Divorce Action in Williams Co, OH - McCurdy, 1907

By Pamela Pattison Lash

Ida (Triplett) Huffman McCurdy v Irving McCurdy

Bryan Democrat, 11 Feb 1908 p1 c1

“The Edon Commercial said last week that Mrs Irving McCurdy of Jackson, MI accompanied by two of their children arrived at Edon on Tuesday in search of her husband.  He had secured a divorce, had remarried, and lived nearby.  She hired a rig and drove to his home but she found herself rejected by her former husband whereupon Constable Dagen brought her back to Edon.  A purse was raised by Mayor Lacer and she was sent back to Jackson. 

Irving McCurdy was granted a divorce from Ida McCurdy by Judge Killits on 30 Dec 1907.  He charged that she left his home in St Joseph Twp on 28 Oct and went to Michigan in the company of another man.  The couple was married on 17 June 1907.”

This newspaper account was all I had to go on, so here’s what I discovered while trying to untangle the data:

Irving McCurdy (Jan 1868 OH – aft 1914) son of James McCurdy (Sept 1843 OH/PA – 18 May 1905, Edgerton, St Joseph Twp, Williams Co, OH ) and Eliza Miranda Cornell (17 Nov 1843/1845 St Joseph Twp, Williams Co, OH – aft 1910)

Parents, James McCurdy and Miranda Cornell, were married in Williams Co, OH on 8 Nov 1866; Amanda McCurdy, the daughter of Benjamin Cornell and Elizabeth Bowersox, married Benjamin H Smith on 9 Sept 1909 in Williams Co, OH – he was 54 and she was 64 and they appear together in 1910 St Joseph, Williams, Ohio; Roll: T624_1241; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 0131; Image: 968; FHL microfilm: 1375254.

Note – Amanda McCurdy is the mother of Irving McCurdy; she’s identified in different records as Eliza, Miranda, and Amanda, which could confuse a researcher.

Note – In 1910 census Mrs. Miranda McCurdy was a widow, 64, and Benjamin Smith, who lived with her, was divorced and 56 years of age.  They should have been M/M Smith but were not so identified.

Note – There is a Miranda Smith probate in Williams Co, OH so it’s likely they did marry.  Anyone looking for her should check out the probate data.

Ida Triplett Huffman McCurdy (June 1878, prob Indianola, Warren Co, IA – aft 1919); she was the daughter of George W Triplett and Minerva McClintock

1870 St Joseph, Williams, Ohio; Roll: M593_1282; Page: 233A; Image: 471; Family History Library Film: 552781.

h/h 32/32 McCurdy, James 24 OH farmer

Miranda 24 OH

Irvin 1 OH

1880 Saint Joseph, Williams, Ohio; Roll: 1078; Family History Film: 1255078; Page: 585B; Enumeration District: 009; Image: 0031.

h/h 13/13 McCurdy, James 37 OH-MA-PA farmer

Eliza wife 37 OH-MD-MD

Irvin son 11 OH-OH-OH

Adrian son 7 OH-OH-OH

1880 Indianola, Warren, Iowa; Roll: 368; Family History Film: 1254368; Page: 386D; Enumeration District: 232; Image: 0394.

Triplet, Ida 4 IA with parents and siblings

1885 Indianola, Warren Co, IA State Census

Ida B Triplett 8 IA with parents and siblings

Erving McCurdy married Anna Skelton on 25 Dec 1894 in Williams Co, OH

1900 St Joseph, Williams, Ohio; Roll: 1332; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 114; FHL microfilm: 1241332.

h/h McCurdy, James 56 (Sept 1843) mar 33Y OH-OH-OH farmer

Eliza wife 56 (Nov 1843) 3/3 ch OH-MD-MD

Benjamin J son 32 (Jan 1868) mar 5Y OH-OH-OH day laborer

Nathan H son (May 1883) single OH-OH-OH day laborer

Joanna dau-in-law (Oct 1873) mar 5Y 1/1ch OH-OH-IN

Wanda granddau (Nov 1898) OH-OH-OH

Note – Benjamin J McCurdy is Irvin so maybe it’s an I and not a J; Joanna, his wife, is Anna (Skelton) – again confusing the data

Children of Irving McCurdy and Anna Skelton

1. Wanda (Nov 1898, Edon, Florence Twp, Williams Co, OH - ) mar Floyd E Poole on 20 Mar 1917 in Battle Creek, Calhoun Co, MI; on her marriage license her parents are listed as Erwin McCurdy and Anna Skelton

2. Goldy/Goldie (21 Sept 1900 Edon, Florence Twp, Williams Co, OH - ) mar Charles A Garnett, 27 Nov 1918, Battle Creek, Calhoun Co, MI; her parents named on the marriage license were Irving McCurdy and Anna Skelton; on 3 Dec 1927 Goldie married August Stephen Dyke in Steuben Co, IN – on this marriage license she stated her birth date as 21 Sept 1906 with Irving McCurdy and Anna Skelton as her parents.

