Northwest Indiana Genealogy

Two Northwest Indiana websites of interest to genealogy and family history researchers include the Northwest Indiana Genealogical Society (NWIGS) and the Porter County, Indiana, GenWeb. I maintain the website for NWIGS and serve as the county coordinator of the Porter County website. Both websites contain a significant amount of information and genealogical data. The NWIGS website also sells a wide variety of books, including indexes for every cemetery in counties of Lake and Porter.

Invoking States' Rights, Hiram M. Curry

Hiram M. Curry, my great-great-great-great-great grandfather, was believed to have been born sometime between 1750 and 1760. Various locations of his birth have been reported, including Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. Despite considerable research by several individuals, however, Hiram's parents are still unknown.

Hiram is believed to have served in the Revolutionary War under the commands of Brigadier General George Weedon and Major General Nathaniel Green at that Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, although there has been no firm proof of Hiram's service.

After living a short period in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Hiram married Sarah Reagan, a widow, around 1788, in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. To this union were born at least seven children: Rachel (Curry) Colver, Sarah Curry, Rebecca (Curry) Mark, Hiram M. Curry, Jane (Curry) Gutridge, Dr. Thomas M. Curry, and Providence Moyntz Curry. Rachel (Curry) Colver was my great-great-great-great grandmother.

The decendents of Hiram's seven children can be traced except for that of Sarah. Sarah is believed, however, to have married a Mr. Phillips and resided in Champaign County, Ohio. A newspaper article published in the May 25, 1810, Farmer's Repository published in Charles Town, Jefferson County, Virginia (now West Virginia) indicates that Mr. Phillips murdered his wife, Sarah:

A few days since, Mr. Phillips, (a farmer), near Urbanna, Champaign county, beat and abused his wife, (daughter of the Rev. Hiram M. Curry, late senator from Champaign) in such a shocking manner that she survived but two days. -- Mr. Phillips and his wife were not in the habit of quarrelling, but he having been intoxicated for several days, it is supposed led him to the perpetration of the horrid act. He is apprehended, and is now confined in Urbana jail. -- Such is the effect of intemperance.

This newspaper account, assuming it is true, likely explains the fact that little is known today regarding Sarah Curry, or whether Sarah was the mother of any children. I have been unable to find any other information concerning either Sarah or the Mr. Phillips mentioned in the above news item.

Hiram M. Curry led a rather interesting life. He was a Baptist minister and teacher in Mayslick, Mason County, Kentucky, at about the time of his marriage to Sarah Reagan. He was particularly noted for his very strict discipline as a teacher. Following his marriage to Sarah, Hiram is again found living in Mason County at least until 1802, after which time he is found to be living in Champaign County, Ohio, in 1806. In Champaign County, Hiram was still practicing as a minister, officiating several marriages and preaching sermons.

On February 17, 1809, Hiram M. Curry was appointed to the first Board of Trustees at Miami University in Ohio, and he was still serving in that capacity in 1814. In 1813, while living in Champaign County, Hiram was elected to the Ohio State Legislature where he is believed to have served at least two terms in office.

Between 1816 and 1820, Hiram M. Curry served as the fourth Treasurer of the State of Ohio. This position brought substantial noteriety to Hiram. As written in the 1883 book The History of Union County, Ohio [pp. 126-128]:

BANKING.
Up to the year 1817, Ohio had no banking system, and on the 28th of January of that year, the United States Bank opened a branch at Cincinnati, and yet another during the following October in Chillicothe. These branches found a large amount of business to transact, and while being of assistance in various ways to the State, also received a fine revenue themselves. The State therefore resolved upon a tax levy, and, in 1819, the branches were to pay $50,000 each, and the State Auditor was authorized to issue his warrant for the collection of the same.

The bank branches demurred, but the State was decided, and the banks were accordingly filed a bill in chancery, in the United States Circuit Court, setting forth reasons whereby their prayer that Ralph Osborn, State Auditor, should be restrained from making such collection, should be seriously considered.

Osborn being counseled not to appear on the day designated in the writ, an injunction was obtained, with the security given in the shape of bonds from the bank, to the amount of $100,000. On the 14th of September, the bank sent a commissioner to Columbus, who served upon the Auditor a copy of the petition for the injunction, and a subpoena to make an appearance before the court on the first Monday in the following January. Osborn submitted both the petition and the injunction to the Secretary of State, with his warrant for collecting the tax. Legally, the matter was somewhat complicated.

The Auditor desired the Secretary of State to take legal advice, and if the papers did not actually amount to an injunction, to give orders for the execution of the warrant.

The decision was that the papers did not equal a valid injunction. The State writ for collection was therefore given over to John L. Harper, with directions to enter the banking-house and demand the payment of the tax. In case of a refusal, the vault was to be entered and a levy made upon the amount required. No violence was to be used, and if force was used to deter the act, the same was to be reported to a proper magistrate and an affidavit made to that fact.

On September 17, Mr. Harper went about his errand, taking with him T. Orr and J. MacCollister. After securing access to the vault, a demand was made for payment of the tax. This was promptly refused, and a notice given of the granting of the injunction. This was disregarded, and the officer seized $98,000 in gold, silver and notes. This was placed in charge of the State Treasurer, Mr. H. M. Curry.

The officers were arrested and imprisoned by the United States Circuit Court, and the money returned to the bank. The case was reviewed by the Supreme Court, and the measures of the Circuit Court were sustained. The State, therefore, submitted. In the mean time, the Legislature had prepared and passed a resolution, as follows:

Resolved, by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, That in respect to the powers of the Governments of the several States that compose the American Union, and the powers of the Federal Government, this General Assembly do recognize and approve the doctrines asserted by the Legislatures of Kentucky and Virginia in their resolutions of November and December, 1798, and January, 1800, and do consider their principles have been recognized and adopted by a majority of the American people.

Resolved further, That this General Assembly do assert and will maintain by all legal and constitutional means, the rights of States to tax the business and property of any private corporation of trade, incorporated by the Congress of the United States, and located to transact its corporate business within any State.

Resolved further, That the Bank of the United States is a private corporation of trade, the capital and business of which may be legally taxed in any State where they may be found.

Resolved further, That the General Assembly do protest against the doctrines that the political rights of the separate States that compose the American Union and their powers as sovereign States, may be settled and determined in the Supreme Court of the United States, so as to conclude and bind them in cases contrived between individuals, and where they are, no one of them, parties direct.

The bank was thus debarred from the aid of State laws in the collection of its dues and in the protection of its rights. An attempt was made to effect a change in the Federal constitution, which would take the case out of the United States Courts. This, however, proved ineffectual.

The banking system of Ohio has, by reason of State surveillance, not been subjected to those whirlwind speculations and questionable failures which have marked many Western States, in the establishment of a firm basis upon which a banking law could be sustained, with mutual benefit to the institution and the people.

