Ellen McCrea's 2nd Husband

From a January, 2012, post about Ellen (McCrea) Audley, Ellen McCrea Was Mrs. Beltz Before She Was Mrs. Audley:  I knew her as Ellen (McCrea) Audley.   (Ellen was the daughter of Isabelle CAMERON McCrea).  ...haven't identified the first name of Ellen's second husband, Mr. Audley. I'm hoping the 1940 census will reveal that information next year when it's released.

The 1940 census DID identify the name of Ellen's second husband:

United States Census, 1940
Name: Ellen M Audley
Ward 15, Waukesha City, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Head John B Audley M 77 Wisconsin
Wife Ellen M Audley F 57 Michigan
Servant Marie Kimpel F 63 France

In 1940 Ellen's 2nd husband, John B. Audley, was 77 years old with no occupation.  Ellen, age 57, was a physical therapist in the V.A. Hospital.

According to FindAGrave, John B. Audley died in 1941:

John B Audley
Birth: Jan. 4, 1863
Death: Dec. 3, 1941

Burial: Prairie Home Cemetery
Waukesha, Waukesha County, Wisconsin, USA
Plot: Sec 3, Blk 1, Lot 186, Sp 5

 John B. Audley's 1st wife, Julia (1869-1924), is buried next to him.


Apparently the probate situation of John B. Audley's estate did not go smoothly.

ESTATE OF AUDLEY:

AUDLEY, Appellant,

vs.

AUDLEY and another, Executors, Respondents.

Supreme Court of Wisconsin.

February 6, 1950.

March 7, 1950.

Ellen McCrea Was Mrs. Beltz Before She Was Mrs. Audley

I knew her as Ellen (McCrea) Audley.  Her sister Mary's obituary of April 10, 1928, identified her as Mrs. Beltz of Chicago.  (Ellen and Mary were the daughters of Isabelle CAMERON McCrea)

United States Census, 1930
Name:     Ellen M Beltz
Event Place:     Waukesha, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Marital Status:     Divorced
Race:     White
Birthplace:     Michigan
Estimated Birth Year:     1883
Relationship to Head of Household:     Lodger
Father's Birthplace:     Canada
Mother's Birthplace:     Michigan
     Household    Gender    Age
    Georgina H Green     F     68
      Ellen M Beltz     F     47
    Minnie Honeyager     F     45

Still haven't identified the first name of Ellen's second husband, Mr. Audley.  I'm hoping the 1940 census will reveal that information next year when it's released.

James McCrea's Obituary (Husband of Isabelle Cameron)

 The obituary of James B. McCrea (1850 - 1934), husband of Isabelle Cameron, daughter of Duncan and Ellen (Cameron) Cameron.

Roscommon (MI) Herald-News / December 6, 1934

FORMER RESIDENT DIES AT MUSKEGON
James B. McCrea, former well known resident here, passed away at his home at Muskegon, Monday afternoon, after having been ill for several months.  He was about 85 years of age.  He came to Roscommon during the early lumbering days and for years was engaged in the lumber business.  When things quieted down in that industry he engaged in farming, developing a nice farm in Richfield township, where he lived for several years.  While there he was elected supervisor from that township and served in that capacity for several terms, also served several terms as chairman of the Board of Supervisors.  He gave up farming nearly fifteen years ago and then moved to Flint, later going to Muskegon where he has resided for the past four or five years.  Beside his widow, he is survived by five children, James E., of Salem, Ore., Miss Adelia and Duncan C., both of Detroit, Mrs. Ellen Audley of Waukesha, Wis., and Miss Jessie B., of Honolulu, Hawaii.  The remains are being brought here today for burial in Higgins cemetery.  The funeral will be held from the Congregational church this afternoon under the auspices of Roscommon Lodge, F. & A. M., of which he had been a member for a number of years and of which he is a past master.

Bridget (Higgins) Cameron And Family Photo

The back of the family photo says "Children and grandchildren of Aunt Ellen. Mr. Duncan Cameron (Aunt Ellen's husband). Mrs. Duncan Cameron (Aunt Ellen) Grandma Murray's oldest sister. Grandma Cameron (Grandma Murray's mother) nee Bridget Higgins of Cork, Ireland. I'm not certain who wrote it.

