Seavers in the News -- G.A. Seaver Died in 1918 in Sonoma County, California

It's time for another edition of "Seavers in the News" - a weekly feature from the historical newspapers about persons with the surname Seaver that are interesting, useful, mysterious, fun, macabre, or add information to my family tree database.

This week's entry is from the  Petaluma [Calif.] Daily Morning Courier newspaper dated 3 February 1918:

The transcription of the article is:

"DEATH OF G.A. SEAVER

"George A. Seaver died at his home at Spring Hill Saturday.  He was one of the prosperous formers of that section and was well known here.  He came to California several years ago and purchased the ranch where he passed to rest.

"He is survived by a widow and a large family."

The source citation is:

"Death of G.A. Seaver," Petaluma [Calif.] Daily Morning Courier newspaper, obituary, Sunday, 3 February 1918, page 6, column 3, George A  Seaver obituary; Newspapers.com   (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 January 2020).

Don't you love it when there is a widow and a large family, but none of them have names in the obituary?  What about when all the records have a different last name spelling than the obituary?

I finally found George Aristas Seavers (1859-1918)  in my RootsMagic family tree.  He was born in April 1859 in Illinois, the youngest child and son of Christopher L. and Deborah P. (Lemar) Seavers.  Christopher Seavers migrated from Germany to Chester County, Pennsylvania before 1837 when he married Deborah.

George A. Seavers married Ella Melissa Stahl (1863-1945) in about 1881 in Nebraska.  They had ten children:

*  John Ralston Seavers (1883-1964), married 1909 Essie Maud Cory (1889-1980).

*  Ethel Dresilla Seavers (1886-1888).

*  Christopher Lemar Seavers (1891-1969), married 1926 Maybel Alice Stevens (1896-1980)

*  Isaac Leo Seavers (1892-1963), married 1933 Sylvia Anne Wheeler (1897-1967).

*  Ida Ruth Seavers (1892-1954).

*  George Louis Seavers (1894-1968), married 1960 Josephine Sarah Harris (1917-2007).

*  James Oscar Seavers (1897-1961), married 1925 Annie Rosamund Severson (1898-1970).

*  Joseph Oliver Seavers (1898-1987), married Myrtle Marie Roberts (1902-1994).

*  Deborah Myrtle Seavers (1900-1988), married 1921 Stanley Ward Champion (1894-1965).

*  William Reed Seavers (1902-1957), married 1938 Josephine Sarah Harris (1917-2007).

George was born in Illinois, and his birth family resided in Sullivan County, Missouri in 1870, in Atchison County, Missouri in 1880;  With his own family, George resided in Sonoma County, California in 1900, in Garfield County, Oklahoma in 1910, and he died in Sonoma County, California in 1918.  All but Ethel (who died in 1888 in Nebraska) and Deborah (who died in Iowa) remained in northern California throughout their lives.  Spring Hill is a farming area several miles west of Petaluma on the way to Bodega Bay on the coast.

It was a large family, and the widow and children have names.  It appears that all of them used the "Seavers" name except for this newspaper article for some reason.  

I am not related to George Aristas Seavers as far as I know. 

There are over 8,000 Seaver "stories" in my family tree - this was one of them.   Life happens, accidentally and intentionally, and sometimes a person gets a short obituary in the newspaper.  I am glad that I can honor George Aristas Seaver today.

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Disclosure:  I have a complimentary subscription to Newspapers.com and have used it extensively to find articles about my ancestral and one-name families.

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Copyright (c) 2020, Randall J. Seaver

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