Zion Chatt’s Mid-Summer Mystery, Part 2

Carrie W. Friedell (1873-1965) is buried in row 1 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Ohio, but her burial is not recorded in Zion Chatt’s records nor is there any mention of her or any Friedell in Zion’s records. [1]

Who was Carrie W. Friedell and what is her connection to Zion Chatt? I was determined to find out.

Last week I told how I learned that Carrie was born Carrie Wren Edgington, born 31 March 1873 in Eaton, Delaware County, Indiana, to Benjamin F. and Harriett E. (Bobo) Edgington. [1]

Short of taking a research road trip to Indiana I am limited to researching Carrie W. Friedell from here at home on the Internet. I know I could learn a lot more by researching on-site in Indiana, but I simply do not have the time. And, after all, she is not a relative, as far as I know. I am just curious to learn her connection to Zion Chatt.

However, I have been able to piece together a lot of information about her by researching on-line. In addition to the records I usually use, numerous newspaper articles have provided a lot of information about Carrie, her relatives, and the people she associated with. I am fortunate that so many newspapers have been digitized and placed on-line.

The next step in my research was to see who Carrie Edgington married. At first I was looking for an Edgington/Friedell marriage but instead I found an Edgington/Eichhorn marriage that seemed to fit. Could the Friedell marriage be Carrie’s second marriage? If so, what about her first husband, Mr. Eichhorn? Did he die? Or did they divorce? I soon learned the answer. In the newspapers.

Carrie W. Edgington married Edwin Henry Eichhorn on 29 July 1893 in Huntington, Indiana. It was the first marriage for both. Edwin was 18 and Carrie was 20 years old, both born in Indiana. [2] Eichhorn was sometimes spelled Eichorn, but I will use the Eichhorn spelling here.

Edwin Henry Eichhorn was born 15 September 1874 [3] to William and Adaline (Gilbert) Eichhorn. [4] [5]

Newspaper articles about Carrie and Edwin appeared soon after they were married:

Constable Miller drove to Warren this morning for the purpose of placing under arrest Adaline Shaw, against whom surety of the peace proceedings have been filed in ‘Squire Woods’ court by Edwin Eichhorn, who alleges personal violence to his wife, Carrie Eichhorn, on the part of the defendant. The trial takes place as soon as the defendant can be brought here. [6]

Well that certainly is interesting. Adaline Shaw was Carrie’s mother-in-law! Adaline Shaw was Edwin’s mother, who married Vestal C. Shaw after her husband William Eichhorn’s death in 1887. [7] [8] Unfortunately I could find no follow-up to that article in the newspapers available to me on-line.

After their marriage Edwin and Carrie lived on Nancy Street in Salamonie, Huntington County, Indiana. In 1900 Edwin was a pipe puller and they owned their home free and clear. They had two children, Glenn F, 5, born June 1894, and Lillian M, 1, born November 1898. [9]

Now a woman in her 30s, it is apparent that Carrie wanted to be more than an ordinary housewife. She became active in various local organizations and often spoke at their meetings. She won a gold medal for oratory at the Women’s Christian Temperance Union Convention in Huntington in 1903. [10] She read at the reunion for the 47th Regiment of the Indiana Volunteers at Warren in 1906. [11] She hosted The Bay View Reading Circle at her home, where the “usual lesson was studied and social conversation indulged in.” [12]

Carrie wanted to make more of her life. She wanted to learn. She was obviously an intelligent and ambitious woman who liked to be around people. Carrie took a job outside their home in 1906 and soon after decided to further her education. Back then most women had only an eighth grade education but Carrie wanted to get her high school degree. So she went back to school in 1908 and attended Warren High School in Warren, Indiana. The 1910 census also indicates that she was attending school at that time. [13]

Daily News-Democrat, Huntington, Indiana, 23 Dec 1908.

Daily News-Democrat, Huntington, Indiana, 23 Dec 1908.

The Eichhorns lived on Nancy Street in Salamonie for at least a decade. In 1910 they had been married for 17 years and had the two children, Glen and Marie, 15 and 11 respectively. The census indicates that Edwin was a mechanic in the oil fields and that Carrie was not employed. She attended school. [13] A news article indicates that Edwin was employed at the automobile works at New Castle in February 1910. [14]

It is interesting to note that Carrie eventually finished high school and even attended college. The 1940 census shows that she had two years of college education. [15]

Carrie had worked outside the home and/or attended school for five years when her husband Edwin decided he had had enough. Edwin was so unhappy with the situation at home that he filed for divorce in October 1911, after 18 years of marriage. He sought custody of their son and sought custody of their daughter as the court deemed proper.

The Indianapolis Star, 11 Oct 1911.

The Indianapolis Star, 11 Oct 1911.

