Melvin L. West ^{1 2 3}

  General Notes:

There apparently is another unrelated Melvin West born almost at the same time in Indiana. His Find A Grave Memorial may be showing incorrect data of the same exact birth date of 13 Sep 1886 as the Melvin West born in Berrien County, Michigan. That Melvin West may have eventually married and settled in at the southern tip of Indiana in Warrick County.

There is another Melvin West that was married in 1923 in Berrien County, Michigan but he was born in Logansport, Indiana and his father's name was Anderson all according to the Marriage license.
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  Birth Notes:

Name: Melvin West
Birth Date: 19 Sep 1886
Birthplace: Chikaming Twp., Berrien, Michigan
Gender: Male
Father's Name: Isaac P West
Father's Birthplace: Penn
Mother's Name: Phoebe West
Mother's Birthplace: Indiana
Reference ID: item 1 p 290 rn 316

Citing this Record
"Michigan Births, 1867-1902," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQ89-M2L : 12 August 2019), Phoebe West in entry for Melvin West, 19 Sep 1886; citing item 1 p 290 rn 316, Chikaming Twp., Berrien, Michigan, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 2,320,843.
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  Noted events in his life were:

• Birth Image: 19 September 1886, in Chikaming Township, Berrien, MI. ¹

• He appeared on the 1900 US Census in Chikaming Township, Berrien, MI on 8 June 1900. ²

1900 US Census
Page 4A, District 63, Dwelling 85, Family 85
Chickaming Township, Berrien County, Michigan
Farm owned with mortgage
Melvin West..Son..Sep 1884..15..MI

(Living with parents.)

NOTE - If his birth date was 19 Sep 1886 1886 instead of Sep 1884 then his age would have been 13 instead of 15.
.

• He appeared on the 1910 US Census in Michigan City, IN on 19 April 1910. ³

1910 US Census
Sheet 4A, District 103, Family 84, Roll 363, Ward 1
Michigan City, LaPorte County, Indiana, United States
215 West 5th Street
Frank Herman..Head..40..MI
Hattie Herman..Wife..24..MI
Silas Morse..Boarder..20..MI
Melvin West..Boarder..24..MI..Married once..Laborer, ??? Works

(Melvin was boarding at the home of Frank and Hattie Herman.)

NOTE - If his birth date was 19 Sep 1886, then his age should have been 23 instead of 24.
.

Melvin married Lillian Lufkin, daughter of Lonado Lufkin and Sarah Hord, on 25 December 1906 in Chelsea, MA. (Lillian Lufkin was born in 1885 in Boston, MA and died after 25 December 1906.)

  Marriage Notes:

Name: Melvin L West
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 25 Dec 1906
Event Place: Chelsea, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States
Registration Place: Chelsea, , Massachusetts
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Birth Date: 1885
Birth Year (Estimated): 1885
Birthplace: Three Oaks, , Michigan
Father's Name: Isaac West
Mother's Name: Mary Jones
Spouse's Name: Lillian Lufkin
Spouse's Gender: Female
Spouse's Age: 21
Spouse's Birth Date: 1885
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1885
Spouse's Birthplace: Charlestown, ,
Spouse's Father's Name: Lonado Lufkin
Spouse's Mother's Name: Sarah Hord
Reference ID: p 353 no 545

Citing this Record
"Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N4DV-7QG : 25 May 2018), Sarah Hord in entry for Melvin L West and Lillian Lufkin, 25 Dec 1906; citing Chelsea, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,315,299.

NOTE - This marriage document is somewhat suspect in the fact that the marriage took place all the way across the county in Chelsea, Massachusetts instead of Michigan where Melvin was born. Why Melvin moved from Michigan to the Boston area remains a mystery.

In addition, the name of Melvin's father was correctly listed as Isaac West but his mother's given name was incorrectly given as Mary Jones instead of the expected Phoebe Jones. Nonetheless, it does state that Melvin was born in Three Oaks, Berrien County, Michigan.

Apparently the marriage was short-lasted because 4 years later, the 1910 US Census shows Melvin back home in near-by Michigan City, Indiana where he indicated that he had been married one time on the census form. There is no mention of his wife or ex-wife on that census page.
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