends called him---their only son. He had
completed not only his formal education but completed a college education too.
Shortly after college, Herb enlisted in World War II as a navel aviator. He
married in 1943, after his enlistement, to Phyllis Virginia Wilder, a college
sweetheart. But no sooner thereafter, he was killed in action.
Emma and
Herb’s next child, Lorriane Marie, lived to have her family of two daughters
and several grandchildren. Lorriane married a military man, Captain William
“Bill” H. Culver (US Army), shortly after the end of the war. Lorriane and Bill
had 59 wonderful years together. Sometimes in the late 50s, Emma and her
husband followed their daughter and son-in-law to Contra Costa County,
California where they continue to live the remainder of their lives. Emma
passed away on March 16, 1976, six years after her husband.
Documentations. The
first document I will present on Laura is nothing new I’ve shown before. It is the
Nebraska State Census dated on June 5, 1885. Laura was listed with her parents
John and Ida Friend at the age of 4. Unfortunately, the enumerator (I sure it was his error) had forgotten
to “write-in” that she’s a “daughter” to head of household. I’ve learned over
the years that census records are not totally accurate document to rely on, if
you wish prove your ancestor’s facts. Census records needs to be incoherent
with other documents. Don’t get me wrong, but censuses can be great resources
to finding all the “living” children that are presented at that time of
enumeration. Of course, it takes state censuses---and they varies from state to
state---to find other children. They're great for in-between decadal
enumerations. If there should be others, hopefully, cemetery records would
tie-in the family properly. Otherwise, other records would help fill-in those
children you keep hearing about in family stories. Like my Aunt Ilea who had
all of these children, eight in all, and only two lived to adulthood. I found
the others in birth and death indexes.
As you
can see below I’ve added the transcribed record of the state census to indicate
Laura’s present. If you wish to review the original record, please refer to the
original image, or the snippet image in the previous GenBlog of this series.
Ln.
Hn. Family Names Age
Sex Rela Occup BirPl [1]
46 . . . 36/37 . . . FRIEND, John . . . .38
. . . M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Farmer . . . . . . . IN
47 . . . . . . . . . . . FRIEND, Ida . . . .
. .21 . . . F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PA
48 . . . . . . . . . . .
FRIEND, LAURA . . 4 . . . F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . NE
49 . . . . . . . . . . . FRIEND, John . . .
. .2 . . . M . . . . Son . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NE
50 . . . . . . . . . . . FRIEND, Maud . . . .1
. . . F . . . . Daughter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NE
Let’s
continue with more census records with Laura, and possibly, others related to
her. Laura had been enumerated four other time: 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Her
first husband and child were in all or part of these four censuses. Let’s see,
we’ll back up a bit with Laura’s spouses.
Adrian’s
first enumeration was in 1880 with his father and step-mother in Pike County,
Ohio. Charles’s first enumeration was in 1870 with his parents in Clinton
County, Michigan, and I won’t go into a whole lot of details with these
censuses and the information at this point. And then there’s Laura’s daughter,
Emma, who had been enumerated with Laura in 1900 in Grand Island, and later in
1910 (with both parents) in Seattle. The last census (1930) where Laura was
enumerated as a widow, was living as a boarder several months before she
married to Charles West. These are the extends of where everyone was in these
different censuses. Next will be the details of which Laura had been enumerated
in.
1900 U.S. Federal Census.
Laura, at this point, had been a married woman of two years. She was enumerated
with her daughter, seemingly, called “Annie” and for some unknown reasons
Adrian wasn’t listed with them. Yet he was listed over at Benjamin Mc Master’s
farm. Of course, there’s a perfect explation that situation. I’ll explain it
shortly. Using a genealogist’s critical eye, one must take note of every detail
possible---the dates of enumeration, the localities, page numbers, and other
items deemed necessary. At some point they’ll serve a purpose to your
ancestor’s co-existence at that timeframe.
In Document
No. 1 (below), the date of this
enumeration was June 9 & 11, 1900; this document to which Adrian was
enumerated upon. And then, Document No. 2 it was written only as June 11, 1900;
this one had Laura and Emma listed. Next we must take note of the page numbers or
other details that might serve as some importance evidence to us. For example,
Adrian was located on Line No. 47, towards the bottom of page 5A of first
document. While we’re at it, let’s see where Laura and Emma are located.
They were enumerated on the bottom of the
next page 5B on Line Nos. 99 and 100 of the second document. Assuming that the
double dates on first document, it was enuremated in parts, like the first half
or just a couple of households were done on the 9th (Saturday); and the rest has
been resumed on the 11th (Monday). Notices, the enumerator decided to take Sunday off.
