Tag Archives: copeland

Land Transactions | Copeland – Reeves

One of the research activities in which I have been engaged recently is perusing the images available for Dunklin County on FamilySearch.org. These images have been digitized but never indexed, so I have to go through each image individually and look for names that I know are connected to our family. In the process, I’ve found some really interesting connections between the Copelands and other Dunklin County families, and I thought I would share some of them with you.

The first item involves Shelby Pruett (who married George Copeland’s daughter, Margaret Rose, in 1886). According to this probate index, Shelby sold a piece of land on 23 Feb 1893 to a “Lou Ann Moore.” Here’s the page in the record book (click for larger sizes) and beneath that a close-up of this transaction.

Shelby Pruett to Lou Ann Moore

Pruitt Shelby to Lou A Moore crop

I decided to see if I could find out more about Lou Ann Moore. I discovered that she was born Lou Ann Reeves, 18 Sep 1853 in Rutherford County, Tennessee. Her parents were Thomas Bird Reeves and Louisa E. Ford. She married John W. Stephens about 1869 and they had many children, although they were apparently divorced by 1880 (or he was deceased), according to the US Federal Census for that year. She married Charles F. Moore sometime after the 1880 Census, thus becoming “Lou Ann Moore.” Below is a photo of her with some members of her family (she is the third woman from the left who is sitting; there is a faint #7 on her hand). Lou Ann’s mother, Louisa, is all the way on the left, and Lou’s daughter, Minnie (Stephens) Sipes, is sitting down and holding the baby. There is something oddly breath-taking about seeing the face of someone who once spoke to my great-great grandfather — something I’ll never get the chance to do.

lou ann moore family

What’s interesting is that we can see Lou Ann (Reeves) Stephens living in Cotton Hill Township, Dunklin County, MO just a few houses (or properties) down from our George Copeland, his wife, and two children (including Thomas F. Copeland), on the 1880 US Federal Census. In the image below the Copeland family is yellow, and Lou Ann (Reeves) Stephens is blue.

1880UnitedStatesFederalCensusForG.T.Coplan&LouAnnReevesStephens

There are other land transactions between the Copelands and this family. Here we see a record of Stephen Copeland, who I believe is George Copeland’s nephew, selling land to H.G. Hampton on 15 Dec 1890:

Stephen Copeland to HG Hampton

Stephen Copeland to HG Hampton crop

H.G. Hampton is related by marriage to Lou Ann Moore, mentioned above. He was born Hiram Grant Hampton on 28 Dec 1863 in Henderson County, Tennessee. His parents were William Hiram Hampton and Mary Emma Pope. He married Nancy Capilola Corder on 27 Mar 1889 at the home of her father, James Corder, in Dunklin County, Missouri. The connection to Lou Ann Moore is this: Nancy Corder’s mother was Michel Reeves, the daughter of Thomas Bird Reeves and Louisa E. Ford, and the sister of Lou Ann (Reeves) Moore. You can read more about “Uncle Tommy” (as Thomas Bird Reeves was affectionately known) and his daughters, Michel and Lou Ann, at the Reeves Project web site. Here is a picture of H.G. Hampton and his wife, Nancy Corder.

Hiram Grant & wife Nancy Corder

Two land transactions, plus census records and other supporting documents, illustrate a web of connections between two families: Shelby Pruett (George’s son-in-law) sold land to Lou Ann Moore (George’s neighbor), while Stephen Copeland (most likely George’s nephew) sold land to H.G. Hampton, Lou Ann Moore’s brother-in-law. (I must point out that the Pruett family was also a close neighbor of the Reeves family in 1880, so this may account for the sale of land from Shelby to Lou Ann, but that does not necessarily negate the connection between the Copeland family and the Reeves family). When attempting to make a genealogical connection without any vital records, which is sadly the case for our George, every little piece of information counts. If I can connect our George to the George Copeland who lived in Ripley County during the 1850s and 1860s (and I believe I can), then I am one step closer to knowing more about his origins. Stephen Copeland, who lived alongside both our George and the George Copeland of Ripley County, is a major part of this puzzle, so discovering these land records is a key piece of evidence linking him to our family.

Have I confused you all thoroughly? I hope not!

Your cousin,
Kelli Signature

George T. Copeland Mind Map

Good morning, Cousins!

