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Lucile Johnson photograph collection

 Collection
Identifier: P026

Scope and Contents

This collection contains photographs from Lucile Johnson and the Johnson and Moyer families in Indianapolis and Vincennes, Indiana, Georgia, and Texas ranging from circa 1880 to 1969, regarding family members and Johnson's friends, sightseeing, recreational activities, working at H.P. Wasson and Company department store, and her daily life.

There are also a few postcards and a page from The Booster, H.P. Wasson's company employee newsletter, dated December 5, 1940.

Dates

  • circa 1895-1969

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Biographical Note

Lucile (Lucille) Marie Fox Johnson was born August 12, 1908 in Vincennes, Knox County, Indiana to Bertha L. Johnson. Her father was Frank P. Fox of Knox County.(1)

Johnson moved to Indianapolis, Indiana with her mother when she was young. She later worked as a salesperson at the Coty perfume counter at H.P. Wassons in Indianapolis, Indiana in the 1930s-1940s. It is likely that she married Ford Moyer, a local automobile mechanic and racecar driver, circa 1937.(2) Moyer died of cancer in 1948.

She married Arthur John Pasmas, Sr. on August 23, 1959 in Marion County, Indiana. Pasmas, a businessman, had a son, Arthur, Jr., from a previous marriage to Irma Louise (Albright) Peavey. Arthur Pasmas, Sr. died on May 2, 1989. Lucille Marie (Johnson) Moyer Pasmas died on November 24, 1993 and was buried in Washington Park East Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband and mother.

Bertha Lenora Johnson was born March 16, 1889 in Kansas to Charles N. and Emma Jane (Wise) Johnson, who were originally from Indiana. She was one of several children, who were named Viola B., Annie M., Grace L., John W., and Harlin W. By the time she was 12, the Johnsons had moved to Vincennes, Indiana. Johnson worked as a laundress when her daughter, Lucile M. Johnson was about 1 year old. She died on June 9, 1963 in Indianapolis, Indiana and was buried in Washingiton Park East Cemetery.

Ford Daniel Moyer was born to John H. and Mollie Moyer on July 12, 1897 in Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio. He had an older brother, Edgar J. (1894-1984), who first married, Daisy Strome (1895-1927), with whom he had 3 children--Vivian Daisy (1917-2010), Gladys E., and Edgar M. (1924-2013)--and second, Ann M. (1900-1982). In 1920, Ford Moyer was boarding in Indianapolis and working as an auto mechanic. Over the next couple of decades, he started racing cars as well as working as an automotive engineer. Moyer died of cancer on May 19, 1948 and was buried in Washington Park East Cemetery in Indianapolis.

End Notes:

(1) Bertha Johnson was unmarried. Lucile's birth certificate notes the father as "O.W.", meaning "out of wedlock." After her daughter's birth, Johnson brought a case against Frank P. Fox on the charge of bastardy in Knox County in November, 1908. Fox requested the case be heard in Daviess County and it was granted. The jury ruled in favor of Johnson, awarding $500 in child support. Fox was an automobile dealer at Vincennes. Apparently his "machine" ran over and killed a boy near Wheatland years before. The Daviess County Weekly Democrat stated, "He is quite well known here." He had quite a reputation, according to the Washington Gazette.

(2) Ford D. Moyer married a department store saleswoman named Lucille M., born in 1908, who was 28 years old when they married. This collection contains a photograph with the caption, "Ford Moyer; J.H. Moyer, Mar 17/ 1903" and photographs of J.H. Moyer. Many of the photographs with Lucile include the same man, most likely Ford. Lucile's death certificate lists her name as "Lucille Moyer Pasmmas," and mistakenly identifies her father as "Unknown Moyer." Her father was actually Frank Fox (see note 1). Ford's wife Lucille was not buried with him, despite having a joint gravestone, as her dates are listed as "1908-". This indicates that she likely remarried. Lucile's mother, Bertha L. Johnson, is buried near Ford Moyer, as are Arthur J. Pasmas, Sr. and Lucille Moyer Pasmas. Therefore, it is extremely likely Lucile Johnson married Ford D. Moyer but no marriage record or notice has been found to confirm it.

Source:

"A.J. Pasmas Jr. To Join Legal Firm Tomorrow." Indianapolis Star, June 10, 1962, p. 45. Accessed June 12, 2021. ProQuest.

Ancestry.com. "Bertha L. Johnson." 1900 United States Federal Census. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Bertha L. Johnson." 1910 United States Federal Census. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Bertha L. Johnson." Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Bertha Lenora Johnson." U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Ford Moyer." 1900 United States Federal Census. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Ford Moyer." 1910 United States Federal Census. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Ford Moyer." 1920 United States Federal Census. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Ford D. Moyer." Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Ford D. Moyer." Indianapolis, Indiana, City Directory, 1938 - U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Ford D. Moyer." U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com. Ancestry.com. "Ford D. Moyer." U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Lucile Marie Fox Johnson." Indiana, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1907-1940. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Lucille M. Johnson." Indianapolis, Indiana, City Directory, 1937 - U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Lucille M. Moyer." 1940 United States Federal Census. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Lucille Moyer." Marion County, Indiana, U.S., Marriage Index, 1925-2012. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Lucille Pasmas." Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Lucille M. Pasmas." U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014. Accessed June 12, 2021. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

"Arthur John Pasmas Sr., 87." Obituary. Indianapolis Star, May 5, 1989, p. C-12. Accessed June 12, 2021. ProQuest.

Findagrave.com. "Bertha L. Johnson." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed June 12, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/79744027/bertha-l-johnson.

Findagrave.com. "Ford D. Moyer." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed June 12, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/79744026/ford-daniel-moyer.

Findagrave.com. "Lucille Marie Moyer Pasmas." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed June 12, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/82369227/lucille-marie-pasmas.

"Fox Wants Change." Vincennes Commercial (IN), November 17, 1908, p. 1. Accessed June 16, 2021. https://knoxcounty.advantage-preservation.com.

"Frank Fox Wasn't Lynched." Washington Gazette, October 16, 1909, p. 2. Accessed June 16, 2021. NewspaperArchive.

"The Jury Returns Verdict Against Fox." The Weekly Democrat (Daviess County, IN), May 22, 1909, p. 4. Accessed June 16, 2021. NewspaperArchive.

"The Fox Case." Vincennes Commercial (IN), November 25, 1908, p. 3. Accessed June 16, 2021. https://knoxcounty.advantage-preservation.com.

"Other Court News." The Weekly Democrat (Daviess County, IN), June 5, 1909, p. 3. Accessed June 16, 2021. NewspaperArchive.

Extent

0.32 Cubic Feet (1 manuscript box, 1 oversize folder)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by subject.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a transfer from Indiana Division.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing and finding aid completed by Ruth Light during 2006/10. Finding aid revised by Brittany Kropf on 2015/11/12. EAD finding aid completed by Bethany Fiechter on 2018/05/14. Collection reprocessed and EAD finding aid revised 2021/06/16 by Brittany Kropf.
Title
Lucile Johnson photograph collection
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671