This States' Rights dispute indeed found its way to the United States Supreme Court in 1824, in the case of Osborn v. Bank of the United States [22 U.S. 738]. This case was particularly important in that it was the first to limit the ability of a state to sue the federal government. This case is still cited frequently in States' Rights cases that make their way through the federal court system.

While serving as the Treasurer of the State of Ohio, Hiram M. Curry had the privilege of meeting with President James Monroe [see History of Franklin County Ohio by Opha Moore, pp. 137-138]:

In August, 1817, James Monroe, fifth president of the United States, visited the capital city of Ohio in his return from a journey through the Northwest, ostensibly to inspect the frontier defenses, but with the scarcely weiled, if incidental, object of strengthening his political defenses in the portion of the country traversed and impressing on the nation at large with the genius of their chief executive in the manner of finding facts for himself. Be it remembered that this was the same James Monroe who made a tour of the Northwest in 1787 and reported to Thomas Jefferson. "A great part of the country is miserably poor, especially that near Lakes Michigan and Erie; and that upon the Mississippi and Illinois consists of extensive plains which have not had, from appearances, and will ot have, a single bush on them for ages. The districts, therefore, within which these fall, will, perhaps, never contain a sufficient number of inhabitants to entitle them to membership in the confederacy, and in the meantime the people who settle within them will be governed by the resolutions of Congress in which they will not be represented."

At the time of the President's second visit Ohio and Indiana had already been admitted to the Union and had representation in Congress, and Illinois was preparing for statehood, in fact was admitted in time to participate in Mr. Monroe's second election. Every principle of statesmanship and policy dictated that the author of the above report to Mr. Jefferson should do something to dispel the feeling of antipathy that might be entertained by those powerful individuals and organizations interested in upbuilding of this same Northwest. At all events, the President of the United States, wearing a cocked hat, mounted on horseback, with his staff of military aides and secretaries, appeared in the public square of Worthington and was greeted by Colonel James Kilbourne, on behalf of the citizens of that village. Here the Franklin Dragoons, commanded by Captain Vance, met the presidential party, and escorted them to Columbus, where a formal reception was held in the new state house. The Citizen's Committee, having charge of the arrangements for the occasion, consisted of Lucas Sullivant, chairman; Abner Lorde, Thomas Backus, Senator Joseph Foos, A. I. McDowell, Gustavus Swan, Ralph Osborn, Christian Heyl, Robert W. McCoy, Joel Buttles, Hiram M. Curry, John Kerr, Henry Brown and Willam Doherty. Hiram M. Curry, the treasurer of state, delivered the address of welcome, and the President responded with compliments and statistics to the entire satisfaction of everybody.

It is believed that Sarah (Reagan) Curry died prior to 1821, as it is known that Hiram married a second time to Elizabeth Lane on August 30, 1821, in Franklin County, Ohio. By 1828, Hiram had moved to Tippecanoe County, Indiana, where his son Dr. Thomas M. Curry had moved and started a practice as a physician. In 1828, while probably in his late 60s or early 70s, Hiram was conducting religious services at a Universalist Church in Sheffield Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. It is known through historical church records that Hiram was the eighth minister to preach the Universalist faith in Ohio; when Hiram convereted his faith from Baptist to Universalist is unknown.

The last known location of Hiram is again in Sheffield Township of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, where he was still conducting religious services in the Universalist Church. It is believed that Hiram likely died in Tippecanoe County. Unfortuantely, no burial record or tombstone is known to exist in Tippecanoe County to mark his final resting place.

Family Matters: The Tratebas Murder of 1895

One of the more interesting genealogy puzzles that I have encountered in my family history research concerns the connection between William R. Tratebas and Alonzo Leiben Powers. I am related to the Tratebas family through my great-great-great aunt Harriett Arvilla Sanders, daughter of Abner and Lovina I. (Caster) Sanders, who married William Vincent Tratebas on December 13, 1868, in Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana.

While researching the Tratebas line, I ran across startling news accounts -- such as this regarding the murder of William R. Tratebas by a Alonzo Leiben Powers [Published August 16, 1895 in The Daily Inter Ocean, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois; Issue 145, Page 5, Column E]:

MAY BE A LYNCHING IN INDIANA.
People of Chesterton Aroused Over Will Tratebass' Murder.

Valparaiso, Ind., Aug. 15 -- Special Telegram. The citizens of Chesterton were thrown into a fever of excitement over the murder of Will Tratebass, 20 years old, by Lon Powers, aged 25. They had been having some trouble over property, and yesterday came to blows. This morning they met in a blacksmith shop anmd renewed the quarrel, when Powers pulled his revolver, shooting Tratebass twice near the heart, killing him instantly. A large crowd of citizens gathered and talk of lynching was heard on all sides. The relatives of Tratebass were severe in their denunciations of the murderer, and soon a rope was secured and several joined the crowd armed with guns. Powers was taken into a justice's office and a guard was placed over him. Then Deputy Sheriff Green was called by telephone, and by strategy succeeded in getting Powers out of town. The road leading from Chesterton to this city was lined with armed men, who were bent on wreaking vengeance on the murderer. He was placed in jail here this noon. A report is current tonight that a mob will be organized to storm the jail. Powers lived with his grandmother at Chesterton, his parents living in Chicago. Powers claims that the trouble arose over the property of his grandmother, claiming that Tratebasses had for years tried to run him out of town. Citizens of Chesterton say that Powers is a victim of dime novels.

Tombstone of William R. Tratebas
Chesterton Cemetery
Chesterton, Porter County, Indiana

Although this article seems to imply an unsavory outcome, Powers was not strung up that night. The story, however, got me to wondering why Tratebas would care about the property of Powers' grandmother? I got a few more clues from the August 23, 1895, issue of the Chesterton Tribune [Volume 12, Number 20, Page 1, Columns 2-3]:

LATER DEVELOPMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE POWERS AFFAIR.

Bound Over to Court.

Alonzo Powers, the murderer of Wm. Tratebas had his preliminary hearing before Judge Parks Tuesday, and was held to await the action of the grand jury without bail. Coroner Coates rendered a verdict in the matter and found Powers guilty of murder and recommended that he be held to the grand jury. Judge Johnson is defending Powers, and the only claim so far made justifying the shooting is that of self-defense. It is not expected that this line will be followed in the trial of the case as the only escape for Powers is the insanity dodge. The Prosecuting attorney has been here several times since the shooting, and had with him a stenographer and a photographer to take evidence. The grand jury will probably take action next month, but when the case will come to trial is another question.

The Prosecutor had quite a time with Mrs. Powers and Mrs. Johnson, when he attempted to have pictures taken of the Bee Hive, the house where Powers lived. They strenuously objected, and a constable was called to assist in preventing them obstructing the work. Prosecutor Heard also swore out a warrant for the arrest of the two women. Mrs. Powers takes the arrest of her grandson very hard, and her sympathies are entirely with him.

