Descendants of Rodolphus Levi Case

Dolph and Lavacia (Aunt Tade) were married November 15, 1893 in Chico, Wise County, Texas and he later joined his  brother, Levi, as a butcher in Levi's shop in Decatur, where Lavatia had grown up.  They are included in the 1900 census of Decatur as living in the same residence as Levi--I think upstairs from Levi's butcher shop.  By the 1910 census, they were in Corpus  Christie, where Dolph is listed as a carpenter, and with them was Lavatia's sister "Hattie" Robinson and family.  By the 1920 census, Dolph and family had moved to Corcoran and Hanford--two small towns in California's San Joaquin Valley, in Kings County.  After the depression broke out, Dolph and most of his family joined Levi and family in the Los Angeles area, where they made it through the depression by producing and selling Case's Texas tamales.

This picture, while unlabeled, when examined with the below picture, appears to be Dolph Case and family on the move.  That car is about a 1915 Model T, so it could have been the move from   Corpus Christie to California.  That would make the girl probably Dolph and Octavia's daughter  Grace, who was born in 1900.

These cars help fix an approximate date for this picture--about 1927.  Santa Maria is a nice little town near the California coast just SE of San Louis Obispo.  It was a favorite spot to get away from the San JoaquinValley heat, which in the summer can be 110+ for weeks.  I'm sure that the taller gentleman is Dolph, and that the tall lady on the right should be Octavia.  The rest of the group would be some of Dolph and Octavia's grown children and spouses.  If the date of 1927 is right, the boy on the running board could be Dolph's grandson  Charles Mellor, who was born February 06, 1921, in Kings Co.

Dolph and  Octavia's descendents: 

1. RODOLPHUS LEVI³ CASE  (WILMOT HARRISON², HARRISON¹) was born April 01, 1867 in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada, and died September 19, 1938 in Compton, LA CO., CA.  He married LAVACIA OCTAVIA SPENCER November 15, 1893 in Chico, Wise, TX, daughter of CHARLES EDWARD SPENCER and SARAH PERCY BLACK.  She was born September 29, 1870 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and died December 18, 1946 in Los Angeles, CA.   Both RODOLPHUS and LAVACIA are buried at Artesia Cemetery, Artesia, CA. 

    Children of RODOLPHUS CASE and LAVACIA SPENCER are:

        2.            i.     ELMER LEE CASE, b. November 25, 1894, Decatur, Wise Co., TX; d. June 09, 1967, Riverside Co., CA.

                      ii.     MABLE MAE CASE, b. February 09, 1896, Wise Co., TX; d. December 16, 1962, Riverside Co., CA; m. (1) ALEX P. HANSEN; b. Abt. 1875, California; d. May 04, 1953, Ventura County, CA; m. (2) REGIER. 

Notes for ALEX P. HANSEN: Parents were from Denmark, per 1920 Riverside Census. Alex and Mabel are in the Riverside census of 1930, which also showed a daughter, "Margery" seven years old.  Alex was a Vice-President of Citrus Belt Banking and Loan Association, as well as Deputy County Agricultural Commissioner.  Their home in 1930 was in a rather exclusive area at 1851 Howe Avenue.  Nearby at 1900 Kansas Ave. was (perhaps) Alex's parents, a 69 year old Hans Hansen, born in Denmark, a manager of an orange grove, with his wife Mary, 70--also born in Denmark.

Mabel Mae (Case) Regier died 12/16/1962 in Riverside, CA from  injuries sustained in an automobile accident.  Her death certificate listed her as a widow, residing at 4470 Pierce St., Arlington, CA, it also listed as  informant, Mrs. Joyce Ellis, 804 Dean Street of Longview, Texas.  There  was a Joyce F. Hanson (mother maiden name Case) born in Los Angeles County on November 15 of 1923 who may have been  Mabel's daughter "Margery".  I have not been able to definitely connect Mabel with Joyce Ellis.

        3.          iii.     RODOLPH LEVI CASE, b. July 05, 1897, Wise Co., TX; d. August 04, 1960, Bellflower, Los Angeles, CA.

        4.          iv.     OCTAVIA IZADORA CASE, b. March 15, 1899, Wise Co., TX; d. February 02, 1984, Waterford, Stanislaus Co., CA.

        5.           v.     GRACE CASE, b. September 26, 1900; d. May 25, 1992, San Diego, Ca, USA.

     vi.     CHARLES FURMAN CASE  b. October 1, 1906, Decatur, Texas  d. December, 1971 (known variously on census returns as Furman and also as Charles.) SS application listed him as Charles Homer Case. Last known address was Westminster, Orange County, CA.  In 1969, then age 63, he lived at 1134 So Clara, Santa Anna, CA, source notes from Nelson Wilson and letter from Grace Griffith, his sister. Roberta Case has also found Furman's birth certificate..showing he was un-named when registered.  It is not yet known whether he was ever married or had children.