Now
let’s take a look at the locality of these two documents. Both were in the
Center Township of Hall County, Nebraska. Perhaps---Adrian was working on that
day he was enumerated at the Mc Master’s farm, while his family were taken
later that same day. If, he had been enumerated on June 9th instead of the
11th, then he was home on the later date. And then, He would’ve been enumerated
there too. Maybe?! I’ve seen this kind of situation countless times, where one
person was counted twice in the same census, but on different dates. I’ve
included the snippet images of the original document along with their
transcribed information.
Document No. 1 [2]
Center Township, Hall, Nebraska, USA
(Page: 5A)
Ln.
Name Age Birth Date/Place Occupation
44 . . Benjamin Mc Master . . . . .53 .
. . Oct 1946 PA . . . . . . Farmer (Owner)
45 . . Mianda Mc Master . . . . . . 54
. . . Dec 1845 OH
46 . . Benjamin C Mc Master . . . 9 . .
. . Aug 1890 NE . . . . . .At School
47 . . Adrian B. Cissna . . . . . . .28 . . . Nov 1871 OH . . . . .
Farm Laborer (Monthly)
An image snippet of Document No. 1:
Document No. 2 [3]
Center Twp., Hall, Nebraska, USA (Page:
5B)
Ln.
Name Age Birth Date/Place
98 . . Laura Cissna . . . . . . . . . .
. . 19 . . . Jun 1880 NE
100 . Annie Cissna . . . . . . . . . .
. .1 . . . . .Nov 1898 NE
An image snippet of Document No. 2:
Tid-Bits of Historical Analogism. Okay!
We’ve looked at two census entries and images of Adrian and Laura. We’ve
learned that they were not enumerated together, and we’ve also learned that the
two pages were side-by-side (5A & 5B). We’ve then took a look at the dates
and decided that both Adrian and Laura were enumerated on the same date (June
11, 1900). Below I’ve created a table of data from the two pages beginning with
Mc Master and ending with Cissna families. The Mc Master was Household No. 83,
and the Cissna was Household No. 95. In this analogy, I hope to show you that
there were eleven (11) households between enumeration.
Looking
at Adrian’s, we’ve learned that Benjamin Mc Master had listed Adrian as his
“servant”, then further down the columns, under occupation, he was listed as a
“farm laborer” but interestingly enough it states for “monthly” basis. So, does
this means Adrian only came once a month? It’s hard to say for sure without
further information to cohere this knowledge. Then again, it probably was just
enough to pay for his rent. After looking at the dates of the two pages, its
conclusive that the enumerator only wrote who were in that household on that
day, even though, Adrian was several miles from his own home. As I’ve mentioned
before, there has been enumeration where the same person would’ve been
enumerated twice because the date being diverse. Subsequently, both of these
enumeration were done on June 11, 1900 while Adrian was at work and Laura and
their daughter were at home.
Presently
the question is, how far apart were these thirteen households? It hard to say
as most of them between the Mc Masters and Cissnas were all farms except for
latter family it was listed as a “house”. By reviewing the table below, we’ll
notices that all households from the Mc Master to Jerome households were all
identified---“farms”, whether owned (with or without mortgage) or rented. I’ve decided
to do some studying on how large some of these farms were, and coherent the
distance a between them. Farms. I’ve noticed that some were 600 or more acres,
and others as little as 40 or less acres. Let’s simile that these twelve farms
were 40 acres each.
Table
No. 1
Center
Twp., Hall, Nebraska, USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . Dist. No. 78 [4]
Ln.
|
H
|
F
|
Household Surname
|
Farm ID
|
O
|
R
|
F
|
M
|
Pg.
|
44
|
83
|
84
|
B. C. Mc Master*
|
82
|
O
|
M
|
5A
|
||
48
|
84
|
85
|
HammondA1
|
83
|
R
|
5A
|
|||
51
|
85
|
86
|
Christian Schaupdach*
|
84
|
O
|
M
|
5B
|
||
54
|
86
|
87
|
August
Thesenvitz*
|
85
|
O
|
M
|
5B
|
||
62
|
87
|
88
|
Franz
|
86
|
R
|
5B
|
|||
66
|
88
|
89
|
Otto
W. Wiese*
|
87
|
O
|
F
|
5B
|
||
74
|
89
|
90
|
Claus Henning*
|
88
|
O
|
M
|
5B
|
||
81
|
90
|
91
|
Joachim
Wiese*
|
89
|
O
|
F
|
5B
|
||
91
|
92
|
Wray
|
90
|
R
|
5B
|
||||
92
|
93
|
Amspoker
|
91
|
R
|
5B
|
||||
93
|
93
|
94
|
Rush C. Noyes**
|
92
|
O
|
M
|
5B
|
||
98
|
94
|
95
|
Francis
Jerome*?
