By Wilton Hudgens
12 May 2019
One of the most difficult parts of genealogy can be tracking our female relatives. Grandmothers, sisters and daughters can seemingly disappear into oblivion at times. Once in a while, we can thank the census taker for not properly recording a mother-in-law's last name in the household of her son-in-law. Many women were married multiple times due to their husbands' deaths, incarcerations, etc. After two or three name changes, one has to really collect and sift through all the data they can find in order to locate some of our female ancestors. That can mean following leads that, at the time, make little sense to us. I recently had this problem while working on a new client's tree. Her 2nd Great Grandmother, Louisa (Cronenberger) Matthews, fell off the radar after the 1910 US Federal Census.
Louisa Cronenberger was born Apr 1867 to Phillip J. Kronenberger and Elizabeth "Eliza" Trimner in Ohio, USA. She was married to Charles N. Matthews 15 Dec 1885 in Seneca County, Ohio, USA. They had a son (Glenn W. Matthews) in Ohio before moving into Tennessee to have Clark Leo Matthews and his sister, Hazel Matthews. By the 2 Jun 1900, the Matthews family was living in Luxora, Fletcher, Mississippi County, Arkansas, USA. They appeared in the US Federal Census again in Fletcher 16 Apr 1910. After that, I couldn't find Louisa (Cronenberger) Matthews or her husband.
I tried finding where the Matthews children had gone figuring that Louisa or Charles would be with one of them. Ancestry.com kept giving me hints to do with Florida for Louisa and her daughter Hazel. At first, I couldn't find anything that supported looking in Florida. There's always a barrage of incorrect hints to lead one astray when using Ancestry.com, so care must be taken in order to prevent a mistake that can run like a wild fire. Eventually, curiosity got the better of me. I began looking into the notion of Hazel and her mother being Florida.
Upon viewing the 1920 US Federal Census for Florida through Familysearch.org, I saw something that changed my mind. In Kissimmee, I found a Louisa Matthews living with a "Hazzel" Joyce; Louisa was born abt 1868 in Ohio, and Hazzel was born abt 1895 in Tennessee. I excitedly began to check for Louisa in following years of the US Federal Census in Florida. In 1930, Louisa appears as "Louise" in Orlando, Orange County, Florida. She's in the household of her daughter Hazel "Bass" who is listed as 35 years of age, divorced and born in Tennessee. This Hazel Bass seemed to be the same Hazel listed under the last name of "Joyce" in the 1920 census. Louisa is shown as 62 years of age, widowed and born in Ohio. Everything was looking like a match, but I wanted more evidence to support my discovery.
Through Newspapers.com, I found articles referencing a Hazel Joyce being arrested and charged as accessory in the shooting of a bank manager in 1921 in the Tampa area of Florida. As the 1935 Florida State Census and 1940 US Federal Census would show, Hazel and her mother were living in the Tampa area. That meant they were around those places. I looked for more newspaper articles and finally found one of the 1921 shooting articles that referenced Hazel as "...a pretty young woman of Kissimmee whose name is variously given as Hazel Fathews (Mathews) and Hazel Joyce." Another article refers to her as Hazel Mathews. I also found the May 1915 Arkansas marriage record for W. R. Joyce and Hazel Matthews with Hazel's residence listed as Kissimmee, Florida. Now, I felt confirmed in my theory of Hazel Joyce being the same person as Hazel Matthews...but what about Hazel Bass? How did the Bass fit in?
I began searching Familysearch.org and Newspapers.com for Hazel Bass. It was tricky to say the least as there are more than one Fred and Hazel Bass in Florida at the same time. On Familysearch, I found both a 1922 marriage and 1929 divorce for Fred M. Bass and Hazel Matthews listed in Orange County, Florida. Apparently, Hazel was still using the last name of Bass during the taking of the 1930 US Federal Census in spite of her divorce.
