Harry Earl STRONG ² ³

Born: 7 Jan 1890, Stotesbury, Vernon County, Missouri ³ ⁴
Marriage (1): Alice Helen JABLONSKY on 24 Jul 1912 in St. Louis, Missouri ¹
Marriage (2): Georgia Marie WASHINGTON in 1939 in Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona
Died: 7 Mar 1943, Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona ³ ⁴ ⁵
Buried: 9 Mar 1943, Greenwood Cemetery, Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona ³ ⁵

bullet General Notes:

Harry was part of the generation that broke with its agrarian past and when he did so, he didn't look back. Not content just to put farm life behind him, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri and thereafter moved frequently to pursue opportunities in his chosen profession -- newspaper distribution. From about 1917 to 1929, he and his family moved from St. Louis to Marion, Illinois, then back to St. Louis, then to Memphis, Tennessee, then to San Antonio, Texas (and perhaps to El Paso, Texas), then to Albuquerque, New Mexico, then to Long Beach, California, and finally to Phoenix, Arizona. In Phoenix, Harry was the circulation manager for the Arizona Republic.

In the early 1930's, when an opportunity arose to buy a local periodical distribution business, he borrowed the purchase money from his mother-in-law. So began Strong's News Agency. Over time, as magazines grew in popularity and with the advent of the paperback book, newspaper distribution ceased, but wholesale distributors of periodicals and paperback books to this day are still known as News Agencies. Strong's News Agency was sold in 1982 after more than 50 years of family ownership and management. Following the precedent set by Harry when he was a young man, his grandchildren opted to pursue other careers.

bullet Death Notes:

Cause of death per death certificate was acute coronary disease.

Arizona Republic Obituary, Monday, 8 Mar 1943:

"News Agency Owner Dies
Harry Strong, 53 years old, owner and operator of Strong News Agency, died yesterday in his home at 1628 North 11th avenue, after a long illness.
Born in Stotesbury, Mo., he came to Phoenix 13 years ago from California and organized the agency, a wholesale magazine and newspaper concern. He was a member of the Signal Masonic Lodge in Long Beach.
He is survived by his wife, Georgia Marie Strong, Phoenix; three sons, Kenneth Charles and Robert Earl Strong, both of Las Vegas, Nev., and Gerald Strong, Berkeley, Calif.; a daughter, Geraldine Strong, Los Angeles; a brother, James Strong, and a sister, Mrs. B. J. Young, both of Richards, Mo."

Arizona Republic Funeral Notice, Wednesday, 10 Mar 1943:

"STRONG, Harry, passed away Sunday morning. Survived by his wife, Georgia Marie; sons Kenneth Charles and Robert Earl of Las Vegas, Nev., and Gerald of Berkeley, daughter, Geraldine, of Los Angeles; brother, Jim, and sister, Mrs. V. J. Young, of Richards, Mo. Services at 11 a. m. today, Palms Chapel, Grimshaw Mortuary, the Rev. R. E. Elmore officiating. Buriel in Greenwood."

bullet Burial Notes:

Now Greenwood Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery, 719 North 27th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009; buried in Section 38, Block 27, Lot 1, Space 1.

bullet Noted events in his life were:

1. Census: 1900, Vernon County, Missouri. ⁶

Household of Polly R. Strong:
Strong, Harry E.; son; white; male; born Jan 1890; age 10; single; born in Missouri; father born in Illinois; mother born in Missouri; at school; can read and write; speaks English.

2. Deed: 1908, Richards, Vernon County, Missouri. ⁷

Dated 17 Aug 1908, Filed 29 Oct 1908, Bk 118:591
W. K. Royce and wife to James T. Strong and Harry E. Strong; Lots 1 &2, Twp 49, Richards, Missouri. [I have not seen a copy of the actual deed; I suspect the legal description is incomplete.]

3. Census: 1910, St. Louis, Missouri. ⁸

Household of Vernon Young:
Strong, Harry E; brother-in-law; male; white; age 20; single; born in Missouri; father born in Missouri; mother born in Missouri; speaks English; soliciter for newspaper; an employee; out of work for 10 weeks in 1909; can read and write.

4. Census: 1920, St. Louis, Missouri. ⁹

Dwelling 24, Family 38 at 3015 Wyoming St.

Strong, Harry; head; rents home; male; white; age 29; married; can read and write; born in Missouri; father born in Tennessee; mother born in Tennessee; speaks English; circulation manager newspaper; an employee.

Strong, Alice; wife; female; white; age 28; married; can read and write; born in Missouri; father born in Germany; mother born in Germany; speaks English; none for occupation.

Strong, Kenneth; son; male; white; age 6; single; attends school; born in Missouri; father born in Missouri; mother born in Missouri.

Strong, Earl; son; male; white; age 2 9/12; single; born in Missouri; father born in Missouri; mother born in Missouri.

5. Census: 1930, Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona. ¹⁰

Dwelling 31, Family 33 at 1021 N. 6th St.

Strong, Harry E.; head; rents home for $55/mo; has radio; male; white; age 40; married at age 22; can read and write; born in Missouri; father born in Tennessee; mother born in Kentucky; speaks English; manager for daily paper (azona rep); not a veteran.

