Person:Oscar Driver (1)

Oscar's birth record shows no names for his parents - it says his father was born in PA and mother in Ohio. His death certificate says his father was John W. Driver, born Sandusky, Ohio and his mother was Angeline "Bailey", born Sandusky. Oscar's wife Maud was the informant. Their address at that time was 922 Eureka, Lansing and it was stated Oscar had been resident in the area for 32 years.

Oscar owned a large house in Holt - when it burned to the ground, he moved to Mason. At the 1900 census, he was residing in Delhi Township, where he rented a house, owned 8 horses and was #180 on the farm schedule.

Not a pleasant family man - when his son Charles died, his ex-wife was at Charles' house (where the funeral was held). When she saw him walking up the walk, she humphed and said "The old man showed up". He did not offer assistance to Helen and her family - others helped her. In the 1990's, his grandson Charles (Chuck) still refused to plant flowers on his grave (all the other graves in the family plot have flowers).

He had a lot of money - bred and raced horses for sulkey and regular racing (the kind that have buggys with them).

He was in the wholesale dairy business - Oscar was very ambitious but hired others to do the real work. Oscar also was a wholesaler of vegetables and hay. He could have been called an entrepreneur.

From Driver Memoirs, written by Byron Driver's family - from Joyce Bowers

Uncle Oscar - Ock to almost everyone - came fairly often just to see how his kid brother was getting along and he sometimes hunted a bit. This time in cleaning his gun, he shot a hole through a ceiling corner of the dining room. It was always left that way that I know of. He was a man with a happy heart, always whistling or singing at his tasks. His real closeness to our family came after his separation from Aunt Nell and his marriage to Aunt Maude. Then he brought her to our house quite frequently.

... Oscar, who for a time raced horses brought one of his choice ones out to our farm to pasture for a while. A real beauty. One day he came out to check on her and had fastened a lead line to her halter. Suddenly, she jerked away and started running, the lead line now and then touching the ground. Several of the kids and dad [Byron] were intently watching too. On a gentle slope, the line, a bit longer now, still running we all saw her go down with a broken leg. All that could be done in those days was to destroy the animal. She was shot and buried where she fell.

... Ock came to take our father and mother to the Detroit Fair leaving his Roadster home in the corn house. Knowing they would be gone for the day, Charles and John [two of Byron's children] somehow contrived to make a key to fit the roadster and drove it into town and replaced it in the cornhouse unharmed.

... With Uncle Oscar and Aunt Maude now coming more often to our home at Rushton, made a way for Aunt Florence to come too, having never had a car of their own. This relationship continued for some years during which Uncle Oscar had taken up the sport of Harness racing with Aunt Maude accompanying him from fair to fair.

Ill health began to plague our Uncle Ock more often. One morning he was found missing from his bed. Personal things left on a chair. His body was found several days later in the Cedar River. He had committed suicide. Aunt Maude eventually remarried Merle Shannon who owned a farm at Caro and also passed away after a few short years. Aunt Maude spent the winters in Florida. Many family members visited her at her Florida home.

Oscar went missing June 24, 1943 and was found dead June 26th. He had drowned in the Cedar River in Lansing. His death was declared a suicide, with death occurring probably on the 24th. The family feels his suicide was because Oscar was getting feebleminded (from old age), knew it was happening, and did not like it. Also, his second wife was greedy and taking what she could. After his death, she had the deed to the family plot in Leek Cemetery and had to be threatened by grandson Charles (Chuck) before she gave it back.

According to a medical history of his son, Oscar was a diabetic.

Schedules of the Michigan State Census of 1894 Ingham

Name: Oscar Driver Age: 26 Race: w Birthplace: Mich Name: Willie Driver Age: 23 Race: w Birthplace: Mich Name: Gertie Driver Age: 3 Race: w Birthplace: Mich Name: Charles Driver Age: 8/12 Race: w Birthplace: Mich

1. ↑ Vital Records - Miscellaneous Sources
   Death Certificate from State of MI.
2. ↑ Vital Records - GenealogyLibrary.com
   Ingham Co, MI Roll 716 Book1, p. 47a, dwelling 274, 275.
3. ↑ Ingham County Clerk's Office.