Elge’s name is a spellout of the initials L.G., which, according to a family member, stood for Lorne George. Elge was the son of Henry Rarrick and his first wife, Angeline Rans (best guess from these choices: Rans, Ranns, Rance, Rants), who married on 28 Feb 1861 in Fulton Co., Indiana. According to Angeline on the 1900 Census, the couple had six children together. I found names and some dates for five—Mary (7 Apr 1867 – 16 Jan 1933), Ellie (Dec 1869 – bef. 1880), Elge/L.G. (3 Jul 1872 – 25 Jun 1946), John (23 Nov 1875 – 25 Mar 1893), and Phebe (Jul 1881 – 1956).
I found Elge’s parents and older siblings on the 1870 Census, living in Aubbeenaubbee Township in Fulton Co., Indiana. Henry Rarrick, aged 34, was a farmer. Angeline, aged 26, was tending to their home and their two young daughters—Mary, aged 3, and 7-month-old Ellie.
Elge first appeared with his family on the 1880 Census. They were still living in Aubbeenaubbee Township. Henry Rarrick, aged 44, was busy farming. Angeline, aged 35, was busy at home, caring for Mary, aged 14, Elge (transcribed as Elise on the record), aged 7, and John, aged 4. Ellie was conspicuously absent.
On 30 Dec 1893, Elge married first-wife Mary Elizabeth “Lizzie” Horner in Delong, Fulton County. Lizzie was the daughter of Merit Horner and Matilda Stanton. Less than a month later, the stork showed up with son Eugene Hearison on 12 Jan 1894. Sister Elda M. joined the family on 24 Mar 1896, and Harry Claude on 10 Dec 1898.
Tragedy struck a year after Harry was born when Elge lost wife Lizzie on 7 Dec 1899, claimed by pneumonia when she was only about 25 years old. About twenty-five years later, Dr. Lloyd D. Felton, a Harvard Med School professor, would discover a new treatment for pneumonia that might have saved Lizzie and millions of others who developed the illness. Indiana winters can be harsh. It would have been a sad Christmas for Elge and his three children.
When the 1900 Census came due, Elge’s parents were still living in Aubbeenaubbee Township in Fulton County. Henry Rarrick, aged 64, was still actively farming. Angeline, aged 59, reported that of the six children she had brought into the world, three had already departed that world. The three living children were daughter Mary, who had married William H. Coughenour on 16 Jan 1896, daughter Phebe, aged 18, and Elge. After losing Lizzie, Elge, aged 27, had moved back in with his parents, and was working as a day laborer. Eugene, aged 6, and Elda, aged 4, were with him, being cared for by their grandmother while Elge was out working. Elge’s one-year-old son Harry was living with his other grandmother, Lizzie’s mother Matilda Leopold, and Lizzie’s step-father John Leopold.
In 1909, Elge lost track of time. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 4 Nov 1909 pg. 8) “Elge Rarrick had the misfortune to lose his gold watch near East Washington church Sunday night.”
On 23 Nov 1909, even without his gold watch, Elge managed to get to the church on time. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 25 Nov 1909 pg. 8) “Elge Rarrick and his wife, formerly Mrs. Mary Etta Davis, nee Vermillion, were calling in this neighborhood Monday. They were married Saturday evening by Rev. P. Whittaker at the brides’s frather’s home east of Lake Maxinkuckee. Many good wishes have they.” Two days later, the couple celebrated their first Thanksgiving together. It was also a second marriage for Mary. She had previously married Harry E. Davis on 21 Oct 1905 (they divorced), and she brought son Everett (b. ca. 1907), to her new marriage.
Sadly, a month after the wedding, there was a funeral. Elge’s mother Angeline had died on Christmas Day 25 Dec 1909. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 30 Dec 1909 pg. 8) – Mrs. Henry Rarrick died Saturday night after a long illness. She was 79 years old. Her son Elge and wife of near Poplar Grove came here Sunday.” According to the dates I found, Angeline was only 69 years old when she passed.
