Clarey, Firmer Albin

Birth Name Clarey, Firmer Albin
Gramps ID I5999
Gender male
Age at Death 82 years, 5 months, 15 days

Events

Event Date Place Description
Sources Notes
Birth 1898-07-17 Van Buren Cty, Michigan, USA  
1a 2a 3a
Census 1900 Kalkaska, Kalkaska Cty, Michigan, USA  
4a
Census 1910 Kalkaska, Kalkaska Cty, Michigan, USA  
5a
Census 1920 Battle Creek, Calhoun Cty, Michigan, USA  
6a
Census 1930 Battle Creek, Calhoun Cty, Michigan, USA  
7a
Census 1940 Pennfield Charter Twp, Calhoun Cty, Michigan, USA  
8a
Death 1981    
 
Burial   Memorial Park Cemetery, Battle Creek, Calhoun Cty, Michigan, USA  
 

Parents

Relation to main person Name Birth date Death date Relation within this family (if not by birth)
Father Clarey, Martin E. [I5998]1864-07-041945-08-09
Mother Judd, Iva Belle [I5983]18761965-04-26
    Brother     Clarey, Claude [I6002] 1893 1893
         Clarey, Firmer Albin [I5999] 1898-07-17 1981
    Brother     Clarey, Leo Frank [I6000] 1902-03-15 1970-01-27
    Brother     Clarey, Shirley Martin [I6001] 1904 1915-05-19

Families

    Family of Clarey, Firmer Albin and Sheldon, Lulu Pearl [F1950]
Married Wife Sheldon, Lulu Pearl [I6003] ( * 1897-10-27 + 1970 )
   
Event Date Place Description
Sources Notes
Marriage 1917-11-22 Genesee Cty, Michigan, USA  
9a
Divorce      
 
Marriage 1939-10-07 Duval Cty, Florida, USA  
10a
  Children
Name Birth Date Death Date
Clarey, Firmer Ralph [I6332]
    Family of Clarey, Firmer Albin and Morris, Marie A. [F1951]
Married Wife Morris, Marie A. [I6004] ( * + ... )
    Family of Clarey, Firmer Albin and Wood, Marjorie Iva [F1952]
Married Wife Wood, Marjorie Iva [I6005] ( * + ... )

Narrative

Note: The complicated marital history of Firmer A. Clarey

Sorting out Firmer's marital life has been somewhat challenging, owing to his having had four marriages in three different states, two of them to the same woman.

He married first on 22 Nov 1917 in Genesee Cty, Michigan, to Michigan-born Lulu Pearl Sheldon, daughter of David and Hannah Sheldon; both of them were nineteen years old. My guess is that this marriage was extremely short, as less than a year later Firmer noted his mother (not his wife) as his contact on his WWI draft card in September of 1918. It's possible that this marriage lasted at least a few years, but it must have ended by 1920, as Firmer was living with his parents again and listed as "single" in the 1920 US Census. (Lulu would remarry in November 1920 in Marshall, Calhoun Cty, Michigan, to the Canada-born Edmond Joseph Cullin, so her divorce from Firmer must have been final prior to that date for certain.)

Next Firmer married Marie A. Morris (daughter of George Morris and Clara Snyder, born in Muncie, Delaware Cty, Indiana) in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Cty, Michigan on 11 Feb 1925. On their marriage license, Firmer indicated that he had never been married; this was a first marriage for Marie. Firmer and Marie divorced on 4 Nov 1929, and in the 1930 US Census Firmer was again living with his parents, this time giving his status as "divorced", while Marie was living as a boarder in Battle Creek, Calhoun Cty, Michigan, also with a status of "divorced". (Marie appears to have married at least twice more; there is a marriage record for her in early 1940 in DeKalb Cty, Indiana to the widower D.J. Schultz, himself a farmer in DeKalb Cty whose mother was a resident of Battle Creek, which is likely how Marie and D.J. met. On their marriage license, Marie says she was previously married and was divorced 11 Apr 1939, suggesting she was married an additional time between her divorce from Firmer and her marriage to D.J.)

On 5 Oct 1931, this time in Allen Cty, Indiana, Firmer married Marjorie Iva Wood, born in Calhoun Cty, Michigan to Arthur and Viola Wood. Both of them gave their residence as Battle Creek, and neither of them had close family living in Allen Cty that I've been able to determine, so I am uncertain as to the reason they married in Indiana. Both of them gave that they were married and divorced only once, and for Marjorie this may well have been true, though it is known that it wasn't for Firmer. (Marjorie had previously married Ira Brandenberry in 1923, and divorced in 1931.) I'm not entirely certain how this marriage ended, as I've found no confirmed further records for Marjorie Iva, but it seems likeliest that this marriage also ended in divorce, and must have ended before 1939.

Meanwhile, Firmer's first wife, Lulu, had been living with her second husband, Edmond Cullin, in Battle Creek (where they had been counted in the 1930 US Census), until his death on 13 May 1939. Less than five months later, it appears that Firmer and Lulu eloped to Florida where they married in Duval Cty on 7 Oct 1939. This marriage record indicated only that Firmer was divorced and Lulu widowed, with little additional information given. The two of them returned to Michigan where they were counted in the 1940 US Census living in Pennfield Twp, Calhoun Cty. The two of them appear to have remained married until Lulu's death in 1970, with Firmer following eleven years later. The two of them are buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Battle Creek with what appear to be matching gravestones.

