MN MN - Ione Rehwinkle, 23, Rochester, 1 January 1952

[hanpap]

What was Mildred’s date of birth?

I haven't been able to find a date but the year is 1907/1908
ancestry says her maiden is Horton but I've seen it as Horlow earlier in the thread.

this site has some records that might be useful if anyone can access them
Library | Library Home including Mildred's death record

 

[Damarna]

Here's part of a family tree via Ancestry I've been able to put together.

 

[Mysteries1974]

Here's part of a family tree via Ancestry I've been able to put together.

Helen died at some point in the early 2000s

 

[Mysteries1974]

Does anyone know where Mildred is buried or if she was cremated?

 

[Desayama]

Here's part of a family tree via Ancestry I've been able to put together.

I've found Helen's obituary. Her married name was Cowles and she died on 29th December 2005. Mildred and Roy (her parents) are mentioned as preceding her in death but Ione (her sister) isn't mentioned at all. Contributes to the theory that Ione may have had an affair and it was taboo to mention her?

View Helen Cowles's Obituary and express your condolences

 

[Mysteries1974]

I've found Helen's obituary. Her married name was Cowles and she died on 29th December 2005. Mildred and Roy (her parents) are mentioned as preceding her in death but Ione (her sister) isn't mentioned at all. Contributes to the theory that Ione may have had an affair and it was taboo to mention her?

View Helen Cowles's Obituary and express your condolences

Yeah, I’m starting to believe the affair idea but I’m not ruling out foul play.

 

[Desayama]

I haven't been able to find a date but the year is 1907/1908
ancestry says her maiden is Horton but I've seen it as Horlow earlier in the thread.

this site has some records that might be useful if anyone can access them
Library | Library Home including Mildred's death record

There seems to be confusion in records with Mildred's last name being either Horlow or Horton. The records on the Minnesota Historical Society state that Ione's mother's maiden name was Horlow, whilst her brother Ray has a mother by the maiden name of Horton. However, I'm fairly certain that Mildred's last name was Horton, as through a census search I've found a Louisa Horton and Charles Horton who match Damarna's ancestry search. In 1905, they had a two year old daughter named Ethel May Horton (Mildred's sister), so Mildred would have been born 2-3 years after. Also tracked down a record for Ethel, with her birth listed as 18th February 1903 in Olmstead County. Still can't find any birth record for Mildred unfortunately or grave or obituary.

MNHS State Census Index
http://people.mnhs.org/finder/bci/1903-18178

 

[hanpap]

There seems to be confusion in records with Mildred's last name being either Horlow or Horton. The records on the Minnesota Historical Society state that Ione's mother's maiden name was Horlow, whilst her brother Ray has a mother by the maiden name of Horton. However, I'm fairly certain that Mildred's last name was Horton, as through a census search I've found a Louisa Horton and Charles Horton who match Damarna's ancestry search. In 1905, they had a two year old daughter named Ethel May Horton (Mildred's sister), so Mildred would have been born 2-3 years after. Also tracked down a record for Ethel, with her birth listed as 18th February 1903 in Olmstead County. Still can't find any birth record for Mildred unfortunately or grave or obituary.

MNHS State Census Index
http://people.mnhs.org/finder/bci/1903-18178

I believe that this is her: http://people.mnhs.org/finder/bci/1907-13257

 

[hanpap]

I've found Helen's obituary. Her married name was Cowles and she died on 29th December 2005. Mildred and Roy (her parents) are mentioned as preceding her in death but Ione (her sister) isn't mentioned at all. Contributes to the theory that Ione may have had an affair and it was taboo to mention her?

View Helen Cowles's Obituary and express your condolences

ray's orbit mentions her as proceeded in death (unless that was edited in by find-a-grave) https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24416963

Edit: I found the official orbit Ray E. Growt — Rochester

 

[Desayama]

I believe that this is her: http://people.mnhs.org/finder/bci/1907-13257

Amazing finds hanpap! I'd say that's definitely Mildred. Find-A-Grave is owned by Ancestry so someone probably added Ione in from there? Whilst Legacy (where Helen's obituary was) works by searching across newspapers and funeral homes. So that might explain the difference? Not 100% on that though.

 

[csreh]

Mildreds last name was Horton, I have a tree on Ancestry that goes back quite a ways on her side, its public. Rehwinkle tree. Still working on it so somethings might not be on there yet, trying to do both mine and my husbands.

 

[csreh]

Mildreds last name was Horton, I have a tree on Ancestry that goes back quite a ways on her side, its public. Rehwinkle tree. Still working on it so somethings might not be on there yet, trying to do both mine and my husbands.

Sorry "Rehwinkle family tree"

 

[StarrChance]

May not be worth anything but in the 1950 Rochester City Directory Ione and Robert lived with Ione's mother Mildred at 418 1/2 1st ave SE apt 5.
He was a salesman and Mildred work at Model Landry

Ione father filed for divorce on grounds of desertion in 1950...which makes me wonder if something else was going on..

That is strange, Mildred’s death certificate says she died from uterine sarcoma /metastasis , doctor attending from Nov 50 to Jan 51. I suppose her daughter Ione was possibly living there to support her mother.

 

[Noch]

Details of Disappearance
Rehwinkle was last seen in Rochester, Minnesota sometime in 1952. She was divorced, had a job at a local bar, and was mother to a one-year-old son. Her family believes she was abducted, either from her front yard or by sailors while she was working the night shift at the bar.

Ione also has a daughter, my mother, Linda.

 

[Mysteries1974]

Ione also has a daughter, my mother, Linda.

Yes I do remember you mentioning that earlier. Thanks!

 

[Mysteries1974]

Ione has been missing for 67 years

 

[beubeubeu]

I don't wanna sound disrespectful but isn't that mention about sailors just like euphemistic description used to not tell the real reason, possibly known to the person who shared that info?
I recall way too many cases when "his father was a sailor" meant that mother was raped and "she run away with a sailor" was said when woman was murdered by family members. That motive appears in some old movies too. It smells like it for me, especially mixed with fact that she wasn't mentioned in obituaries. So possibly someone knew or think that he/she knew what happened to her and erased her from family history and was still alive at the time.
Sadly for me it doesn't necessary mean anything. If for example: people were talking that she has an affair or is doing something illegal with sailors and someone in family who didn't liked her or even started that talking in the first place believed that and took it as a gospel after she disappeared, while her disappearance had nothing to do with it. Not saying that anyone did that in this case, just sharing thoughts.
Someone who lived in the area at the time would knew if there was some kind of sailors lore around or not.

Also wasn't Rochester like a cluster of serial killers in '60 and '70?

 

[Mrs. Badcrumble]

Also wasn't Rochester like a cluster of serial killers in '60 and '70?

You might be thinking of the Rochester located in New York state. This Rochester is located in Minnesota.

 

[beubeubeu]

You might be thinking of the Rochester located in New York state. This Rochester is located in Minnesota.

thanks, you're right, I mixed them together, most of them were from NY, two from right Rochester. Nonetheless I have no idea how that impacted community and am still curios about these sailor tales (if there were any).

 

[CeiliMom]

This case very much reminds me of my mother's biological mother in that the bio mother disappeared abandoning her only daughter. However, she did eventually get in touch with an aunt and let her know that the guy she was dating forced her to leave Idaho and move to California without her daughter. The family never talked about her and she was never mentioned in any obituaries either.

So, while it's definitely possible that something tragic happened to Ione, especially if she has been seeing someone, I believe it's more likely that she ran off.

Has anyone in the family taken a DNA test with Ancestry? If another sibling or niece/nephew shows up, then they'd at least know why no one in the family ever talked about her.