Who was Mrs. Nedd?

Sometimes my curiosity lures me down rabbit holes, you might say. A name pops up in a letter: “Mrs. Nedd,” Aunt Neville’s employer and landlady in Denver. “I like the lady we work for,” Neville had written.1 Who was this lady? I had to find out.

The 1940 census divulges a lot: Gay Nedd, age 49, was manager of a guesthouse in Denver, Colorado. Her daughter-in-law, Margaret Nedd, age 30, was her assistant, and her only child Louis Nedd, age 31, worked as a salesman for an auto retail supplier. Margaret and Louis had two sons: nine-year-old Louis H. and five-year-old William. Gay had an eighth grade education. Twenty-two guests lived in the house—two married couples, one divorced woman, and the rest singles—eleven men and eleven women. Divorced, Gay had married the first time at age 16 and had been married more than once.2 Who were her husbands? Five years earlier, Gay had been living in Huston, Texas. Why had she come to Denver?

Gay was born Merta Gaynelle Moritz in Superior, Nebraska, on 15 September 1890 to William H. Moritz, a “house carpenter,” and Minnie Belinda (née Ray) Moritz,3 who had migrated to Nebraska from Pennsylvania. Gaynelle had two brothers: Carl Ray, three years older, and Ralph H., seven years younger. In 1900, the family lived in Falls City, Richardson County, Nebraska’s farthest southeastern county.4

Seven years later when Gay married, the family lived in Omaha. At age 16 (she claimed she was 19), Gay was married 15 July 1907 to Earl Joseph Nedd, age 22. Gay and Earl ran off across the state of Iowa to Davenport, to get married,5 a destination wedding, you might say. 

Marriage record, Davenport, Iowa, Earl's portion

Marriage record, Gaynelle's portion

Tall and slender with black hair and grey eyes,6 Earl was a “travelingman,” an only child born in Nebraska, to Louis Joseph Nedd and Mabel Margaret King.7 The elder Nedd was involved in the real estate business in Omaha.8

The marriage lasted less than two years. Gay filed for divorce in January 1909 claiming cruelty and desertion.9 In 1910, she and her two-year-old son, Louis Joseph Nedd, named for his paternal grandfather, were living with Gay’s parents. She was designated a widow,10 but Earl Nedd was alive and well and living in Centralia, Lewis County, Washington. His marital status was divorced, and he was working as a “commercial traveler” for a packinghouse.11

Gaynelle's life gets more intriguing as it goes. Next week, second husband.

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1 Neville Troutman, Denver, Colorado, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 18 June 1939; tells about her work and activities in Denver; Family Letters CD, privately held by Z. T. Noble, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] Anderson, Indiana.

2 1940 U. S. census, Denver, Denver County, Colorado, population schedule, enumeration district 16-21, sheet 10-A, visit no. 135, Gay Nedd household; digital image Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com ; accessed 9 March 2017); NARA microfilm publication T-627, roll n/a.

3 Texas Death Certificates, 1903-1982, digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 March 2017) entry for Gaynelle M. Nedd, 20 Feb. 1975. Also, Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 20 March 2017), photograph, memorial # 82994747, Gaynell M. Moritz Nedd (1890 – 1975), Forest Park Cemetery, Houston, Harris County, Texas; gravestone photographed by “Moon Child.” 

4 1900 U. S. census, Falls City, Richardson County, Nebraska, population schedule, enumeration district [ED] 139, sheet 8-B, dwelling 177, family 182, William Moritz household, see Merta G. Moritz; digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 March 2017); NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 938.

5 Ibid.

6 “U. S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,” images Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 March 2017), card for Earl Joseph Nedd, serial number 145, Local Exemption Board, San Francisco County, California.

