Tag: Gingg

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{Treasure} Grandma Shirley Notes Part 2

My husband’s grandmother, Shirley (Gingg) Pope was the genealogist in her family. She accomplished an amazing amount of research using traditional snail mail methods. As I wrote last week, it was amazing to find some of her original organized written notes. You can read that post here – Treasure, Grandma Shirley Notes Part 1.

The next couple of posts will focus on the longer document she wrote. It was approximately 14 pages front and back on most sheets. The 4×6 paper was stapled together at the top of the short side of the paper.

I am not posting the first couple of pages, as they include mostly information regarding living persons. There are also a few other spots which will be covered with grey boxes to preserve privacy for living individuals. You will also notice on the individual images that Shirley made handwritten changes to her own information. These usually include information crossed out or additional information added in another ink. Transcriptions will be below each page.

Today’s pages focus on the paternal ancestry of Shirley Gingg Pope.

John and Shirley Pope Family Notes page 3

Shirley’s History

Charles Franklin Gingg* (Padgitt)
San Francisco, Calif. Born Oct 5, 1905 – Calif Died Oct 26, 1957 Weed, Calif.

M.

Agnes Marie Mattson
Born May 1, 1909 San Francisco, Calif.
Died March 22, 1982 Healdsburg, Calif. Olivet Cem. S.F.

Children

1 – Shirley Marie – Born 9-16-1927 S.F. Calif

My father died in Weed, Calif of a heart
attack. He was on his way back to Ketchikan,
Alaska after a vacation. Funeral Services
held in S.F. – ashes taken to Alaska for
burial by his wife, Cecile Gingg.

My father and mother separated in the 1930’s.

*Surname “Gingg” was from step-father –
real fathers name was “Padgitt.

John and Shirley Pope Family Notes backside of page 3

My father was a linotype operator,
employed by the Ketchikan Daily News,
Ketchikan, Alaska, at the time of his death.

John and Shirley Pope Family Notes page 4

Paternal

John Alfred Padgitt
Born Feb 1, 1878 Cumberland County, Illinois
Died May 27, 1948 Leavenworth, Kansas

M

Carrie Belle Wells
Born Aug 7, 1886 Arcata – California
Died Nov. 30th 1967 San Francisco, Calif
Buried – Holy Cross – Colma

Married
2d William Carl Gingg
3d R. Bert Trouslot
4 Patrick Teahan

Children
1 – Charles Franklin
Oct 5, 1905 S.F.

2 – Ella Catherine
Born July 29, 1906
San Leandro, Calif

Carrie Belle married Wm. Carl Gingg
3 – Lucille Leroy
March 20, 1911

John and Shirley Pope Family Notes backside of page 4

Data

My Grandfather, John Alfred, enlisted
Company K – 32nd regiment of Infantry
Aug. 4, 1899. Was discharged May 8, 1901.

Served as a cook. Spanish
American War. He remarried also.

Catherine M Homer Futrell – B. Feb 2, 1899 Grant Parish, La

child
1 –

Lucille M Louis Palmini – Sept 3 1932

Children
1-
2-

John and Shirley Pope Family Notes page 5

Paternal

Charles Britton Wells
Born Dec 16th 1844 (Probably) Sedalia, Mo.
Died Jan 1920 Oakland, Calif.

(was in the Confederate Army)

9 Brothers (?)
Clay
Wes
John
Oliver H.P.
Mary E

M

Nancy Annis Malone
Born Dec 6, 1852 Near Mississippi
Died Sept. 5, 1941 San Francisco, Calif
Buried – Oakland – Evergreen Cemetery

6 sisters & 1 brother

1st child was stillborn – male

Children

  1. Carrie Belle
  2. Virginia Elnora (Booth)

Nancy Annis, my great-grandmother was in
her 89;s wehen she died. I remember her as
a very old woman, always kind to me.
She was living in Tenn. at the time of the
Civil War. (?)

John and Shirley Pope Family Notes backside of page 5

Charles Britton Wells was a blacksmith by trade.

John and Shirley Pope Family Notes Page 6

Paternal

John S. Wells (welsh ancestry)
Born probably Kentucky
Died

M

Susan Zilhart (German Ancestry)
Born Kentucky
Died Sedalia, Missouri

Known Children
1 – Charles Britton Wells
9 brothers (?) See 1850 1870 census

John Leonard Malone (Ireland)
Born Tennessee
Died

M

Mary Anne Jones (Scotch English)
Born Probaby Texas
Died

Known Children
1 – Mary Annis

Mary Anne Jones is supposed to have been
descented from realtives of “John Paul Jones”

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{Treasure} Handwritten Notes Part 1

I was lucky enough to have two years with my husband’s grandmother before she passed. Shirley (Gingg) Pope was a loving and caring woman. But don’t be fooled, she had a well of strength in her bones. We shared the love of genealogy. Shirley gets all the credit for doing her research via mail. She wrote numerous letters to people and repositories.