|
93
|
O
|
M
|
5B
|
||
99
|
95
|
96
|
CissnaA2
|
R
|
5B
|
A1 = Female, Widowed, Farmer
A2 = Female, Married, Husband Located at Mc Master’s Farm
* = confirmed landholder
** = unconfirmed landholder
*? =
possible landholder location
H } F = Household | Family Numbers
O | R = Owner | Renter
F | M = Owner’s Own Free | Mortgage
Land
How far is it across a 40-acre farm? I’ve
read this blog from Farm Collector Blog
that talks about how many miles a farmer goes when he plows his back 40s---basically
a 40-acre piece of land behind his current homestead. Sam Moore, author of “Looking
Back: Miles Per Acres,” stated that one side of 40 acres is 1/4 mile. Another
words, each side of 40-acres is 1/4 miles as though I would walk the entirely
its one (1) mile, that is, I’m understanding this author’s explanation. Then if
Adrian had to walk or ride his horse straight across one farm, it’ll be 1/4
mile; and then, if I multiple that by 12 (keep in mind, he still going straight
across not the entire perimeters). Adrian would’ve gone approximate 3 miles,
right?! Well, that’s depends.
Let’s
just say he traveled on average 6 miles round trip, to and from work. But if he
helps Mr. Mc Master plows 20 or 30 acres with a horse and plow. That’ll be a
whole different ball game. As Sam Moore pointed out a farmer whose plowing a 40-acre
field with a 12-inch walking plow, and hoping the farmer is real sturdy, and he
has reliable horses, mules or oxen. With these things in mind that farmer would’ve
to walked an average of 330 miles to prepare one piece of land for harvest.[5] An
interesting article, I suggest you read it yourself.
After
writing the above paragraph, my curiousity got the better of me. I’ve had
forgotten about the Hall County Nebraska Government website who placed several
plat maps online. The closest I can get to match my desired assessment for
Table No. 1 is the 1904 Hall County Atlas
(http://www.hallcountyne.gov/content.lasso?page=7426).[6] On this map, Center
Township (page 21), I was able to confirmed at least six of the eight “owned”
farms on this map with one possibility. The two “own” farms nearest the Cissnas
household apparently were either sold off before this altas was published or
there were some misreading of names. It’s going to be guestimation where these
farms were in correlate with the 1900 census. The interesting part is that if I
go by those confirmed farms and based upon those names on the 1904 atlas,
Adrian would’ve started traveling in the southeast and walk or rode to the
northwest (a diagonal) to get to the Mc Master’s farm. He would’ve gone
approximately 5.5 to 6 miles, one-way. If the map is correct about which
landholders were who, then we might see a alternate route.
The 1904 Hall County Atlas showed that B. C.
Mc Master resided or owned an 80-acre land in Section 17. But then, there was
this B. E. Mc Master in Section 29. Who’s
this? This makes me wonder if Mc Master had much more land than signifying because
there seems to be a lot of households from Section 17 to where I’m guestimating
the Cissna lived for him to travel, at least, it doesn’t Correlate with the
1900 census. Then I remembered there was the 1890 Hall County Atlas online as well.[7] Well, guess what?! That Section 17 had a different landholder where
Mc Master was shown in 1904; and in Section 29, it states “B. C. Mc Master” not
“B. E. Mc Master” therefore I’m assuming the original place was in Section 29
not Section 17. Also in the latter section, in the 1890 atlas showed Mc Master
only owning 120 acres instead of the 160 acres in 1904. He then added to his
holding by 40 acres on that section and the 80 acres from Section 17. By 1904, Benjamin
C. Mc Master now was the landholder of 240 acres. After analogying this
information, I cannot say that the 1900 enumerator had ran amoke across the
farm lands. He nearly went in a straight line from Mc Master to Cissna if I
follow page by page with the census.
I took
another look at Table No. 1 again, and another look at the 1904 atlas and the
1900 census. In the 1900 census, I needed
to look beyond the Cissna household nearer where Laura’s parent were enumerated
on 6B. (Pausing) Wait a sec!! In the
altas, Section 25, there seems to be a sub-division, an 80-acre parcel, that’s
divided into 16 5-acre lots; speciously called “Mable Hayman’s Subdivision”. Oh my goodness?? (Zooming into 324%) I
see the name “Jerome” in Lot No. 9. Could this be Francis Jerome that I’m
looking for? Is it possible that one of these lots could have been rented to
Adrian and Laura Cissna? I’m now seeing a pattern here. The enumerator must of
began his census quest in Section 30 (West side), probably 4B, and finished up
in Section 25 (East side), probably parts of 6A. And if this is right, then,
Adrian had only walked or rode approximately 4 miles straight East to Wast to
get to the McMaster’s farm. Whew!? That’s
brain boggling. And that’s analogism.
The Other Censuses, 1910 & 1920. In the
other censuses, Laura was with Adrian and Emma; well at least one or the other
or both. Emma was with her parents in 1910, but had gotten married in 1917
prior to the 1920 census where she was enumerated with her husband. Adrian was
in both of them with Laura, this time, unlike the 1900 census. There were two
fascinating facts that came from these two census.
