Martha Azle (Mercer) McCall or “Miss Azle” as I knew her was the second wife of my Great Great Grandfather John Keener McCall (1 Oct 1872) and married him when he already had a large family of 8 kids. They had two more children together. Currently I have no record of who her parents were or what family she came from, but I do have quite a few guesses. I thought I’d write the trail I’ve come across thus far and see if it makes sense.

What I know:
1. I have her obituary: Sublimity – Martha Azle McCall, 99, died Jan. 7, 1992. She was born Dec. 1, 1892 in Danville, Ark. She moved to Stayton in 1938 from Carlsbad, N.M. She settled in Sublimity seven years ago. She married J.K. McCall on Sept. 22, 1918 in Gravely, Ark., he died in 1966. She is survived by her sons, Charles W. of Sublimity and J.B. of Cottage Grove; stepsons, G.D. of Stayton and Troy of Carlsbad; stepdaughter, Prue Sadler of Stayton; several grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. Services were held Jan. 10 at Weddle Mortuary, Stayton. Interment followed at Lone Oak Cemetery, Stayton.

2. I know that my Great Grandmother Etoyl (Montgomery) McCall who was married to Azle’s eldest step-son Robert Lee McCall said that they called her Dad “Pappy Mercer”, and she came from a poor, lower-class family. I also have some minor details about her life with her husband that was shared with my sister in a letter from the local historical society where she died.

3. I know she was born 1 December 1892, and died 7 January 1892 and was buried in the Lone Oak Cemetery in Stayton, Oregon on the 10th of January 1992. She married J.K. McCall 22 September 1918 in Gravelly, Yell County, Arkansas when she was 25 years old.

4. I know that her future husband John Keener lived with his first wife in Danville – her birthplace as listed on her obituary – in the 1900 Census. (She would have been 7 yrs old) The next census, however, him and his wife are living in the Herring Township.

5. In the 1920 Census, Azle lists her father as born in Mississippi, mother in Arkansas. In 1930, she lists both parents as being born in Arkansas.

What I’ve done:
Since I’m a self-taught amature genealogy researcher, I don’t always know the best place to start to find out what I don’t know on a person or family line. But this is what I’ve done.

1. I assumed that since she was born in Danville, she might have lived there as a child. I went through the entire Danville 1900 US Census for a Mercer family with no luck.

2. I did an open US Census search for a Martha Azle Mercer, and focused the search around Yell County, Arkansas where she was born. I found a Martha A. in Briggsville in the 1910 census, which is just 15 miles from Danville where she was born. Azle should have been 17 when the Census was taken at the end of April 1900. This “Martha A. Merser” was listed as 16, birthplace Arkansas. Her parents are listed as Silas W. (age 40, b. MS) and Martha A. (age 36, b. AR). They were married at 17. She had siblings Dovey, Dewey, Myrtle and grandfather Byrant.

Martha A. Merser - Briggsville US Census, 1910

I saw the difference in age of this Martha, and ended up putting my research to the side. I’ve been trying to focus on primary family lines first, and so I went back to the McCall side. While searching through some WW1 draft papers I ran across a Dewey S. Mercer, who stated that his nearest relative was C.W. Mercer. This sounded familiar, and I was excited to find another Mercer nearby all my McCalls so I started searching again.

The WW1 Registration of Dewey Sampson Mercer.

I decided to see if the family of Silas W. and Martha A. Merser mentioned in the 1910 Census appeared in other US Census records. After a couple frustrating name searches, I ended up going through the Briggsville Census records by hand and was lucky.

3. In the 1900 US Census I found a Wess Messer (age 30, b. MS) and his wife Minnie (age 26, b. AR) living in Briggsville, Arkansas with children named Martha, Dova and Dewey. This Martha is listed with a birthday of December 1893, and age 6. Still one year off from my Martha, but in the right month of December.

Martha Messer - Briggsville US Census, 1900

4. In the 1920 US Census I found Dewey S. (age 21) living with his father W.C. Mercer (age 48, widowed), but not Martha.

Martha's family (No Martha) - Briggsville US Census, 1920

5. I decided to focus on Dewey S. Mercer. After a few searches, I found that he had married Millie Ornduff (b. 1897, Oregon -1979, Oregon) and died in Tillamook, Oregon 17 Jan 1986. Could it be a coincidence that he ended up in Oregon, and met a wife there and died there? Perhaps this is my Martha in these census records, and she convinced her brother to come to Oregon where she was living, and there he married (perhaps a second wife). The local Tillamook historical society had a website where I got his death information, and so I emailed them for his obituary. We’ll see where the trail leads from there.

What’s next:
That’s where I’ve reached thus far. My next step is to keep following up about Dewey S., and to order Martha’s Death Certificate to see if she lists her parent’s names. I also seem to remember that there was an article written in the local paper about her because of her longevity, so that’s another avenue to explore. I’m hoping by putting this research out there, I may find a decedent of this family who’s interested in genealogy.

If you’re related to this family or have more information about them including stories, pictures and dates and family member names, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or email me directly from the About Us page.

