My mother believed that Nina was born in Hannibal, MO, but based on the location of her parents' marriage (1877 in Chillicothe) and their location in the 1880 Census (in Chillicothe), Nina was more likely born in Chillicothe.  I suspect the source of Nina's birthplace being Hannibal is that we have a family legend of being related to Mark TWAIN, and that led to the belief that Nina was born in Hannibal.  So far, the evidence doesn't support either.

1.  First-hand knowledge of Diana Gale MATTHIESEN.  Albert Roy "Bert" & Nina (WILLIS) STRAUB were my maternal grandparents, well known to me in life and dearly loved.  I am immensly proud of my grandparents.  They managed to raise eight children (all decent, honest, hard-working citizens) through the years of World War I and the Great Depression, even though both were severely handicapped.  My grandmother had one leg shorter than the other due to having had polio as a girl, compounded by crippling rheumatoid arthritis as an adult.  My grandfather took four bullets in the head and neck during the Phillipine Insurrection, which left him with one glass eye and an arm and leg paralyzed on one side.  Yet, he supported his family by driving a rural mail route in a Model-T Ford (and if you've ever seen what it takes to drive a Model-T, you know what a feat it was for a man with only one good arm and leg to do so).

2.  Interviews of my mother, Nina Gale (STRAUB) MATTHIESEN, subjects' daughter.  It is oral family history/legend/myth that Bert and Nina arrived in San Francisco in the aftermath of the Great Earthquake of 1906.  They are said to have sold waffles to the victims from a push cart.  We do know, for certain, that they were still in Nevada as late as 13 Jan 1906 and were in Turlock, CA, by 4 Jan 1907 for the birth of my mother.

3.  Marriage License:  Albert R. Straub and Mrs. Nina Dean, dated 27 Dec 1905, State of Nevada, County of Churchill, Recorder's No. 1144. Groom states he is 26 years of age and resides in Fallon, Nevada; bride states she is 22 years of age and resides in Fallon, Nevada.  [Nina is fibbing about her age — she, too, is 26 years old.] 

5a.  1900 Census, Ohio: Marion and Medina Counties (Heritage Quest, Family Quest Archives, CDT623-1302):  Waldo Village, Waldo Twp., Marion Co., OH, p. 291B, enumerated 4 Jun 1900, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1900 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤•

1900:  for an explanation of the column headings, please see What the Numbers in the Federal Census Mean (missing columns contained no data).
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	19	20	22	23	24	25	26	27
49	51	Benedict Delbert	Head	W	M	Nov 1859	40	M	11			OH	NY	OH	Paper Hanger	0	Y	Y	Y	O	F	H
		Gale	Wife	W	F	Jul 1867	32	M	11	2	2	OH	OH	OH	Milliner	0	Y	Y	Y
		[Delbert & Gale's children]
		Straub Albert	B-in-law	W	M	Mar 1879	21	S				OH	OH	OH	Paper Hanger	4	Y	Y	Y

5b.  1900 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  Nina (WILLIS) DEAN (æ 20, b. Dec 1879, MO) and her daughter [Lucy] Emma DEAN (æ 1, b. Feb 1899, MO) are living in Burr Oak Twp., Lincoln Co., MO, with Nina's parents (q.v.).  Though divorced, Nina declares herself a widow, which is not unusual for the time when being divorced held a severe social stigma.

6a.  1910 Census Index/Images (online at Genealogy.com, Image #260 of 335; online at Ancestry.com, Image #29 of 34):  Boarding House(?), 613 Ninth Street, Oakland City (Ward 4, Precinct 10), Oakland Twp., Alameda Co., CA, Roll 70 (Book 3), p. 129A, SN 15A, SD 3, ED 116, enumerated 25 Apr 1910, official enumeration date 15 Apr 1910 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤•

1910:  for an explanation of the column headings, please see What the Numbers in the Federal Census Mean (missing columns contained no data).
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	12	13	14	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
?	?	Straub, Albert B	Boarder	M	W	31	M1	4	OH	OH	OH	Eng	Letter Carrier	Post Office	W	N	0	Y	Y

6b.  1910 U.S.A. Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  can't find Nina and the children, and I really looked.

7.  1920 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #2 of 38 — indexed "Stewaret"):  Monterey Road, [Coyote,] Burnett Twp. (Pct.), Santa Clara Co., CA, Roll 146, p. 15B, SN 1B, SD 7, ED 121, enumerated 5 Jan 1920, official enumeration date 1 Jan 1920 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤•

1920:  for an explanation of the column headings, please see What the Numbers in the Federal Census Mean (missing columns contained no data).