2.  ELMER LEE⁴ CASE (RODOLPHUS LEVI³, WILMOT HARRISON², HARRISON¹) was born November 25, 1894 in Decatur, Wise Co., TX, and died June 09, 1967 in Riverside Co., CA.  He married VIOLET MAY PALMER Abt. 1918—probably  in Hanford, Kings Co., CA. Violet Palmer was a daughter of JAMES PALMER and ADA BRODNAX.  She was born May 14, 1895 in California, and died July 08, 1988 in National City, San Diego, CA.

   This picture appears to be of Elmer at about 16(?) He was with his family at the age of 13 in Corpus Christie, Texas during the 1910  census, so it appears the Case Tamale business was started way back then, and perhaps resurrected during the depression.

 Elmer and his wife Violet appear in the 1920 census in Hanford, Kings County, CA, where he was a mechanic at a truck-stop. With them was their 3 months old daughter Mildred.  According to this death certificate, they moved to Riverside about 1924.  The Riverside census of 1930 listed them on Brockton Ave., with ___________.  They were still.  Elmer died at Riverside, CA on June 9, 1967, where he was still a mechanic.  His residence at time of death was 5733 Brockton Ave., Riverside, CA.  Violet May Case died July 8, 1988  National City, San Diego County, California. She is buried near Elmer in the Crestlawn Memorial Park, Riverside, CA.

    Children of ELMER CASE and VIOLET PALMER (not yet verified) are:

                        i. VIRGINIA A. CASE, b. May 20, 1913, Los Angeles, CA.

                        ii. MILDRED Belle. CASE, b. September 30, 1919, Kings Co., California.

                        iii. Arial Natalie Norma Case, b. February 9, 1927, Los Angeles Co.

                        iv.  Leon Victor Case, b. July 30, 1931, Los Angeles County

  3.  RODOLPH LEVI⁴ CASE (RODOLPHUS LEVI³, WILMOT HARRISON², HARRISON¹) was born July 05, 1897 in Wise Co., TX, and died August 04, 1960 in Bellflower, Los Angeles, CA.  He married Edith L. Ward (who was born about 1888 in California), and they are found in the 1920 census in Corcoran, Kings County, where he is listed as a painter. Listed with them was a son, Glen A. Case, 4 years and 3 months old.  Rodolphus  served in WWI-- both he and Edith are buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego,  CA. 

Dolph, Jr. WWI, with son Glenn Albert⁶ "Albert" Case, the only  child (I have verified) of Rodolph and Edith, who was born November 30, 1915 in  Los Angeles Co.   He Died January 29, 1999, Bellflower, CA.

Other children found in the California birth index that are likely to have been  born to Dolph. Jr.  and Edith, are:       

     ii.     EDITH CASE, b. November 24, 1918, Los Angeles County, CA.          

                      iii.     DONALD CASE, b. November 24, 1918, Los Angeles County, CA.

                      iv.     ERNEST R. CASE, b. November 03, 1921, Los Angeles County, CA.

                       v.     DONALD WARD CASE, b. May 20, 1931, Los Angeles County, CA.  

 4.  OCTAVIA IZADORA⁴ CASE (RODOLPHUS LEVI³, WILMOT HARRISON², HARRISON¹) was born March15, 1899 in Wise Co., TX, and died February 02, 1984 in Waterford, Stanislaus Co., CA.  She married PAUL A. MELLOR, in 1918 at Concord, CA. (his mother’s maiden name was HELLER).  He was born August 04, 1897 in Oklahoma, and died July 27, 1961 in Turlock, Stanislaus CO., CA.       

This picture courtesy of Ken Bitzer, wife of  Octavia's grand-daughter Inez Wontroba.......

    Children of OCTAVIA CASE and PAUL MELLOR are:

                7.            i.     GRACIMAE⁵ MELLOR, b. July 20, 1919, Kings Co., California; d. August 26, 1994, Stanislaus Co., CA.

                    8.           ii.     CHARLES RAYMOND MELLOR, b. February 06, 1921, Kings Co., California; d. January 05, 2000, Waterford, Stanislaus Co., CA.

                    9.          iii.     OCTAVIA PAULINE MELLOR, b. July 21, 1924, Kings Co., California.

 5.  GRACE⁴ CASE (RODOLPHUS LEVI³, WILMOT HARRISON², HARRISON¹) was born September 26, 1900, Wise County, TX and died May 25, 1992 in San Diego, CA.  She married JACK GRIFFITH, who had a six-year old son Everett, by a previous marriage.  Jack Griffith died 1966.

