John William Swoap^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]}

1873 - 1938  (64 years)

• Name	John William Swoap
  Born	7 Nov 1873	Bangor, Van Buren, Michigan   [1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]
  Gender	Male
  Residence	1880	Bangor, Van Buren, Michigan   [1]
  	where he lived with his parents and siblings
  Residence	1900	Covert, Van Buren, Michigan   [4]
  	where he worked as a teacher
  Residence	1910	Covert, Van Buren, Michigan   [6]
  	where he lived with his family and worked as a mail carrier
  Residence	1918	Van Buren, Michigan   [5]
  	when he registered for the WWI draft
  Residence	1920	Covert, Van Buren, Michigan   [9]
  	where he lived with his family and worked as a merchant in a general store. Edna's mother Carrie Kenney was also living in the household at this time
  Residence	1930	Paw Paw, Van Buren, Michigan   [7]
  	where he worked as a county treasurer
  _FSFTID	9XSK-7ZN
  _UID	0E2C2BB02047416B86E4C304DD943A7175BF
  Died	17 Oct 1938	Van Buren, Michigan   [2, 11, 12]
  	Cause: of suicide by asphyxia
  Buried	20 Oct 1938	Covert, Van Buren, Michigan   [12, 13]
  	in Covert Cemetery, Lot 282-2
  Person ID	I2264	Strong History
  Last Modified	6 Jan 2018

  
  

  Father	James Gilbert Swoap,   b. Abt 1841, Pennsylvania ,   d. 14 Feb 1908, Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio  (Age ~ 67 years)
  Mother	Susan A. Crone,   b. May 1848, Ohio ,   d. 23 Jun 1929, Hartford, Van Buren, Michigan  (Age ~ 81 years)
  Married	11 Dec 1864	Center, Porter, Indiana   [14]
  Family ID	F686	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Edna Browning Kenney,   b. 7 Oct 1877, Covert, Van Buren, Michigan ,   d. 13 Aug 1929, South Haven, Van Buren, Michigan  (Age 51 years)
  Married	1 Dec 1904	Covert, Van Buren, Michigan   [6, 15]
  Children	1. Orlo Frederick Swoap,   b. 14 Apr 1908, Covert, Van Buren, Michigan ,   d. 15 Aug 1984, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, Michigan  (Age 76 years)
  Last Modified	14 Jan 2020
  Family ID	F643	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Elizabeth,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Married	1936
  Last Modified	14 Jan 2020
  Family ID	F644	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  John William Swoap

  
  

  Headstones

  John William Swoap Covert Cemetery Covert, Michigan

  
  

  Documents2 » Slide Show		1880 United States Federal Census
  		1900 United States Federal Census
  		1910 United States Federal Census
  		1920 United States Federal Census
  		1930 United States Federal Census
  		World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

  
  