I found Elge’s family on the 1910 Census, living in Green Township, Marshall Co., Indiana. Elge Rarrick (L.G. Rarrie on the transcribed record), aged 37, was engaged in agriculture. Mary, aged 20, reported that she had only had one child. There with his mother and step-father was Everett Davis, aged 3. Not noted on that record was that Mary was five months along with the couple’s child. Son Clarence Albert arrived in late-summer on 24 Aug 1910.
Unfortunately, Elge’s marriage to Mary Etta was brief. After only two years, they separated. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 6 Apr 1911 pg. 1) “Elge Rarrick has moved into the J.L. Loser house, formerly occupied by Wallace Price.” For her part, Mary Etta married third-husband Marion E. Abair on 27 Sep 1912.
When he was about 21-years-old, Elge’s son Eugene joined the Canadian army. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 8 Jul 1915 pg. 2) “Eugene Rarrick, formerly of this place, is now at Shorncliffe, Kent, England, in the Canadian army. The writer received a letter from him last week.” (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 26 Aug 1915 pg. 2) “The writer has received a letter from Eugene Rarrick of the Canadian army in camp in Kent, Eng. He says he is camp cook. Gene soon will face the German bullets as the troops are nearly ready to go to the front. The censorship is very strict, so he is not allowed to say very much. The writer thinks he overestimates when he says there are 700,000 Canadian troops in England and 600,000 at the front. Gene is a Fulton county lad, hailing from this township. His father, Elgy (sic), lives near Lake Maxinkuckee.”
Elge’s daughter Elda had married Louis E. Galloway on 8 Oct 1913. Three years later, she died from complications of a pregnancy. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 18 May 1916 pg. 4) “Mrs. Elda Rarrick Galloway of Elkhart died Saturday and was brought here on the train Monday noon and buried in the Moons cemetery a short distance south of Leiter’s Ford. Her brother Eugene is in the British army in France. Her other brother, Harry, is in the state of Washington. Her father, Elzy (sic) Rarrick of Plymouth, came here on Sunday to complete the funeral arrangements. As Elda Rarrick she was known to quite a number of people of Culver as she was formerly employed there.”
(From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Wed 31 Oct 1917 pg. 4) “The writer has received a letter from Eugene Rarrick and wife from England. Eugene is being sent back to Canada hors du combat from rheumatism.” (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Wed 13 Feb 1918 pg. 4) “Elgy Rarrick of Plymouth was a caller Friday. His son Gene is in Canada recuperating from trench work.”
I couldn’t find Elge on the 1920 Census, but I suspect he was still in the same area. Elge’s son Clarence, aged 11, was living with his mother Mary and his step-father Marion Abair in Huntington, Indiana. He had two new little sisters—Lilly and Dorothy, and his step-brother Everett Davis, aged 13.
In 1928, Elge lost his aged father. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Wed 30 May 1928 pg. 4) “Henry Rarrick, of Plymouth, aged 92 years, passed away Thursday evening at his home in Plymouth. Funeral services conducted at the Sharon church Saturday afternoon, near Leiters, burial in adjoining cemetery. Mr. Rarrick was a former resident of this community, and several relatives and many friends survive. Rev. H.L. Adams conducted the services, music being furnished by the mixed quartet of Leiters Ford.”
I couldn’t find Elge on the 1930 Census either, but a newspaper clipping from 1933 placed him in Plymouth. Elge’s son Clarence, aged 19, was still with his mother and step-father, but they were living in Gary in Lake Co., Indiana. Both Clarence and step-brother Everett Davis were enumerated with the Abair surname, along with their half-sisters Lilly and Dorothy. I lost track of Clarence after that. I lost track of Clarence after that. He died at age 63 of a heart attack on 9 Nov 1973 in Richmond, Virginia.
