The Bartaway Rabbit Hole Strikes Again! (Part 2)

This evening I wanted to share a bit of methodology before jumping into the two eldest children of Adolphus BARTAWAY and Adalina HAGENBUCH. Researching genealogy and blogging about it seem to be mutually exclusive tasks for many of my genblogging contemporaries, but I use the two in conjunction. Blogging as I research and researching as I blog tends to be how I roll.

I also have started to use some emojis and unicode to add quick glance capability into my bulleted data lists. The Legend (which will develop into a reusable graphic) is as follows:

🍼  Birth (of self or children)
✒️ Census Record (pen nib)
⚭ Marriage
⚮ Divorce
💀 Death

How I Research and Blog

I research as I write and write as I research. I have my Blogger compose post tab open and write information as I research specific events and attempt to put things in order. I have seen plenty of genealogists' blogs where they keep a research record on paper, keeping track of specific searches and where they found the information. That method just doesn't seem to work for me. It is additional paper and ink that I cannot always afford.

Considering I can type pretty fast (last recorded at 65 wpm) and I absolutely hate my handwriting because it gets really sloppy and I can't read it later, typing a blog post as I research just seems to work better for me. It also allows me to access specific posts wherever I may be as I continue research. I could be at a library branch, in the Genealogy Center (which I still have yet to visit), or even at my father's. It also gives me a link that I can point my father to so that he can read what I've found for himself. When I relay information verbally, sometimes he zonks out mid talk or I may forget some pertinent information. He often also asks me to repeat information or he forgets which ancestor we're talking about. I mean let's face it: Names start to blur together when you hear someone yakking. Reading and being able to review as you read is a lot easier when you have memory issues, whether due to age or due to just being scatterbrained like myself.

I also have a Traveler's Notebook I made that has three inserts where I can jot down information if I am on my phone waiting for appointments or on break when I am working. One of these days I will share this TN and the inserts.

The Bartaway Children

The children of Adolphus and Adalina BARTAWAY add additional information, but not much about Adolphus' life. From others' research, 6 children are attached to this family group. This may or may not be the correct birth order as birth years are somewhat murky. This is also not to say that Adolphus was present for the birth of all of his children, but it does guarantee that Adalina was because she is their mother. Adalina was certainly present for their childhoods, which I can prove if I can ever find images of the census records from those years.

Tonight's post concerns Selena C. Bartaway, born about 1870, and my 2nd great grandfather Charles Adolphus Bartaway, born 13 September 1872.

Selena C Bartaway Additional Information

• ⚭ As I shared in the first post in this series, Selena married in 1896.
• ✒️ On 6 June 1900, Selena is found in the home of her husband, Frederick FRIEZE for the census. It says she was born in June of 1871 and was 28 at her last birthday. That math is a little off, but it isn't if her 29th birthday was coming up later in the month. She lives in Chicago with her husband and 7 year old son Walter. Frederick was born in Germany in 1869, immigrated to the United States in 1885, and was a letter carrier. Oh, Mr. Postman!
• ✒️ On 21 April 1910, Selena, Frederick and now 16 year old Walter are still living in Chicago. Frederick is still a letter carrier with the City.
• ✒️ On 8 January 1920, Selena, Frederick and 26 year old Walter are still in Chicago. Frederick is now an Inspector with the City Mail and Walter's occupation is listed as Mail Office. There is additional notation in the next column that is difficult to make out, but it looks like it says "UK" and then R- or P-something "Rd".
• ✒️ 1930 Census (from Legacy NFS data): Selena still lives in Chicago.
• 💀 1957 Death (from Legacy NFS data): Selena dies in Los Angeles, California on 10 November 1957. It lists her birthday as 18 June 1870.

Summary: Birth occurred in Illinois according to all information available. Selena was born in June, according to census records it was in 1871, but according to the California Death Index, it was in 1870. From 1900-1930, she lived with her husband and son in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States. She died 10 November 1957 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States.

To Do:

1. Locate life events from birth (1870-71) through marriage (1896).
2. Locate 1940 census.
3. Locate life events between last available census (1940) through death (1957)
1. Moved from Chicago to Los Angeles? Whoa.

Charles Adolphus Bartaway Additional Information

Charles is my 2nd great grandfather. 

