Betty Jean Harbaugh
birth: 8 October 1922 in Gary, Lake, Indiana to George Bryant and Elsie Wilhelmina Johnson Harbaugh
death: 30 October 1988 in Angola, Steuben, Indiana
burial: Graceland Cemetery, Valparaiso, Porter, Indiana
marriage: 11 October 1942 in Gary, Lake, Indiana
William “Bill” Louis Samuelson
birth: 14 October 1919 in Baileytown, Porter, Indiana to Gustaf “Gust” Teodor and Lulu May Cook Samuelson
death: 5 May 1992 in Fremont, Steuben, Indiana
burial: Graceland Cemetery, Valparaiso, Indiana
Children of Betty Jean Harbaugh and William “Bill” Louis Samuelson:
- William Lewis Samuelson (1944-1944)
- Lynn Patrice Samuelson (1946-2005)
- Living
- Living
Ancestor here lived in:
- Gary, Lake, Indiana
- Angola, Steuben, Indiana
Other Information:
Betty Jean Harbaugh, born 8 October 1922, was the oldest of three children born to George Bryant and Elsie Wilhelmina Harbaugh Samuelson. The only daughter, she was christened at the Augsburg Lutheran Church in Porter, Indiana on 18 February 1923. Betty was raised in a Sears kit home built by her father. The family later attended Chapel of the Dunes through 1938. On 13 June 1940, Betty graduated from Emerson High School, Gary, Lake, Indiana. In 1942, Betty was working as a clerk with Carnegie Steel Corporation in Gary, Lake, Indiana. Betty married William “Bill” Louis Samuelson on 5 October 1942 in Lake County, Indiana. The couple had met on a double date; Betty was dating Bill’s younger brother Edwin that evening. It is not known who Bill was dating. On 30 November 1942 Bill entered the Army and was sent to Camp Chaffee, Arkansas. He was discharged on 12 October 1943 due to a medical issue. The couple resided with Betty’s parents in Miller, Indiana; Bill found work as a clerk with his sister Margaret’s husband’s family until October 1947. Betty became a homemaker. The couple’s first child died as an infant; their second child was born mentally handicapped. By 1950 the family had moved to Chesterton, Porter, Indiana. Bill was employed as a chemical clerk for Amoco Oil in Whiting, Lake, Indiana. Bill continued to work for Amoco until he retired. By 1955 the couple had returned to live in Miller; they rented an apartment from Bill’s sister, Margaret. Two more children were born to the couple. The family joined the Bethel Lutheran Church in Miller. In 1959, the family moved to Betty’s childhood home as her mother, a widow, wanted a smaller residence. Betty found part time work in the cafeteria at Miller Elementary School while her youngest children were enrolled there. She later found work as an executive secretary for the Indiana Port Commission. In October 1981, where she worked as a recorder at Midwest Steel Corporation, she collapsed due to a pulmonary embolism. Betty and Bill then retired to a home on Snow Lake in Fremont, Steuben, Indiana. Betty died in Angola, Steuben, Indiana on 30 October 1988. She was buried in Graceland Cemetery, Valparaiso, Porter, Indiana.
Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com