I’m sure you are all busy now that the holiday season is upon us, but I thought I might pop by and show you what I have been working on lately. Most of us are descendants of Tom Copeland (some by his wife Clara, some by his wife Myrtle), which means we are also descendants of Tom’s father, George. Our ancestor George Thomas Copeland is my current “brick wall” because I do not know who his parents were. I also do not know anything about Tom’s mother, who is called “Sarah” on the 1870 and 1880 Census. I’ve been collecting information about collateral relatives, friends, and neighbors (genealogists call this the “FAN” method) to see if I can learn a bit more about George and Sarah. This morning I created a “mind map” of the connections that our George has to other families in Ripley County and Dunklin County (you can click the image to see it larger).

George Copeland

As you can see this is quite the tangled web, which is a good thing! One of the ways that we can “prove” information about our ancestors is by using “indirect evidence,” such as patterns of interaction between families. There is a scarcity of vital records for George (I have no birth record, only 2 out of 4 marriage records, and no death or burial records), but I have learned a lot about him just by looking at the families to which he was connected. The next thing I would like to do is create a database of all of the persons to whom George was connected, which I think will be a big help when doing research (especially in making use of the 400+ genetic matches I have on my dad’s side). I’ll go into more details about these connections as they become clearer to me.

Your cousin,
Kelli Signature

Thomas Copeland Obituary Request

Hello Cousins!

I just wanted to let you know that I recently contacted the State Historical Society of Missouri to request a copy of Thomas Copeland’s obituary. There were several papers published in Dunklin County at the time of his death, so I figured that his obituary would be in at least one of them. I was hoping that I might learn more about his parents and/or siblings. Unfortunately, it looks like there was no obituary published. Here is the response I received:

State Historical Society of Missouri Research Request
Leeman, Lauren Fri, Nov 15, 2013 at 4:31 PM
To: “kelcopeland@gmail.com”
Dear Ms. Wilson,

I am writing regarding your request for the obituary of Thomas Copeland. Unfortunately, the newspapers did not carry the news of his death. I checked the Malden Merit, Twice-a-Week Dunklin Democrat, and Farmington News.

I’m sorry we came up empty handed on your request. Let me know if you have any questions.

Lauren Leeman
Reference Specialist
The State Historical Society of Missouri
1020 Lowry Street, Columbia, MO 65201
Tel: 573.882.1187 | Main: 573.882.7083
leemanl@umsystem.edu | shs.umsystem.edu

You can view Tom Copeland’s death certificate HERE, which lists his parents as George Copeland and Mary Lawson. I am sure that George Copeland was his father, but I have doubts about Mary Lawson, considering that George’s wife on both the 1870 and 1880 Census was named “Sarah.” I believe there is a connection to the Lawson family but it would have been through George’s first wife, who was not the mother of Tom Copeland. My grandfather, Bill a.k.a. “Uncle Delvie”, told me that Tom’s mother was named Charlotte Eve Kingsley. I haven’t found anyone by that name living in Dunklin County around the time that George was there, but I’m not 100% sure that he married “Sarah” (the woman who must be Tom’s mother) in Dunklin County.

The hunt continues!

Your cousin,
Kelli Signature

Marriage Records | Dunklin County 1870’s-1940s

In the same spirit as my census record spreadsheet I have created a list of Copeland marriages in Dunklin County, using the “Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002” database at Ancestry.com. I believe there is some overlap with the “Missouri, Marriages, 1750-1920” database at FamilySearch, which is free. For the purposes of this table I organized the available data by year, and then broke it down by decade. I think this is more helpful for finding individuals based on a given criteria (such as birth year). I’ve highlighted the known family members in yellow. Some of the names may not be familiar to you, but I will be going into more detail about them at a later date.