• 🍼 1872 (from Legacy NFS data): from family knowledge provided by another user, Charles was born 13 September 1872 in Illinois, United States.
• ✒️ 1880 Census (from Legacy NFS data): Charles is living in Union Township, Benton County, Indiana, United States.
• ⚭ 18 November 1895: There is a source citing the Cook County Genealogy Online database for Charles' marriage to Eva REECE (REESE). Upon searching that database, I cannot find the record. There is a note on the site that the Chicago Fire of October 8, 1871 destroyed all previous records and record keeping resumed in 1872. This doesn't explain my inability to locate the database record for this marriage. There is also an Illinois Marriage Database that is available to access via FamilySearch Research Centers or their affiliated centers.
• ✒️ On 9 June 1900, "Charley" Bartaway, a farmer, is found in the US Census living with his wife and two daughters, in Union Township, Benton County, Indiana, United States. It says he was born in September of 1875 and he was 24 on his last birthday. His wife Eva was born in March of 1881 and was 19 at her last birthday. It also says they were married at this point for 4 years. This is slightly disturbing to me, but not unheard of at the time. It tells me that when they married, Charles was 20 years old, while Eva was only 15. *shudders with the heebie jeebies*
• Their daughter Marie was born in January 1897, and daughter Hazel was born in July 1898.
• The very next family enumerated is a widowed Adaline Bartaway. Information shared under Willam's heading in another post. {Post Link Here}
• ✒️ 15 April 1910, Charles and family have moved to a rented home on Elm Street in Center Township, Benton County, Indiana, United States. The data says that he was 38 his last birthday, and married for 14 years to Eva M., who was 30 on her last birthday. His occupation is listed as laborer, general industry description reads "wall driller".
• There are 5 children: Marie A. 13, Hazel A. 11, Gilbert A. 7, Eugene C. 4, and Carlton W. 2.
• ⚭ 15 January 1913: Charles' residence on daughter Marie's marriage license application is listed as Fowler, Indiana and his birthplace is listed as Benton County, Indiana. Marie's birthplace is listed as Iowa. The marriage took place the following day. According to the documents, the wedding took place 3 days after the bride's 16th birthday. The groom was 24. Heeby Jeebies again.
• I have not seen anything sharing the family lived in Iowa yet. Someone transcribed her mother's name as Mary Ruce, but looking at it, I can see that it says Reece in really hurried handwriting. Transcription volunteers are instructed to type exactly what they see without adjusting misspellings. I've done some transcriptions on the site and I find it difficult because I want to do due diligence on the records, not just fly through and not use logic. I don't do it that often as a result.
• ⚭ 28 October 1916: Charles' residence on daughter Hazel's marriage license application is listed as Wabash, Indiana with birthplace in Benton County, Indiana. Her mother's name is listed as Eva Mary Reese, birthplace in Benton County, Indiana, current residence in Wabash, Indiana. The bride was 18 at her last birthday, while the groom was 20.
• ✒️ 1920 Census: The enumerator used the page that lists Charles' family on the 21st, the 22nd, and the 26th of January. Charles and family was censused on the 26th. They now live in Huntington Township, Huntington County, Indiana, United States. The family owns their farm. Charles is now 48, Eva is 39, Gilbert is 17 (my great grandfather), Carlton age 12, and Harold age 7. Gilbert is also employed as a lineman. (I've learned that linemen ran electrical or telephone lines. This led to a career for him at GE in Fort Wayne, Indiana.)
• ⚭ 23 April 1921, Marriage of Gilbert Adolph Bartaway, 19 to Ethel Jackson, 18 in Hillsdale County, Michigan. Both reside in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is another Rabbit Hole issue, but I will not digress into it here. Gilbert's father is listed as Charles Bartaway and his mother is listed as Evelyn Reese.
• ⚮ ⚭ 4 August 1923, Marriage of Gilbert Bartaway and Ethel Bartaway. Additional Rabbit Hole information. The marriage license shares some interesting information. In April of 1923, Gilbert and Ethel divorced. In August they remarried in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Chas. Bartaway is listed as living in Huntington, Indiana having also been born in the state. His mother, listed as Eva Reese, also residing in Huntington, Indiana and born in the state.
• ⚭ 10 February 1928: Marriage of Gilbert Bartaway to Miriam May (my great grandmother). Whatever happened to his marriage to Ethel, Gilbert does not acknowledge a previous marriage in the Huntington County marriage license application. Charles is listed as having been born in Wadena, Indiana and residing in Huntington County, Indiana, with the same information for his mother, Eva Reese.
• ✒️ 14 April 1930 Census: Charles A. age 59, wife Eva M. age 50, and sons Harold age 17, and Carl age 23 live on the farm Charles owns in Clearcreek Township, Huntington County, Indiana, United States. Carl is a radio repairman.
• ✒️ April 1940 Census: Charles A., now 67 (69?) still owns his farm in Clearcreek Township, Huntington County, Indiana, United States. Wife Eva M., now 60 still lives with him, along with son Harold, age 25. Carlton seems to have moved out, while son Eugene age 34 has moved back in. In columns denoting residence in 1935, Eugene was living in Van Wert, Ohio, while everyone else lived in the current residence. Harold is a farm laborer, while Eugene is a lineman for a contracting company.
• 1950-1960 (from Legacy NFS data): Charles lives in Huntington County, Indiana.
• 💀 According to Find A Grave, Charles died on 4 December 1960 in Huntington, Huntington, Indiana, United States with burial in Calvary Cemetery, Bippus, Huntington, Indiana, United States.

Summary: Charles and Eva seem to have led a pretty sedate life. So did most of their children. All except for the one I'm descended from apparently. {Gilbert Bartaway will surely have a post or two of his own one day. Since he is my father's grandfather, he has stories about "Bart". I do not like what I heard the past two days. But that's a dark family secret I am too afraid to verify.}

Charles was born in Wadena, Indiana on 13 September 1872, the second of Adolphus and Adalina's children. From birth, he and his siblings moved around quite a bit until he married his very (read as too) young wife Eva Reese, aka Evelyn Mary Reese, aka Mary Evelyn Reese, age 15 in 1895 when he was 23 years old. By 1900, his very (read again as too) young 19 year old wife had given him two daughters. In 1910 Charles moved his growing family to a rented home and by 1920 his eldest 2 children have married and moved with their husbands, and Charles has purchased a farm of his own. Charles continues to live here, presumably until his death in 1960. His home also appears to always be open to his children should they need to come home.

To Do:

1. Locate life events from birth (1872) through and including marriage (1895)
2. Locate 1950 Census when it becomes available in 2022.