Nellie Meyer

As I have previously mentioned I have "trashed" my tree.  Sawed it off at the ground as it were and am working on growing a new tree.  It will be the same species, I haven't decided to find new ancestors but the hope is in attacking the tree with new and more experienced eyes and the vast new world of sources since I started this over 15 years ago that I would find some cool new facts about the same ol' people.  Enter Nellie Meyer.

I was looking for the birth record of Della Meyer.  I usually search by parents names as this sometimes leads one to find siblings you didn't originally know about and lo and behold up pops Nellie.

Line 36 lists Meyers, Nellie.  She was born 1891, Jun 7 in Allen Township to George Myers & Maggie Schnackenberger.  Who is Nellie?  She has the same date of birth as Della so she could be a twin but Della isn't registered.  It all seems very interesting indeed until....

 
Della Matilda Wilhelmina Meyer filed to have her birth record corrected as she is listed as Nellie and both parents have their names misspelled.  Not only does this little gem solve the mystery of Nellie but if you look closely you will be able to see that she was born at home by Dr. J.C. Bowman of Martin, Ohio.  The document was witnessed by George H. Rudes.  Supporting affidavits were submitted by Katherine Clark & A.H. Samsen who are not related but could somehow swear that they knew when Della was born and to her parents identity.  What a cool piece of trivia to uncover.

Where it fits:  Della Meyer is the wife of Merrill Rudes.  She was previously thought to have been born in Woodville, Ohio* but the birth records state otherwise.  No previous birth records had been located but her name was believed to be Della Matilda Katrina Meyer.  She is the daughter and at this time only known child of George Harlow Meyer & Marguerite Schnackenberg.  She is the mother of Merrill Basil Rudes & George Harlow Rudes.

*Her obituary states she was a native of Woodville, Ohio.