Name Spouse Year Date
    1870s  
Obediah Copeland Ellen Timms 1872 12/01/1872
Malisa Coplan Mr William N Hawl 1874 01/01/1874
    1880s  
Obidah Capeland Annea Jackson 1882 07/29/1882
Margaret R Copeland Shelby Prewett 1886 01/04/1886
S F Caplen Leona Turbeville 1888 07/25/1888
Thomas P Copeland Jennie Grover 1888 08/23/1888
Wm H Copeland Matha J Johnson 1889 04/11/1889
    1890s  
J R Capeland Lucy A Hohgüe 1890 09/18/1890
G W Copeland Minnie Graham 1893 11/12/1893
Mrs Nancy A Capeland M H P Ahearn 1894 02/28/1894
Miss America Copelin Mr J R Young 1895 11/21/1895
Miss Dora Coplin J R Whitaker 1898 05/22/1898
Thomas Copeland Miss Clar B Bunting 1899 06/02/1899
    1900s  
Charles W Copeland Miss M B Dalton 1900 09/15/1900
Wm Copeland Miss Dora Powell 1900 12/09/1900
Elizabeth Copeland Joseph Williams 1903 10/21/1903
Miss Susan Copeland Thos H Ballard 1905 11/08/1905
Mrs Ida Copeland Charley Perrigan 1908 05/02/1908
Gay Copeland O E Hamilton 1909 11/10/1909
Bessie Copeland Fred Murphy 1909 11/28/1909
C W Copeland Rosy L Dalton 1909 12/31/1909
    1910s  
Tom Copland Myrtle May Crider 1910 07/03/1910
Miss Ima Copeland Hiram Grimes 1914 07/03/1914
Clumbus Copeland Anna Pearce 1916 09/28/1916
Gladys Copeland R Arthar Loden 1917 09/09/1917
Mrs Martha Coplin Elmer Myers 1918 07/17/1918
Bertha May Copeland James T Sish 1919 02/12/1919
    1920s  
Belle Copeland M V Beck 1925 09/23/1925
Mrs Sarah Belle Copeland Walter Bridges 1926 12/21/1926
    1930s  
Daniel Copelin Mrs Irene Wilburn 1930 05/24/1930
William H Copelin Clara Easterwood 1932 03/18/1932
Euline Copeland Chester Hale 1933 08/05/1933
Ludie May Copeland Freeman Carmack 1933 11/04/1933
H A Copeland Ocie Lee Ransom 1934 01/10/1934
Mrs. Bell Copland J E Lamunion 1934 10/17/1934
Velma Copelin Hubert Seyman 1936 02/22/1936
W O Copeland Imogene Moore 1936 09/12/1936
Goldie Copeland Donald Emmet Meriwether 1936 11/27/1936
Shirley Copeland Oma Prince 1937 03/21/1937
Dewey Copeland Lockie Marshall 1938 10/07/1938
Ivah Copeland Bert Beckley 1939 08/19/1939
S Copeland Elizabeth Miller 1939 09/04/1939
    1940s  
Mrs. Pearl Copeland Chester Morris 1940 05/18/1940
G W Copeland Imogene Wallace 1941 01/04/1941
Augusta Copeland Johnny Owerman 1942 03/09/1942
Vaughn Copeland Royce Phillips 1942 06/06/1942
R C Copeland Rebecca Richardson 1943 06/11/1943

Census Records | Copelands of Dunklin County (1870-1940)

Sometimes census records can be useful for more than just providing information about individual people. They can also show patterns of movement from one place to another, and give us clues about possible relationships. For example, if two families consistently move from place to place together (showing up on census record after census record in close proximity to one another, despite geographical movement), one can assume that there is some kind of connection between the two. Knowing there is a connection doesn’t tell us what the connection is, but it gives us a reason to try and find that out.

George T. Copeland, the father of Tom Copeland (who is, in turn, the father of many of our recent ancestors) is an enigma. I, along with several others, have been trying to figure out who he was for a long time. He left scant records, which makes our task difficult. One of the ideas I had recently was to create a database of all the Copelands living in areas where George might have lived. To do this I used Ancestry.com, did a Soundex search for “Copeland”, and requested the name of a particular location as a keyword (checking the box marked “exact”) — for example, my keyword for this search was “Dunklin.” Then I went to each census year and copied the entries (exactly as they were transcribed) into a spreadsheet. I’ve reproduced my spreadsheet here (leaving out a few miscellaneous catergories), with known ancestors highlighted in yellow.

As you can see, our George T. Copeland (sometimes called “G.T.” and here called “Thomas”) was the first Copeland to arrive on the scene in Dunklin, sometime before 1870. As the decades pass, more Copelands arrive. Some also leave. Some even come back (our Tom and family moved to Arkansas for many years and then came back to Dunklin County in the mid-1930s). The individuals that are not highlighted are all “persons of interest” to the genealogist. Yes, there are some similarities between CSI and genealogy — don’t laugh! While I haven’t yet made any definitive connections, I have been working on figuring out who all of those other Copelands are, where they came from, and where they went if they left Dunklin County. Some of these trails are undoubtedly dead ends but maybe one of them isn’t. Besides, who doesn’t love the thrill of the chase? 😉

