Hutchinson Family - 5 Generations Back

If you go back five generations in the Hutchinson family line you come to my great-great grandfather Charles B. Hutchinson. Ultimately little is known about what type of person Charles was and what kind of life he lead but there are a few tidbits.

According to an Aberdeen, South Dakota newspaper on December 20, 1910 he's reported as seriously ill with pneumonia and described as an "invalid". The article suggests that Charles was part of the local Woodman lodge. According to his death certificate he died a day later on the 21st.

Charles was married to my great-great grandmother Rebecca Hutchinson (nee: Butler) in 1878 who gave birth to my great grandfather Ezra and his two brothers Hiram and Edward.

L to R: Not certain but believed to be Hiram (creepy eyes) and his dad Charles Hutchinson.

Strangely enough Charles remarries in 1894 to Augusta Hutchinson (nee: Heller) only 8 years after the birth of Edward.  Between the two of them they had three more children; Verona, Esther, and Frank. Augusta was married prior her marriage to Charles, her name prior to becoming a Hutchinson was Zabel and it is believed that she had three children.  Some point between 1910 and 1920 Augusta remarried yet again becoming Mrs. Delaney.  Whether is was after Charles died or before is unknown.

What happened to Rebecca or where she went remains a question I hope to find the answer to one day.  Did she die? Or perhaps they just got tired of each other and split.  Thanks to the 1890 US Census being lost in a fire, a great marker for me finding maybe if she was around then is lost to us forever.

Ezra Isaac Hutchinson was the oldest of the three brothers, born in Wisconsin. Ezra served in WWI though I'm not entirely sure on the specifics.  My dad has some pictures Ezra took during the war, pretty graphic, and they were captioned on a separate piece of paper in Ezra's own hand writing.  Ezra was a Freemason though I've yet to find out where he ranked in the society.  In 1903 Ezra married my great grandmother Edna Hutchinson (nee: Gagnier).  According to his granddaughter Violet, Ezra was said to be "a bad man" and hit her when she had to stay with them for a bit.

Edna and Ezra Hutchinson

Hiram Charles Hutchinson was the second oldest of the brothers also born in Wisconsin like his brothers.  According to a newspaper in Aberdeen, South Dakota on November 20, 1963:

H. Hutchinson Funeral Held


Services for Hiram Hutchinson, 82 of 119 7th Ave SE were held Tuesday afternoon at the Gates Funeral Home with Rev. O.M. Simundson of Bethlehem Lutheran Church officiating. Burial was in Riverside Memorial Part Cemetery.


Organist was Mrs. Philo Hall. Pallbearers were Ordean Voight, Wendel Schoppe, Jack Hornaman, Leon Schwab, Ray Leff, and James Hornaman. Mr. Hutchinson died Saturday at St. Luke's Hosptial.


Beyond that article, all I know of Hiram is that he lived on the family farm where he worked for most of his life in Aberdeen.

Edward Alanson Hutchinson was the baby of three brothers born seven years after Ezra also in Wisconsin. I know he also worked on the farm with his brother Hiram but what happened to him is a mystery to me.

L to R: Hiram, Ezra, and Edward Hutchinson on the farm in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Verona Hutchinson was born one year after her parents married and the only tidbit of information that I know is that she was deaf and attended the South Dakota School for the Deaf.

Esther Hutchinson is a complete mystery, my guess she married between census years changing her last name making it difficult to track her down.

Frank B. Hutchinson was born last of all the kids and is seen living with his mother in 1920 when she remarried.  Beyond that there is no solid evidence as to where Frank when, some arrows seem to point to him living out his years until 1970 in California.

Hutchinson Family - The Great Uncles and Aunt

Not only did I not know my grandfather, his three brothers and sister were an equal mystery to me until recently.  Kenneth Sr. was one of five kids to my great grandparents Ezra and Edna Hutchinson.  Truth be told, I never knew my grandfather had a sister, nobody ever said anything, it was by chance I stumbled upon some information while doing the family tree that the name Violet popped up.  Sure enough she existed and upon further digging my dad actually had two pictures with her and her brothers in it when they were all kids.

L to R: Kenneth, Carson, Clyde, Violet, and Charles Hutchinson

Carson, I'm thinking was the closest to my grandfather, they are in a lot of pictures together, were both Marines and Carson married one of my grandmother's cousins. Last year when I saw my aunt Judy she told me that it was rumored that Carson had something to do with the mafia, probably a joke but it sure gives one something to talk about.  He died fairly young and his wife Marjorie and him never had any children.  Marjorie actually lived the longest of any of the Hutchinson's from that generation, passing away back in 2008.  Until recently I complete forgot that I had met her a few times when she was over at my aunt Barb's house for family functions.  How I wish I was more in tune with who was who in the family back then, the questions I would have for her would be endless.

