Urselle Clementine Hork was the sister of my grandfather,
William Cyril Hork, making her my great-aunt. She was the ninth child born to
Johann Anton Hork and Julia Ann Sievert and Cyril was the tenth and last.
She was the only child born in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon,
on 23 Mar 1892 to parents who moved around a lot.[1]
By 1900, the family was living in Hamilton, Ravalli County, Montana, the last
place that they would live as a family.[2]
Even though she was 8 years old in the 1900 census, she was not listed as
attending school as her older brothers and sisters were.
Ten years later she was listed in the 1910 census with the
family as attending school at the age of 18.[3] It is believed that she graduated from high
school as she stated in 1940 that her highest education achieved was 4 years of
high school.[4]
After finishing school, Urselle worked as an operator for
the Montana Independent Telephone Company.[5]
This company was located in the Chamber of Commerce building.
She and Bernard V. Schwalen were married by Father M.A.
Lynch on 25 Jun 1913 at Saint Francis Church in Hamilton, Montana. [6]
Their witnesses were Tony Hork, her brother, and Mai Howley. At a party held
for them on 18 May 1913, they announced their engagement.[7]
The wedding was written up in the newspaper the following day[8]:
Miss Urselle Clementine Hork and
Bernard Victor Schwalen were wedded at the St. Francis Catholic church
yesterday by the Rev. Father M.A. Linch. Miss Elizabeth Lemn played Lohengrin’s
processional while the couple marched to the altar and Mendelssohn’s Wedding
March was played after the ceremony. The bride was attended by Miss May Howley
and the bridegroom by Anthony Hork. Justin Shannon and A.E. Walsh acted as
ushers.
The bride was beautifully gowned in
a dress of cream marquisette over crepe mescaline and a blue hat trimmed with
pink rosebuds. She carried a bouquet of pink carnations. The church was
decorated in pink, white and green, roses, peonies, and ferns being tastily
used in the color scheme.
After the ceremony a wedding lunch
was served at the home of the bride’s mother, Mrs. Julia Hork. The bride and
bridegroom left in the evening for Missoula, where they caught the 7:30 train
for Helena. After a week’s honeymoon in the eastern part of the state they will
begin housekeeping in the Holrod house, South Third street.
The bride is the youngest daughter of
Mrs. Julia Hork. The bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Schwalen of
Stevensville. He is employed in the engineering office of the Bitter Root
Valley irrigation company. Many fine presents were received, among them being a
china closet from the Bitter Root Valley irrigation company employees, a locker
from the Independent Telephone company’s linemen and a check from the
bridegroom’s father.
Bernard, born 27 Aug 1888 in Wisconsin, was the son of
Joseph H. Schwalen and Mary Bristel.[9]
They moved to Missoula where he worked for the Anaconda Mining Company in the
lumber department as a stenographer. By 1917, they were living in Bonner, just
outside of Missoula. The Anaconda Mining Company had a large sawmill there
where they made plywood.[10]
On 19 Jan 1919, a large portion burned to the ground. By 1920, Bernard and
Urselle were living in Tacoma, Washington.[11]
Bernard and Urselle had four daughters: Elizabeth, Marjorie,
Mary Juliette, and Jo Ann.
 |
| Urselle is to the right holding a child. Her mother is in white to the left. Probably in Hamilton but it could be in Tacoma. From Marjorie Nelson, given to me in 2001. |
I don’t know much about Urselle. Her middle name Clementine
might be to honor her father’s sister, Clementina Hork. Once she married, she
didn’t work and raised four beautiful daughters who all married and had
children of their own. I find her as a housewife in the 1920, 1930 and 1940
censuses. She was listed as the wife of Bernard V. Schwalen in many Tacoma,
Washington city directories. Bernard worked at a lumber company and seemed to
make good money. He made more than $5000 annually in 1939 which was more than
twice what others on the same page of the census made.[12]
Urselle died 24 Nov 1951. I have a short obituary for her,
given to me by one of her daughters.[13]
"Mrs. B.V. Schwalen Succumbs at
Age 59"
Mrs. Bernard V. (Ursulla C) Schwalen, 59, of 506 No. 2nd St died Saturday morning at a local hospital. She was born in Portland, had called Tacoma home for 32 years and belonged to St. Patrick's Church. Survivors are her husband; four daughters, Mrs. Curtis G. Onstad of Shelton and, in Tacoma, Mrs. Merritt D. Nelson and the Misses Juliette and JoAnn Schwalen; a sister and two brothers, Miss Carolyn Hork and Anthony Hork of Hamilton, Mont. and Cyril of Los Angeles, and five grandchildren. Faffney's mortuary will announce the services."
Mrs. Bernard V. (Ursulla C) Schwalen, 59, of 506 No. 2nd St died Saturday morning at a local hospital. She was born in Portland, had called Tacoma home for 32 years and belonged to St. Patrick's Church. Survivors are her husband; four daughters, Mrs. Curtis G. Onstad of Shelton and, in Tacoma, Mrs. Merritt D. Nelson and the Misses Juliette and JoAnn Schwalen; a sister and two brothers, Miss Carolyn Hork and Anthony Hork of Hamilton, Mont. and Cyril of Los Angeles, and five grandchildren. Faffney's mortuary will announce the services."
I have a copy
of her death certificate and it is difficult to read the cause of death [update: I found the cause on Wikipedia: glomerulonephritis, which is a term used for several renal diseases], but
the contributory cause was hypertension and heart disease, something that seems
to run in our family.[14]
She was buried
on 27 Nov 1951 at Calvary Cemetery in Tacoma next to her husband, Bernard, who
died 4 Jan 1962.[15]
[1] Ravalli County, Montana, Marriages, v. 3-4 1912-1929, 1913, p 114, Schwalen & Hork; Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, film 1905837.
[2]
[3] 1910 U.S. Census, Ravalli County, Montana, population schedule, Hamilton, ED 86, sht 19b, dwelling 370, fam 425, Julia A Hork; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
[4] 1940
US Census, Pierce County, Washington, Tacoma City, ED 42-9, sht 10a, family 274, Bernard Schwalen, digital image
[5] Missoula
and Hamilton City Directory, R.L. Polk & Co, digital image,
Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), 1911, p 377, Urselle Hork.
[6] Saint Francis Catholic Church, marriage certificate, Bernard V. Schwalen and Ursella Hork, 1913, dated 20 Oct 1997.
[7] "In Hamilton," Anaconda Standard, 25 May 1913, p 6, col. 5, story of the engagement of Miss Urselle C. Hork and Bernard V. Schwalen.
[8]
[9]
[10] “Bonner-West
Riverside, Montana,” wikipedia.org (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonner-West_Riverside,_Montana
: accessed 14 Jun 2014)
[11]
[12]
[13] "Mrs. B.V. Schwalen Succumbs at Age 59," obituary clipping, newspaper unknown, from the collection of Marjorie Nelson.
[14]
[15] ibid; Also
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