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George Emery Field and Lavica Hinkle were married January 19, 1881. It was Lavica's first marriage and George's second. His first marriage ended tragically with the death of Sally, his wife, during the birth of their son Wilbur Wallace Field. Wilbur only lived two years before he died. George and Lavica were married in Gibson County, Indiana. They had probably know each other most of their lives. They stayed in Gibson County only a short time and then moved to Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana. They eventually settled in a home at 1001 Oak Street. There they had six children. Mary Ellen their only daughter, died at eight years old of Scarlet Fever.
From the distance of time there is no way to tell if they had a happy married life or not. George liked his liquor and I was told by Harvey Field, my grandfather and their son, that Lavica often took in washing and ironing to help pay the bills. Harvey also told me that Lavica's life was difficult as a result of George's drinking habits.
George and Lavica's lives were filled with drama. Raising five boys to adulthood alone would have been stressful enough. In Lavica's scrap book are many newspaper clippings of marriages, injuries, deaths, robberies and smashed up buggies. What ever trials and tribulations they had they made it to their twenty fifth anniversary.
George lived until 1915 so they nearly made it to anniversary number 35. Lavica never married again after George's death. She continued to live at 1001 Oak Street until her tragic death, the result of falling down the stairs into the basement. A very sad ending for a long suffering woman.
Obituary of George
Obituary of Lavica
The original newspaper obituaries were not found in Lavica's scrapbook but are the property of Mary Lavica Field Clouse, a grand daugher of George and Lavica. Mary was born just a week after Lavica's death. She was given the first name of George and Lavica's little daughter that had died and was given her middle name after Lavica.