My puzzle… and why being a family historian can make you stay up into the wee hours researching.

My maternal Grandfather was Howard G McMeekin b. Orion, Henry, IL. He married 4 times. First was my g-mother Janet (div 1940), then came Agnes (div 1946), Ruth (believed to have died) and Geraldine (div 1975). Howard had two children with Janet, then a son with 2nd wife, a daughter Susie with 3rd wife and no children by 4th but raised her two children and his daughter Susie with her.

Until this weekend we had no clue of Ruth’s name or family. Their child Susie was born in 1956 and then Howard married Geraldine on 6 Feb 1958. We assumed that Ruth must have died, but could not find anything on her.

So in my search for Ruth I found some information this weekend on newspapers.com (nothing came up from genealogybank.com or ancestry.com)

• 1946 – Marriage cert. 6 Jan 1946 in Cass, Michigan for an Earl A Alberts age 48 and Ruth G HILL age 35, daughter of Effie Kindred and Robert T Smith. No place of birth is given for Bride or Groom. Familysearch.org

• 1953 – An announcement for marriage license of Howard G McMeekin and Ruth G SMITH 19 April 1953 in Lincoln, IL, noting that Howard was from Aledo and she was from Davenport, IA. No other information. Newspapers.com

• 1956 – An obit 3 June 1956 for Effie Bell Smith, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. John Kindred, giving her only daughter’s name as Mrs. Ruth MCMEEKIN of Moline, IL (which is where the McMeekin’s lived) and her husband has Robert T Smith. 3 grandchildren and 3 greats are noted, no names. Newspapers.com

• 1968 – An obit 25 Feb 1968 for Robert T Smith, noting “surviving one daughter Ruth DEATHERAGE of Kansas City, MO. 3 grandchildren, 6 g-grands and 5 gg-grands are noted, no names. Newspapers.com

 
So is she indeed Ruth G Smith 1)Hill 2)Alberts 3)McMeekin 4)Deatherage?

I could find nothing for the Hill or Deatherage marriage, no death of spouse or divorces for any marriage.

I looked for Ruth Deatherage since that is the latest name as of 1968, and found a Ruth G Deatherage obituary in Kansas City, MO dated 29 Dec 1976, she was 66, which could be the right age, but there is no mention of Susie in the children surviving her and there are more than 3 children given, which her father’s obit only says 3 grand kids survive him.

I have found on line trees for Robert and Effie, but no info for Ruth in any that actually list her as a child, and she is always the only child listed. If she is an only child of Robert & Effie, both of their obits talk about 3 grandchildren and if Susie is one, who are the other two and by whom?

There is no one left to ask these questions to. And so for now the mystery continues and the search goes on.