Elizabeth Francis Layden Mackey was the daughter of August J. “Gus” Layden and Louise Virginia “Jennie” Robbins. She was born in Indianapolis, IN on 19 Jul 1892. Her father was a German immigrant having arrived in America about 1956 with his mother Anna Maria Renzenbrink Layden Hasselberg. Elizabeth's mother was originally from the Virginia, West Virginia area and her family genealogy in America traces back to the Revolutionary War and possibly before that. Elizabeth lived a difficult childhood – her parents were unsettled – they divorced, re-married, divorced again and each had multiple spouses. An 1895 Indianapolis newspaper article reported on the divorce of her parents and some of Elizabeth’s circumstances – including being taken to bars and given alcohol, and her father coming home in a drunken craze. Family history says she was taken-in by her mother’s sister Carrie, at a fairly young age, to remove her from that unsettled life. In the 1900 US Census, at the age of seven, Elizabeth is living in the household of Carrie and Henry Hasselberg in Indianapolis – she is attending school. Elizabeth married Thomas Michael Mackey at a young age of 15 on 1 Apr 1908, in Lafayette, IN. Family history says Elizabeth met Thomas while he was playing drums with his band during a gig in Indianapolis. In the 1910 US Census the couple is renting a home on Wabash Ave in Lafayette. Their first child had been born and Thomas’ occupation is enumerated as musician. But Thomas spent much of his life in the Lafayette meat packing industry in order to earn a living and by the 1920 US Census he is working as a butcher – Elizabeth is at home and raising their children. The couple had purchased their family home on 52 Green Street – one in which she lived the rest of her life – and which is still owned and lived in by their descendants as of 2020. Elizabeth and Thomas had seven children born between 1909 and 1923 – four boys and three girls. The family had strong Catholic beliefs and were members of St. Anne’s Catholic Church. Elizabeth and Thomas are together at 52 Green St. in the 1930 and 1940 US Census documents. Thomas died in 1949 of heart problems. Elizabeth remained in the Green street home which was also occupied by her daughter Rosemary Kerr and Rosemary’s family. Elizabeth died on 30 May 1964 and was buried in Saint Mary’s Cemetery next to her husband Thomas.
Postscript: Elizabeth’s mother, Louise Virginia “Jennie” Robbins, was married to August J. “Gus” Layden at the birth of Elizabeth. He is listed as her father on her death certificate. However, recent DNA analysis of one of Elizabeth's grandchildren maps as a second cousin to the DNA of a Hasselberg, suggesting infidelity and a different father - likely one of Gus's half-brothers. Elizabeth was cared for as a child by her mother’s sister Carrie and her husband, Henry E. Hasselberg. She is in their household in the 1900 US Census. Henry was August’s half-brother. Also of note is the fact that August Layden and Henry Hasselberg are half-brothers – so the infidelity could have occurred by their mother, Anna Maria “Mary” Renzenbrink, who was married to both a Layden and a Hasselberg.
Postscript: Elizabeth’s mother, Louise Virginia “Jennie” Robbins, was married to August J. “Gus” Layden at the birth of Elizabeth. He is listed as her father on her death certificate. However, recent DNA analysis of one of Elizabeth's grandchildren maps as a second cousin to the DNA of a Hasselberg, suggesting infidelity and a different father - likely one of Gus's half-brothers. Elizabeth was cared for as a child by her mother’s sister Carrie and her husband, Henry E. Hasselberg. She is in their household in the 1900 US Census. Henry was August’s half-brother. Also of note is the fact that August Layden and Henry Hasselberg are half-brothers – so the infidelity could have occurred by their mother, Anna Maria “Mary” Renzenbrink, who was married to both a Layden and a Hasselberg.
Elizabeth Francis Layden Mackey was the daughter of August J. “Gus” Layden and Louise Virginia “Jennie” Robbins. She was born in Indianapolis, IN on 19 Jul 1892. Her father was a German immigrant having arrived in America about 1956 with his mother Anna Maria Renzenbrink Layden Hasselberg. Elizabeth's mother was originally from the Virginia, West Virginia area and her family genealogy in America traces back to the Revolutionary War and possibly before that. Elizabeth lived a difficult childhood – her parents were unsettled – they divorced, re-married, divorced again and each had multiple spouses. An 1895 Indianapolis newspaper article reported on the divorce of her parents and some of Elizabeth’s circumstances – including being taken to bars and given alcohol, and her father coming home in a drunken craze. Family history says she was taken-in by her mother’s sister Carrie, at a fairly young age, to remove her from that unsettled life. In the 1900 US Census, at the age of seven, Elizabeth is living in the household of Carrie and Henry Hasselberg in Indianapolis – she is attending school. Elizabeth married Thomas Michael Mackey at a young age of 15 on 1 Apr 1908, in Lafayette, IN. Family history says Elizabeth met Thomas while he was playing drums with his band during a gig in Indianapolis. In the 1910 US Census the couple is renting a home on Wabash Ave in Lafayette. Their first child had been born and Thomas’ occupation is enumerated as musician. But Thomas spent much of his life in the Lafayette meat packing industry in order to earn a living and by the 1920 US Census he is working as a butcher – Elizabeth is at home and raising their children. The couple had purchased their family home on 52 Green Street – one in which she lived the rest of her life – and which is still owned and lived in by their descendants as of 2020. Elizabeth and Thomas had seven children born between 1909 and 1923 – four boys and three girls. The family had strong Catholic beliefs and were members of St. Anne’s Catholic Church. Elizabeth and Thomas are together at 52 Green St. in the 1930 and 1940 US Census documents. Thomas died in 1949 of heart problems. Elizabeth remained in the Green street home which was also occupied by her daughter Rosemary Kerr and Rosemary’s family. Elizabeth died on 30 May 1964 and was buried in Saint Mary’s Cemetery next to her husband Thomas.
Postscript: Elizabeth’s mother, Louise Virginia “Jennie” Robbins, was married to August J. “Gus” Layden at the birth of Elizabeth. He is listed as her father on her death certificate. However, recent DNA analysis of one of Elizabeth's grandchildren maps as a second cousin to the DNA of a Hasselberg, suggesting infidelity and a different father - likely one of Gus's half-brothers. Elizabeth was cared for as a child by her mother’s sister Carrie and her husband, Henry E. Hasselberg. She is in their household in the 1900 US Census. Henry was August’s half-brother. Also of note is the fact that August Layden and Henry Hasselberg are half-brothers – so the infidelity could have occurred by their mother, Anna Maria “Mary” Renzenbrink, who was married to both a Layden and a Hasselberg.
Postscript: Elizabeth’s mother, Louise Virginia “Jennie” Robbins, was married to August J. “Gus” Layden at the birth of Elizabeth. He is listed as her father on her death certificate. However, recent DNA analysis of one of Elizabeth's grandchildren maps as a second cousin to the DNA of a Hasselberg, suggesting infidelity and a different father - likely one of Gus's half-brothers. Elizabeth was cared for as a child by her mother’s sister Carrie and her husband, Henry E. Hasselberg. She is in their household in the 1900 US Census. Henry was August’s half-brother. Also of note is the fact that August Layden and Henry Hasselberg are half-brothers – so the infidelity could have occurred by their mother, Anna Maria “Mary” Renzenbrink, who was married to both a Layden and a Hasselberg.
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Age 71, Murphy Funeral Home
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