Myrtle Lee McDonald (1906 – 1973)

Myrtle Lee McDonald was born on April 2, 1906, at a time when the United States was transitioning from an agrarian to an industrial society. Growing up on a farm in South Carolina, Myrtle experienced the rural lifestyle prevalent in the early 20th century. The 1920s were marked by significant social changes and economic growth. Despite this, Myrtle faced personal challenges, including giving up a baby for adoption in 1927.

1910 United States Census

In 1910, four-year-old Myrtle (listed as Myrta L.) McDonald with her parents, Robert L., 41, and Ava (spelled Eva) McDonald, 28, and the following siblings: Lizzie, 11, William H. 9, Margaritte, 5, and Harold, 1, in a rented home on a farm in what was Keowee, South Carolina. Robert and Ava had been married for 12 years and five of Ava’s six children were still living. Robert was a farmer and Lizzie and Wiliam were in school. Everybody in the household was native to South Carolina. Robert, Ava, and Lizzie were able to read and write English, but William and Margaritte could not. William could speak English but Margaritte could not yet. Name listed: Myrta L. McDonald¹

Lake Keowee (formerly Keowee), South Carolina

According to Duke Energy, the town of Keowee was flooded and transformed into Lake Keowee in the early 1970s. The lake now cools a nuclear power plant and generates hydroelectric power for the surrounding area.²

1927 Placing a Baby for Adoption

In the summer of 1927, Myrtle gave up a baby for adoption. DNA testing has identified Grady Stauffer of Asheville, NC, as the father. Myrtle likely traveled to Atlanta, GA, to give birth at St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital, a facility where pregnant women could deliver their babies in secrecy. This hospital, run by Mrs. Mary T. Mitchell, frequently advertised available babies in the Atlanta Constitution’s Personals section and promoted a “Maternity Sanitarium” across Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina during the time of Myrtle’s pregnancy. Many such advertisements appeared in Asheville, NC, Grady Stauffer’s hometown.

The advertisement above was printed in the Asheville Times, published about two months before Myrtle’s delivery.³ It targeted pregnant women by offering privacy and a discreet, comfortable temporary stay away from their hometowns. In an era when abortion was not an option and having a baby out of wedlock was considered shameful, these facilities provided a way for women to give up their babies while maintaining their dignity.

On July 11, 1927, the Atlanta Constitution featured the above advertisement⁴ which was designed to attract adoptive mothers by promising privacy and confidentiality and indicating that babies were available on-site for immediate adoption. Some of Mrs. Mitchell’s ads even mentioned having multiple babies ready for adoption

Myrtle’s baby was adopted by Joseph and Jennie Lazear,⁵ who named her Gloria.

1929 Marriage to Charles H. Earley

Two years later, she married Charles H. Earley on December 27, 1929, in Washington County, Tennessee.⁶ Her marriage coincided with the onset of the Great Depression, a period of severe economic hardship in the United States. This likely impacted their early married life, especially as they moved between Tennessee, Indiana, and Illinois, seeking stability and work.

1930 United States Census

In 1930, Myrtle, aged 26, lived with her husband, Charles H. Earley, 43, and a roomer, Mary Salyer, 39. They rented an apartment at 300 West Watauga Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, for $35 per month. Everyone in the household was married, although Mary’s husband was not present. Charles and Myrtle married when Charles was 43 and Myrtle was 25. Charles and his parents were born in Indiana, while Myrtle’s birthplace was mistakenly listed as Alabama, though she and her parents were from South Carolina. Mary and her parents were born in Georgia. Everyone in the household could read and write English. Charles was a machinery salesman and was not a veteran. Name listed: Myrtle Earley⁷

Appalachian Apartments, previously 300 West Watauga Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee

An office building has replaced the Appalachian Apartments, where Myrtle and Charles rented apartment five according to the Johnson City, Tenn. City Directory in 1930. Charles was a traveling salesman.⁸

From Noblesville to Terre Haute, Indiana

A notice in the Noblesville Ledger on January 4, 1935, announced that the Earleys moved from Monument Street in Noblesville, Indiana to 1410 South 10th Street, Terre Haute, Indiana, as Charles left his job at International Harvester Co. to begin working for Lee School Supply Company.⁹

