When I was 12 years old, my grandfather Louis McCreary died suddenly. As family does, we had gathered at his home with my grandmother. A relative or family friend announced that my grandfather had been married before and had fathered a child with this other wife. News to my mother and his grandchildren...including me. Grandma didn't deny it. We knew that my grandmother had a previous marriage. My mother had an older half brother, Ronald Zeisneiss, who was married and had children with which we had celebrated Christmases and birthdays and Sunday dinners. But it had never been mentioned that my grandfather had also been married. It was also not mentioned by my grandmother again. I guess that family secret wasn't to be talked about. And it always nagged at me.
A couple of years ago, I started looking to see if I could find out information on this previous marriage. On Family Search, I found his marriage to Flora Fay Burch on August 12, 1926. Her parents, J.W. Burch and Elnora Bundy were witnesses on the marriage certificate. And my grandfather's parents, James McCreary and Hannah Rhodes, were also on the certificate. Flora was just 18 and Louis 23. I found Louis and Flora living in Melbourne, Iowa in the 1930 census (living right next door to my grandmother, his second wife...but that is a story for another day), but no child was mentioned. I also researched local newspapers available on-line to see if there was any birth or death announcement, but could find nothing. A few months ago, I tried again on Family Search and on Ancestry and found a child had been born to them Jardine Joan McCreary born April 21, 1927. But I could find no more evidence of the child. Again, no mention in newspapers. I did find that Flora remarried and went on to have other children. But Jardine wasn't mentioned with the new family. I couldn't find any mention of her again.
So I dropped it until just recently. I found one of those leaves, like is shown on the Ancestry commercials, on her name in my Ancestry family tree. When I clicked on it, it lead me to U.S. Find a Grave Index. And to that a grave in the Melbourne Memorial Garden cemetery outside of Melbourne, IA where Flora and Louis lived when this baby was born. I will need to go the Melbourne to take a look, but the Find a Grave index shows that child to have been born and died on April 16, 1927. A few days earlier than what was recorded on the Family Search birth notice. And her name is listed as Jeraldine Joan. Flora and Louis McCreary are listed as her parents. I'm not sure where the information has been transcribed incorrectly on the birth information or on the death information. But I'm pretty confident the mystery is solved. My grandfather was married before and did father a child with his first wife. The baby was born approximately 8 months after the marriage. Maybe Flora was pregnant and that was why they married. Maybe the baby came early. It isn't likely I will know. Maybe it was too painful for Grandpa to speak of. Sadly, that isn't the only child he wold lose. The first child he fathered with my Grandmother also died within a few days of birth.
Funny thing is...I visited this cemetery last fall, but had no idea that baby Jardine/Jeraldine was there. I took the picture above from that cemetery. I will have to go back and see if I can find her.
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