7 Scott County, Iowa, “Iowa Marriage Records, 1880-1937,” digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 March 2017); entry for Earl Joseph Nedd and Merta Gaynell Moritz, 15 July 1907. Also, Scott County, Iowa, “Iowa Select Marriages Index, 1758-1996, database Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 March 2017); entry for Earl Joseph Nedd and Merta Gaynell Moritz, 15 July 1907. This source gives Louis J. Nedd’s birth place as Granada, Mississippi, but numerous other sources cite Nebraska, including record of marriage to his second wife: “Washington, Marriage Records, 1854-2013,” digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 March 2017); entry for Earl J. Nedd and Mynie May Hoard, 25 Apr. 1910.

8 “Messrs. Hall and Stout. . .,” Omaha Daily Bee, 27 September 1905, p. 5, col. 4; Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9773885/louis_j_nedd_1/ : accessed 24 March 2017). Also, “Articles of Incorporation,” Omaha Daily Bee, 20 November 1887, p. 11, col. 7; Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9773903/louis_j_nedd_2/ : accessed 24 March 2017). Several other articles citing Louis J. Nedd and his business in Omaha can also be found by searching his name on Newpapers,com.

9 “Cruelty and Nonsupport,” Omaha Daily Bee, 8 January 1909, p. 5; Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9712962/nedd_divorce/ : accessed 22 March 2017).

10 1910 U. S. census, Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, population schedule, enumeration district [ED] 56, p. 9-A, dwelling 148, family 174, William Morritz household, see Gay Nedd; digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 March 2017); NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 844.

11 1910 U. S. census, Centralia, Lewis County, Washington, population schedule, enumeration district [ED] 133, p. 3-B, dwelling 66, family 72, Joseph M. Jones household, see Earl J. Nedd, lodger; digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 March 2017); NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 1666.

Neville Goes to Denver

Noon, 18 June 1939, Denver, Colorado

Neville, c. early 1930s.

Neville sat at a small table in her basement apartment writing a letter to her sister Virginia Troutman back home in Winside, Nebraska. She had been describing the drudgery of her work. There must be something good she could say. She paused and looked at her surroundings. The two basement rooms where she lived were adequate for her and her friend Jean. The bed was just the right firmness, not too hard, not too soft. Windows let in light and air from the street. She breathed the cool evening air wafting in from an open window. So nice! Oh, the stifling heat of Nebraska summer nights! She was glad to be away from that.1 But the windows were situated too high for her to see out. She hated that she was so short, the shortest one in the family. Pap always said she took after his mother that way.

Bored with their small town teaching jobs in Meadow Grove, Nebraska, Neville and Jean had taken off for Denver hoping for a change. Maybe they could get teaching jobs in Colorado, but so far nothing. To support themselves over the summer, they hired on as maids in a rooming house in downtown Denver.2

Neville had no complaints about her employer: “I like the lady we work for. She’s from Texas. Came here two years ago & started this boarding house [at 906 Grant Street]. It’s in one of the best parts of Denver. There are two swell hotels in the same block. They are the highest buildings here except for Daniels and Fishers Tower.”3 Neville's employer, Gay Nedd, a divorcée, had come to Denver with her son Louis, his wife Margaret and their two young sons. Margaret assisted her with the work. Louis had found a job as a salesman for an auto supplier.4 Today, Louis and Margaret and the boys had gone to the mountains for the day.5 Exploring Denver and driving to the mountains relieved Neville and Jean of the tedium of their work.

Oh, the work was such a bore! Neville hated it. First they had to get up at 6:30 a.m., too early! She and Jean helped Mrs. Nedd prepare and serve breakfast for twenty boarders. And, oh, those boarders! All “old maids & baches,” they thought they were “pumkins” [sic]. Neville had had enough of them. She had tried to talk Jean into going home, but her friend wanted to stay. 6

Going home meant teaching at Meadow Grove again, so maybe staying here was best for now. Virginia had written her about an open teaching position at Bloomfield, Nebraska, but she had called too late. If only she had called the day before, but she had been suffering from a terrible headache and couldn’t talk on the phone.  She considered going back to college: “I’d rather borrow money and go back to school than go back to M. G.” She wondered if her brother Verne would be coming home from Virginia: “If [he does,] let me know ‘cause I’m quitting this and coming home. How do you suppose he would like to come out after me? You could come along and we could drive up in the mountains.”7 Wouldn't that be fun! 

