Hubler history W. R. Hubler, Jr., M. D

The Children of A. W. HUBLER (1842-1923)

Nora May HUBLER Oldaker (1869-1959), the daughter of A.W. HUBLER (1842-1921), married Maurice Oldaker and died on June 25, 1959 in Cupola Nursing Home (where she lived for six weeks before she died) “of old age” with a disturbance of the mind following slight strokes. [I wonder if she had Alzheimer’s disease like so many in her genetic line.] She died of a “heart ailment” at age 89 years.¹⁷¹⁷ She was the mother of Helen Shaw. She had blue eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion. She was 5 feet, 3 inches tall. Only finishing elementary school, she had special talents in embroidery and sewing and worked as a seamstress in the drapery department of a large department store in Youngstown.¹⁷¹⁸ She was a member of Trinity Methodist Church. She was buried in Forrest Lawn Cemetery, Youngstown on June 27, 1959 (Section: Central Park; Block A; Lot 11; Grave 6) in the family plot owned by Helen Oldaker Shaw.¹⁷¹⁹ She out lived her spouse. A family story tells that her brother, Edwin HUBLER, took her and her daughter, Helen, from her home because her husband was abusive and that she was pregnant at that time and later gave birth, but her baby was stillborn.¹⁷²⁰ I cannot confirm the story, but I have reviewed dozens of snapshots taken at different times (in Helen Shaw’s estate) and found many of Helen Shaw with her mother, Nora HUBLER, but there was not one of her father even though he outlived her; so, it appears that they might have been separated. In her newspaper obituary, her husband was not mentioned at all, and she was living with her daughter, Helen.

Helen Katherine Oldaker Shaw (1902-2001), the granddaughter of A.W. HUBLER (1842-1921) and the daughter of Nora HUBLER Oldaker (1869-1959) married late in life (in 1954) to a widower, Lloyd Shaw. ¹⁷²¹ He had children by his previous wife, but they had no children together. She taught high school in Youngstown. ¹⁷²² She stayed very family oriented and supplied much of the information in this report [when I began collecting information in about 1989, she was the only living HUBLER who could relate data (most were dead, and the survivors were incapable of sharing family history) and had an excellent memory (and felt badly about discarding the family historical data collected by her aunt, Grace HUBLER Patterson)]. Helen Shaw stayed in Youngstown and helped care for her older aunts until she moved to the warm, sunny retirement state of Florida (1752 Castaway and later Yacht Club Colony in Ft. Myers) with her husband in 1960. ¹⁷²³ When her aunt, Clara HUBLER, became ill (about 1959), Helen Shaw took her into her Florida home and cared for her until she died eleven years later in Ft. Myers. Her husband (Lloyd Shaw) died in May 1961. In a 1964 Christmas card to the HUBLERs in Corpus Christi, Helen Shaw lived at Yacht Club Colony and signed the card “Aunt Clara and Helen (her husband, Lloyd Shaw, had died in 1961 and his aunt, Clara HUBLER, would die in 1968). As a young lady, she visited many family members, and even late in life, she flew to Corpus Christi to visit her first cousin, W.R. HUBLER, Sr. (1916-1993) (who she called “Winthrope”), her uncle, L.L. HUBLER (who she called “Lloyd”), L.L. HUBLER’s second wife (Mabel Taylor), me and my family, W.R. Hubler’, Sir’s first wife (Marie SEALE) and his second wife (Helen Mullen). I knew her well. She was in great physical shape and had a sharp mental acuity even at advanced age. I visited her at her home in Florida several times (the last time was about 1990). In the early 1990’s, a benign, intension tremor, poor eyesight with glaucoma, inverted eyelashes with eye infections, and poor hearing bothered Helen Shaw. She sold her home on the canal and purchased a condominium in a high rise in Ft. Myers (2525 East First St, Apartment 1403, Ft. Myers, FL). By 1993, she suddenly, inexplicably and unexpectedly stopped all communication with me, and she did not answer my letters or accept my telephone calls. She also became taciturn with others and lost her spark. [Many in her HUBLER family had old-age-onset senile dementia (Alzheimer’s Disease) including her grandfather, mother, aunts, uncles and all of her first cousins; so some of her symptoms might have been the onset of that awful disease. She told her stepdaughter that everyone in her family developed it except Clara HUBLER (who lived with Helen in old age until she died), and Helen was lugubrious in old age fearing that she would fall victim also.] In 1997, I was notified (as one of her few living relatives) by a Florida court of a legal action by her stepchildren to declare her incapable of caring for her financial affairs and asking for a court appointed caretaker. Since I had lost all communication with her, I could not judge her competence. She was subsequently declared incompetent, but she asked her caretaker to gave a china plate to my family. She was moved to an assisted care center in Ft. Myers (after refusing to return to cold Youngstown) where she resided until she died at age 98.¹⁷²⁴ In her last days, she lost her memory and cerebral functions and at times became agitated and angry with spells of verbal combativeness (but no physically violent behavior), but she never lost her spunk or independence. She developed colon cancer at the end, but she died peacefully with a total shutdown of all of her systems. ¹⁷²⁵ Senile dementia failed a great mind. What comes around goes around. Most of her genealogical records were discarded—just as she done with her aunt’s possessions. Helen Shaw died on May 30, 2001 and is buried beside her mother at Forrest Lawn Cemetery in Youngstown. ¹⁷²⁶,¹⁷²⁷

