FRIDAY FINDS ~ What about Alice Evelyn Bullock, first wife of Robert W. Hall, Sr.?

It has been a while since I’ve tried to locate more information on the first wife of my husband’s paternal Uncle, Robert Walton Hall, Sr.  My husband, Ron, was very fond of his Uncle Bob.  When he was a young man, he worked for his Uncle at a gas station in San Diego.

I’ve written a previous blog post about the marriage of Robert W. Hall to Alice Evelyn Bullock on 15 Jul 1929.  You can read that blog post here WEDDING WEDNESDAY ~ Robert Walton Hall & Alice Evelyn Bullock – 1929

What I had not known until this week, was what became of Alice after she and Uncle Bob divorced?

Prior to the birth of her son, Alice was working for the telephone company (evidenced in the 1930 San Diego census).

In the 1934 San Diego city directory Robert and Evelyn are living at 4402 35th St. He is the manager of a Standard Gas Station.  Their son would have been 2 years old by this time.

(Please click on any image to enlarge it)

 

 

In the 1938 San Diego city directory listing I find Robt. W. Hall listed with Evelyn at 1132 Bush in San Diego.  It seems that Alice went by her middle name in most of the records I’ve located.

I don’t have online access to every year of the San Diego city directories. In addition to the ones online, I do know that some of them can be found at our downtown library here in San Diego.  It’s been some time since I’ve made the hour long trip down there.

The next hint I have about (let’s call her Evelyn from this point on) and her family is a 1940 census where her husband Robert W.,  is living with his parents and younger brother.  Bob is listed as divorced.

Where was Evelyn living in 1940?  I have found one census that seems to fit her.  An Evelyn B. Hall (she could be using her maiden name of Bullock as a middle initial), born in Rhode Island, divorced, working for the W.P.A. and the correct age to be our Evelyn.  She is living with an Orpha Doty (listing Evelyn as a sister).  However, I don't have a sister by the name of Orpha associated with Evelyn.  I need to go back to the Bullock family and see if there is a daughter I may have missed.  Or is this not Evelyn?  But, where is little Robert Jr.?  He would only have been 8 years old by now and I know he lived into adulthood (died on 16 Feb 2019 age 86).

Now that I’ve located both Bob and Evelyn, I need to go looking for young Robert Jr/ in 1940.

I looked with both sets of grandparents and didn’t find this young boy. So where was he living? I also did a image by image of the 41 pages of the 1940 census where I located that Evelyn B. Hall, mentioned above.  I found no Robert W. Hall listed.  No matter what spellings I used.

After 1940 we get into a time when records are not as easy to come by.  We don’t have the 1950 census yet and many vital records are restricted due to people still assumed to be living.

In searching city directories I have located several with Evelyn and her second husband, Harold E. Ray.  They were listed at the same residence in 1945, in San Diego.  Can we assume they were married?  Probably back then, yes. I don't have a marriage record for this couple yet either. 

Here are Evelyn and her husband Harold Ray in the 1967 San Diego city directory.

And here they are in the 1971 San Diego city directory, the year before her death.  Her obituary in Feb 1972 gives her address as 5521 Taft.

Here is the obituary for Evelyn (Mrs. Harold E. Ray).  She and Harold (he died in 1983) are buried at El Camino Memorial Park, San Diego, California.  You may visit their memorials here; Harold #213805315 and Evelyn #213805342

From the city directories to my locating her obituary and burial place, that would be all I can learn about Alice Evelyn Bullock Hall Ray.  At least at this time.

If anyone reading this has any additional information I would certainly welcome it. 

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF  INTEREST

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks–Week #9–Robert Walton Hall–1907-1987–My husband’s uncle–Part 1

ROBERT HALL HANDCUFFED IN CONSCRIPTION EFFORT DURING ALPINE FIRE – October 1929

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ The obituary for my paternal 2nd great grandfather, Horace H. Thorp (1836-1907) - Is ALL the information correct?

Spokane Chronicle, column 5, page 3, 22 Feb 1907

Transcription of this obituary:

Horace H. Thorpe, aged 71, died this morning at his residence at 01415 Ash street.  He leaves a brother, Monson Thorpe, residing in this city and three sons, Leo, Damon and Jay Thorpe.  The arrangements for the funeral will be made later.