Particulars and Facts Accumulate.
Not since the West murder has the community been so shocked and stirred up, as it is now over the killing of Will Tratebas by Lon Powers. As the particulars begin to come in, the case looks blacker for the murderer, and all that can save his neck from the rope is for him to successfully play the insanity dodge. From a child up he has been a lazy, shiftless fellow, with just enough ambition to envy his industrious neighbors and excuse his own shortcomings by saying "The world is against me. Everybody is down on me, and won't let me get up." Instead of getting out and making a place for himself he preferred to lay on the banks of a creek, and read novels or shoot turtles and at marks for practice. Of course, he never had any training, but just drifted into this habit of living. His nature was a suspicious one, and he thought others were trying to rob him of the property which belonged to the old woman he lived with. This old woman married his grandfather, and is no blood connection of his. She is and always has been a terror, and it is no wonder that her protege is what he is. The neighbors tell horrible stories regarding the life of this old woman and young Powers, which seems incredible and unnatural, and until verified will not be published.

The immediate cause of the shooting seems to date back a few weeks ago when Powers had been pounding his grandmother, and gave her a black eye. She sent for Jerome Tratebas, father of the murdered boy, to come and help her. He did so. The old woman told her story, which was overheard by Powers in an adjoining room. Tratebas advised her to have him arrested, and by that means she could get rid of him. She did not want to do that. So Tratebas went to Powers and talked to him, telling him if he could not live with the old woman without pounding her, he ought to go away and leave her in peace. Powers finally said: "Well, give me two hundred dollars and I'll go out."

Tratebas said he nor the old woman had no money to give him. That he had not been raised by her, and was old enough to take care of himself, and was entitled to nothing. This ended that interview. A few days before the murder, John Tratebas and the two boys, Frank and Will, were going to the Powers house, where John's wife was, and just before entering, stopped outside to talk. Their conversation was about the sale of the mill property to Crocker Land Company, and in the conversation they talked over the proposed change in the dam which would increase the water power. Young Powers was hiding behind a tree near by, and probably heard the word "Power" used, and imagined that he was the subject of their conversation. The next day he jumped upon Will Tratebas, the first one of the trio he saw, and accused him of conspiring against him. The charge was so ridiculous that Will treated it lightly, but finally would have struck Powers, but that he saw a revolver in his coat pocket. The next day Powers renewed his attack, and in this, fired the fatal shots.

Is Now Writing a Book.
Murderer Powers would depopulate Chesterton could he have his own way. He is now yearning for the blood of the man who "writ that piece" about him in the TRIBUNE last week. Mr. Holmes can take a back seat for the Powers that is handy with his gun. He has written 300 pages of his life, and wants to put a book on the market. He thinks there would be lots of money in the scheme, and will do it if he can find a publisher. All that Powers ever did in this world can be put in a mighty small book.

Another Life in Danger.
Wednesday morning Constable Brown swore his life against Mrs. Elizabeth Johnston, and she was taken to Valparaiso. It seems that she told several persons that she would kill Brown, and did give him an unmerciful tongue-lashing. Mrs. Johnson's case was tried before Justice Severts, Thursday. He bound her over to the circuit court. She promptly furnished bond and was released.

Obviously not an exemplary fellow, Alonzo Powers was apparently related to the Tratebas family, which was a well-known and highly respected family in the northern portion of Porter County. William R. Tratebas' great-grandparents, William and Ann (Armstrong) Thomas, were founders of Chesterton (William Thomas dying in Chesterton, then called Calumet, on September 27, 1838). William's uncle, William Vincent Tratebas, my great-great-great uncle, was the constable of Chesterton for many years. During the first week of December 1895, Powers was put on trial for the murder of William R. Tratebas. The murder was a major news event in the region, and due to the amount of interest in the case the trial was moved to LaPorte County, Indiana. The December 6, 1895, issue of the Chesterton Tribune [Volume 12, Number 34, Page 1, Column 4] provides one of the better news accounts of the Powers trial:

ALONZO POWERS ON TRIAL FOR THE MURDER OF WILLIAM TRATEBAS.

Many Witness for the State, and but Five for the Defense.

Alonzo Powers, the murderer or Wm. Tratebas, was arraigned before Judge Hubbard at LaPorte, on Tuesday morning. He pleaded not guilty to the charge brought against him. At two o'clock a venire of twenty-one jurors had been exhausted with but two of the regular panel being accepted. The attorneys on both sides put forth their best efforts to get a jury that would act according to the evidence, and at three o'clock the following gentlemen had been accepted:

Charles Lundquist, Martin Siegel, Daniel Shoemaker, J. P. Anderson, Daniel Linard, Henry Biege, Joseph Ireland, William Beahm, John Gress, Duncan Hunt, Christian Herrold, I. D. Phelps.

The following witnesses were summoned by the State: Lenard Hill, David Osborn, Martin Young, William Finney, Chas. Sundine, Nelson Barnard, Richard Dodd, Maggie Stemper, Fred Parmateer, Geo. Brown, Allen Brown, Annie Reglien, Allen Barnard, Arthur Beck, Jerome Tratebas, Joseph Bavery, Ann Powers, Sarah Tratebas, Ben Little, Thos. Grady, Charlotte Travan, Lyman Schemer, Wilfred Trudell, Frank Tratebas, Lucy Cooley, Al Harper, Dr. Rubin, Lucie Reglien, C. J. Campbell, Frank Quick, Gust Sundine, F. G. Ketchum, Mrs. Maggie Stemper, Frank Tratebas, John Tratebas, Pauline Lawrence, Adolph Ellison, Chas. Stoner, Chas. Green, Emil Blatz, P. A. Johnson.

Powers is represented by Judge Johnson and H. H. Loring, of Valparaiso, and E. E. Weir, of Laporte. Seated at the State's table are Prosecuting Attorney Heard and Judge Crumpacker, of Valparaiso, and Attorney John Richter, of Laporte. Mrs. Powers, of Chicago, and Mrs. Ann Powers, of this place, have seats near young Powers; while Mrs. Tratebas, wearing mourning weeds, and her husband, are seated to the left of Judge Crumpacker. The recital of the harrowing details has had its effect on the mother of the dead boy and she has cried piteously at intervals during the trial. Mrs. Powers has also been in tears.

The same indifference which has characterized Powers since the morning of the tragedy was apparent when he took his place in the prisoner's dock. From the opening day of the trial he has maintained a stolid indifference as to the proceedings and it is doubtful if a sentence of death on the gallows would awaken him to the enormity of his crime or the seriousness of his position.

Judge Crumpacker began his opening address to the jury at 3:30 Tuesday afternoon, speaking for upward of thirty minutes and graphically portraying the scenes which led to the taking of human life that memorable August morning. He was eloquent and forcible. The first witness was Lyman Shaner, who was then employed at Truedell's blacksmith shop, whose evidence was important to the State. He recited the quarrel between the two boys and characterized the killing as unprovoked. Powers, he said, deliberately drew his revolver and fired the fatal shot when Tratebas was standing several feet away, following the first shot with a second, which caused Tratebas to sink to the floor, death speedily ensuing. His testimony was not materially shaken by the cross examination conducted by Judge Johnson.