Name Home in 1870 Birth Year Birthplace
Thomas Coplin Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1830 Illinois
Sarah Coplin Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1840 Missouri
Mellissa Coplin Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1857 Missouri
Artamissa Coplin Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1860 Missouri
Martha Coplin Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1867 Missouri
Mary Coplin Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1870 Missouri
       
Name Home in 1880 Birth Year Birthplace
G. T. Coplan Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1837 Illinois
Sarah Coplan Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1843 Missouri
Mary Coplan Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1855 Missouri
S. R. Coplan Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1856 Missouri
M. J. Coplan Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1874 Missouri
Geo. T. Coplan Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1876 Missouri
Tom F. Coplan Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1876 Missouri
       
Veteran’s Name Home in 1890 Rank Years of Service
Obediah Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Private 1861-1862
George T Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Sgt 1864-1865
       
Name Home in 1900 Birth Date Birthplace
Mrs. Ples Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jan 1845 Ohio
George Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Sep 1852 Missouri
Steve R Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jan 1856 Missouri
Margret Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Oct 1857 Missouri
Bettie Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Nov 1863 Missouri
Ima Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jun 1863 Illinois
George Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jan 1871 Illinois
Minnie Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jan 1871 Missouri 
Thomas Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Mar 1873 Illinois
Bertha Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Mar 1873 Illinois
James M Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Aug 1875 Illinois
Thomas Copeland Independence, Dunklin, Missouri Apr 1876 Missouri
Quinton Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri May 1877 Arkansas
Elizabeth Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Dec 1878 Missouri 
Lucy L Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri Dec 1878 Arkansas
Charles Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jun 1879 Missouri
Lilly Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jan 1879 Missouri
Clara Copeland  Independence, Dunklin, Missouri Dec 1880 Illinois
John Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Feb 1882 Missouri
William Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Sep 1883 Missouri
Bessie M Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Apr 1884 Missouri 
Archie Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri May 1885 Missouri
Susan Copelund Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jun 1887 Missouri
Elizabeth Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Apr 1888 Missouri
Josephine Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Aug 1888 Missouri
Martha L Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Apr 1891 Missouri
Cora Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Apr 1892 Missouri
Clara Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jun 1894 Missouri
Chalmus H Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jun 1896 Missouri 
Columbus Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Jul 1897 Missouri
Herman S Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Apr 1897 Missouri 
Gladis L Copeland]  Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri Nov 1898 Missouri 
Cecil Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri Dec 1899 Arkansas
Ina Copeland Independence, Dunklin, Missouri Apr 1900 Missouri
       
Name Home in 1910 Birth Year Birthplace
Mary Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1840 Ohio
Geo Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1853 Illinois
Steve Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1856 Missouri
Margaret Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1857 Indiana
Belle Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1863 Missouri
Tom Sturberbill [Copeland] Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1867 Tennessee
Carlos Copeland Salem, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1872 Missouri
Mollie Copeland Salem, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1880 Missouri
Will Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1882 Indiana
Dora Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1885 Missouri
Cora Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1892 Missouri
Clara Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1894 Missouri
Columbus Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1896 Missouri
MontroseCopeland Salem, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1896 Missouri
Texie Copeland Salem, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1897 Missouri
Billey Sturberbill [Copeland] Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1901 Arkansas
Walter Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1902 Missouri
Lonie Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1904 Missouri
Robert Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1906 Missouri
Henry Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1908 Missouri
Valentine Copeland Salem, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1909 Missouri
Bessie Murphy [Copeland] Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1884 Missouri
Chalmer H Coapland  North Malden, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1897 Missouri
Gladys L Coapland North Malden, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1899 Missouri
Evert L Coopland Malden Ward 2, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1906  Missouri
Irine Coopland Malden Ward 2, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1907 Missouri
Charley W Coupland Malden Ward 2, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1878 Illinois
Rosia L Coupland Malden Ward 2, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1882 Kentucky
Thomas Couplin Independence, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1876 Missouri
Ima Couplin Independence,Dunklin, Missouri abt 1900 Missouri
       
Name Home in 1920 Birth Year Birthplace
Steven R Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1857 Missouri
Sarah B Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1860 Missouri
William F Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1881 Tennessee
Eva Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1885 Tennessee
Irene S Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1895 Missouri
Chalmers H Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1897 Missouri
Burton Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1905 Tennessee
Elizabeth S Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1919 Missouri
       
Name Home in 1930 Birth Year Birthplace
Sarah B Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1862 Missouri
Charley Copeland Malden, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1879 Indiana
Rosia Copeland Malden, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1882 Kentucky
Ray Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1902 Arkansas
Homer D Copeland Malden, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1907 Missouri
Pearl Copeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1907 Alabama
       