Horace Henry Thorp is an ancestor that I have been researching for many years.  Just when you think you won’t find another piece of information, something pops up.  You wonder why you haven’t found it before, but are happy to have it.

Here is how I descend from Horace H. Thorp and Catherine C. Dorsey (2nd great grandparents)

Mae Eve Thorp & William V. Gould (great grandparents)

Harry Whipple Gould & Marie Wallace Lindsay (grandparents)

Harry Norman Gould & Patricia Ann Milne (parents)

I was poking around on Ancestry today, you know, kind of not knowing what I wanted to do.  I looked at my hints and saw one for Horace.  It was an obituary on newspapers.com.  I went right to my Legacy database, thinking I surely have this obituary.  WHAT?!  No, I don’t.

There it was in the Spokane Chronicle, dated the day of his death.  I knew he was living in Spokane, Washington at the time of his death because I have his death register and death certificate.  I also knew his address at that time was the same one listed in this obituary, 01415 Ash, Spokane, Washington, as stated on his death certificate and the death register.  His brother’s name is Monson Thorp(e) as stated in the obituary.  And, he was 71 years old when he died.

Those are all perfect matches to my Horace.

Where it goes wrong is with the listed names of his sons.  I immediately noticed names that I recognize…..but not as Horace’s sons.  The 3 sons listed in this obituary are Lee, Damon & Jay.  These are Horace’s nephews.  They are the 3 sons of his brother Monson Thorp, Jr. 

Horace’s sons are Vincent F. (1866-1910), Horace H., Jr. (1868-1900), Stephen (1875-?), George S. (1876-1933) and William (1879-1881).

TIP:  This is a perfect example of why we cannot take one piece of information and say that it is conclusive evidence.  How many of us have seen incorrect information on birth, marriage and death certificates, headstones, obituaries and other records?  ALWAYS try to find at least 3 pieces of evidence for any “fact” about your ancestor.

And, by way of example.  Here is an Event list for Horace Thorp, from my Legacy database.  As you can see, I already had LOTS of information about him.  The obituary is my 39th event for his life.

CLICK ON THIS IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT

What mistakes have you located in your ancestor’s records?  I’d love to hear about them.

If you are related to anyone mentioned in this blog, please contact me.  I’d love to exchange information.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS- Week 13 ~ A fire at the Witchell shoe factory 16 Oct 1900 in Detroit–Horace Thorp, my 2nd great grandfather mentioned in an article

MYSTERY MONDAY - WHO'S YOUR DADDY? Brick Walls Post #4 - Catherine Dorsey Thorp about 1842-1898 (Horace’s wife)  I still cannot find information on her parents & family

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ Hospital Register for Deaths of Volunteers in the Civil War–J.W. Frampton died 1864

I’ve located a Civil War hospital record for J. W. Frampton.  This record was located on Ancestry.com U.S., Registers of Deaths of Volunteers, 1861-1865  I’ve not seen these hospital registers before.  I was actually searching for records of another Frampton ancestor when I saw this one.



This record is indexed as J. H. Frampton.  I believe in looking at this record, and comparing the “H” and “W” written on it, that this is J.W. Frampton.

Name: J H Frampton
Death Date: 6 Jun 1864
Death Place: 2 Corps Field Hospital
Enlistment State: Pennsylvania
Rank: Private
Company: I
Regiment: 84 Penn Inft
Box Number: 49

Here is John's headstone from FindAGrave #40243488

Headstone for John W. Frampton and his brother Isaac - used with permission from Caz who placed the image on FindAGrave

This man died of a gunshot wound.  I have Framptons who originated in Pennsylvania and later moved to Ohio and Virginia/West Virginia.  Is this young man one of them?  At this point I don’t know.  Further research is needed.
 
Have you seen these hospital records before?  It seems like I’m always turning up new records.  Think how many are online that we don’t know about. Will we ever see them all?  I doubt it.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ My Dad’s World War II Draft Registration Card–1940, Detroit, Michigan

My Dad was born on the last day of 1912.  I had always wondered why I couldn’t locate a World War II Draft Registration card for him.  I thought they had all been put online.  After all, I found the registration cards for my grandfather’s, uncles etc.

 

It turns out that all the images for this record set were not online.  Who knew?  Randy Seaver wrote about this in his Genea-Musings blog.

