I am an experienced genealogist and am seeking two people who have "vanished into thin air". I am hoping someone out there in cyberspace can help me.
My great grandmother's sister, Virginia Palmer, married John Albert VanDyne on 04 November 1922 in Wellsburg, Brooke County, West Virginia. Virginia's paternal grandmother (my third great grandmother) was also a VanDyne. John and Virginia, husband and wife, were also third cousins once removed to each other.
John Albert VanDyne was born 20 March 1896 in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio, a son of William H. Vandine (1848-1901) and Mary Ellen "Ella" "Ellie" (Nickerson) Vandine McAngues Kennard (1868-1957). His parents were married 31 August 1893 in Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia. He had an older sister, Elizabeth May "Lizzie" Vandine Winesburg (1893-1974), and two younger sisters, Amanda Margaret Vandine Moran (1899-____), and Wilma Vandine (1902-1903). Also, he had a younger half-brother, Wilmer Everett McAngues (1907-1945). John Albert appears to be the only one in this line who later went by the "VanDyne" spelling rather than "Vandine". John died 25 October 1964 in Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
I
am seeking what became of John's younger sister, Amanda Margaret (Vandine/VanDyne) Moran. She sometimes went by the name Margaret Amanda. She was born in Edgewood,
Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, 18 March 1899, also a daughter of
William H. Vandine (1848-1901) and Mary Ellen "Ella" "Ellie" (Nickerson)
Vandine McAngues Kennard (1868-1957). As stated above, her half-brother was Wilmer
Everett McAngues (1907-1945). Amanda's father, William H. Vandine, was
killed in the La Belle Coal Mine Explosion on 11 November 1901 in
Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio. Mary Ellen "Ellie" remarried to George W. McAngues in
Edgewood, Wheeling, Ohio County, WV on 28 January 1907. They later divorced, after their son Wilmer was born. I am also seeking George W.
McAngues' death. It appears he likely died between 1940-1945, but I
cannot locate a death record for him. Mary Ellen "Ellie" married thrice
to David Howell Kennard in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio on 06 October 1923. David was twice a
widower; his wives dying in 1911 and 1919. David died in Detroit, Wayne County,
Michigan on 14 March 1926. I am still seeking where he is buried. I think he is buried near Washington County, Pennsylvania. He may have been separated or divorced from Mary Ellen "Ellie", but this is not certain.
Amanda married
Donald Moran in Edgewood, Wheeling, Ohio County, WV on 19 June 1916. They had only one
child to my knowledge, William J. Moran, who was born about 1918 in
Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio. Margaret Amanda appears in the 1920 Census in Steubenville with her
son William, and her mother Ella Vandine, who states she is a widow (but likely she was divorced -- she is using Vandine as her last name instead of McAngues). Margaret Amanda also lists herself as a widow. This is incorrect, as
Donald Moran remarried to Helen Dever in Steubenville in 1925, and
states he was married once previously, and was a widower. Donald and
Helen were the parents of at least 10 children. Donald died in 1971, and
Helen followed in 1972. I am certain Amanda was dead before 1945, as
she was not mentioned on her half-brother, Wilmer McAngues' obituary.
She also is not mentioned on her mother's 1957 obituary. I do believe
she died between 1920 and 1925, based on the evidence I've found. She
may have remarried, but I have not found anything yet. I cannot find her on any records after the 1920 Census. She literally "disappears"...
I did call my grandmother's first cousin in Arizona. She is 86, and is the only surviving child of John Albert and Virginia (Palmer) VanDyne. She did tell me that William J. Moran ("Billy" as she called him) (her first cousin) did live with them when she was growing up. She said: "He moved there when his mother died". But where and when did she die? She did say that she never knew Billy's mother (her father's sister). I truly cannot find a death certificate for her anywhere online. I have contacted the Union Cemetery in Steubenville and the Greenwood Cemetery in Wheeling where her immediate family is buried, and they claim to have no record of her being interred at either cemetery. William indeed appears on the census with them on Warden Run Road in Richland District, Ohio Couny, West Virginia in 1930. She mentioned that he married a Marie, and indeed William married Alice Marie Nice (they called her Marie) in Wheeling on 23 December 1937. They did have a son, Donald Joseph Moran who died in infancy in 1939 and is buried in the Ohio County Farm Cemetery at Roney's Point, Ohio County, West Virginia. William and Marie appeared on the 1940 Census in Ohio County, West Virginia. Alice Marie died a Matheny on 09 December 1956 in Alameda County, California. My grandma's cousin said that "Billy" and Marie did divorce, and she knew about the baby Donald that died. She said that Billy was stationed in Germany during the war (World War II), and he wrote letters to them, and sent pictures. But she couldn't remember what happened to him after the war. I asked her if she knew if he was killed in the war, and she didn't know. He literally "vanished into thin air". I've searched for William Moran, but there are just so many, I don't know where to begin. William is not mentioned on his father, Donald Moran's 1971 obituary, nor on any of the obituaries I have found of Donald's children by his second wife, Helen (Dever) Moran. I did find a phone number for Ned J. Moran (Donald and Helen' son) (they have three children still living) and I called and left a message, but he never called me back.
Thanks to anyone
who can help!
