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Merwin Cephas Disbrow |
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Dora Elizabeth Padgett |
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Merwin Cephas Disbrow (Lavoisier, Cora) was born as a twin HA18 on June 16, 1902 MI6, WO1, SE12 in Bangor Township, Van Buren County,
Michigan SE12. His parents resided in Bangor Township at
the time of the 1900 and 1910 censuses. Merwin married Dora Padgett on
September 24, 1927 in Dansville, Ingham County, Michigan MI2, MR7. The record of their marriage stated that
Merwin was twenty-five years old, he was the son of “Laboysiel”,
and his mother’s maiden name was Easton MI2. Dora “Badgett”
was eighteen and the daughter of James, and Dora’s mother’s maiden
name was Hale MI2. The
marriage record indicated that Merwin was a papermaker, and that their ceremony
was officiated by Nora M. Janes, a minister, and witnessed by M.E. and Mabel Frary MI2.
In 1930, Merwin was
a laborer in the paper mill in Watervliet, according to that year’s census.
During the first week of February 1933, he and his family moved from the “Jake
Weber residence on Elm street to the Allen addition” TH18. Allen Court and Allin
Court were both scrawled on two pages of the 1940 census for Watervliet, and
this street was probably the Allen addition which was mentioned in the
newspaper notice. His family moved again during the first week of July 1940
when he bought
the home of the deceased Mrs. Lizzie Stafford in the “Wia addition” TH21. Merwin and Dora
have not yet been located anywhere in the 1940 census, despite extensive
searching, but on April 8, 1940, the census enumerator recorded that Elizabeth
B. Stafford, age fifty-nine, lived with her son at 221 St. Joe (St. Joseph
Street) in Watervliet, Michigan. This was probably the house that Merwin
Disbrow purchased.
Merwin’s
World War II draft registration card, dated February 16, 1942, stated that he
was five feet, two inches, weighed about 120 pounds, and had brown eyes, brown
hair, and a light complexion SE12.
Rather than giving his first, middle, and last names, his written name on the
registration card stated “Merwin C. (initial only) Disbrow” SE12. At that time, he lived in Watervliet, Berrien County,
Michigan, and worked at the Watervliet Paper Company SE12. No street address was listed, but the “name and address of
person who will always know your address” was Dora Disbrow who lived at 221
Park Street in Watervliet, but the word “Park” actually more
closely resembled the word “Pork” SE12. This address does not seem to exist, but 221
West St. Joseph Street seems to be located extremely close in proximity to Park
Street.
On September 18, 1944, they moved from Park Street in
Watervliet to Cheboygan TH22 and three evenings prior, a farewell party was
hosted by Merwin and Dora’s fellow Sunday School members at the Methodist
Sunday School TH23. The Disbrow family
did not stay in Cheboygan for long, though, because the May 3, 1947 edition of The
News-Palladium recorded that they moved from “the Mrs. Amelia Hutchins
house to their new home in Lawndale” TH24,
which meant they had already moved back to southwest Michigan in or before
1947. Merwin C. Disbrow was enumerated in Watervliet, Berrien County,
Michigan in the 1950 US Census UN19. At
this time, he was forty-eight years old and was married, but was not enumerated
with his wife UN19. He was enumerated
with three of his children who were all born in Michigan; these were Patty J.,
age seventeen Margaret E., age fifteen, and Harold M., age thirteen UN19. He stated that his birthplace was Michigan UN19. In 1950, Merwin worked forty-eight hours per week as a helper
for a coating machine in a paper mill UN19. An
article dated September 5, 1953 regarding the college plans of their daughter,
Margaret, stated that her parents resided in South Bend, Indiana WA23. Merwin
C. Disbrow was a machine operator at Allied Paper in Kalamazoo in 1955, and he
and Dora resided at 2233 S. Burdick Street at that time US17. In 1959, Merwin was a janitor employed
by Bronson Hospital, and he lived at 496 W. Michigan Avenue, Apt. 5 in
Kalamazoo US17.