First,
Adrian’s occupation came clearer that he had worked as a “House” painter, and
he was his own employer, or boss man, for the most part. Second, Adrian was living
in the same house that matched with the city directories I’ve found while
researching. According to the 1910 census, the family lived in their “owned” house
that was “free” of mortgage at 1715 26th Street, Seattle, Washington (see Document No. 3 & No. 4). In
Document No. 3, you’ll notices where the house number and street name are
located, on the left side, next to the Household/Family assigned numbers.
Meanwhile, Document No. 4 will show the letters (Line No. 43 far right): “O”, “F” and “H” (meaning
Own, Free of Mortgage, and House) indictating that Adrian and Laura had owned
their home mortgage-free. Then in the last document (Document No. 5) it
verifies that they had lived at that address from the same year’s city directory.
Document No. 3:
1910 U.S. Census of Adrian B.
& Laura E. Cissna. [8]
Document No. 4:
1910 U.S. Census of Adrian B.
& Laura E. Cissna, continues. [8]
Document No. 5
Seattle (Washington) City
Directory, 1910 of Adrian E. Cissna. [9]
By 1920,
Adrian and Laura Cissna were now living in a rental. What happened to their
house? It is unknown what exactly happened without seeking deed books or real
estate records, which aren’t available to me online. I would need to go to the
courthouse to view these the deed books of that timeframe. Anyway, by 1915 (conferring
to the city directories), the entire picture changes for them, the family
were now living at totally different location; and then by 1918, after their
daughter’s nuptial, Adrian and Laura then lived at 500 29th Ave N, Apt. C
(Clemensen Apartment) until after Adrian’s death in 1925. The 1920 census
doesn’t show clearly which street they were enumerating, at least, it didn’t
show 29th N, but did show that the enumerator had wrote “500” in the first
apartment he started with. Because of this document was faded in places, we
could see that he wrote the apartment letters next to those living at “500” and
this can be confer with the city directory of that year. It is clear that there
were four apartments.[10]
In 1930,
after Laura’s husband’s death, she lived at 916 E. Mercer Street as a “lodger”
under a widow named Mrs. Edith Folly. She was also indicated she worked as a
restaurant cook.[11] Where previously Laura had worked as a clerk to bakers,
but these were through the city directories, which we’ll talk me about them
later. This concludes the census records for Laura and her family. Take we’ll
journey into vital statistics: birth, marriage, death and other similar
records.
Vital Statistic Records. Vital statistic records in this GenBlog
will be consists of either indexed or
documented information. It depends on where I’ve found my data that will
complete any of my ancestor’s vital statistic. (FYI: vital statistic consists of official records such as birth, death,
fetal death (stillborn), marriage and dissolution of marriage (divorce)
documents.) Since birth ceriticate were not mandated in Nebraska until
1904, it is possible that Emma Cissna might have applied for a delayed birth
ceriticate, but not Laura, she needed to live into the 1940s when applicated
for social security number, needed a birth certificate, and they started that
process sometimes after her death.
Marriage Records We Have! I have three marriages to talk about in
this section. First marriage would be Adrian and Laura (Friend) Cissna in 1898,
then the next would be Herbert and Emma (Cissna) Munter in 1917, and then the
final marriage would be Mrs. Laura Cissna and Charles A. West in 1930. The
first marriage will only be an indexed source, and the latter two marriages are
from the original documents. Below you’ll find Table No. 2 with basic
information about the three marriages I’ve mentioned.
Table No. 2
Marriages of the Family
Groom Bride Date of Marriage / Place
Cissna, Adrian B. . . Friend, Laura E. . . . . . . . .9 Apr 1898 / Grand Island, Hall, Nebraska, USA [12]
Munter, Herbert A. . Cissna,
Emma B. . . . . . . 21 Nov
1917 / Seattle, King, Washington, USA
West, Charles A. . . . Cissna, Laura E. (Mrs.). 26 Nov 1930 / Seattle, King, Washington, USA
The next
document is a marriage registry where the county records all marriages upon
getting the license to getting the certificate certified by the court’s
appointed clerks. This snippet image (below) had been one of three other
marriages recorded on the same page as Emma B. Cissna and Herbert A. Munter.
Document No. 6 (page 10) is the original license that the clerk records in
their books; and Document No. 7 is the marriage certificate given to the
newlyweds.
With these
two documents, we find some interesting things about some of the people our
ancestors associate with in their lifetime. You’ll notices who were the
witnesses to Emma & Herb’s nuptial: A. L. Munter and Mrs. H. R. Clark; and
look who’s the officiator was: Rev. J. D. O. Powers. I guess noboby will
recognitxe this minister Rev. Jesse D. O. Powers. He was an early 20th century
power voice who was in charge of the First Unitarian Church in Seattle once
located on 1707 Boyston Avenue.[13] Powers also seems to had his hands, along
with many others, as being supporters or advocators of the Women Suffrage
movement in Washington in 1910; even though, Washington had once granted that
right before the 19th Amendment and their statehood in 1883. These ministers’
work and suffrage women of Washington State help passed the “right to vote”
onto their women in 1910.
