Joseph "Leroy" and Grace ROBERTS BIAS
The Family of
Joseph "Leroy" and Grace (ROBERTS) BIAS

son of Orville and Delia SCHOKEY BIAS * daughter of Daniel J. and Addie DeARMOND ROBERTS with George line connection
[Not all dates are verified. Discrepancies between family Bible, census, and tombstone dates may not all be identified.]
John Randolph
DeARMOND

1828-
1870
(m) Mary
GEORGE

1830-
1931
George W.
ROBERTS

b ?-
d ?
(m) Mary
RUMPLE

b ?-
d ?

|

|
* "Addie" DeARMOND      (m)
b Aug 1854
d 19 Oct 1934
Daniel J. ROBERTS
b 2 Jan 1856
d 15 Mar 1930

|
* Grace Althea ROBERTS
b. 27 Jan 1900 Morgan twp, Butler County OH
d. 22 Jan 1990 Bradenton, Manatee Co FL (89)
? Cemetery
Monroe
BIAS

13 Nov 1847-
28 Sep 1913
(m) Victoria
WIMMER
1857-
1957
xx
SCHOCKEY

b ?-
d ?
(m) ?
?
b
d

|

|
Orville M. BIAS      (m)
b 5 Dec 1876 IN
d 16 Apr 1929 OH (52)
Delia SCHOCKEY
b ?
d ?

|
Joseph "Leroy" BIAS
b. 9 Dec 1902 Butler Co OH
d. 17 Jul 1921 Seymour, Jackson Co, IN (18)
College Corner Cemetery, IN
Lot 53, Div D, Grave 8
(m) ca 1920 Butler Co, OH?

Family history timeline: 1900 | 1920s | 1930s | 1940 | 1950s | 1990 | 2000
Family History of Joseph "Leroy" and Grace Athea ROBERTS BIAS:
Grace and Leroy BIAS of Shandon, OH married probably in 1920. By the time Leroy left for Army camp for WWI, Grace was pregnant with their son, Robert Orville "Bobby" BIAS, born when Leroy was about 18 and still in the Army. Joseph Leroy BIAS was 19 when he died on his way home after being discharged from the Army.

Leroy was the son of Orville and Delia (SCHOCKEY) BIAS of near Millville in Ross Township, Butler County, OH. Orville's parents were Monroe [13 Nov 1847-28 Sep 1913] and Victoria (WIMMER) BIAS [1857-1957] of the town of College Corner IN/OH. Monroe's parents were Ruben and Mary (EWING) BIAS.

Date sources: FindAGrave.com for Joseph Leroy BIAS, Orville M. BIAS, Victoria (WIMMER) BIAS and Monroe BIAS of College Corner, IN.

Grace was the daughter of Annaretta DeARMOND and Daniel J. ROBERTS of Butler County, Ohio

Child of Leroy and Grace ROBERTS BIAS:
Robert Orville "Bobbie" BIAS
1. Robert Orville "Bobbie" BIAS
    b 10 Mar 1921 Butler Co OH
    d 29 Mar 1940 (19)
    New London Cemetery

    did not marry

    lived in Hamilton, Butler Co, OH

Son of Grace and Leroy, Bob had been 10 when his great-grandmother, Mary GEORGE DeARMOND celebrated her 100th birthday almost a year before her death on 9 September 1931. Robert farmed near Okeana OH. After being struck by a car, Bobby died as a teen, similarly to his father.
1921: Bobby was 4 months old when his father was hit by a train and died, on his way home from the Army. (1921)

1925: When he was 4 years old, Bobby's Aunt and Uncle, Effie ROBERTS (43) and Benjamin Franklin "Frank" DURHAM (49) died within 2 months of each other in 1925, leaving a 15 year old son, John and a 10 year old daughter, Margery. Effie was Bobby's mother's sister.

1929: Bobby was 8 when his father's father, Orville M. BIAS died on April 16, aged 52.