Neville’s financial situation was stable: “I sent and got my check,” she wrote. “I still have $100 dollars in Traveler’s checks. I bought me 3 uniforms @$1.50, a pair of sport oxfords $2.98, white with crepe rubber soles, 1 white apron .39 & a pair of black & white pumps. $3.98. I got stung on the pumps. I can’t wear them. I’m taking them back tomorrow.” The pumps made her right foot “awful sore” and hurt her “big toe & instep.”8

She signed her letter and added one more sentence: “P.S. Don’t say anything much about me coming home . . . but you never know I might walk in one of these days.”9

Neville did walk in before summer was over. She kept her teaching position at Meadow Grove for at least two more years. But she continued to explore her options.

 Sept. 1939: James, Virginia, Mary, Neville; back: Carl, Clint, Verne.

Neville with her grades 3-4 students, Meadow Grove 1940-41.

Neville, seated 2nd from left, with Meadow Grove teachers.

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1 Neville Troutman, Denver, Colorado, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 18 June 1939; tells about her work and activities in Denver; Family Letters CD, copy privately held by Z. T. Noble, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] Anderson, Indiana.

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.

4 1940 U. S. census, Denver, Denver County, Colorado, population schedule, enumeration district 16-21, sheet 10-A, visit no. 135, Gay Nedd household; digital image Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com ; accessed 9 March 2017); NARA microfilm publication T-627, roll n/a.

5 Neville Troutman, Denver, Colorado, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 18 June 1939.

6 Ibid.

7 Ibid.

8 Ibid.

9 Ibid.

Sisters Find Their Virginia Roots

When your imagination has soared listening to your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles tell stories of their childhood in Virginia, of mountain climbing and green valleys and rocks and streams; when your brother goes there to live and he writes you about his life in the green valley, you must grab the opportunity to go there to see for yourself.

This is what Neville and Virginia did. Their brother Verne had moved to Virginia in early 1937. In June, the sisters traveled to visit him, probably by train. Travelers customarily wore their Sunday best in those days, men in suits and women in dresses and heels, as did Neville and Virginia. They stayed through the month of July escaping Nebraska's hot, dry season to enjoy warm days and cool mountain nights in Smyth County. Neville was 26 and Virginia was 21.

Neville, Verne, and Virginia, c. 1937.

The sisters stayed in Marion at the home of their Uncle Jim, Aunt Susie, and cousin Frances Troutman.1 Their mother wrote motherly letters to them: worrying about why they hadn’t written, worrying that they might be sick. She hadn’t heard from Verne, either, and supposed that he was “too busy to write.” She worried that Verne was imposing on Clint’s niece Eula by boarding with her. With six family member and Verne, the house was too full, she thought. Verne ought to find his own place.2

James H. Troutman home in Marion, c. 1930s.

She reported the daily happenings. “Dad said to tell you,” she wrote, “that he was almost through laying by corn. They won’t start cutting small grain until next week.” The grasshoppers were “getting large and numerous,” she said, and were eating some of the small grain. They were hoping for rain to quell them. Her neighbors were canning, but her tomatoes and other vegetables were not quite ready yet.3 She hoped that the girls would get home in time to help cook for threshers.4 While Virginia saved letters from her mother, Mary did not save letters from Virginia, so we don’t know for certain what the sisters did while they were there, but we can guess.

Knowing Verne’s penchant for sightseeing, he probably took them to some of his favorite spots, such as Backbone Rock near Damascus, Virginia, and he surely took them to see the place where their father was raised in Rich Valley. They certainly drove over Walker Mountain to Marion and perhaps stopped at Hungry Mother State Park for a picnic. He certainly introduced them to his friends and maybe there was a party of two while they were there.

Backbone Rock, near Damascus, VA, c. 1937

Their soon-to-be, sister-in-law Ruth wrote them supposing they had “been to the capital city and [had] more than taken things in.”5 Whether she meant the capitol of Virginia of the capitol of the United States is not clear, nor is there any indication regarding either visit from any other letters.

