{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”

Black Sheep Sunday – My Dad lived in San Quentin

About 30 years ago, my mother-in-law took a ferry ride from Marin to San Francisco with her young son, husband, and in-laws, John A and Shirley Pope.  Shirley, my husband’s grandmother, pointed to San Quentin as they passed by and casually remarked “My dad lived there.”

I heard this story for the first time about 3 years ago and was amazed.  It was one of those stories that people knew but don’t talk about much.  I have since researched the story and found out that it is very important to pick your friends wisely.  This is the story of Charles Frank Gingg and his time “living” in San Quentin.

Charles Franklin Gingg taken June 1920 Pacific Heights Grammar School.
Charles Gingg was born Charles Franklin Padgitt on October 5, 1905 to John A Padgitt and Carrie Belle Wells.  His mother divorced his father and remarried William Carl Gingg.  Charles took William’s last name after his mother remarried.  All family stories have Charles using his middle name.

Frank Gingg married Agnes Mattson  September 5, 1925.  On the marriage certificate, Frank is listed as 22 and Agnes as 19.  In reality, Agnes was only 16 at the time.  She had lied to get past the age restrictions for marriage.  They had one daughter, Shirley Marie Gingg on September 16, 1927.  The 1930 census shows the young family living in Santa Rosa, California.  At the beginning of 1933, Agnes left Frank and took their young daughter to live in Santa Rosa.  Frank was living in an apartment in Santa Rosa with Ralph Thatcher.  Apparently, they both worked together as printers in Santa Rosa.

On February  20, 1933, Frank met with Andrew Mareck in San Francisco to discuss driving to Santa Rosa to rob a speakeasy in the back of the Buon Gusto Hotel on Adams Street. Frank, along with Tony Cardinelli, F.B. ‘Slim’ Hoyt, Ralph Thatcher, George Jones and Andrew Mareck drove up to Santa Rosa in several cars on February 25 and 26 and met at the apartment of Ralph Thatcher.  During the early evening of February 27th, the ‘gang’ robbed the 101 Ranch.  Frank was not present for this robbery as he was driving up from San Francisco.  He met the men at Thatcher’s apartment after.

Later in the evening, Andrew Mareck and Frank Gingg went to the speakeasy adjoining the Buon Gusto Hotel for some drinks.  They returned to the apartment once again, where they collected their friends and in two cars drove back to Adams Street.  Frank Gingg and George Jones remained in the cars as the get-away drivers.  Mareck, Cardinelli, and Hoyt entered the speakeasy with guns and declared “stick ’em up.”  They stole approximately $17 dollars from the speakeasy patrons and another $100 dollar from the three slot machines in the room.
There was a nightwatchman, C.R. ‘Bill’ Carrick, who made regular rounds in the neighborhood.  One of the victims of the robbery warned that the nightwatchman would be coming soon.  Slim Hoyt went outside to keep watch and ran straight into Carrick in the alley.  He shot Carrick six times.  Somehow, while being shot, Carrick was able to hit Hoyt once in the arm with his own gun.
Meanwhile, George Jones, who was waiting as a get away driver, was spooked by the gunshots and ran back to Thatcher’s apartment.  By the time he arrived at the apartment, both cars with the rest of the ‘gang’ had already returned.  Thatcher and Mareck, an ‘illegal doctor’ (he was on trial for performing abortions the year prior), tended to Hoyt’s wounds.  Gingg, Cardinelli, and Jones all immediately returned to San Francisco.
The cars used in the robbery/murder were quickly identified to police who within hours found them parked outside of Thatcher’s apartment. Police took Thatcher and Mareck into custody.  Slim Hoyt had escaped and was on the run.  After Mareck was interviewed, the Santa Rosa police had the San Francisco police go to his home.  At the apartment in San Francisco, the police found Thatcher and Gingg.  All men were arrested.  Thatcher and Gingg were not immediately transferred to Santa Rosa because the Sheriff had received threats of mob violence.
In the days after the murder, the police ordered that all speakeasy’s in Santa Rosa be shut down.  Apparently, the was not a drink to be found the following evening.
Agnes Gingg and her mother-in-law, Carrie Belle Gingg, visited Frank in jail.  Agnes told the local paper “I have all the faith in the world in Frank and I’ll do everything in my power to help him.  Frank has never been in any trouble before.  I can’t believe that he would do anything like this.  He told me when I talked to him that he wasn’t there when the shooting occurred and I believe him.  But, I can’t understand how he ever became mixed up with that crowd in the first place.”  Apparently, Frank became friends with the ‘gang’ after Agnes left him.
I have not found out if and when Slim Hoyt was arrested.  I have scanned the papers a month after the robbery/murder and he still had not been captured.
All of the ‘gang’ members were convicted of robbery and first degree murder in May 1933.  All of the men were sentenced to life and 5 years to life CS (My best guess is that notation means concurrent sentences).  Frank was processed at the intake center at San Quentin on June 2, 1933.  Mareck and Jones both tried to appeal their convictions.  Both of the appeals were denied.
Charles Frank Gingg, Prisoner Number 54252
While in prison, Frank received divorce papers from Agnes.  I am still trying to find the date that Frank was released from prison.  It was not included in the San Quentin prison records I received from the State Archives.  When he got out, Frank moved to Alaska.  He  lived in Ketchikan where he worked at the local paper as a printer.  I have been told by my mother-in-law that Shirley only told her sons that their grandfather had been in prison when they started to act up as teenagers.  She wanted to make sure that they knew the consequences if they got in trouble with the law.