1930: Bobby had just turned 9 when his mother's father, his other grandfather Daniel J. ROBERTS died 15 March, 1930.

1930: Bobby was still 9 years old when his great-grandmother Mary DeARMOND ROBERTS celebrated her 100th birthday (26 Nov). The next year 1931, great-grandmother Mary died.

1934: (January 25) Bobby's mother's sister Phoebe ROBERTS ROTHERMEL died at age 49. In October of 1934, Bobby's grandmother Annaretta DeARMOND ROBERTS died. That year Bobby turned 13.

1940: (March 29) Bobby was helping friends change a flat tire when he was hit and killed by a car. As his father, Bobby was also 19 when he died. (See his death certificate and obituary below)

Joseph "Leroy" and Grace Althea ROBERTS BIAS' Family History:

1900s in Butler County, OH
1900 - (27 Jan) Grace Althea ROBERTS was born to Annaretta (DeARMOND) and Daniel J. ROBERTS in Morgan township, southwest Butler County, OH
1902
1902 - (9 Dec) Joshua "Leroy" BIAS born to Orville M. and Delia (SCHOKEY, SCHOCKEY) BIAS near Millville, Ross twp, Butler County, OH
1920
1920 - (?) Grace ROBERTS (19 or 20) and Leroy BIAS (17) were married.
1920 - (ca Dec) Joshua "Leroy" BIAS enlisted in the regular army in WWI after he turned 18 on 9 Dec 1920.

1921
1921 - (10 Mar) Grace and Leroy's son, Robert Orville "Bobby" BIAS was born in Butler Co OH while his dad was in the Army.
1921 - (17 Jul) Joshua "Leroy" BIAS was hit by a train and died in Seymour, Jackson Co, IN on his way home to Shandon, OH. He was buried in his grandparent's (Monroe and Victoria WIMMER BIAS) cemetery plot at College Corner Cemetery, in College Corner, OH and College Corner IN. The town of College Corner is located on US 27 South, and is divided by the Ohio-Indiana border as well as the boundaries of three counties: Union in Indiana, and Butler and Preble in Ohio. Map of College Corner aka Ridenour Cemetery

Obituary from FindAGrave.com and Sandi Kneer:
Hamilton Evening Journal
Tuesday July 19, 1921
Joseph Bias Funeral
"Joseph Bias, 19, of Shandon, who was killed near Seymour, Indiana, Sunday, will be buried Wednesday from the home of his grandmother, Mrs. Victoria Bias, of College Corner. Bias was killed by a fast train at Seymour when he alighted from a freight train.

"Bias, who is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Orville Bias, who farmed near Shandon, Ohio, enlisted in the regular army about eight months ago. He has never seen his baby son who, with the widow and parents survives. He was on his way to Shandon from Camp Travis, Texas, where he was recently discharged from the army.

"According to a story of J.A. Carter, Bias' companion, he and Bias were forced to continue their trip from St. Louis to Cincinnati on freight trains after they were robbed. It was thought that Bias was a world war veteran and efforts were being made to locate his family in Cincinnati where he was supposed to live."

1930s

1930 - the summer census shows Grace's niece, Marjorie DURHAM, living with her uncle and aunt, Clarence H. CONNETT and Sherley CONNETT, with their 11 year old son Willard CONNETT.
1930 - (26 Nov) Son of Grace and Leroy, when he was 10, Bobby had probably visited his great-grandmother, Mary GEORGE DeARMOND to help celebrate her 100th birthday

1931: (9 Sep) less than a year later, Mary DeARMOND died.

1940

Son of Grace and Leroy, Robert farmed near Okeana OH. After being struck by a car, Bobby died at 19 years of age, a year older than his father.
Death Certificate - died March 27, 1940 from crushed thorax and fractures
Hamilton Journal News
3-30-1940
Page 15

Robert Bias Rites
Monday Afternoon

Funeral services for Robert 0. Bias, age 17*, R. R, One, Okeana, who died Friday in St. Mary's Hospital, Cincinnati of injuries suffered in an automobile accident near Miamitown, will be held Monday afternoon at 2 o'clock in the Robert L. Klaus Funeral home, F street and Elvin avenue, Hamilton, with burial in Shandon Cemetery.