Elge (L.G. on the record), aged 66 reappeared on the 1940 Census, living on Oak Hill Rd. in Plymouth, a lodger with Jerome and Kathryn Stroup. He was noted as widowed, and was no longer working. If he were indeed widowed, it wasn’t second-wife Mary who had died, as she lived to 1971.
Six years after that census, Elge died on 25 Jun 1946 at age 73, claimed by stomach cancer.
I found Elge’s parents and older siblings on the 1870 Census, living in Aubbeenaubbee Township in Fulton Co., Indiana. Henry Rarrick, aged 34, was a farmer. Angeline, aged 26, was tending to their home and their two young daughters—Mary, aged 3, and 7-month-old Ellie.
Elge first appeared with his family on the 1880 Census. They were still living in Aubbeenaubbee Township. Henry Rarrick, aged 44, was busy farming. Angeline, aged 35, was busy at home, caring for Mary, aged 14, Elge (transcribed as Elise on the record), aged 7, and John, aged 4. Ellie was conspicuously absent.
On 30 Dec 1893, Elge married first-wife Mary Elizabeth “Lizzie” Horner in Delong, Fulton County. Lizzie was the daughter of Merit Horner and Matilda Stanton. Less than a month later, the stork showed up with son Eugene Hearison on 12 Jan 1894. Sister Elda M. joined the family on 24 Mar 1896, and Harry Claude on 10 Dec 1898.
Tragedy struck a year after Harry was born when Elge lost wife Lizzie on 7 Dec 1899, claimed by pneumonia when she was only about 25 years old. About twenty-five years later, Dr. Lloyd D. Felton, a Harvard Med School professor, would discover a new treatment for pneumonia that might have saved Lizzie and millions of others who developed the illness. Indiana winters can be harsh. It would have been a sad Christmas for Elge and his three children.
When the 1900 Census came due, Elge’s parents were still living in Aubbeenaubbee Township in Fulton County. Henry Rarrick, aged 64, was still actively farming. Angeline, aged 59, reported that of the six children she had brought into the world, three had already departed that world. The three living children were daughter Mary, who had married William H. Coughenour on 16 Jan 1896, daughter Phebe, aged 18, and Elge. After losing Lizzie, Elge, aged 27, had moved back in with his parents, and was working as a day laborer. Eugene, aged 6, and Elda, aged 4, were with him, being cared for by their grandmother while Elge was out working. Elge’s one-year-old son Harry was living with his other grandmother, Lizzie’s mother Matilda Leopold, and Lizzie’s step-father John Leopold.
In 1909, Elge lost track of time. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 4 Nov 1909 pg. 8) “Elge Rarrick had the misfortune to lose his gold watch near East Washington church Sunday night.”
On 23 Nov 1909, even without his gold watch, Elge managed to get to the church on time. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 25 Nov 1909 pg. 8) “Elge Rarrick and his wife, formerly Mrs. Mary Etta Davis, nee Vermillion, were calling in this neighborhood Monday. They were married Saturday evening by Rev. P. Whittaker at the brides’s frather’s home east of Lake Maxinkuckee. Many good wishes have they.” Two days later, the couple celebrated their first Thanksgiving together. It was also a second marriage for Mary. She had previously married Harry E. Davis on 21 Oct 1905 (they divorced), and she brought son Everett (b. ca. 1907), to her new marriage.
Sadly, a month after the wedding, there was a funeral. Elge’s mother Angeline had died on Christmas Day 25 Dec 1909. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 30 Dec 1909 pg. 8) – Mrs. Henry Rarrick died Saturday night after a long illness. She was 79 years old. Her son Elge and wife of near Poplar Grove came here Sunday.” According to the dates I found, Angeline was only 69 years old when she passed.
I found Elge’s family on the 1910 Census, living in Green Township, Marshall Co., Indiana. Elge Rarrick (L.G. Rarrie on the transcribed record), aged 37, was engaged in agriculture. Mary, aged 20, reported that she had only had one child. There with his mother and step-father was Everett Davis, aged 3. Not noted on that record was that Mary was five months along with the couple’s child. Son Clarence Albert arrived in late-summer on 24 Aug 1910.
