ARTHUR WILLIAM SHOULTES

It is believed that Arthur Shoultes grew up on the family farm in the East Newark region. He received some formal education from the local schools but the extent of his academic achievements is not known. Childhood pictures of Arthur and his sister Carrie R. were in the possession of Arthur's daughter Evelyn Ida (13Sep1913-27Nov1991) and have been copied and placed with this document.

Arthur William Shoultes united in marriage with the former Lulu Westcott (1Mar1889-8Aug1967) at Newark Valley (Tioga County), New York on October 29, 1908. Lulu Westcott was born on March 1, 1889 at Newark Valley, New York. She was the daughter of Frederick L. (1859-18Oct1939) and Ida Mae (1859-18Oct1915) Westcott; the grandaughter of Nicholas Westcott (1828-15Oct1895) and Margaret Cornick (30May1827-1922), and the great-grandaughter of Major Westcott (1792-17Jan1861) and Angelica Van Patten (1796-22Dec1871) who settled in Union Center (Broome County), New York from Albany County during the 1830s. Arthur and Lulu Shoultes lived their married life in the village of Newark Valley where Arthur was employed at various labor jobs. Their union give birth to five children, three of whom survive at the time of this writing.

The year 1912 proved to be a tragic year for this branch of the Shoultes family. The first born child of Arthur and Lulu Shoultes, daughter Marion Margret (16Jul1910-6Oct1912) died suddenly on October 6. She was only 2 years old and the record of her tragedy was recorded in the October 16 edition of the OWEGO TIMES. It read as follows:

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Shoultes of East Newark are mourning the sudden death of their daughter, Marion Margret Shoultes, who died on Sunday, after an illness of only a few hours with inflammation of the bowels.

Two months later in that same year, their cousins Elmer (4Mar1883-22Jun1930) and Nina (1888-1955) Shoultes lost their baby daughter, Helen Marie (13Feb1912-25Dec1912) on Christmas Day.

Personal difficulties plagued the marriage of Arthur and Lulu Shoultes and it appears they split in the early 1930s. Lulu Westcott Shoultes remained very close to the family, especially to the grandmother Henrietta E. Zimmer Shoultes. Some fond memories of her have been heard from many of the elder residents of Newark Valley who remember the family. Her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have all shared fond memories with the researcher.

Arthur's life following the divorce is largely a mystery. According to his children, he did not remain close to the family. It is believed that he moved to Binghamton (Broome County) and took employment with the Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company. There is an undocumented record that Arthur married a second time, to Helen ??? (1900-????) but none of his surviving children remember her.

Arthur William Shoultes died suddenly from complications surrounding diabetes, on April 11, 1948. He was 57 years old. His death went virtually unknown to his children as he had separated himself from them many years ago. The April 15, 1948 edition of the OWEGO GAZETTE recorded his death as follows:

Arthur Shoultes of Newark Valley died on Sunday morning, April 11, at Ideal Hospital, aged 58 years. His funeral was held yesterday afternoon at the Coleman & Daniels Funeral Home at Endicott, the Rev. Adrian B. Foote, pastor of the Central Methodist Church of Endicott officiating. Burial was in Hope Cemetery at Newark Valley.

Mr. Shoultes was the son of Chas and Henrietta (Zimmer) Shoultes, and was born on April 12, 1890 at Newark Valley. He was a shoe worker by trade.

He leaves three daughters: 1. Mrs. Evelyn Cornwell of Binghamton; 2. Miss Maryetta Shoultes of Newark Valley, 3. Mrs. Hilda Snitchler of Johnson City. One son: Kenneth Shoultes of Newark Valley. One sister: Mrs. Fenton Daniels, also of Newark Valley, and eight grandchildren.

Arthur William Shoultes was buried near the resting places of his parents, in Hope Cemetery at Newark Valley (Tioga County), New York.