Friends may call Sunday afternoon and evening. Rev. Lowell Palmer, pastor of the Elmwood Presbyterian church, will officiate.

The young man leaves his mother, Mrs. Grace Roberts Bias; his grandmother, Mrs. Delia Bias, of Oxford, and his great grandmother, Mrs. Victoria Bias, also of Oxford.

Ernest Hiler, age 20, of Okeana, also injured when an automobile ran into the two Butler county lads and two Cincinnati companions as they were repairing a tire on their automobile, is improving in St. Mary's hospital. He received a broken leg.


* Robert's death certificate says he was 19 years and 19 days old when he died.

1941-54
BUTLER COUNTY, OH
How did Grace (aged 41 in 1941) earn a living in Butler County, OH? When did Grace move to Florida? Did she and Marjery (Marjorie) A. Rieth move there at the same time?

1955-60

MANATEE COUNTY, FL
Researcher Sandi Kneer discovered that Grace was listed in several city directories living with Marjorie A. Rieth from Ohio, born in 1915.
Without more proof, it seems that Marjorie born in Ohio 1915 was Grace's niece Marjery DURHAM. Margery, the daughter of Grace's sister, Effie Roberts Durham, was born in 1915. Both of her parents died of flu when she was 10 (in 1925). Marjery lived with her aunt and uncle, Imogene and Clarence CONNETT (1930 census). So far I'm not sure where her elder brother John Durham (b 1910) lived after 1925.
In 1955, Grace (listed as widow of Roy Bias) was living at 1315 Evelyn Avenue, Sarasota, FL and so was Marjorie Rieth, who was an Assistant Office Manager at Climate Control Airport.

In 1957 Grace A Bias widow of L. Bias was living at 2180 Hillview, Sarasota, FL

In 1958 Grace A Bias, widow of Leroy BIAS, was living at 2180 Hillview Ave Sarasota, FL. On 18 August 1958, Marjorie Rieth bought a house at 2403 Stanford Avenue in Bayshore Gardens. (Marjorie owned this house until she died in 1999 or 2000.)

In 1960, the city directory had Grace and Marjorie still living at the 2403 Stanford Avenue house. Marjorie was an executive secretary for Max Welding Costume Rentals. The City Directory showed Grace A. Bias as the widow of Roy Bias.

1980-89
In the 1980 and 1989 directories, Grace R Bias and Marjorie Rieth are still both listed at the Stanford Avenue address. Mrs. Rieth (aged 65 in Aug 1980) was listed as the costume manager for Ringling Brother Circus in nearby Venice, FL.

1990-2000
1990: (22 Jan) Grace Bias died within 5 days of her 90th birthday. Sandi Kneer contacted the Historical Society in Manatee County which had no record of an obituary for Grace in their files.

2000: (14 May) Marjorie died at the age of 84. The house was eventually "quit claimed" to Craig Rieth, and was later sold. The Social Security Death Index shows Marjorie A. Rieth, SSN 269-09-2898 (issued before 1951 from OH), with her last resident in Brandenton, Manatee County, FL (zip 34207). She was born 18 Aug 1915, and died 14 May 2000.


NOTES on Marjorie Durham RIETH, above:
From: Brian Inniger To: sftrail Sent: Tue, Jul 17, 2012 1:40 pm

Nancy, good afternoon. I received your recent email regarding Margorie Rieth. As you can imagine, the �old guard� who knew the Rieth family well is quickly becoming few.

I have made calls to those who I think might know, but those I could reach do not recognize this name. They guess it might be a cousin (or probably married to a cousin) of Bill, Lee and Blair.

I have a few more calls outstanding and will let you know if I can find anything out.

Brian Inniger


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