Document No. 7 (below) is the actual certificate of Herbert and Emma’s
marriage that has all the signatures and validation of being registered in the
courthouse. Depending upon the county some typed their registry while other are
handwritten. Nevertheless, It’s great to see these type of documents as you get
to see their actual penmanship shown in the marriage certificate below. You can
nearly tell whose the author of the penmanship when filling out this marriage
certificate. Can you guess? My guess would be the pastor, if not, the groom’s
parents. As for the witnesses: A. L. Munter, he may have been Herbert’s eldest
brother, and Mrs. H. R. (Anna) Clark might had been a friend to Emma or the
Munters. Its all muddled a bit as records only uses their initials instead of
full name other than the groom and bride.
Document No. 6
Registry of Marriage
Certificate or License of Herbert A. Munter & Emma B. Cissna [14]
The next
marriage certificate is of Laura’s second marriage to Charles A. West (Document
No. 8). The officiator was a no-name bloke named Charles H. Biteman,
who claimed to be a minister. I’ve been able to research a bit on this “Rev.”
Biteman, and he wasn’t exactly a declared minister on record as far as city
directories or censuses indicated. He was, by profession, a crane operator or
some other poccupation of the year. Basically, a jack-of-all-trades. I’m
guessing here, but it seems this person was known to the couple in some way,
perhaps just to Charles West, not Laura. It is easily to determine the one
couple who witness this nupitial. But the other one, again, maybe someone West
known as well. However, the other couple witness was easy because it was
Laura’s son-in-law and her daughter, Herb and Emma Munter. Well this is it for
the marriage records.
Next we
will read about what death records that were available for Laura and her two
spouses. Laura’s daughter will be talked about in the next GenBlog as I put
together a genealogical and historical blog on this couple’s life.
Document No. 7
Marriage Certificate of
Herbert A. Munter & Emma B. Cissna [15]
Document No. 8
Marriage Certificate of
Charles A. West & Mrs. Laura E. Cissna [16]
Death Records. Death records are great vital statistics
because it’ll provide not only birth date and place, but often, parentages and
their birth place, and of course, the death information that pertains vital
information other than date and place of death. Other information that can be
resourceful are the cause of death or burial information. One good example
about the latter statement is about one of Laura’s brother, George Harrison
Friend. None of the family member knew when or where he died. In the last year,
I’ve found his death information on Find A Grave website. Someone was kind
enough to add his death information even when he wasn’t every going to be
buried anywhere. I said it in that way is that because he decided before his
death to donate his body to medical science. He died of “Far Advanced Pulmonary
Tuberculosis with Superimposed Pneumonia.”[17] In most cases, it’ll provide
everyone with both birth and death dates and places, and parentages, if known
by the informant, and that’s the dilemma.
The Death of Mrs. Laura E. Cissna’s Husband.
The first death that
occurred in Laura’s life had been her first husband. Adrian B. Cissna died on
July 20, 1925 in Seattle, Washington. Next two documents are the death notices
about what happened to Adrian. Sometimes these kind of notices are rare to
find, but I got lucky. It gave me more information about what happened that
day.
Document No. 9
“Painter Dies on Street:
Adrian B. Cissna,”
Seattle Daily Times
(Seattle, Washington) [18]
|
Document No. 10
Death Notice: Adrian B.
Cissna [19]
|
Adrian died suddenly, and regrettably, on the streets of Seattle of First Avenue and Yester Way. Above I’ve been able to procure these articles about his suuden death. We learn, by the both articles, that Adrian was a member of the Painters’ Local No. 300 and a member of the Woodmen of the World. In these articles, and his death certificate, it states all funeral arrangement was provided by the Home Understaking Company. Yet, nothing more about a funeral or burial. I love it when death notice(s) mentions more than just the simple death of one that individual. In the first notice (above left) it states where he lived, his widow’s name and the daughter’s married name and where they were living at the time of his death. All great resources of information to a genealogist’s treasure.
Document No. 11
Snippet No. 1 of Adrian B.
Cissna Death Certificate [20]
According
to his death certificate (snippets below),
it states, he was cremated with no further information as to where or what
happened to his remains; whether buried or scattered. And---he basically died
of a heart attack. (see Document No. 11
page 13) This is the medical terms mentioned on the certificate: Angina
Pectoris (Primary) Arteriosclerosis (Secondary). The layman terms is chest pain
with vein obstruction. Overall, this incident was probably a coronary artery disease
case, and I’m sure Adrian wasn’t aware of his health issue prior to his death.