Children of GRACE CASE and JACK GRIFFITH are:

                  i.     FRANCES LOUISE⁵ GRIFFITH  b. August 27, 1929, Los Angeles County, CA.

                  ii.     ELDRIDGE L. GRIFFITH  b. May 14, 1922, Los Angeles County, CA.   Eldridge was a school teacher Oklahoma City, had 3 boys.

                 iii.     JACK GRIFFITH  b. January 09, 1924, Los Angeles, CA; d. February 24, 1999, Battle Ground, Clark CO., WA.

                 iv.     ROBERT BRADLEY GRIFFITH  b. May 31, 1926, Los Angeles, CA. 

   Left is Eldridge Lynn Griffith, 1943 and below is his son Eldridge II, 1948

Above is Everett Griffith and wife Eunice, and above right is unlabeled, but must be Everett with Grace and Jack Griffith.

Generation No. 3

6.  GLENN ALBERT⁵ CASE (RODOLPH LEVI⁴, RODOLPHUS LEVI³, WILMOT HARRISON², HARRISON¹) was born November 30, 1915 in California, and died January 29, 1999 in Bellflower, CA.  He married VIOLA GRONDORF.  He was a  World War II veteran and worked at Pacific Telephone.  His ashes were put out to sea off the coast of Los Angeles on February 19, 1999.

     Children of GLENN CASE and VIOLA GRONDORF are:

                      i.     GLENN ARTHUR⁶ CASE,

                      ii.     MICHAEL RAY CASE, 

                     iii.     JAMES RUSSELL CASE, 

                     iv.     TERRI JEAN CASE,

                      v.     VICKI L. CASE,

 7.  GRACIMAE⁵ MELLOR (OCTAVIA IZADORA⁴ CASE, RODOLPHUS LEVI³, WILMOT HARRISON², HARRISON¹) was born July 20, 1919 in Kings Co., California, and died August 26, 1994 in Stanislaus Co., CA.   She married (1) MARION DAWSON ORTHMAN September 20, 1937 in Stanislaus County, CA, son of _______ ORTHMAN and _________ WILSON.  He was born February 27, 1910 in Nebraska, and died June 12, 1940 in Merced County, CA. She married (2) ________ HOWE

          Child of GRACIMAE MELLOR and MARION ORTHMAN is:

                      i.     MARION DEAN⁶ ORTHMAN,

            Child of GRACIMAE MELLOR and ??? HOWE is:

                      ii.     RAYLENE MAE⁶ HOWE, she first married Wilbur Miller

                            Children of Raylene and Wilbur Miller are:

                                    (i) Cevin J. Miller, 

                                    (ii) Joylynn E. Miller.

                       Raylene secondly married Jerry Butler.  She died May 11, 1996 in Ferndale, Whatcom County, WA

   8.  CHARLES RAYMOND⁵ MELLOR (OCTAVIA IZADORA⁴ CASE, RODOLPHUS LEVI³, WILMOT HARRISON², HARRISON¹) was born February 6, 1921 in Kings Co., California, and died January 5, 2000 in Waterford, Stanislaus Co., CA.  He married (1) ALICE YVONNE SMITH May 12, 1945 in Stanislaus County, CA.  (2) BILLIE___________    

    Child of CHARLES MELLOR and ALICE SMITH is:

              i.     GLENDA JEAN⁶ MELLOR, m. _________PURDY.

                   Modesto Bee:                Feb. 6, 1921 -- Jan. 5, 2000   Charles Mellor, 78, of Waterford died Jan.at Valley View Care Center, Riverbank. Mr. Mellor was a native of Corcoran. He lived in Merced many years. He was a teacher at Franklin School in the Merced City School District; he belonged to the California  Teachers Association. He was a member of Waterford Seventh-day  Adventist Church. He was an Army veteran of World War II; he served in  the European Theater. He is survived by his wife, Billie Mellor of Waterford; daughter, Glenda Purdy of Sebastopol; stepdaughter, Jennifer Green of Sacramento; and sister, Pauline Wontroba of Waterford. A memorial service will be at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Waterford Seventh-day Adventist Church.  Cunningham's Affordable Burial & Cremation Centers, Modesto, in charge of arrangements.

9.  OCTAVIA PAULINE⁵ MELLOR (OCTAVIA IZADORA⁴ CASE, RODOLPHUS LEVI³, WILMOT HARRISON², HARRISON¹) was born July 21, 1924 in Kings Co., California.  She married WALTER FREDERICK WONTROBA, son of _________ WONTROBA and _________ KEBERNIK.  He was born October 26, 1916, and died July 28, 1997 in Stanislaus Co., CA.

       Child of OCTAVIA MELLOR and WALTER WONTROBA is:

              i.     INEZ O.⁶ WONTROBA.   Inez married Kenneth Bitzer and they had one child, Marvin L. Bitzer, and an adopted son, Daryl Scott Bitzer "Scott".

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