Person:Myrtle Monroe (1)

On the 12th day of March 1908 , in Fayette County , Waucoma , Iowa , Elmer Claude Smothers married my grandmother , Myrtle Ella Monroe (daughter of Norman Monroe and Minnie Appleby Parker ).

To this union a son (my father ) Cecil Bert Smothers was born , 7th day of January 1909 . Elmer left Myrtle and their son when Cecil was just an infant (for reasons unknown ), never to be heard from once again .

Several years later Myrtle divorced Elmer (24th day of April 1913 ), and in the divorce decree she was granted back her maiden name of Monroe . Young Cecil was also granted the last name of Monroe . She then married a man named Paul Haus , and somewhere down the road Cecil assumed the last name of Haus (thus becoming Cecil Bert Haus ).

Meanwhile, according to personal letters and post cards , it seems young Sidney had been taken to live with Claude's brother James and his wife Maggie . Claude corresponded with them asking Maggie to find a someone to adopt "the boy ."

On the 6th day of January 1912 , he was adopted by A . Prudhome and his wife Margaret , in Marinette County , State of Wisconsin .

The letter Claude wrote to Maggie was postmarked February 8, 1911 from St . Paul Park , Minnesota . Mailed to Mrs . Maggie Smothers , Mt Hope , Wisconsin . In the letter Claude stated that he was going to Chicago to become a policeman . During my interview with Grant Smothers (8-5-1986 ) he told me that he had heard "Elmer " had quit drinking and went to Minneapolis , Minnesota to become a policeman . Also during this interview he stated that he thought Elmer died in 1943. However he did not know for certain .

Where did he go ? Is there another family after his marriage /divorce from Myrtle ? When , where , and how did he die ? Hopefully someday we will find the key to unlock this mystery.

Submitted by Judy Smith (Nee Haus )

1910 census, Myrtle is living with her parents and it looks like two children, Cecil age 1 and Mamie age 4 with a different last name.