Unfortunately, Elge’s marriage to Mary Etta was brief. After only two years, they separated. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 6 Apr 1911 pg. 1) “Elge Rarrick has moved into the J.L. Loser house, formerly occupied by Wallace Price.” For her part, Mary Etta married third-husband Marion E. Abair on 27 Sep 1912.
When he was about 21-years-old, Elge’s son Eugene joined the Canadian army. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 8 Jul 1915 pg. 2) “Eugene Rarrick, formerly of this place, is now at Shorncliffe, Kent, England, in the Canadian army. The writer received a letter from him last week.” (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 26 Aug 1915 pg. 2) “The writer has received a letter from Eugene Rarrick of the Canadian army in camp in Kent, Eng. He says he is camp cook. Gene soon will face the German bullets as the troops are nearly ready to go to the front. The censorship is very strict, so he is not allowed to say very much. The writer thinks he overestimates when he says there are 700,000 Canadian troops in England and 600,000 at the front. Gene is a Fulton county lad, hailing from this township. His father, Elgy (sic), lives near Lake Maxinkuckee.”
Elge’s daughter Elda had married Louis E. Galloway on 8 Oct 1913. Three years later, she died from complications of a pregnancy. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 18 May 1916 pg. 4) “Mrs. Elda Rarrick Galloway of Elkhart died Saturday and was brought here on the train Monday noon and buried in the Moons cemetery a short distance south of Leiter’s Ford. Her brother Eugene is in the British army in France. Her other brother, Harry, is in the state of Washington. Her father, Elzy (sic) Rarrick of Plymouth, came here on Sunday to complete the funeral arrangements. As Elda Rarrick she was known to quite a number of people of Culver as she was formerly employed there.”
(From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Wed 31 Oct 1917 pg. 4) “The writer has received a letter from Eugene Rarrick and wife from England. Eugene is being sent back to Canada hors du combat from rheumatism.” (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Wed 13 Feb 1918 pg. 4) “Elgy Rarrick of Plymouth was a caller Friday. His son Gene is in Canada recuperating from trench work.”
I couldn’t find Elge on the 1920 Census, but I suspect he was still in the same area. Elge’s son Clarence, aged 11, was living with his mother Mary and his step-father Marion Abair in Huntington, Indiana. He had two new little sisters—Lilly and Dorothy, and his step-brother Everett Davis, aged 13.
In 1928, Elge lost his aged father. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Wed 30 May 1928 pg. 4) “Henry Rarrick, of Plymouth, aged 92 years, passed away Thursday evening at his home in Plymouth. Funeral services conducted at the Sharon church Saturday afternoon, near Leiters, burial in adjoining cemetery. Mr. Rarrick was a former resident of this community, and several relatives and many friends survive. Rev. H.L. Adams conducted the services, music being furnished by the mixed quartet of Leiters Ford.”
I couldn’t find Elge on the 1930 Census either, but a newspaper clipping from 1933 placed him in Plymouth. Elge’s son Clarence, aged 19, was still with his mother and step-father, but they were living in Gary in Lake Co., Indiana. Both Clarence and step-brother Everett Davis were enumerated with the Abair surname, along with their half-sisters Lilly and Dorothy. I lost track of Clarence after that. I lost track of Clarence after that. He died at age 63 of a heart attack on 9 Nov 1973 in Richmond, Virginia.
Elge (L.G. on the record), aged 66 reappeared on the 1940 Census, living on Oak Hill Rd. in Plymouth, a lodger with Jerome and Kathryn Stroup. He was noted as widowed, and was no longer working. If he were indeed widowed, it wasn’t second-wife Mary who had died, as she lived to 1971.
Six years after that census, Elge died on 25 Jun 1946 at age 73, claimed by stomach cancer.