Jerome Tratebas, father of the murdered boy, told of the character of the wounds and of the position of the body when found.

WEDNESDAY.
Lizzie and Anna Reglien testified as to the quarrel the afternoon previous to the tragedy when Powers made threats that he would be revenged.

George Brown, the officer who arrested Powers, said that the latter told him that the reason he fired the second shot was the belief that the first shot would not cause death. His evidence was damaging and was in the nature of a sensation.

The blood-stained shirt and coat were then presented for examination by Dr. Ketchum, who described the course of the bullets, stating the either of them would have caused death.

Wilfred Trudell, Richard Dodd, E. L. Harper, C. J. Campbell and Al Harper, all of whom were in or about the blacksmith shop the morning of Aug. 15th, recited the actions of the two men and giving convincing evidence as to the guilt of Powers.

The cross examination failed to adduce facts favorable to the theory of the defense except possibly a few minor particulars.

THURSDAY.
The state this morning showed by the evidence of John and Frank Tratebas that there were no conversation Monday night of the week of the tragedy, which would have caused the belief of Powers that a conspiracy existed to deprive him of his property rights. Constable Brown and Deputy Sheriff Green testified that there were no marks of violence on Power's face or body. The state showed by the evidence of Trudell that Tratebas had no weapons or wear any found on his person. The state rested at 10:30. Judge Johnston opened for the defense with a brief statement to the jury outlining the theory of self defense which will be offered. Powers took the stand at 11 o'clock. He was sharp and decided in his answers to the questions asked and was very much inclined to talk, adding a great deal to necessary answers. He told and gave illustrations of the positions and actions of himself and Tratebas at the time and just prior to the shooting without the least show of emotion. In a matter of fact way he gave the details of the crime. His mother and the mother of the deceased silently wept as he went on. He does not deny firing the shots but does claim that Tratebas was advancing toward him in a threatening manner when he drew the revolver and shot Tratebas down.

In the cross examination of Powers, Judge Crumpacker held full sway and he brought in some telling questions which the witness made efforts to evade but it was useless. His attorneys kept Judge Hubbard busy acting upon objections. It was quite evident that Powers was as good a witness for the prosecution as for the defense. A little sister of the defendant, about 10 years old, was put on the stand but her evidence did not lend any important light to the case.

The defense brought its evidence to a close at 2:45 o'clock Thursday afternoon and five minutes later Prosecutor Heard, or Porter county, took the floor and presented the argument. Judge Hubbard limited each side to 4 hours. Attorney Weir, for the defense followed and Judge Johnston ended the argument for the defense.

The state has considerable rebuttal evidence to introduce, and the case will probably be given to the jury today. The general belief among those who have watched closely the daily trend of the proceedings is that the jury will agree to inflict the death penalty.

Although the above article mentions that the jury would likely rule for the death penalty if Powers was to be found guilty, that did not occur. As The Daily Inter Ocean from Chicago reported on December 7, 1895 [Volume 24, Number 258, Page 3, Column 4]:

ALONZO POWERS FOUND GUILTY.

Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Murder.

Laporte, Ind., Dec. 6.. -- Special Telegram. -- The closing arguments in the trial of Alonzo Powers for murder were made this forenoon and the case was given to the jury shortly before 12 o'clock. No conclusion was reached until 9:30 tonight, when the jury returned a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree, and gave the prisoner a life sentence. The crime for which Powers is to pay the penalty was committed at Chesterton, in Porter County, last June. He quarreled with his cousin, William Tratebas, over the division of some property, which resulted in his shooting and instantly killing Tratebas. the case was brought here on a change of venue, and its trial was commenced in the Circuit Court last Tuesday.

Alonzo spent the remainder of his life in the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, LaPorte County, Indiana.

Alonzo Leiben Powers, circa December 1895
Prisoner No. 263
Indiana State Prison
Michigan City, LaPorte County, Indiana

Rather detailed prison records indicate that Alonzo was obviously mentally deranged, as the murder episode implies. Alonzo spent the majority of his life residing in the Indiana Hospital for Insane Criminals, which was located within the prison walls in Michigan City. A psychiatric report prepared at the hospital on April 7, 1939, states that:

POWERS, ALONZO
No. 263 (IHIC)
4/7/39

PSYCHIATRIC REPORT

Subject is a white man of 69 who was sentenced to prison at 25, in 1895, and was transferred to the IHIC in 1912. The crime of murder was committed in an argument that arose over what the brothers of the dead man were saying about our subject -- apparently hallucinations. The act was impulsive and was that of one who probably was insane at the time. Says that the girl with whom he was to marry wanted him for his money only, and that the reason why many inmates at the IHIC want him to marry their relatives is that they think he will get them out of the hospital. Had delusions about Alice Roosevelt and say he had the idea of marrying her for 3 years ever since he first saw her picture in the paper. Just why he gave her up is not clear. Has delusions of grandeur. Says he has a mental checkerboard on which he has all the kings and queens and diplomats and that he can determine just what move they are going to make. He can predict just what Hitler and Mussolini will do by consulting his mental checkerboard. Also claims to have special knowledge and ability that could have netted him a million dollars in the World War had he been released to give it to the government. Says he wrote the governor, president and other dignitaries but could not get in touch with them. Has delusions of persecution and insist that the deput warden had him placed in the IHIC so that he would not be a dispruptive and revolutionary element in the prison. He is not insane and was only as bad as others who made noise and were rambuctious. It was a clear case of "railroading him" to the "bughouse." Also has auditory hallucinations -- hears all sorts of uncomplimentary things being siad about him, so much so that he stuffs his ears with plugs and at night shuts all windows and doors to keep them out. They molest him day and night and call him all sorts of uncomplimentary names.

Throughout his interview he shows circumstantiality, and he is evasive. Frequently he refuses to discuss further some of the ideas that are clearly delusional for fear that something bad may happen to his schemes. He becomes irrelevant and goes off at a tangent. He is quite apathetic and shows no emotional reaction when discussing the delusions and hallucinations that disturb him so. This is quite characteristic of his condition. He is correctly oriented and his memory does not show any impairment. There is no notable impairment in his school and general knowledge, showing that the intellectual processes have not been affected to any great extent as yet.

Physically he is in good condition and has a good number of years to live unless some vascular affident should make of him a physical or mental cripple. He is reported to be seclusive and at times noisy and disturbed, but makes a satisfactory adjustment on the whole. He is employed part of the time doing routine ward duties but obviously is not fit for any kind of work. He will need hospital care for many more years, at least until the changes due to old age and hardening of the arteries supervene. At that time he may become a case for mere custodial care. The mental changes have been very slow and long drawn out as he is today he is still very delusional and reacts to the delusions and hallucinations that he hears, and as much is a fit case for the IHIC or other mental hospital.