Off I went to see if I could find this record for my Dad.  Sure enough, there it was. U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 - Harry Norman Gould

This record gives me a little more information about my Dad and his first wife, Elaine.  The address listed here, 18286 Ferguson, Detroit, Michigan, is different than the address listed in the 1940 census.  The date of this registration is 16 Oct 1940.  The 1940 census is dated 16 Apr 1940 and this couple is living at 12892 Faust Ave., Detroit, Michigan.  They are said to have been at that address in 1935, as well.  So, between April & October 1940, they had moved.

  

What information is available on this record?

Serial Number 3106, Order Number 1217

Harry Norman Gould

18286 Ferguson, Detroit, Wayne, Mich.

Telephone VE 5-7622

Age 27 years

Place of birth – Detroit, Mich.

Date of birth – 12-31-12

Country of citizenship – U.S.

Name of person who will always know your address – Mrs. Elaine Gertrude Gould, wife

Address of that person – 18286 Ferguson, Detroit, Wayne, Michgan

Employer’s name – Wayne County Auditors

Place of employment – County Bldg., Detroit, Wayne, Mich.

Race – white

Height – 6’ 1 1/2”

Weight – 183

Eyes – Blue

Hair – Brown

Complexion – light

Scars – None

If I didn’t already know my Dad’s physical description, this is certainly a wonderful source.

Here is a screenshot courtesy of Google Maps showing the home at 18286 Ferguson.  I wonder what it looked like in 1940?

  

I enjoy collecting signatures from as many ancestors as possible.  I already have my Dad’s from a later record.  How much had it changed over the years?

Left signature from 1940 and right from 1971

What interesting or unknown information have you found in the various draft card registration files?

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ At last! A naturalization record for someone in my tree–Bertha Klinoweit Redcap (1898–1934)

The index card for Bertha Redcap's naturalization record

Funny how things work sometimes.  I had lunch with a friend just last Sunday.  As we were talking, I, of course, was talking about my family tree and genealogy etc.  This friend isn’t a genealogist, but she was kind enough to listen to me.  I didn’t go on too long.  LOL!

One thing I mentioned was that in all my 17+ years of researching, I had yet to find a naturalization record for any of my ancestors. 

Given that 4 of my 8 great grandparents came here mid to late 1800’s, from Scotland and England, you’d think I would have found one already.  They did state in the 1900 census that they were naturalized.  And all of them were living in Detroit, Michigan. 

I might not have located any of their records….yet, but I have located one.  Not a blood relative, but it is a record from Detroit, so I’m happy to know they exist.

The record I have located is for my paternal granduncle’s wife’s brother’s wife.  Yes, that’s stretching it a bit.  My granduncle Roy Gould married a lady named Emma Redcap and this naturalization record is associated with that family.

Certificate of Arrival for Bertha Klinoweit, 3 Apr 1913

Bertha Klinoweit arrived in the U.S. on 3 Apr 1913, according to her Certificate of Arrival for Naturalization Purposes.  She would have been a young girl of 14 years old at the time.  This first page of the paperwork states that she arrived on the President Grant.  I’ll be looking for a passenger list with her name and will share it with you in a later post.

HERE’S THE NEXT PAGE OF THE NATURALIZATION RECORD

YOU CAN CLICK ON ANY OF THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

On this form we learn that she calls herself Mrs. Bertha REDCAP.  This gives her address in Detroit, her occupation and her date of birth – 22 Jul 1898.  Best of all it gives her location of birth in Germany as Sanseitschen.  This verifies her arrival in New York on 3 Apr 1913 on the U.S.S. President Grant.  This page also lists her husband, Charles, his date of birth and place and the date of their marriage as 15 Aug 1926.  Doesn't get much better than that for genealogical information.

Bertha signed the page on 10 Nov 1927 and one of the witnesses was my granduncle’s wife, Emma GOULD.  Emma also signed the form and now I have both of their signatures (click here to see the  other family signatures I've collected)

HERE IS THE LAST PAGE OF BERTHA’S NATURALIZATION PAPERS

On this page we see that Bertha declared an oath of allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and denounced the German Reich. She signed this page as well.

The court date is given as 13 Feb 1928 and her Certificate of Naturalization No. is 2728882.