Edwin alleged that Carrie unjustly accused him of failure to properly provide for them and improper conduct. He alleged that Carrie left her home five years ago to accept employment as a store clerk. Once employed she discovered she needed more education and, against his wishes, entered Warren High School three years ago, where she was still a student. That she had failed and refused to cook his meals and do her household duties. That she neglected her home life, her responsibilities, and her work at home. He alleged that she was so engrossed in her school work that she failed to provide for him.

Instructors at Warren High School reported that Carrie progressed rapidly, made good grades, and kept up with the young students. Carrie insisted that her clerking job was necessary to assist in meeting the home expenses and paying debts. She charged that Edwin had not been as careful in his own handling of their finances as he might have been.

Edwin said Carrie was always “gnawing” him for money but admitted that she never spent any of it wrongly. He also testified that he never drank or gambled “to success.”  [16] [17] [18] [19] Did he mean excess? Perhaps had he gambled “successfully” things would have been different?

Back and forth it went but in the end they were divorced. Carrie was granted $5 a week support and $15 attorney fees. [20]

After their divorce Edwin Eichhorn married Myrtle Rea on 11 April 1912. [21] It was the second marriage for both and she had two children from her first marriage. By 1918 they had moved to Lawrenceville, Illinois, where Edwin died on 17 May 1933. [22]

This is all very, very interesting but the information has not answered my initial question. So far I learned a lot about Carrie’s life but had not turned up one single item that would link her to Zion Chatt.

What is Carrie W. Friedell’s connection to Zion Chatt? How did she come to be buried in our cemetery?

The next step was to look for an Eichhorn/Friedell marriage–not looking for Carrie’s maiden name, but using the name from her first marriage.

What happened to Carrie next makes me think of that old expression “Out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

To be continued next Friday.

 

Note: I have placed transcriptions of the newspaper articles mentioned after the footnotes.

[1] See blog posts Tombstone Tuesday—Carrie W. Friedell, 25 August 2015, and Zion Chatt’s Mid-Summer Mystery, Part 1, 29 August 2015, Karen’s Chatt, www.karenmillerbennett.com.

[2] “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 15 Aug 2015), Edwin H. Eichorn and Carrie W. Edgington, 29 Jul 1893; Huntington, Indiana, Marriages, Vol. K, p.142; from FHL microfilm 2295249.

[3] World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Lawrence, Illinois, Edwin Henry Eichhorn; database on-line, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 Aug 2015); from NARA microfilm M1509, roll 1614205.

[4] 1880 U.S. Census, Rock Creek, Huntington, Indiana, ED 197, p.580B, dwelling 220, family 226, line 22, William Eichhorn; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 Sep 2015); from FHL microfilm 1254285, from NARA microfilm T9, roll 285.

[5] “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 2 Sep 2015), William Eichhorn and Adaline Gilbert, 26 August 1866; from FHL microfilm 2318461.

[6] Daily News-Democrat, Huntington, Indiana, 8 Jul 1898, p.5; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 Aug 2015).

[7] Find A Grave (www.findagrave.com : accessed 2 Sep 2015); William Eichhorn memorial #54751282.

[8] “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 2 Sep 2015), Vestal C. Shaw and Adaline Eichhorn, 22 June 1890; Huntington, Indiana, Marriages, Vol. A1, p.296-7; from FHL microfilm 2295491.

[9] 1900 U.S. Census, Salamonie, Huntington, Indiana, ED 89, p.8A, dwelling 165, family 188, line 16, Edwin H. Eichhorn; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 August 2015); from FHL microfilm 1240378, from NARA microfilm T623, roll 378.

[10] The Huntington Herald, Huntington, Indiana, 5 Oct 1903, p.4; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 26 Aug 2015).

[11] The Huntington Herald, Huntington, Indiana, 21 Sep 1906, p.8; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 Aug 2015).

[12] The Daily News-Democrat, Huntington, Indiana, 11 March 1908, p.3; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 2 Sep 2015).

[13] 1910 U.S. Census, Salamonie, Huntington, Indiana, ED 106, p.13A, dwelling 298 family 301, line 33, Edward Eichhorn; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 August 2015); from FHL microfilm 1374369, from NARA microfilm T624, roll 356.

[14] The Huntington Herald, Huntington, Indiana, 5 Feb 1910, p.2; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 Aug 2015).

[15] 1940 U.S. Census, Eaton, Delaware, Indiana, ED 18-52, p.15A, line 4,family 292, Carrie W. Friedell; digital image, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 14 Aug 2015); from NARA microfilm T627, roll 1038.

[16] The Huntington Herald, Huntington, Indiana, 10 Oct 1911, p.1; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 26 Aug 2015).

[17] Evansville Courier and Press, Evansville, Indiana, 11 Oct 1911, p.1; digital image by subscription, Genealogy Bank.com (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 2 Sep 2015).

[18] The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Indiana, 11 Oct 1911, p. 9; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 Aug 2015).

[19] The Huntington Herald, Huntington, Indiana, 25 Nov 1911, p.1; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 Aug 2015).