Bridget (Higgins) Cameron is on the far right; next to her is her daughter Ellen; next to Ellen is her husband Duncan.  Not quite sure who has her hand on Duncan's shoulder (probably his daughter Lillas or Bridget).  The woman sitting on the left is most likely Isabelle (Cameron) McCrea, oldest daughter of Duncan and Ellen.  Ellen McCrea is the 12 year old girl in the picture.  Her older sister Adelia is probably the woman standing to the right of her mother, Isabelle.  Mary McCrea is probably one of the little ones as is Jessie McCrea.  Duncan McCrea is probably the boy sitting in the middle of the photo.

Photo Courtesy of Cousin Gail via Cousin Michael.

I believe this is the photo referenced by Ellen (McCrea) Audley, granddaughter of Duncan and Ellen (Cameron) Cameron in the following letter excerpted below:

Letter From Mrs. Ellen M. Audley dated 9-25-69

Dear April,

First tell me how Bea is your gt aunt. Are you Marion's granddaughter? I have on my TV a 4 generation picture containing a number of the people you ask about taken 74 years ago and all but me dead now.

My gt grandma Bridget Cameron (nee Bridget Higgins). Born in Cork, Ireland 1805? She came to Canada when she was 15 the year of the potato famine in Ireland and that was 1822 or 23 thereabouts. Good looking old woman when I knew her and was probably a real beauty. Also smart. She took service in the Cameron family, the son came home, fell in love with her, couldn't get her any other way so married her and was disowned by his family. She was the oldest of a family of 13 and never saw any of her people again except two brothers who later came to Canada. I could write a volume about her and almost have. This picture was taken in her last summer when she was 85 and I'm my 12th year.

Wish I could personally thank the late April for taking the initiative to find out what she could about our family history.  I believe April's mother, Audrey*, passed this letter along to Aunt Barb and she passed it along to me.  *(I attended a birthday celebration for her and her sister Lois on July 23, 2011, with my aunt)

Cousin Michael was sent a transcript of the letter from Ellen to April and found that Cousin Gail had a copy of it in her possession, passed down through her branch of the family.  It was exciting beyond belief when Michael sent a copy of the photo to me.  

A big thank you to Gail for allowing me to post it online.

I'm grateful for all of the collaboration involved that allowed me to possess a copy of a photo of ancestors whose names I've known but whose faces I had never before seen.

Who Were Maggie's Parents?

 Maggie Cameron was enumerated in the 1910 census taken in Roscommon County, Michigan, as a cousin of Duncan McCrea. 

The McCreas were the children of James B. and Isabelle (Cameron) McCrea.  Isabelle Cameron did not have any known nieces named Maggie or Margaret Cameron.  Isabelle had two known brothers; a bachelor, Allan Bruce Cameron, and A. Edward Cameron who had one child from his first marriage; an infant daughter who was born in 1892 and also died in 1892 (as did the infant's mother).  A. Edward later married in 1898 and had two sons.

United States Census, 1910

Name:     Maggie Cameron

Birthplace:     Michigan

Relationship to Head of Household:     Cousin

Residence:     Higgins, Roscommon, Michigan

Marital Status:     Single

Race :     White

Gender:     Female

Father's Birthplace:     Michigan

Mother's Birthplace:     Canada English

Family Number:     180

Page Number:     15

     Household    Gender    Age

    Duncan C Mc Crea     M     25y

    Adelia Mc Crea     F     30y

    Ellen Mc Crea     F     27y

    Mary Mc Crea     F     21y

    Jessie Mc Crea     F     19y

      Maggie Cameron     F     19y

The assumption is that Maggie was a cousin on the Cameron side and not the McCrea side of the family (I've done enough McCrea research to make that assertion).

According to the 1910 census, Maggie's father (presumably a Cameron) was born in Michigan and her mother was born in Canada.

A search of Margaret/Maggie Camerons born ca 1891 in Michigan has not landed on a family that I recognize as mine.  Perhaps I'm merely overlooking something obvious?  Don't have an answer to the question of Maggie's parents.