Note – if she was born in 1906 she would have been 12 years old at the time of her first marriage, so obviously the second marriage info has some errors.

1900 Indianola, Warren, Iowa; Roll: 463; Page: 33A; Enumeration District: 146; FHL microfilm: 1240463.

h/h 742/760 Triplett, George W

Minerva A wife

Ida B  dau 21 single (June 1878) IA-IA-IA

Connie C son

Charles D son

Ida Triplett married Arthur Huffman on 20 Jan 1902 in Iowa. Arthur was the son of Samuel Huffman and Clara Taylor, born 1868; he was 34 and she was 27

Mrs. Anna McCurdy (widow) married Edward Siebenaller on 10 June 1903 in Edgerton, Williams Co, OH; it looks like Anna Skelton McCurdy divorced Irvin McCurdy sometime between 1900 and 1903.

Irving McCurdy married Mrs. Ida Huffman on 17 June 1907 at Indianola, Warren Co, IA; she was a widow and 27 years old, born in Indianola, IA, the daughter of GW Triplett and Minerva McClintoc(k); Irving, the son of James McCurdy and Eliza Cornell, was 37 years old and born in Williams Co, OH

From the original newspaper account:

1. Ida left Irving on 28 Oct 1907

2. Irving divorced Ida on 30 Dec 1907 in Williams Co, OH

3. Irving married again sometime between 30 Dec 1907 and 11 Feb 1908.

1910 Superior, Williams, Ohio; Roll: T624_1241; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 0137; Image: 1104; FHL microfilm: 1375254.

McCurdy, Jevan 40 mar 2x mar 1Y OH-OH-OH stationery engineer…….Jervan is Irving

Louise C 29 mar 2x mar 1Y MI-MI-IL

Manda E 11 OH-OH-OH………probably Wanda

Golda F 8 OH-OH-OH

Sometime between 1910 and 1914 Irving married again.

Irving McCurdy married Lena Fisk Tool on 8 Aug 1914 in Battle Creek, Calhoun Co, MI.  Irving was 39, born in Williams Co, the son of James McCurdy and Miranda Cornell’ Lena was 22, born in Chicago, IL, the dau of Sherman Fisk and Emelie Heintz. Their marriage license states they were each married once before and both are housekeepers. Their witnesses were Mrs M and Mrs L Lybarger with Roy M Young as officiating clergyman.

Meanwhile, back to Ida, after her return to Jackson, MI she evidently left her children with her parents back in Iowa.

On 19 May 1908 Ida (Wilson) McCurdy married Thomas S. Robinson in Jackson Co, MI; he was 45, born in Detroit, MI, son of Thomas Robinson and *** Hall; he was married once before; she was 30, born in IA and was married twice before; he’s an engineer and she’s a domestic.  She did not identify her parents and they were married by a JP, so it almost seems like Ida wanted to hide this marriage.  (Wilson) was inserted into the record after her name, Ida McCurdy.

1910 Indianola Ward 1, Warren, Iowa; Roll: T624_426; Page: 14B; Enumeration District: 0220; Image: 1246; FHL microfilm: 1374439.

h/h 17/17 Triplett, George W 70 IL-KY-IL mar 37Y cattle and hog dealer

Minerva wife 60 9/6 ch  IA-IL-IA

Charles A son 21 IA-IL-IA

Huffman, Paul grandson 8 IA-IA-IA

Huffman, Harold grandson 5 IA-IA-IA

So now we know the identity of Ida’s children (newspaper article stated that she came to Edon with two of her children):

1. Paul Huffman, born 13 Mar 1902, Indianola, Warren Co, IA, son of Art Hoofman and Ida Triplett

2. Harold Huffman, mar Margie Van Tyl, 10 Nov 1930, Springport, Jackson Co, MI

Ida Triplett took out a marriage license with Henry Hoff on 19 July 1919 in Genesee Co, MI; she was 43, born in Iowa, the daughter of George W Triplett and Minerva McClintic; she was previously married three times; Henry was 62 and born in Holland; both were residents of Eaton Rapids, MI

Note – the license was not returned so this might indicate there was no marriage performed