In 1960, Merwin was a “hsemn” (perhaps house man) at
Bronson Methodist Hospital, and he lived at 117 East Walnut Street in Kalamazoo
US17.
Merwin died on November
18, 1982 in Kalamazoo, Michigan MI6, WO1 and was buried at Maple Hill Cemetery, Hartford, Van Buren,
Michigan ME6. His Kalamazoo County death certificate
stated that Merwin Cephas Disbrow had resided at 53399 60th Street in Hartford and died at 1:30pm at
Bronson Methodist Hospital from carcinoma of the colon, which had metastasized
to his liver, from which he suffered for a duration of three months. Merwin’s
obituary stated
ME6:
HARTFORD--Merwin C. Disbrow, 80, 53399 60th St.,
Hartford, died Thursday afternoon at Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo. Funeral
services will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. at Calvin Funeral Home,
Hartford, where friends may call after 4 p.m. today. Burial will be in Maple
Hill Cemetery, Hartford. Memorials may be made to the burn unit at Bronson
Methodist Hospital. Mr. Disbrow was born June 16, 1902, in Bangor. He was
employed at Bronson Methodist Hospital as a custodian from 1962 until 1972 and
prior to that, was employed at Watervliet Paper Co. Survivors include: two
daughters--Mrs. Harold (Patty) Hunt of Watervliet and Mrs.
William R. (Margaret) Burton of Galesburg; a son, Harold of Bangor; 20
grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and two brothers--Warren of Mesa,
Ariz., and Donald of Hartford. He was preceded in death by his wife, the former
Dora Padgett, May 5, 1966, and by two daughters--Mable Hilton in 1970 and Mary
Lou Welty in 1982.
·
1910 US
Census: lived in Bangor Township, Van Buren County, Michigan.
·
1920 US
Census: lived in Bangor Township, Van Buren County, Michigan.
·
1930 US
Census:
lived in Watervliet City, Berrien County, Michigan.
·
1950
US Census: lived in Watervliet City, Berrien County, Michigan.
Dora Elizabeth Padgett (James, Myrtle) was born on March 17, 1909 US26, MR7, WO1 in Covert Township, Van
Buren County, Michigan MR7, WO1. At the time of the 1910 census, she was one year and one
month old. Her middle name was “Elizabeth”, according to her daughter, Margaret
Burton WO1. She was ten years old and an orphan in
the 1920 census year, and she lived with her grandparents, George
and Jane Hale.
Dora
was the mother of Mabel Hilton, Mary Lou Welty, Patty Jean Hunt, Margaret
Burton, and Harold Disbrow MR7, PA16, WO1. Mabel LaVerne was
born on October 28, 1928 US26, WO1.
The marriage record for Mabel LaVerne Disbrow stated
that she was born about 1929 in Hartford Township, Michigan to Merwin C.
Disbrow and Dora Padgett and married Ernest Osmer
Graham on July 22, 1945 in Watervliet, Berrien County, Michigan MI23. Mabel Hilton died in March 1970 US26. Mary Lou was born
on March 24, 1931 WO1 and
died on October 12, 1982 MI6. Patty J. Disbrow, the daughter of
Merwin and Dora Disbrow, was called Patty Jean PA16 and was born on December 12, 1932 PA16, US26 in Watervliet, Michigan PA16. She was a registered nurse and married Harold F. Hunt, but
following his death, married Jim Merrifield PA16.
Patty died on March 22, 2009 PA16, US26. Margaret Eleanor was born on June 2,
1935 WO1. Harold Merwin Disbrow
was born on February 27, 1937 US26, WO1 and
died on November 10, 2012 US26.