Neville and Virginia returned home, hopefully in time to help their mother cook for threshers, and in the fall, Neville returned to her teaching position in Meadow Grove.

At Thanksgiving, Verne traveled home to Nebraska, and a family photo was taken. It must have been a warm Thanksgiving, for they’re not wearing coats.

Left to right: Irene Sahs (Verne’s Nebraska girlfriend), Mary (Waggoner) Troutman, “Aunt Jenny” Virginia (Totten) Troutman (sister-in-law to Mary and Clint), Unknown (behind Jenny’s head), Clint Troutman (peeking between Jenny and Dorothy), Dorothy (Fleer) Troutman, Virginia Troutman, James Troutman (maybe, peeking between Virginia and Neville), Neville Troutman holding Darrell, Carl Troutman, Verne Troutman, and Gary (Darrell and Gary belong to Carl and Dorothy).

Verne would go back to Virginia for a few more years where he would soon meet the love of his life.

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1 Mary Troutman, Winside, NE, to Virginia, Neville, and Verne Troutman, letter, 1 July 1937, newsy letter about activities at home: garden, canning, visits from friends, and so on; Family Letters; copy privately held by Z. T. Noble, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] Anderson, Indiana.. Also, Mary Troutman, Winside, NE, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 12 July 1937, newsy letter about activities at home, anticipating the return of her daughters. Letters are addressed to Virginia Troutman, c/o J. H. Troutman, Marion, Virginia, Family Letters, CD.

2 Mary Troutman, Winside, NE, to Virginia, Neville, and Verne Troutman, letter, 1 July 1937.

3 Ibid.

4 Mary Troutman, Winside, NE, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 12 July 1937.

5 Ruth Schindler, Nebraska City, Nebraska, to Neville and Virginia Troutman, letter, 13 July 1937, asks about their activities in Virginia and tells them about an accident involving their brother James, Family Letters CD; copy privately held by Z. T. Noble, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] Anderson, Indiana.

Neville

While my father, Verne Troutman, and his brothers were making their way in the world after high school, so were their two sisters. These young women had minds of their own. While many of their friends were marrying right out of high school, Neville and Virginia went to college and launched teaching careers.

Graduating from Winside High School at age eighteen in 1929,[1] Neville aspired to become a teacher, as had her mother. That fall, she enrolled at Nebraska State Teacher’s College at Wayne, about eight miles from home. Pictured in the college yearbook with the freshman class of 1930, Neville sported the latest flapper fashion in hats, the cloche.[2] With her dimples, wide smile, and mischievous eyes, she oozed personality. She liked clothes, especially shoes, and her mother sometimes chided her for spending too much money on them.[3]

After teacher training, she taught for several years at Meadow Grove,[4] west of Norfolk, Nebraska. She boarded with a family there[5] and often went home to Winside on weekends. Teaching could be stressful and tedious, but she enjoyed numerous other activities with friends, such as playing bridge[6] and going dancing or bowling.[7]

On the one hand, she looked forward to summers when she could hunt and fish[8] and picnic with friends. An island sandbar in the middle of the Elkhorn River was a favorite picnic spot for “The Gang,” as she called her group of “old maid” girlfriends.[9] In August there was a county fair in Wayne and surrounding counties, and she enjoyed making the rounds. In particular, she was interested in the art exhibits and the way they were judged. She even judged the art herself, on occasion.[10]

On the other hand, she dreaded summer because her hay fever acted up.[11] Congestion and headaches sometimes plagued her days and spoiled her activities.

One of her peeves was people who were always trying to fix her up with a date.[12] If she wanted a man, she would find him herself, thank you very much.

Two exciting events happened for Neville in the summer of 1937. First, she received her permanent elementary school teaching certificate from the state of Nebraska. Second, she and Virginia grabbed the opportunity to go to Virginia to visit their brother Verne who had opened a business there.

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[1] Neville A. Troutman, graduation certificate, Winside High School, issued 14 May 1929, original held by Jill Gran [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] Geneva, Nebraska.

