2015-11-12
Monica Rice
monicarice7777(AT)gmail(DOT)com
2514 March Avenue
Bakersfield, California 93313
six61-86five-99zero8
Hi, My husband's Great Great Grandparents were buried in Minerva Midway Cemetery - Willie Merchant and
Mary Jane (Grubbs) Merchant. Also, his grandmother, Onie Lee Merchant AKA Onie Lee Greene at time of
death.
Do you know you if any pictures are available of Onie Lee Greene's tombstone? I do not see any on find a
grave.
Also, is there a local genealogy society in Minerva that could possibly help us collect information on Onie?
She was a long time school teacher there in Milam?
Please let me know. Thank you for your time.
Monica Rice
*****
2015-11-12
Standard reply and forwarded to MCHC and MCGS members
*****
2015-11-15
Marie Hubert
mhubert1085(AT)gmail(DOT)com
To: Jack Brooks
bjohnr2010(AT)hotmail(DOT)com
I sent the following letter to Monica Rice:
pictures of all stones in the Minerva Cemetery that had names on them, then we went to the court house and
checked all death records . I can say that we found no grave or death record for Onie Lee Greene. We did
all records of the Rockdale Reporter and some other papers from various sources.
We did find the death certificate for Mary Jane but it shows up as "Mollie Merchant". We made copies of all
we found and I am looking at this copy, It shows:
--she lived in Cameron, Rt. 1,
--a Widow,
--born Jan 14, 1873,
--Housewife,
--Shows birthplace as U.K. as well as parents (not named) as born in U.K.
--She died Dec 26, 1936.
--She had Pneumonia. There was a Dept. of Health stamp which was received there Feb 8, 1937.
This is one of those stones that will not last forever. Also the cemetery has rocks and stones in many
places that look as if they perhaps marked a grave. Times were very bad in the 1920's and 1930's and I
think we have some that way. Perhaps this is what happened.
My husband and I know this cemetery very well and we are also in the local Genealogy Society. I will see if
our newsletter editor will add this in her next letter.
Do you happen to know where Onie taught school and a birth date or death date? Also did she live with a
Cameron address? Did they all live in Minerva perhaps? Teach there? My husband was born there so he has
much history knowledge.
Marie Hubert
*****
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