Obituary of Mary McCrea

From the Flint Journal, printed 10 April 1928:


McCrea--Mary McCrea, 39 years old, died yesterday at 674 Neff-rd, Grosse Pointe, of tuberculosis, following an illness of three years. She was born in Roscommon-co, Mich., the daughter of James B. and Isabelle [Cameron] McCrea. She was a member of the Presbyterian church in Superior, Wis. She leaves her father, of Flint; two brothers, James E. McCrea, of Johnson City, Pa., and Duncan C. McCrea, of Detroit; four sisters, Adelia and Jessie, of Grosse Pointe; Mrs. Beltz, of Chicago, and Mrs. L. A. Monroe, of Superior, Wis.

She (Mary McCrea) was buried in Gracelawn Cemetery, Flint, Genesee Co., Michigan, with my great-grandmother, Anna Cameron (who was Mary's aunt). Anna did not want to return to rural Arenac County, MI, where she was born and where she married Donald Cameron, even to be buried there with him (Donald). Actually Anna was buried with Mary, since Mary died first.

Mary McCrea's obituary provided several clues to me. I didn't know that her sister Ellen was married to a Mr. Beltz and that she lived in Chicago before she married a Mr. Audley. Nor did I know that Adelia & Jessie lived in Grosse Pointe (although I knew that they had lived in nearby Detroit). I also did not know that James E. McCrea lived in Pennsylvania, before he moved out west.

Obituary of Miss Jessie McCrea

From the Tampa Tribune, published Thursday, July 3, 1969:


MISS JESSIE MCCREA

REDINGTON BEACH - Miss Jessie Beryle McCrea, 77, of 17715 Gulf Blvd., died Monday. A native of Roscommon, Mich., she came here 11 years ago from Flint, Mich. She was a retired school teacher and social worker. Survivors include a sister, Mrs. Ellen Audley, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Jessie B. McCrea was the daughter (and youngest child) of James & Isabelle (CAMERON) McCrea. She was the granddaughter of Duncan & Ellen (Cameron) Cameron.

See blog articles about Jessie's family here. Jessie McCrea's place in the Edmunds family tree can be found here. She was enumerated with her widowed father and siblings in the 1900 census taken in Richfield Twp., Roscommon Co., Michigan.

In 1920 Jessie McCrea was a social worker and living with her sister, Delia, and others at 30 Kirby Street, Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan.

In the 1930 census, Jessie B. McCrea was living in Houston, Harris Co., Texas:

1930 census TX Harris, Houston
McCrea (indexed as McGrea), Jessie B., 39, single, MI Can MI, social worker - orphanage - E/W William D. Davis, 64, m29, TN Ire US

Jessie McCrea was my grandmother's cousin who spent time with our family. She was tone deaf, but loved to sing and play the concertina. She and her sister, Delia, spent time at their cottage at Higgins Lake, Roscommon Co., Michigan.

Duncan Cameron McCrea's $100,000.00 Estate

Who was Ida Coombe, Ex-Prosecutor McCrea's niece, who inherited his $100,000.00 estate in 1951? I knew that McCrea was my grandmother's cousin; I even knew three of his sisters (Adelia, Ellen and Jessie) quite well. Duncan Cameron McCrea was only known to me by reputation, since he died a year before I was born.

From the Herald Press, St. Joseph, MI, June 8, 1951

HOUSEWIFE TO RECEIVE 100,000 ESTATE OF EX-PROSECUTOR MCCREA

Detroit—June---A Pontiac housewife was disclosed today to be principal beneficiary of this probate of more than $100,000.00 left by former Prosecutor Duncan McCrea, who died May 25^th.

She is Mrs. Iva M. Coombe, of Pontiac, wife of Raymond Coombe, who is a general foreman at General Motors plant in Pontiac. She was a niece of McCrea.

Donald Munro, Ontonagon prosecutor and a nephew of McCrea*, said no positive revelations had been found thus far as the large upper penninsula lumber holdings which the former prosecutor was said to have held.

Munro, special administrator of the estate, said records of the lumber holdings may be in Mio the little community to which the former prosecutor had planned to retire.

*Donald L. Munro, b. ca 1918, was the son of Lionel & Sarah (McCrea) Munro. Sarah was Duncan McCrea's sister.