Ada HUBLER (1871-1956), the daughter of A.W. HUBLER (1842-1921), never married and spent most of her life in the HUBLER houses at 218 W. Rayen Ave. and 2301Volney Rd. in Youngstown with her sisters. Her name was misspelled on her birth record (Adda)¹⁷²⁸--a very common mistake there. She had brown eyes and hair and stood 5 feet, 5 inches tall. She finished elementary school and worked as a seamstress (in 1889, she was an apprentice at Strouss & Hirsberg)¹⁷²⁹. She had multiple strokes late in life.¹⁷³⁰, ¹⁷³¹ (She might have had Alzheimer’s Disease.) She died on May 13, 1956¹⁷³² at age 84 at her residence at the Professional Nursing and Convalescence Home in Youngstown (“she was of 2301 Volney”). She had been ill for seven years before her death.¹⁷³³ She was listed as a caretaker for her mother, Kate STRALEY, (in the Volney home) when her mother died in 1934. [She was 63 at that time.] She was buried in Forrest Lawn Cemetery, Youngstown on May 15, 1956 (Section: Central Park; Block A; Lot 11; Grave 4) in the family plot owned by Helen Oldaker Shaw.¹⁷³⁴ She was survived by two sisters [Nora (HUBLER) Oldaker and Clara HUBLER], a niece (Helen Shaw) and two brothers (Edwin and L.L. HUBLER). She was a member of Trinity Methodist Church. According to her newspaper obituary, she was a member of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War;¹⁷³⁵ however, a search by the National Treasurer and Registrar of the organization did not show her name as a member.¹⁷³⁶ (A further search might be fruitful).

