A Day of Research Full of Surprising Finds

Last week while researching my first cousin twice removed (whatever that means), Harold Muir, I learned he was a machine operator at an automobile factory in Detroit and married Marion Ruth Ternes. So last night I wanted to concentrate on learning more about her. I was lucky in that I knew her maiden name. Many times when you learn a wife's name, you only get to know her first name, usually through Census reports, and finding out more is difficult.

So what did I learn? The first thing I learned that Marion's parents, William Peter Ternes and Elsie Agnes Gerstner -- eloped and married in Sandwich, Ontario.

Ann Arbor Daily Times, 12 September 1910

Since William Ternes was part owner of Ternes Coal & Lumber Company, it was pretty obvious that Harold Muir married way above his station.  Harold was the son of Peter Semple Muir of Dalserf, Lanark, Scotland. Peter brought his family to the United States sometime before 1900.  He held a variety of jobs, including coal miner, machinist, steam pipe fitter, and plumber's helper.

I had only planned to spend one evening on Marion Ruth Ternes as that's about the amount of time it takes to run out of leads for a wife with little original documentation from my Dad's genealogy research. But after finding out she and her husband married in secret and that she was a bookkeeper for his company, I got very curious. So I'm still researching the Ternes family.  I'll let you know what I find out in future posts.