Finding Gertie During the past week I helped my cousin Sherry to find information on her grandmother's aunt Gertrude Alice Ridley, born in Maine about 1875. It was a fun quest! Bill ... Grandma Tess wrote on the back of this photo that it is her and "Aunt Gertie," who I believe is Gertrude Alice Ridley, Pearson Hodgson's wife. According to the note, Aunt Gertie had red hair and was "lots of fun." I know Gertrude was born in Maine in 1875 and died in California, but I haven't found anything else about her. Have you? Sincerely, Sherry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi Sherry, Thanks for the photo! I have been looking at the 1900 census for Lopez Precinct No. 2. It does say Gertie is born in Maine to parents born in Maine... http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#givenName=Pearson&searchType=close&surname=Hodgson&p=recordResults&placeId=58&alivePlaceLoc1=Washington%2C%20United%20States Here is Pierson Hodgson and his brother Norman in the Graham family, but listed as Grahams. [Their father had died and William Graham married their mother, Mary Wilson.] 1880 United States Census Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace William GRAHAM Self M Male W 38 CANADA Farmer IRELAND IRELAND Mary GRAHAM Wife M Female W 36 CANEDA Keeping House CANEDA CANEDA Pierson GRAHAM Son S Male W 13 CANEDA CAN CAN Norman P GRAHAM Son S Male W 11 CANADA CANEDA CANEDA John GRAHAM Son S Male W 8 IOWA CANEDA CANEDA William GRAHAM Son S Male W 2 IOWA CANEDA CANEDA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source Information: Census Place Lopez Island, San Juan, Washington Family History Library Film 1255397 NA Film Number T9-1397 Page Number 4D Yeah! The 1920 census for King county, Washington lists her as the wife of T P Hodgson and lists her father as Frank Ridley and says she was born in Maine. I can't bring up that page image from home. Maybe in a FHC? http://www.google.ca/search?num=100&hl=en&newwindow=1&rlz=1I7DACA_en&q=washington+vital+records+online&aq=0&aqi=g3&aql=&oq=Washington+%22vital+records%22&gs_rfai= [Here is Gertie's marriage.] Groom Last Name Groom First Name Bride Last Name Bride First Name Recording Year Marriage Year County Hodgson Thomas P Ridley Gertrude A 1894 King Hodgson Thomas Pierson Ridley Gertrude A 1894 King So it appears that the marriage return would have the most complete information. Good luck in your search! Bill ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Date: 05/08/2010 Sherry, I found the 1910 census online at http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/ViewMedia.aspx I have attached an image of part of the page. Gertie's father Frank W. Ridley is living with them. Bill ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Date: 05/08/2010 Sherry, I just found her father in the 1880 census! It includes a mother and a sister too! 1880 United States Census Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace Frank W. RIDLEY Self M Male W 30 ME Sailor ME ME Evelyn M. RIDLEY Wife M Female W 29 ME Keeping House ME ME Allie G. RIDLEY Dau S Female W 4 ME ME ME Grace P. RIDLEY Dau S Female W 10M ME ME ME -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source Information: Census Place Stockton, Waldo, Maine Family History Library Film 1254489 NA Film Number T9-0489 Page Number 487A Bill ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bill, you are wonderful. It looks like you've identified grandma's "Aunt Gertie." Many thanks. Sherry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sherry, It occurred to me later that you might have trouble accepting "Allie G. RIDLEY" as "Gertrude Alice Ridley", but it looks like you have run into the switching of first and middle names before. (Goodness knows my relatives did it often enough.) My wife's grandmother Alice Maud May Simpson was known to her friends as "Allie", so I could immediately recognize that name... I found Frank as a child with his parents on Ancestry.com! 1860 United States Federal Census Name: Frank W Ridley Age in 1860: 10 Birth Year: abt 1850 Birthplace: Maine Home in 1860: Searsport, Waldo, Maine Gender: Male Post Office: Searsport Household Members: Name Age Wm L Ridley 35 Persis B Ridley 30 Frank W Ridley 10 Celia E Ridley 4 [His father was also a sailor. Both parents and sister are also born in Maine.] And 1850 United States Federal Census Name: William Ridley Age: 26 Estimated birth year: abt 1824 Birth Place: Maine Gender: Male Home in 1850 (City,County,State): Prospect, Waldo, Maine Family Number: 26 Household Members: Name Age William Ridley 26 Persis B Ridley 20 William F Ridley 0 [Note that they switched Frank's first and given names too!] Good luck in your research! Bill ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Bill, I actually found that census report as well, and decided that Allie G was in fact Gertrude. You're right, people used their middle name much more frequently in the past than they do now. That didn't throw me. Thank you for all your detective work - and willingness to teach. I'm circulating another photo of my gran as a child ... Maybe I'll finally learn who the other little girl in this second photo is. I'll share and tell you what I finally decide later. My guess is that since my grandmother was born in 1903 and had no siblings, the photo must have been taken on Lopez with one of Jennie's girls, either Mary or Gertrude/Lottie. Right now I'm leaning toward the younger girl, Gertrude. They used to like those hair bows, didn't they? ... Sherry