I expect that Bertha was quite proud on the day she took her oath and became a U.S. citizen.

Bertha & Charles had two sons, Edward Charles, born in 1929 and Richard Robert, born 1931.

Sadly, Bertha died at the young age of 36 years, on 24 Nov 1934.  She never got to see her little boys grow up.  The cause of death was listed as Edema of brain – pulmonary thrombosis/fatty pancreas and liver.

Have you located naturalization records for any of your ancestors?  If so, I’d love to hear about them.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ Have I actually located the marriage record for my paternal great grandparents, William V. Gould & May E. Thorp? What do you think?

We all have them.  Those records that we “KNOW” should be easily located, but they elude us still.  We check again and again in all the places we think the record could or should be.  To no avail.

Such is the case of the marriage of my paternal great grandparents, William Val Gould and May (also known as Mary) Eve Thorp.  According to the 1900 census they had been married 19 years.  According to the 1910 census they had been married 29 years.  Doing the math on either of those puts the marriage in about 1881.

 

The first of the 6 children I have recorded for them was born in August 1884.  However, according to the 1900 and 1910 census, May was the mother of 7 children with 6 still living.  Each of those census records indicates a child that was deceased. 

Was there a child born to this couple between 1881 and 1884?  I’m still looking.

But, back to their marriage record.  May/Mary Eve Thorp was born in Oswego, New York 4 Apr 1862.  Her family moved to Detroit, Michigan when she was 2-3 years old.  William Val Gould was born 31 Aug 1859 in Armada, Michigan, (just north of Detroit) where he lived til his early teens.  His family then moved to Detroit.

By the year 1881 May was 19 years old and William was 22 years old.  Both sets of their parents were living in Detroit at that time, as were all of May’s siblings.  William had no living siblings.

 

Where would you look for a marriage record?  Michigan, right?  Or, from previous experience with my family, perhaps just across the river in Ontario, Canada.  Maybe even in northern Ohio?

 

Having done sweeping searches on many occasions I had come to the conclusion that I might never locate a record for this marriage.

However, we are genealogists and one thing we don't do is give up.

Fast forward to earlier this week.  I’m researching another ancestor and in the process, re reading my research notes.  Included in those notes was a copy of an email request I had sent to someone asking if they could help with 2 records I was looking for.  I date all of my research notes and this was from March 2017.  The second record was one for a marriage record in ILLINOIS that listed a May E. Thorp, age 19 marrying on 12 Oct 1881.  The page was said to be damaged and no groom’s name was listed.  There is a microfilm number and an image number listed.

Name  groom’s name not given 
Event Type    Marriage
Event Date    12 Oct 1881
Event Place    Jackson, Illinois, United States
Event Place (Original)    Jackson County, Illinois
Gender    Male
Spouse's Name    May E. Thorp
Spouse's Gender    Female
Note    Pr Name: pg cut off;
GS Film Number    000968928
Digital Folder Number   004708066
Image Number    00787

WHY IN THE WORLD DID I NOT LOOK FOR THAT FILM ON FAMILY SEARCH AT THAT TIME?  I have no good answer to that question, but I’ve had many slap your forehead moments.  This was definitely one of them.

I went right over to Family Search, to the catalog and entered that microfilm number.  Once I got to the film I entered 787 in the space for image/page number and up came an image.

I scrolled through all 800+ images and you know what?  There was only ONE that was torn.  Of course it was the image I was interested in.

Looking at this screen shot of some of the images, which one do you think is the one I'm interested in? 

Yup, the torn one in row 3.   

(You can click on any image in this post to enlarge it and zoom in)

Here it is in original form.  Not a pretty image, that’s for sure.  But, it is readable when I zoom in…..at least most of the names are.  You just hope you don’t have a name in that lower left corner, right?

That wasn’t how my luck was going to go today.  I downloaded, cropped and cleaned up the image.  However, no amount of cleanup can replace the missing names.

HERE IS THE CLEANED UP IMAGE, ANNOTATED

There in the lower left you can see the name of the woman – May E. Thorp, age 19.  No man’s name can be seen at all due to the damage on the page.

A close up of that section reveals the name May E. Thorp and her age, 19

This is encouraging to me though.  My May E. Thorp would have been 19 in 1881.  Another thing is the spelling of the Thorp name.  This line of the family spelled it without an “e” at the end.  Was this marriage in Sep or a later month?

