In looking at the 1940 Census, I found a Bert Casto who lived in Cincinnati where I was living. So I was curious as to which line he belonged to, what happened to him and his descendants, and whatever else I could find about him It couldn’t be too hard, right? After all, how many Bert Castos were there? 😉
1940 Census: Cincinnati, Hamilton Co., OH
- Casto
- Bert 72 head
- Amelia 62 wife
- Paul 22 son
- Gulley
- Natalie 25 daughter
1930 Census: Cincinnati, Hamilton Co., OH
- Casto
- Bert 64 head
- Amelia 59 wife
- William 27 son
- Ada 19 daughter
- George 13 son
- Paul 11 son
1920 Census: Salisbury, Meigs Co., OH
- Casto
- Bert 52 head
- Amelia 48 wife
- Earl 20 son
- William 19 son
- Louise 11 daughter
- Ada 10 daughter
- Natalie J. 8 daughter
- George R. 6 son
- Paul D. 3 1/12 son
1910 Census: Salisbury, Meigs Co., OH
- Casto
- Bert 37 head
- Amelia 31 wife
- Goldia 10 daughter
- Earl 9 son
- William 8 son
- Mabel 7 son
- Stella L. 1/12 daughter
1900 Census: Pomeroy, Meigs Co., OH
- Casto
- Burton C. 26 Sept., 1873 married 4 years
- Amelia J. 21 Apr., 1879 2 ch/1 living
- Goldie D. 1 June, 1898 daughter
- Thompson
- Eliza 66 August, 1833 mother-in-law
1880 Census: Jackson Co., WV
- Casto
- Solomon 47
- Martha 46
- John M. 21
- Wm. E. 20
- Sarah W. 13
- Sherman 15
- Burton 9
Here is where the real questions began: How can I be sure the Burton on the 1880 census was the right one? I need to find some connecting evidence. In situations like this, looking at the certificates and records on the WV Culture website is often useful. Also, death records in Ohio sometimes list parents. Plus, I have a whole stack of books on marriages and births in WV.
- WV Cultural Site: no marriages or births that appear to tie in
- None of the Jackson or Upshur County, WV books had any listings for this couple
- I did find births for Burton Doyle Casto (b. 8-23-1936 son of Arden and Pearl (Painter) Casto and Burton O. Casto (b. 3-8-1919 son of Leonard O. and Freda Goldie (Skeen) Casto).
Find-a-Grave did have tombstone pictures:
Bert Casto 1866-1948 (joint stone) Amelia Casto (1876-1955) buried in Vine Street Hill Cemetery, Cincinnati, OH
Other Castos in the cemetery included son, William J. “Abe” Casto (1901-1968), Jeannette A. (1910-1983), and Jeannette E. (1931-1986)
There was more information about this family provided by a great-nephew of William—William Hammann.
Mr. Hammann lists dates as 1866-Dec. 18, 1948 for Bert and April 23, 1876-Dec. 17, 1955 for Amelia. He lists Bert’s parents as Solomon Casto and Martha Church and Amelia’s parents as Abraham Thompson and Eliza Jane Thompson.
The Ohio Death Records Index goes from 1908-1932, 1938-1944, & 1958-2007 so it would not be helpful for Bert or Amelia, but it may provide clues if I researched their children. I searched for Castos in Hamilton Co., Ohio:
- Oley O. Casto 1884 Dec. 25, 1964
- Earl L. Casto 1901 Oct. 29, 1971
- William J. Casto 1902 Mar. 30, 1968
- Alma L. Casto June 1 1916 Jan. 18, 1989
- George Casto 1916 July 13, 1972
- James F. Casto Mar. 6, 1917 Jan 1., 2004
- Paul D. Casto 1918 Dec. 20, 1972*
- Lula M. Casto 1926 Feb. 28, 1982
*Ohio Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 listed the following children of Burt and Amelia (Thompson) Casto, all born in Pomeroy, Meigs Co., OH:
- B. Goldie Casto, June 16, 1898
- Earl Legrand Casto, Nov. 4, 1900
- William J. Casto, Sep. 14, 1902
- Mabel Casto, Feb. 25, 1904
Obituary found for Mrs. Goldie Near, died March 13, 1954, daughter of Bert and Amelia Thompson Casto, wife of Paul Near, mother of William B. Near, 2 daughters, Mrs. Richard Wietelmann and Mrs. Bernard Hawkhurst, four brothers: Earl, William, George, and Paul, all of Cincinnati, and four sisters: Mrs. Mabel Gregory, Mrs. Stella Louise Brown, Mrs. Ada Dant, and Mrs. Natalie Gulley, all of Cincinnati. Burial in Greenwood Cemetery.
[Findagrave tombstone photo: Paul G. Near 1898-1973, Goldie B. his wife 1898-1954; Charles Robert, their son, 1921-1928, and Wm. Hermont his father 1871-1949]