Thursday, October 26, 2017

Clan William: The Much Married Olive Clawson

Edwardian Bride, Harrison Fisher
Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel (2nd) Munson > Freeman Munson > Miles Munson > Mary Munson > Olive Clawson 

I didn't think I'd run across a gal married as frequently as my great great aunt Mary, who was married four times to three men. Then, I ran across Olive Clawson, who in the course of under 10 years married five times, with a startling three divorces, one annulment, and finally, a lasting love. Maybe.

Miles Munson and Celarcia Humason had only one child, a daughter, Mary, born in Dec 1861 in Trumbull County, Ohio. Mary married Emerson Clawson in 1878. He had been born in Fowler township in Trumbull County, 18 Jun 1857, the youngest child of 11. Miles and Celarcia died in Trumbull County in 1895 and 1912 respectively.

Daughter Mary had four children after her marriage: Hazel, Glen, Olive, and Lucy. Mary died at the age of 44, when Olive was 16 years old, in Sep 1906 at Warren, Ohio. Three years later, Emerson married Miss Helena Carton. They resided in Pennsylvania at the time of their deaths.

Olive started her serial marriage career on 19 Sep 1910, when she married William J Babcock. On 15 Mar 1913, she married George Miller in Essex, Ontario. Their divorce was pending in Michigan when Olive married Martin Schott - who, eight days after marrying his bride at the end of 1913 or very first of 1914, discovered a court summons for Olive to appear in court related to her unfinished divorce. Schott claimed to have no idea she was previously married and requested an annulment. It was granted it in short order. Olive didn't let any grass grow though, she married yet again, this time to Bernard Briscoe Watkins on 03 Aug 1914 in Pontiac, Michigan.  Bernard, it would appear, is also a multi-marrying kind of guy. This was his third. That marriage also ended in divorce. Just as a side note, the 1930 census would have him doing time in a county prison in Chatham County, Georgia.

Finally, on 10 Jul 1917, she married her last husband (that I can find), Hugh Albert Hooke, who was born 15 Mar 1882 in Delaware, Indiana, son of farmer Lewis Hooke and Lucy Moomaw. The subsequent years found him earning his living as a registered pharmacist at the Hook Drug Co in Indianapolis. There does not appear to be any connection between Hugh Hooke and Hook Drugs, which was a big Indianapolis Pharmacy chain. But, Hugh and "the Hooks" of the pharma chain are buried in the same cemetery, so who knows? He died in Indianapolis on 26 Feb 1964 after a long bout with dementia. She was listed as informant with two addresses: 116 Pinehurst, C33, New York City, NY and 2258 North Meridian, Indianapolis. She lived on until 26 Apr 1980 and died in Alpena County, Michigan.

I'd love to know why she was living in New York? Her sister Hazel Clawson Whelan was living in New York at one time...more to be discovered.


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