Lindell-Herndon Genealogy
Genealogy of the Lindell, Herndon, Bonnell, and Fairbanks families.
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Merlin Douglas Masten

Merlin Douglas Masten[1]

Male 1887 - 1962  (74 years)
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  • Name Merlin Douglas Masten  [2] 
    Born 21 Dec 1887  Boque Chitto, Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [3, 4, 5, 6] 
    Gender Male 
    US SSN 460-24-6404  [7] 
    Occupation Mining Engineer/Rancher  [8] 
    Census 15 Jun 1900  Ward 4, Sabine Parish, Louisiana, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [9] 
    Residence Jun 1917  Teel, Grant County, New Mexico, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [3] 
    Residence Mar 1918  Teel, Grant County, New Mexico, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [10] 
    Residence Jan 1920  El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [8] 
    Census 16 Jan 1920  Voting Precinct 24, El Paso City, El Paso County, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [8] 
    Census 21 Apr 1930  Ward 25, St. Louis, Missouri, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [11] 
    Residence Apr 1935  Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [12] 
    Census 8 Apr 1940  Tulsa City, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [12] 
    Residence Apr 1942  San Diego, San Diego County, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [6] 
    Died 5 Mar 1962  Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [7] 
    Buried 12 Mar 1962  Woodlawn Cemetery, near Ferndale, Whatcom County, Washington, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [13] 
    Person ID I119  Lindell-Herndon Genealogy
    Last Modified 11 Feb 2019 

    Father Horace Greely Masten,   b. 12 Oct 1857, Loogootee, Martin County, Indiana, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 10 Dec 1911, Neame, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 54 years) 
    Mother Alice Frances Stone,   b. 29 Jan 1865, Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 10 Jun 1916, Oakdale, Allen Parish, Louisiana, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 51 years) 
    Marriage Intention 20 Apr 1886  Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [14] 
    Married Aft 20 Apr 1886  _______, Hinds County, Mississippi, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [14] 
    Notes 
    • 20 Apr 1886 is the date Horace Greely Masten and Alice Frances Stone declared their intent to marry and registered with with the Hinds County clerk. It *IS NOT* the date of their marriage. [14]
    Family ID F592  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Lois Miranda Stiles,   b. 4 Mar 1885, Thrall, Williamson County, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 19 May 1975, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 90 years) 
    Marriage License 26 Dec 1911  Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [15] 
    Married 27 Dec 1911  _______, Williamson County, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [15] 
    Divorced Aft 17 Aug 1927  El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [16] 
    Notes 
    • 17 Aug 1927 is the date that the divorce petition was recorded in the El Paso Herald. Presumably Lois Miranda (Stiles) Masten’s divorce from Merlin was granted sometime afterwards. [16]
    • The marriage license contained in source [Williamson-1911] does not list the actual location where Merlin Douglas Masten and Lois Miranda Stiles were married. It does, however, list Lois’ middle name as “Marina” rather than “Miranda”. This fact has significant implications since almost all contemporary genealogical sources and accounts of family members agree that her middle name was Miranda. The name Miranda, though, is not yet supported by any vital records. An additional primary source is required to substantiate the family’s belief. [15]
    Children 
     1. Lois Masten,   b. Abt 1912, (unknown) Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Abt 1912, (unknown) Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 0 years)
     2. Juanita Frances Masten,   b. 4 Jan 1913, Mimbres, Grant County, New Mexico, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 21 Jul 1994, San Diego, San Diego County, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 81 years)
     3. Elizabeth Marina Masten,   b. 5 Feb 1915, Mimbres, Grant County, New Mexico, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 20 Sep 1937, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 22 years)
     4. Frank Douglas Masten,   b. 28 Apr 1921, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 24 Nov 2002, Sun City, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 81 years)
    Photos
    Masten Family    		Masten Family
    Lois Miranda (Stiles) Masten and her children (L-R) Elizabeth, Frank, and Juanita -
    Photo courtesy of Lois Kay (Farnham) Denaut
    Last Modified 2 Aug 2016 
    Family ID F40  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Nellie M Hopkins,   b. Abt 1896, _______, _______, Kansas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. ?, (unknown) Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Last Modified 11 Feb 2019 
    Family ID F2822  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBorn - 21 Dec 1887 - Boque Chitto, Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage License - 26 Dec 1911 - Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarried - 27 Dec 1911 - _______, Williamson County, Texas, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Jan 1920 - El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus - 16 Jan 1920 - Voting Precinct 24, El Paso City, El Paso County, Texas, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDivorced - Aft 17 Aug 1927 - El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Apr 1935 - Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus - 8 Apr 1940 - Tulsa City, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Apr 1942 - San Diego, San Diego County, California, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBuried - 12 Mar 1962 - Woodlawn Cemetery, near Ferndale, Whatcom County, Washington, United States Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Photos
    Merlin Douglas Masten    		Merlin Douglas Masten
    Bill's great-grandfather (paternal)
    Photo courtesy Cherie Tuma

  • Notes 
    • Source [US-SSS-1917b] has Merlin Douglas Masten’s birthdate as 21 Dec 1887. [Whatcom-1962], Merlin’s death certificate, has his age correct but lists a birthdate off by exactly one decade, 21 Dec 1877. [US-1900-1e] and [Masten-1900] also support the date in 1887, listing Merlin as having been born in 1888. Only [US-SSA-1941a], Merlin’s original Social Security application, lists his birthdate as 21 Dec 1886. [3, 4, 7, 9, 17]
    • In [US-SSS-1917b] and [US-SSA-1941a], Merlin Douglas Masten listed his birthplace as “Aversberg (Lauderdale County), Mississippi”. No such location exists in Lauderdale County or even in Mississippi more generally. However, Merlin’s half-brother, Matthew LeRoy Masten, recorded that many of Merlin’s younger siblings were born in “Orvisburg”, Pearl River County, Mississippi, and the family of Horace Greely Masten and Alice Frances (Stone) Masten were known to be living in Poplarville (close by Orvisburg) in the early 1890s. On the other hand, [Masten-1900] records Matthew traveling from New Orleans, Louisiana to Jackson, Mississippi with his father’s, “...new wife and baby” (Alice (Stone) Masten and Merlin) in1889. He also records that the family was only in Orvisburg/Poplarville from 1892 on, 5 years after Merlin’s birth. However, in the late 1880’s Horace Greely Masten was known to be working near Boque Chitto, Lincoln County, Mississippi south of Jackson, and Merlin lists Boque Chitto as his birthplace in [US-SSS-1942a1] and [US-SSA-1953a]. Given the timeline of Horace’s movements in Mississippi, it seems more likely that Merlin was born in Boque Chitto than in Orvisburg. [3, 4, 5, 6, 17]
    • Merlin Douglas Masten had been a resident of Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington for 10 years at the time of his death in 1962. [7, 13]
    • Merlin Masten’s obituary has his name spelled “Mastin”. [13]
    • There is no modern town called “Teel” in New Mexico. This probably refers to the area at the north end of the Mimbres Valley where there was a US Post Office. [3]

  • Reference  Herndon, William Robert. "Merlin Douglas Masten", Lindell-Herndon Genealogy. [Online]. Available: https://lindell-herndon.org/getperson.php?personID=I119&tree=LindellHerndon. [Accessed: 12-Jul-2020].

  • Sources 
    1. [S315] [Herndon-2019] Herndon, William Robert, Lindell-Herndon Genealogy, Washington, District of Columbia: By the author, 2019.

    2. [S15] [Masten-1997] Herndon, William Robert (interviewer), "Interview of Frank Douglas Masten and Jackie (Wilson) Masten".

    3. [S470] [US-SSS-1917b] "World War I Draft Registration - Merlin Douglas Masten," World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917 - 1918, Washington, District of Columbia: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), reel 1711801, reference 30-2-5-A, card 15.

    4. [S602] [Masten-1900] Masten, Matthew LeRoy, "Autobiography of Matthew LeRoy Masten (through 1900)".

    5. [S1400] [US-SSA-1953a] "Life Claim - Merlin Douglas Masten," Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936 - 2007 (index), Washington, District of Columbia: Social Security Administration.

    6. [S1258] [US-SSS-1942a1] "Registration Card: Merlin Douglas Masten," Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration, Washington, District of Columbia: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), NAI 603155, record group 147, serial number 2077.

    7. [S161] [Whatcom-1962] "Death Certificate of Merlin D. Masten," Bellingham, Washington: Vital Records, Whatcom County Health Department, 2001, file 6873, register 95.

    8. [S31] [US-1920-1a] "Voting Precinct 24, El Paso City, El Paso County, Texas," Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920,
      Washington, District of Columbia: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), publication T625, roll 1799, E.D. 70, sheet 7A.

    9. [S441] [US-1900-1e] "Ward 4, Sabine Parish, Louisiana," Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900,
      Washington, District of Columbia: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), publication T623, roll 579, E.D. 91, sheet 15B.

    10. [S608] [TxSBoH-1918a] "Death Certificate of Fred J Masten," Texas Death Certificates, 1903 – 1982, Austin, Texas: Texas State Board of Health - Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1918, register 717, item 11705.

    11. [S332] [US-1930-1j] "Ward 25, St. Louis, Missouri," Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930,
      Washington, District of Columbia: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), publication T626, roll 1241, E.D. 96-174, sheet 25A.

    12. [S1123] [US-1940-2d] "Tulsa City, Tulsa County, Oklahoma," Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940,
      Washington, District of Columbia: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), publication T627, roll 3349, E.D. 79-46A, sheet 81B.

    13. [S162] [Bellingham-1962] "Obituary of Merlin D Mastin," Bellingham Herald, page 9.

    14. [S408] [Hinds-1886] "Marriage Certificate of Harry Maston and Alice Stone," Hinds County Marriage Records Volume 2, 1 Mar 1882 - 4 Jan 1894, Jackson, Mississippi: Mississippi State Department of Health, Vital Records Department, 2010.

    15. [S1279] [Williamson-1911] "Marriage Documents of M. D. Masten and Lois Marina Stiles," Williamson County, Marriages, Georgetown, Texas: Williamson County Clerk’s Office, 2016, volume 1911, page 437.

    16. [S694] [ElPaso-1927a] "Divorces Filed: Lois Stiles Masten vs. Merlin Douglas Masten," El Paso Herald, page 8.

    17. [S163] [US-SSA-1941a] "Merlin Douglas Masten - Original Application for Social Security Account Number," Washington, District of Columbia: Social Security Administration, 1941.


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