Dora was involved in the Esther Circle of the Watervliet
Methodist Church in 1947 WA22, and
according to her grandson, Bruce Welty, both she and Merwin enjoyed fishing. Dora Disbrow was enumerated as a practical nurse who resided at Healthwin Tuberculosis Hospital in Clay Township,
St. Joseph County, Indiana in the 1950 US Census UN19. At this time, she was forty-one years
old and was married, but probably for reasons of employment was living
separately from Merwin UN19. She
worked forty-four hours per week for the county at this hospital and was
enumerated with other employees of Healthwin Tuberculosis
Hospital, such as other nurses and practical nurses, orderlies, janitors,
laundresses, firemen, maids, painters, and gardeners UN19. She stated that her birthplace was Michigan
UN19.
She was asked additional questions and stated that one year prior (1949), she
did not live at this same residence, but she did live in the same county UN19. However, she also stated that one year
prior (1949), she resided in Berrien County, Michigan and worked thirty weeks
out of that year UN19.
She stated that the highest grade she completed was the 11th grade UN19.
Dora’s daughter, Patty, was a nursing
student at Benton Harbor Hospital in September 1951, and her son, Harold,
suffered a fractured hip when he fell from his bicycle that same month, which
required a stay at Mercy Hospital in Watervliet FA19. According to the 1956 Kalamazoo City Directory, Mrs. Dora Disbrow was a factory worker at Sutherland Paper,
and her address was 822 Shumway (which may have been in Portage, south of
Kalamazoo), but Merwin was not mentioned in this directory US17. In 1960, Dora E. Disbrow was listed
in the Kalamazoo City Directory as a
nurse who was employed at Bronson Methodist Hospital US17.
At the time of her
death in 1966, she and Merwin lived on Route 1 in Vicksburg, Michigan. She died
at age fifty-seven on May 5, 1966 in Bronson Hospital, Kalamazoo, Michigan MR7, DI3. The deaths of both Dora and her
daughter, Mabel LaVerne Hilton, were each caused by
pulmonary fibrosis, according to Norine Wolfe WO1. Her Kalamazoo County death certificate
stated that Dora’s death was caused by cor pulmonale,
which had begun about three months prior, and pulmonary fibrosis was a
contributing factor. Her death certificate indicated that death occurred just
two years after her diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis. Her funeral, officiated by
Reverend George Mitchell, was held at Calvin Funeral Home in Hartford, Michigan
at 2:00pm on May 9, 1966, and she was buried at Maple Hill Cemetery MR7, DI3. Those who bore her casket were Lindell
Carlisle, Maurice VanDeWiele, Dennis Disbrow, Elmer
DeMay, Otto Watkins, Jr., and Curtis Welty DI3.
She and Merwin share the same gravestone. Her obituary stated MR7:
Hartford – Mrs.
Merwin (Dora E.) Disbrow, 58 [sic],
of route 1, Vicksburg, formerly of Watervliet, died Thursday in Bronson
hospital, Kalamazoo. Mrs. Disbrow was born Mar. 17,
1909, in Covert township, the daughter of James and Myrtle Padgett. On Sept.
24, 1927, in Dansville, Mich., she married Merwin Disbrow. Besides her husband,
survivors include four daughters, Mrs. Robert (Mable)
Hilton of Schoolcraft, Mrs. Basil (Mary Lou) Welty of Hartford, Mrs. Harold
(Patty Jean) Hunt of Union City and Mrs. William (Margaret) Burton of San Jose,
Calif.; one son, Harold of Vicksburg; 14 grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Marvin
Frary of Grass Lake; and several nieces and nephews.
A brother, George, preceded her in death. Funeral services will be held Monday
at 2 p.m. in the Calvin funeral home, Hartford. The Rev. George Mitchell,
pastor of the Assembly of God of Vicksburg, will officiate. Burial will be in
Mable [sic] Hill cemetery.
·
1910 US
Census: lived in Mancelona, Antrim County, Michigan.
·
1920 US Census: lived in Mancelona, Antrim County,
Michigan.
·
1930 US Census: lived in Watervliet City, Berrien County,
Michigan.
·
1950
US Census: lived at Healthwin Tuberculosis Hospital
in Clay Township, St. Joseph County, Indiana.
