Wesley Gochenour Death

Gochenour Plot, Elmwood Cemetery, Sycamore, Illinois.

The small stone to the left of Mary and Wesley’s stones is for their daughter Jessie M. Gochenour and her husband John S. Swanlund.

Frank Erwin Claycomb – Part 3

Frank Claycomb’s wife, Anna Sarah Townsend, died in 1892 leaving him with five children ages 3 weeks to almost 8 years.  He had a housekeeper, Mrs. Hill, who must have been a huge help in those early years.  His son, Amos, kept diaries that mention Mrs. Hill.  The earliest we have is 1900 when he was 14 – the first one can be seen here.

Frank lives in Cortland Township, DeKalb county, Illinois.  He farms and invests in land.

On June 30, 1908, Frank’s father, George Washington Claycomb, died at the age of 80 in Monmouth, Warren county, Illinois.

George Washington Claycomb with his granddaughter Eleanor. Eleanor was born in 1884, so perhaps this was taken about 1888.

In 1910 on October 27th, Eleanor, the oldest child married Arthur B. Gochenour.  On 13 October 1911, Frank Claycomb’s first grandchild was born and named Frank Claycomb Gochenour.

Four Generations: Sarah Goddard Claycomb, mother of Frank Erwin Claycomb who is the father of Eleanor C. Gochenour who is the mother of Frank Claycomb Gochenour (born 1911).

On 7 September 1911 Louise married Lewis Ray Love at “Anchorage” her Aunt Georgia Yates’ home in Boise, Idaho.  They later moved to New York.

In early 1912 – on January 12th – Frank Claycomb married for the second time – this time to Evangeline Shattuck, a teacher in the Sycamore schools.  She was born in 1873 in Colorado – her parents were Orville and Harriet Shattuck.

The only photo I have found of Ve. She’s holding granddaughter, Barbara. Her husband Frank is on the left. 1919.

She came to be Grandma Ve when the grandchildren and great-grandchildren arrived.  There is so much to Ve’s story that I don’t know.  In 1910 she lived with her two sisters, Edith and Ethel – none of them married and all were teachers.  Evangeline was born in Colorado, Edith in Pennsylvania and Ethel in Ohio.  That’s a lot of moving in the late 1800s and there must be stories there!

In the 1960s I wrote to her about family genealogy – I didn’t know she wasn’t my grandfather’s mother.  I just knew she was my great-grandmother.  She answered my letter that since there were no blood ties, her story wasn’t important.  Oh, what a mistake I made not asking her more.

Frank’s children continued to get married.  On 20 December 1913, George married Helen Virginia Quarles in Honolulu, Hawaii.  They made their home in Boise, Idaho.

On 27 February 1917 Edward married Isabel Peake in Kansas City, Missouri where they lived.

A photo from about 1919 shows the family (people are identified here).  All of Frank’s children have married and there are many grandchildren.

In 1922 young Frank Gochenour died on July 11th.  He was 10 years old.

Frank Gochenour (4th from left) with friends. June 1921

And on 19 August 1926 Sarah Goddard Claycomb, Frank’s mother and the matriarch of the family, died.  She was 92.

Sarah Goddard Claycomb – taken from the group photo above. 1919

On 2 August 1932, Frank Erwin Claycomb died at age 77.  From his will:  Petition of Evangeline S. Claycomb:  Frank E. Claycomb died at his home in DeKalb Township in DeKalb County, IL, 2 August 1932.  Real estate valued at at sixteen thousand dollars, personal property valued at three thousand dollars.  Surviving him: Evangeline S. Claycomb; Eleanor Gochenour, daughter, adult, Sycamore IL;  Louise Love, daughter, adult, Winnetka, IL;  Amas [sic] Claycomb, son, adult, Wayne NE;  George Claycomb, son, adult, Boise ID;  Edward Claycomb, son, adult, Kansas City MO.

