Camerons of Walworth Co., Wisconsin

From my notes taken in 2001 for Walworth Co., Wisconsin, probate files housed at Whitewater, WI (this is NOT my Duncan Cameron, nor am I related to any of these Camerons - my Richmonds lived in Walworth Co.):

Probate File #4290
Duncan Cameron, Town of Troy
Died: 18 May 1902
Will dated 8 November 1899
Chicago, IL
Cameron, Susan L., widow
Cameron, James A. son
Cameron, John D*., son Center Ave & 120th St, Chicago, IL
Reeves, Mrs. Mary**, daughter, of Eagle, Wisconsin

*This is a photo of John D. Cameron's gravestone (files of Little Prairie, Walworth Co., WI).

J. Duncan Cameron, John's son, who was also buried at Little Prairie (d. 1922), attended the University of Michigan. He married Frances Kinzel; the Michigan marriage record verified that he was the son of John D. & Nellie (Galloway) Cameron.

**Mary Cameron m. Charles Reeves on 15 Apr 1891 in Waukesha, WI

In the 1900 IL Census, John D. Cameron (b. Sept 1866 in NY), Nellie Cameron (b. June 1872 in Kansas) and John D. Cameron, Jr. (b. Jan 1898) were living in Chicago. The Camerons had been married 7 years. John D. Cameron was a clerk in a Plow Manufacturing Company (per the gravestone John D. Cameron worked for the International Harvester Co.).

In 1930 John D. Cameron (buyer of farm equipment) was divorced and living with his brother and sister-in-law, James A. & Laura Cameron, in Chicago, Illinois. There was a Nellie Cameron, born in Kansas, and living in Chicago in the 1930 census who was listed as "widowed."

Chicago Tribune (IL) - September 23, 1946 (online)

--John D. Cameron, Sept. 21, 1946, of 1324 E. 72d place, beloved uncle of Howard D. Reeves and Harry Cameron. Services at chapel, 6328 Cottage Grove avenue, Monday, 7:30 p.m., under auspices of Woodlawn commander, No. 76 K. T. Interment Little Prairie , Wis., Tuesday.

John D. Cameron's sister (listed in the probate info above) was Mary Reeves and the John D. Cameron buried at Little Prairie had a nephew, Howard D. Reeves.

Even though these people are not "my" Camerons, there was a bonus Michigan connection to their story.

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.

Mrs. June (Wodtke) Belanger

Learning more about June (Wodtke) Belanger while in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, area:


Obituary from the Resthaven Gardens of Memory:

BELANGER, MRS. JUNE THELMA
Died Friday, Oct. 29, 1976, at her residence, 1933 Potwin Drive, Baton Rouge. She was 56, a native of Flint, Mich. Body at Hollabaugh-Spindle's Woodale Memorial Chapel with visiting from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Religious services at 11 a.m. Monday at the funeral home chapel. Burial in Resthaven Gardens of Memory. Survived by her husband, Kenneth Belanger Sr., Baton Rouge; father, Fred Wodtke, Florida; two daughters.....both of Pensacola, Fla.; one son..., Baton Rouge; a daughter-in-law...one sister, Mrs. Theodore Long, Port Herron (sic), Mich; one brother, Frederick Wodtke, Flint, Mich.; three grandchildren. Pallbearers: Johnny Huff, Warren Huff, Cecil Jarreau, David Wilson, John Heinrich, and Mitch Harris.

June was the daughter of Fred & Isabelle (Johnston) Wodtke and the granddaughter of John & Anna (Cameron) Johnston (step-granddaughter of Donald Cameron). She was the great-granddaughter of Duncan & Ellen (Cameron) Cameron.

June's mother, Isabelle, died when she was an infant, in Flint, Genesee Co., Michigan. Is that why my grandmother (Isabelle's half sister) and my great-aunt Blanche (Isabelle's sister) did not talk to me about the Wodtke family while growing up?

Lillas (Cameron) McLaughlin

The obituary of Lillas (Cameron) McLaughlin, daugher of Duncan & Ellen (Cameron) Cameron:

Flint Journal
Tuesday, January 17, 1939

MCLAUGHLIN--Lillas McLaughlin, 117 W. Dewey St., age 64, died Tuesday, Jan. 17, 1939, at Hurley Hospital. Funeral services will be held 1:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 19, 1939, from the Rose Chapel, Algoe-Gundry Mortuary, Rev. Jenson officiating. Burial in Grace Lawn cemetery. Body is at Algoe-Gundry Mortuary. Surviving are: 5 daughters, Mrs. Edward Dean of St. Paul, Minn.; Mrs. Alex McDonald and Mrs. Walter Brandt, both of Flint, Mrs. Lawrence Hagen and Miss Isabelle McLaughlin, both of Superior, Wis.; 12 grandchildren, 2 sisters, Mrs. Bridget Totten of Superior, Wis., and Mrs. Anna Cameron of Flint; 1 brother, Edward Cameron of Trout Creek, Mich.