1410 South 10th Street, Terre Haute, Indiana

The Earleys’ house in Terre Haute, Indiana, above, was built in 1930.¹⁰

1940 United States Census

In 1940, Myrtle, 34, and Charles Earley, 53, lived with their children Billy, 9, and Mary, 7 in a house they owned at 1211 South Main Street, Paris, Illinois, valued at $2,500. They rented an apartment to Jack and Martha Yocom for $16 per month. In 1935 they lived in Noblesville, Hamilton County, Indiana. Myrtle was a homemaker, while Charles worked as a blockman (or salesman or manager) in the farm implements industry, working 60 hours per week. His annual income was $2,500, and he had additional sources of income. Billy and Mary were both in school, with Billy having completed the second grade and Mary finishing kindergarten. Charles had an eighth-grade education, and Myrtle was a high school graduate. Charles was born in Indiana, Myrtle in South Carolina, Billy in Tennessee, and Mary in Indiana. Name listed: Myrtle Earley¹¹

1211 South Main Street, Paris, Illinois

Their home has been replaced with an empty field, though it was still standing in May 2013.

1950 United States Census

In 1950, Myrtle, 44, Charles, 63, William, 18, and Mary A Early, 17, lived at 305 North Virginia Street, Rockville, Indiana. Charles was the supervisor of sales at a wholesale farm equipment company, William was a farmer, and Mary was a ticket taker at a theater. They had been living in the same house in 1949. Name listed: Myrtle L. Earley¹²

305 North Virginia Street, Rockville, Indiana

Their 3-bedroom home was built in 1929.¹³

Death of Husband, Charles Herschel Earley – May 26, 1962

Myrtle’s husband, Charles, died on May 26, 1962, after having a heart attack at home.¹⁴

Transcript: CHARLES H. EARLEY
  ROCKVILLE, Ind., May 26 (Special)-Charles H. Earley, 76, resident of 809 Buena Vista street, died about 12:45 p.m. Saturday at the Vermillion County Hospital in Clinton, shortly after being admitted following a heart attack at the residence. Surviving are the widow, Myrtle; one son, William of Rockville; one daughter, Mrs. Mary Cassidy, Speedway; two brothers, Harry W. of Paris, Ill., and George of South Pasadena, Calif; and one grandchild. He was a member of the Rockville Modern Woodman of America lodge and was a retired branch manager of the New Idea Farm Equipment Company. The body was taken to Mars Funeral Home where friends may call after 5 p.m. Monday. Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday from the Mars chapel. The Rev. Dale Hamilton will officiate and burial will be made in the Embarass Cemetery at Redman, Ill.

Myrtle and Charles had two children, Billy and Mary, during a time when family dynamics and gender roles were traditional, with Myrtle taking on the primary role of homemaker. The 1960s brought further changes; after Charles’s death, Myrtle continued to work and support herself, demonstrating resilience and adaptability in an era when widowed women often faced economic difficulties. Myrtle’s eventual employment with Western Union reflects the era’s reliance on telegraphy for communication, a critical industry before the advent of modern telecommunications.

Death of Myrtle Lee McDonald Earley – October 17, 1973¹⁵

Myrtle died at 6:45am on October 17, 1973, at the St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana.¹⁶ She was 67 years old, born in South Carolina, and she was a widow. Her last address was 809 Buena Vista Street, Rockville, Indiana, and she was a retired telegrapher for Western Union. Her cause of death was strangulation of the small intestines with thrombosis mesenteric arteries, for which she had suffered for seven days, and an autopsy was performed. Her parents were Robert McDonald and Ava Crenshaw, and her son, William Earley of New Market, Indiana, was the informant for her death certificate. She was buried at Embarrass Cemetery in Redmon, Illinois, next to her husband.¹⁷

809 Buena Vista Street, Rockville, Indiana

The house at 809 Buena Vista Street, Rockville, Indiana is no longer standing.

Obituary of Myrtle L. Earley

Transcript: Mrs. Myrtle L. Early
  ROCKVILLE, Ind. (Special)-Mrs. Myrtle L. Earley, 67, a retired telegrapher with Western Union, died Wednesday in St. Vincent's Hospital, Indianapolis. She is survived by the mother, Mrs. Ava McDonald, Greensboro, N.C., a son, William, New Market, Ind., a daughter, Mrs. David Cassidy, Indianapolis; a brother, Raymond McDonald, Greensboro; three sisters, all out of state. Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the Tudor Funeral Home with burial in Embarrass Cemetery, Redmon, Ill. Friends may call.