 

According to the index I’ve copied directly from the Family Search page (see it above), the date is 12 Oct 1881.  

• My question to you is, how do they know that exact date, if no date can be seen?  
• Is there another record of this marriage somewhere in Jackson County, Illinois?  This is only a register.  Shouldn't there be a license or certificate or some other formal record of this marriage?

I will be at the Family History Library for Rootstech in February of this year and will follow up on Illinois marriage records.

What would you conclude from this?  Is this the marriage record for my paternal great grandparents?  Will I ever know for sure?  Or, is this one of the cases where we come to a conclusion based on evidence we have gathered, even though we might not have all the pieces?

My questions and thoughts…..

• If this is their marriage, why did they go to Illinois?  They were both of age so no parental consent was needed.  Jackson County, Illinois is not on the list of Gretna Green locations.
• Did they have friends or someone in the family in Illinois?  I’m not aware of any close family who lived there at that time.
• Did they elope just to avoid having an official wedding?
• Were there divisions in the family or families that caused them to go out of state?
• Were they going to honeymoon in the state and decided to marry there?

Those are some of my questions.  I’d love to have your input on the matter.

This couple stayed married until William’s death in 1924.  May lived for 22 years after him but never remarried.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

MYSTERY MONDAY - WHO'S YOUR DADDY? Brick Walls Post #4 - Catherine Dorsey Thorp about 1842-1898

WHAT I LEARNED FROM ONE SINGLE PAGE OF A CIVIL WAR PENSION FILE–1864 –Edith E. Thorp widow of Walter B. Thorp

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ The 6th child of Rev. George Hall & his wife Almira–Meet Ellen M. Hall

We all have those missing children.  We have census records or death records or some other piece of information that tells us that a couple had 6 children.  BUT, we have only identified 5 of them.

This was the case for Rev. George Hall (1804-1878) and his wife, Almira Rosette (1806-1858).  My first indication that I was missing a child, was the obituary for Rev. George Hall, which stated he and Almira had 6 children.  Since they married in 1834 I would have access to the 1840, 1850, 1860 and 1870 census records, prior to his death in 1878.

How did I finally figure out that the missing child was Ellen M. Hall?  

From a newspapers.com link on Ancestry.  As you know they have recently added those obituary links from the newspapers.com website.  I already have a subscription and use the site all the time.  However, not knowing the name of the missing child, there was no way to search for her. 

Up popped a link to the obituary for Cornelia Hall Smith, who happens to be one of the 5 children of Rev. George Hall & Almira Rosette.  I began looking at other records for Cornelia and found that Ellen Hall was living with her for most of her life.

Since this 6th child, Ellen, was born in Oct. 1850, she was not enumerated in the 1850 census, which took place in August.  I have never…..yet, been able to locate the 1860 census for Rev. Hall & his family.  I know that Almira died in Sept 1858 in New York. Reverend Hall remarried on 6 Oct 1859 to Mary A. Bolles, in Jersey City, New Jersey.  Thus far, that 1860 census eludes me and that’s where I would have probably located the 6th child, Ellen, assuming she was living with them.

By the time of the 1870 census, Rev. Hall and his wife, Mary were living in Fayette, Jefferson, Mississippi and his 23 year old daughter, Emily was living with them.  Ellen would have been 19 or 20 years old at that time and must have already left the family home, since she isn't enumerated with them.

However, I have located her.  Living with her sister Cornelia and husband Almond A. Smith and their children, in Irvington, Kossuth, Iowa. I’m not quite sure how I missed this when I originally found this census record.  I had recorded it and saved it to my digital files, but I had not investigated who the Ellen Hall, domestic servant, was who was living with this family. 

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

1870 census

I have to tell you that writing my blog posts nearly always leads to discoveries.  In this particular case, I thought I’d try, once again, to locate Rev. George Hall and his wife Mary in the 1860 census.  Young Ellen would have only been about 10 at that time and I figured she should be living with them.  Now that I had her name, I could use that in my 1860 specific search for the family.

WELL…….guess what?  I have located Ellen, age 9, but not living with her father, George and stepmother.  She is again, found living with her sister, Cornelia and husband Almond Smith and the Smith family in the 1860 census in Iowa.

