Be careful not to confuse him with his first cousin Alexander A. Short, born Aug 1859, who married Sarilda’s first cousin Josephine Elam.

Her death certificate records Mrs. Arzella Short, age 61 years 7 months 2 days, born 29 Jan 1880 in Kentucky, died 31 July 1941 in Lemon township, Butler Co., Ohio, (Middletown is entered in the city field and then crossed out), address 2117 Carolina St., married, wife of Alex Short, father Harvey Whitt, mother’s maiden name Narcissus (?), birthplaces “unable to learn”, cause of death carcinoma of liver, informant Mrs. Guy Duff, Middletown, Ohio, burial in Woodside Cem.

The form is typed, and the “(?)” after Narcissus is on the certificate; it is not my annotation, but an indication that the informant was unsure. Since that informant was her daughter Victoria, she probably meant that she did not know her grandmother’s maiden name, rather than the given name Narcissus being speculative.

Based on census records, the age for Arzella is off by a full decade. She was recorded on the 1870 census as Arzella Lykins age 5 months, and on the 1880 census as Arzella Whitt age 10. See the family group notes for her parents for details. (I have not found her in the 1900 or 1910 censuses.)

I cannot find this family in the 1910 census. (Well, I may have located Alex, see notes for his first marriage, but not Arzella or their children.)

1920 census of Butler Co., Ohio, Middletown ward 2, enumerated 8 Jan, lists on p. 4B as family #68/105, at 648 Curtis Ave:
Short, Allie, 53, b. Ky Tenn Tenn, steel worker at rolling mill; Izelee, wife, 47, b. Ky Tenn Ky; Cass A., son, 16; Cortney L., son, 14; Mattie, dau, 11; Orville, son, 8. All children born Ky Ky Ky.

They are sharing a house with the family of Millard Foster, age 23, and his wife Ora. Millard’s sister Minnie later married Courtney Short, and I strongly suspect that Ora is a daughter of Arzella by her first husband Thomas B. Harper.

In 1930 they are listed with Alex Jr:

1930 census of Butler Co., Ohio, Madison township, enumerated 17 April, lists on p. 12A as family #252/255, on Chappel Road:
Short, Elec Jr., 34, age at first marriage 20, dipper at steel mill; Dora, 32, age at first marriage 17; Gilbert, son, 13; Burda, dau, 7; Charles, son, 4; Goran J., son, 2; Arzela, mother, 66; Elec, father, 69. Burda through Goran born Ohio Ky Ky, all others recorded as born Ky Ky Ky. (Although that conflicts with other records for the parents of Arzella and Alex Sr.) The age at first marriage field is not filled in for Elec Sr. and Arzela.

1940 census of Montgomery Co., Ohio, German township, ED 57-10 (outside Germantown), enumerated 26 April, lists on p. 14B as family #279:
Short, Alex, 72, iron worker at steel mill; Arzella, wife, 63. Both born in Kentucky, living in Butler Co., Ohio in 1935.

The next household is headed by Alex’s son Elijah.