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Claude
C. France |
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| Myrtle and Claude wedding portrait |
Claude C. France was born on Aug. 10, 1875 in Wood County, OH, the son of John C. and Rhoda (Van Horn) France.
He was of medium height and build, with blue eyes and brown hair.
On the Fourth of July 1897, when he would have been 22 years of age, Claude entered into the bonds of holy wedlock with 20-year-old Myrtle Marilla Littrick (June 1877- ? ), daughter of Robert B. and Abigail A. (Nowlin) Littrick. The nuptials were held in Grant County, IN.
Their wedding portrait photograph, seen here, was taken at Gusler Photo Company in Continental, OH.
The five children they produced together were Walter "Glenn" France, Cloyce L. France, Dolores M. France and George Lowell France plus one who died young between 1900-1910..
Circa 1900, the Frances resided in Findlay, Hancock County, OH, at 113 Morse Street. Claude's occupation at that time was as an assistant forger in a tool works.
Claude and Myrtle remained in Findlay during the decade of the 1900s and into 1910. Claude made a living in 1910 as the driver of a huckster wagon.
The family pulled up stakes in Ohio and moved to Indiana sometime between 1913 and 1918. They settled in the city of Marion, Grant County, IN.
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| West side of the square in Marion, IN |
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| Wedding portrait |
Despite his age of 43, Claude was required to register for the military draft during World War I. He disclosed his occupation as self-employed "cab driver" and address of 1023 South Branson Street.
When the federal census enumeration was made in 1920, Claude earned income as a taxi driver -- "chauffeur" -- in Marion.
The 1930 United States Census shows the Frances remaining in Marion, with Claude working as a shipping clerk for a grocery. Their home was located on West 15th Street.
Myrtle reputedly died on Oct. 28, 1931, at the age of 54. Details are not yet known.
Claude's whereabouts have not yet been located in the 1940 census.
Claude died in Shawnee Mission, KS in April 1965, near where his son George was living.
The remains are believed to have been transported back to Indiana to sleep for all time beside his wife in Grant Memorial Park in Marion.
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| Glenn France |
~ Son Walter "Glenn" France ~
Son Walter "Glenn" France (1898-1980) was born in June 1898, presumably in or around Findlay, Hancock County, OH. He relocated to Indiana as a boy with his parents.
At the age of 21, in 1920, he lived at home in Marion, IN and was employed as a clerk in a shoe store.
In time, he secured employment with General Electric Company.
His address in 1980 was 2110 Senior Drive in Fort Wayne, Allen County, IN.
Sadly, Glenn died in the Lutheran Home in Fort Wayne on May 22, 1980. Burial of the remains was in Eel River Cemetery in Churubusco, IN. Patricia Barr, of Appleton, WI, was the informant for his Indiana certificate of death.
~ Son Cloyce L. France ~
Son Cloyce L. France (1902-1930) was born in about 1902 in Findlay, Hancock County, OH. In boyhood, he migrated with his parents to Indiana.
In 1920, at the age of 18, he and his father both worked as taxi drivers in Marion, Grant County, IN. He is known to have been robbed of $10 from a passenger "who had hired him to tke him to an isolated sport in South Marion," reported the Logansport (IN) Pharos Tribune.
Sadly, Cloyce is believed to have died on June 5, 1930 at the age of 28. This is not confirmed.
~ Daughter Dolores Margaret (France) Geyer ~
Daughter Dolores Margaret France (1906-1986) was born on July 18, 1906 in Findlay, Hancock County, OH.
Single at the age of 23, in 1930, and living with her parents in Marion, IN, she earned income as a bookkeeper for a local factory.
On the Fourth of July 1931, she was joined in holy matrimony with Frederick Chester Guyer (1896-1977), a native of Boston, MA. Their wedding ceremony was held in Grant County, IN.
The couple bore at least one son, David France Geyer.
They dwelled at 316 West 15th Street in Marion. At the time of the birth of their son in 1932, the 36-year-old Frederick worked as a salesman for a drug company.
Evidence hints that the pair divorced by 1940. Dolores is marked as such in the 1940 U.S. Census, living in Marion, with Frederick in Port Arthur, TX, employed as a seaman with a marine company. She supported herself in 1940 as a stenographer for a law office.
Frederick reputedly died on July 24, 1977.
Death carried Dolores away into eternity on Jan. 2, 1986, in Newhall, Los Angeles County, CA.
Son David France Geyer (1932-2007) was born on May 22, 1932 in Marion, Grant County, IN. Dr. Grace Besh Boyer assisted in the birth. He joined the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, attaining the rank of airman first class. His final years were spent in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, CA. He passed away on Jan. 24, 2007. Interment was in Riverside National Cemetery in California.
~ Son George Lowell France ~
Son George Lowell France (1912-1994) was born on May 31, 1912 in Mortimer, OH. He joined his parents in a move to Indiana during his youth.
In the summers, George worked in the restaurant owned by his uncle Forest "Faye" France in Continental, Putnam County, OH.
He entered into marriage with Lillian Berdeen (June 30, 1912-2004), a native of La Porte, IN.
They became the parents of Allen "Lee" France and Larry C. France.
The family residence in 1934 was at 1320 Maple Avenue in Marion, IN. At that time, George earned a living as a meat packer for Snyders.
Later in the year 1934, with the nation still in the grip of the Great Depression, the Frances uprooted and moved to Kansas City, MO. George found work there as proprietor of a gasoline filling station. Their address in 1940 was on 41st Street, with George's 31-year-old sister-in-law Harriet R. Horn living under their roof.
George eventually became employed by Trans World Airlines Inc., working there for 36 years. He retired as a foreman and was a member of the TWA Retirees' Club.
The couple belonged to Southminster Presbyterian Church. Their final home together was in Roeland Park near Kansas City. They also had a second residence in Arizona.
George passed away in Sun City near Phoenix, AZ on March 29, 1994, just two days before what would have been his 82nd birthday. Obituaries in the Kansas City Star and Arizona Republic said that funeral services were held in Newcomer's Overland Park Chapel, with interment in Johnson County Memorial Gardens Cemetery. His survivors included eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Lillian lived for another decade. She died in Olathe, KS at the age of 92 on Sept. 27, 2004. Burial was in Overland Park, KS.
Son Allen "Lee" France (1934- ? ) was born on Nov. 8, 1934 in Marion, IN. He moved in childhood to Kansas City with his parents. In about 1954, he is thought to have married Carolyn Joyce Brown ( ? - ? ), daughter of Guy L. Brown of Kansas City. He is believed to have joined Olinkraft Inc. in 1963 and was named sales manager for the company's corrugated container plant in 1971. Circa 1967, he was elected president of the new Sunflower Sertoma Club, an organization providing service to mankind through community projects. Lee resided in Overland Park, KS in 1967-1994.
Son Larry C. France (1939- ? ) was born in about 1939 in Kansas City, MO. He established a home in Gallatin Gateway, MT and was there in 2004.
Copyright © 2003, 2006, 2013, 2019, 2021 Mark A. Miner