1860 census

Now I’m curious where I’ll find Ellen in the 1880 census.  Was she still living with her sister Cornelia?

Sure enough, I’ve located Ellen in the 1880 census living with the Smith family and listed as a boarder.

Cropped portion from 1880 census

Finally, I have a completed family for this couple.

There was no mention of Ellen having an occupation, either in the census records or in her obituary.  I don’t know what her life was like.  I do know it was too short, as she died at age 42 on 11 Oct 1893.

Here is her obituary and my transcription of it.

The Algona Republican, Iowa - 18 Oct 1835, page 5

Transcription of Ellen's obituary

The grim reaper of Death, has again thrust in his sickle and garnered in his harvest.  On last Wednesday afternoon Miss Ellen M. Hall of Irvington, passed peacefully away to that bourne from whence no traveler returns.  Her death was very sudden and totally unexpected, as she was around as usual, but was found in an unconscious condition from which she never rallied, and died a few hours after being found.  Her death was due to heart failure.  The funeral services were held Friday at 2 p.m., at the residence of her sister Mrs. C.B. Smith, where she had made her home for years.  The service was conducted by Rev. Davidson, and the remains were taken to the Irvington cemetery for interment.

The deceased was born in Petersborough, Maidson county, N.Y., November 18, 1850, and she removed to this county with Mr. A.A. Smith's family in the year 1869, and has since resided here.  Her death removed another of the early settlers, and although but a little more than 42 years of age, the greater share of her life was spent in this county.  Her relatives have the sympathy of their many friends in their bereavement.
CARD OF THANKS
We wish to tender our sincere thanks to the friends who so kindly assisted us during the illness and subsequent death of our beloved sister and aunt, Miss Ellen M. Hall.
Mrs. C. B. Smith and Family

You can visit Ellen’s memorial on FindAGrave here #204017832

If you have any information to share about Ellen or her family, I’d love to hear from you.

 

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ The obituaries for both sons of my Granduncle, William “Bill” Lindsay–Let’s talk about William Allen Lindsay and Robert Richard Lindsay

My grandmother, Marie Wallace Lindsay had 3 known siblings; Ellen W. Lindsay (1887-1927), Bessie Lindsay (1892-1971) and William “Bill” Lindsay (1894-1976).  There was probably another sibling, based on census and divorce records stating there were 5 children in the family.  However, I’ve only ever found names of 4. Those four are the children of William Wallace Lindsay and Elizabeth Fitzcharles.

I’ve written a lot about my Lindsay family because it’s my paternal grandmother’s line and because I keep finding more information.

Today let’s concentrate on my Granduncle, Bill Lindsay’s two sons.

 

William Allen Lindsay and Robert Richard Lindsay were Uncle Bills’ sons by the 2nd of his four wives, Vera Violet Allen.  They married in 1919 and divorced in 1928.

 

I never heard any talk about these nephews of my grandmother.  Perhaps I was too young to listen to anything being said, or perhaps, after the divorce when the children were young, they never saw them again? I do know that Vera & the boys moved to Massachusetts, from Detroit, and it appears that’s where the two boys stayed.

 

I’m proud to say that these young men, William & Robert are my 1st cousins, once removed.  Both of them served during World War II.  I found this out when I located their obituaries on newspapers.com just a couple of days ago.

Here is my transcription of Robert Richard Lindsay’s obituary, published in The Berkshire Eagle 22 Feb 2000, page 8

Robert R. Lindsay, 73, World War II veteran
LEE, BERKSHIRE Co., MA - Mr. Robert R. Lindsay, 73, of 197 East Center St. died yesterday at Berkshire Medical Center. 
Born in Athol on Sep 30, 1926, son of William and Vera Allen Lindsay, he moved to Lee at the age of 12 and attended local schools including Lee High. 
He served in the Army during World War II. 
After his military service, Mr. Lindsay was employed by GE for more than 40 years. He retired in 1988. 
He was a communicant of St. Mary;s Church. 
His wife, the former Helen M. Vecchia, whom he married Nov 14, 1953, died Jan 27, 1995. 
He leaves two sons, Richard R. Lindsay of Lee and Scott W. Lindsay of Greenville, SC.; two brothers, William Lindsay and Lawrence Aiken, both of Pittsfield, and two grandchildren.  

