Amanuensis Monday: Harry and Grace Feinstein, 1930-1935

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

This week I look at some newspaper articles related to the second wife of my second great-uncle, Harry Feinstein. (All newspaper articles were found at Newspapers.com)

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Washington Citizen (Washington, Missouri) · Fri, Mar 28, 1930 · Page 8

Marriage Licenses

Dan Ledbetter … St. Clair

Anna Lewis … St. Clair

Tecumseh J. Teuscher … Rock Island, Ill

Martha L Schenk … Rock Island, Ill

Harry S. Feinstein … St. Louis

Grace Miller …. Springfield

Tony Copeland … Union

Betty Nappier … Union

 The 1930 census indicated Grace was 26 years old, and was 24 at the time of her first marriage.  When I first looked at the 1930 census, near the beginning of my research several years ago, I wrote down that Grace and Harry were married in 1928. Well, I’ll give myself the benefit of the doubt and say I knew at the time that was an educated guess. It *appears* she was married previously, and Miller *may* not have been her maiden name.

[Looking at the online Missouri marriage record databases, there are three Graces who married Millers in 1927 or 1928, though all couples are accounted for in the 1930 census.]

I’ve mentioned that Harry’s children from his first marriage were not living with him and Grace at the time of the 1930 census. Several were living with his brother (my great grandfather) Herman, and one was in an orphanage. I wondered, if Harry was still around, why he was not raising them – and what was Grace’s role. The 1930 census was enumerated on April 5th. The question asked by the census taker was who was living where on April 1. The marriage license was obtained less than a week prior. (And...if it weren’t for the orphanage....I might guess that the kids were only living with their cousins to give their new parents a short honeymoon.)

Harry passed away in 1933.

The Sunday News and Tribune (Jefferson City, Missouri) · Sun, Apr 14, 1935 · Page 1

A marriage license was issued yesterday from the county recorder’s office to Thompson Lusby, of Dalton, Mo., and Clarice Shockley, of Vienna. The couple was married by the Rev. H.W. Gadd. A license was also issued late Friday to Earl Hunter and Grace Feinstein, of Camdenton, Mo.

There is, of course, no evidence that it is the same “Grace Feinstein,” but there was only one in the State of Missouri in 1930. Only two in the United States in 1930 who would have been of marrying age in 1935. (The other in New York)

I have been unable to figure out what happened to Earl and Grace (?/Miller/Feinstein) Hunter after 1935.