Merlin Douglas Masten (1887 - 1962): Lindell-Herndon Genealogy

1887 - 1962 (74 years)

Name	Merlin Douglas Masten [2]
Birth	21 Dec 1887	Boque Chitto, Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States [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 [9]
Residence	Jun 1917	Teel, Grant County, New Mexico, United States [3]
Residence	Mar 1918	Teel, Grant County, New Mexico, United States [10]
Residence	Jan 1920	El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States [8]
1308 Montana Street
Census	16 Jan 1920	Voting Precinct 24, El Paso City, El Paso County, Texas, United States [8]
Census	21 Apr 1930	Ward 25, St. Louis, Missouri, United States [11]
Residence	Apr 1935	Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas, United States [12]
Census	8 Apr 1940	Tulsa City, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States [12]
Residence	Apr 1942	San Diego, San Diego County, California, United States [6]
229 Ivy Street
Death	5 Mar 1962	Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington, United States [7]
Burial	12 Mar 1962	Woodlawn Cemetery, near Ferndale, Whatcom County, Washington, United States [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 d. 10 Dec 1911, Neame, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States (Age 54 years)
Mother	Alice Frances Stone, b. 29 Jan 1865, Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi, United States d. 10 Jun 1916, Oakdale, Allen Parish, Louisiana, United States (Age 51 years)
Marriage Intention	20 Apr 1886	Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi, United States [14]
Marriage	Aft 20 Apr 1886	_______, Hinds County, Mississippi, United States [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 d. 19 May 1975, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States (Age 90 years)

Marriage License 26 Dec 1911 Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas, United States [15]

Marriage 27 Dec 1911 _______, Williamson County, Texas, United States [15]

Divorce Aft 17 Aug 1927 El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States [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) d. Abt 1912, (unknown) (Age 0 years)
	2. Juanita Frances Masten, b. 4 Jan 1913, Mimbres, Grant County, New Mexico, United States d. 21 Jul 1994, San Diego, San Diego County, California, United States (Age 81 years)
	3. Elizabeth Marina Masten, b. 5 Feb 1915, Mimbres, Grant County, New Mexico, United States d. 20 Sep 1937, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States (Age 22 years)
	4. Frank Douglas Masten, b. 28 Apr 1921, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States d. 24 Nov 2002, Sun City, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States (Age 81 years)

Photos

Masten Family
Lois Miranda (Stiles) Masten and her children (L-R) Elizabeth, Frank, and Juanita -
Photo courtesy of Lois Kay (Farnham) Denaut

Family ID F40 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 2 Aug 2016

Family 2	Nellie M Hopkins, b. Abt 1896, _______, _______, Kansas, United States d. ?, (unknown)
Family ID	F2822	Group Sheet \| Family Chart
Last Modified	11 Feb 2019

Event Map

	Birth - 21 Dec 1887 - Boque Chitto, Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States
	Marriage License - 26 Dec 1911 - Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas, United States
	Marriage - 27 Dec 1911 - _______, Williamson County, Texas, United States
	Residence - Jan 1920 - El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States
	Census - 16 Jan 1920 - Voting Precinct 24, El Paso City, El Paso County, Texas, United States
	Divorce - Aft 17 Aug 1927 - El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States
	Residence - Apr 1935 - Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas, United States
	Census - 8 Apr 1940 - Tulsa City, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States
	Residence - Apr 1942 - San Diego, San Diego County, California, United States
	Burial - 12 Mar 1962 - Woodlawn Cemetery, near Ferndale, Whatcom County, Washington, United States

= Link to Google Earth

Photos
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. [4, 7, 9, 17, 18]
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. [4, 5, 17, 18, 19]
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. [17]

Reference Herndon, William Robert. "Merlin Douglas Masten", Lindell-Herndon Genealogy. [Online]. Available: https://lindell-herndon.org/getperson.php?personID=I119&tree=LindellHerndon. [Accessed: 23-Mar-2025].

Sources

[S315] [Herndon-2024] Herndon, William Robert, Lindell-Herndon Genealogy, Washington, District of Columbia: By the author, 2024.
[S15] [Masten-1997] Herndon, William Robert (interviewer), "Interview of Frank Douglas Masten and Jackie (Wilson) Masten".
[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.
[S602] [Masten-1900] Masten, Matthew LeRoy, "Autobiography of Matthew LeRoy Masten (through 1900)".
[S1400] [US-SSA-1953a] "Life Claim - Merlin Douglas Masten," Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936 - 2007 (index), Washington, District of Columbia: Social Security Administration.
[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.
[S161] [Whatcom-1962] "Death Certificate of Merlin D. Masten," Bellingham, Washington: Vital Records, Whatcom County Health Department, 2001, file 6873, register 95.
[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.
[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.
[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.
[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.
[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.
[S162] [Bellingham-1962] "Obituary of Merlin D Mastin," Bellingham Herald, page 9.
[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.
[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.
[S694] [ElPaso-1927a] "Divorces Filed: Lois Stiles Masten vs. Merlin Douglas Masten," El Paso Herald, page 8.
[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.
[S163] [US-SSA-1941a] "Merlin Douglas Masten - Original Application for Social Security Account Number," Washington, District of Columbia: Social Security Administration, 1941.
[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.

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Merlin Douglas Masten[1]

Merlin Douglas Masten^[1]