DEMENTIA PRAECOX, PARANOID TYPE.
ORIGINAL CRIME RESULTED FROM HIS MENTAL DISEASE.
STILL ACTIVELY DELUSIONAL AND HALLUCINATING.
STILL NEEDS HOSPITAL CARE.

I. I. Weiss, M. D.

The diagnosis of "dementia praecox, paranoid type" is more commonly referred to today as paranoid schizophrenia. At the time of diagnosis, dementia praecox was viewed as a progressively degenerating disease from which no one recovered. Therefore, it was highly unlikely that Alonzo was ever going to be paroled from prison. After spending nearly 45 years behind prison walls, Alonzo passed away at the Indiana Hospital for Insane Criminals on October 24, 1939. He was was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Michigan City.

Alonzo Leiben Powers, October 16, 1933
Prisoner No. 263
Indiana State Prison
Michigan City, LaPorte County, Indiana

So how was Alonzo Powers related to the man he murdered? After considerable time researching various records, I was able to piece together the rather confusing connection between Alonzo and William.

Anne Thomas (b. December 27, 1818; d. November 13, 1901), daughter of William and Ann (Armstrong) Thomas, married George Powers (b. September 6, 1810; d. February 14, 1888) on November 5, 1872. Recall that William R. Tratebas' grandparents were William and Ann (Armstrong) Thomas. This was the third of three marriages for George Powers. George Powers’ first wife was Sarah Fulton Harbison (b. March 2, 1812; d. September 29, 1851), whom he married on May 4, 1837. George and Sarah had three children, one of whom was James Columbus Powers (b. January 4, 1845; d. 1881). James C. Powers married Mary Elizabeth Leiben (b. August 1849) on June 12, 1865. James and Mary were the parents of four children, one of whom was Alonzo Leiben Powers.

Anne Thomas had a sister named Hannah Thomas (b. November 4, 1815; d. July 30, 1893). Hannah Thomas married Edmund Tratebas (b. March 21, 1815; d. January 4, 1851) on June 24, 1834, and they were the parents of six children, one of whom was Jerome Tratebas (b. November 18, 1836; d. March 1, 1907). Jerome married Lorinda Harrington (b. November 18, 1836; d. April 18, 1924) on March 20, 1870, and they were the parents of three children, one of whom was William R. Tratebas (b. October 25, 1875; d. August 15, 1895).

Thus, Alonzo L. Powers' step-grandmother was Anne (Thomas) Powers, while William R. Tratebas' grandmother Hannah (Thomas) Tratebas, was Anne's sister. As such, Alonzo L. Powers and William R. Tratebas were step-cousins.

According to Marianne Hale, a descendant of the Powers line, at about 1881, Alonzo's father, James Columbus Powers, abandoned his family in Chicago. This left Mary Elizabeth (Leiben) Powers and her four children (Alonzo, LeRoy, Pearl, and Lizzie) on their own. Pearl Powers, Marianne's grandmother, had written that her father, James, had died in 1881, but he can be found in 1900, in San Francisco, with a whole new family.

Alonzo's mother, Mary, had no means of support, and went into nursing (or more likely housekeeping) to provide for her family. Alonzo was sent to Chesterton, in Porter County, Indiana, to live with his grandfather, George Palmer Powers. George was living in Chesterton with his third wife, Anne (Thomas) Powers. It is believed that Anne (Thomas) Powers took out mortgages on her house to provide funds to pay for her step-grandson's (i.e., Alonzo L. Powers) attorney during his murder trial. George Palmer Powers had already died in 1888, so there were only Anne and Alonzo in the old Thomas house (called the "Beehive") in Chesterton in 1895.

It is thought that Alonzo believed that he was going to receive the real estate that Anne owned since he was her step-grandchild and had lived in her household. However, this transition in real estate probably was not the case, and blood relatives were likely to receive the real estate instead. This apparently caused some level of strife between Alonzo Powers and his step-grandmother's blood relations; namely William R. Tratebas.

Hiram J. Wilson, Confederate Soldier

Hiram J. Wilson is my great-great-grandfather. Hiram was born November 20, 1844, in Cannon County, Tennessee, and died February 11, 1918, in Clark County, Illinois. Hiram was a Civil War veteran, enlisting on November 10, 1862, as a Confederate Soldier with Company A of the Eighteenth Tennessee Regimental Infantry. Hiram was missing from action on July 3, 1864, in Marrietta, Georgia (part of Sherman's Atlanta campaign). He was then captured by Union forces and eventually sent to Camp Douglas, a prisoner of war camp in Chicago, Illinois. He was later released from the prison on June 20, 1865, as the war had ended a few months earlier.

Two stories have been related to me concerning Hiram's post-POW experience. One story suggests that Hiram, like other POWs at Camp Douglas, began walking south to his home in Tennessee. However, as he neared Clark County, Illinois, he was informed of a nearby Irish Catholic community called Castle Fin. Hiram made his home in or near Castle Fin and married Rachel Wilson (no relation) on November 28, 1866, in Clark County.

An alternative story suggests that Robert S. Wilson, father of Rachel Wilson and founder of Castle Fin, Clark County, Illinois, was jailed in Chicago for being a Confederate sympathizer. At the conclusion of the Civil War, Robert and Hiram met - possibly in prison or on a train heading south. Robert offered Hiram a job at his general store located in Castle Fin, which Hiram accepted.

Hiram's own obituary suggests that both stories may be incorrect, as it states that he lived in Tennessee for one year after the conclusion of the war before moving to Clark County, Illinois. It is very plausible, however, that Robert Wilson was a Confederate sympathizer, or a Copperhead. During the Civil War period, there was considerable southern sympathy and Copperhead activity in Clark County, Illinois, as well as in adjacent counties.

Regardless of which story is true, it is factually known that Hiram was a POW in Chicago and that he eventually found his way to Castle Fin in Clark County, Illinois, eventually marrying Rachel Wilson, the daughter of Robert and Rachel (Colver) Wilson.

The following obituary for Hiram was published February 20, 1918, in the Clark County Democrat, published in Marshall, Clark County, Illinois [Volume 64, Number 45, Page 1, Column 4, and Page 5, Column 5]:

A Tribute to the Late Hiram J. Wilson.