Snippent No. 2 of Adrian’s Death Certificate [20]
The next
two death information were extraction from Ancestry.com indexes obtained from
other resources. But before I get to the point of interest in this GenBlog,
Laura Etta (Lauretta) Friend. Laura’s second husband had passed way nearly 10
years after Laura’s death. He died on January 24, 1949 in Auburn, Washington.
He left behind his third wife, Mrs. Alice Maud (Ruttan) Lowe-West. [21]
Now---Laura’s Death. Laura’s death date has been the most
trivial of John and Ida’s children---other than her youngest sister, Mable,
which still remains mystery to this day. After finding Laura’s death data, I’d
learned that she’d died on October 24, 1939 in Algona, Washington. What made
her death record so trivial? It was her name given to the State of Washington.
Her last
spouse, Charles West, must’ve been the informant as he apparently wrote her
name as “Loretta” instead of the name we’ve known her by.[22] I know that
Laura’s name had been spelled several different ways but I never thought to
check it in this way, even when I learned of her using “Lauretta” throughout
some of the city directories I’ve researched. Its always bee “Laura E.” or “Laura”
while researching census or other records.
The day I
found her death record, it surprised me. I finally had an inspiration to only
insert into their search engine, her last name (West), birth year (1881),
parents’ names (John Friend & Ida Straub) and where (I thought – Seattle,
King, Washington, USA) she died. Oh! And her second husband’s name. Viola! There
it was in the Washington Death Record indexes. Needless to say, it felt great
to find this information. So I did my other option search on the Washington State Archives website to
confirm it. Confirmed! Now I just need to order her death certificate to get
the particulars about her death and what happened to her remains.
City Directories of Seattle, Washington. The most unique thing about these city
directories is you can follow your ancestors year after year until they’ve
either deceased or moved out of the area. I have been able to follow Adrian and
Laura Cissna in Seattle from 1907 until 1930 before Laura married to Charles A.
West, and then moved to Algona, Washington.
Julianna
Szucs, an Ancestry.com blog writer, wrote that there were six thiings to look
for in the city directories on Ancestry.com: your ancestor and other family
members, streets and maps, churches and clerics, cemeteries, advertments, and
historical information. These information can be helpful hints while looking for
your ancestor and how life may have been like at that time.[23] I’ve been able
to find different information that I would haven’t found elsewhere in my
research.
Take
Adrian’s occupation: painter, for example. I’ve been able to following his up
to his death in 1925 that he remained a painter while living in Seattle. And
his death notice confirmed he was a member of the Painters Local No. 300. I’ve
been able to see when and where Laura was working, for example. In 1907, she
worked as a dressmaker, probably short-lived because I didn’t see her listed
with an occupation until 1924 and through 1930 as a “clerk” or “cook” for some
baker, whose names were listed on a couple of these directories. Also, their
daughter, Emma, had worked in 1917-1918 as a “telephone operator” for the local
telephone company before marrying Herbert A. Munter.
Another
useful information I’ve got out of these city directories were the addresses
the Cissnas lived at during the decadal censuses. In 1910, where Adrian and
Laura stated they owned their home mortgage-free, and I’ve been able to track
how many years they had it before the next census in 1920. Somehow, Adrian and
Laura lost that house within a couple or so years afterward. Then moved twice
before the next census where I confirmed they were at again with the city
directory of 1920. And then, they remained until after Adrian’s death in 1925,
and Laura constantly moved around each year until late 1930 when she remarried.
The next
resourceful information from these city directories were the employers’ who
Laura worked for. In 1924, she worked for Andrew L. Fryer, a baker. Then she
worked for Rudolph J. Peterson, another baker from 1925 to 1928; and finally
she was found working at Kroetch Bros. (Fred M. Kroetch, owner). I’ve was able
to check each of the employers in the same directories as Laura to see if I
could identified their bakeries but the first two never gave away that kind of
details.
In the
end, I wasn’t able to find Adrian and Laura in two of the directories. It was
because one city directory had been mostly a business directory, at least it
didn’t show any resident; and the other city directory (1923) was simply
missing from Ancestry.com’s database. I’ve decided to create a listing of all
the houses or apartments where Adrian and Laurs once lived. I’ve added their
names and occupations, if known, and employer’s names. The last thing I’ve
added to this list is the last known address that Laura lived at in 1930, that
is, taken from the 1930 census. Apparently, Laura gave the city directory her
place of employment in 1930, and so, she wasn’t doubled list like in Document
No. 13.
Document No. 13
Double Entries of Laura Cissna [24]
- · 1907-1908: 2635 Arthur Place . . . . . Adrian (Painter), Laura (Dressmaker)
- · 1909: Business Diretory only.
