William Jacob Mays
(1882-1955)
Helen Mary Summons
(1886-1960)
Katherine Mary Mays
(1905-1961)

 

Family Links

Spouses/Children:
1. Elwood Herman Beechert

2. John Raymond Miller

Katherine Mary Mays 3 4 5

  • Born: 12 Dec 1905, West Reading, Berks, PA 3 5 6
  • Marriage (1): Elwood Herman Beechert on 27 May 1922 in Reading: Second Reformed Church, Berks, PA 1 2
  • Marriage (2): John Raymond Miller
  • Died: 28 Feb 1961, Reading, Berks, Pennsylvania, USA at age 55 3 5
  • Buried: 4 Mar 1961, Sinking Spring: Sinking Spring Cemetery, Berks, PA 3 5

   FamilySearch ID: L6YT-N29.

  Noted events in her life were:

1. Census in 1920 in West Reading, Berks, PA. 7 The 1920 census recorded on Reading Avenue: William J. Mays, farm manager, 37, living with wife Mary H., 33; Beatrice E., 14; Kathryn M., 14; Thomas W., 12; Helen G., 2, and J. Robert, 0. Everyone and their parents were born in Pennsylvania.

2. Newspaper: Reading Times: Beecher-Mays, 29 May 1922, Reading, Berks, Pennsylvania, USA. 4 One of the youngest West Reading couples who ever came to the court house were Elwood H Beecher, of 136 Cherry street, West Reading, and Catharine M. Mays, of 424 Penn avenue. Accompanied by their parents the couple came into the court house Saturday and secured the license. The prospective greeom is but 17 years of age, while his bride-to-be is 16.
Rev. Elmer L. Coblentz, pastor of Second Reformed church, performed the ceremony at 6 o'clock Saturday evening.
The couple are prominent in the social life of the younger set in West Reading. Mr. Beecher is associated with his father in conducting the Beecher garage at 4th and Penn avenue. On their return from the wedding trip they will go to housekeeping in West Reading.

3. Newspaper: Reading Times: Woman Motocyclist Hurt In Collision, 6 Apr 1925, Reading, Berks, Pennsylvania, USA. 8 Mrs. Catherine Beecher, 19, of 448 Penn ave., West Reading, received a contusion of the scalp when the motorcycle in which she was riding with her husband, struck a trolley car at Ninth and Spring streets yesterday afternoon. She was treated at the Homopathic Hospital.

4. Newspaper: Reading Times: Miss Beatrice Mays, Bride of Carl W. Fisher, 6 Sep 1926, Reading, Berks, Pennsylvania, USA. 9 "Miss Beatrice E. Mays became the bride of Carl W. Fisher at 4 o'clock Saturday afternoon..."
"...Mrs. Ellwood Beecher, a twin sister of the bride, attended as matron of honor. She wore a frock of orchid flat crepe, adorned with a silver flower at the waist and on the left shoulder. She wore an orchid picture hat and carried arm bouquet of pink roses."
"...The flower girls, Virginia Beecher and Elizabeth Mays, who carried baskets of rosebuds, which they scattered in the path of the bride, wore dainty dresses of a pale shade of green with rose trimmings, and little polk shaped green bonnets."

5. Newspaper: Reading Times: Catherine M. Beecher Suit for Divorce, 28 Apr 1928, Reading, Berks, Pennsylvania, USA. 10 Catherine M. Beecher, of Berkshire Heights, brought suit for divorce yesterday against Elwood Beecher, of West Reading, alleging infidelity.

6. Newspaper: Reading Times: Divorce Okehed For Brick Tossing Wife, 10 Aug 1928, Reading, Berks, Pennsylvania, USA. 11 Testimony that she threw a brick through a glass door of their home to gain entry when her husband entertained another woman there obtained for Mrs. Catharine M. Beecher, of Berkshire Heights, a master's recommendation for divorce from Elwood Beecher, 136 Cherry st., West Reading.
Mrs. Beecher, according to the master's report filed yesterday, also threw a brick through the windshield of the sedan that transported the merrymakers from their home. They were married May 27, 1922, and parted January 7, 1928.

