Tuesday, January 22, 2013

My grandfather's oldest sister - Luella Jane Hoover Kortright White Nicholson

Luella Jane was the first child of Frank and Lulu Hoover.  She was born in Wayne County on March 29, 1892.  In the 1900 Census I found she and her sister living with their aunt, Lizzie Craft, this was after their father had died and their mother had remarried.  Luella married John J Kortright on February 16, 1907 in Richmond, Indiana.  She and John were married for a few years and they had three children, James, Elizabeth and Anna.  John and Luella divorced after a few years.  I still haven't found divorce records.  According to family members John spent some time in prison in Michigan City, Indiana.  Is it possible to get prison records?  Maybe I need to research this.  I do know that after Luella remarried John came to visit and was friendly with her second husband and still had a friendship with her brother, Jim.  


Luella's next marriage was to Homer Floyd White who went by the name "Jack". They were married in September 1914 in Richmond, Indiana.  Their first son, Richard,  was born in 1918 in Indiana.  They had five more children, four of whom died by age two, one was stillborn.  Their last child, Paul, is still living.  I have spoken to him and he has given me information and I plan on talking with him more.  He is a treasure trove of family information.  I have also spoken with a couple of Luella's grandchildren who are in their 80's and have many family memories.  


According to family members, Luella and "Jack"  both spent time working in a traveling carnival.  At that time  the country was in dire economic times and jobs were hard to find.  They traveled with the carnival for a few years and Luella had a snake act.   She apparently wore costumes that were risque for that time period.  Her grandson says  there are pictures!!  I haven't been able to locate any yet, but family members say they still exist.  I guess "Jack"  at one point had an act where he jumped things with a bicycle.  I was told there were some very close calls with that act.   

"Jack" died July 18, 1934 of a stroke.  He is buried at Chester Cemetery along with his children.

Luella married for a third time to Verlin Nicholson.  I don't know when she married Verlin, but I found them in a city directory in 1951.   Luella was still listed as a widow in 1940. So they married between 1940 and 1951.  One of the grandsons said,  "Mr Nicholson was a nice man".  
Verlin died in 1955.




Luella died March 14, 1958.  I was very young so I don't have any memories of her.  

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