- · 1910-1911: 1715 26th Ave. (Ownership) . . . . . Adrian (Painter) (confirmed to census)
- · 1912: 2624 E. Olive . . . . . Adrian (Painter)
- · 1913: Houseboat No. 1 East End of Washington Park Blvd (res. J. P. Cissna) . . . . . Adrian (Painter)
- · 1914-1917: 234 27th Ave. N . . . . . Adrian (Painter), Emma (Telephone Operator [1916-17])
- · 1918-1925: 500 29th Ave N, Apt C (Clemensen Apartments) . . . . . Adrian (Painter), Laura (Clerk w/Andrew L. Fryer (Baker) [1924] & w/Rudolph J. Peterson (Baker) [1925)] (confirmed to census)
- · 1923: missing year
- · 1926: 921 14th Ave (res. of John A. & Mary Munter) . . . . Laura (Clerk w/R. J. Peterson)
- · 1927: 1417 21st Ave. #3 (multiple residential or apartment complex) . . . . Laura
- · 1928: 2909 E. Madison, Apt. F (Bachus Apartments) . . . . . Laura (Cook)
- · 1929: 500 29th Ave N, Apt. C . . . . Laura (Cook) (see snippet page 15)
- · 1929: 1416 E. 41st, #103 . . . . Lauretta (see image page 15)
- · 1930: 511 Broadway N (Broadway Central Market) . . . . . Laura (Clerk, Kroetch Bros Delicatessen [Owner: Fred M. Kroetch])
- · 1930: 916 E. Mercer St. (as per census) . . . . Laura (Cook, Restaurant)
As suggested by Julianna Szucs,
I’d taken look at “other family members”, and I’m glad I did too! I looked for
two family members of Laura’s: her brother, John “Frank” Friend, and her Aunt
Etta and Uncle James West. Frank was found as early as 1906---the same year he’d
married his wife Betty L. Lofquist, He was living at 1620 21st Avenue and working
as a driver for F. W. Anderson. And then, I found Laura’s aunt and uncle in
1903. James A. West had been a painter until his death, and one other time, a
co-partnership with son-in-law of some cigar & confectionary shop. The
question is, did everyone came to Seattle together or at different year? I
believe, the West came first and following by the niece and nephew.
I thought this would be a
great thing to add some locality perspective to this GenBlog by providing a
picture of the old Broadway Central Market on 511 Broadway North where Laura
had worked for a short time in the 1930s as a clerk and cook.
Document No. 14
Broadway Central Market, November 1934 [26]

This concludes my GenBlog on Laura Etta (Lauretta) Friend and his spouses. I will continue with her daughter, Emma B. Cissna and her famous husband, Herbert A. Munter and family. And then, we’ll carry on with the children of John F. Friend and Ida May Straub series. Til next time.
The
Blind Genealogist
January 25, 2016
To Cite This Work:
Friend, Matthew D. The Children of
John F. Friend & Ida May Straub (January 2, 2016) The Blind
Genealogist's GenBlog,
http://blindgenealogist.blogspot.com/2016/01/laura-etta-lauretta-friend.html
(accessed: [enter today's date here]).
______
The
Blind Genealogist's GenBlogs © 2016
All
Rights Reserved
Reading Suggestions:
Szucs, Julianna. “6 Things to
Look For In City Directory,” Ancestry.com Blog (July 29, 2014).
http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2014/07/29/six-things-to-look-for-in-city-directories/
Moore, Sam.
“Looking Back: Miles Per Acre,” Farm Collection Blog (March 24, 2009).
http://www.farmcollector.com/farm-life/miles-per-acre.aspx
Citation:
[1]
Ancestry.com. Nebraska, State Census
Collection, 1860-1885. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.
Annotation: National Archives and Records Administration; Nebraska State
Census; Year: 1885; Series/Record Group: M352; County: Hall; Township: Center;
Page: 4. Also at: "Nebraska State Census, 1885," database with
images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X3XY-6QX :
accessed 2 January 2016), Laura Friend in entry for John Friend, 1885; citing
NARA microfilm publication M352 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and
Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 499,552.
[2] Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com
Operations Inc, 2004. Anntation: Name: Adrian B. Cissna; Year: 1900; Census
Place: Center, Hall, Nebraska; Roll: 928; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 0078;
FHL microfilm: 1240928.
[3] Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com
Operations Inc, 2004. Annotation: Name: Laura E. Cissna; Year: 1900; Census
Place: Center, Hall, Nebraska; Roll: 928; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0078;
FHL microfilm: 1240928.
[4] Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com
Operations Inc, 2004. Annotation: Page(s): 5A & 5B.
[5] Moore, Sam. “Looking Back: Miles Per
Acres,” Farm Collector Blogs (March
24, 2009) http://www.farmcollector.com/farm-life/miles-per-acre.aspx (accessed:
January 11, 2016).
[6] Hall County, Nebraska. 1904 Hall County Atlas, Images and PDFs
(2016) Hall County Nebraska Government, http://www.hallcountyne.gov/content.lasso?page=7426
(accessed: January 10, 2016).