Lists real estate owned in DeKalb County, 5 shares of stock, Ohio Oil company, 20 shares of stock, Club Aluminum, 2 bonds secured by mortgage in Pierce Bank Building, 4 shares of stock in the First State Bank, Maple Park IL, 1 note secured by mortgage.

I wish I had more to write about Grandma Ve than just her death date – 10 February 1966, but I didn’t know much.  Even the adult grandchild who gave information for her death certificate knew very little.  I know she lived on her own, quite independently, in a two-story house.  We visited her in 1956 and I remember those steep stairs.  Mom said she died while talking on the phone to a friend.  Gently slipping away.

Arthur Gochenour’s Birthday

He was Uncle Arthur to my father and they had a strong bond.  Art Gochenour got Dad his start in the electrical industry with a job at Anaconda Wire & Cable.  Arthur Burchard Gochenour was born 31 August 1879 in Freeport, Illinois.  His parents were Mary Mallory and Wesley Gochenour.  He married my grandfather’s sister, Eleanor Pierce Claycomb.

There was one other strong memory of Uncle Arthur for my father.  He had a new 1931 Buick – this about the time Dad was graduating from high school and was very focussed on cars.  The mention of “Uncle Arthur’s Buick” sent Dad into a reverie.

The Venerated Buick of Uncle Arthur

Claycomb Family 1919 Sycamore Illinois

This photo was taken at the same time as those in my post last week.

To the best of my knowledge these are the folks in it:

Back Row L-R:  Evangeline Shattuck Claycomb (2nd wife of F.E. Claycomb) holding Barbara Claycomb (daughter of Amos and Ruth)
Barbara Tapper (daughter of Will Tapper and 2nd wife Lorene Sidey)
Isabelle Peake Claycomb (wife of Edward)
Arthur B. Gochenour (husband of Eleanor Claycomb)
Jane Tapper (daughter of Will and Mary ((deceased)) Tapper)
Helen Quarles Claycomb (wife of George)
L. Ray Love (husband of Louise Claycomb)

Middle Rows L-R:  Frank E. Claycomb holding Phoebe Love (daughter of Ray and Louise)
Ruth Bressler Claycomb (wife of Amos)
(older woman below Ruth): Sarah Ann Goddard Claycomb (widow of G.W. and mother of F.E.) Matriarch of this family.
Amos Claycomb (son of F.E., husband of Ruth)
(above and to the right of Amos):  Edward D. Claycomb (son of F.E., husband of Isabelle)
Eleanor Claycomb Gochenour (daughter of F.E., wife of Arthur)
George F. Claycomb (son of F.E., husband of Helen)
Alta Louise Love (daughter of F.E., wife of Ray)

Bottom Row L-R:  John B. Claycomb (son of Amos and Ruth)
Mary Lou Gochenour (daughter of Arthur and Eleanor)
Elizabeth Love (daughter of Ray and Louise)
Ralph Claycomb (son of George and Helen)
Pete Claycomb (son of George and Helen)
George Edward (son of Amos and Ruth)
Anne T. Gochenour (holding her mother, Louise’s hand)
Frank E. Claycomb (son of Amos and Ruth)
Frank Claycomb Gochenour (son of Arthur and Eleanor)

I based the date of the photo as 1919 on young Barbara (baby in back row) who was born in December 1918.

Amos Claycomb’s Siblings & Their Spouses

These are the children of Anna Sarah Townsend and Frank Erwin Claycomb.  Back row:  L-R:  George Francis and Edward Denman.  Front row: L-R:  Alta Louise (Love), Amos Townsend, Eleanor Pierce (Gochenour).  The photo was taken the summer of 1919 in Sycamore, Illinois at the Gochenour home.

And these are the spouses of the Claycomb siblings.

L-R:  George’s wife: Helen Virginia Quarles
Louise’s husband: Ray Love
Amos’ wife: Ruth Bressler
Eleanor’s husband:  Arthur Gochenour
Edward’s wife: Isabel Peake

Thanks to Cousin C for her help in identifying folks!  Another photo taken this day shows more of the family – it’s posted here.