Parallel Lives of Stelle and Daisy, Part 3: Stelle's Divorce

My paternal grandfather, Clint Troutman’s two sisters Laura Estelle and Daisy Virginia shared several parallel experiences in their lives, the last of which is that they both divorced their husbands who shared the same name: William Tell Worley.

Laura Estelle Troutman Worley, c. 1915 at age 45.

 Stelle and Tell Worley divorced first. Although divorce records have not been located, the split likely took place between 1920 and 1925. Their daughter Leona married a Nebraska native, Charles Brewer, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on 18 Feb 1924.[1] Whether Stelle and Tell were still married at that time is unknown.

FamilySearch marriage record for Leona Worley and Charles Brewer

 However, in 1925, Stelle was married to Marshall Hendrick. They were employed as “servants” in the home of a Shirtcliff family in Crawford County, Iowa. [2]  No marriage records have been found for them.

Who was Marshall Hendrick?

The fifth child of seven, Marshall was born in Michigan in 1874 to Lucious B. and Frances M. (Bennett) Hendrick. By 1880, the Hendrick family had moved to Antelope County, Nebraska where Lucious was farming.[3] In 1900, Marshall, age 28 (those pesky census records don’t always agree on age), worked as a brick mason in Antelope County and had a wife Gertie, age 20, and two children, Edith, age 3, and Clyde, age 4 months.[4] In 1910, Marshall and Gertie were still together and with a third child named Ralph.[5] During World War I, Marshall served as a sergeant in the U. S. Army; the war separated him from his family for about 16 months.[6] To date, Marshall and Gertie have not been found in the 1920 census, so whether Gertie died or whether they divorced remains to be discovered.

Marshall W. Hendrick: WWI, death and interment.

By 1925, Marshall was married to Laura Estelle Troutman Worley, as noted above. How did Marshall get from Phillipsburg, Kansas to Nebraska or Iowa where he apparently met Estelle Worley? Was Estelle divorced before they met? Only God knows at this point.

Back in Madison County, Nebraska in 1930, Stelle’s ex-husband, Tell, age 75, lived with his son Dale, age 30, and Dale’s family at Emerick, a small unincorporated town. The record says he’s “widowed,”[7] but sometimes the folks in those days didn’t like to admit to being divorced. Stelle was alive and well and living in Omaha where she and Marshall Hendrick can be found in 1929,[8] 1937,[9] and 1940.[10] I have not been able to find her and Marshall in the 1930 census.

Apparently, Tell died sometime between 1930 and 1935, for he is not in the census after the former year, and by the latter year, Dale’s family has moved to the state of Oregon where Dale is farming on his own account.[11] Neither is Tell listed in the 1940 census with his other children.[12]

Estelle died at age 71 on 24 February 1941. She was reportedly buried in Graceland Park Cemetery in South Omaha,[13] but attempts to get a photo of her tombstone have not been successful. The cemetery doesn’t seem to have a record of her burial.[14] 

Graceland Park Cemetery Entrance, South Omaha, Nebraska.

Estella Troutman Hendrick's death certificate.

After Stelle died, Marshall lived another 20 years. At some point in time, he moved to California where his daughter Edith lived.[15] He died there on 25 January 1961 at age 86 and was buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California.[16]

So ends the story of Estella's life and times.

Next, the story of Daisy’s divorce and remarriage.

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[1] "Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XJBS-9W7 : accessed 23 December 2015), Chas J. Brewer and Leona A. Worley, 18 Feb 1924; citing Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, Iowa, reference 2:3JQBBL9; FHL microfilm 1,476,882. 
[2] Iowa, State Census Collection, 1836-1925, Crawford, database Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : accessed 23 December 2015), Laura C. [E] Hendrick and Marshall Hendrick.

[3] 1880 U.S. census, West Cedar Valley, Antelope County, Nebraska, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 129, p. 25 (penned), dwelling 147, family 154, L. B. Hendrick family; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 06 January 2016); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm publication T(not stated), roll 743.