Myrtle’s life spanned significant historical events, including both World Wars, the Great Depression, and the Civil Rights Movement, which influenced the social and cultural context of her time. She passed away in 1973, during the early stages of the technological revolution that would soon transform global communication. Her life story reflects the broader American experience of the 20th century, marked by economic, social, and technological transformations.

Sources

1. 1910 U.S. Census, Oconee County, South Carolina, population schedule, Keowee, enumeration district (ED) 125, p. 93 (stamped), 7B (penned), dwelling 94, family 101, Myrta L McDonald, image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 April 2021), citing NARA microfilm publication T624, microfilm 1375482, roll 1469. ↩︎
2. ClientVideos45, “History of Lake Keowee in South Carolina,” 7 May 2009, video, YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDXGOClXEhU : accessed 2 April 2021). ↩︎
3. “Personals: Maternity Sanitarium,” The Asheville Times, 16 May 1927, p. 13, col. 1, image Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-asheville-times-maternity-sanitarium/148025948/ : accessed 24 May 2024), clip page by user genistory. ↩︎
4. “Personals: Maternity Hospital,” The Atlanta Constitution, 11 July 1927, p. 10, col. 7, image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-constitution/148026222/ : accessed 24 May 2024), clip page by user genistory. ↩︎
5. “Jennie Spivack (1889-1982),” Genistory (https://genistory.org/jennie-spivack/ : accessed 27 May 2024). ↩︎
6. “Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93F-C9F6-J?cc=1619127&wc=Q63S-1X8%3A1589264470%2C1589374489 : accessed 2 April 2021), Washington County, TN Marriage records, 1922-1942, vol 7-9, image 327 of 775, citing Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville and county clerk offices from various counties, microfilm 005728817. ↩︎
7. 1930 U.S. census, Washington County, Tennessee, population schedule, Johnson City, enumeration district (ED) 90-13, p. 2B, dwelling 33, family 47, Myrtle Earley, image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 April 2021), citing NARA microfilm publication T626, microfilm 2342017. ↩︎
8. Miller’s Johnson City, Tenn. City Directory 1930-31, (City unknown: Piedmont Directory Co., 1930) vol. 8, p. 178, image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 April 2021). ↩︎
9. “City News,” The Noblesville Ledger, Noblesville, IN, 4 January 1935, p. 6. col. 4, image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-noblesville-ledger/74922563/ : accessed 2 April 2021), clip page by user genistory. ↩︎
10. “1410 S 10th St, Terre Haute, IN 47802,” realtor.com (https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1410-S-10th-St_Terre-Haute_IN_47802_M32064-87474 : accessed 2 April 2021). ↩︎
11. 1940 U.S. Census, Edgar County, Illinois, population schedule, Paris City, enumeration district (ED) 23-18B, p. 2A, household 26, Myrtle Earley, image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 April 2021), citing NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 799. ↩︎
12. 1950 U.S. Census, Parke County, Indiana, population schedule, Rockville, enumeration district (ED) 61-1, p. 19, dwelling 204, Myrtle L. McDonald, image Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 May 2024); citing NARA publication P1, record group 29. ↩︎
13. “305 N Virginia St, Rockville, IN 47872,” realtor.com (https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/305-N-Virginia-St_Rockville_IN_47872_M42790-33216 : accessed 27 May 2024). ↩︎
14. “Deaths: Charles H. Earley,” The Terre Haute Tribune, 27 May 1962, p. 8, col. 3, image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-terre-haute-tribune-obituary-for-cha/148158037/ : accessed 27 May 2024), clip page by user genistory. ↩︎
15. “Deaths: Mrs. Myrtle L. Earley,” The Terre Haute Tribune, 17 October 1973, p. 2, col. 3, image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-terre-haute-tribune-obituary-for-myr/37591967/ : accessed 21 October 2019), clip page by user genistory. ↩︎
16. “Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011” image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 April 2021); record for Myrtle McDonald Earley, 5 November 1973. ↩︎
17. Find a Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/184020803/myrtle_lee-earley: accessed 2 April 2021), memorial page for Myrtle Lee McDonald Earley (2 Apr 1906–17 Oct 1973), Find a Grave Memorial ID 184020803, citing Embarrass Cemetery, Redmon, Edgar County, Illinois, USA, Maintained by Donna Stewart (contributor 48091949). ↩︎