Lillas Cameron was born in Defiance, Ohio in December of 1874, to Duncan and Ellen Cameron. Why the family was in Ohio, I do not know, but they were living there for the 1870 census, too.

In 1851 Lillas's parents were in Kent County, Ontario, Canada. Duncan was living with Ellen and her parents (Ewen & Bridget (Higgins) Cameron). They were married in St. Clair County, Michigan on May 13, 1852. The couple lived in Roscommon Co., Michigan in 1880, with their children, including Lillas.

Lillas Cameron McLaughlin also lived in Arenac County, Michigan, and Houghton County, Michigan (her husband Laughlin died in Houghton Co. in 1908). Lillas lived in Superior, Douglas, Wisconsin, with her sister, Bridget (Cameron) Totten in 1930. She was living in Flint, Genesee Co., Michigan, when she died in 1939.

The children of Laughlin & Lillas (Cameron) McLaughlin were Jessie (McLaughlin) Dean, Adelia (McLaughlin) McDonnell; Lawrence McLaughlin; Rachel (McLaughlin) Brandt; Inez (McLaughlin) Hagen and Isabelle (McLaughlin) Buxton.

When first researching over 20 years ago, I found the Cameron information that had been submitted by Isabelle Buxton, who was an LDS Church member and corresponded with her. After years of searching, Isabelle found late in life that her father's name wasn't really Laughlin McLaughlin -- it was Isaac Codling! Apparently Isaac took his boss's surname and moved from Canada to Michigan under mysterious circumstances. Isaac Codling's parents were Matthew & Rachel (Stonehouse) Codling (these parents were named on the death record of James Codling here).

Lillas Cameron married Laughlin McLaughlin (AKA Isaac Codling) on 13 Apr 1895. His parents were listed as Donald & Rachel (Stonehouse) McLaughlin and that he was born in Forest, Canada.

On his death record (12 January 1908), Laughlin McLaughlin's parents were listed as Laughlin & Rachel (Stonehouse) McLaughlin. His DOB was 14 Jan 1856.

Anna Cameron's Daughter, Belle Johnston Wodtke

Great-Aunt Belle whom I never knew:

This record is an example of the records available to through the Flint Genealogical Society upon request. Since this record was requested, the actual death records are available online at Archives of Michigan (1897 - 1920) for the State of Michigan, including a death record for Isabelle (Belle Johnston) Wodtke.

Fred & Belle (Johnston) Wodtke had an infant daughter, June (born in May 1920), when Belle died. My aunt (June Wodtke's cousin), who was quite a bit younger than June, remembers an occasional visit with her. However, information that I have about this family is sketchy, except for what I have pieced together the census, obituaries, etc.

Flint Journal [ 3 June 1920]
WODTKE--Mrs. Belle Wodtke died last night at her home, 919 Wood-st, after a six months' illness of a complication of diseases. Mrs. Wodtke was born at Houghton Lake, [Roscommon Co.] Mich., July 20, 1890, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B.R. Cameron. She had lived in this city for the last six years, coming here from Sterling, Mich. She was united in marriage to Fred J. Wodtke, July 19, 1919. Mrs. Wodtke was a member of the German Lutheran Church. She leaves her husband, parents and two brothers and five sisters. [Note: She was the step-daughter of Donald R. Cameron and the daughter of John H. & Anna (Cameron) Johnston]

1930 MI (Genesee Co.)
WODTKE, FRED, 32, MI MI MI, married at age 24
" Myrtle, wife, 27, married at age 19
" June, daughter, age 9
" Shirley, daughter, age 5
KAGAN, Omer, married, lodger
" , Rose, married, lodger

I believe (but do not know) that June's husband was the Kenneth Belanger, Sr., whose obituary was in the Pensacola News Journal on 24 September 2004.

Kenneth Richard Belanger, Sr., 86, of Pensacola, died Tuesday September 21, 2004, in a local nursing home.

Ken was born Nov. 22, 1917 in International Falls, MN and has resided most of his life in the Pensacola area. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and was a retired Steel Pattern Maker.
His beloved wife, June Wodtke Belanger, preceded Kenneth in death. Kenneth will be laid to rest next to his beloved wife June at Resthaven Cemetery, Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, September 25, 2004 at 1:00 p.m. Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

June BELANGER
Birth Date: 25 May 1920
Death Date: Oct 1976
Social Security Number: 379-12-3462
State or Territory Where Number Was Issued: Michigan
Death Benefit Localities
Zip Code: 70816
Localities: Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Wish I knew more about this family.