Edwin L. HUBLER (1873-1960), the son of A.W. HUBLER (1842-1921), was a cement contractor who owned his own business. His name was misspelled on his birth record (Gelivin)¹⁷³⁷--a very common mistake there in Mahoning Co. His interment record and newspaper obituary records his birth year as 1875, but that date does not jive with his county court birth record, the family Bible or family records and is not compatible with the birth date of his brother, Harry HUBLER, who was born in 1875. He gave money to his younger brother, L.L. HUBLER (1886-1972), to attend college. Edwin HUBLER was very artistic, a talent that he undoubtedly used at work. During the Depression, he began drawing, and his grandchildren possess some of his artwork. ¹⁷³⁸ He died in 1960 “of complications” five weeks after a fall.¹⁷³⁹ His interment record lists the cause of death is recorded as nephrosclerosis. His mind and memory began to fail in his late 60's [he retired at age 64], and he had and his two daughters have typical Alzheimer’s disease.¹⁷⁴⁰,¹⁷⁴¹ In the 1950s, he was struck by a city bus when a drunk driver crossed lanes, and he recovered after several months in bed, but then he was hit by a car while he was crossing the street by his house. When he developed symptoms of dementia, at first it was thought to result from his accidents.¹⁷⁴² He was buried in Forrest Lawn Cemetery, Youngstown at age 84 on April 19, 1960 (Section: Central Park; Block A; Lot 11; Grave 3) in the family plot owned by Helen Oldaker Shaw.¹⁷⁴³ He died in hospital, but his residence was 1114 Ford Ave., Youngstown. He was a Unitarian. His wife, Doris Klingsmith, two daughters, Leland Jukes and Carolyn Jukes, a sister, Clara HUBLER and a brother, Lloyd L. HUBLER, survived him. He was a member of the First Unitarian Church. He was called “Uncle Ed” by his neice, Helen Shaw, so he perferred the informal “Ed” over a more formal “Edwin.”

Harry Wick HUBLER (1875-1909) never married. He died at a young age of pneumonia and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Youngstown, OH) (Lot 291).¹⁷⁴⁴

Grace Ethel HUBLER Patterson (1879-1952), the daughter of A.W. HUBLER (1842-1921), married late in life and had no offspring. In 1915, Grace HUBLER was still single, ¹⁷⁴⁵ but by 1920, she had married Francis Patterson,¹⁷⁴⁶ she was between 36 and 41 when she married. Her husband, Francis Patterson, died in 1947 (she was 68).¹⁷⁴⁷ A high school graduate, she was a home maker with blue eyes, blond hair and a 5 foot, 6 inch frame.¹⁷⁴⁸, ¹⁷⁴⁹ For years she was the head of the house and matriarch of the single sisters who lived in the old HUBLER homestead at 2301 Volney Rd.¹⁷⁵⁰ For most of his life, A.W HUBLER (1842-1921) owned a stately home in Youngstown located at 218 W. Rayen Avenue, and he died there [his son-in-law, Francis Patterson, and his daughter, Grace HUBLER Patterson (who was a caretaker during the last years of his life; she was 42 when he died), apparently lived there also, since she listed that as her mailing address on Oct. 12, 1920 and Francis Patterson recorded that as his residence on the death certificate of A.W. HUBLER (1842-1921) in 1921]. Sometime after A.W. HUBLER (1842-1921) died in 1921, Grace HUBLER Patterson and her husband purchased a large home at 2301 Volney Rd., Youngstown, OH, and it became the HUBLER stronghold for generations. ¹⁷⁵¹,¹⁷⁵². She lived there until she died in 1952 (her husband also lived there until his death in 1947) with several single or widowed sisters and her mother, Kate STRALEY (1846-1934). Figuring from the known data, A.W. HUBLER, Kate STRALEY, Grace HUBLER Patterson, Francis Patterson, Ada HUBLER, and Clara HUBLER all lived at Rayden Rd. until after the death of A.W. HUBLER in 1921 when the surviving HUBLERs moved to Volney Rd. Subsequently, Kate (1932), Francis (1947), and Grace (1952) died, Clara moved to FL (1959) and Nora (? 1956) moved to a nursing homes, and Helen Oldaker Shaw moved to Florida with her husband prior to his death in 1947. Helen Shaw probably inherited the house and sold it when she took her aunt Clara (about 1959)¹⁷⁵³ to Florida. (In 1999, the Volney house still stands, but its residents are no longer HUBLERs.) When Grace HUBLER Patterson died, Helen HUBLER Oldaker Shaw cleaned out the HUBLER house in Youngstown and found a large trunk filled with pictures, letters and family mementoes. She threw the entire trunk contents in the trash,¹⁷⁵⁴ and thus discarded a genealogical treasure chest. A “heart ailment” killed Grace HUBLER Patterson at age 73.¹⁷⁵⁵ She had been ill for six years prior to her death. (She might have developed Alzheimer’s disease.) She attended Trinity Methodist Church. She was buried at Forrest Lawn Cemetery (Section: Central Park; Block A; Lot 11; Grave 5) in the family plot owned by Helen Oldaker Shaw.¹⁷⁵⁶