Despite all of this marital activity, I have found no indication that Firmer had any children by any of these women. Lulu also does not appear to have had children with her second husband.

ADDENDUM: Some time after the website update that included the text above, I was contacted by Firmer Ralph Clarey, son of Firmer Albin and Lulu Pearl (Sheldon) Clarey from their second marriage; he has since provided me with additional information about the family. This obviously corrected my original assumption that Firmer Albin had no children.

Pedigree

  1. Clarey, Martin E. [I5998]
    1. Judd, Iva Belle [I5983]
      1. Clarey, Claude [I6002]
      2. Clarey, Firmer Albin
        1. Sheldon, Lulu Pearl [I6003]
          1. Clarey, Firmer Ralph [I6332]
        2. Morris, Marie A. [I6004]
        3. Wood, Marjorie Iva [I6005]
      3. Clarey, Leo Frank [I6000]
      4. Clarey, Shirley Martin [I6001]

Ancestors

Source References

  1. US Social Security Death Index [S0098]
      • Confidence: High
      • Citation:

        "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V94X-Y43 : 19 May 2014), Firmer Clarey, May 1981; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

  2. United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [S0313]
      • Date: 1918-09-12
      • Confidence: High
      • Citation:

        "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K66L-W74 : 12 December 2014), Firmer A Clarey, 1917-1918; citing Battle Creek City, Michigan, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,675,064.

  3. Indiana, Marriages, 1811-2007 [S0302]
      • Confidence: High
      • Citation:

        "Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XXVW-YW5 : 21 January 2016), Firmer A Clarey and Marjorie Iva Wood, 05 Oct 1931; citing Allen, Indiana, United States, various county clerk offices, Indiana; FHL microfilm 2,130,284.

  4. US Census of 1900 [S0039]
      • Date: 1900-06-06
      • Citation:

        "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSM5-JZQ : 20 January 2015), Martin Clarey in household of Wm H Eckler, Kalkaska township Kalkaska village, Kalkaska, Michigan, United States; citing sheet 4A, family 77, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,240,721.

        Event Year 1900
        Event Place Kalkaska township Kalkaska village, Kalkaska, Michigan, United States
        Wm H Eckler Head M 57 Michigan
        Maude Eckler Daughter F 17 Michigan
        Martin Clarey Boarder M 36 Canada Eng
        Belle Clarey Housekeeper F 24 Indiana
        Firnus Clarey Boarder M 2 Michigan

  5. US Census of 1910 [S0040]
      • Date: 1910-04-11
      • Citation:

        "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ML5N-73L : 29 October 2015), Iva Belle Clary in household of Martin E Clary, Kalkaska, Kalkaska, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 110, sheet 1A, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,374,665.

        Event Date 1910
        Event Place Kalkaska, Kalkaska, Michigan, United States
        Martin E Clary Head M 45 Canada
        Iva Belle Clary Wife F 34 Indiana
        Firmer Clary Son M 11 Michigan
        Leo Clary Son M 8 Michigan
        Shirley Clary Son M 6 Michigan

  6. US Census of 1920 [S0041]
      • Date: 1920-01-12
      • Citation:

        "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZSX-TDZ : 14 December 2015), Martin Clarey in household of Hazel Eldridge, Battle Creek Ward 2, Calhoun, Michigan, United States; citing sheet 10B, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,820,759.

        Event Date 1920
        Event Place Battle Creek Ward 2, Calhoun, Michigan, United States
        Martin Clarey Head M 55 Canada
        Belle Clarey Wife F 44 Indiana
        Firmer Clarey Son M 21 Michigan
        Leo Clarey Son M 17 Michigan

  7. US Census of 1930 [S0042]
      • Date: 1930-04-08
      • Citation:

        "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XQYM-V9H : 8 December 2015), Iva V Clarey in entry for Martin E Clarey, 1930.

        Event Date 1930
        Event Place Battle Creek, Calhoun, Michigan, United States
        Martin E Clarey Head M 65 Canada
        Iva V Clarey Wife F 54 Indiana
        Firmer A Clarey Son M 31 Michigan
        Leo F Clarey Son M 28 Michigan

  8. US Census of 1940 [S0043]
      • Date: 1940-05-04
      • Citation:

        "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K42K-925 : 17 May 2014), Pearl Clarey in household of Firmu Clarey, Pennfield Township, Calhoun, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 13-70, sheet 33A, family 728, NARA digital publication T627 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012), roll 1737.

        Event Date 1940
        Event Place Pennfield Township, Calhoun, Michigan, United States
        Firmu Clarey Head M 41 Michigan
        Pearl Clarey Wife F 41 Michigan

  9. Michigan, Marriages, 1868-1925 [S0075]
      • Confidence: High
      • Citation:

        "Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQWF-W8F : 4 December 2014), Firmer A. Clarey and Lulu P. Sheldon, 22 Nov 1917; citing Genesee, Michigan, v2 p 201 rn 5747, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 2,342,720.

  10. Florida, Marriages, 1830-1993 [S0164]
      • Confidence: High
      • Citation:

        "Florida Marriages, 1830-1993", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRCV-112 : 25 June 2015), Firmer A Clarey and Lula Pearl Cullin, 1939.