Elge’s name is a spellout of the initials L.G., which, according to a family member, stood for Lorne George. Elge was the son of Henry Rarrick and his first wife, Angeline Rans (best guess from these choices: Rans, Ranns, Rance, Rants), who married on 28 Feb 1861 in Fulton Co., Indiana. According to Angeline on the 1900 Census, the couple had six children together. I found names and some dates for five—Mary (7 Apr 1867 – 16 Jan 1933), Ellie (Dec 1869 – bef. 1880), Elge/L.G. (3 Jul 1872 – 25 Jun 1946), John (23 Nov 1875 – 25 Mar 1893), and Phebe (Jul 1881 – 1956).
I found Elge’s parents and older siblings on the 1870 Census, living in Aubbeenaubbee Township in Fulton Co., Indiana. Henry Rarrick, aged 34, was a farmer. Angeline, aged 26, was tending to their home and their two young daughters—Mary, aged 3, and 7-month-old Ellie.
Elge first appeared with his family on the 1880 Census. They were still living in Aubbeenaubbee Township. Henry Rarrick, aged 44, was busy farming. Angeline, aged 35, was busy at home, caring for Mary, aged 14, Elge (transcribed as Elise on the record), aged 7, and John, aged 4. Ellie was conspicuously absent.
On 30 Dec 1893, Elge married first-wife Mary Elizabeth “Lizzie” Horner in Delong, Fulton County. Lizzie was the daughter of Merit Horner and Matilda Stanton. Less than a month later, the stork showed up with son Eugene Hearison on 12 Jan 1894. Sister Elda M. joined the family on 24 Mar 1896, and Harry Claude on 10 Dec 1898.
Tragedy struck a year after Harry was born when Elge lost wife Lizzie on 7 Dec 1899, claimed by pneumonia when she was only about 25 years old. About twenty-five years later, Dr. Lloyd D. Felton, a Harvard Med School professor, would discover a new treatment for pneumonia that might have saved Lizzie and millions of others who developed the illness. Indiana winters can be harsh. It would have been a sad Christmas for Elge and his three children.
When the 1900 Census came due, Elge’s parents were still living in Aubbeenaubbee Township in Fulton County. Henry Rarrick, aged 64, was still actively farming. Angeline, aged 59, reported that of the six children she had brought into the world, three had already departed that world. The three living children were daughter Mary, who had married William H. Coughenour on 16 Jan 1896, daughter Phebe, aged 18, and Elge. After losing Lizzie, Elge, aged 27, had moved back in with his parents, and was working as a day laborer. Eugene, aged 6, and Elda, aged 4, were with him, being cared for by their grandmother while Elge was out working. Elge’s one-year-old son Harry was living with his other grandmother, Lizzie’s mother Matilda Leopold, and Lizzie’s step-father John Leopold.
In 1909, Elge lost track of time. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 4 Nov 1909 pg. 8) “Elge Rarrick had the misfortune to lose his gold watch near East Washington church Sunday night.”
On 23 Nov 1909, even without his gold watch, Elge managed to get to the church on time. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 25 Nov 1909 pg. 8) “Elge Rarrick and his wife, formerly Mrs. Mary Etta Davis, nee Vermillion, were calling in this neighborhood Monday. They were married Saturday evening by Rev. P. Whittaker at the brides’s frather’s home east of Lake Maxinkuckee. Many good wishes have they.” Two days later, the couple celebrated their first Thanksgiving together. It was also a second marriage for Mary. She had previously married Harry E. Davis on 21 Oct 1905 (they divorced), and she brought son Everett (b. ca. 1907), to her new marriage.
Sadly, a month after the wedding, there was a funeral. Elge’s mother Angeline had died on Christmas Day 25 Dec 1909. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 30 Dec 1909 pg. 8) – Mrs. Henry Rarrick died Saturday night after a long illness. She was 79 years old. Her son Elge and wife of near Poplar Grove came here Sunday.” According to the dates I found, Angeline was only 69 years old when she passed.