Hiram J. Wilson son of Benjamin and Mary Scott Wilson was born near Woodbury, Cannon Co., Tenn., on Nov. 20, 1844, and died at his home in Marshall, Ill. on Feb. 11, 1918 at the age of 73 years, 2 months, and 21 days. His boyhood days were spent on his father's farm until he was seventeen years of age when he entered high school at his native town. Not long after entering school the call came for volunteers to defend the Confederacy, and he, a mere boy walked down the main hall of the school building and was the first boy in school to write his name on the roll of honor. He first enlisted under Gen. Buckner for one year to defend the rights of his native state Tenn., and upon the expiration of his time he determined come weal or woe to offer his life for the southern cause and so re-enlisted until the close of the war. He was later transferred from Buckners division and placed under Bragg in Col. Breckenridges division. He served under Bragg through east Tenn., in 1862, returning to middle Tenn., in the early winter of the same year. He was recovering from an illness from jaundice when his division reached Murphysboro to preparations were made for that great battle and although he carried a Dr's. Certificate exempting him from duty, he declared that on account of the nearness of Murfreesboro to his native town, he could not resist the temtation to participate in the battle which occured on Dec. 31, 1862 and Jan. 1 and 2, 1863. He was slightly wounded on the third day of the battle and was taken from the field by his beloved Captain [John G.] McCabe who also received a flesh wound in the leg. After the battle of Murphysboro he was taken farther south and the command of his regiment was given to Joseph E. Johnston. He was taken ill with chills at Sibley's Ford on the Tennessee River in the summer of 1863, and was sent to Dalton, Ga., where he remained during the winter of '63 and '64 rejoining his regiment in the spring of '64. He remained under Johnston's command fighting Sherman through northern Georgia until he was taken prisoner at Kenesaw Mt. on June 27, 1864. He was taken to Camp Douglas, Chicago Ill., where he remained eleven months. He was very fond of relating incidents of war life and his chief delight was in going over the old battle fields in talk with some veteran of the Union Army. A very amusing incident of his prison life which he was often told I will relate for the amusement of any one who may read this. It happened thus -- On a very cold morning one of the prison guards discovered that something had gone wrong with the flag staff and the flag could not be hoisted. After several vain attempts to find a union man who could climb the pole to fix it, they offered a reward to any "Johnny" who could climb the pole and fix it. They were not long waiting when a mere youth volunteered to do it. After going to the top and repairing it which enabled the Union flag to be hoisted, the boy took off his battered gray cap, waved it above his head, and at the same time gave the rebel yell three times, decended to the ground and claimed his reward which was a new suit of clothes and a R. R. ticket for home.

Our subject has often told the writer that had he the strength to fight for the stars and stripes, he would do so just as hard as he ever fought against them under the stars and bars. In politics he was a Democrat of the old school, while he was held in esteem by republicans as well as democrats.

While in prison at Chicago he became acquainted with many fellow prisoners who were northern men but southern in their views, which acquaintances resulted in his coming to Illinois in 1866. He was united in marriage to Miss Rachel Wilson on Nov. 28, 1866. To this union six children were born, R. B. Wilson of Michigan, N. D., Andrew J. Wilson and Mrs. Rachel Todd of Oliver and Mrs. Mary O'Rork, Mrs. Martha Murphy and Hiram C. Wilson of Marshall. He also leaves 29 grand children and one great grand child, two brothers and one sister besides a host of relatives. After the death of his wife in 1906, a great sorrow seemed to settle about him and his health began to fail, but as time went by he seemed to regain his health. In 1911 he was again married to Mrs. Margaret Higgins a native of Tennessee, who survives. Four years ago he suffered a stroke of paralysis but partially regained his strength when on Nov. 20, 1916 he was almost totally paralized and never was well after. The immediate cause of his death was diabetic gangrene and heart failure.

In religion he was a staunch Roman Catholic and died fortified by the Sacraments of that Church.

His funeral services were held at St. Marys church on Thursday following his death and were conducted by Father Wilson after which his remains were laid to rest in St. Marys cemetery by the side of his companion of forty years.

In giving this brief sketch of the life of my father and the part he took in the great war between the states I will not hide my identity with a (non de plume) but with a just pride and honor to my beloved father I will sign myself,

Rachel Wilson Todd

18th Tennessee Confederate Infantry Flag
Captured at surrender of Fort Donelson, Tennessee
February 15, 1862

Another obituary for Hiram was published in the May 1918 issue of the nationally published magazine Confederate Veteran [Volume 25, Number 5, Page 220]:

HIRAM J. WILSON.

Hiram J. Wilson, son of Benjamin and Mary Scott Wilson, was born near Woodbury, Cannon County, Tenn., November 20, 1844, and departed this life at his home, in Marshall, Ill., February 11, 1918. In 1861, when the call came for volunteers to defend the South, he was in school at Woodbury; but his patriotism was stronger than his love of books, so he cast his books aside and joined his fortune with the Southern cause. He enlisted under General Buckner for one year, and upon the expiration of his time he reenlisted for the remainder of the war as a member of Company A, 18th Tennessee Regiment. He was later transferred to Breckinridge's Division under General Bragg, with whom he served in East Tennessee during the summer of 1862, returning to Middle Tennessee in the early winter.

He was at home ill with jaundice when preparations were made for the battle of Murfreesboro; and although he had a certificate exempting from duty, he could not resist the temptation to participate in the battle which was to be fought so near his home. He was slightly wounded on the third day of the battle and was taken from the field by his beloved captain, [John G.] McCabe, who also received a wound in the leg. He was taken ill at Sibley's Ford, on the Tennessee River, and was sent to Dalton, Ga., where he remained during the winter of 1863-64. Rejoining his regiment, then under the command of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, he served with him through Northern Georgia until captured at Kennesaw Mountain, on June 27, 1864. He was taken to Camp Douglas, at Chicago, Ill., where he remained eleven months. Upon release from prison he returned to his native State for a little over a year, when he removed to Illinois.

Comrade Wilson was a member of the Roman Catholic Church, also Knights of Columbus.

Hiram's Immediate Genealogy
Hiram J. Wilson was born November 20, 1844, near Woodbury in Cannon County, Tennessee, and was the second of nine children born to Benjamin D. and Mary Ann (Scott) Wilson. It is known that at least three of Hiram's siblings were born deaf. On November 28, 1866, at the age of 22, Hiram married Rachel Wilson (unrelated) in Clark County, Illinois. To this union were born six children: Robert Benjamin, Mary, Rachel A., Hiram Curry, Andrew J., and Martha Gertrude.

Following Rachel's death on September 24, 1906, Hiram married Margaret (Smith) Higgins, also a widower, in 1911. Margaret, who was about 14 months younger than Hiram, had lived in Cannon County, Tennessee, and it is quite possible that she and Hiram were childhood friends. In addition, Margaret's first husband, William F. Higgins, served in the same company and regiment as Hiram during the Civil War (Company A of the Eighteenth Tennessee Regimental Infantry).

On February 11, 1918, Hiram passed away in Marshall, Clark County, Illinois. His death certificate indicates that he died as a result of diabetes and gangrene of the feet. Hiram was interred in the St. Mary's Catholic Church Cemetery located on the west side of Marshall. His tombstone is quite impressive and is the largest in the cemetery.

Photograph of Hiram J. Wilson and children taken at the Arthur M. Hurst studio located in Paris, Edgar County, Illinois. Sitting, from left: Robert Benjamin Wilson, Hiram J. Wilson, believed to be Mary (Wilson) O'Rourke. Standing, from left: believed to be Martha Gertrude (Wilson) Murphy, Andrew J. Wilson, Hiram Curry Wilson, and Rachel (Wilson) Todd. The framed photograph hanging between Hiram Curry Wilson and Andrew J. Wilson is Rachel (Wilson) Wilson, wife of Hiram J. Wilson.