Name Home in 1940 Birth Year Birthplace
Tom Copeland Clay, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1877 Missouri
Charles W Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1879 Indiana
Rosie L Copeland Cotton Hill, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1882 Kentucky
Myrtle Copeland Clay, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1886 Kentucky
Arthur Copeland Payne, Clay, Arkansas abt 1900 Kentucky
Delvia Copeland Clay, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1925 Missouri
Donnie Copeland Clay, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1928 Missouri
Sid B Capeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1888 Missouri
Bessie M Capeland Union, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1896 Tennessee
Dewey Capeland Salem, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1914 Tennessee
Lockie Capeland Salem, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1919 Tennessee
Daniel Copelin Kennett, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1898 Kentucky
Irene Copelin Kennett, Dunklin, Missouri abt 1908 Missouri

Obituary | Ross (Copeland) Roe (1948-2005)

January 2005
North County Times (San Diego, CA)

ESCONDIDO – Ross Roe, 56, died Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005,at his home.

He was born June 24, 1948, in Chelsea, Mass. He worked at Tri-City Fence in Escondido. At one time he was the owner of Ironrose Welding in Ramona.

Mr. Roe is preceded in death by his parents, William and Eileen Roe.

He is survived by his wife, Joan Roe of Escondido; sons Jason Roe of Leeds, Utah, and Jake Roe of Ramona; stepsons Quill Pena and Joe Prescott, both of Ramona, Ryan Hester of Riverside, and Michael Cole and Robert Rowe, both of Escondido; stepdaughter Amy Hester of Escondido; sisters Sharon Bryant and Jolien Lawerance, both of Huntsville, Alaska [should say Arkansas]; and five grandchildren.

A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, at Bonham Bros. & Stewart Mortuary in Ramona.

Bonham Bros. & Stewart Mortuary is handling arrangements.

[Note: son of William Delvie “Bill” and Eileen (Schena) Copeland, grandson of Tom and Myrtle (Crider) Copeland. He was adopted by his step-father, William Roe.]

Obituary | Michael J. Wollmershauser (1943-2002)

December 11, 2002
The Republican

FEEDING HILLS – Michael J. Wollmershauser of Feeding Hills, MA passed away peacefully in the arms of his loving wife Joan and his children holding his hands on December 8, 2002 after a long five-year battle with cancer. Mike was employed since 1992 for the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department as a Fitness Trainer/Correctional Officer. Michael was known by many as “Master Mike”. He was an 8th degree black belt in Hapkido, a Korean Martial Art. He was the 3rd highest ranked in the world in this system, holding the esteemed honor of Grandmaster. He was also known as the “Master of Hand Techniques”. He was president of the American Hapkido Association since 1981 to present. He was the owner of the American Hapkido & World Olympic Taekwondo Center in Feeding Hills, MA. He previously owned the J. Parks Karate Studio in Springfield and also taught at the YMCA in Springfield, Janar Gymnastic in Wilbraham, MA, and Fitness First in Feeding Hills, MA as a Hapkido/Taekwondo/Tai Chi instructor. He was also an adjunct professor at Springfield College for 12 years and at Western New England College for six years until joining the Sheriff’s Department in 1992. Prior to studying and teaching martial arts, Mike was employed by McDonnell Douglas Aircraft in St. Louis, MO as an aircraft electrician, and worked on the Gemini Space Program and on jet engines. Mike traveled extensively to Korea to train in Hapkido and also traveled to the martial art schools under his direction in the United States, Europe, India, Australia and many other countries. He passed on his knowledge of Hapkido to thousands and at the time of his passing had promoted 247 black belts in Hapkido and Taekwondo. Mike attributed his ability to fight cancer to the martial arts and to the love and prayers of his family and friends. Mike was an avid chess player who won the McDonnell Douglas World Championship in the 1960s. He was also an accomplished oil painter. Michael is survived by a loving family, his wife, Joan (Shea) Wollmershauser; his mother, Juanita (Grimes) Wollmershauser of St. Louis, MO; his six children, Jonathan W., Michelle J. and Mikala J. Wollmershauser, all of Feeding Hills, Mia Wollmershauser-Wenz of West Springfield, and Steven and Jeffrey Wollmershauser. He leaves four brothers, Ronald B., Arthur G. and David P., all of St. Louis, MO, and Craig D. Wollmershauser of Winters, CA; and one grandchild, Khylyn Wenz. Funeral services will be held Saturday, Dec. 14 from the Colonial Forastiere Funeral Home of Agawam at 10:30 a.m. with a Mass in Sacred Heart Church at 12 noon. Burial in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Springfield. Visiting hours Friday, 2-5 & 7-9 p.m. He will be sadly missed by all whose lives he touched. In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to the Michael Wollmershauser Memorial Fund c/o Joan Wollmershauser, 157 Cambridge St., Feeding Hills, 01030.