I found Elge’s family on the 1910 Census, living in Green Township, Marshall Co., Indiana. Elge Rarrick (L.G. Rarrie on the transcribed record), aged 37, was engaged in agriculture. Mary, aged 20, reported that she had only had one child. There with his mother and step-father was Everett Davis, aged 3. Not noted on that record was that Mary was five months along with the couple’s child. Son Clarence Albert arrived in late-summer on 24 Aug 1910.
Unfortunately, Elge’s marriage to Mary Etta was brief. After only two years, they separated. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 6 Apr 1911 pg. 1) “Elge Rarrick has moved into the J.L. Loser house, formerly occupied by Wallace Price.” For her part, Mary Etta married third-husband Marion E. Abair on 27 Sep 1912.
When he was about 21-years-old, Elge’s son Eugene joined the Canadian army. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 8 Jul 1915 pg. 2) “Eugene Rarrick, formerly of this place, is now at Shorncliffe, Kent, England, in the Canadian army. The writer received a letter from him last week.” (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 26 Aug 1915 pg. 2) “The writer has received a letter from Eugene Rarrick of the Canadian army in camp in Kent, Eng. He says he is camp cook. Gene soon will face the German bullets as the troops are nearly ready to go to the front. The censorship is very strict, so he is not allowed to say very much. The writer thinks he overestimates when he says there are 700,000 Canadian troops in England and 600,000 at the front. Gene is a Fulton county lad, hailing from this township. His father, Elgy (sic), lives near Lake Maxinkuckee.”
Elge’s daughter Elda had married Louis E. Galloway on 8 Oct 1913. Three years later, she died from complications of a pregnancy. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 18 May 1916 pg. 4) “Mrs. Elda Rarrick Galloway of Elkhart died Saturday and was brought here on the train Monday noon and buried in the Moons cemetery a short distance south of Leiter’s Ford. Her brother Eugene is in the British army in France. Her other brother, Harry, is in the state of Washington. Her father, Elzy (sic) Rarrick of Plymouth, came here on Sunday to complete the funeral arrangements. As Elda Rarrick she was known to quite a number of people of Culver as she was formerly employed there.”
(From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Wed 31 Oct 1917 pg. 4) “The writer has received a letter from Eugene Rarrick and wife from England. Eugene is being sent back to Canada hors du combat from rheumatism.” (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Wed 13 Feb 1918 pg. 4) “Elgy Rarrick of Plymouth was a caller Friday. His son Gene is in Canada recuperating from trench work.”
I couldn’t find Elge on the 1920 Census, but I suspect he was still in the same area. Elge’s son Clarence, aged 11, was living with his mother Mary and his step-father Marion Abair in Huntington, Indiana. He had two new little sisters—Lilly and Dorothy, and his step-brother Everett Davis, aged 13.
In 1928, Elge lost his aged father. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Wed 30 May 1928 pg. 4) “Henry Rarrick, of Plymouth, aged 92 years, passed away Thursday evening at his home in Plymouth. Funeral services conducted at the Sharon church Saturday afternoon, near Leiters, burial in adjoining cemetery. Mr. Rarrick was a former resident of this community, and several relatives and many friends survive. Rev. H.L. Adams conducted the services, music being furnished by the mixed quartet of Leiters Ford.”
I couldn’t find Elge on the 1930 Census either, but a newspaper clipping from 1933 placed him in Plymouth. Elge’s son Clarence, aged 19, was still with his mother and step-father, but they were living in Gary in Lake Co., Indiana. Both Clarence and step-brother Everett Davis were enumerated with the Abair surname, along with their half-sisters Lilly and Dorothy. I lost track of Clarence after that. I lost track of Clarence after that. He died at age 63 of a heart attack on 9 Nov 1973 in Richmond, Virginia.
