Zetta Blanche (Turner) Wortman (1886 - abt. 1955)

Born 13 Apr 1886 in Hamilton Co., Ohio

Ancestors

Wife of David W. Cowdrey — married 1 Mar 1903 (to about 1911) in Hamilton, Ohio, United States

Wife of Curtis Gilbert — married 9 Sep 1915 (to before 1920) in Dearborn, Indiana, United States

Wife of Carl F. Wortman — married 6 Mar 1920 in Harrison, Kentucky, United States

Died about 9 May 1955 at about age 69 in Hamilton Co., Ohio

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Biography

Zetta Blanche Turner was born on April 13, 1886 in Hamilton Co., Ohio. She was the youngest child of George Washington Turner and Martha Melissa Forbes. Here's a picture of 9 year old Blanche.^[1]

1900 Federal Census Cincinnati OH^[2]

Household	Role	Sex	Age	Birthplace
George W Turner	Head	M	56	Ohio
Martha M Turner	Wife	F	50	Ohio
Zetta B Turner	Daughter	F	13	Ohio

She first married David William Cowdrey on March 1, 1903 in Hamilton Co., Ohio,^[3] with whom she had two children.

1910 Federal Census Cincinnati OH^[4]

Household	Role	Sex	Age	Birthplace
David W Cowdrey	Head	M	29	Ohio
Blanche Cowdrey	Wife	F	24	Ohio
George Cowdrey	Son	M	5	Ohio
Cowdrey	Son	M	2	Ohio

Her marriage to George Cowdrey must have ended shortly after this census was taken since the application for her second marriage license in 1915 indicated that her first marriage ended in divorce in 1911 after eight years of marriage. The application also indicated that her soon-to-be second husband, Curtis Gilbert, had also been divorced in 1911. They presumably married shortly after receiving their marriage license on Sept. 9, 1915 in Dearborn, Indiana. Indiana was known as a "marriage mill" in the early 1900s because of their lax marriage laws (including no waiting period) as compared to Ohio and other surrounding states. The birthplaces and residences of the couple should not be taken too seriously. According to Cincinnati Directories, Blanche lived at 246 Setchell St. in the Columbia-Tusculum area of Cincinnati before she and Curtis Gilbert were married and she continued to live there after they were married.^[5]

In the 1920 census Curtis Gilbert was listed as a divorced lodger in the Los Angeles home of Jasper von Bulow and a divorced Blanche Cowdrey and her two sons, George and Bramble, were listed as living with Blanche's mother, Martha M. Turner, in Cincinnati, Ohio.^[6] The census record for Blanche Cowdrey was enumerated on Jan. 19, 1920. On March 6 (or March 7), 1920, Blanche married Carl F. Wortman in Harrison Co., Ky.^[7] Carl was listed in the 1920 census as married and living with his parents in Cincinnati, Ohio on the enumeration date of Jan. 12, 1920; his wife was not listed in that record. We assume Carl Wortman got his divorce soon after the census was taken in order to marry Blanche. We do not know why they were married in Kentucky, but perhaps waiting periods or another factor played a role. Even this third marriage seems to have been rocky at times based on a few civil suits filed between the husband and wife in later years.

Her first husband, David W. Cowdrey, died on April 3, 1928 in Georgetown, Brown Co., Ohio.^[8] His death certificate indicated he was widowed and that Blanch Turner Cowdrey had been his spouse. The informant was his father, Emanuel Cowdrey. It's not clear if David Cowdrey or his father still considered Blanche to be his estranged wife when he died or just misinterpreted that box on the death certificate; however, it is clear that Blanche was already married to her third husband Carl Wortman at the time of David Cowdrey's death. Perhaps David's 70 year old father, who passed away two years later, considered Blanche to be deceased; however, it's clear his children had a relationship with their mother. A picture from the Turner Family Reunion in 1925 clearly shows at least three Cowdreys in attendance in addition to Blanche and her third husband Carl Wortman. The two male Cowdreys were David's and Blanche's children and the third Cowdrey was the wife of her eldest son.^[9]

In the years that followed, Blanche got involved in several clubs and organizations including the Independent Order of Herdsmen, where she served as president for a period of time, and the Daughters of America. Here's a picture of Blanche Wortman in 1940 when she was a Trustee with the Herdsmen (standing, fifth from left).^[10]

Zetta Blanche (Turner) Wortman died in 1955. She is buried in Mt. Moriah Cemetery near Withamsville, Clermont Co., Ohio.^[11] Carl F. Wortman died in 1965 and is also buried in Mt. Moriah Cemetery.

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.pruiett-parker.com/turner/images/ZettaBlancheTurner850.jpg
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1900", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MM87-GW1 : 13 January 2022), Zetta B Turner in entry for George W Turner, 1900.
3. ↑ "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XZ17-BH1 : 29 September 2021), David W. Cowdrey and Zetta B. Turner, 1903.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MLNL-T46 : accessed 18 September 2022), Blanche Cowdrey in household of David W Cowdrey, Cincinnati Ward 1, Hamilton, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 9, sheet 2A, family 34, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1188; FHL microfilm 1,375,201.
5. ↑ "Indiana Marriages, 1811-2019," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XXTX-QPT : 3 August 2022), Lester Gilbert in entry for Curtis N Gilbert and Zetta B Cowdrey, 09 Sep 1915; citing Dearborn, Indiana, United States, Marriage License, Indiana Commission on Public Records, Indianapolis; FHL microfilm 004476594.
6. ↑ https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDBK-6T2
7. ↑ https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2DC-RSX4
8. ↑ "Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8LB-NVP : 8 March 2021), Blanch Turner Cowdrey in entry for David W Cowdrey, 03 Apr 1928; citing Georgetown Village, Brown, Ohio, reference fn 20724; FHL microfilm 1,991,206.
9. ↑ https://www.pruiett-parker.com/brown/images/TurnerPicnic1925-Repaired-EnhancedCaptionsOpt1200.jpg
10. ↑ https://www.pruiett-parker.com/turner/documents/BlancheWortmanCincinnatiEnquirerSatSep211940Opt1200.jpg
11. ↑ https://www.pruiett-parker.com/turner/documents/BlanchWortmanFindaGraveHeadstone1955WithamsvilleOhioMtMoriahCemOpt700.jpg