FUNERAL NOTICE - Included survivors are his loving grandchildren, Zachary R. and Alexander J. Lindsay, and devoted daughter-in-law, Carla Lindsay, all of Lee.  The funeral will be Thursday at 11:15 from KELLY FUNERAL HOME in Lee, with a Liturgy of Christian Burial at noon at St. Mary's Church celebrated by the Rev. David M. Darcy, associate pastor.  Burial will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery. Visiting hours at the funeral home will be Wednesday from 4 to 7.  In lieu of flowers, friends wishing may make donations to St. Mary's School Library in care of Kelly Funeral Home, 3 Main st., Lee, MA 01238.

Here is my transcription of William Allen Lindsay’s obituary – published in The Berkshire Eagle, 10 May 2002, page 10

William A. Lindsay, 77, World War II veteran
PITTSFIELD - William A. Lindsay, 77 of 11 Wahcohan Heights died Thursday at the Center for Optimum Care, where he had resided since Jun 2000.
Born in Detroit on Oct. 31, 1924, son of William and Vera Allen Lindsay, he attended schools in Lee and Waltham.
An Army veteran of World War II, he was assigned to the 343rd Military Police Escort Guard Company.
He was employed as a truck driver by Berkshire Gravel for 30 years and retired in 1973.  Previously, he had worked for the William and Newton construction companies.
Mr. Lindsay was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 448 and a 15 year volunteer at the Neighborhood Health Center.  He was a citizens band radio oerator and enjoyed country western music.
He and his wife, the former Edith A. Sidebottom Plude, would have celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary May 29.
Besides his wife, he leaves a stepson, William L. Plude of Pittsfield; two stepdaughters, Sheila M. Groat and Kathleen J. Farrar, both of Pittsfield; a brother, Lawrence Aiken of Pittsfield, 10 grandchilden and 11 great grandchildren.

FUNERAL NOTICE - The funeral for William Allen Lindsay, who died Thursday, May 9, 2002, will be Saturday, May 11 at 10 from Dery Funeral Home, with Rev. William D. Furey, pastor of Berkshire Union Chapel, officiating.  Burial will follow in Fairmount Cemetery in Lee.  Calling hours at the funeral home will be Saturday from 9 until the time of the service.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one's choice in care of the funeral home, 54 Bradford St., Pittsfield, MA 01201.

Not only did I learn of the brother’s service in World War II from these obituaries, I also learned they have another brother Laurence Aiken.  Since their mother, Vera, was married to a man named Laurence Aiken, after her divorce from William Lindsay, this must have been their child and he would be a half brother to the two men. More research to do.

If you are related to anyone mentioned in this post, please contact me.  I’m sure there must be cousins out there.  Do any of you have photos of these two men or their families?  I’d love to see them.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

WEDDING WEDNESDAY – William “Bill” Lindsay & his many wives – the story of my Granduncle Bill

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week #1 – Vera Violet Allen 1902-1991 – wife of my granduncle

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS of a Different Kind

Normally, when I write about Friday Finds, they include various documents I have located, or perhaps even a photo of a particular ancestor.
 
This week my find was located on the Detroit Historical Society’s Facebook page. I happened to be scrolling through my FB news feed and came across an item that related to my birthday.

What I saw was a photo taken on my birthday, March 13th, in the year 1903 in Detroit, where I was born.  I remember Gratiot Ave. as a place my parents and grandparents talked about, along with Woodward Ave., Grand River and all the Mile roads in Detroit.
  
Here’s the image, used with the gracious permission of the Detroit Historical Society.  I’ve darkened it just a little so it would show up better.



The caption for the image reads as follows:

On March 13, 1903, this scene was captured on McDougall Avenue, just north of Gratiot Avenue and looking north. St. Philip's Mission Church is visible adjacent to a plank sidewalk along with many residences.

Have you found items like this from your place of birth or where you grew up?

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ Henry A. Hart Killed By A Train–His story

I’ve been doing more research on my Hart line this past week.  They are a direct paternal line for me and some possible DNA matches have me going back to this line and doing more research.

You know how it goes.  You begin looking at various websites and run across something that grabs your interest.  In this case it was a newspaper article  located on the website GenealogyBank with the title Henry A. Hart Is Killed by Train.