7. Census in 1930 in Spring Twp., Berks, PA. 12 The 1930 census recorded at 2462 Cleveland Avenue: Cathryn Mays, looper in hosiery factory, divorced, 24, living with her sister Beatrice Fisher, 24, and Beatrice's husband Carl W. Fisher, machinist in knitting machine company, 25. Everyone and their parents were born in Pennsylvania.

8. Cause of Death: Katherine died at Community General Hospital from coronary occlusion, chronic vascular disease, arteriosclerosis, 28 Feb 1961, Reading, Berks, Pennsylvania, USA. 5


Katherine married Elwood Herman Beechert, son of Irvin Daniel Beecher and Alva Tamia Fisher, on 27 May 1922 in Reading: Second Reformed Church, Berks, PA.1 2 The marriage ended in divorce on 10 Aug 1928. (Elwood Herman Beechert was born on 3 Jul 1904 in Reading, Berks, Pennsylvania, USA,13 14 15 16 17 died on 24 Dec 1980 in Detroit, Wayne, MI 16 17 18 and was buried in Detroit: Mount Olivet Cemetery, Wayne, MI, USA 17.)


Katherine next married John Raymond Miller. (John Raymond Miller was born on 19 Apr 1896 in Reading, Berks, Pennsylvania, USA,3 19 died on 2 May 1974 3 and was buried in Sinking Spring: Sinking Spring Cemetery, Berks, PA 3.)


Sources


1 Berks County Register of Wills (Berks County, Pennsylvania. http://rwills.co.berks.pa.us/geneology), Volume 65, page 159.

2 Ancestry.com, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-2013, Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Collection Name: Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records; Reel: 569 Catharine M. Mays and Ellwood H Beecher.

3 Mase, Catherine A., Mace, Maize, Mase, Mays, Maze : Family History (Lebanon, PA. 1978. 86 pages. Book online at http://www.macemasemays.org/family_history.htm).

4 Reading Times (Reading, PA) (Reading, Berks, Pernnsylvania.), 29 May 1922, page 6. Beecher-Mays Wedding.

5 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Dept. of Health, Pennsylvania Death Certificate (Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records, New Castle, PA 16101 (724) 656-3100 http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/cwp/view.asp?a=168&Q=229939), Certificate 012450-61. Katherine M. Miller. Father William Mays. Mother Helen Summons. Spouse J. Raymond Miller.

6 1910 United States Census, https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MGCB-CP4 Cathrine M Mays in household of William J Mays, West Reading, Berks, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 128, sheet 3A, family 53.

7 1920 United States Census, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6BT-W7W William J Mays, West Reading, Berks, Pennsylvania, United States; citing sheet 26B, family 622.

8 Reading Times (Reading, PA) (Reading, Berks, Pernnsylvania.), 6 Apr 1925, page 15.

9 Reading Times (Reading, PA) (Reading, Berks, Pernnsylvania.), 6 Sep 1926, page 7.

10 Reading Times (Reading, PA) (Reading, Berks, Pernnsylvania.), 28 Apr 1928, page 17.

11 Reading Times (Reading, PA) (Reading, Berks, Pernnsylvania.), 10 Aug 1928, page 12.

12 1930 United States Census, ttps://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCZK-HZM Cathryn Mays in household of Carl W Fisher, Spring, Berks, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 0145, sheet 9A, family 216, line 34.

13 1920 United States Census, https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M6BY-989 Irwin D Beecher, 1920.

14 Berks County Register of Wills (Berks County, Pennsylvania. http://rwills.co.berks.pa.us/geneology), Volume 2, Page 226, line 10.

15 Ancestry.com, Michigan, U.S., Marriage Records, 1867-1952 (Original data: Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867–1952. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics.), County File Number: 639054. State File Number: 321095. Elwood H Beechert and Sophia L Kalinoski.

16 Ancestry.com, Michigan, Deaths, 1971-1996 (Original data: Michigan Department of Vital and Health Records. Michigan Death Index. Lansing, MI, USA.), Elwood H. Beechert, 24 Dec 1980.

17 Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/174600988.

18 U.S. Social Security Death Index, SSN 363-05-8524. Elwood Beechert.

19 United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZ2Y-KVP John Raymond Miller.



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