On This Day - January 20

BERTRAND MARION HOUCHIN was born on January 20, 1874 In Logan County, Illinois to John Bourbon Houchin (1848-1937) and Margaret Ann Jones (1849-1915).  He was the third of eight children, however only five lived to be adults.  Bert was born in Lincoln, Illinois but in 1899 he was living in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was there in that year that he married Stella Stroble.  Bert was a store owner and ran the following ad in 1901 in the Indianapolis News:

By 1903 he has expanded to selling shoes and has moved the store from Virginia Ave to Washington Street and runs this ad in the Indiana News:

And later that year, he runs a large ad. It looks like his business is doing well.

In 1904 their son Herbert is born. by 1910 they have moved to Jefferson City, Missouri where his brother James A. Houchin lives.  James own the Star Manufacturing Company and Bert is working as a clerk for that company.  He also assists his brother in his campaign for Governor of Missouri in 1912. When he registers for the draft in 1918 he is living in St. Louis and is a self employed salesman. The 1920 census has the family of four renting a house and he is an agent for manufacturing. But in a Sept, 9, 1921 article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the Star Manufacturing has run into trouble and Bert is involved in a suit.

When the Star Manufacturing went to trustee, James started the Houchin Sales Company.  James was the president, and Bert's wife Stella was the vice president. In 1922 that company was also in bankruptcy.  Then in 1923 there is a marriage record for Bert and Ethel A. Mittleburg on June 9th. In 1925 Stella and her son are enumerated in the New York census. They are still there in 1930. Bert and Ethel are in Jefferson  City, Missouri in 1930 and he is a sales manager for manufacturing company. In 1940 he is living in Maplewood in St. Louis County with Ethel and is an insurance agent.  Bert died November 30, 1949:

His second wife is living in California at the time of his death and continues to live there until her death in 1979.  His first wife and son lived in St. Louis where she had died in 1957.  His son Herbert married in 1940 but he and his wife did not have any children.

Bertrand Houchin is my 3rd cousin 2x removed.