Honoring the Dead This June

 In Memory of Volney Pershing Meese (1886-1941)

    Volney Pershing Meese, son of Henry A. Meese and Lucinda Pershing, was born on 9 February 1886 in the small town of Wilmot, Stark County, Ohio. He grew up one of three siblings including his brother Perlee H. Meese and his sister Mabel E. Meese. On 30 June 1909, Volney married Laura Pearl Byerly of Canton, Stark County, Ohio. They raised a family in rural Ohio including Mildred Mable Meese, Robert Henry Meese, and my great grandfather Grayson Walter Meese. Volney wore many different hats in his lifetime from working as an electrician, to laboring as a farmer, and eventually to manufacturing as a dairy operator. Volney and his family moved west from Ohio, settling in San Diego County, California. He died there on 10 June 1941. His ashes were laid to rest in the Cypress View Mausoleum and Crematory. We remember Volney Pershing Meese this June as a son, brother, husband, father, uncle, and grandfather. We honor his story from Ohio to California that helped shape our own.

In Memory of Elmer Wasson Perry (1892-1926) 

    Elmer Wasson Perry, son of James Allen Perry and Sarah Elizabeth Beckman, was born on 21 June 1892 in Missouri. He lived in a bustling household with many siblings including Zora Dell Perry, Arthur Branchan Perry, Tacy Viola Perry, Henry Milton Perry, James Lloyd Perry, and Boyd E. Perry. On 19 April 1916, Elmer wed Ethel Maria Lease of Forest City, Holt County, Missouri. They had three children together including Charlotte Isabelle Perry, David Lease Perry, and my great grandmother Doris Maxine Perry. Elmer worked the land as a farmer and labored on the railroads. His life was cut tragically short when he died a day before his 34th birthday on 20 June 1926 in Rochester, Olmsted County, Minnesota. Elmer now rests in Mount Hope Cemetery in Mound City, Holt County, Missouri. We remember Elmer Wasson Perry this June as a son, brother, husband, father, and uncle. We honor his Midwest legacy that continues to live on in us.  

 

photo from Find a Grave by gingels

With love, 

Autumn Rose Surratt 

The Ancestor Witch 

Sources 

• "Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVGV-D5CS: 1 June 2025), Volney Pershing Meese, died 10 June 1941, memorial ID # 122235436. 
• "Ohio County Marriages, 1789-2016", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Z87V-QPT2: 3 June 2025), Volney P Meese and Laura P Byerly, 30 June 1909. 
• "Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK1X-76XJ: 3 June 2025), Elmer W Perry, died 1926, memorial ID # 140926554. 
• "Minnesota Death Records and Certificates, 1900-1955", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FD8Z-FQL: 3 June 2025), Elmer W. Perry and Mrs. E.w. Perry, 20 June 1926.  
• "Missouri County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:668T-CK7N: 3 June 2025), Elmer W Perry and Ethel M Lease, 19 April 1916.