Obit question?

Question

I have been trying to find and obit of my 2nd Great-Uncle. His name is Carl Scholz, he died in 1953 in Kanawha, West Virgina. He was an engineer and was born i think on July 2, 1872. I haven't had any luck finding it and i do not have a subscription to any of the paid sites. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

Answer 1

Do you have information from the 1900 U.S. Census on your 2nd great uncle?  

If not, here you go... (from ancestry.com)

Name: Carl Scholz

Home in 1900: Cabin Creek, Kanawha, West Virginia

Age: 27    

Birthplace: Germany  

Relationship to head-of-house: Head  

Spouse's Name: Eleanor H

Race: White  

Immigration Year: 1889  

Carl Scholz 27  

Eleanor H Scholz 27  

Margaret B Scholz 1

At the time his occupation is listed as a "coal operator" and he rents a home.

They were married 3 years at the time.

Eleanor H. was born in Virginia in Dec., 1872

Carl was born in Germany in July, 1872

Margaret was born in Virginia in Aug., 1898

I would suggest contacting the local newspaper to try and locate an obituary.  

I did locate an article about a disaster at a West Virginia coal mine.  A Carl Sholz was the vice president and general manager of this company, but was out of town during this disaster.

I don't know if this is your "Carl Sholz" or not, but if so, this was a HUGE disaster with many deaths. (see online information at the site cited below.)

Glen Rogers, WV Coal Mine Explosion Traps Miners, Nov 1923

http://www3.gendisasters.com/west-virgin...

12 DEAD, 30 TRAPPED IN GLEN ROGERS MINE.

23 MEN UNINJURED TAKEN FROM SHAFT BY RESCUERS.

TOTAL OF 65 ENTOMBED BY EXPLOSION EARLY THIS MORNING IN PLANT OPERATED BY RALEIGH-WYOMING COAL COMPANY -- CHIEF LAMBIE AND ALL INSPECTORS OF STATE ON WAY TO THE SCENE.

Answer 2

His brief obituary was on page 1 of the Beckley Post-Herald,  November 16, 1953 edition.  So far, I haven't found any other.

"Carl Scholz Dies

CHARLESTON, Nov. 15 -- Carl Scholz, 81, consulting engineer for the Elk River Coal and Lumber Co. and former president of the American Mining Congress, died at his home here today."

Answer 3

His obituary is much too old to be online. But you can contact the volunteers at the WV GenWeb site and find someone to pull it from the microfilms at the library in the town where he died. http://wvgenweb.org/

Answer 4

It isn't very likely that it would be online anyway. Try posting a lookup request on the Rootsweb.com message boards or requesting a lookup from a volunteer at Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness.

Answer 5

Here is a link to his actual death certificate in case you do not have it already.

http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.asp...

The nice thing about the death certificate is that it lists his cause of death and where he is buried.  Unfortunately, you don't get the survivors like you do in an obituary.  I hope it helps you though