Tombstone Tuesday–Infant Daughter of Charles E. & Mary P. (Andrews) Pickering

Pickering infant, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of the infant daughter of C.E. & M.P. Pickering, located in row 6 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

INFANT
Dau. of
C.E. & M.P.
PICKERING
Born & Died
Oct. 14, 1915

The church records indicate that “Baby Pickering” died of weakness on 8 November 1915 at the age of only a few hours. This record indicates that she was buried in Zion Chatt’s cemetery on the 9th. Survivors included Charles Pickering and his wife.

Her Mercer County death certificate gives 15 November 1915 as her birth and death date. This record indicates that she died of premature birth, born at 6½ months, and that she was buried on 16 November. H. & F. Pulskamp, Celina, in charge of the funeral arrangements. This record also names her parents as Charles and Mary (Andrews) Pickering and that she was born and died in Liberty Township. [1]

Her tombstone gives her death date as 14 October 1915.

Three different records and three different dates.

Pickering infant daughter, 1915 Ohio Death Certificate.

The Pickering name is mentioned in Zion Chatt’s records only about three times and they likely were not members of the church.

This child was the first child born to Charles and Mary Pickering. Her parents were both from the Chattanooga, Ohio, area.

Charles Pickering married Mary Andrews on 8 June 1915 in Celina, married by Rev F.G. Reitz, the Evangelical Lutheran Minister there. Charles was born in Blackcreek Township on 1 February 1886, the son of John and Barbara (Johnson) Pickering. Mary Andrews was born in Liberty Township on 23 February, 1898, the daughter of John and Sophia (Alt) Andrews. It appears that her parents’ consent was not given even though Mary was under age. Charles was a farmer and Mary was a housekeeper. This was Charles Pickering’s second marriage. [2]

Charles was first married to Phoebe Kendall and they had a son Russell Francis, born 12 August 1907, [3] Phoebe (Kendall) Pickering died of tuberculosis on 23 June 1912 at the age of 28 years, 4 months, and 13 days. She was buried on the 25th. Zion Chatt’s records indicate that she was not a member of the church but that she was under the spiritual care of Zion’s pastor at the time of her death. It appears Zion Chatt’s minister officiated at her funeral but I do not know where she is buried.

I found it interesting that when I located Charles and Phoebe Pickering in the 1910 census someone indexed the road they lived on as Ruttebegga Pike in Blackcreek Township. I wondered where that road could have been and when I looked at the census image itself I saw that the road was actually Ruttledge Pike. This census indicates that Charles and Phoebe had been married four years, married about 1906, and that Phoebe had given birth to just one child. [4]

By 1920 Charles and Mary (Andrews) Pickering lived in Jefferson Township, Mercer County, Ohio, where Charles worked as an oil pumper. They had two children of their own by this time, Lloyd and Theodore. Their household in 1920: Charles, 32; Mary, 21; Russell, 12; Lloyd, 3; and Theodore, 1. [5]

By 1930 the Pickerings had moved from Mercer County to Medina, Ohio, where Charles found work in the oil fields there. Their family had also grown by 1930: Charles E, 46; Mary P, 31; Lloyd E, 14; Theodore D, 12; Alma C, 10; Marcile O, 8; Otis O, 6; and Joyce I, 1. [6]

They remained in Medina County, at least another 10 years and had at least three more children. Their household in 1940: Charles, 56; Mary, 41; Lloyd, 23; Otis, 17; Joyce, 11; Charles, 9; Gaylord, 6; and Loretta, 2. [7]

Charles Pickering died 22 July 1946 and his wife Mary died in 1956. They are both buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Lodi, Medina County. Their Find a Grave.com memorials indicate that Charles was born 1 February 1884 and that Mary was born in 1900.  [8]

 

[1] “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” FamilySearch.org, Pickering 15 Nov 1915; Liberty Township, Mercer County Deaths; FHL microfilm 1983549.

[2] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” FamilySearch.org, Charles Pickering and Mary Andrews, 8 Jun 1915; Mercer County Marriages, Vol. 10, p.470, no.939; FHL microfilm 914959.

[3] “Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003,” FamilySearch.org, Russel Francis Pickerin, 12 Aug 1907; Blackcreek, Mercer Births, unpaignated; FHL microfilm 2367099.

[4] 1910 U.S. Census, Black Creek, Mercer, Ohio, ED 107, p.11A, dwelling 228, family 230, Charles E Pickering; Ancestry.com; FHL microfilm 1375227, NARA microfilm T624, roll 1214.

[5] 1910 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Mercer, Ohio, ED 136, p.12B, dwelling & family 254, Charles Pickering; Ancestry.com; NARA microfilm T625, roll 1418.

[6] 1930 U.S. Census, Chatham, Medina, Ohio, ED 2, p.5B, dwelling 130, family 138, Charles E. Pickering; Ancestry.com; FHL microfilm 2341582, NARA microfilm T626, roll 1848.

[7] 1940 U.S. Census, Chatham, Medina, Ohio, ED 52-2, p.4B, household 71, Charles Pickering; Ancestry.com; NARA microfilm T627, roll 3112.

[8] Find a Grave.com, Woodlawn Cemetery, Lodi, Medina, Ohio; Charles E Pickering memorial no. 52762215; Mary P Pickering memorial no. 52762253.

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