Shirley left a treasure trove of family history documents. After my husband’s grandfather left us to reunite with Shirley, we found even more amazing treasures. These included physical items such as fraternal order pins, military medals, and handwritten notes.

After going through so many pieces of paper research, I believe I found some of Grandma Shirley’s first handwritten notes. There are two sets. The first is one page of notes regarding Grandpa John’s ancestors. The second is 10 pages (some have notes on back) of the summary of what Shirley knew at the time. The 10 pages are on notepaper approximately 4″ wide and 6″ tall. They are held together by 2 staples.

I find it incredible to have Grandma Shirley’s handwritten notes. Her handwriting feels like a hug.

I have digitized the notes as part of my emergency preparedness push. I am including the first page in today’s post. All of the information has been added to both my personal research and online trees (FamilySearch and Ancestry). The only item that is inaccurate on this note is the father of Anna Hink. Further research completed by Shirley found Anna’s parents to be Johann Hink and Anna (Last Name Unknown).

Note* The children are listed as birth events. Elfrieda Johanna and Claus Alfred were twins.

Notes written by Shirley Pope.
Notes written by Shirley Pope.

John Pope m. Catherine Offerman

Pope side

  1. Anna Louise Pope Robinson

b  Nov 29, 1895 (?)

d  June 1961

2. John Rudolph Pope                        died 19 yrs.

Flu epidemic in S.F.

3. Elfrieda Johann Pope Fancher    Sept 19, 1901

Claus Alfred Pope                           Sept 19, 1901 – June 23, 1971

There was a baby born (the (1st one) who died early

and his name was John.

Poppe side – Sandbostal, Germany

Offerman side – Hechthausen, Germany

Catherine Offerman

Claus Henry Offerman                   Anna Hink

                                                            Adolf Hink           ?

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Agnes Marie Gingg Newspaper Diary #2

Agnes Marie Mattson is my husband’s great-grandmother.  She kept a newspaper clipping diary from 1928-1931. You can read more information about the diary at this link: Diary Prologue.

This clipping, hand dated Feb 1928, refers to Nancy Malone.  Nancy was married to Charles Britton Wells (Frank Gingg’s grandparents).  Agnes’ first husband was Frank Gingg.  I had to check twice to make sure I had the correct person because Charles and Nancy had a daughter named Carrie Bell Wells.

This clipping is full of information to research.  I need to follow-up to identify the grand children.  I also need to check the Santa Rosa Newspapers for 1881-1885 for any references to the Malone and Wells family.

There is also at least one error in this clipping.  The baby was actually a girl.  My husband’s grandmother (Shirley Gingg, 1927-2003) was born six months before the visit.

Mrs. C.B. Wells Here On Visit With Relatives

Mrs. C.B. Wells is here for a visit with relatives and is delighted to make the acquaintance of her youngest great grandchild, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Gingg of Benton street.  Mrs. Wells first came to California shortly after the Civil War and was a resident of Santa Rosa from 1881-1885.  The oldest of her grandchildren is thirty-eight years, and the age of her eldest great grandchild is seventeen years.

Mrs Ellen Wells of this city is a relative also.  The visitor will spend several weeks here and will renew many old acquaintances.

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Agnes Marie Gingg Newspaper Diary #1

Agnes Marie Mattson is my husband’s great-grandmother.  She kept a newspaper clipping diary from 1928-1931.

This clipping is about Agnes’ younger brother, Carl (1913-1996). The clipping is hand dated as 1928.

BOY. 15. SAVED FROM DEATH IN RUSSIAN RIVER

Seized with cramps in deep water, Carl Mattson, 15-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. J Long of 2 Wright street, San Francisco, had a narrow escape from drowning yesterday afternoon in the Russian River at Vacation Beach, near Guerneville, when his brother, Albert, 18, and Albert Saaransen, 19, plunged to his rescue.

The boys, who are vacationing on the Russian River, were swimming at the beach.  Mattson swam out into deep water and was seized with cramps before he could return to the beach.

He shouted for help and was able to keep afloat after going down once until the other two boys reached him.

