Myra
Josephine
(Jewell) Caldwell
(1879-1914)
Myra Josephine (Jewell) Caldwell was born on Nov. 16, 1879 in Wood County, OH, the daughter of William L. and Pera (Minerd) Jewell.
On Dec. 23, 1897, Myra married Clarence William Caldwell (1872-1953), the son of George F. and Mary (Thompson) Caldwell. They had six known children -- Helen Mary Osgood, Mary Aileen Caldwell, Kenneth Deyo Caldwell, Maxwell Cloyd Caldwell, Rose Maxine Wallace and Lillian Adelade Caldwell.
Circa 1909, the Caldwells resided in Bowling Green, Wood County.
The
family resided at 801 North Main Street in Bowling Green. At
right is a rare old postcard view of Main Street, from the
early 1900s.
William was an automobile mechanic but also worked in the fields of carpentry, oil field machinery and sheet metal. He is said to have "established one of the first automobile garages in the area," according to the excellent 1996 book by Ivan Stearns, The History/Genealogy of John and Nancy McCullough Jewell.
The Jewell History/Genealogy reports that Clarence once constructed a special automobile that had a revolutionary steering wheel. However, Clarence's customer, a local oil entrepreneur, "wasn't impressed so didn't finance Clarence in developing his machine into an auto company. Thus Bowling Green lost its chance to become an auto manufacturing center."
Sadly Myra died on June 4, 1914, of a pulmonary abscess, with tuberculosis as a contributing factor. She was just 35 years, six months of age, and was laid to rest at Union Hill Cemetery near Tontogany.
Six years later, Clarence married Verlie Sevey (1891-1973).
Clarence passed away on April 7, 1953.
Daughter Helen Caldwell (1901-1953) married Bert Osgood ( ? - ? ) in 1920 in Michigan. They had three children -- Harold Eugene Osgood, Robert Osgood and Catherine Osgood. At Bert's passing, he was laid to eternal rest in Portage Township Cemetery in Wood County.
Son Kenneth Deyo Caldwell (1903-1927) died of tuberculosis at the age of 24, in 1927. He is buried at Union Hill Cemetery in Tontogany.
Daughter Rose Maxine Caldwell (1908- ? ) married Franklin S. Wallace (1905-1986) three days before Christmas 1925. They had five children -- Joseph William Wallace, Betty Irene Wallace, Murry Louis Wallace, James Allan Wallace and Kathleen A. Wallace. Frank passed away in Arizona in 1968, but nothing further is known.
The Jewell History/Genealogy is available for sale through the Wood County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society.
Copyright © 2002, 2005 Mark A. Miner