President William McKinley Shot!!

The Sault News-Record September 7, 1901
Sault Saint Marie, Michigan

Ida McKinley Wheeler

Ida McKinley Wheeler was born July 10, 1896 to parents James Byard Wheeler and Zilphie Elizabeth Carpenter Wheeler in Seney, Schoolcraft County Michigan.

Ida’s unique name came from her very Republican, very politically involved father, James. He named her after First Lady Ida McKinley, the wife of President William McKinley who served as the 25th President of the United States from 1897 to 1901. She was born the year of William McKinley’s presidential campaign and election. Her father James was a strong supporter of William McKinley...Well I guess so!

Ida’s family spent a brief residence in Alger County before moving to Sault Saint Marie Michigan circa early 1900's. I do not know much about Ida’s life. At some point she made it to Chicago along with her sisters Marjorie and Ethel.(my grandmother) Marjorie was married and lived in Chicago, Ethel came back to the Soo after a few years and married there.
Ida married William C. Panter sometime about 1925 probably in Chicago, the couple never had any children. I heard some vague story that Ida's husband had worked for Al Capone, but how would anyone ever find that out! Ida's husband William died in Chicago July 10, 1955, and Ida continued to live in Chicago. She died September 28, 1971 in Chicago and is buried in Sault Saint Marie, Michigan in the Pinegrove Cemetery with her sister Ethel Raeburn’s family.
I would love to find out more about Ida's life in Chicago.

President William McKinley was shot on September 6, 1901 and later died from the wounds inflicted by the assassin on September 14, 1901.


Newspaper source- subscription: NewspaperARCHIVE.COM
Ida's photo, family collection.

Don't give up

Some time ago I had a post on the death of Emma Carpenter Walsh, my grandmother's aunt who lived a few doors down from her in a big old Victorian house in the Soo. I was rather perturbed at the fact that I didn't receive a date with the obituary:
Emma Walsh post

I was determined to find out what the death date was. Last summer I went to my local FHL in Grand Rapids and looked at microfilm of death records of Sault Saint Marie, Mi and just couldn't find her. I apparently overlooked her.

Recently I was on the site: Seeking Michigan and was actually looking for Emma's evasive sisters, trying all sorts of variations of searches as I didn't know where the sisters were. Then I finally entered "Chippewa" for county and "Carpenter" for fathers last name....how easy was that?

Amma Walsh died January 4, 1918. There you have it....Amma, not Emma.

Don't give up!! It can be something oh so simple. (I am still looking for her sisters!)

Tombstone Tuesday, Richard M Wheeler

What’s wrong with this picture?

Richard Wheeler is the brother of my grandma Ethel Wheeler Raeburn, children of James B. and Elizabeth Z. Wheeler. Their first child Mae Matilda was born in Parry Sound, Ontario in 1879. They later moved to Schoolcraft County Michigan, the rest of the children as far as I know were all born in Seney, Schoolcraft Co Michigan. They haven’t been found on an 1880 U.S. or 1881 Canadian census, and of course forget 1890.

RICHARD M. WHEELER

Son of J.B. & E.Z. WHEELER

DIED Sept. 10 1888

AGED 5ys 5ms 21 days

This would put his birth date at March 20, 1883. No birth or death record found for him yet. The ‘family folklore’ is the middle name is McLean, named after his grandfather James McLean Wheeler. It has also been noted the [male] child died from choking on a peach pit- family lore again.

HOWEVER, there is a little bit of a problem for me here. We also have:

MAXWELL WHEELER BORN 1880, to James and Elizabeth. This actually is the child name given as the one that died choking. Death record from the LDS family search record search lists:

MAXWELL WHEELER died SEPTEMBER 18, 1888 in Seney, Schoolcraft Co Michigan, of intermittent fever at age 8, son of James B. & Elizabeth Z. Wheeler. This was recorded April 22, 1889.

Maxwell born 1880 died Sept 18, 1888, Richard born 1883 died September 10, 1888. Only one death record-Maxwell, one stone- Richard M.


Family Search Record Search-Maxwell Wheeler

Oh lets not forget the icing on the cake, the stone for Richard is in Chippewa County Michigan, and they hadn’t moved there at that time. Well now, one son or two? Five years old or eight? Maxwell or McLean?!

What’s wrong with this picture ?!!

Somber Sunday, Emma Carpenter Walsh

Emma Carpenter Walsh

Over the years of researching, my Carpenter cousins and I debated over another Carpenter sibling of our great grandparents. I had found this sibling, living in Sault Saint Marie living on the same street as my grandparents, only to find tragedy. Emma died from burns in a fire in her home, in 1918. I will have to go to the FHC to view death records to obtain an actual death date. I received the obituary after paying a hefty ransom from a RAOGK volunteer who failed to mention I would have to pay it...only to find she didn’t record the newspaper and date of the obituary. Below is the transcribed obituary of Emma....I don’t think the writing style is quite the same these days, maybe that is a good thing. They were rather descriptive.

From an unknown newspaper in Sault Saint Marie, Michigan 1918.

DIES IN HOSPITAL AFTER HOURS OF INTENSE PAIN.

Following almost twelve hours of the most intense suffering from burns sustained yesterday morning, Mrs Emma Walsh, age 46, died at the city hospital last night about 8:30 o’clock. The pain of her burns was relieved during the last moments by a kind unconsciousness. The body was removed to the Haist [?] undertaking parlors and this evening will be taken to the grief-stricken home of 251 Arlington street.

From broken phrases spoken by Mrs. Walsh yesterday as her relatives sat by her bedside. It was made known that she had lain down for a nap after her husband, P.H. Walsh, and son, Roy, had gone to their work. She was partly dressed. She was awakened by the sputtering of the oil stove and she arose and attempted to carry it to the door. The stove broke in two at the hinge and dumped the accumulated oil and flame onto the floor. Her kimono took fire instantly. This flame spread to her underclothing and ran upward to her hair and face.

Mrs. Walsh was born in Parry Sound, Ont., on April 9, 1871. She had earned a large circle of friends by her beautiful nature and the tragedy is sincerely mourned throughout the Soo. Mrs. Walsh is survived by her husband, by one daughter and one son, as well as her father, two brothers and five sisters. The daughter is Mrs. W.J. Oremus, the son is Roy, of this city. The father and brothers are in Canada. The sisters are Mrs. J.B.Wheeler of this city, Mrs William Seeley of Munising, Mrs.W.A. Hickok of Garretson, S.D.; Mrs L. Stoner and Miss Janette Carpenter of Montana.

The funeral services will be held Sunday afternoon at 2 o’clock at the Central Methodist church. Rev. S. Arthur Cook will officiate. Interment will be in Pine Grove cemetery.

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When I was oh.. about 17ish, my mother came home from a visit in the Soo with dad. She had given me two tapestries that she explained were from my grandmother who got then out of a neighboring Victorian home on Arlington Street that had a fire, and I can’t recall if she said it was a relatives house. Could these be Emma’s tapestries?

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Your Paternal Grandmother's Patrilineal Line

Deleted post.

10th Edition Smile For The Camera-Costume, Ida Wheeler Panter

I love the dresses of the early 1900's, the women dressed so elegant. This photo is labeled Christmas 1911, Ida Wheeler Panter, she is my Grandma(Ethel Wheeler)Raeburn's sister. A couple of things seem odd on this labeling. One is; Ida was born in 1896, making her 15 in this photo, ok...but she was married in 1925. Was it truely 1911 at age 15, or was she Mrs William Panter in the 1920's, living in Chicago. I am not sure this was the dress for the 1920's, so quite the dress for a 15 year old.