When I started collecting information and photos on my Paternal side of the family, my Grandparents would add a few notes about some of the family members. One relative, Bertha Portis, was said to have been married seven times.

Bertha Ann Portis was the daughter of George Portis (1839-1916) and Mariah Minton Portis (1848-1923). She was an older sister to my Great Grandmother, Gertrude Portis McKinley (1888-1967).

According to a marriage record and her death certificate, Bertha was born March 22, 1875 in Morgan County, IN. Most notes state that Bertha was the twin of Burton Portis, but his WWI draft card & death certificate indicate that he was born on March 22 in 1876. The 1880 US Census for the family has both Bertha and Burton listed as 4 years old. The assumption is that they were twins & one of them chose to use a different birth year.

So how many times was Bertha married? This is what I have found so far: 

1. On November 24, 1895, when Bertha was 20 years old she married Thomas P. Crider, age 37. They were married in Morgan County, IN by Nelson Alley, a Methodist minister. Their marriage record is available through Familysearch.org.

While the marriage record lists the groom’s name as Thomas P. Crider, the middle initial was actually “H.” Thomas Hammans (or Hammons) Crider was a widower with a 12 year old daughter, Effie, at the time of his marriage to Bertha. He was a carpenter. Bertha and Thomas had a son, Franklin Burton Crider on August 23, 1896. 

By the time of the 1900 US Census, Bertha and Thomas may have been separated.

Thomas is listed as widowed in the family with his parents, Lewis & Mahala Crider in Center Twp of Marion County, IN. His daughter, Effie is also listed with the family.

Bertha, on the other hand is listed as married in the family with her parents, George & Mariah Portis in Martinsville, Morgan County, IN. Her son, “Goldie” F. was also listed with the family. Goldie was a nick-name for Frank. Also note on this census record Bertha’s birth year is indicated as 1876. 

In 1902, Bertha and Thomas were divorced. 

2. On June 19, 1902, in Hendricks County, IN, Bertha married William Henry Erton. Their marriage record was also found on Familysearch.org.

William was a 37 year old farmer and she was 27. Coincidentally, he was also the uncle of Adeline Lampkins, who had married Bertha’s brother, Burton in 1899. On December 14, 1905, they had a daughter, Floy Mariah Erton. William and Bertha were divorced on March 1, 1909. 

3. Now with two children, 35 year old Bertha got married for the third time on October 29, 1910 in Morgan County, IN to William Lewis Gunn, a 62 year old widowed farmer. William had 4 children near the age of Bertha. 

The Marriage License application for William and Bertha is where the information regarding the dates of her first two divorces came from. She is listed as Bertha Erton on this record. The record is from Familysearch.org.

This marriage didn’t go very well for Bertha as a newspaper article from the Martinsville Reporter-Times on April 8, 1915 states that “Bertha N. Gunn has filed suit for divorce from William N. Gunn. They were married October 29th, 1911, and separated March 28, 1912. The defendant is charged with failure to provide for the plaintiff.” On September 8, 1915, the same newspaper reported that “Bertha N. Gunn has been granted a divorce from Wm. L. Gunn. The defendant was charged with cruel treatment. Plaintiff’s former name, Bertha N. Erton, was restored to her.” There were some errors in the report—as the marriage date was 1910, not 1911 & Bertha’s middle initial would have been “A” instead of “N.” The report may have come by telephone to the newspaper office and her middle name of Ann may have been received as “N.”  

On April 22, 1914, Bertha sent a postcard photograph to her parents.

 She writes: “Dear parents, Will write you again as I have took a fancy to come down Saturday morning and Mr Lydy is coming Saturday night he wants to see after a farm don’t go to any trouble for us this is all the post card I had this was taken Xmas Eave hope this will find you all well good by, Bertha to all xxx”

She doesn’t say who the man is with her in the photo. She was still married to but separated from William Gunn on Christmas eve 1913 when the photo was reportedly taken. She mentions a Mr. Lydy in the note. There were Lydy families in the Morgan County area but I could not find any reference to them in relation to Bertha. So this is a bit of a mystery. 

Then there was another article in the Martinsville Reporter-Times newspaper on May 7, 1914: “Mrs. Maria Portis returned to her home in Brooklyn today after a visit with her daughter, Mrs. George Beecham and family.” I could not find any other references for George Beecham. So I wonder if this again was a telephone report to the newspaper office that was actually indicating a visit to Mrs. Georgette Finchum, another daughter of George & Mariah Portis. 

Somewhere during this time-frame, Bertha and her children, Frank Crider & Floy Erton sat for this photograph.

4. The Indianapolis Star newspaper listed a marriage license between Charles Arthur Gardner & Bertha Ann Erton on December 15, 1916 in Marion County, IN. Charles was 38 years old and Bertha was 41. Charles was divorced with one son. He was a motorman for a cable car in Indianapolis. The couple had significant challenges during their short marriage. 

On December 16, 1916, the Indianapolis News reported that “Charles Gardner…a street car motorman, was injured seriously today when his car ran into the rear end of another South Meridian street car at Meridian and Alder streets.” Reportedly, the brakes on his car failed and he was “trapped in the vestibule, which was demolished.” He was reported to have a severe chest injury and there were concerns that he would not survive. 

Charles filed suit against the Indianapolis Traction & Terminal Company requesting $10,000 in damages for his injuries in this accident. This suit was filed on March 2, 1918 as reported by the Indianapolis Star. He claimed he was given a “car to operate that was badly damaged” and because of this he could not apply the brakes in time to avoid the accident. He stated his “right side and lung were permanently injured and several ribs were broken. His spine was jarred so badly that he has been affected mentally ever since.”

However, he did not live to see the result of this suit. On October 23, 1918, the Indianapolis Star reported that Charles Gardner was killed from injuries received while working at the Citizens Gas Company. His legs were caught and crushed in the gears of a machine. His right leg was surgically amputated at the hip & his death was attributed to blood loss and shock. His hometown newspaper, the Madison Courier, from Madison IN, gave a little more graphic detail of his injuries, stating that he was “disemboweled before the machinery could be stopped.” He was buried in Fairmount cemetery.

5. After that troubling time, Bertha married again July 19, 1919 in Marion County, IN to Charles Sidney Abney. Charles was 47 years old, widowed with 4 children and Bertha was 44. Charles worked as a carpenter. Bertha and Charles are listed in the 1920 and 1930 US Census records living in Indianapolis on Morgan Street. They were also listed in the Indianapolis City directory for 1931 at the same address. However, this marriage may have had its problems as well. The Indianapolis Star newspaper court calendar reports from September 12, 1922; September 14, 1922; November 24, 1922 and February 22, 1933 indicate that Bertha filed for divorce from Charles. I would guess the final listing was valid and they did get divorced in 1933. Or perhaps they got divorced in 1922 and remarried. 

6. Bertha married for the final time on April 13, 1935 at the age of 60. The Indiana Marriage Records Index on Ancestry.com records the marriage license between Bertha and John Lewis Mathews. He was also a carpenter and was 57 years old. By this time her children were married and Bertha had 6 grandchildren. John and Bertha were listed in the 1940 Indianapolis City directory living at the same Morgan Street address that Bertha shared with Charles Abney.  

Bertha died on February 6, 1940 in Indianapolis, IN of a coronary occlusion. She had a short obituary in both the Indianapolis News & the Indianapolis Star on February 7:

She was buried in Bethel cemetery at Bethel Friends church in Morgan County, IN alongside her parents.

Bertha Ann Portis was married several times, but I only found records for 6 marriages and not 7 as I was told. Regardless, I hope Bertha found what she needed through all of these relationships. 

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