In the 1910 Census taken in Roscommon Co., Michigan, Duncan McCrea was the head of household and there was a cousin, Maggie Cameron, living with him. Who was Maggie? Was she related somehow to Ida Coombe?

1910 MI Census - Roscommon Co., Higgins Twp., Roscommon Village

MCCREA, Duncan C., head, m/w, 25, single, MI Can Can, Foreman, Lumber Camp
, Adelia, sister, f/w/30, MI Teacher
, Ellen, sister, 27, Teacher
, Mary, sister, 21, Teacher
, Jessie, sister, 19, Teacher
CAMERON, Maggie, cousin, 19, single, Teacher MI MI Can

I still haven't identified "Maggie Cameron," who most certainly is one of "my" Camerons.

Ida Coombe, was Ida Mahar, daughter of James & Myrtle (Whitney) Mahar. Myrtle was the sister of Nettie (Whitney) McCrea (1880 - 1949), Duncan Cameron McCrea's wife. Why did Ida inherit the bulk of the estate? Four of Duncan's siblings (the three sisters mentioned above as well as his brother James) were still living when he died (sisters Sarah and Mary predeceased him), so why wasn't one (or all) of them his heirs? My aunt thought that because of Duncan's notorious past, his money was tainted money, at least in the eyes of his sister Adelia, and she would have refused it if offered to her. Perhaps there was an estrangement that couldn't be breached.

Duncan McCrea was living with one of his Whitney brother-in-laws in Mio, Michigan, when he suffered his fatal heart attack, so perhaps it was fitting that his heir was from his wife's Whitney line rather than his McCrea/Cameron family.

Duncan Cameron McCrea, was the son of James B. & Isabelle (Cameron) McCrea; grandson of Duncan & Ellen (Cameron) Cameron.

Who Else Would Tell Her Story? Adelia McCrea - A Renown Mycologist

Adelia McCrea was a pioneer. Her humble beginnings were rooted in rural Roscommon County, Michigan, where she was born into a family of lumberjacks in 1880. She was a teacher in Sterling, Michigan, as a young girl. By the end of her career she had earned a PhD (as well as an undergraduate degree) from the University of Michigan in 1930 while working at Parke Davis. Her accomplishments may not seem unusual in 2009, but considering the 19th Amendment (right to vote) was ratified a mere 10 years before Adelia (a woman born in the 19th century) earned her PhD, I'm still amazed.

15 year old Adelia McCrea at her 1895 graduation

This article captured the essence of Adelia:

THE NEWS (DETROIT) Monday, November 29, 1943 [Excerpts]:

'Know More Than Men and Get Along,' Says Scientist "Dr. Adelia McCrea Finds Fungi Are Interesting" By Ethel Bogardus

To realize that fungi are fun and science stimulating--talk to Dr. Adelia McCrea, pioneer in her field. Retired, but certainly not vegetating, is the charming, alert woman whose sparkling brown eyes will never cease their quest for more fascinating lore in her chosen field. Dr. McCrea, who spent 21 years as the only woman research staff member for Parke Davis & Co., manufacturing chemists, is visiting her sister, Miss Jessie McCrea, of the Public Welfare Department. You may run in to her one day poking around mossy hillsides, or scanning the ocean beach for odd bits of sea life. You may not recognize the slender figure as a scientist famous, in her own field... .


Travel and photography, the two hobbies this feminine mycologist hoped to enjoy, are forbidden her by war conditions--but she's having fun just the same.

Dr. McCrea was teaching science at the close of World War I, and became much interested in the fungus diseases of many men returning from Europe. Parke Davis was looking for such a research expert--so Dr. McCrea went to work. Modestly, she won't tell which of the many remedies put out by that drug firm are the result of her careful study*.
*See a patent here

Adelia, who never married, enjoyed entertaining young and old alike. She and her sisters invited extended family members, including me, to visit the McCrea cottage at Higgins Lake. Though at the time I was puzzled as to why mushrooms were frequently on the menu. After discovering that Adelia was a mycologist it made perfect sense. She loved her fungi, at work and at home.