[2] The Spizzerinctum of 1930: Annual Published by the Senior Class, Vol. 16 (Wayne, Nebraska: Nebraska State Teacher’s College, 1930), 97. The page cited shows a photo of Neville Troutman with the freshman class.

[3] Neville Troutman, Winside, NE, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 23 August 1940, tells Virginia about some of her recent activities and her mother’s teasing about spending money; Family Letters CD; copy privately held by Z. T. Noble, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] Anderson, Indiana.

[4] Neville Troutman, Denver, Colorado, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 18 June 1939; tells about her job in Denver and expresses that she does not want to teach in Meadow Grove again; Family Letters, CD.

[5] 1940 U. S. census, Meadow Grove, Madison County, Nebraska, population schedule, enumeration district 60-14, sheet 2-B, visit no. 44, William H. Bosse household, see Neville Troutman, lodger; digital image Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com ; accessed 1 February 2017); NARA microfilm publication T-627, roll n/a. Also,

[6] Neville Troutman, Winside, NE, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 23 Aug. 1940, Family Letters CD.

[7] Neville Troutman, Winside, NE, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 16 Sept. 1940, Family Letters CD; relates activities with friends.

[8] Neville Troutman, Winside, NE, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 11 Nov. 1940, Family Letters CD; relates her activities with friends, tells a couple of jokes, etc.

[9] Neville Troutman, Winside, NE, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 16 Sept. 1940, Family Letters CD.

[10] Neville Troutman, Winside, NE, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 23 Aug. 1940, Family Letters CD. Also, Neville Troutman, Winside, NE, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 30 Aug. 1940, Family Letters CD.

[11] Neville Troutman, Winside, NE, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 30 Aug. 1940, Family Letters CD.

[12] Neville Troutman, Winside, NE, to Virginia Troutman, letter, 11 Nov. 1940, Family Letters CD.

An Accident and a Friendship

One day in 1939, my father was driving the curving roads through Broadford, Virginia, probably on his way to work at his gas station. Suddenly, a little boy darted into the road in front of his car. He braked hard and swerved to avoid the child but to his horror, another boy chasing after the first one appeared in his path. The sound of screeching tires and a thud from the impact of the soft body stung the air. Filled with dread, Verne jerked open the car door and raced around the car to find the child lying beside the road, crying out in pain from injuries to a leg bent at an odd angle. Others came running. Relief that the boy was alive flooded Verne’s mind, but agony over the boy’s painful injury filled his heart.

Ambulances may not have been available in the small valley town, so the boy’s parents or neighbors may have driven him to the Saltville hospital where Dr. C. C. Hatfield set his leg. Then again, Dr. Hatfield may even come to the scene as his home was not far away, and doctors made house calls in those days. Whatever the case, he boy was in the hospital for a few days after his surgery. Unfortunately, the leg never healed properly, so the boy had a slight limp the rest of his life. 

Dr. C. C. Hatfield and John Whitely, c. 1939.

 The boy's name was John Campbell Whitely, nine-year-old son of Allen and Mary Whitely.[1] Verne continued a friendship with John for many years and even offered to send him to college, but the boy chose not to go. 

Verne Troutman and John Whitely, c. 1939.

A few years ago when I was in Virginia, perhaps for my mother’s funeral, a man approached me and introduced himself. “I’m John Whitely,” he said. “I was the boy your father hit with his car.” He went on to tell me how much my father meant to him, how he had befriended him and his family after the accident and had done many thoughtful things for him over the years.” I told him that Dad had occasionally talked about the accident and I knew that he had agonized over it. Dad kept pictures of the boy and would sometimes tell us the story of the accident.

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[1] 1940 U. S. census, Rich Valley, Smyth County, Virginia, population schedule, enumeration district 87-14, sheet 3-B, visit no. 42, Allen R. Whitely household; digital image Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com ; accessed 16 November 2016); NARA microfilm publication T-627, roll 4295.

