Here's a conundrum....

Question

Yesterday it was my distant cousin's wife having lived out her days in state hospitals. Today it's one of their sons and his first wife. I am posting this on the off chance that somebody can help explain this.

I was able to find enough of a (virtual) paper trail to create the profile of Elias Williams (Williams-95857). His wife was named Bessie Blinn. (I have not created a profile for her.) Among their 3 children was a daughter Ollie M, age 5 in the 1920 census.

I've documented and sourced the rest of what I can find concerning Ollie in her profile notes (Williams-95862).

In summary, there is a marriage record of Ollie Mae Williams and Roy Brazelton, dated1932. Her parents are listed as Elias and Bessie. A marriage record dated 1938 shows the names Ollie Mae Runyan, divorced, and Robert Sherman Comings. Her parents again are listed as Elias and Bessie. How she came by the name Runyan is the big mystery here, as the 1938 marriage certificate says it is her second marriage. A divorce record for the marriage to Roy Brazelton cannot be found.

A 1947 city directory lists Robert and his wife Ollie.

Robert S Comings married Eileen Kintner in 1962 in Monterey. Assuming this is the same man (the approximate year of birth matches), no records can be found to explain how he was free to remarry, i.e. no divorce nor death records.

Adding to the confusion is a record with no attached original document of a marriage between "Robert Sherman Comings [Robert Sherman Haien]" (?), age 46, birth date "about 1916," and Elizabeth Madeline Rohlfs, age 67, birth date "about 1895," marriage date "about 1962."

And the icing on the cake is yet another marriage record of an "Elizabet M Rohlfs," birth year "about 1895," age 67, marrying Victor H Horstman, age 65, on 4 February 1962 in Alameda. There is also a record of Victor marrying Elizabet M Monahan that very same day, in that very same location. Further research reveals that Monahan was her maiden name and Rohlfs was her first married name.

I am thoroughly confused.

Anyway... if anyone can fill in any of the gaping holes in these people's records, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Answer 1

Not much help, but I did find the WW 2 Draft Registration for husband Robert on Ancestry where she is listed as R S Ollie May Comings.  The R S is for Mrs. R S (Ollie) (May) Comings per the image.  https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=2238&h=107209276&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=2469    If this doesn't work for you try copying this to her Profile.  {{Ancestry Record|2238|107209276}}

R S Ollie May Comings

Gender: Female
Relationship to Draftee: Wife
Registration Place: California, USA

Next of Kin: Robert Sherman Comings

As to the other Alice Williams mentioned in the Family Tree on Ancestry on Ollie's Profile, seems a bit of mixed up records and she is conflated with your Ollie.  Here is the Social Security Application for her which is not included as a source on that Tree.

Alice Marie Marshall [Alice Marie Williams] [Alice Williams]

Gender: Female
Race: Black
Birth Date: 16 Mar 1915
Birth Place: Waco, Texas [Dallas, Texas]
Death Date: 26 Sep 1988
Father: Albert Marshall
Mother: Mamie Washington
Notes: Nov 1936: Name listed as ALICE MARIE MARSHALL; May 1949: Name listed as ALICE MARIE WILLIAMS; 19 Oct 1988: Name listed as ALICE M WILLIAMS
Edited: Ooops, forgot to add Ancestry link. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/36827806:60901

So I feel you can remove her as a lead. And never trust a Family Tree either on Ancestry, Familysearch, Myheritage, et al.  LOL

Good luck

Comments

Great job finding that draft card! Thanks! I can only access Ancestry through the public library version (which they have made accessible online because of you-know-what, and I hope the online access continues when we get back to normal). But I did manage to get to it by searching military records via that portal.

Yeah, there's a lot of useless and incorrect data out there on the net.... I was highly suspicious of "Alice" as there were no documents attached to back her up. In cases like that, I will sometimes list the information with a disclaimer about lack of supporting documents, if nothing else so if and when I go back to that person, I'll at least have a record of where I've been research-wise.

Ain't this fun?  :)

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Didn't know they let you access the Portal Ancestry from home Carolyn, that's great.

When I clicked the Ancestry links you had, I hit the Portal login and though I am an Ancestry Subscriber, I had to jump to my Ancestry to view them.  The problem with Ancestry is they change the exact language of their links which makes them unusable in the future.  They are in the process of updating many of their links right now.  Use the WikiTree Ancestry Template(s) which make a direct call to the record and keeps that dead link "File not Found" bug-a-boo or the Portal Login away. .  Here is the WikiTree Help:Links to Ancestry   Of course this only works for those with access.  But it's a start. 

And yes, more fun than any single human being should have.  ;)

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I discovered the Ancestry library access quite by accident, actually. And because you know how it is with us old folks (we forget stuff) I don't remember exactly how I got there! It must have been a link from the library website, though, because otherwise I would not have known that the secret door into the treasure cave is "ancestrylibrary.com." I did have to sign in with my library card and all that, so it must have been the library website.... I am hoping they don't take away the from-home access when the libraries reopen, but even if they do, well, my public library is only about a mile away. :)

Back to the fun!