Obituary of Frances Cheney Strong

From the Detroit Free Press, dated 4 September 1911:

FRANCES CHANEY STRONG

...Frances Chaney Strong, wife of W. H. Strong, and mother of E. Hall Chaney, Isabelle C. Chaney, Mrs. Francis Palms, Henry P.* and George H. Chaney. Funeral services from residence, 36 Edmund place.... at 3 p.m. Burial private.

Research for this truncated obituary started with the marriage of Francis Palms (III)** (1884-1943) and Emeline Chaney, on September 18, 1907; parents of the bride were Henry A. & Francis Chaney. Frances Chaney Strong, the wife (married 16 April 1896) of W. H. Strong, was Emeline Chaney's mother per the 1900 census taken in Detroit, Michigan. **Note: I worked in the Francis Palms Building in downtown Detroit before Comerica Park was across the street.


Frances Chaney Strong was the daughter of Edmund Hall. Mr. Hall was married first, in 1846, to Miss Emeline Cochran of Frederick, Ohio, who died in 1879, leaving a married daughter, Mrs. Henry A. Chaney (and a son who predeceased her).

1880 MI Census, Wayne Co., Detroit
Edwin HALL Self W W 68 NY Lumberman CT NY
Frances H. CHANEY Dau M W 29 MI Keeping House NY OH
Henry A. CHANEY SonL M W 31 VT Lawyer MA VT
Edmund H. CHANEY GSon S W 1 MI VT MI
Emma LAYLE Other S W 22 MI Servant SAXONY BAVARIA

Edmund Hall, son of Edmund Fanning Hall & Martha Smith, and father of Frances (Hall) Cheney Strong, died on May 17, 1903, and was buried in Woodmere Cemetery.

There was a biography of Henry, father of Henry A. Chaney (Frances's first husband), who was an educator in Detroit. More information about Henry can be found in the Chaney genealogy.

William Strong, Frances's second husband, was a descendant of Rev. Thomas Hooker (see a profile of another Thomas Hooker descendant here). He was also a descendant of Elder John Strong and Elder John White.

*Henry Chaney married Josephine Alger, daughter of Russell & Marion (Jarves) Alger and granddaughter of Russell & Huldana (Henry) Alger. Huldana Henry was the daughter of William & Huldana (Squier) Henry. I mention this because Huldana Squier was the sister of my son-in-law's ancestor, Wait Squier.

Mrs. Strong died 2 September 1911 in Gibralter, Brownstown Twp., Wayne Co., Michigan, and was buried in Woodmere Cemetery.

I almost skipped this obituary because of the poor quality; after finding the unexpected connections, I'm glad I did a little research.