He is a brother of Mrs. Frank Gingg, of this city.

This is a google map of of Vacation Beach, California. Carl and Albert most likely visited their sister in Santa Rosa on the way out to their vacation.

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Agnes Marie Gingg Newspaper Diary (Prologue)

My husband’s great-grandmother, Agnes Mattson, married Charles Frank Gingg as a young woman.  After moving to Santa Rosa, California, Agnes kept a newspaper clipping diary.  The diary is a book with lined blank pages.  The newspaper clippings were glued onto each page.  Many clippings have the month and year written next to the item of interest.  The Diary begins in 1928 and ends somewhere about 1931.

From what I can tell, most if not all of the clippings are related to family, friends, or acquaintances of Agnes.  I recognize names in 80 percent of the clippings.

I am going to post photos of the newspaper clippings.  They offer an interesting insight to the world Agnes lived in.

Newpaper Diary Cover

 

First page of diary written by Agnes Mattson Gingg

 

This is a google maps street view of the home the Gingg’s lived in while the diary was created.  The home is just north of Downtown Santa Rosa.  It sits on an east-west street between downtown and the Santa Rosa Junior College campus.

485 Benton Street

There was an envelope of photo negatives in the genealogy papers my husband’s Grandma Shirley collected.  The outside of the envelope was dated 1933.  There were several different types of negatives and based on the age of Grandma Shirley in the photos they were taken anywhere from 1925-1933.  I believe this photo of Shirley and Frank Gingg (ca.1932) was taken in front of the home at 485 Benton Street.  The shape of the front door stairs and wood porch supports match closely.

Frank and Shirley Gingg (about 1932 or 1933)

 

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Almost Wordless Wednesday – Frank and Agnes Gingg

Frank Gingg and Anges Mattson are my husband’s paternal great-grandparents.  This photo hangs on the wall in Grandpa John’s house  The notation on the back reads “Frank and Agnes Sept 1925.”

Frank and Agnes were married on September 5, 1925 so this may be their wedding photo.  If you think Agnes looks young, it is because she is.  She lied on her marriage certificate stating that she was 18 when her real age was 16.  Frank was just one month shy of his 20th birthday at the time of their wedding.

 

Gingg Frank and Agnes 1925

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Black Sheep Sunday – Where did Frank go after San Quentin?

Frank Gingg is my husband’s maternal great grandfather.  I have written a previous post about the crime that lead him to spend some quality time in San Quentin (Black Sheep Sunday – My Dad Lived In San Quentin).

I have known since a vacation with my husband’s family in 2001 that Frank lived in Alaska.  We enjoyed a cruise of the Inside Passage including a stop in Ketchikan.  I remember Grandma Shirley pointing out the newspaper office.  She told us a story of visiting her dad one summer and coming to the paper where he worked as a printer.

What I did not know at the time of the cruise is that Frank had spent at least six years in San Quentin starting in 1933.  I have been wondering since my previous research what was Frank’s life like after prison.

Last fall I was contacted by a new cousin who had read my original blog post about Frank.  This cousin is the son Frank adopted after getting remarried in Alaska.  For privacy I will call this person Cousin L.  Cousin L has been wonderful sharing information about his memories of Frank and a cd full of photos.

The digital files I received included a obituary from the newspaper in Ketchikan.  The obituary states that Frank had lived there for 15 years.  This puts his approximate date of arrival as 1942.  We know that Frank was sentenced to at least 6 years in prison in 1933.  It is more likely that he was in San Quentin for 8 or 9 years.

I know that Shirley spent at least two summers with Frank after his arrival in Ketchikan.  Shirley married in 1947 so I am guessing these summers took place about 1943-1945.

After Frank arrived in Ketchikan, Alaska he made contact with a childhood friend named Cecil.  Cecil was had two children from a previous marriage.  Frank and Cecil were married February 26, 1953 in Alaska.  Frank adopted both of Cecil’s children.

Frank, Cecil and the kids 1954

Cecil and the kids moved to Ketchikan where they resided at 1200 Millar Street.

View from 1200 Millar Street

Frank, Cecil and the kids enjoyed life in Ketchikan.  Frank worked as the mechanical superintendent at the Daily News in Ketchikan.  He was in charge of all the printers.  The family used to swim in the summers and ice skate in the winters at Ward Lake.  Cousin L has many warm memories from this time in Alaska.