[4] 1900 U. S. census, Antelope County, Nebraska, population schedule, Logan township, enumeration district [ED] 11, sheet 2-B, dwelling 34, family 37, Marshall Hendrick; digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 06 January 2016); NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 916.

[5] 1910 U. S. census, Elgin, Antelope County, Nebraska, population schedule, enumeration district [ED] 8, p. 2-A, dwelling 19, family 19, M. W. Hendrick family; digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 06 January 2016); NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 767.

[6] U. S. National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962, digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 06 January 2016); Marshall W. Hendrick, 1961.

[7] 1930 U. S. census, Emerick, Madison County, Nebraska, population schedule, enumeration district [ED] 60-3, sheet 1-B, dwelling 10, family 11, Carl E. Worley, see William Worley; digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 06 January 2016); NARA microfilm publication T626, roll (not stated).

[8] Nebraska, Department of Health, Division of Vital Statistics, Certificate of Death, Estella Hendrick, 1941. Death certificate states that Estella and Marshall have live at the same address for twelve years.

[9] Omaha, Nebraska, City Directory, 1937: R. L. Polk and Company, 1915. U. S. City Directories, 1821-1989; digital image Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com, accessed 07 January 2016), Hendrick, Marshall W. (Laura).

[10]  1940 U. S. census, Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, population schedule, precinct 35, enumeration district 94-66, sheet 5-B, visit no. 97, Marshall W. Hendrick and Lora E.; digital image Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com ; accessed 07 January 2016); NARA microfilm publication T-627, roll 2271. Note residence in 1935 is the same, 1942 South 16^th Street.

[11]1940 U. S. census, North Plains, Washington County, Oregon, population schedule, precinct 35, enumeration district 34-43, sheet 9-B, visit no. 209, Dale Worley; digital image Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com ; accessed 23 December 2015); NARA microfilm publication T-627, roll 3383. Note residence in 1935 is the same.

[12] 1940 U. S. census, Quapaw, Ottowa County, Oklahoma, population schedule, enumeration district 58-35, sheet 5-A, visit no. 129, Carl Worley; digital image Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com ; accessed 27 December 2015); NARA microfilm publication T-627, roll 3321. Also, 1940 U. S. census, Sarpy County, Nebraska, Gilmore precinct, population schedule, enumeration district 77-8, sheet 8-B, visit no. 152, Charles Brewer, wife Leona; digital image Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com ; accessed 27 December 2015); NARA microfilm publication T-627, roll 2082. Neither census includes Tell Worley. To date, Tell’s daughter Ethel’s family has not been found in the 1940 census.

[13] Nebraska, Dept. of Health, Div. of Vital Stats., Cert. of Death; Estella Hendrick, 1941.

[14] PhotoRequest@findagrave.com to Zola Troutman Noble, e-mail, 20 June 2013, “Find a Grave Photo Request Problem – Laura Hendrick,” Findagrave gmail e-folder, privately held by Noble, [E-ADDRESS & STREET ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Anderson, Indiana, 2014. Reports that “cemetery has no record of this person.”

[15] 1930 U. S. census, San Mateo County, California, population schedule, First township, enumeration district [ED] 10, sheet 5-A, dwelling 134, family 136, Earl L. Mcaine [McCune], see Edith F.; digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 07 January 2016); NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 216. Also, California Death Index, 1940-1997, database Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com, accessed 07 January 2016), Edith Fern McCune. This index confirms Edith’s parents’ name as Hendrick.

[16] U. S. National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962, Marshall W. Hendrick. Also, U. S. Veterans Gravesites, 1775-2006, database Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com, accessed 07 January 2016), citing Marshall W. Hendrick, 1961. Also, Find A Grave, database and images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 07 January 2016), photograph, memorial page for Marshall W. Hendrick (b. 1874 and d. 1961), Find A Grave memorial no. 73979162, citing Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California; photograph contributed by Kevin Quattrin.