1

3

4

5

6

7

9

10

11

12

16

17

18

19

21

23

25

26

27

28

M o n t e r e y R o a d

14

17

Straub Albert R

Head

R

M

W

40

M

Y

Y

OH

OH

OH

Y

Post Master

Post Office

W

______ Nina W

Wife

F

W

40

M

Y

Y

MO

IN

MI

None

______ Gale

Daughter

F

W

13

S

Y

Y

Y

CA

OH

MO

______ Shirley D

Daughter

F

W

10

S

Y

Y

Y

CA

OH

MO

______ Janet S

Daughter

F

W

7

S

CA

OH

MO

______ Ellis J

Daughter

F

W

6

S

CA

OH

MO

______ William A

Son

M

W

4

S

CA

OH

US

______ Barbara A

Daughter

F

W

2

S

CA

OH

US

______ Stephen H

Son

M

W

5/12

S

CA

OH

US

"Monterey Road" is the Monterey Highway (U.S. 101), also known as "El Camino Real" (the King's Highway), built to connect the chain of Catholic missions and military presidios established by Spain in California between 1769 and 1823 — each mission and presidio intended to be no more than a day's ride from the next.  Bert was the Postmaster of the little town of Coyote, which has since been engulfed by the southerly growth of San Jose.  In 1974, the Coyote Post Office building was relocated to the San Jose Historical Museum in San Jose.

8a.  1930 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #15 of 31):  Niles, Washington Twp., Alameda Co., CA, Roll 112, p. 213A, SN 8A, ED 1-352, SD 8, enumerated 11 Apr 1930, official enumeration date 1 Apr 1930 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤•

1920:  for an explanation of the column headings, please see What the Numbers in the Federal Census Mean (missing columns contained no data).
3	4	5	6	7	8	10	11	12	13	14	16	17	18	19	20	24	25	26	27	28	30	31
197	209	Straub, Albert R	Head	R	7	N	M	W	51	S	N	Y	OH	OH	OH	Y	Clerk	Post Office	W	Y	Y	PW

The enumerator didn't take down streets or street numbers for anyone.  Bert is living alone (i.e., not in a hotel or boarding house).  Column 31 was hard to read; I think it says "PW," which would stand for "Philippine War," which would be correct.

8b.  1930 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #30 of 38):  505 Hicks Avenue, [City of San Jose,] San Jose Twp., Gardner Pct., Santa Clara Co., CA, Roll 218, p. 131A, SN 16A, ED 43-84, SD 10, enumerated 8 Apr 1930, official enumeration date 1 Apr 1930 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤•

1920:  for an explanation of the column headings, please see What the Numbers in the Federal Census Mean (missing columns contained no data).

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

24

25

26

27

28

30

*

505

361

368

Staub Nina W

Head

R

60

R

Y

M

W

50

M

17

N

Y

MO

IN

MI

Y

None

_____ Shirley D

Daughter

F

W

21

S

N

Y

CA

OH

MO

Y

Stenographer

Law Office

W

Y

_____ Jane S

Daughter

F

W

18

S

Y

Y

CA

OH

MO

Y

None

_____ Ellis J

Daughter

F

W

16

S

Y

Y

CA

OH

MO

Y

None

_____ William A

Son

M

W

14

S

Y

Y

CA

OH

MO

Y

None

_____ Barbara A

Daughter

F

W

13

S

Y

Y

CA

OH

MO

Y

None

_____ Stephen H

Son

M

W

10

S

Y

Y

CA

OH

MO

Y

None

Elliott Nina G

Daughter

F

W

23

M

20

Y

Y

CA

OH

MO

Y

None

_______ Norman C

Son-in-Law

M

W

24

M

21

Y

Y

CA

MI

CA

Y

Clerk

Bank

W

Y

N

*Hicks Avenue

10b.  Polk-Husted San Jose City and Santa Clara County [California] Directory.  R.L. Polk & Co., Sacramento, CA (online at Ancestry.com and/or fold3.com):

Year	Pg.	Name	Occupation	Home Address
1922		Straub Albert R	rural carrier P O	h Coyote	A
1923		Straub Albert R	rural carrier P O	h rt 2	A
1923		Straub Albert R		rt 2 bx 171 Infirmary rd	A
1924		Straub Albert R	rural carrier P O	h 1209 W San Carlos	A

10c.  Polk's San Jose (California) City Directory.  R.L. Polk & Co., San Francisco, CA (online at Ancestry.com and/or fold3.com):

