08 March 2015

Newspaper Detailing Gets It Wrong - Mrs Walter Lewis v Walter Lewis, 1901

By Pamela Pattison Lash


Sometimes a newspaper notice of a divorce is not as accurate as one would like.  This is such a case.

Bryan Democrat (Bryan, OH), 30 March 1901 and 4 April 1901 p9 c6
Martha E Strock Lewis v Walter Lewis

Married on or about 13 May 1898
No children
Walter has been willfully absent for three years or more
Martha is the owner of household goods and furniture plus Lot 5, Ayers Addition, West Unity, OH
Martha wants a divorce, reasonable alimony, quit title to real estate, and be restored to her maiden name of Martha E Strock

A genealogy friend sent me the divorce notice for this couple. I checked several newspaper issues for a result of divorce but did not find any more information on the court news.  Here are the inaccurate details when comparing the newspaper account with other records:
1.  The record of marriage in the newspaper is incorrect.
2.  The maiden name of the plaintiff was not Strock but Dick.
3.  There was a child born to the couple.  In fact she has a son, Donald L Strock, b3 May 1903 whose father was listed as Walter L Strock.  There is a possibility that Martha asked for the divorce to be dismissed, got back together with Walter, and later filed after her son was born, approximately two years later.

Martha E Dick mar Levi J Strock, 12 Oct 1887, Williams Co, OH (V5 p359)
Mrs. Martha E Strock mar Walter Lewis, 19 May 1897, Williams Co, OH (V7 p120)

Martha Elizabeth Strock
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 08 Jan 1952
Gender: Female
Age: 89
Race: White
Birth Date: 15 Dec 1862
Birthplace: West Jefferson Twp Williams Co Ohio
Birth Year (Estimated): 1863
Father's Name: Phillip Dick
Mother's Name: Elizabeth Tressler
Informant – Donald L Strock - he died in Toledo September 1988; on his marriage license (which I've seen), he listed his father as Walter L Strock.

1900 Brady, Williams, Ohio; Roll: 1332; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0100; FHL microfilm: 1241332
Martha Struck
[Martha Strock]
Age: 38
Birth Date: Dec 1861
Birthplace: Ohio
Home in 1900: Brady, Williams, Ohio
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relation to Head of House: Head
Marital Status: Widowed
Father's Birthplace: Germany
Mother's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Mother: number of living children: 1
Mother: How many children: 1
Household Members:
h/h 170/175 Martha Struck 38 (Dec 1861) widow OH-Germ-PA no occup, 1/1 ch
Guy P Struck 11 (Aug 1888) son OH-OH-OH

1910 Brady, Williams, Ohio; Roll: T624_1241; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 0117; FHL microfilm: 1375254
Martha Strock
Age in 1910: 48
Birth Year: abt 1862
Birthplace: Ohio
Home in 1910: Brady, Williams, Ohio
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relation to Head of House: Head
Marital Status: Widowed
Father's Birthplace: Germany
Mother's Birthplace: Ohio
Household Members:
h/h 239/244 Martha Strock 48 widow 2/2 ch
Guy Strock 21 son works in lathe saw mill
Donald Strock 7 son

1920 Freedom, Wood, Ohio; Roll: T625_1448; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 151; Image: 1132
Martha E Strock
Age: 58
Birth Year: abt 1862
Birthplace: Ohio
Home in 1920: Freedom, Wood, Ohio
Street: Front Street
House Number: X
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relation to Head of House: Head
Marital Status: Widowed
[Widow]
Father's Birthplace: Bavaria
Mother's Birthplace: Ohio
Able to Speak English: Yes
Occupation: None
Household Members:
h/h 112/113 Martha E Strock 58 OH-Bav-OH, widow, no occup
Donald Strock 16 son OH-PA-OH no occup

1930 West Unity, Williams, Ohio; Roll: 1891; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0001; Image: 13.0; FHL microfilm: 2341625
Name: Martha E Strock
Birth Year: abt 1862
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthplace: Ohio
Marital Status: Widowed
Homemaker?: Yes
Home in 1930: West Unity, Williams, Ohio
Street address: East Jackson St.
Dwelling Number: 212
Family Number: 208
Home Owned or Rented: Owned
Home Value: 800
Radio Set: No
Lives on Farm: No
Attended School: No
Able to Read and Write: Yes
Father's Birthplace: Germany
Mother's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Able to Speak English: Yes
Household Members:
h/h 212/208 Martha E Strock 68

1940 West Unity, Williams, Ohio; Roll: T627_3169; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 86-1
Name: Martha E Strock
Respondent: Yes
Age: 78
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1862
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthplace: Ohio
Marital Status: Widowed
Home in 1940: West Unity, Williams, Ohio
Street: Jackson Street
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: West Unity, Williams, Ohio
Residence in 1935: Same House
Resident on farm in 1935: No
Sheet Number: 7A
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 167
Occupation: Housewife
House Owned or Rented: Owned
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 650
Attended School or College: No
Highest Grade Completed: High School, 4th year
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: 0
Duration of Unemployment: 0
Class of Worker: H
Weeks Worked in 1939: 0
Income: 0
Income Other Sources: Yes
Household Members:
h/h /168 Martha E Strock 78

Martha's other son:
Guy Strock
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Place: Stryker, Williams, Ohio
Birth Date: 30 Aug 1888
Father's name: L. J. Strock
Mother's name: Martha Dick
FHL Film Number: 914034
1920 and 1930 living in Pemberville, Wood Co, OH

Guy P. Strock
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 16 Jul 1913
Event Place: Wood, Ohio, United States
Age: 24
Birth Date: 30 Aug 1888
Birth Year (Estimated): 1889
Birthplace: Stryker, Ohio
Father's Name: Levi Strock
Mother's Name: Martha Dick
Spouse's Name: Mabel Schwane
Spouse's Age: 23
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1890
Spouse's Birthplace: Pemberville, Wood Co., Ohio
Spouse's Father's Name: John Schwane
Spouse's Mother's Name: Louise Hartman

Guy Strock
SSN: 363-16-1305
Last Residence:
Ohio
BORN: 30 Aug 1888
Died: Sep 1963
State (Year) SSN issued: Michigan (Before 1951)

Guy P Strock
Birth Date: abt 1888
Age at Death: 75
Death Date: 26 Sep 1963
Death Place: Toledo, Ohio
Newspaper Information: Newspaper: Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune; Newspaper Date: 27 Sep 1963; Newspaper Page: 2 Column: 3; Repository: Center for Archival Collections, BGSU; Years Available:
Notes: LONG CEMETERY PEMBERVILLE OH