Here’s the article.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)


Henry was 64 years old and was married at the time, to Marian Brewster Hart.

Of course I had to learn more about Henry.

Henry A. Hart is my half 1st cousin 3 times removed.  He was the son of Hiram Harper Hart and Clarissa Curtis.  Henry A. Hart was born (according to his death certificate) on 5 Oct 1854 in Michigan.  He was the oldest of 5 known children of Hiram and Clarissa.  I expect he was named after his grandfather, Henry Hart (ca 1785-1879). 

This has been a tough family to trace and much of the information I began with came from an unverified cousin, named Judy.  While this information was very helpful and gave me a great start, there were no sources attached.  I’ve been hunting for sources every since.

Henry’s story spoke to me.  As I found out more about him, I discovered that he jumped from job to job.  All of them blue collar.  He never moved away from Grand Rapids, Michigan. At least not that I could find.  I didn’t locate any children born to Henry & either of his wives. He did have family in the area though.

Henry was first married to Mattie E. Arnold on 27 Dec. 1889 in Corunna, Shiawassee, Michigan.
  





I could not locate Henry & Mattie either together or by themselves on the 1900 census.  However, I did locate their divorce record from 8 Jul 1902.  He filed for divorce from Mattie for the reason of “desertion” and it was granted.  I wonder what happened with this couple?  I have not located any further records of Mattie.

Source: Michigan, Divorce Records, 1897-1952



In 1903 I located Henry in the Grand Rapids city directory.  He is working as an Elevator Operator.

On 13 Aug 1904, Henry married Marian Brewster Kelly in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan.




The following year, 1905, he is still an Elevator Operator.  

Then in 1907 I find him working as a Sashman for P M R R (a railroad company).  I conducted a search for the definition of this occupation for the railroad and didn’t find it listed.  For a list of railroad occupation you can click here.

In 1910 Henry is working at another occupation, Cabman for a steam railroad.
By 1912, Henry has yet another occupation, Car Repair.
In 1913 Henry is a Carpenter.
In 1914 he is a Yardman.
In 1916 he is listed as a Laborer.
In 1918 he is an Oiler for Bissell’s. (Remember the Bissell sweepers?)
In 1919, the year of his death, he is listed as an Employee for Bissell’s.

What comes to mind as you read all these different jobs from year to year?  I wonder…..

• Why so many jobs? 
• Why so many different occupations? 
• Did Henry voluntarily change jobs or was he “let go?”  Was Henry a drinker?  Was he a fighter? 
• Was he ill with an issue that kept him from showing up regularly? 
• Or was he just a guy who was always looking for the next best thing? 
• Was he a dreamer?

So many unanswered questions.

The next thing we know, Henry was walking home on the railroad tracks and gets hit and killed by a train.  Why didn’t he hear or see the train? 



I had wondered what P M RR stood for from the 1907 city directory listing for Henry.  This death notice gives me the answer, Pere Marquette Railroad.

Here is Henry’s death certificate.



One of the first things I look for on a death certificate, is the informant.  Knowing that, can help us to determine how accurate the information might be. In this case Henry’s brother, Arthur Hart was the informant.

Henry’s wife, Marian, died just four years later on 2 Aug 1923 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  There is no image available for her death certificate, although it should be available on both Family Search and Seeking Michigan.  I have also not been able to locate any obituary for her.

Henry and Marian are buried at Fairplains Cemetery, located at 2056 Diamond Rd., N.E. in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

You can visit their FindAGrave Memorials here:  Henry #21057459 and Marian #21057460.

Source for the various years and occupations is the Ancestry.com U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.  Those city directories can reveal a lot of information about your ancestor and family members in a certain time and place.

Please take a look at the two blog posts I’ve written about using City Directories in your research.

CITY DIRECTORIES - A Treasure Trove of Genealogical Information

TUESDAY'S TIP - Stree Guide Included in City Directories - Have You Used This Handy Resource?

I wonder if one day I’ll find a family member who has a picture of Henry A. Hart?
 
Most of our ancestors didn’t live exciting or famous lives, but just tried to make it from day to day.  Much like all of us.

If you think you might be related to anyone mentioned in this blog post, please contact me.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION