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FAMILY OF 
Sylvester MESSINGER, son of 5.5 Elias Jackson MESSINGER, and Catherine Perkins, was born was born 29 Oct 1849 - near Denver, Bremer Co, IA; d 16 Feb 1931 - Puyallup, WA. He and Marcella Cornick were married 3 Aug 1875 - Carpenter, IA. Marcella Cornick, daughter of Levi and Elmira (Boomhower) Cornick was born 12 Sep 1856. She died 7 Sep 1942 - Ambrose, ND.
The following history of Sylvester and Marcella (Cornick) Messinger was written by Marcella "Lee" Messinger and submitted to us by her cousin, Shirley-Mae Shindler. Please contact either of them for more information or documentation. "Sylvester was born in Brewer County, Iowa on 29 Oct 1849 and married Marcella "Nellie" Cornick on 03 Aug 1875, at Carpenter, Mitchell Co, IA. Sylvester was a young grain buyer at Carpenter. Nellie is thought to be of French descent and lived in St. Ansgar, Mitchell Co, IA. She was one of seven children with four brothers - Tom, Hamilton ("Ham"), Monroe ("Rote"), and Hardyn ("Hardy") and two sisters - Belia and Ida, of Levi and Elmira (Boomhower) Cornick. NOTE: Genealogical records for Marcella Cornick's family are also available from Marcella and Shirley-Mae. We are including the following family picture of Levi & Elmira (Boomhower) Cornick, parents of Marcella (Cornick) Messinger. 
Their first child, Mabel Althea, was born in Carpenter, IA. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Glenville, Freeborn Co, MN, where Sylvester owned the grain elevator. The other six children (Floyd, Mildred, Phosa, Glen, Ethel, and Neil) were born in Freeborn County. In 1889, when Neil was 9 months old, the family moved to Tacoma, WA and then to Gig Harbor, where Sylvester ran a saw mill. (The original entry says "grist" but has been replaced by "shingle"). After a year, as they didn't like it, they moved back to MN by train, carrying their food in large baskets. This time they settled in Albert Lea, where Sylvester built a house, and worked as a grain buyer until that industry was finished. About 1899 the Soo Line R.R. extended its lines from Minot, ND to Portal, ND, and new homestead land opened up. So Sylvester Messinger, with an old friend, Fred Carter, sold out in Albert Lea and moved their families to Bowbells, ND. The Soo Line built Immigrant houses - 10' by 16' to be
used by the homesteaders while getting settled. Sylvester Messinger and his
two sons, Floyd and Glen, batched there in one room until they built a
16' x 16' tar-papered shack:
Sylvester was fortunate in obtaining the homestead next to the land on which the townsite was located, so was able to make money selling lots. The family lived in Bowbells from 1898 until he retired in 1910. (After the property was sold, a coal mine was dug on the homestead). According to Glen Messinger, sometime around 1901/02, his father, Sylvester Messinger, bought cattle at auction at $15.00 a head, and the herds were rustled across the border at Portal, ND [and there was a] 'bar in Canada where liquor was saleable.' During the years 1907-10, Sylvester homesteaded at Ambrose, ND along with his son, Glen Everett Messinger, and his son-in-law Gilles Bailard (husband of Sylvester's daughter, Mildred). In 1909/10 Sylvester retired and bought a house in Puyallup, WA, where he and Nellie lived until his death - although they did wander a bit, with Sylvester working at odd jobs in Mountain Home, ID. Sylvester also spent some time with his brother Martin Perry Messinger, who had a ranch, and he occasionally helped out at a cigar store his son Glen and Branch Brady had at Mountain Home for a time. Sylvester & Nellie homesteaded with their son Glen and his family in Little Camus, ID in 1912. After Sylvester's death in 1930, Nellie moved back to Ambrose, N.D., where she lived with her daughter Mildred Bailard, until her death in 1942. Marcella was buried beside her husband at Bowbells, ND."
Sylvester and Marcella were the parents of seven children:
7.1 Mabel Althea MESSINGER b 25 Sep 1876 - Carpenter, Mitchell Co, IA; d Jan
1948. She married h/1 Alfred Bismark "Bis" Burnham on 24 Sep 1856; "Bis" died in
1953. Mabel remarried to h/2 Louis A. McGrath and h/3 William Wesley Anderson.
Their daughter, Ethel Margaret ("Mard") Burnham, was b 11 July 1899 - Tacoma,
WA. She married h/1 John Greig (d 1936) and h/2 Ken Mannen (d 1960). 7.2 Elias Floyd MESSINGER b 02 Apr 1880 - Glenville, Freeborn Co, MN; d 11 Oct 1930 - Yakima, WA. He married Ruby (Cliff) Robinson in Sep 1919. Their son, Charles Wesley Messinger, was b 21 Jul 1921 - Puyallup, WA; d Feb 1956. 7.3 Mildred Catherine MESSINGER b 10 Dec 1881 - Glenville, Freeborn Co, MN; d Oct 1945 - Bowbells, ND. She married Gilles Bailard on 03 Sep 1901 - Bowbells, ND. They had four children: 8.1 Helen Catherine Bailard (1902-1905); 8.2 William Sylvester Bailard (b 1907-?); 8.3 Ruth Marcella Bailard (1911-c1985); 8.4 Ethel June Bailard (1915-?). 7.4 Phosa Elmira MESSINGER b 16 Sep 1883 - Glenville, MN; d 14 Sep 1965 - Tacoma, WA. She married Charles William Schuh on 26 Jun 1906 (1883-1940). They had three children: 8.1 William Herbert Schuh (1909-?); 8.2 Gladys Helen Schuh (1911-?); True Elizabeth Schuh (1926-?). 7.5 Glenn Everett MESSINGER b 22 Jun 1885 - Shell Rock, Freeborn Co, MN; d 17 Jan 1972 - Burnaby, BC, Canada. He married Irene Catherine Hennessy on 25 Jun 1907 - Williston, ND. Irene Catherine Hennessy, daughter of William Maurice Hennessy (1939 - Co. Cork, Ireland) & Anna Theresa Ryan (1861-1911) was b 28 Sep 1885 - Britt, IA; d 23 Jul 1966 - White Rock, BC, Canada. They had three children: .....8.1 Francis Glenn Elton ("Glen") Messinger b 04 Jun 1908 - Ambrose, ND; d 03 May 1967 - Vancouver, BC, Canada. He married w/1 Lucille Hazenmore Purdy (1913-1977) on 04 Nov 1933 in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. "Glen" married w/2 Sheila Irene Ismay Gunningham on 02 Nov 1947 in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. .....8.2 Stacia "Jeanette" Messinger b 11 Apr 1910 - Boise, ID; d 03 May 1967 - Mission, BC, Canada. She married h/1 Thomas Alfred Bain (1898-1947) on 01 Sep 1932; h/2 Joseph Townsley (1908-1980) on 14 Aug 1948 in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. .....8.3 Sylvester Messinger b 29 Aug 1912 - Little Camus, ID; d 12 Aug 1981 - Langley, BC, Canada. NOTE: More information on this family is available: Glen Everett Messinger. Family photographs: Glen & Irene Messinger Album. 7.6 Ethel Hortense Messinger b 14 Jun 1887 - Glenville, MN; d 30 Nov 1952. She married Ralph Andrews on 25 Feb 1907 - Fargo, ND. 7.7 Neil Sylvester MESSINGER b 31 Dec 1888 - Glenville, MN; d 16 Feb 1966 - CA. He married Elsie Claire in Sep 1918. They had three children: 8.1 Shirley Odell Messinger b 12 Jan 1920; 8.2 Larry Gorden Messinger b 02 Jul 1921; 8.3 Justin Claire Messinger b 02 Mar 1923.
Obituary for Sylvester Messinger Funeral services for Sylvester Messinger, former Tacoma grain buyer for more than 30 years, will be held Saturday at 2 pm at the Wrigley - Clements parlors in Puyallup. Rev. John Lewis(?) is officiating. The body will be cremated. Mr. Messinger, who was 81 years old October 29, was a native of Bremer County, Iowa, and came to Tacoma more than 40 years ago. He built a home on North K Street when there was no street cut through, and lived there with his wife and family. Eleven years ago he retired to a ranch at Puyallup, where he engaged in berry raising. Mr. Messinger was a member of the Presbyterian church, the Masons, Knights of Pythias, and Modern Woodmen of America. Last summer Mr. and Mrs. Messinger celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary at Longbranch, where 58 relatives gathered. Mr. Messinger is survived by his wife, Marcella, of the home, 401 15th Street Northwest, Puyallup; daughters, Mrs. Ethel Andrews of Fargo, N.D.; Mrs. Mabel Anderson of New York; Mrs. Phosa E. Schuh of Tacoma; sons, Glenn Messinger of Saskatchewan, and Neil of Fresno; a sister, Mrs. Mary Stearns, of Texas; a brother, M. P. Messinger of Tacoma; 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild; nephews, Lind. E. Messinger of Tacoma, and Ben(?) and Clarence Messinger, of California; nieces, Mrs. Gloe M Robb, Mrs. Pearl Denman, Mrs. Marguerite Cushman, Mrs. Lois Gerard, and Mrs. Catherine Wines of Tacoma. Mr. Messinger died Monday at his home in Puyallup and funeral services were delayed until relatives could arrive.
Family history information for Sylvester Messinger provided by Shirley-Mae Shindler and Marcella "Lee" Messinger both of whom can be contacted for more information and documentation on this particular Messinger line. Shirley-Mae and Lee are descended from Sylvester's son, 7.5 Glen Everett Messinger - we are indebted to both of them for their time and generosity in donating such rich family material!
Enjoy the photographs of both Elias Jackson Messinger and his wife Catherine (Perkins) Messinger!! Their Family Album also contains several other photographs of various family members, also contributed by Shirley-Mae Shindler and Lee Messinger.
 E-Mail Us!Return to Elias & Catherine (Perkins) MESSINGER Return to Generation 2 - Michael & Catharine (Abel) MESSINGER Visit the Power-Messinger Main Genealogy Home Page for other Surname links! 
This page last edited 01/07/99. |