Elge (L.G. on the record), aged 66 reappeared on the 1940 Census, living on Oak Hill Rd. in Plymouth, a lodger with Jerome and Kathryn Stroup. He was noted as widowed, and was no longer working. If he were indeed widowed, it wasn’t second-wife Mary who had died, as she lived to 1971.
Six years after that census, Elge died on 25 Jun 1946 at age 73, claimed by stomach cancer.
I found Elge’s parents and older siblings on the 1870 Census, living in Aubbeenaubbee Township in Fulton Co., Indiana. Henry Rarrick, aged 34, was a farmer. Angeline, aged 26, was tending to their home and their two young daughters—Mary, aged 3, and 7-month-old Ellie.
Elge first appeared with his family on the 1880 Census. They were still living in Aubbeenaubbee Township. Henry Rarrick, aged 44, was busy farming. Angeline, aged 35, was busy at home, caring for Mary, aged 14, Elge (transcribed as Elise on the record), aged 7, and John, aged 4. Ellie was conspicuously absent.
On 30 Dec 1893, Elge married first-wife Mary Elizabeth “Lizzie” Horner in Delong, Fulton County. Lizzie was the daughter of Merit Horner and Matilda Stanton. Less than a month later, the stork showed up with son Eugene Hearison on 12 Jan 1894. Sister Elda M. joined the family on 24 Mar 1896, and Harry Claude on 10 Dec 1898.
Tragedy struck a year after Harry was born when Elge lost wife Lizzie on 7 Dec 1899, claimed by pneumonia when she was only about 25 years old. About twenty-five years later, Dr. Lloyd D. Felton, a Harvard Med School professor, would discover a new treatment for pneumonia that might have saved Lizzie and millions of others who developed the illness. Indiana winters can be harsh. It would have been a sad Christmas for Elge and his three children.
When the 1900 Census came due, Elge’s parents were still living in Aubbeenaubbee Township in Fulton County. Henry Rarrick, aged 64, was still actively farming. Angeline, aged 59, reported that of the six children she had brought into the world, three had already departed that world. The three living children were daughter Mary, who had married William H. Coughenour on 16 Jan 1896, daughter Phebe, aged 18, and Elge. After losing Lizzie, Elge, aged 27, had moved back in with his parents, and was working as a day laborer. Eugene, aged 6, and Elda, aged 4, were with him, being cared for by their grandmother while Elge was out working. Elge’s one-year-old son Harry was living with his other grandmother, Lizzie’s mother Matilda Leopold, and Lizzie’s step-father John Leopold.
In 1909, Elge lost track of time. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 4 Nov 1909 pg. 8) “Elge Rarrick had the misfortune to lose his gold watch near East Washington church Sunday night.”
On 23 Nov 1909, even without his gold watch, Elge managed to get to the church on time. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 25 Nov 1909 pg. 8) “Elge Rarrick and his wife, formerly Mrs. Mary Etta Davis, nee Vermillion, were calling in this neighborhood Monday. They were married Saturday evening by Rev. P. Whittaker at the brides’s frather’s home east of Lake Maxinkuckee. Many good wishes have they.” Two days later, the couple celebrated their first Thanksgiving together. It was also a second marriage for Mary. She had previously married Harry E. Davis on 21 Oct 1905 (they divorced), and she brought son Everett (b. ca. 1907), to her new marriage.
Sadly, a month after the wedding, there was a funeral. Elge’s mother Angeline had died on Christmas Day 25 Dec 1909. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 30 Dec 1909 pg. 8) – Mrs. Henry Rarrick died Saturday night after a long illness. She was 79 years old. Her son Elge and wife of near Poplar Grove came here Sunday.” According to the dates I found, Angeline was only 69 years old when she passed.
I found Elge’s family on the 1910 Census, living in Green Township, Marshall Co., Indiana. Elge Rarrick (L.G. Rarrie on the transcribed record), aged 37, was engaged in agriculture. Mary, aged 20, reported that she had only had one child. There with his mother and step-father was Everett Davis, aged 3. Not noted on that record was that Mary was five months along with the couple’s child. Son Clarence Albert arrived in late-summer on 24 Aug 1910.