Clara Brook HUBLER (1880-1968), the daughter of A.W. HUBLER (1842-1921), never married nor produced offspring. She was a secretary. For many years, she lived in the old family home on Volney Rd. in Youngstown, Ohio, and moved to Ft. Myers, FA with her niece, Helen Shaw, 1959¹⁷⁵⁷ (when the Volney Rd. house sold and Helen Shaw moved). ¹⁷⁵⁸ She had brown hair and eyes and was 5 feet, 5 inches. At the end, weighing only 74 pounds, frail and weak, Clara Brook HUBLER (1880-1968) died of congestive heart failure while her niece, Helen Oldaker Shaw, cared for her in her Florida home (1752 Castaway Dr., N. Ft. Myers).¹⁷⁵⁹,¹⁷⁶⁰,¹⁷⁶¹ She was buried in Forrest Lane Cemetery (Section: Central Park; Block A; Lot 11; Grave 1) in the family plot owned by Helen Oldaker Shaw.¹⁷⁶² She was interred six days after her death because memorial services were held in Florida and the body was sent to Youngstown where only a graveside service was held. She left a brother (L.L. HUBLER) and a niece (Helen Oldaker Shaw).

Amy Harriet HUBLER (? McFadden) Jewett (1882-1949) married and moved away from Youngstown (maybe to Indiana), but her body was returned for interment at Oak Hill Cemetery (Lot # 291). Her name was misspelled on her birth record (Clymy Harriet)¹⁷⁶³--a very common mistake there. She married Mr. ? Jewett. Little is known of her circumstances, but she probably died of cancer. She was short (5 feet) and fair complexioned. She completed elementary school.¹⁷⁶⁴ In the IGI, she was listed as married to Jewette and is buried under the name “Amy Jewette,” but in the newspaper obituary for her father, A.W. HUBLER, in 1921 and mother, Kate STRALEY, in 1934, she was listed as “Mrs. Clarence McFadden.” In plot #291at Oak Hills, “Anna” Jewett is listed in he same space as A.W. and Catherine HUBLER; however, the record was faulty, and the name should have been Amy Jewett instead of Anna Jewett.¹⁷⁶⁵ It is possible that she married twice (first to McFadden then after 1934 to Jewett) and moved out of the Youngstown area. She was 67 when she died.
Medical Problems

Several medical problems seem predominate in the HUBLER family. Considering the poor medical diagnostics, the incomplete recording and the prevalent diseases, the medical picture may be skewed. However, Alzheimer’s disease and arteriovascular diseases seem clear-cut. A.W. HUBLER (1842-1921), his son [Edwin HUBLER (1873-1960)] and daughter [Nora HUBLER] and all four grandchildren [W.R. HUBLER, Sr., Mary Lou HUBLER Wren, Caroline HUBLER Jukes and Helen HUBLER Oldaker Shaw] all seem to have developed Alzheimer’s late in life.

Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative disease of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex that leads to atrophy of the brain and senile dementia. Alois Alzheimer first described the disease in 1906, but undoubtedly the disorder existed earlier; and in 2001, it is the most common form of dementia. In the USA, Alzheimer’s disease attacks 4 million people in 2001; 8.5 million citizens will be suffering from the disorder in 2030, and the incidence is probably higher.¹⁷⁶⁶ It is an unbelievable story. Alzheimer's disease is difficult to diagnose since the onset is gradual, the symptoms in early cases cannot be quantified and there is no diagnostic blood test. The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is often made by excluding other known causes of dementia and by post-mortem brain biopsy. Alzheimer's disease interferes with the ability to remember, reason, learn and imagine; and it has associated depression, paranoia, anxiety, violent behavior and other personality changes. No cause, prevention or treatment is known. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the blackest maladies of mankind. It devastates many lives in each case—the victim and each of his or her loved ones, all of whom watch as the affected slowly, progressively and relentlessly loses memory, love and life, only to become a lonely shell.