[20] The Huntington Herald, Huntington, Indiana, 23 Oct 1911, p.8;digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 Aug 2015).

[21] Indiana, Marriage Collection, 1800-1941, Index to Marriage Record 1854-1920, W.P.A., from Knox County, Indiana, Edwin Eichhorn and Myrtle Rea, 11 April 1912; Vol. C, p.415, County Clerk’s Office; database on-line, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 Aug 2015).

[22] Find A Grave (www.findagrave.com : accessed 2 Sep 2015), Edwin Henry Eichhorn memorial #17400133.

 

His Wife Now School Girl
Insists on Study After Eighteen Years of Married Life
Asks for a Decree
Divorcing Him From Wife Who Has Left Home
Unusual Allegation in Divorce Action
Defendant Has Daughter Seventeen and Son Fourteen, But Persists in Attending the Warren High School.
Through Eichhorn and Vaughn of Bluffton and Lesh & Lesh of Huntington Edwin H. Eichhorn of the southwestern part of Huntington county [sic] has brought a suit for a divorce from Carrie W. Eichhorn, whom he married eighteen years ago.

The allegations of the complaint are grouped as usual under the head of cruel and inhuman treatment, but some or the particulars are quite out of the ordinary as follows:

Eichhorn alleges that his wife unjustly accused him of failure to properly provide.

He alleges that she wrongfully has charged him with improper conduct.

It is further alleged that five years ago she left her home and accepted employment as a clerk in a mercantile lines [sic], failing and refusing to cook his meals and do her household duties.

Three years ago, according to the complaint, Mrs. Eichhorn concluded and determined to enter high school, and she did enter high school and has been a student up to the present time and, according to the complaint, has neglected her home life and home work, refusing to discharge her duties and responsibilities.

The couple are parents of two children, Glenn F., seventeen, who is with his father, and Lillian Marie, fourteen, who has been with her mother.

Eichhorn asks for divorce, custody of the son and such order regarding the custody of the daughter as the court may deem proper.

Mrs. Eichorn has been a student in the Warren high school during the years mentioned in the complaint and school authorities say she has shown an aptitude for the work and is able to make required marks in school work. [16]

Neglects Her House to Attend School
Husband Asks Divorce for Failure to Get Meals
Huntington, Ind., Oct 10—Alleging that his wife had neglected her household duties to attend high school,Edwin H. Eichorn today entered suit for divorce. In the complaint it is set out that Mrs. Eichorn after obtaining a position in a store found that she needed more education. Although she had been married for fifteen years she entered high school at Warren, Ind., where she has been a student for three years. [17]

Seeks Divorce Because Wife Wants Education
Huntington Man Declares High School Duties Deprive him of Home Comforts
Huntington, Ind., Oct. 10—Tiring of his wife’s desire for additional education, after she has been going to high school three years, Edwin H. Eichhorn, prominent Huntington County farmer, today filed suit in Circuit Court to terminate eighteen years of married life. The complaint charges that five years ago, Mrs. Carrie W. Eichhorn left home to take a position in a store.

Finding she lacked needed education, Mrs. Eichhorn three years ago entered high school at Warren, Ind., where she has been in attendance since. Instructors there say she has made creditable grades and has progressed rapidly, keeping up with the class of young students with which she entered. Mr. Eichhorn alleges that his wife has been so engrossed in her school work, begun after fifteen years of married life, that she has failed to provide for him. [18]

Eichhorn Divorce Case in Progress
Warren High School Student Defendant in Case From Salamonie Township
On trial in circuit court Saturday afternoon before Judge Cook was the divorce suit of Edwin H. Eichhorn vs. Carrie W. Eichhorn. Parties to the suit have been living at Warren, where Mrs. Eichhorn, though a number of years married, has for two years been a student in high school. Eichhorn’s complaint recites that his wife had clerked in stores and attended high school against his wishes and failed to properly care for her home affairs. The defense attempts to show this clerking was necessary to assist in meeting home expense and paying debts. It is also charged that Eichhorn had not been as careful in his own handling of finance as he might have been and he admitted on the witness stand that although his wife was always “gnawing” him for money she never spent any of it wrongly. He also testified that he never drank or gambled “to success.” [sic] Appearing for the plaintiff were Attorney W.H. Eichhorn of Bluffton and U.S. Lesh of Huntington and for the defendants were Watkins & Butler and F. H. Bowers.

Between twenty and twenty-five residents of Warren, called as witnesses in the case, were in court Saturday afternoon and the hearing was still in progress at 3:30. [19]

1 comment

    • Carol Schumm Piper on September 4, 2015 at 11:21 am
    • Reply

    Wow! Have we ever come a long way in 100 years! I guess I completely take for granted all that the pioneers in the Women’s Liberation Movement have done for us! You should write a book, Karen!

    I’m sending you a separate email regarding a Schumm Family question.

    Thanks again!

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