Phyllis Frances Procuniar b- 26 May 1905
A Thumbnail Biography by David C. Procuniar
All Rights Reserved Last updated: 31 Aug 2001
Frances Procuniar; daughter of Claude & Laura Procuniar, Phyllis was born on 26 May 1905 in Cook County, Chicago, Illinois. married Albin G. Freeman (1897- ?) in Sept 1923 in Indiana. In 1941 Frances legally changed her first name to Phyllis Frances Procuniar Freeman.
Children: (4 )
Albin C. Freeman born 05 June 1924 Cook County, Illinois died 09 Sept 1968 in Minnesota, Hennepin County
Gloria Freeman abt 1926
Claude Freeman abt 1928
Marie Freeman abt 1929
Thanks to the diligent research of Debby Klemp Volpe she finally found the answer to “What happened to Claude & Laura Procuniars oldest child Frances Procuniar.
Debby’s family mentioned over the years that her grandfather Merritt Procunier spoke of his sister Phyllis from time to time. We know from the 1900 Hamilton County, Cincinnati, Ohio Census that a Phyllis Procuniar was listed as John F. & Agnes F. Procuniar’s daughter born in June 1899 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Phyllis left Cincinnati in 1902 with her family and relocated to Cook County, Illinois. After that I cannot find any records of this Phyllis Procuniar born in 1899.
However Debby’s mother Renee Eileen Procunier Klemp (daughter of Merritt Procunier) always maintained that her father mentioned that he had an older sister named Phyllis Procuniar but that she married and moved away from Illinois prior to Renee being old enough to remember her aunt Phyllis or what she looked like. It was obvious to me that if there was a daughter Phyllis born to Claude & Laura Procuniar in 1905 that it could not be the daughter of John F. & Agnes F. Procuniar since their daughter Phyllis was born in June 1899 since Phyllis (born in 1899) was six (6) years old when Claude’s daughter Phyllis was born.
During the past few years of research Debby Volpe found out that there are two Phyllis Procuniars that we keep getting mixed up. Actually the Phyllis Procuniar that was born to Claude & Laura Procuniar on May 26, 1905 was named Frances Procuniar on her birth certificate. However Debby found records that on October 16, 1941 Frances Procuniar applied for and was approved by the State of Illinois a name change to Phyllis Frances Procuniar/ier. That in itself is what caused so much confusion now that we have two (2) Phyllis Procuniers to sort out in our research.
Phyllis Frances Procuniar/ier daughter of Claude & Laura Procuniar married Albin G. Freeman in April 1923 in Indiana, Phyllis was 18 at the time and actually signed her application for marriage as Phyllis Procuniar instead of Frances Procuniar/ier. On the marriage application Phyllis lists her residence as Gary, Indiana and Albin listed his residence as Chicago, Illinois.
I am not sure why Frances signed her name as Phyllis instead of Frances on her marriage application but speculation is that they ran off from Chicago to Indiana to get married without the family’s blessing. Frances just turned 18 years old when she applied for a marriage license in 1923. She didn’t officially change her name from Frances to Phyllis Frances until October 16, 1941. Phyllis and Albin Freeman together had four children that were reported on the 1930 US Federal Census for Cook County, Illinois. On that census it shows Phyllis had four children, Albin, Gloria, Claude & Marie all born in Illinois. Albin’s mother Alice Freeman was living with them in 1930.
Main Source:
Debby Klemp Volpe Illinois
David Charles Procuniar 3598 Harry Truman Drive, Beavercreek, Ohio 45432-2272
Other Sources:
The Bragonier Family by Georgiana H. Randall 1969.
The Bragunier Family in America by Brittian Bragunier Robinson 1969
First Reformed Church of Hagerstown Maryland church records on LDS micro-film
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