Carson Esra Hutchinson

Clyde, probably the toughest one to track information down on.  It was my understand that he married twice in his years to a Jeane and Eleanor however when I was able to track down my dad's cousin, one of Clyde's daughters, I found out that he was actually married three times, the third being Constance.  Between Clyde and his wives they had four kids, all of which are still alive, Dawn, Colleen, Violet, and Ronnie. I've spoken with Dawn and she said that Violet (Vi) was still around I think she said she was in a nursing home or some other form of a care facility.  She also said that Ronnie was still alive as well but wasn't in contact with them much, I believe he was nearing 80 years old if not there yet.  Colleen finally is Dawn's sister is alive and well up north with her family, I haven't spoken to her yet.  Aside from all that I don't know much, Dawn and I tentatively agreed we'd like to met and exchange stories, pictures, and she was willing to answer any question I'd have for her if she could but we haven't set a date yet.

Violet, one of my favorite Hutchinson family members to dig up information on, it seems the less anyone knows the more exciting it is to research.  Violet was the only daughter Ezra and Edna had, and she died in her 20's.  The only clue I was able to find in regard to what happened was her Death Certificate which says she died from a septic abortion. Septic abortion is a form of a miscarriage that is linked to uterien infection which can spread to the rest of the body.  Septic abortion used to be the leading cause of maternal death in the world. Seeing as the child she was carrying never made it full term I don't believe official record exists documenting the unborn or her father. However, with that said when visiting Violet's grave in Afton there's a small cross right next to her grave that says "Baby Marie" on it.  I fully believe that this is her unborn child, but I have no proof or means to back that up other than it's the only thing that makes sense.

 Violet and "Baby Marie" graves in Fahlstrom Cemetery in Afton

Charles was the eldest of the Hutchinson kids back in the day he was in the Navy and married once to Bernadine.  According to his Death Certificate he's listed as divorced from Bernadine but after finally finding Bernadine's information she died after Charles and is still listed as married to him, perhaps a technicality.  I don't believe they were married when he died, he's buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery while she's up north in a smaller town.  They never had any kids that I'm aware of.  Aside from that there's not much to tell about him.  While Carson was closest to my grandfather I get the feeling that Charlie was pretty close as well to them while Clyde was someone of the least connected of the brothers; I could be wrong about that though.

Charles Alfred Hutchinson

Ezra and his family moved around quite a bit in the years they were around originating from Wisconsin, living in Canada for at least a year before going to South Dakota. After a few years in South Dakota, Aberdeen more specifically they moved to Minnesota.  My grandfather was born in Bejou, Minnesota which according to census records says in 2000 there was only a population of 94.  I'm really curious as to our families ties to that area as I've found two or three individuals that are buried up there further back in the family tree.  The car trip from the Twin Cities is about 5 hours and I'm not quite ready to make that journey yet...

L to R: Clyde, Carson, Ezra, Kenneth Sr., and Charles Hutchinson

Hutchinson Family - Researching the Unknown

Been spending the past couple years working on my family genealogy which in itself has been a fun and very interesting experience.  I've had a lot very cooperative family members not afraid to hide what they know or be shy about what they know whenever I've had questions.

My mom's side of the family, the Levine's, had been the focus of my research for the most part because of the family reunion we had this past August.  Now that that has come and gone I can focus more on my dad's side of the family, the Hutchinson's which personally I find more interesting since so much is not known to me.

 My grandparent's Kenneth Sr. & Eunice Hutchinson - Probably my favorite two photos of them together.

It's no secret growing up I've been closer to my mom's side of the family, I think that comes from the fact that my dad's parents split before my parent's married; not only that my grandfather died also before my parents married. I knew very little of my grandmother as she passed away a month before I turned two.  Oddly enough though the oldest memory I have of anything, which I find surprising that I actually remember, is that of my grandmother (dad's mom).

I don't know how old I was but I remember being over at her house, I remember that something happened and an ambulance had to be called and she was taken to the hospital.  Vaguely I remember my mom taking me out into the backyard while this was all happening.

This is the last picture, and one of only a couple, I have of my grandmother and I, taken while she was in hospice in 1980 at St John's:

I wish I knew more about my grandfather, Kenneth Sr., but information is really sparse. My dad doesn't talk much about it; I know it has to do with his dad leaving his mom I've never pressed it. I do know he served in WWII in the Marine's and attained the rank of Corporal.  He also took part in the Battle of Guadalcanal, proficient as a mechanic and mortar gunner.

I've taken it as a hobby of sorts to stop by the graveyards nearby that have my family members that nobody visits anymore, I tend to frequent my grandmother's and grandfather's the most, I'm still not sure why but I do.

It had been years since my grandmother had flowers and I doubt my grandfather had them since his burial so thought it would be nice...

My dad has all of my grandfather's war medals, patches, and his rings as well as his flag from his burial.  When I was younger I remember my sister and I going through the things looking at them.  It's been years since I've actually sat down and looked at them, though when my dad was digging out old photos for me I did see them briefly.

One of these day's I'm going to have to pick the brains of my dad's sisters, maybe they can cough of more information that my dad hasn't been able to provide. On that note though I can't thank my aunt Barb enough for all the photos she has borrowed to me of the family; being the oldest she accumulated most of the old photos, all of which I had never seen.

Kenneth Sr. had three brother's and one sister; his sister died due to a septic abortion when she was in her mid 20's.  Of all the cemeteries I've traveled to and found, the one she's buried at is by far the most interesting.  A small local cemetery in Afton where of the ten to twelve graves there all but one I know of are related to me but that's a story for another time.