Question about Jenny Mae (Fike) Williams' son, Scott M Chrise

Question

I am looking for more info on this man, who I believe may be my grandfather.  I know him as Scott Merrell Fike.  He was born 13 Sep, 1907, in Markleysburg, PA.  Thank you.

Comments

 Be he Fike or Chrise he's got a memorial under FIKE and was married to Ottie Blanche Cornwell 1902-1984

Scott Merrell Fike (1907-1964) - Find A Grave Memorial

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Yes, I do know that.  Thank you.  I'm just looking for some concrete evidence of who his father is since the last names are different.

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Based on the ancestry tree, his father looks like John Henry Chrise born 29 Sep 1875 in Fayette, PA whose wife is Jenny Mae (Fike) Williams. They married 7 Feb 1903 in Uniontown, PA.

John Henry's father would be Moses Chrise and his mother would be Mahala. John Henry Chrise died 18 Nov 1918 at Markleysburg, Fayette Co., PA

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There are reasons why a child might not have the surname of the reputed father and as outsiders looking in we do not know more than what we can speculate.  

TRACKING LEGAL NAME USED -- His own birth record, death record, and a history of records where he used his legal name (or should have) such as military draft registration and / or enlistment, marriage record(s), any divorce records, land purchases / sales, and  birth records of any children credited to him.

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Yes, everything I know of, he used the name Fike: his WWII draft card, his daughters birth certificate, his death certificate.

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Well, then if all his records you have obtained or viewed have the name FIKE as his LNAB, your question is answered, in short it would seem John Henry Chrise is or could be, possibly should be marked NPE ref to Scott M FIKE because Scott lived and died as a FIKE

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Okay 3rd or 4th reading ... I do not think you will ever get an answer, Carla. 

Agreed, John Henry married Scott's mother in a timely fashion in 1903 and Scott was born in 1907 and for some reason Scott was registered at birth as a FIKE (his mother's LNAB) and went through his like as a FIKE despite the SEEMING indication John Henry was his reputed father (the dates, the dates) ...

To say you need a Y-DNA study for Scott seems in order at this point if you intend to pursue the answer to this puzzle -- my knowledge of DNA is quite limited but so far as I know you would need a male descendant of John Henry and a male descendant of Scott. 

You'd need that from each of them in the event John Henry is NOT the bio father of Scott never mind what the dates indicate because that will also need to be established

On the whole I do not recall ever hearing about a Law that says the reputed father's LNAB becomes the required LNAB for the child -- I do recall there is a Law (I think) that required a base born child take the mother's LNAB as its own LNAB ... but that may have been by custom and not by Law 

I do know modern cases where the LNAB for the base born child was not that of the mother but that of the bio father 

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Well, I don’t know that he was registered at birth as Fike.  That last name doesn’t seem to be associated with him until he is an adult.

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Ah, Carla, I see that was my mistake, I misread that -- it was his daughters' birth records 

1930 & 1940 Census he was a FIKE; one supposes, since you say only in his adulthood he used FIKE, and that in 1910 and 1920 (to age 13/14) he was a Chrise? It may be stating the obvious but there is benefit in doing so. 

I will have to wish you good fortune in discovering why did he choose to take on an alias before the 1930 Census. That he did is evident since the records show it is so

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It doesn’t seem that he would “choose” to use Chrise as a child.  It seems for some reason he abandoned that name as an adult.

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I think I am done with the topic.  It is my own opinion you see that you will be unlikely to discover the reason why he chose to use FIKE rather than CHRISE.

Answer 1

Scott M Fike, 1940 U S Census, Ward 15 Indinapolis, Center Twp., Marion, Indiana. 33 year old male born Pennsylvania. Wife is Ottie 35 b KY, Adger C Johnson stepson 18 b KY, Frances L Johnson stepdaughter 13 b KY and Joy E Fike daughter 1 born Indiana.

Comments

In the 1930 U S Census, Scott M Fike is in Manhattan (Districts 0001-0250), NY, NY.

He is 23 and single est. birth year 1907 in PA. Scott is a boarder in the household.

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Yes, I have found that much.  I am more looking for info on his mother and father.  Thank you.

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John and Jenny

John H Chrise (1875–1918) | Person | Family Tree | FamilySearch

Jenny Mae Fike (1885–1968) | Person | Family Tree | FamilySearch

John H Chrise (1875-1918) - Find A Grave Memorial

Mae Fike Williams (1885-1968) - Find A Grave Memorial

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Have you seen any official documents that show the relationship?  it just seems odd that if John H Chrise is his father, why isn't Scott Merrell's last name Chrise?

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Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011

Name:	Scott M Fike
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Age:	56
Marital Status:	Married
Birth Date:	13 Sep 1908
Birth Place:	Pennsylvania
Death Date:	13 Sep 1964
Death Place:	Ft Benjamin Harrison, Marion, Indiana, USA
Father:	Chrise Fike
Spouse:	Ottie Fike
Household Members:	Name Age Scott M Fike Chrise Fike Ottie Fike

Source Citation: Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Death Certificates; Year: 1964; Roll: 01