Tombstone for Hiram J. Wilson. This tombstone is located in St. Mary's Catholic Church Cemetery in Marshall, Clark County, Illinois. Photograph taken by Steve Shook on June 24, 2008.

Charles Sanders, A Needle in a Haystack

Charles Sanders is my great-grandfather, and he is perhaps one of the most difficult ancestors that I have traced in my genealogy research. As a youngster, I had known of Charles through conversations of family history with my mother. Although his name and country of birth were known, no photographs or letters of Charles apparently existed. To complicate matters, my grandfather and great-aunt, Charles' children, never spoke of their father. The difficulty in tracing Charles was also due to a combination of other factors: absentee parent, foreign birth, name change, change of residence, and conflicting dates.

As previously indicated, my first bits of knowledge concerning Charles came from my mother; she had indicated that her father, Charles' son and my grandfather, had rarely spoken of his father. Charles had apparently deserted his family, and my great-aunt and grandfather harbored great resentment toward him because of this. Practically no information about her paternal grandfather was shared with my mother.

I did know that Charles married Hilda Carolyn Anderson. When and where this marriage took place was unknown to me. Since Hilda was born and lived the majority of her life in Porter County, Indiana, I first searched Porter County marriage records for clues of a marriage to Charles. I came up empty-handed. My mother, however, had also related to me that she believed that Charles was a policeman in Michigan City, which is a medium-sized city located in LaPorte County, Indiana, adjacent to Porter County. Given this tidbit of information, I decided to hire a researcher from LaPorte County to sleuth some county records to determine if Charles had indeed been a Michigan City policeman. Although this search provided no information concerning Charles' employment as a policeman, it did turn up a marriage record at the courthouse.

The marriage record indicated that Hilda Anderson had married Chas. A. Sanders on June 6, 1906. The couple was married by Reverend D. A. Lofgren, pastor of the Zion Lutheran Church in Michigan City. Unlike many marriage records, this particular record included information on the parents of both Hilda and Charles. Charles' father was listed as Alex Sanders, while Catherine Nelson was listed as his mother. Hilda's parents, of whom I had already researched fairly extensively, were listed as Alfred Anderson and Fredrica Monson. The parentage information provided in this marriage record was a vital key in assisting me in finding out more about Charles.

I next turned to a local newspaper, the Chesterton Tribune, to determine if a notice had been published of the marriage. A weekly newspaper at the time, I searched the June 14, 1906, issue of the Chesterton Tribune and found the following announcement:

Charles Sanders and Miss Hilda Anderson of Chesterton were married in this city Wednesday night by Rev. D. A. Lofgren of the Zion Lutheran church. The groom is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Alex Sanders and the bride a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Anderson, all of Chesterton. The young couple have numerous friends here who will be pleased to learn of the matrimonial event. The groom is engaged as a painter, Michigan City News.

Apparently, the announcement had also been published in the Michigan City News and was picked up by the local Chesterton newspaper. The announcement confirmed the parentage of Charles listed in the LaPorte County marriage record.

Charles and Hilda, within nine months and one week of their marriage, became the parents of my great-aunt, Violet Elvira Dorothy Sanders (b. March 13, 1907). A 1907 directory of Michigan City indicates that Charles and Hilda were living on the west side of town at 117 Barker Avenue, which is located close to the former Pullman Company manufacturing plant, where the Lighthouse Outlet Mall is now located.

On November 10, 1910, Charles and Hilda became the parents of my grandfather, Leslie Raymond Milton Sanders. Leslie was born in his maternal grandmother's home located in rural Liberty Township, Porter County, Indiana. Meanwhile, a Charles A. Sanders is shown in a 1910 directory of Michigan City to be living at 220 Fulton Street. Unlike the 1907 city directory listing showing Hilda as the wife of Charles, the 1910 directory suggests that Charles is living as a bachelor. This has led me to believe that at some point between 1907 and 1910 that Charles and Hilda had separated, but that they must have had a brief reconciliation sometime in early 1910 which resulted in the conception of my grandfather. It is known through family history that Charles was separated from the family when my grandfather was born. The city directory information, more or less, confirms this family lore.

I then searched the 1910 Federal Census for LaPorte County, Indiana, hoping to find additional information concerning Charles. Charles appeared as Charley Sanders in the enumeration of Michigan City taken on April 16, 1910. At that time, he was living with his sister, Nicolina, and her husband and two children.

My great-aunt Violet had passed away on May 23, 1986, and my mother was appointed executrix of her aunt's estate. While going through Violet's personal effects, my mother found a letter written by Charles to Violet. The letter was dated February 23, 1936:

Mich City Ind
Feb. 23 - 36

Dear Violet,
I am writing you just a couple of lines to ask if you would please write to me. I don't know what to say or what to write so perhaps its best to say nothing at present. I would like so very very much to hear from you so if I do I'll have a million things to tell you.

I hope you won't be offended at this missive though I suppose you perhaps be surprised. So little girl if you think I am worth a reply I will be so glad to hear from you.

Not knowing whether you are in Chesterton or not I am taking a chance on reaching you there.

Dad
R.#1
Michigan City
Indiana

Prior to her death, Violet had indicated that she had kept a letter from her father, and that at the time he wrote it she believed that he was seriously ill and that he likely died soon after it was written. She never replied or met her father after receiving the letter. Thus, I was led to believe that Charles had died in 1936, or perhaps 1937. I later found out that this assumed date of death was wrong.

I then turned to finding out more information about Charles' parents. Given the marriage record and marriage announcement information, I was able to find A. Sanders and Kristin Sanders in the 1900 Federal Census for Chesterton. The census record indicated that both were born in Sweden, and that A. Sanders had emigrated to the United States in 1882. Kristin was reported to have had seven children, five of whom were still living at the time of the census enumeration.

A search of burial records for Westchester Township, Porter County, Indiana, which embraces the town of Chesterton, soon followed. I found in the Chesterton Cemetery records a listing for A. Sanders (1839-1908) and Christine Sanders (1841-1926), both sharing a tombstone. I wrote a letter to the Porter County and LaPorte County Health Departments to obtain the death certificates of Alex and Christine now that I had the respective year of their deaths. In a few weeks, I received both certificates. Alick Sander Sanders died on June 24, 1908, in Chesterton. The certificate indicated that he was born November 27, 1839, in Sweden, to Solomen Anderson and Maria Helena Jacobson. Christiance Sanders died on October 8, 1926, at 220 Fulton Street, in Michigan City. While her date of birth is reported as November 15, 1841, no information concerning her parentage was provided in the death record.

Armed with the dates of death for both Alexander and Christine, I once again searched the Chesterton Tribune for their obituaries. The July 2, 1908, issue of the newspaper contained the following announcement concerning Alexander's death:

Alexander Sanders.