• Notes

  Obituary - The Hartford Day Spring, Wed. Oct. 19, 1938 Ex-County Treasurer John Swoap Ends Life Wife Finds Covert Man’s Body In Auto Had Been Prominent In Business and Politics and I. O. O. F. Grand Lodge COVERT - John W. Swoap, 65, Van Buren county treasurer from 1928 to 1934, treasurer for the past eight years of the Michigan Grand lodge, I. O. O. F., and long a prominent resident of this community, ended his own life at his farm home northeast of this village Monday morning by using carbon monoxide fumes from the exhaust of his car. His body was found in the fumes filled car at 6:30 by his wife, the former Miss Bertha Spainhower, to whom he was married in 1936. Ill health was the only known reason for his act. Coroner Fern E. Calvin of South Haven attributed death to suicide, and no inquest was held. The body was taken to the Calvin mortuary in South Haven, where funeral rites will be held at 2:30 Thursday afternoon. The Rev. Karl Keefer of Gladwin, grand master of Michigan Odd Fellows and former Methodist pastor of Watervliet, will officiate and other I. O. O. F. grand lodge officers will attend. Masonic ceremonies will be conducted at the grave in Covert. Mr. Swoap had long been prominent in both Odd Fellow and Masonic circles. He had been an officer of the I. O. O. F. grand lodge for fifteen years, and aside from serving as its treasurer the past eight years he had also handled the I. O. O. F. funeral benefits for the past three years. He was a 32nd degree Mason and was the first master of the Covert lodge. He also served Covert township for several years as supervisor and two years ago was an unsuccessful candidate for the state legislature. In earlier life Mr. Swoap served as a city mail carrier in South Haven, until the death of his father-in-law, Sam Kenney of Covert, when he took over the Kenney dry goods and grocery store in Covert. His first wife, Edna Kenney Swoap, died in 1929. In 1936 he married his present wife, a former nurse in a New York state hospital, handling occupational therapy cases. They had retired to a recently purchased farm northeast of town. On Sunday Mr. and Mrs. Swoap returned from a motor trip to Wichita, Kan. On Monday Mr. Swoap had planned to attend a meeting of I. O. O. F. grand lodge officers in Lansing, but ended his life before starting for that city. Surviving him are his wife, a son, Orlo Swoap of Kalamazoo, formerly associated with him in business in Covert, and two grandchildren. NOTE: Preceding obituary mentions wife as Bertha Spainhower whom he married in 1936 but John's death record and later legal papers mention her as Elizabeth S. Swoap. John Swoap was engaged to a Georgia Spainhower for approximately one year + until her death in March 1935 according to the News Palladium 26 Mar 1935. Which facts are correct?

  
  

• Sources

  [S506] 1880 United States Federal Census, Year: 1880; Census Place: Bangor, Van Buren, Michigan; Roll: 607; Family History Film: 1254607; Page: 343A; Enumeration District: 207; Image: 0718. Birth date: abt 1875 Birth place: Michigan Residence date: 1880 Residence place: Bangor, Van Buren, Michigan, United States 1880 United States Federal Census [S496] Michigan, Deaths and Burials Index, 1867-1995. Birth date: abt 1874 Birth place: Death date: 17 Oct 1938 Death place: Residence date: Residence place: Michigan, United States [S299] Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925, Marriage Details. [S502] 1900 United States Federal Census, Year: 1900; Census Place: Covert, Van Buren, Michigan; Roll: T623_745; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 138. Birth date: Nov 1873 Birth place: Michigan Residence date: 1900 Residence place: Covert, Van Buren, Michigan 1900 United States Federal Census [S504] U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Registration Location: Van Buren County, Michigan; Roll: 1682902; Draft Board: 0. Birth date: 7 Nov 1873 Birth place: Residence date: Residence place: Van Buren, Michigan World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [S500] 1910 United States Federal Census, Year: 1910; Census Place: Covert, Van Buren, Michigan; Roll: ; Page: ; Enumeration District: ; Image: . Birth date: abt 1874 Birth place: Michigan Residence date: 1910 Residence place: Covert, Van Buren, Michigan 1910 United States Federal Census [S503] 1930 United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Paw Paw, Van Buren, Michigan; Roll: 1028; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 23; Image: 1050.0. Birth date: abt 1874 Birth place: Michigan Residence date: 1930 Residence place: Paw Paw, Van Buren, Michigan 1930 United States Federal Census [S549] Michigan, Births and Christenings Index, 1867-1911. Birth date: 7 Nov 1873 Birth place: Van Buren, Michigan Baptism date: Baptism place: Van Buren, Michigan [S501] 1920 United States Federal Census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Covert, Van Buren, Michigan; Roll: T625_799; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 185; Image: . Birth date: abt 1874 Birth place: Michigan Residence date: 1920 Residence place: Covert, Van Buren, Michigan 1920 United States Federal Census [S486] Birth Certificate. [S297] Van Buren County Death Record Index 1935-1945, Date of Death. [S339] Covert Cemetery Listing. [S154] Findagrave Memorial Entry, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74170720/john-w.-swoap. [S247] Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941, Marriage Details. [S484] Record of Marriage, State of Michigan, County of Van Buren.