Unfortunately, Elge’s marriage to Mary Etta was brief. After only two years, they separated. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 6 Apr 1911 pg. 1) “Elge Rarrick has moved into the J.L. Loser house, formerly occupied by Wallace Price.” For her part, Mary Etta married third-husband Marion E. Abair on 27 Sep 1912.
When he was about 21-years-old, Elge’s son Eugene joined the Canadian army. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 8 Jul 1915 pg. 2) “Eugene Rarrick, formerly of this place, is now at Shorncliffe, Kent, England, in the Canadian army. The writer received a letter from him last week.” (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 26 Aug 1915 pg. 2) “The writer has received a letter from Eugene Rarrick of the Canadian army in camp in Kent, Eng. He says he is camp cook. Gene soon will face the German bullets as the troops are nearly ready to go to the front. The censorship is very strict, so he is not allowed to say very much. The writer thinks he overestimates when he says there are 700,000 Canadian troops in England and 600,000 at the front. Gene is a Fulton county lad, hailing from this township. His father, Elgy (sic), lives near Lake Maxinkuckee.”
Elge’s daughter Elda had married Louis E. Galloway on 8 Oct 1913. Three years later, she died from complications of a pregnancy. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Thu 18 May 1916 pg. 4) “Mrs. Elda Rarrick Galloway of Elkhart died Saturday and was brought here on the train Monday noon and buried in the Moons cemetery a short distance south of Leiter’s Ford. Her brother Eugene is in the British army in France. Her other brother, Harry, is in the state of Washington. Her father, Elzy (sic) Rarrick of Plymouth, came here on Sunday to complete the funeral arrangements. As Elda Rarrick she was known to quite a number of people of Culver as she was formerly employed there.”
(From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Wed 31 Oct 1917 pg. 4) “The writer has received a letter from Eugene Rarrick and wife from England. Eugene is being sent back to Canada hors du combat from rheumatism.” (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Wed 13 Feb 1918 pg. 4) “Elgy Rarrick of Plymouth was a caller Friday. His son Gene is in Canada recuperating from trench work.”
I couldn’t find Elge on the 1920 Census, but I suspect he was still in the same area. Elge’s son Clarence, aged 11, was living with his mother Mary and his step-father Marion Abair in Huntington, Indiana. He had two new little sisters—Lilly and Dorothy, and his step-brother Everett Davis, aged 13.
In 1928, Elge lost his aged father. (From: The Culver Citizen, Culver, IN – Wed 30 May 1928 pg. 4) “Henry Rarrick, of Plymouth, aged 92 years, passed away Thursday evening at his home in Plymouth. Funeral services conducted at the Sharon church Saturday afternoon, near Leiters, burial in adjoining cemetery. Mr. Rarrick was a former resident of this community, and several relatives and many friends survive. Rev. H.L. Adams conducted the services, music being furnished by the mixed quartet of Leiters Ford.”
I couldn’t find Elge on the 1930 Census either, but a newspaper clipping from 1933 placed him in Plymouth. Elge’s son Clarence, aged 19, was still with his mother and step-father, but they were living in Gary in Lake Co., Indiana. Both Clarence and step-brother Everett Davis were enumerated with the Abair surname, along with their half-sisters Lilly and Dorothy. I lost track of Clarence after that. I lost track of Clarence after that. He died at age 63 of a heart attack on 9 Nov 1973 in Richmond, Virginia.
Elge (L.G. on the record), aged 66 reappeared on the 1940 Census, living on Oak Hill Rd. in Plymouth, a lodger with Jerome and Kathryn Stroup. He was noted as widowed, and was no longer working. If he were indeed widowed, it wasn’t second-wife Mary who had died, as she lived to 1971.
Six years after that census, Elge died on 25 Jun 1946 at age 73, claimed by stomach cancer.
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