Divorce Action in Williams County, Ohio - Mack, 1905 (Newspaper)

Cora B. Heckler Mack v William J Mack

By Pamela Pattison Lash

I began with this newspaper entry for a divorce action.

Bryan Democrat, 3 Aug 1905, p1

Cora B. Mack has filed a petition for divorce from her husband, William J Mack to whom she was married on May 11, 1902.  She charges that he left her on July 28, 1902 and has ever since been willfully absent.  Plaintiff asks to be restored to maiden name, Cora B. Heckler.

Poor Cora had to wait three years before she could legally bring a divorce action; apparently the couple only lived together about 2 ½ months. From there I was able to establish some data on the bride.

The couple was married on the date above in Williams Co, OH (Marriages V8 p363).

Cora Belle Heckler (21 Feb 1874, Williams Co, OH – 13 Dec 1943, St Joseph twp, Williams Co, OH @69Y 9M 22D; bur Edgerton Cem) was the daughter of John and Catherine Zutabern Heckler, natives of Germany and Boliver, Tuscarawas Co, OH, respectively.

John Heckler (24 Aug 1841 Hesse, Germany – 3 Sept 1914, St. Joseph Twp, Williams Co, OH), married, farmer; married 10 Mar 1870 in Tuscarawas Co, OH

Catherine Zutavern (22 Sept 1838, Lawrence Twp, Tuscarawas Co, OH – 4 Apr 1918 St. Joseph Twp, Williams Co, OH)

1880 Saint Joseph, Williams, Ohio; Roll: 1078; Family History Film: 1255078; Page: 594C; Enumeration District: 9; Image: 0048.

h/h 170/173 Heckler, John 37 farmer Hesse-Hesse-Hesse

Katherine wife 39 OH-Wurtem-PA

Conrod son 9 OH-Hesse-OH

Cora B dau 6 OH-Hesse-OH

Charles son 2 OH-Hesse-OH

Voctman, Rebecca 18 servant OH-Hesse-OH

Dinius, Peter 21 boarder, farm laborer OH-OH-OH

1900 St Joseph, Williams, Ohio; Roll: T623_1332; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 113.

h/h 43/47 Heckler, John (Aug 1841) 58 mar 27Y to US 1848 Germ-Germ-Germ farmer

Catharine wife (Dec 1838) 61 3/3 ch OH-Germ-Germ

Cooney son (Dec 1873) 26 OH-Germ-OH farm laborer

Cora dau (Sept 1877) 22 OH-Germ-OH servant

Charles son (Aug 1878) 21 OH-Germ-Germ farm laborer

1910 St Joseph, Williams, Ohio; Roll: T624_1241; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 0131; Image: 973; FHL Number: 1375254.

h/h 211/212 Heckler, John 69 mar 39Y mar 1x to US 1841 Germ-Germ-Germ farmer

Catharine wife 71 mar 1x 3/3 ch OH-Germ-PA

Conrod  H son 39 OH-Germ-OH farm hand

Cora B dau 36 divorced OH-Germ-OH

Charles son 32 OH-Germ-OH farm hand

1920 St Joseph, Williams, Ohio; Roll: T625_1450; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 165; Image: 380.

h/h 146/146 Heckler, Conrad 50 farmer OH-Germ-OH

Cora B sister 46 single OH-Germ-OH

Chas F brother 41 farmer OH-Germ-OH

A likely candidate for the errant husband, William J Mack, could be William J Mack, b 14 April 1871, Liverpool, Medina Co, OH, son of John and Catherine Kolbe Mack, who lived in 1880 Wauseon, Fulton Co, OH and the 1900 and 1910 Wilmington Twp, DeKalb Co, IN; he was listed as divorced in 1910.  He is again recorded in both the 1920 (again listed as divorced) and 1930 US Federal Census Records for that location. More research needs to done to confirm this.