Year	Pg.	Name	Occupation	Home Address
1926	414	Straub Albt R (Nina)	rural carrier P O	h 329 W San Carlos	A
		Straub Gale		r 329 W San Carlos	A
1927	391	Straub Albt R (Nina)	carrier PO	h 1297 W San Carlos	A
		Straub Gale		r 1297 W San Carlos	A
1928	425	Straub Albt R (Nina)	carrier PO	h 1297 W San Carlos	A
1931	473	Straub Albt R (Nina)		h 505 Hicks av	A
		Straub Janet	cannerywkr	r 505 Hicks av	A
	474	Straub Shirley D	sten Rosicrucian Order	r 505 Hicks av	A
1932	471	Straub Albt R (Nina)		h 505 Hicks av	A
		Straub Shirley	sten Guaranty Bldg & Loan Assn	r 505 Hicks av	A
1943	420	Straub Albt R (Nina W)		r 1295 Blewett	A
1945	520	Straub Albt R (Nina W)		h 2237 Moorpark av	A
1947	592	Straub Albt R (Nina W)		h 2337 Moorpark	A
1954	532	Straub Albert R (Nina)		h 2237 Moorpark av	A
1955	635	Straub Albert R (Nina W)		h 2237 Moorpark av	A
1956	758	Straub Albert R		h 2237 Moorpark av	A
1957	751	Straub Albert R		h 2237 Moorpark av	A
1961	1010	Straub Albert R		h 2237 Moorpark av	A
1962	1145	Straub Albert R		h 2237 Moorpark av	A
1963	777	Straub Albert R	retd	h 2237 Moorpark av	A
1964	963	Straub Albert R	retd	h 2237 Moorpart av	A
1965	865	Straub Albert R	retd	h 2237 Moorpark av	A

11.  Certificate of Death:  Albert Roy Straub, Registered 8 Jul 1969, State of California, County of Santa Clara, San Jose, California, Local Reg. Dist. No. 4300, Certificate No. 03407 5/6; informant: Mrs. Gale Matthiesen [d/o deceased].  Death:  6 Jul 1969, Serra Medical Hospital, 455 O'Connor Dr., San Jose, Santa Clara Co., CA.

12.  SSDI:  Social Security Death Index (online at RootsWeb.com):

Name	Birth	Death	Last Residence	SSN	Issued	Post-em
Albert R STRAUB	07 Mar 1879	15 Jul 1969	95070 (Saratoga, Santa Clara, CA)	562-30-5587	CA	Yes

Bert died on 6 Jul 1969, not the 15th.  His "Last Residence" was the Serra Medical Hospital in San Jose, CA, where he had lived for nearly a year before he died there.  The Saratoga address is my mother's; she was handling his finances and receiving his Social Security checks towards the end.

13.  Obituary:  "Spanish-American Vet Albert Straub Dies," dated 8 Jul 1969, San Jose Mercury, p. 20. 

14.  Churchill Standard, 13 Jan 1906, section 4, p. 1 (quote courtesy of Bunny Corkhill, Research Curator, Churchill County Museum & Archives, Fallon, NV.):

A. R. Straub of Soda Lake was in Fallon the first of the week.  He says that activity is general in his neighborhood among the many homesteaders and that new houses are going up on all sides.  He expects to get about 40 acres under cultivation this year.

15.  "Albert Straub of Niles Ends 31 Years in Postal Service," Oakland Tribune, 3 Dec 1939.

NILES, Dec. 2.--Completing more than 30 years of service with Uncle Sam's postal department, Albert R. Straub, 60, of Niles will retire on December 15. Straub says he is looking for a "tall mountain wih plenty of trees and a deep stream with plenty of fish," indicating that he will take the proverbial postman's holiday with a little additional hiking.  Perhaps it is still a touch of the wanderlust that has carried him into many States and into foreign countries throughout a colorful career which made him a soldier in two wars by the time he was 20 and left him with a half dozen medals, one from President McKinley, four bullet holes and loss of sight in one eye. Physical checkup by Government doctors recently, however, in view of the approaching retirement, found him "sound as a dollar," according to Straub, who lives on Second Street with Mrs. Straub and their daughter, Barbara.  The eight children born to the couple are all living, several of whom are also employed by Uncle Sam. Straub was born at Marion Ohio, on March 7, 1879.  He came to California in 1897 en route to the Klondike gold fields, but boats delayed by Winter in the Northern waters caused him to enlist with the First Washington Volunteers in 1898 for the Spanish-American War. Upon the retirement of the late Mark Crane, first rural carrier for Niles, who had held the position 27 years, Straub in 1928 took over the R.F.D. route from which he is retiring on December 15. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Straub are Mrs. Lucy Dreischmeyer of Santa Clara, wife of Clarence Dreischmeyer, State food inspector; Mrs. Gale Elliott in the soil conservation office at Watsonville; Mrs. Janet McGraw of San Jose, Mrs. Shirley Waugh of Portland, William A. Straub of San Jose, Ellis Straub, nurse in the United States Government Hospital at Panama; Barbara Straub of Niles and Steve Straub, student at the Boeing Air School at Oakland.

