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- Source: Article in the Montgomery County History Book 929.2; 1823 -1988; pages 109 - 110
Crawfordsville Library, Montgomery county, Indiana
"JERRY AND MARY (STOUT) BURK
His given name was Jeremiah, but folks just called him "Jerry" or"Jake". Born Aug. 19, 1896 in Brown Township, Jeremiah Caleb Burk wasthe seventh of 11 children of George Washington and Mary Hanna(Douglas) Burk. Jerry quit school after the third grade and left hometo work in New Market, Montgomery County, Indiana on the farm of hisbrother-n-law, Fred Wray.
In 1916 he landed a job with the Pennsylvania Railroad, starting outas a section hand, tamping ties for $1.75 a day. From 1915 to 1917,he worked also as a guard at the Indianapolis 500 (Speedway in MarionCounty, Indianapolis, Indiana).
Around 1915, Jerry attended a Stout family reunion. There he met hisfuture wife, Mary Hazel Stout, daughter of William Everett and Eva(Michaels) Stout. They dated for 12 or 13 years before marrying onDec. 26, 1931 at the United Brethren Church in Crawfordsville.
The Depression had cut into Jerry's hours with the railroad, so soonafter the wedding they headed to New Market to take on additionalwork. Jerry found it with a local funeral home, preparing bodies.Further income came from lighting a;; the gas lights in New Marketeach evening. They returned to Crawfordsville in late 1934.
During World War II, Jerry was often away in Illinois, cleaning upaccidents and keeping the rails clear to Chicago, the rail hub of thenation.
Mary was born in Montgomery County on Apr. 11, 1897. She attendedBreaks School as a young girl, about seven miles northwest ofCrawfordsville and would be picked up each morning in a horse drawn"hack". Her schooling ended after the eighth grade.
Mary enjoyed playing piano, with the bulk of her repertoire comingfrom her church hymnal. While Jerry was a Baptist, Mary served in theUnited Brethren Ladies' Aid at her church, Mount Zion where herdaughter, Jerrine, later married Gordon "Gary" Witt.
Both parents were entirely devoted to their children, Jerrine and Bob. Mary died on Nov. 7, 1960.
The following month, on Dec. 23, 1960, Jerry was nearly killed whenhis Crawfordsville home at 210 High Street burned to the ground withhim inside.
Burn treatment was a rough way to begin retirement for Jerry, who hadlabored 45 years for the Pennsylvania Railroad without missing a dayof work. A new house was built on the site of the old one, and intime his greatest joys came from growing lot of grandchildren.Jerrine and her husband Gordon "Gary" Witt gave him four: Terry,Cindy, who married Randy Arnold; Julieann, who married W. ScottFisher; and Susan, who married Edward Steele, Bob and Jackie (Craig)Burke had two: Jayne and "B.J."
Jerry passed away on July 24, 1984 in Crawfordsville. Ninegreat-grandchildren now claim him as an ancestor: Allison, Eric, andMichelle Fisher of Fruit Heights, UT; Sydney, Stephen, and MallorySteele of West Palm Beach, FL; and Bambi, Rebecca, and Benjamin Arnoldof Marathon, FL." [Transcribed 25 Jan 2006, SLJuhl]
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