The Hyphen Family Lineage

Note: Hazel Farlow's origin, names, and marriages

I had previously written a more thorough history of Hazel when researching the origin of one of her biological sons, Leroy Elsworth Middaugh, who was born to Hazel and her first husband, Elmer Baugher, and then adopted by Melvin Ray and Jennie Melissa (Kalb) Middaugh as an infant or young boy. When researching Ira Anson Stults and reviewing his marriage record, I had thought her name and her parents' names sounded familiar, and found the notes I'd written previously.

Hazel's parentage isn't entirely clear, as she was raised (and presumably adopted) by John and Rebecca Farlow of Polk Twp, Huntington Cty, Indiana, in whose household she was counted as living in both the 1900 and 1910 US Censuses. Over the years, she would typically report her parents as John Farlow and Addie Wambsley, though occasionally she reported their names as something else (at least once as Harvey Mahoney and Lillie Thomas, and once as John and Lillie Farlow).

Hazel appears to have married at least six times:

- to Elmer Baugher on 2 Mar 1911, divorced 15 Jul 1922 or 1 Sep 1922.
- to Charles Holcomb on 12 Oct 1922, divorced 8 Nov 1922.
- to Ira Anson Stults on 9 Dec 1922, divorced Oct 1923.
- to Walter Holley on 27 Oct 1923, divorced prior to 1930.
- to Shedrick Gamble on 28 Feb 1931, divorced prior to 1940.
- to Walt McKinzie, date unknown, until his death in 1946.

Her four known children were all born to her first marriage; at least one of them (youngest son Leroy) was given up for adoption, and I suspect the second-youngest child (Mark) may have been as well.

Her listing on FindaGrave.com includes much of this information, and also includes the text of her obituary from the Huntington Herald-Press, 16 Feb 1977:

Mrs. Hazel M. McKinzie, 82, 1544 Sabine St., died at 1:10 p.m. Tuesday at the Norwood
Nursning Center. Mrs. McKinzie, affiliated with the Grayston Avenue United Brethren
Church, was born Jan 16., 1894 and lived most of her life in Huntington. Her marriage
was to Walr McKinzie, who preceded her in death in 1946. There are no immediate
survivors. Friends may call at the Deal and Robbings Funeral Home after 7 p.m.
Wednesday.

It should be noted that, while her daughter Margaret had indeed preceded her in death, at least two of her sons were still living in 1977. Her oldest son, Paul, is mentioned in his father's obituary as a survivor, but not his mother's suggesting he was estranged from her. Her youngest, Leroy, may never have known her, given his very young age at adoption. It is unknown whether her son Mark was still alive at the time of her death, though I suspect he may well have been alive and not in contact with his biological mother for any number of reasons.