Frank Gingg circa 1957
In October 1957, Frank and Cecil drove to California for a visit with Frank’s family.  He would visit his mother, Belle; daughter, Shirley; and sister, Catherine.  This would be the first time that Catherine and Frank would see each other in many years.  It would also be the last.  On the drive back to Alaska, Frank would suffer a deadly heart attack in Weed, California on October 26, 1957.  His body was taken back to San Francisco for funeral services.  Frank is buried at Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma, California.
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Those Places Thursday – 2 Wright Street, San Francisco, California

This is the house that my husband’s grandmother, Shirley Gingg, grew up in.  She was raised by her grandmother, Wendla Botmaster.  Wendla married twice, first to Charles Mattson, and then to John Long.  All of the stories I hear about her refer to her as Grandma Long.
2 Wright Street is located in the Bernal Heights neighborhood.  The picture above looks from Bernal Heights towards Potereo Hill.  It now lies very close to the intersection of Cesar Chavez (Army Street) and Hwy 101.  Here is a Google Maps satellite view of the area today.
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Wedding Wednesday – The many husbands of Agnes Mattson

Agnes Mattson is my husband’s paternal great-grandmother (Shirley Gingg -> Agnes Mattson).

From the stories I have been told, Agnes Mattson is one of those people you wish you had the chance to know.  She was born May 1, 1909 in San Francisco, California to Charles Mattson and Wendla Botmaster.  She was the middle child of five, having two older brothers and two younger brothers.  The eldest son died an early death and Agnes never knew him.  She worked in the Talmage State Hospital for many years and also owned 1000 acres in Hopland at one time.

Agnes is a woman who never gave up on love and kept trying her had a marriage.  She has 7 documented marriages and a deathbed confession of an 8th marriage.  We have not located any information about the 8th marriage.

Here is a peek at Agnes’ many husbands:

1.  Charles Frank Gingg.  Agnes and Charles married September 5, 1925 in San Francisco.  Charles was 22 at the time of the marriage.  The marriage certificate indicates that Agnes was 19 but she lied.  She was only 16 when she married the first time.  They had one daughter, Shirley Marie Gingg.  Shirley would be Agnes’ only child.  Charles and Agnes were divorced October 10, 1934.  The reason for the divorce was Charles having been sent to San Quentin Prison for his involvement of a burglary/murder in Santa Rosa, California in 1933.

2.  William Earl Hines.  Agnes married Bill Hines June 15, 1936.  The wedding was witnessed by Edwin and Sylvia Mattson, Agnes’ brother and his wife.  They lived in Napa, California.  Bill died in 1945 of a heart attack.

3.  Andrew A. Hooks.  Agnes married a third time to Andy Hooks on November 3, 1950.  Andrew was in the Air Force and stationed at Travis AFB in Fairfield, California.  There is a family story that this marriage ended in a quickie divorce in Mexico.  I do not know if this is true or not.  But I have no other knowledge of how the marriage ended.

4.  Daniel M. Williams.  Dan and Agnes married March 3, 1953.  Their marriage was annulled in the first two weeks of February 1955.

5. Donald Edward Frazier.  As soon as her previous marriage was annulled, Agnes married Don Frazier on February 14, 1955 in Reno, Nevada.  They lived in Talmage, Mendocino, California.  Don was Agnes’ favorite husband and they are buried next to each other in Colma, California.  He died in May 1958 from lung cancer.

6.  Peter Klick.  Agnes went back to Reno for her next marriage to Pete Klick.  They were married may 18, 1963.  They lived in Hopland, Mendocino, California.  Pete died June 4, 1975 of cancer.

7.  Patrick O’Malley.  Pat O’Malley was Agnes’ last husband.  They were married in Reno, Nevada (do we see a pattern here?) on March 31, 1978.  My mother-in-law remembers being pregnant with my husband as she traveled to Reno to witness the marriage.  Agnes had met Pat in the mobile home park she was living in Cloverdale, California.  The story is that she broke many of the other single women’s hearts when she married Pat, one of the only single men in the neighborhood.  Pat outlived Agnes.  She passed away March 22, 1982 in Cloverdale.

Agnes did have a family bible that she kept written notes about births and deaths in her family.  She wrote information about Don Frazier’s family in the back pages of the bible.  On random pages, she wrote the first names of all of her other husbands in the bottom margins except for Frank Gingg and Dan Williams.  Her many marriages were “hidden” inside of the bible.

Unfortunately, we do not have any information about the name of the mystery 8th husband or the year she may have married him.  I am considering doing some searching in the Reno marriage registers to see if any of her married names show up.  The time frames which Agnes could have married an 8th time are limited as the time periods between marriages were generally only a couple of years apart.