04 September 2014

Clara Louemma Yates Murray v Edward Murray, Divorce 1892

By Pamela Pattison Lash


While browsing an old newspaper I found this entry:

Bryan Democrat 7 January 1892 p5 c6
Edward Murray whose place of residence and post office address are to Clara L Murray unknown will take notice that on 20 November 1891 the said Clara Murray filed her petition in the Court of Common Pleas of Williams County, OH pursuit to a divorce from him on the grounds of willfully absence of the Edward Murray from Clara L Murray for a period of 3 years last past. 

I searched the Civil and Criminal Court records and found the divorce entry in Roll 51 #2941 which shed very little light on the circumstances of this action. It appears that Clara wanted custody of their son, Edwin Murray, $500 in alimony, and court costs paid by the defendant.  It also appears that the divorce was finalized c 8 March 1892 in the Common Pleas Court.  With some digging I found the marriage for this couple and the birth record of their son:

Married 8 July 1888, Williams Co, OH (Marriage V5 p 427)
Edward Murray and Clara Louemma Yates – the marriage application was made by John Yates, her father

Birth of their son - 13 November 1888, Bryan, Williams Co, OH – Edwin Yates Murray

I then checked out the census for 1870, 1880, and 1900 but found that by 1900 Clara was not living in Williams County as she had remarried and her son was listed as the adopted son of her parents, John and Mary Yates. 
1870 Bryan, Williams, Ohio; Roll: M593_1282; Page: 180A; Image: 363; Family History Library Film: 552781.
h/h 92/92 Yates, John 35 OH carpenter
Mary 29 OH
Elmer 8 OH
George 6 OH
Clara 1 OH

1880 Bryan, Williams, Ohio; Roll: 1078; Family History Film: 1255078; Page: 656D; Enumeration District: 012; Image: 0174.
h/h 561586 Yates, John 41 OH-PA-PA carpenter
Mary wife 38 OH-PA-PA
Elmer son 18 OH-OH-OH
George son 155 OH-OH-OH
Clara dau 10 OH-OH-OH
Kahl, Edward 21 OH-Prussia-Prussia boarder, laborer

Clara Murray married Charles P Harring in Williams Co, OH on 30 June 1892 (Marriage V6 p242)


Everything fell into place with her obit.

Clara Louemma Yates (6 June 1869, Williams Co, OH – Birth V1 p5; 27 March 1951, Bryan, OH; buried in Fountain Grove Cem, Bryan, Pulaski Twp, Williams Co, OH)
d/o John Yates and Mary J Schartzer

Leader Enterprise (Montpelier, OH), Thursday, 29 March 1951 p1 c8
Mrs. Harring Dies in Hospital
Mrs Clara Louemma Harring, 81, life long resident of Williams Co, OH died Tuesday morning (March 27) at the Cameron Hospital in Bryan.  She had been ill only a short time.
Funeral rites were conducted this afternoon at the Creators and Kissell Funeral Home in Bryan with Rev Clinton W Swengel officiating.  Burial was made in Fountain Grove Cem.
Surviving:
Son Edwin Murray of Bryan
2 step-sons Emmett P Harring of Grand Rapids and Claude P Harring, Houghton Lake
1 step-dau Mrs Ethel Long of Toledo
4 grandchildren
10 gr-grandchildren
Mrs Harring was a member of the Bryan Methodist Church, the Order of Easter Star, the Women’s Relief Corps, and the Pythian Sisters.

More information on her second husband: 
Charles P Harring (21 April 1856, Osseo, MI- 29 November 1912, Toledo, Lucas Co, OH); s/o Henry H Harring and Mary Shurtleff

1860 Jefferson, Hillsdale, Michigan; Roll: M653_543; Page: 342; Image: 337; Family History Library Film: 803543.
Charles P Herring 7 MI s/o Henry and Mary Harring

1870 Jefferson, Hillsdale, Michigan; Roll: M593_673; Page: 372B; Image: 427; Family History Library Film: 552172.
Charles Harring 17 MI s/o Henry and Mary Harring

Charles P Harring married Bell Parter (Isabell Porter) in Osseo, Hillsdale Co, MI on 26 September 1876 – children Stacy (c1878), Emmett P (Apr 1880), Ethel (1883), Claud P (Feb 1888)

1880 Camden Center, Hillsdale, Michigan; Roll: 580; Family History Film: 1254580; Page: 90D; Enumeration District: 083; Image: 0619.
h/h 370/382 Harring, Charles P 27 MI-NY-NY grist miller
Belle wife 21 MI-Eng-Eng
Stacy son 2 MI-MI-MI
Emma dau 2M (Apr) MI-MI-MI – misidentified as girl

1900 Bryan, Williams, Ohio; Roll: 1332; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 0111; FHL microfilm: 1241332.
h/h 266/278 under John Yates running boarding house - Edwin Y Murray, 11 (April 1888) adopted son of John and Mary Yates OH-OH-OH

1900 Toledo, Lucas Co, OH City Directory – Charles P Harring, painter

1900 Toledo Ward 14, Lucas, Ohio; Roll: 1299; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 0108; FHL microfilm: 1241299.
h/h 619/295 – 298 Prouty Ave - Harding, Charles P 47 MI-NY-NY mar 8Y painter
Clara L wife 30 OH-PA-PA 1/1 ch
Emmet P son 20
Ethel dau 17
Claud P son 12

1910 Toledo Ward 2, Lucas, Ohio; Roll: T624_1207; Page: 16A; Enumeration District: 0043; FHL microfilm: 1375220.
h/h 830/158 – 206 Michigan St -Harring, Charles P 53 MI-NY-NY mar 17Y, mar 2x, stone mason
Clara wife 40 OH-OH-OH mar 2x, no children

Charles P Harring died in Toledo, Lucas Co, OH on 29 November 1912

After his death it would appear that Clara moved from Toledo back to Bryan, where she spent the rest of her life.

1920 Pulaski, Williams, Ohio; Roll: T625_1450; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 164; Image: 356. – under John Yates - Clara Hering 50 OH-OH-OH telephone operator living as roomer with Yates family, widow

1940 Bryan, Williams, Ohio; Roll: T627_3169; Page: 61A; Enumeration District: 86-17.
Clara Harring 70 OH-OH-OH lodger, widow, living in household of William and Mildred Miller