Alexander Sanders, a resident of Chesterton and vicinity for the past 26 years, died Wednesday, June 24, at his home south of town, from an ailment of the kidneys with which he had been a sufferer for the past five years. Six weeks ago Mr. Sanders' condition became serious, his illness terminating in his death a week ago.

The deceased was born in Sweden, November 27, 1839, where he was married to Miss Christina Nelson. In 1882 he came to America and settled in Chesterton, he preceding his wife across the water two years. Seventeen years ago Mr. and Mrs. Sanders and family took up their residence on the little farm south of town, where the former passed the remainder of his life. Seven children were born to bless the union, four of whom, with the widow, survive the father, namely: Mrs. Frank Hokanson, John Sanders and Charles Sanders of Michigan City, Mrs. Helen Lindgren of Chicago and N. P. Sanders of Minnesota. The deceased is also survived by one brother, residing in Sweden.

The funeral was held from the Sweden Lutheran church in Chesterton, Rev. Victor Setterdahl conducting the services. Burial took place in the Chesterton cemetery.

While no obituary of Christine could be found in the Chesterton Tribune, I did find one in the October 11, 1926, issue of the Michigan City News Dispatch:

Mrs. Christine Sanders.

The funeral of Mrs. Christine Sanders was held at 1:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon from the home of her daughter, Mrs. Frank Hokanson, 220 Fulton street. Rev. Nordquist, of Porter, officiated. Burial took place in Chesterton.

Despite all of this additional information, I could not find any information on Charles that would help me determine his date of death or a place of burial.

Then, on a visit to the Chesterton Cemetery to photograph some family tombstones, I ventured over to the tombstone of Alexander and Christine Sanders. Looking at the adjacent tombstones, which are very often of relatives, I noticed that the tombstone located directly west of Alex and Christine's monument was for a Charles G. Saunders, inscribed with a year of birth of 1882 and a year of death of 1942. The death date inscribed on the tombstone was no where near the 1936/1937 date of death for my Charles, but the date of birth and the location of the tombstone raised a suspicion that this Charles G. Saunders may possibly be my great-grandfather.

My next step was to write the sexton of the Chesterton Cemetery to obtain the burial plot information for the Charles G. Saunders plot. I promptly received a copy of the deed to the plot in the mail. The deed indicated that Mrs. Irene Myers paid the sum of $62 on April 7, 1942, to the Chesterton Cemetery Association for the perpetual care of the plot (N 1/2 of Lot 25, Block F), and the she had the preference to say who is to be interned (sic.) in the plot. Therefore, the deed allowed me to narrow down the death of said Charles G. Saunders to a date in late March or very early April 1942, and not simply 1942 as inscribed on the tombstone.

I then proceeded to write to the Porter County Health Department to determine if a death certificate was filed for a Charles G. Saunders during either March or April 1942. I received a letter back indicating that no such record existed. Undeterred, I wrote to the LaPorte County Health Department with the same request. I hit paydirt! The death record was chock full of information: Charles G. Saunders died on March 30, 1942, of stomach cancer at St. Anthony Hospital in Michigan City, and his father was listed as Alex Sanders. Apparently, Charles had at some point changed the spelling of his surname. The order for funeral arrangements was made by a Mrs. Irene Myers. Putting two-and-two together, it was apparent that the Charles G. Saunders buried in Chesterton Cemetery was indeed my great-grandfather, Charles A. Sanders. Incidentally, despite exhaustive searches of a variety of records, I have been unable to determine any relationship between Mrs. Irene Myers and Charles. In fact, other than the burial plot deed and Charles' death certificate, I have been unable to find any information regarding Mrs. Irene Myers.

One item was still missing, and that was a published obituary for Charles. Examining four local newspapers for an obituary, I was initially unsuccessful in my search. Then, by a fluke, I entered the surname Saunders in the Michigan City Obituary Index and up popped a George G. Saunders who died in 1942. I wrote to the Michigan City Public Library to obtain a copy of this obituary, which was published in the April 1, 1942, issue of the Michigan City News Dispatch. Here's what it contained:

SAUNDERS -- George G., 59, R. R. 1, this city, died at 4:40 p. m. Monday, March 30, 1942, at St. Anthony hospital following an operation. Surviving are a brother, John A. Saunders, R. R. 1, this city, and a sister, Mrs. Ivan W. Lindgren, Manatee, Fla. Funeral services will be held at 3:30 Thursday at Hummer mortuary with Rev. J. R. Benson officiating. Burial will be in Chesterton cemetery. Friends may call at the Hummer mortuary this evening and Thursday until the hour of service.

The information contained in the obituary for George G. Saunders was consistent with the information in the death certificate issued for Charles G. Saunders. I finally felt confident that I had confirmed the date of death and place of burial for my great-grandfather. Through this research endeavor, I was able to identify four of Charles' siblings: Nicolina Mathilda, Nils Peter, Elisa Elina, and John Alfred. Given the superb genealogical records maintained in Sweden, I was also able to trace back Charles' ancestry for many generations.

I found that Charles' father's name was Alexander Salomonsson, while his mother's name was Kjersta Nilsdotter. Note that Sweden, up until the late 19th Century, used the patronymic naming convention, whereby the surname of children was taken from the first name of the father. If a son was born, the ending of -sson was added to the father's given name. If a daughter was born, then the ending of -dotter was added to the father's given name. For example, if a Carl Samuelsson had a son named Johan (John), then Johan's full name would be Johan Carlsson. The son's of Johan would have the surname of Johansson (or Johnson).

Apparently, when Alexander Salomonsson emigrated to the United States he changed his surname to Sanders. Interestingly, Sanders is simply a variant of the name Alexander. Thus, his new American name became Alexander Sanders. Kjersta Angelicized her name to Christine rather than maintain what was likely to be a confusing given name to most Americans.

The birth name of Charles A. Sanders, my great-grandfather, was Karl August Reinhold Alexandersson. Note that the name Karl is a variant of Charles. Charles was born on September 29, 1882, in Ljungby Parish, Kronoberg Län, Sweden. Charles' father, Alexander, emigrated to the United States without the rest of the family in 1884. The rest of the family embarked for the United States on November 27, 1887, apparently meeting up with Alexander in the Chesterton area and settling on a homestead in the northeast portion of Liberty Township (currently the southwest corner of 100 East and 1000 North).

The photograph that I have included at the beginning of this post is believed to be that of Charles A. Sanders. The photograph was found in the personal effects of my late great-aunt Violet. The composition and background of the photograph is identical to that of a photograph of Hilda C. Anderson, Charles' wife. While Hilda's photograph was identified on the reverse, the male counterpart believed to her husband Charles was not identified.

Finally, it is believed that Charles and Hilda divorced. The 1920 Federal Census for Liberty Township, Porter County, Indiana, enumerating Hilda Sanders, as well as the death certificate issued for Charles, indicate that a divorce had taken place. Interestingly, I have been unable to determine when or where their divorce took place. Neither the Porter County nor LaPorte County courts have a divorce record on file for Charles and Hilda.