Cars, Cars, Cars

Like many young men, my dad loved cars. Maybe his passion for a snazzy car waned as he grew older, for I don't really remember him saying much about cars while I was growing up. I didn't realize how much he liked cars until I started this research. Reading his answers to questions about his life, I found a list he made of cars he had owned. How could he remember all that if he wasn't interested in cars?

Here's his list:

"1932 Chevy coupe [his first car], 1936 Chevy 2 door, 1937 Chevy 4 door, 1939 Plymouth coupe, 1941 Oldsmobile, 1949 Chevy, 1952 Chevy, 1956 Ford, 1961 Chevy."

In going through his old photos, I found numerous pictures of cars. They seemed to make nice props for photos. Maybe you can help identify the make and year of the cars because, unless it was written on the back of the photo, I have no clue. Enjoy!

Clint Troutman family, Mary at the wheel with their Model T.

This is the 1932 Chevy coupe; it's written on back.

These first three photos were taken in Nebraska.

Verne behind the wheel of '32 Chevy coupe.

Uncle Jim, Aunt Susie, Frances, and car in Virginia, c. 1930-32.

Kenneth DeBord and car in Virginia, c. 1938.

Cousins, Kenneth DeBord & Olivene Pratt, Virginia.

This one is much later, but I think it's one of the cars listed above, maybe the 1949 Chevy. Based on the size of my baby sister peeking out the window, I'd say that's about the time this photo was taken--in Nebraska, again.

Verne and daughter on farm, Wayne County, Ne.

Dad loved to drive. Some of my favorite memories with him are Sunday afternoon drives and cross country vacations. Although I didn't get his interest in car makes and models--I cannot list the cars I've had, only their color--I did get his love of driving.

The Rock House Service Station

Whatever drew Verne back to Smyth County, Virginia, he certainly looked into business opportunities. At age 23 in 1937, he chose to open a service station with his cousin Charles DeBord, grandson of Verne's father Clint’s oldest brother, John W. “Bud” Troutman.

Sixteen months younger than Verne, Charles lived with his parents Reese and Eula (Troutman) DeBord at Chatham Hill. Eula was the second child of Bud and Jenny (Totten) Troutman. Widowed, Jenny left Smyth County and took her other children to Nebraska in 1915, but Eula and a young man named Reese DeBord were smitten with each other. Although Eula was only fifteen and Reese was eighteen, they married, perhaps so that Eula wouldn’t have to leave the state with her mother, but also Eula was expecting their first child, Charles.[1] Eula and Reese eventually had four children: Charles, Kenneth, Mildred, and Phyllis, in that order. When Verne went to Virginia, Reese and Eula lived “up on the Ridge” at Chatham Hill. He visited there often.

Mildred (17) and Eula (37) at the DeBord home, Chatham Hill, VA.

Verne at the DeBord home, c. 1937.

Verne’s and Charles’ business was called Rock House Service Station. Like today’s gas stations, he carried a few groceries and even served light lunches, his specialty being a fried egg sandwich. Of course, a cooler with a Coke Cola logo stocked with ice-cold soft drinks in glass bottles with metal caps stood inside the door. The board floors smelled of oil.

Verne (l.) and Charles in front of the Rock House Service Station, c. 1938.

 Rock House Service Station, c. 1938.

Located at Broad Ford, the Rock House Service Station stood to the south side Highway 91 just before it crossed the bridge over the North Fork of the Holston River. In the photo below, Verne and Charles are facing their service station.

This photo, though blurry, shows the old Broad Ford Bridge.

Business wasn't the only thing on Verne's mind.  His social life was lively. Years later, if you were driving the roads snaking through the countryside with him, he might point out to you a home or two where he had been invited to a party. And he might tell you the name of the pretty daughter of the homeowner.  At one of those parties in Saltville while playing a game called Snap-a-Partner, he came face-to-face with a dark haired, dark eyed beauty who was destined to become his wife.

 _______________
[1]  Virginia, Death Records, 1912-2013, Charles Holmes DeBord, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 November 2016). Death record includes birth date, 24 August 1915 and names of parents.