IN IN - Martha Nehring Pilnok, 39-41, Valparaiso, 15 Jan 1944

[victoriarobinson642]

Very sparse, very old case added to NAMUS today
-
Missing Age - 39 - 41 Years
Current Age - 116 - 119 Years
First Name - Martha
Middle Name - Nehring
Last Name - Pilnok
-
Sex - Female
Race / Ethnicity - White / Caucasian
-
(The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Date of Last Contact - January 15, 1944
NamUs Case Created - January 11, 2021
Last Known Location Map
Location - Valparaiso, Indiana
County - Porter County
Missing From Tribal Land - No
Primary Residence on Tribal Land - No
Circumstances of Disappearance - The missing person, Martha Pilnok, was last seen in Valparaiso, Indiana in January of 1944. Unknown details concerning the circumstances of her disappearance.

 

[UncoolNegated]

Attempted to match Martha to a Jane Doe:

Martha Nehring Pilnok (NamUs #MP77033) vs. Jane Doe #UP76518

These two cases were thought to be associated with one another according to my research. A lot lines up between them. I wonder if modern forensics can match them where 1945 forensics might have failed.

Regardless, I found tons of information on these two cases that's not in NamUs.

Martha Nehring Pilnok (NamUs #MP77033) vs. Jane Doe #UP76518

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Margaret Stetson - Obituary
A daughter's obituary lists Martha's middle name as Lena and notes that her daughter was adopted by another local couple.

 

[UncoolNegated]

Margaret Stetson - Obituary
A daughter's obituary lists Martha's middle name as Lena and notes that her daughter was adopted by another local couple.

Nehring wasn't really Martha's middle name. Her father was named Fred Nehring so when she married a guy named Fred Pilnok she bumped her maiden name to the middle name. Women used to do that. Her name might have been Martha Lena Nehring at birth if that's what your pointing out. Good catch. Nice if we could find a photo of Martha.

 

[Sierra Gray]

Very sparse, very old case added to NAMUS today
-
Missing Age - 39 - 41 Years
Current Age - 116 - 119 Years
First Name - Martha
Middle Name - Nehring
Last Name - Pilnok
-
Sex - Female
Race / Ethnicity - White / Caucasian
-
(The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Date of Last Contact - January 15, 1944
NamUs Case Created - January 11, 2021
Last Known Location Map
Location - Valparaiso, Indiana
County - Porter County
Missing From Tribal Land - No
Primary Residence on Tribal Land - No
Circumstances of Disappearance - The missing person, Martha Pilnok, was last seen in Valparaiso, Indiana in January of 1944. Unknown details concerning the circumstances of her disappearance.

This is my great grandmother. Any help would be appreciated!
Thank you
Sierra Gray

 

[Sierra Gray]

Nehring wasn't really Martha's middle name. Her father was named Fred Nehring so when she married a guy named Fred Pilnok she bumped her maiden name to the middle name. Women used to do that. Her name might have been Martha Lena Nehring at birth if that's what your pointing out. Good catch. Nice if we could find a photo of Martha.

I do have a picture of my grandmother which would have been similar to what Martha looked like. How I know this is the pictures of my mom, uncle's, and nehring cousins was uncanny.

 

[UncoolNegated]

I do have a picture of my grandmother which would have been similar to what Martha looked like. How I know this is the pictures of my mom, uncle's, and nehring cousins was uncanny.

It might help to post that and send it to NamUs.

 

[Sierra Gray]

It might help to post that and send it to NamUs.

They should have it already.

 

[Sierra Gray]

Nehring wasn't really Martha's middle name. Her father was named Fred Nehring so when she married a guy named Fred Pilnok she bumped her maiden name to the middle name. Women used to do that. Her name might have been Martha Lena Nehring at birth if that's what your pointing out. Good catch. Nice if we could find a photo of Martha.

Her name was Martha Lena Nehring, they just put that as middle name because she disappeared with the married name Pilnok.

 

[Sierra Gray]

It might help to post that and send it to NamUs.

 

[UncoolNegated]

View attachment 283475 View attachment 283477

Thank you. What does July 1959 refer to in photo? Are those newspaper dates?

 

[janewall]

Thank you. What does July 1959 refer to in photo? Are those newspaper dates?

I believe that is the date the roll of film was developed and the photo made by the film processing company. Lots of old non-professionally taken photos have these printed dates, some in the margin as this one does, and some on the back side of the photo.

