Talk:Mari Beth Wheeler

Name

• The 1930 Census calls her Mary Jane Coons.
• The 1940 Census calls her Mary Jayne Coons.
• The 1950 Census calls her Mary J. Wheeler.
• Find a Grave calls her Mary Jayne (Coons) Colvin.
• The VA BIRLS Death File calls her Mary Beth Colvin.
• The Social Security Death Index calls her Mary B. Colvin.
• And her obit doesn't mention a middle name.

As far as I can tell, her birth name was Mary Jayne Coons, but she preferred to go by Mary Beth (spelled Mari Beth in fandom). Does that sound right? — Bee Ostrowsky (talk) 10:28, 26 April 2023 (PDT)

Early zines and references waver between Mary / Mari Beth, but never Jane or Jayne. And always Wheeler while active in fandom. Colvin turns up in obits. So I’d want to know more about the connection between Coons and Wheeler.

—Leah Zeldes Smith (talk) 09:04, 1 May 2023 (PDT)

In 1941 she married Elmer Lawrence "Larry" Wheeler (1920–1989), who by 1950 was remarried to the daughter of a family with the same name as his hometown of Merna, Illinois.

In the 1950 census, she's living with her mother Edna L. (Hilton) Coons (1904–1989) and younger sister Donna (1929–2007); her marital status is "D."

Bee Ostrowsky (talk) 11:08, 1 May 2023 (PDT)

OK, so this should begin, “Mari Beth Wheeler was the fan name of Mary Jayne Wheeler (née Coons, later Colvin)...” ?

—Leah Zeldes Smith (talk) 12:31, 1 May 2023 (PDT)

As far as I can tell from the record, that sounds entirely accurate to me.

Bee Ostrowsky (talk) 13:58, 1 May 2023 (PDT)