52 Ancestors #2: Irene & Elizabeth, Mother and Daughter

Irene Rose Pfiffner was born on January 8, 1897 in Belleville, St. Clair, Illinois. The eldest child of Charles J. Pfiffner, a miner, and Emily Anderson. Irene was a quarter English and a quarter Swiss. She is my 2x great grandmother.

Charles died in 1910, leaving Emily to raise their three children. Emily eventually remarried Charles’ older brother, Louis L. Pfiffner.

Irene married John Douglas Jenkins prior to 1913, they had four children. First Elizabeth, followed by Harry, then Dorothy, and last born was Kenneth around 1921. Irene and John fought often, and eventually were divorced by 1930. Harry lived with his father in Illinois, the girls with their mother, and Kenneth was sent to Belleville to live with his twice widowed maternal grandmother Emily.

Irene and the girls moved from St Louis to Chicago following the divorce. In April 1930 she was married to Joseph (Jesse) Preston Bender, born in Mercer, Ohio in October 1892.

This is where Irene’s story becomes more confusing and difficult to tell. By the time of the census in 1930, seventeen year old Elizabeth was the mother of Jack Bender… Her stepfather’s son. Jack was not listed with the family on the census. It’s unclear how or why this family became such an odd family unit, even to Jack.

On May 9, 1932 a little girl named Irene Bender was born in Chicago. On her birth record her parents are listed as Irene Jenkins born St. Joe, Missouri and Joseph Bender. I know that Irene was born in Illinois… But Elizabeth was born in St. Joe. It’s possible the record was falsified as part of a coverup… Or that Elizabeth’s middle name was Irene. Irene Bender passed away on May 11. Due to family stories I know that Elizabeth did give birth to a daughter during the depression, she never saw her baby and claimed Joseph had sold her or had her taken away. Baby Irene was buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in or outside of Chicago.

Irene must have eventually decided enough was enough, she divorced Joseph Bender and married Louis Dominick, moving with him to Wisconsin where they operated a boarding house in 1940 before moving to Hollywood, California. Irene’s youngest daughter Dorothy eventually followed them and was laid to rest in the same cemetery as her mother and second stepfather.

By the time Irene left for Wisconsin, Elizabeth and Joseph had five living children; Jack, Harold Eugene, Charles Michael, Richard, and little Helen.

For more about the family of Elizabeth and Joseph, and to learn about how they tragically lost their only living daughter and youngest son read Richard and Helen’s Story.

Mazie Mae

52 Ancestors #1: My great grandmother on my mother’s paternal side was Mazie Mae (King) Zachary Deckard, she was born on May 27th 1922. The first born child to the union of 19 year old Lillie Ann Coder and 36 year old divorcé John William King both of Washington Court House, Fayette, Ohio. She, along with her parents and siblings, moved to Indiana prior to 1930, eventually settling in Muncie.

She married Eddie Gayther Zachary on April 3, 1938 in Muncie, Delaware, Indiana. Eddie was born in Pickett, Tennessee to William Osker Zachary and Oda Cansada Evans. On the application for their marriage certificate, Mazie claimed her birth date was May 27, 1919 and may have indicated that she had been an inmate of a county asylum or home for indigent persons in the last five years. The union was officiated by Rev. Stephen Sewell. Eddie’s residence was 106 Koontz Ave, Muncie and Mazie’s was 2000 Rumsey(?) Ave.

After becoming a bride a month shy of her 16th birthday, Mazie became the mother of Eddie William Zachary on February 18, 1939 in Muncie also at 16, nearing 17. On January 25th 1943 in Muncie they became the parents of a second son, Jerry Michael Zachary. Mazie worked for a time at the Ball company (the makers of those nifty jars!) On December 26 1950, she and Eddie Zachary Sr. divorced after a troubled relationship.

Her parents, John and Lillie had moved to Fennville, Allegan, Michigan between 1940 and 1950. There, John worked as a farmer and Lillie in a factory. Mazie struggled to raise her two young boys, but in the end made a move to Indianapolis and sent Eddie or “Junior” and Jerry to grow up on her father’s farm in Michigan with her younger siblings.
One day while driving in Indianapolis or in Muncie, she got into a car accident. A young man named Garris Deckard walked over and took her keys, stating that from now on, he would drive her. Garris was six years her junior at only 22 or 23. He was a skilled carpenter, having been taught by his father. Garris and Mazie were married on June 22 1951 in Indianapolis with Harold Smith (minister at The Church of God) officiating.

Garris and Mazie visited all the continental United States with the exception of Washington and Oregon in their 36 years together. They never had children of their own, but enjoyed the company of many fluffy white dogs. Garris, whom Mazie went on to refer as the great love of her life died in 1987.

She joined her love just shy of her 89th birthday on May 5 2011, succumbing to quick spreading lung cancer stemming from her picking up the habit of smoking at 13. She outlived her loving husband, eldest son, and all but one of her many siblings. She was ready to see her Garris again.

She is very fondly remembered by her family for always cooking on high heat, her favorite singing coffee mug, and the gun she kept stored in her glove compartment (with the serial number filed off of course!).