By the time of the Florida State Census in 1935, Hazel (Age 40, b. Tennessee) was again listed with her mother Louisa Matthews (Age 68, b. Ohio) living in Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida. It seemed that Hazel told people what she wanted them to know as she is listed as widowed and not divorced continuing the use of the name Bass. She is also said to be a filling station owner.
More interesting is a marriage record from late in 1935 for a Cal. L. Grovett and one Hazel Bass. I thought , "Nah...this can't be the same woman again." It proved to be exactly the same woman. When I began searching for newspaper hits for the names Hazel or Cal Grovett, I found articles referencing an inheritance being claimed by a woman in jail. The incarcerated woman was named as Hazel Wood. Again I thought, "This can't be the same person yet again..."
I checked Familysearch for Hazel Bass and Hazel Grovett in the 1940 US Federal Census to see what it showed. I wound up with something that rarely happens (but does occur) and actually helped to further prove that I had the correct woman. Hazel appeared twice in the 1940 US Federal Census which was confirmed by newspaper articles having to do with her filing assault charges against Cal. L. Grovett; she also filed for divorce as of 5 Apr 1940. Hazel (Age 45, b. Tennessee) appears first in Tampa, Florida under the last name of "Bass" on 6 Apr 1940 in the US Federal Census living with her mother Louisa Matthews (Age 72, b. Ohio). Again, Hazel is listed as the owner of a gas filling station. The second appearance of Hazel (Age 45, b. Tennessee) in the 1940 US Federal Census is 19 Apr in Largo, Pinellas County, Florida under the last name of "Grovett" alongside her husband Cal. L. Grovett. This time, Hazel is listed as a mere sales lady and Cal. Grovett as the owner of the gasoline filling station. Apparently, Hazel's divorce filing against Grovett didn't follow through. They are both listed as having been 1935 residents of Tampa.
Back to the incarceration...I kept looking for more confirmation and explanation. When I began searching for Hazel using the name "Wood," I came up with newspaper articles about a woman named Hazel Wood who had been arrested and tried for the brutal murder of her husband with a hammer in 1957. Of course, I thought it can't just keep getting more bizarre like this...maybe I'm mistaken. I checked the articles of the Hazel Wood arrested for murder against the articles having to do with the Grovett Estate claims, and they matched up to the same puzzle I was working on. I would also eventually see a Social Security Death Index reference to a Hazel Wood who died in Dec 1984 in Florida and had been born in Sep 1894 like the Hazel Matthews that I was researching.
The 1945 Florida State Census shows Cal and Hazel Grovett living in Tampa, Florida. In 1946, Hazel divorced Caleigh "Cal" Louis Grovett in Pasco County, Florida. According to what newspapers reported during Hazel's arrest and trial for murder, she'd entered into a common law marriage agreement with Fred J. Wood in 1949. Interestingly, when Grovett had died in Feb 1958, no one seemed to figure out that Hazel had been legally divorced from Grovett and shouldn't have had a claim on his estate. This didn't stop Hazel's attempt at claiming against the estate which was contested by Cal's mother Eunice. By this point, Hazel had already been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her husband. In another strange twist, Grovett had actually signed his Will in his own blood as witnessed by an osteopath.
As of right now, I still have no proof of what became of Louisa (Cronenberger) Matthews. It is a work in progress which continues to unfold. In the process of that search, however, I did find what became of Louisa's daughter Hazel in her tragic situation. It took much unraveling at the giant sweater of shadows cast by time and distance in order to get to it. So many more of our grandmothers, and so on, are yet unknown and awaiting rediscovery. Only through our perseverance and collective efforts will we find the answers.
Sources:
"United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRKS-RR?cc=1727033&wc=QZZ4-2TN%3A133642401%2C139341301%2C133657001%2C1589089658 : 24 June 2017), Arkansas > Mississippi > Fletcher > ED 88 > image 1 of 44; citing NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DZ29-BNL?cc=1325221&wc=9BQK-7MY%3A1030551501%2C1030872801%2C1030887101 : 5 August 2014), Arkansas > Mississippi > ED 56 Clear Lake, Fletcher & Swayne Townships Luxora town > image 28 of 56; citing NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBH-99MM?cc=1417683&wc=QZ27-5WL%3A1589410656%2C1589410670%2C1589402271%2C1589394756 : 24 December 2015), Ohio > Cuyahoga > Cleveland > ED 35 > image 41 of 75; citing NARA microfilm publication T9, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C., n.d.).
"Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-BGK8-X?cc=1614804&wc=Q6SP-FCH%3A122125401%2C122289801 : 15 July 2014), Seneca > Marriage records 1883-1892 vol 9 > image 149 of 328; county courthouses, Ohio.
"United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R6W-WF5?cc=1488411&wc=QZJG-YJQ%3A1036469901%2C1038455801%2C1038455802%2C1589332300 : 14 December 2015), Florida > Osceola > Kissimmee > ED 127 > image 4 of 36; citing NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
"United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R4L-P3N?cc=1810731&wc=QZFS-X7J%3A648804501%2C649163101%2C649170801%2C1589282378 : 8 December 2015), Florida > Orange > Orlando > ED 15 > image 19 of 30; citing NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002).
"Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6SXX-G7?cc=1417439&wc=QDM2-437%3A1589733258 : 18 March 2019), 004331413 > image 683 of 913; county offices, Arkansas.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/325922636.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/326109003.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/313680604.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/332670736.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/332670772/.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/314634400.
"Florida Marriages, 1830-1993," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G94X-TSSD?cc=1803936&wc=4JHR-WRY%3A1590072945%2C1590072993 : 14 October 2016), Orange County > Marriage licenses, 1921-1925, vol 5 > image 55 of 332; citing multiple County Clerks of Court, Florida.
"Florida Divorce Index, 1927-2001," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VKCY-RNY : 25 December 2014), Fred M Bass and Hazel Mathews, 1929; from "Florida Divorce Index, 1927-2001," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Orange, Florida, certificate 382, volume 11, Florida Department of Health, Jacksonville.
"Florida State Census, 1935," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6WS9-94T?cc=1457856&wc=M65M-VPN%3A42231101%2C42406801 : 20 May 2014), Hillsborough > 018, Tampa > image 48 of 59; State Archives, Tallahassee.
"Florida Marriages, 1830-1993," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-L1DS-2KQ?cc=1803936&wc=4JHR-WB5%3A1590072670%2C1590072671 : 14 October 2016), Hillsborough County > Marriage licenses, 1935 May-1937 Jan, vol N27-N32 > image 504 of 1826; citing multiple County Clerks of Court, Florida.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/328608911.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/315660471.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/314634400
"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9MR-VPRB?cc=2000219&wc=QZXP-M24%3A790105401%2C791019601%2C795178601%2C795178602 : accessed 13 May 2019), Florida > Hillsborough > Election Precinct 21, Tampa, Area C > 70-49 Election Precinct 21 (Area C - part), Tampa City > image 4 of 31; citing Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012.
"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9MR-6N65?cc=2000219&wc=QZXG-PT5%3A790105401%2C797931101%2C798287601%2C798287602 : accessed 11 May 2019), Florida > Pinellas > Election Precinct 51A, Largo > 52-84 Election Precinct 51A, Largo City (part) > image 9 of 15; citing Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012.
"Florida State Census, 1945," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DZHW-ZHV?cc=1457855&wc=M6GS-DM9%3A41861801%2C42070901 : 20 May 2014), Hillsborough > 028, Tampa > image 17 of 59; State Archives, Tallahassee.
"Florida Divorce Index, 1927-2001," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VKCW-LMJ : 25 December 2014), Cal L Grovett and Hazel Grovett, 1946; from "Florida Divorce Index, 1927-2001," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Pasco, Florida, certificate 15957, volume 358, Florida Department of Health, Jacksonville.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/319172091.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/328741845.
I loved the story, and your metaphor (“unraveling at the giant sweater of shadows”).