Strong, Alice H.; wife; female; white; age 38; married at age 20; can read and write; born in Missouri; father born in E. Prussia; mother born in C. Prussia; speaks English; no occupation.

Strong, Kenneth C.; son; male; white; age 16; single; attended school; can read and write; born in Missouri; father born in Missouri; mother born in Missouri; speaks English; paper carrier for daily paper.

Strong, Earl R.; son; male; white; age 13; single; attended school; can read and write; born in Illinois; father born in Missouri; mother born in Missouri; paper carrier, Arizon Rep, daily paper.

Strong, Gerald E.; son; male; white; age 6; single; attended school; born in Tennessee; father born in Missouri; mother born in Missouri.

Strong, Geraldine E.; daughter; female; white; age 6; single; attended school; born in Tennessee; father born in Missouri; mother born in Missouri.

Harry married Alice Helen JABLONSKY, daughter of Charles JABLONSKY and Martha STUECKEMANN, on 24 Jul 1912 in St. Louis, Missouri.¹ (Alice Helen JABLONSKY was born on 28 Dec 1891 in St. Louis, Missouri ¹ ¹¹, christened in Salem's Reformed Church, St. Louis, Missouri,¹ died on 22 Aug 1937 in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California ¹ ¹¹ ¹² and was buried on 26 Aug 1937 in Greenwood Cemetery, Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona ¹.)

bullet Marriage Notes:

License issued 23 Jul 1912 to Harry E. Strong. ¹³

Harry next married Georgia Marie WASHINGTON in 1939 in Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona.

2 Strong Family Bible. It would appear the Strong Family Bible may have originally belonged to Eli and Elizabeth Strong, for the births of their children appear to have been entered before the births of the children of J. R. and Polly Strong. This bible may have been the bible that was purchased in 1876 from the Estate of Eli Strong, Dec'd by Sarah Legg, mother of Elizabeth (Barry) Strong and Polly (Legg) Strong, which upon her death probably passed to Polly. Beginning with the birth of Eli and Elizabeth's daughter, Betty, in 1873 (Elizabeth died a week later), the entries appear to have been made by Polly until she died in 1916, at which time the handwriting noticeably changes and thereafter is presumed to be that of Bertha (Strong) Young, Polly's youngest daughter and the possessor of the bible, or at least the Family Record pages, at the time of her death in 1963. It thus appears that before Polly started maintaining the Family Records, the bible only contained entries for the family of Eli and Elizabeth Strong. Once Polly took over, she appears to have added the entries for the J. R. and Polly Strong family. [While Elizabeth's and Polly's handwriting is similar, there are some subtle differences. For example, the "B" in "Born" begins with a loop in the case of the entries for the family of Eli and Elizabeth, while it begins with a straight stroke for the family of J. R. and Polly. Also, the names of J. R. and Polly's children are listed separately in a column on the first page that was originally intended for deaths.] One possible exception to this scenario concerns the marriage information for Eli and Elizabeth - that may have been added by Polly at the same time she added her own marriage information. The handwriting for both marriage entries seems to be identical and it also matches the death entries for Eli and Elizabeth, which were probably made by Polly. Moreover, both marriage entries spell "married" as "maried." The Family Record pages have been removed from the bible, which appears to no longer exist. Originally, these pages immediately followed the end of the Old Testament. It is not known when or by whom the Family Record pages were removed. They may or may not have still been part of the bible when Bertha Dell Young nee Strong died in 1963. After Bertha's death, only the Family Record pages were passed on to her grand-nephew, Robert E. Strong, Jr.

3 Standard Certificate of Death for Harry Earl Strong, Arizona State Department of Health, State File No. 186, Registrar's No. 407. Informant was Mrs. Georgia Strong, widow.

5 Obituary and Funeral Notice for Harry Strong, Arizona Republic, 8 Mar 1943 and 10 Mar 1943 (copies provided by Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records).

6 1900 Census, Vernon County, Missouri, Richards Village in Richland Township, E. D. 126, Sheet 9A, Family 161 at Lines 41-45 (Ancestry.com image 17 of 18).

7 Miscellaneous Deeds, Vernon County, Missouri, Copies provided by Neoma Foreman, member Vernon County Historical Society.

8 1910 Census, St. Louis, Missouri, FHL Film No. 1,374,830, Ward 13, Vol. 104, E. D. 205, Sheet 12, Family 265 at Lines 34-36.

9 1920 Census, St. Louis, Missouri, Roll T625_954, E. D. 205, Sheet 2A, Family 38 at Lines 35-38 (Ancestry.com image 3 of 32).

10 1930 Census, Maricopa County, Arizona, Roll T626_57, E. D. 9, Page 2A, Family 33 at Lines 20-25 (Ancestry.com image 3 of 21).

11 Standard Certificate of Death for Alice Helen Strong, Certified Copy dated 16 May 2003, State of California Department of Health Services, File No. 37-053211. Informant was Harry E. Strong.

12 Obituary and Funeral Notice for Alice Strong, Arizona Republic, 23 Aug 1937 (copies provided by Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records).

13 Index to Marriages, St. Louis, Male A-Z, 1912-1917, FHL Film No. 528,152, License No. 174219, Vol. 77, Page 408.

Harry Earl STRONG 2 3

Sources

Harry Earl STRONG ² ³