I was in awe of Adelia; she was a formidable presence and left an indelible impression upon me as a child. She sparked my (short-lived) interest in science. The choice of a chemistry set for my birthday was inspired by Miss Adelia McCrea. In my mind she also helped prolong the life of my beloved grandfather. When Grandpa winced and then took some of his heart medicine, my grandmother often commented that "'Delia invented the medicine that your Grandfather is taking."

She died on January 8, 1962, in Florida. Her obituary as found in the St. Petersburg Times: ADELIA MCCREA, SCIENTIST, DIES AT 81.

Adelia was the daughter of James B. & Isabelle (Cameron) McCrea. Her siblings included two brothers, James & Duncan, and four sisters, Sarah, Mary, Ellen and Jessie. My grandmother, Beatrice (Cameron) Powers was her cousin.

Prisoner #J-55299 - Former Prosecutor Duncan Cameron McCrea

A cautionary tale written by Neal Shine in the Detroit Free Press (date unknown at this time), using the rise and fall of Duncan Cameron McCrea, at one time the Wayne County, Michigan, Prosecuting Attorney.

From Neal Shine's column in the Detroit Free Press:






Duncan Cameron McCrea was the son of James B. & Isabelle (Cameron) McCrea and the grandson of Duncan & Ellen (Cameron) Cameron. Duncan C. McCrea was the cousin of my grandmother, Beatrice (Cameron) Powers. My great-grandmother, Anna (Cameron) (Johnston) Cameron was Isabelle McCrea's sister.

The legend, as cited in Neal Shine's article, was that Duncan McCrea, the prosecuting attorney for Wayne County, Michigan, was "...hustled so quickly from his office on the fifth floor of Police Headquarters that he didn't even have time to put on his hat." When I showed the article to my aunt, she said that he knew that he was going to be arrested, and, in fact, arranged to have his nephew, Donald L. Munro, removed from the scene, safe from "collateral damage."

I only knew Duncan C. McCrea by reputation (his name was mentioned in whispered tones), since he died before I was born. His sisters Adelia, Jessie and Ellen were frequent visitors at my grandmother's house, so I knew and admired them. Members of my grandmother's family, including me, were guests at the McCrea cottage at Higgins Lake.

The fifth floor of Detroit Police Headquarters, where Duncan McCrea had his office, would have seemed as exotic as an office in New York or London to me from my vantage point as a child in the Flint, MI, suburbs. In retrospect, any floor of Detroit Police Headquarters at 1300 Beaubien would be like visiting an old and familiar friend from the past. I, too, spent many years working there.

Duncan C. McCrea, the former illustrious prosecutor, was found guilty and served time in prison after being escorted from 1300 Beaubien. Graft, gambling, and notorious former Purple Gang gangsters were not a recipe for success.

Update: See McCrea's connection to Julia M. Barker, who murdered her business partner, Edith Mae Cummings, here.

Jackson Prison record on index cards (from the Archives of Michigan):


The good news is that there was an article featuring one of the more colorful members of the Cameron family. The bad news is that this article about Duncan Cameron McCrea needed to be written at all.

The McCrea Family At Higgins Lake

Isabelle Cameron was born on January 19, 1857, in Michigan, the daughter of Duncan & Ellen (Cameron) Cameron. She died 21 Dec 1899, and was buried in the Higgins Township Cemetery in Roscommon County, Michigan. Her husband, James McCrea, then married Margaret (Moffett) Dildine in 1905.

Adelia, Jessie and Ellen, all daughters of James & Isabelle (Cameron) McCrea, were some of my favorite people. Delia and Jessie never married and spent summers at their cottage on Higgins Lake in Roscommon County after they retired. My sisters and I were invited to the cottage and spent many hours in the what is thought to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.

Here's a news article about the McCrea family:

From the Roscommon News (newspaper) MARCH 18, 1887

An unknown miscreant rapped at the residence of James McCrea at an early hour Monday morning and demanded admittance. Mrs. McCrea was alone with the children her husband being at his lumber camp and refused to let him in, when he attempted to break in the door. Mrs. McCrea made her escape to the residence of J.O. Dildine and he got up in time to see him vanishing downtown. He left a club and a pair of mittens in the McCrea residence. If identified he will receive a warm reception.

The article above is one of the many reasons I love to browse through the old newspapers.