Edith Florence Morra Cabanaw Hackbirth Walter Harlos-one tough (or mean) lady!

I have been trying to keep up with "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" and so far so good! This week's theme is "Tough Woman". As I think all of the women in my tree were tough, I still get drawn to my father's side of the tree. I don't know very much about that side of the tree but have enjoyed researching and sharing my findings with the family.

I have decided to share the story of Edith Florence Morra Cabanaw Hackbirth Walter Harlos.

My dad and his siblings grew up with Edith in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She lived with them until they moved to Lafayette, Indiana. He remembers her being mean! Let's see if we can find out why she was so mean....

My first record of Edith is the 1880 U.S. Federal Census 1. She lived on Lincoln Street in Reed City (Richmond), Michigan and is listed as Edith F. Shelpman. Listed are:
Robert Shelpman-33 years old
Abigail A. Shelpman-25 years old
Edith F. Shelpman -4 years old (this puts her birth year around 1876)
Charles Shelpman-3 years old
Anna M. Shelpman-8 months


The next record I have of Edith is her marriage license 2. On September 18, 1893, she married Arzen Jacob Cabanaw in Plymouth, Indiana. Listed are her parents Frank Morra and Abigail Topper.  So now I know her father was Frank Morra even though she is listed in the 1880 census as Shelpman. So Frank must have died or Abigail had Edith out of wedlock. Funny thing is, I can't find any record of a Frank Morra anywhere!

Another interesting tidbit....in the 1880 census she is listed as being 4, but this marriage license lists her as being 19. A fluctuating age.......

Edith also was to marry Arzen earlier but he had an affair with Edith's sister Anna. She had a child and Edith would not let Arzen out of the engagement. Edith and Arzen had one child, Vida Bell. Sometime before 1897, Edith and Arzen were divorced. Arzen went on to marry Edith's sister, Anna.


On March 25, 1897, Edith married Frederic John Hackbirth in St. Joseph County, Indiana 3.

Fred and Edith Hackbirth

She appears again in the 1900 census 4 living in Grant, Indiana with Fred and her two children: Vida who is 5 and Pearl who is 2.5. It also lists their marriage year as 1893. I guess Edith didn't want anyone to know that she had been married before! (Edith and Fred also had a son, Earnest, born in 1902 and Pearl does not show up in any other census, I am presuming she is deceased.)

On October 18, 1909, a decree 5 was granted to Edith for a divorce from Fred. Imagine getting a divorce in 1909, this was virtually unheard of! The reason for the divorce was that Fred was cruel, non-supportive and a drunk!

Never fear! Edith married again, this time to Arthur Walters on November 29, 1909 in Berrien, Michigan. This time Edith listed her name as Edith Shettman (Shelpman) as her maiden name. She is also listed as being the age of 34.

Edith and Art

Edith and Art are still living in Berrien, MI in the 1910 census 6. They are listed as having one child, just Hackbirth (Ernest). You will notice that Vida Bell is not listed, you can find out all about her here. This census also has the Edith had 3 children, 2 living confirming that Pearl died sometime between 1900 and 1910.

In 1920, I found Edith still in Michigan, this time in Avon 7. She is living with the Cross (Kroff) family as a housekeeper and also has Edith L Walter listed as 6 years old. Edith L Walter is Edith F Walters granddaughter, the daughter of Vida Bell.

And lastly, Edith married Henry Harlos on February 11, 1927 in Fulton County, Ohio. This marriage license has some great information in it.

Edith and Henry Harlos

• She lists her age as 45. If we are going by the birth date from the 1880 census, she should be 51. 
• She lists her father as Robert Shelpman, Not Frank Morra as stated on her first marriage license. 
• She lists her mother as Abigail Hoover. In the first marriage license, she lists her mother's maiden name as Topper. This is a mystery for another post!
• She states she is a widower and does not have a living husband. She married Art in 1910 and according to his obituary, he died in 1956.
• She also states she was previously married only once. 

In 1930, Edith, Lucile (her granddaughter) and Ernest (her son) are all living in Butler, Indiana 8. It states she is married but there is no husband listed. 

In 1940 Edith is living with Lucile and her new husband Charles Rose in Butler, Indiana 9. 

Edith

Edith died March 4, 1952. I know she spent her last days in the Indiana Poor Asylum in Allen County, Indiana. 

So I didn't find out why she was so mean! I should also mention that Edith was raised Catholic but at the end of her life was a member of the United Brethern Church. I would guess her many marriages led her to changing her religion. 

I would like to find out if she is the daughter of Frank Morra or Robert Shelpman!

1. Year: 1880; Census Place: Reed City, Osceola, Michigan; Roll: 600; Family History Film: 1254600; Page:115B; Enumeration District: 223; Image: 0241
2. "Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959," index and images, FamilySearch
3.St. Joseph County, Indiana; Index to Marriage Records South Bend City Marriage, W. P. A. Book Numbers Indicates Location of Record; Book: 15; Page: 241
4. Year: 1900; Census Place: Center, Grant, Indiana; Roll: 373; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 0028; FHL microfilm: 1240373
5. Ancestry.com. Michigan, Divorce Records, 1897-1952 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
6. Year: 1910; Census Place: Oronoko, Berrien, Michigan; Roll: T624_638; Page: 9A; Enumeration District:0084; FHL microfilm: 1374651
7. Year: 1920; Census Place: Avon, Oakland, Michigan; Roll: T625_789; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 159; Image: 282
8. Year: 1930; Census Place: Butler, De Kalb, Indiana; Roll: 585; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 0027; Image:1087.0; FHL microfilm: 2340320
9. Year: 1940; Census Place: Butler, DeKalb, Indiana; Roll: T627_1036; Page: 16B; Enumeration District: 17-28