Sinai Harreld Neal Buchanan
Born – 6 Oct 1797, Butler Co., Kentucky
Died – 17 Feb 1883, Prairie Grove, Washington Co., Arkansas
Buried – Prairie Grove Cemetery, Prairie Grove, Washington Co., Arkansas

BUCHANAN, Sina Neal – Died in Prairie Grove on Saturday, Feb 17, 1883, Mrs. Sinai[sic] Buchanan, widow of the late Rev. Andrew Buchanan. Mrs. B. was the oldest settler in Prairie Grove Township. Obituary soon. [Fayetteville Democrat 2/22/1883]

Died in Prairie Grove at the residence of her son, Col. Neal, Mrs. Sina Buchanan. Aunt Sina, as she was lovingly called by us all, is gone “over there;” on the 17th inst. after a long and useful life she passed “over the river.” Aunt Sina was born in Butler County, Kentucky on the 6th of October A.D., 1797, was married to Mr. Wm. Neal, by whom she became the mother of two children – Col. Wm. T. Neal, who was killed during the late war and our friend, Col. Jas. P. Neal of this place. After the death of her first husband she was united by marriage to the Rev. Andrew Buchanan, whose name she has so long commemorated. She professed religion early in life and was received into the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at this place among the very first. She was a consistent christian, a true “mother in Israel.” While grievously lamenting her death we bow humbly to Almighty God saying, “Thy will be done.” W.R.R. Prairie Grove, Feb 26th, 1883. [Fayetteville Democrat 3/1/1883]

J K McCall Passes Away

John Keener (J.K.) McCall, 93 died Jan. 3, at Santiam Memorial Hospital after an extended illness. He was born Oct. 1, 1872 in Shark, Arkansas.

McCall and his wife, Azle, came to the Stayton area in 1937. They retired from farming in the rural community and moved to 847 E. Virginia Street, Stayton, nine years ago. He was a life time member of the Methodist Church.

Surviving are the wife, Azle; sons Robert, Buford, and Charles, Stayton; Dewey, Eugene; Troy, Carlsbad, N. Mexico; Jack, Terrebonne; and Bill, Cottage Grove; daughters, Mrs. Curtis (Faye) Ware, Portland; Mrs. Harry (Sina) Skinner, Carlsbad, N. Mexico; and Mrs. Luther (Prue) Sadler, Alameda, California; 27 Grandchildren and 38 Great-Grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Jan. 6th at the Weddle Funeral Home Chapel at 2 P.M. The Rev. Ernest Bell Officiating. Interment is in Lone Oak Cemetery.

If you’re related to this person or have more information about him including stories, pictures and dates and family member names, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or email me directly from the About Us page.

“William M. Ingram, 92, died at his home near Silverton. He was born 14 May 1855 in Mt. Eadon, Spencer, Co., Kentucky. He was married in 1879 to Miss Catherine Frances Heindselman in Great Bend, Kansas. They farmed for 50 years in Kansas and Oklahoma, after which they went to Flagstaff, Arizona, coming to Stayton in 1934. They celebrated their 65th Wedding Anniversary 19 Oct 1944. Five of their seven children survived them.”
[SML, 22 May 1947] – Obituary copied from the Marion County OR Cemeteries Book for Lone Oak Cemetery, Stayton, OR. pg 46

“William N. Ingram Funeral services were held on Wednesday at the Weddle funeral home at Stayton for William N. Ingram, 92 who died Monday at his home at 608 Whittier St. in Silverton. Rev Williard Buchner officated and burial was in Lone Oak cemetery. Mr. Ingram was born in Mt. Eaden county Kentucky May 14 1855 and was married to Catherine Frances Heindselman in 1879. Five of seven children survive. Everette and William of Silverton, Arthur of San Diego, Ernest and Mrs. June Jackson of Cochella, Calif.”
- Silverton Appeal, May 22, 1847

If you’re related to this family or have more information about them including stories, pictures and dates and family member names, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or email me directly from the About Us page.

Retired Doctor Taken by Death

Funeral services for Dr. Thomas Marion Montgomery, 88, were at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27, at the Weddle funeral home chapel. The Rev. Stuart Shaw officiated and internment was in Lone Oak cemetery here.

Dr. Montgomery, who died Sunday at Santiam Memorial hospital, was born in Lafayette county, Miss., Sept. 9, 1873. He moved with his parents to Arkansas when he was a boy, attending school in Conway, Ark., and, later the Arkansas Industrial University school of medicine.

He retired from a 40 year career in medicine in 1939, coming to Oregon to be near his daughter and son. Much of his early practice was in the rural regions of Arkansas, where he traveled on horseback or by horse and buggy. His father was a doctor, as were five of his brothers, and his sister was a nurse.

Dr. Montgomery was married Nov. 23, 1892, to Ellen Crawley, in Gravelly, Ark. His wife preceded him in death Jan. 8 of this year. He was a member of the First Methodist church here.

Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Sybil Brumley, Dripping Springs, Tex., and Mrs. R.L. McCall, Stayton; two sons, Harold Montgomery, Bluffton, Ark. and Lyle Montgomery, Cottage Grove; 11 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

If you’re related to this family or have more information about them including stories, pictures and dates and family member names, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or email me directly from the About Us page.