The Mystery of Myrtle Coker

Myrtle L. Coker

According to my Aunt Ginny, her Aunt Myrtle hadn't been heard from since she sent a telegram to my great-grandmother in 1933 acknowledging the death of my grandfather, her brother, Lonnie Coker. She was living in Washington State at the time.

Following Aunt Myrtle's trail has not been easy. She appears with the rest of the G.W. Coker family in the 1900 census in Yellville, Arkansas where she was born, then later with them in Joplin, Missouri in 1910.

Myrtle married Bert Patterson January 25, 1913 in Carthage, Missouri. From here the trail gets murky. When Bert registered for the WWI draft (12 Sep 1918) he was working as a horseshoer in Augusta, Kansas but gave 1024 North St., Joplin, Missouri as his home address. His wife Myrtle L. Patterson at that address was listed as next of kin. Bert is recorded as a white male of medium build with brown hair. The address on North Street is just  block from Myrtle's family home (922 North St.) in Joplin.

The 1920 census shows a white family group living in Augusta, Kansas - Albert Patterson, wife Myrtle L Patterson, and niece Clema Watkins, Myrtle's late sister Maud Coker Watkins had a daughter named Clemma. Another coincidence, Myrtle's cousin David Stinnett was also living in Augusta in the same time frame.

I don't know what happened between Myrtle and Bert. She shows up in Seattle, Washington in a 1923 marriage record. Even though the bride's name on this record is Lillian Patterson (the "L" in Myrtle L Patterson?) I was fairly sure this was our Myrtle because one of the witnesses is Alfred Stinnette, who I believe is another cousin, the son of William and Fannie Stinnett of Muskogee, Oklahoma.

Marriage certificate of Lillian Patterson and Arthur S. Ramsden

The 1930 census lists Lillian Ramsden as a divorced beauty shop operator boarding in a house on Warren Ave. in Seattle. Aunt Ginny said that Myrtle used to do hair in Joplin.

Lillian Ramsden marries again in Vancouver, Washington in 1936. This time to Claude Siner. And this time I have a record that ties her to my family. George Coker and Anna Stinnette of Missouri are listed as her parents on the marriage record.

Marriage record for Claude Sine and Lillian Ramsden.

According to articles in the Nevada State Journal (Reno, Nevada, Feb 28, 1945) Lillian Siner filed for divorce from Claude Siner AND applied for a marriage license to Leonard A. Schelling of Tule Lake, California. Both articles appeared in the same issue of the Journal under the headings Marriage Licenses and Actions Filed.

Santa Rosa, California city directories list a Leonard A. and Lillian Schilling from the late 1940s until the early 1970s. After that I found a 1975 death record for a Leonard Schelling in Florida but nothing else on Lillian. I don't know if they were still married at the time of his death or whether this is even the same Leonard Schelling (though the fact that his Social Security card being issued in Oregon leads me toward that conclusion). There is also a 1985 death record for a Lillian Schelling in Napa, California. I'll have to get a death certificate and hopefully confirm Myrtle's identity. 

So here I have Aunt Myrtle (AKA Lillian), white, independent beauty operator, married four times. I would love to have more details of her life. I wonder if she preceded Leonard in death, if they stayed married for 30 years, if she'll turn up with yet another surname; so many questions Aunt Myrtle. I'll keep looking for you.