Grandma Mary's siblings: The Baby of the Family--Ida

Eli and Rachel Waggoner named the baby of their family Ida. Ten years younger than my grandmother Mary, Ida was born 20 April 1897.[1] Based on bits of information passed to me about Ida, I think she was a spunky little gal. Case in point: When her brother Emery’s wife died in Washington in September 1913 leaving him with two small children—two-year-old John and newborn Marie—Ida traveled all the way out there from Missouri to lend him a hand. At only 16 years of age, would she have traveled that far alone? It’s unlikely. Based on the fact that her brother Leo eventually went out to Washington, too, I’d guess that he accompanied her on this trip. Maybe she helped Emery bring his children back east. 

Ida's photo, extracted from the family portrait taken about 1909, which makes her about 12 years old here.

When Emery married Dewey Petty in Virginia in 1915 and moved to Minnesota, Rachel and Eli and certainly Ida either followed or were already there. Soon, Ida found a husband in Lyon County Minnesota where on 6 December 1916, she married Roscoe Conklin Mitchell,[2] son of  George Washington Mitchell and Isadora Ginn Mitchell.

Marriage certificate for Ida Wagner and Roscoe C. Mitchell.

All nine of Ida’s children were born in either Lyon County or Redwood County, Minnesota: Martin Marion (1918-1930); Mona Marjorie (1919-1983); Erma Lucille (1920-    ); Melvin Donald (1921-1991); Leo C (1922-2004); Roscoe Reeby (1924-    ); Harold Herman (1928-    ); Virgil Warner (1929-     ); and Dallas Cletus (1931-2013). It nearly takes my breath away just to see that she gave birth to the first five children within six years of her marriage. Thankfully, the next four were spaced a little farther apart. You have to have spunk to take care of that many children.

The Mitchell's lived in Minnesota until sometime after 1940. The call of the west must have been resounding Ida’s ear as it had three of her brothers. By February 1944, she and her family called Seattle their home. Their address was 9559 Wallingford Ave., Seattle, Washington. I found this address on a delayed birth certificate, which Ida obtained through the help of her sister, Mary Troutman. The birth certificate was notarized in Wayne, Nebraska. It shows our grandmother Mary’s signature and Ida’s signature with Ida’s address at that time.

Ida Waggoner's delayed birth certificate obtained with the help of her sister Mary Waggoner "Mrs. Clint" Troutman.

Several of Ida’s children followed them to Washington, but a few stayed behind in Minnesota. Sad to say, their firstborn, Martin, succumbed on 20 January 1930 at age 12 to complications from diabetes.[3]

On September 30, 1936, their eldest daughter Mona married George C. Schulze, son of Mr. and Mrs. August Schulze, in Gary, Duel County, South Dakota, which is right on the South Dakota/Minnesota line.[4] Mona must have looked lovely in autumn colors described in a news clipping: “The bride wore a dress of rust colored crepe with brown accessories and carried a bouquet of red roses.” Mona and George made their home in Pipestone in south-western Minnesota.[5] They had two children: George Junior (born 15 July 1937)[6] (Yes, Junior is his middle name, not a suffix) and Kay (born 27 March 1942). I’ve had the joy of meeting online George Junior’s youngest daughter, Kristine, a lovely person, who is also interested in family history. She helped supply me with some of this information.

I’ll finish the story of Ida and Roscoe Mitchell next week.

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[1] Richmond, Virginia, delayed certificate of birth before June 14, 1912 (issued 1944), Ida Waggoner; Virginia Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics.

[2] Lyon County, Minnesota, certificate of marriage (1916), Wagner-Mitchell; County Clerk’s Office, Marshall.

[3] Jacquie Mitchell, Bothell, Washington, to Zola Noble, letter, 10 January 1999; personal correspondence, 1999; Waggoner family, Eli & Rachel Waggoner research binder; privately held by Zola Troutman Noble, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] Anderson, Indiana.

[4] South Dakota Marriages, 1905-1949, Mona M. Mitchell and George C. Schulze (1936): database Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 January 2014).

[5] “Nuptial Knots Tied in Dakota: Pipestone Young People Parties in Recent Interesting Matrimonial Events,” unknown newspaper, original article in possession of Jacquie Mitchell, copy sent to Zola Noble, Anderson, Indiana, October 2000; Waggoner family, Eli & Rachel Waggoner research binder, privately held by Zola Troutman Noble, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] Anderson, Indiana.

[6] Pipestone, Minnesota, “Minnesota Birth Index, 1935-2002,” George Junior Schulze (1937); database Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 January 2014).

(c) Z.T. Noble, all rights reserved.