Grandma Mary's Siblings: Baby of the Family--Ida, Part 2

Interestingly, my grandmother's sister Ida (Waggoner) and her husband Roscoe Mitchell’s third child, Erma Lucile, was also married in South Dakota, but this time in Brookings, which is directly west of the state line from Lyon County, Minnesota, where both bride and groom resided. She married Alfred Frederick Wendorf, son of George and Bessie Wendorf, on 2 May 1939.[1]

Marriage Certificate, Erma Lucil Mitchell and Alfred Frederick Wendorf, 2 May 1939,

They had one son, whom they named Alfred Ernest, born in Lincoln County, Minnesota, on 5 August 1939,[2] which as you can see, is only three months after they married. In the 1940 census, Erma and her eight-month-old  son are living with her parents in the town of Marshall, Lyon County, Minnesota.[3]  Erma’s marital status is recorded as M, but the M is crossed out and another indiscernible letter has been written above it. Is it D (divorced)? Where is Alfred Frederick Wendorf? So far, I can’t find him in the 1940 census.

Excerpt from 1940 census, Marshall, Lyon County, Minnesota, Roscoe Mitchell family includes Irma Windorf.

Another interesting bit of information of note in this census is that Roscoe Mitchell’s occupation is recorded as “Skilled Laborer” in the “WPA Carpenter” industry. Recently, I’ve been in numerous state parks and have seen plaques to recognize the WPA for its work in those places. So hats off to Roscoe for whatever carpentry work he did for the WPA in Minnesota! Additionally, 15-year-old Reeby is doing “Janitor Work” for a “Student Aid Project.”

There must have been problems with the marriage between Erma and Alfred Wendorf, as suggested by their separation in the 1940 census. On 24 October 1952, Alfred died at the young age of 40 in Anoka County, Minnesota.[4] He is buried in the Anoka State Hospital Cemetery,[5] which suggests that he may have suffered from mental illness. 

Photo courtesy of Gregory Aananson, Find A Grave contributor.

Erma must have gone on to Washington with her parents, but I cannot find any other information about her. However, her son, whose name on his tombstone is recorded as Ernest A. Wendorf, is buried in the same cemetery, Floral Hills, in Lynnwood, Washington where his grandparents, Ida and Roscoe Mitchell, are buried.[6]

 As for Ida and Roscoe's children, all but Mona followed their parents to Washington at some point. Their fourth child Melvin lived for many years in the Seattle area and died there on 30 January 1991.[7] Fifth child, Leo enlisted in the army in Seattle, Washington, on 22 March 1943 at age 20 and served the duration of the war. Enlistment records disagree on his level of education. One record says he had attained a grammar school education and had worked as a farm hand.[8] The other record says he had attained three years of college and had been a salesman.[9] Name, dates, places and other information on the two records match. The 1940 census agrees with the former record; at that time Leo was working as a hired hand on a farm in Minnesota, and his highest level of education was 8^th grade.[10]

Leo Mitchell, hired hand, in 1940 census, Lyon County, Minnesota. 9th column  from left indicated level of education.

Incidentally, according to family members, Leo’s middle initial C, like our cousin Stewart C Nelsen’s, did not represent a particular name. It stood alone as a single letter. Leo died 24 June 2004[11] and he and his wife Inez are also buried in the Floral Hills Cemetery in Lynnwood, Washington.

Photos courtesy of jnwinget, Find A Grave contributor.

Public records show that sixth child Roscoe Reeby lived in Seattle,[12] too, but I’ve not found his death record. Seventh child Harold’s wife, Jacquie, is the one who sent me several letters and photos with information about the family. They lived in the Seattle area also. I have not been able to confirm when they died or whether they are still living. If so, they are in their 90s. They had three children: Steve, Diane, and Larry. Jacquie wrote me about traveling back to the Midwest with their baby son in 1952 driving a 1952 Chevrolet and visiting their aunts, Mandy and Mary, and spending a night at the Verne Troutman place.[13] Jacquie sent me lots of information about ancestors, but not much about her own children except their first names.[14] Public records also place eighth child Virgil in Seattle in 1995,[15] and I’ve not found a death record for him. As for the youngest of the family, Dallas, public records place him in Seattle in 1992,[16] and his death record shows that he died fairly recently: 13 February 2013.[17]

Photos courtesy of jnwinget, Find A Grave contributor.

In one of her letters, Jacquie Mitchell related that her mother-in-law was very closed mouthed about the family’s history, even with her children. Spunky Ida said it was nobody’s business.[18] The Roscoe and Ida Mitchell family was large and, though not without their share of  sadness and troubles, seems to have been a close knit and happy family.

Mitchell Family portrait taken about 1950, Front Row: Harold, Virgil, Leo C; Center: Roscoe C. Mitchell, Dallas, Ida (Waggoner) Mitchell; Back row: Reeby, Erma, Mona, Melvin. (Missing: Martin who died in 1930)

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[1] South Dakota Marriages, 1905-1949, Erma Lucil Mitchell and Alfred Frederick Wendorf (1939); database Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 January 2014).

[2] Minnesota Birth Index, 1935-2002, Alfred Ernest Wendorf (1939); database Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 January 2014).

[3] 1940 U.S. census, Marshall, Lyon County, Minnesota, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 42-18B, sheet 6A, visited 107, Irma Windorf [Erma Wendorf]; digital image Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com, accessed 7 January 2014); NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 723.

[4] Minnesota, Death Index, 1908-2002, Alfred Wendorf (1952); database Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 January 2014).

[5] Minnesota, Find A Grave Index, 1800-2012, Alfred Wendorf (1952); database Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 January 2014).

[6] BillionGraves.com Burial Index, Ernest A. Wendorf (1977); database Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 January 2014).

[7] Washington Death Index, 1940-1996, Melvin D Mitchell (1991); database Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com, accessed 16 January 2014).

[8] U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, Leo C Mitchell; database Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com, accessed 7 January 2014); NARA, record group 64.

[9] World War II Army Enlistment Records, Leo C Mitchell; database Fold3 (http://www.fold3.com : accessed 16 January 2014).

[10] 1940 U.S. census, Custer, Lyon County, Minnesota, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 42-6, sheet 6B, visited 105, Leo Mitchell; digital image Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com, accessed 16 January 2014); NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 1934.

[11] Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current, Leo C Mitchell (2004); database Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com, accessed 7 January 2014).

[12] U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1, Seattle, Washington, Roscoe R Mitchell (1981); database Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com, accessed 16 January 2014).

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

[14] Mitchell, Jacquie, Bothell, Washington, to Zola Noble, letter, 7 December 1998.

[15] U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1, Lynnwood, Washington, Virgil W Mitchell (1995).

[16] U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1, Seattle, Washington, Dallas C. Mitchell (1992).

[17] U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current, Dallas C. Mitchell (2013); database Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com, accessed 16 January 2014).

[18] Mitchell, Jacquie, Bothell, Washington, to Zola Noble, letter, 10 January 1999.