Although the photograph shows my grandfather carrying a mail pouch, as if he walked a suburban mail route, he actually drove a rural mail route, as indicated in the article (the "R.F.D. route").  His physical handicaps (from war injuries) would have made walking a mail route impossible, so I presume the photo was staged.  His left arm and hand were paralyzed and "frozen" in the position you see them, hence the claw-like grip on the envelope, which would have had to have been wedged between his fingers using his right hand.  He walked with difficulty using a cane.

16.   Letter dated 27 Mar 1940, from the Office of the Postmaster General, Washington, DC, addressed to Mr. Albert R. Straub, Niles, California:

My dear Mr. Straub: It has come to my attention that on account of your health you have found it necessary to retire from the position of rural carrier at Niles.  I congratulate you upon the length of your tenure of position as an employee in the postal service and desire to extend to you my personal wish for your speedy recovery.  I am enclosing an autographed photograph in the thought that you may desire to have it as a memento. Very truly yours, James A. Harley (s), Postmaster General.

17.  Robert G. Fisher (of San Jose, CA).  nd.  Rancho del Refugio de la Laguna Seca and the Captain William Fisher Family (submitted by Jeanne Rudy and online at the Somos Primos web site).  Includes this excerpt:

In April 1862, the Burnett Post Office was established inside the 12 Mile House, which was a store, hotel and blacksmith shop.  This building was destroyed by fire in 1963; but long before that, the post office was moved and a new, small structure was built by Fiacro C. Fisher, Postmaster, in 1907, next door to the 12 Mile House.  There, the Coyote Post Office operated without a break until 1974, even though in 1935 Washington, D.C., had forgotten where it was and had to be told.  In 1974, the building built by Fiacro was moved to the San Jose Historical Museum in San Jose.

Fiacro C. FISHER was the father of Laura Estella FISHER, who married our subject's brother, William Barton STRAUB.

18.  Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-Sept. 30, 1971.  NARA, Washington, DC (online at Ancestry.com; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen; Image #542 of 593):

v. 75 (1891-1930), pp. 341-342, Santa Clara County, California: Coyote

Valentine Spagnoli 5 Jan 91 (not eligible) Emil Heple 30 Jan 91 Fiacro C Fisher 14 Feb 1903 Chester F Fisher 6 May '09 Albert R Straub 14 May 1914 Nina W. Straub 20 Nov 20  Lingne A Ober 19 May ?? Res Mrs. Estelle B Tatcher Apr 30, 1924 Res Mrs. Mary A Rodoni, Acting Feb 28, 1925 | Oct 1 1925

This record was not entirely readable or intelligible, but it seems to be listing Coyote Postmasters, chronologically.  Chester FISHER is Fiacro's son, who became Postmaster after Fiacro died.

19.  Anon.  Monday, 24 Apr 1899.  "Albert R. Straub." The Marion Daily Star (Marion, OH).  Vol. XXII, No. 130, p. 8 (online at Ancestry.com):

ALBERT R. STRAUB Whose Name Appears in Friday's List of Wounded ONCE A CITIZEN OF MARION Lived Here Six or Seven Years Ago with a Sister and Attended School -- Went Out to Seattle Where He Enlisted in Company D, First Washington Volunteers and Goes to Manila. In the list of casualties in the Philippines published in Friday's Star, was the name of Albert R. Straub, private of company D, First Washington volunteers, who was severely wounded in the face. Young Straub was formerly a resident of this city.  He lived here about six or seven years ago with his sister, Miss Gail Straub, now Mrs. Benedict of Waldo, and attended school.  About five years ago he left his home near Waldo and went to Seattle, Wash., where he lived until last spring, when he enlisted in the army.  How badly Straub is injured is not known here, as nothing has been heard except through the newspaper reports. Miss Josie Straub, who resides on Vine street, is a sister of the wounded boy and G. Straub is his father. Young Straub is only about eighteen years old.  His friends here will all hope that the wound will not prove serious.

20.  Anon.  Friday, 6 Oct 1899.  "From the Orient." The Marion Daily Star (Marion, OH).  Vol. ??XII, No. 272, p. 4 (online at Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com):

FROM THE ORIENT Soldier Albert R. Straub Returns to Waldo ANOTHER MARION COUNTY BOY ...

This is a long article, including a full figure photo of Bert in uniform. The page image is very poor quality and the text is largely unreadable.  I'll have to see if I can't track down a better microfilm.

21.  Albert R. Straub.  Report No. 3323 and Report No. 3505 from the U.S. House of Representatives giving Albert R. Straub in increase in his pension in January 1905.  There was obviously a preceding house bill (H.R. 13377), and I'm currently trying to obtain a copy.