 

[UncoolNegated]

I believe that is the date the roll of film was developed and the photo made by the film processing company. Lots of old non-professionally taken photos have these printed dates, some in the margin as this one does, and some on the back side of the photo.

Okay. Because this person went missing in 1944 so we're to understand that a photo of her was developed 15 years later? Either it is taken after her last-seen date or the undeveloped film sat for 15 years. Not saying it couldn't happen but I bet the negatives would be spoiled by then. Something doesn't quite add up. I wonder if the photo is of someone else.

 

[janewall]

Okay. Because this person went missing in 1944 so we're to understand that a photo of her was developed 15 years later? Either it is taken after her last-seen date or the undeveloped film sat for 15 years. Not saying it couldn't happen but I bet the negatives would be spoiled by then. Something doesn't quite add up. I wonder if the photo is of someone else.

I'm under the impression that this is a photo of @Sierra Gray 's grandmother, not of Martha (her great-grandmother). SG said the grandmother, who I assume was Martha's daughter, would have looked a great deal like Martha because the resemblance among other family members is so strong.

 

[UncoolNegated]

I'm under the impression that this is a photo of @Sierra Gray 's grandmother, not of Martha (her great-grandmother). SG said the grandmother, who I assume was Martha's daughter, would have looked a great deal like Martha because the resemblance among other family members is so strong.

In my opinion, a photo of a missing persons mother isn't a useful substitute for a missing person. Also, that photo is of someone that's too young to be Martha's mother at the time-stamp or in several years prior.

 

[Sierra Gray]

I'm under the impression that this is a photo of @Sierra Gray 's grandmother, not of Martha (her great-grandmother). SG said the grandmother, who I assume was Martha's daughter, would have looked a great deal like Martha because the resemblance among other family members is so strong.

You are correct. This is my grandmother.

 

[Sierra Gray]

Okay. Because this person went missing in 1944 so we're to understand that a photo of her was developed 15 years later? Either it is taken after her last-seen date or the undeveloped film sat for 15 years. Not saying it couldn't happen but I bet the negatives would be spoiled by then. Something doesn't quite add up. I wonder if the photo is of someone else.

This is my grandmother, Martha's daughter, who was given up for adoption when Martha was 18. She had no other children after that and lived with her father and husband up till she went missing.

 

[Richard]

Missing person: Martha Nehring Pilnok
Birth name: possibly Martha Lena Nehring
Last-contact date: January 15th, 1944
Disappeared from: Valparaiso, Indiana

Link to Government Source: NamUs #MP77033

Ethnicity/Race: White
Sex: Female
Age at time of disappearance: 41 years old
Birthday: March 7th, 1902 (she appears in a family tree at Ancestry; source)
Height: About 5'2"*
Weight: 130 to 150 pounds*
Eyes: brown*
Hair: light brown*
Goal: find a photo
*height, weight, eye color, and hair color are as reported in the April 17th, 1965 Vidette-Messenger


Sat, Apr 17, 1965 – 5 · Vidette-Messenger of Porter County (Valparaiso, Indiana) · Newspapers.com

LINK:

Martha Nehring Pilnok (NamUs #MP77033) vs. Jane Doe #UP76518

 

[gumonmyshoe]

This is my grandmother, Martha's daughter, who was given up for adoption when Martha was 18. She had no other children after that and lived with her father and husband up till she went missing.

Missing person: Martha Nehring Pilnok
Birth name: possibly Martha Lena Nehring
Last-contact date: January 15th, 1944
Disappeared from: Valparaiso, Indiana

Link to Government Source: NamUs #MP77033

Ethnicity/Race: White
Sex: Female
Age at time of disappearance: 41 years old
Birthday: March 7th, 1902 (she appears in a family tree at Ancestry; source)
Height: About 5'2"*
Weight: 130 to 150 pounds*
Eyes: brown*
Hair: light brown*
Goal: find a photo
*height, weight, eye color, and hair color are as reported in the April 17th, 1965 Vidette-Messenger


Sat, Apr 17, 1965 – 5 · Vidette-Messenger of Porter County (Valparaiso, Indiana) · Newspapers.com

LINK:

Martha Nehring Pilnok (NamUs #MP77033) vs. Jane Doe #UP76518

any info on what Martha was wearing when she disappeared?

 

[gumonmyshoe]

would @Sierra Gray want to provide a DNA sample to compare with the Jane Doe found in 1945?