John Frank Kerr

From Find a Grave:

Melinda died at the Columbus Mental Hospital
Cause of Death: Cerebral Hemorrhage with Dementia Praecox, paranoid (Paranoid Schizophrenia)
She had been there at least since the 1910 census.
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I have received these two very interesting stories in regards to the family.

• This note was sent to me by Jim Yearling in Oct. 2014, copied and pasted here (spelling errors intact):
• August J. Schneider "was the nephew of John George Schneider of Franklin County and Charles Schneider of Lancaster, Fairfield County.
• His father died in Germany.
• They supposely paid his way to USA.
• On his marriage licence in LD data base he was Augustus J and was married on 28 may 1885 in Franklin County.
• There also seems to be a said story that goes with Gus and Malinda.
• Three of the childern were raised by the Hemilich grand parents and the last one appeared to adpoted at birth.
• The grandfather died in 1905 and the grandmother died in 1915.
• Malinda died on the Hiltop and Gus, more or less disappeared after the childs birth.

--- This note was sent to me by Timothy Bolin in July 2017:

• "I am Augustus' great great grandson, and I read the story that you have on Ancestry and thought I would share what I know about this.
• The youngest child is my great grandmother Lenora Mable Schneider Groh, when Gus gave the older children to the Heimlich's, Lenora, who went by Nora, was given to John and Mary Kerr.
• You can find them in the 1900 Census living in Galion Ward 3, Crawford Ohio.
• My grand mother, Evelyn Voleta Groh Bolin used to tell me stories about going to Granma and Grandpa Kerr's as a child.
• The story I was told is that Melinda suffered from what we would know as Post Partum Depression and was never cured of it.
• Gus hired a young girl to care for Melinda and the kids but during this time a romance budded between them.
• Gus took the older kids to the Heimlich's and gave Nora to the Kerr's who were family friends.
• He then [had] Melinda committed to the Columbus State Hospital where she eventually died.
• My grandmother said that they had visited her only a few times and that she was afraid of her so she stood behind Nora but that her sister Wilma was the brave one and would go up to Melinda and talk to her.
• As far as Gus goes, well he sort of disappears after this.
• I wish I had the name of the girl he ran off with as it could help in locating Gus."
• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Mar 9 2022, 6:28:38 UTC