[Note: son of Arthur G. and Juanita (Grimes) Wollmershauser, grandson of Hiram B. and Imogene (Copeland) Grimes, great-grandson of Tom and Clara (Bunting) Copeland.]

Obituary | William Delvie Copeland (1923-2003)

March 25, 2003
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

WILLIAM COPELAND, 79, of Drummonds, owner of a television repair business, died Saturday at his home. Services will be at 1 p.m. today at Munford (Tenn.) Funeral Home with burial in Poplar Grove Cemetery in Drummonds. He was a member of Fellowship Baptist Church in Quito, Tenn., and was a World War II and Korean War Navy veteran. Mr. Copeland, the husband of Mabel Elizabeth Massey Copeland, also leaves three daughters, Mona Louise Laffoon of Lynnhaven, Fla., Marcia Lorraine Priess of Millington and Sheri Denise Holloway of Davison, Mich.; four sons, James Leroy Dishaw of Fort Worth, Texas, Dale Copeland of Norfolk, Va., Brian Copeland of Keene, N.H., and Darrell Copeland of Concord, Mass., 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

[Note: son of Tom and Myrtle (Crider) Copeland.]

Obituary | Dewey L. Weaver (1907-2000)

April 22, 2000
The Flint Journal

WEAVER, Dewey L. – Of Flint, age 93, died Thursday, April 20, 2000 at Briarwood Manor. Funeral services will be held 12 noon Monday, April 24, 2000 at the Brown Funeral Home, 1616 Davison Rd., Rev. David Miller officiating. Burial at Flint Memorial Park. Visitation 2-4 and 6-9 p.m. Saturday, 6-9 p.m. Sunday. Mr. Weaver was born March 3, 1907 in Senath, Missouri. He married Dorothy Copeland on October 21, 1934 in Piggott, Arkansas. He was a farmer for over 20 years in Missouri, moving to Flint in 1954 where he was employed at Mead Container Company, retiring in 1972. Surviving are: daughter, Judy Steck and husband Walt of Swartz Creek; son, Jerry Weaver and wife Pat of Flint; 8 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Mr. Weaver was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy in 1996; his daughter, Bonnie Sue in 1939; and son, Thomas Weaver in 1967.

Obituary | Dorothy Beatrice (Copeland) Weaver (1912-1996)

December 24, 1996
The Flint Journal (MI)

WEAVER, Dorothy B. – Of Flint, age 84, died Sunday, December 22, 1996 at Briarwood Manor. Funeral services will be held 11AM Thursday, December 26, 1996 at the Brown Funeral Home, 1616 Davison Rd., Rev. Grant H. Wessel officiating. Burial at Flint Memorial Park. Mrs. Weaver will lie in state at the funeral home from 2-4 and 6-8pm on Tuesday and Wednesday. Mrs. Weaver was born April 8, 1912 in Arbyrd, MO. She married Dewey L. Weaver on October 21, 1934 in Piggott, AK. Mrs. Weaver was employed at the Robert Hall Clothing Store retiring in 1975 after 25 years of service. Surviving are: Husband Dewey L. Weaver of Flint; son, Jerry Weaver and wife Patricia of Flint; daughter, Judith Steck and husband Walter of Swartz Creek; 8 grandchildren, Jerry Weaver Jr., Teresa Kapture, Lisa Sams, David Lindensmith Jr., Karen White, Sherry Parsons, Tommy Weaver Jr. and Timmy Weaver; 16 great-grandchildren; sister, Donna Waltrip of Flint; brother, William D. Copeland and wife Mabel of Munford, TN; many nieces and nephews. Mrs. Weaver was preceded in death by her son, Tommy Weaver in 1967. Our sincere thanks to the caretakers of Briarwood Manor Nursing Home for the love and devotion shown to Dorothy.

[Note: Dorothy was the daughter of Tom and Myrtle (Crider) Copeland.]