Alzheimer's disease is clearly age related. About 10% of Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease at age 65, while almost 50% of octogenarian Americans have it and some studies show over 70% of selected novagenerians suffer. ¹⁷⁶⁷ It seems as if the incidence of Alzheimer's disease has skyrocketed, but most scientists state that it not increasing and attribute the perceived increase to the increased awareness of Alzheimer's disease by the public and professionals, the grouping of elderly in nursing homes instead of the dispersal of older Americans in private homes, and the increased longevity of the American populace. Some cases of Alzheimer's disease occur at age thirty or forty, but those are rare and usually are familial.

Although the cause for Alzheimer's disease is unknown, a genetic predisposition is evident. Abnormalities of one of three genes located on chromosomes 1, 14 and 21 have been identified in early-onset cases, ¹⁷⁶⁸ and the search continues. Late-life onset Alzheimer's disease cases have abnormalities of chromosomes 10, 12 and 19, especially with E4 gene on chromosome 19, but a genetic marker in all cases has not be pinpointed. ¹⁷⁶⁹

For the genealogist, tracing Alzheimer's disease in the family tree is difficult. First, individuals have to reach older age (when short life spans were ubiquitous, pioneers who qualify might be few). Second, identifying symptoms might be difficult since other conditions, such as, multiple small strokes, might masquerade as Alzheimer's disease and the cause of death was often cursorily recorded by physicians as “old age” or not identified at all (if such death certificate can be found or even existed). Theoretically, the diagnosis cannot be traced before 1906 when it was first described, even though the disease probably killed before then. However, descriptions of older folks who tend to “wander off,” who cannot remember other family members, or become violent might have had Alzheimer's disease, and of course, the diagnosis is established in anyone in modern medical times or who have been autopsied.

The incidence of Alzheimer's disease in the family of A.W. HUBLER (1842-1921) is striking. A.W. Hubler (1842-1921), his two sons (Ed and Lloyd) and all of grandchildren (Ed's two daughters, LL's son and the daughter of Nora) died with it. Maybe, more of the children of A. W. HUBLER (1842-1921) had it--I don't know. Alzheimer described the disease in 1906; however, undoubtedly it was present earlier, known simply as dementia. Everyone in A. W. HUBLER's (1842-1921) line developed it late in life (at 70-85 years of age). Moses HUBLER (1803-1855) died when he was 52, so he died too young to develop Alzheimer’s disease. His wife (Sara NEWBERRY) lived until she was 84 and did not have problems that I can find. I do not know of problems in the HUBLER line earlier, even though most lived long lives, but it is hard to know about dementia or memory problems that long ago.

Although about 30-50% of people over age 70 develop Alzheimer’s disease, the genetic line of A. W. HUBLER definitely had a higher incidence. If the disease seems common in the family tree distil to Moses HUBLER (1803-1855), Alzheimer’s disease would be genetically linked to Moses HUBLER (1803-1855) or beyond, but if it is not in the lines of other children of Moses HUBLER (1803-1855), either there was a change of the genes of A. W. HUBLER (1842-1921), the exposure to the offspring of A. W. HUBLER (1842-1921) to a new pathogen or probably both. Members of several families of other children of Moses HUBLER (1803-1855) have not found Alzheimer’s disease (or at least sure evidence of such). Eliza HUBLER (b 1826) died of "complications of diseases" (whatever that means), and no one in her line suffered from the disease.¹⁷⁷⁰ No clear record is known in the line of his oldest son, James HUBLER (b 1828).¹⁷⁷¹

Several HUBLERs died of strokes or heart failure.

However, longevity also seems part of the genetic picture.

Oak Hill Cemetery applied to operate in 1852, but burials there many years earlier. Records begin in 1878. The burial place of Moses HUBLER who died in 1855 is unknown—perhaps he lies in Oak Hill Cemetery before records were kept. The staffs at Oak Hill and Forrest Hills Cemeteries have been very cooperative and informative.