Francis Augustus Bender (1889 - 1930)

Born 13 Aug 1889 in Onondaga Township, Ingham, Michigan, United States

Ancestors

Died 15 Oct 1930 at age 41 in Seattle, King, Washington, United States

Biography

The son of George Bender and Nellie (Vorce) Giddings, Frank was born in Onondaga Township in 1889.^[1] It's not known what became of his father, but his mother remarried in 1893, marrying John Giddings. It's not known, either, where Frank lived immediately after his mother remarried; while his older brother, Theodore lived with his mother and stepfather, along with his stepsister and maternal grandfather, Frank does not appear in the household on the 1900 census. His mother passed away in 1905 and his stepfather remarried; his and grandfather, William Vorce, set up their own household, but Frank was not in it. Frank went west, settling in Washington state. He married Marie E. Lannan (Lauman?), the daughter of Michael Lauman and Genevieve Murphy, in Pierce County, Washington on June 29, 1913.^[2] They had two children together:

1. Louise Genevieve Bender (1914-)
2. Robert Eugene Bender (1919-1991)

They made their home in Ellensburg, and Frank worked as a switchman for the railroad, having been a cigar dealer at the time of the marriage.^[3]

Frank and Marie divorced; and he died from the effects of tuberculosis at the age of 41, having been admitted to Laurel Beach Sanitorium in Seattle. The informant was his brother, Theodore; the death certificate noted that Frank's occupation was a merchant, and his business was Bender & Briley in Seattle.^[4][5]

Sources

1. ↑ "Michigan, County Births, 1867-1917," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPWX-R1M1 : 18 November 2020), Frank Bender, 13 Aug 1889; citing Birth, various county courts, Michigan.
2. ↑ "Washington, Pierce County Marriage Returns, 1891-1938," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLBR-PSXZ : 15 August 2019), Frank A Bender and Marie Lauman, 29 Jun 1913; citing Marriage, Pierce, Washington, United States, Washington State Archives, Puget Sound Region, Bellevue.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHNL-MN2 : accessed 28 December 2020), Frank A Bender, Kittitas, Washington, United States; citing ED 74, sheet 3B, line 86, family 77, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1932; FHL microfilm 1,821,932.
4. ↑ "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQ9Q-KVP : 10 March 2018), Francis A. Bender, 15 Oct 1930; citing Seattle, King, Washington, reference cn 698, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia; FHL microfilm 2,022,718.
5. ↑ "Washington Deaths and Burials, 1810-1960", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HV49-Y96Z : 29 January 2020), Francis A. Bender, 1930.