[7] Hall County, Nebraska. 1904 Hall County Atlas, Images and PDFs
(2016) Hall County Nebraska Government, http://www.hallcountyne.gov/content.lasso?page=7430
(accessed: January 12, 2016).
[8] Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com
Operations Inc, 2006. Original Data:
Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication
T624, 1,178 rolls). Annotation: Year: 1910; Census Place: Seattle Ward 3, King,
Washington; Roll: T624_1658; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0091; FHL
microfilm: 1375671.
[9] Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., 2011. Annotation: Cissna, Adrian B.; Publication Title: Seattle,
Washington, City Directory, 1910; Page: 395.
[10] Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com
Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Annotation: Year:
1920; Census Place: Seattle, King, Washington; Roll: T625_1929; Page: 9A;
Enumeration District: 252; Image: 419.
[11] Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com
Operations Inc, 2002. Annotation: Year: 1930; Census Place: Seattle, King,
Washington; Roll: 2497; Page: 28A; Enumeration District: 0103; Image: 1096.0;
FHL microfilm: 2342231.
[12] Greater Omaha Genealogical Society. Hall County, Nebraska Marriages
(November 18, 2009) GOGS, https://hallcomarriages.wordpress.com/ (accessed: May
3, 2010). Annotation: Groom: Cissna, Adrian B.; Bride: Friend, Laura E.; Date
of Marriage: Apr 1898; Book/Volume-Page: H1-219.
[13] Buhle, Mari, and Paul Buhle.
"Document 69: Washington Campaign, 1910," The Concise History of
Woman Suffrage: Selections from History of Woman Suffrage (Urbana, IL:
University of Illinois, 2005). 387. Google Books, https://books.google.com/
(accessed: January 11, 2016).
[14] Ancestry.com. Washington, Marriage Records, 1865-2004. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., 2012. Annotation: Groom: Munter, Herbert A.; Bride: Cissna,
Emma B.; Marriage Date: November 1917; Place: King, Washington, USA; Reference:
kingcoarchmc60495.
[15] Ibid.
[16] King County Department of Executive
Services, Records and Licensing Division, Marriage Returns, 1891-1947, Marriage Certificates, 1855-1990, Office
of the Secretary of State, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives,
http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/, (accessed: January 2, 2016).
[17] Missouri State Archives. "Death
Certificate: George Friend, 1956," Missouri
Digital Heritage (2007-2016) Missouri Office of the Secretary of State,
http://www.sos.mo.gov/images/archives/deathcerts/1956/1956_00020495.PDF
(accessed: November 4, 2014). Annotation: Deceased Name: George Friend; Death
Date: June, 1956; Place: Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri, USA; Cert. No.: 20497.
[18] Cissna, Adrian B. "Painter Dies on
Street," Seattle Daily Times
(Seattle, Washington). Tuesday, July 21, 1925. p. 4. GenealogyBank.com
(NewsBank and/or the American Antiquarian Society, 2004). Collected by judonahue, a Ancestry.com patron
(accessed: October 31, 2015).
[19] Cissna, Adrian B. “Death Notice:
Cissna,” Seattle Daily Times
(Seattle, Washington). Tuesday, July 21, 1925, p. 23. GenealogyBank.com
(NewsBank and/or the American Antiquarian Society, 2004). Collected by judonahue, a Ancestry.com patron
(accessed: October 31, 2015).
[20] Ancestry.com. Washington, Select Death Certificates, 1907-1960. Provo, UT:
Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Annotation: Deceased Name: Adrian B.
Cissna; Death Date: 22 Jul 1925; Death Place: Seattle, King, Washington, USA.
[21] Ibid. Annotation: Deceased Name:
Charles A. West; Death Date: 24 Jan 1949; Death Place: Auburn, King,
Washington, USA/
[22] Ibid. Annotation: Deceased Name:
Loretta West; Death Date: 24 Oct 1939; Death Place: Angona, Kind, Washington,
USA.
[23] Szucs, Julianna. “6 Things to Look For
In City Directory,” Ancestry.com Blog (July 29, 2014). http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2014/07/29/six-things-to-look-for-in-city-directories/
(accessed: January 19, 2016).
[24] Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., 2011. Annotation: Name(s): Laura E. Cissna & Laurette
Cissna (Mrs.); Year: 1929; Directory: Seattle City Directory; Page: 497.
[25] Ibid. Annotation: Adrian B. & Laura
E. Cissna; Year(s): 1907-1908, 1910-1922, 1924-1930; Name of Directory: Seattle
City Directory.
[26] State of Washington. "Broadway
Central Market, November 1934," Washington
State Digital Archives (2016) University of Washington Libraries. Special
Collections Division, Seattle Collection,
http://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/cdm/ref/collection/seattle/id/133
(accessed: January 20, 2016).





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