Stephen T GADDY Ethel GADDY George Roscoe GADDY Elmer GADDY Reka Nana GADDY John MONSINGER George Warren V HACKETT Living HACKETT Jessie GADDY Stephen GADDY Mollie B WALTON Mini tree diagram
Bessie Mae GADDY

Bessie Mae GADDY4,6,1,2,5,3,7,8,9,10,11

24th Apr 19001,2,3,4,5 - 31st Dec 19551,2

Life History

24th Apr 1900

Born in Polk County, Arkansas.1,2,3,4,5

12th Sep 1921

Married John MONSINGER in Los Angeles County, California.6,5

about 1927

Death of John MONSINGER in Los Angeles County, California

about 1927

Married George Warren V HACKETT in California

before 1935

Divorced from George Warren V HACKETT in Los Angeles County, California

25th Dec 1946

Death of George Warren V HACKETT in Monterey County, California.2

31st Dec 1955

Died in Los Angeles County, California.1,2

after 31st Dec 1955

Buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles County, California.1

Other facts

 

Birth of daughter Living HACKETT

Notes

  • 1900 Federal Census, Polk County, Arkansas, 4 June, Eagle Gap Township, District 98, page 2B, Hse/Fam #36
    Gaddis, Stephen Head W M  Mch 1858 42 Married 11 yrs NC NC NC Lumber Carrier Rents
    Gaddis, Mollie Wife W F Feb 1873  27 Married 11 yrs 6 children/6 living MO MO MO
    Gaddis, Ethel Dau W F June 1892  7 Single Ind Terr NC MO
    Gaddis, Roscoe Son W M Dec 1894  5 Single Ind Terr NC MO
    Gaddis, Elmer Son W M Apr 1896  4 Single Ind Terr NC MO
    Gaddis, Reiker Dau W F Feb 1896 [sic] 4 Single Ind Terr NC MO
    Gaddis, Jessie Dau W F May 1900  0mos Single AR NC MO
    Gaddis, Bessie Dau W F May 1900  0mos Single AR NC MO

    "I would assume that Mollie and Steve married in IT since the older children were born there. Bessie and Jessie were twins and I think Jessie must have died in infancy. Bessie was blind and ended up in a home for unwed mothers in CA. I have had contact with her grandson [son] who was adopted from the home."
    --  "dferg1200," Ancestry Messaging to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 09 September 2016

    "Bessie is in the 1920 Census at age 19 in a Los Angeles Home for Feeble Minded. Her son that was adopted was named Don Wayne Merry. She went on to marry twice. She married a man that was a lot older than she. I was told by Thom Merry, Don Merry's son, that she may have attended a school for the blind in OK.  Don Wayne Merry was born in 1920 which was the same year Bessie was in the Home for the Feeble Minded."
    --  "dferg1200," Ancestry Messaging to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 12 September 2016

    "I found the marriage of Bessie to a man named John Monsinger.  I knew I had see that record of her married to a much older man.  They married 12 September 1921.  He is listed as widowed and 59 years old. She was just 21.  It lists her name as Bessie Mae Gaddy and her parents as S. T Gaddy and M B Walton.  That is the first verification of their initials.  She is listed as a musician and he is a farmer.  Their residence is Sawtelle, Los Angeles, County.  I put the record in my gallery, but it is hard to read.  She lists Steve as being born in VA instead of NC and Mollie as being born in OK."
    --  "dferg1200," Ancestry Messaging to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 12 September 2016

    John was living in a home for disabled veterans in Los Angeles County when he married Bessie.  He was admitted to the home initially in 1916, and had been released three times for various periods.  This record informs us that he was born in Wayne, Indiana.

    U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938
    John Monsinger
    Birth abt 1862, Wayne, Wayne Co Mich
    Age 54, Married
    Height 5'4", Dark Complexion, Gray Eyes and Hair
    Nearest Relatives unknown
    Admitted 1916, Sawtelle, Los Angeles County, California
    Released and readmitted three times, 1918, 1920 and 1921
    Last discharged 30 December 1921
    Pacific Branch

    Bessie was married to John Monsiger in in September 1921.  He was already 59 years old at that time.

    California Marriage License
    Bessie May Gaddy, Musician, age 21, blind
    Parents S T Gaddy b Okla & M B Walton b Virginia
    John Monsinger, Farmer, widower, age 59
    Parents John Monsinger b France, mother Phoebe Crispee b France;
    Both residents was Sawtelle in LA County
    Marriage 12 Sep 1921 Los Angeles County, California

    No death record has been found for John Monsinger.  No divorced record is found either, so it appears he died about 1927 or earlier.  Bessie married George Warren Hackett in about 1927.

    1930 Federal Census, Los Angeles County, California, 15 April, Los Angeles, District 19-642, page 7A, 434 Ave 44 West, Hse #68, Fam #87
    Hackett, George C Head M W Rents $25 50 Married Age at first marriage 47 [mar abt 1927] NJ NJ NJ Letter Carrier [b abt 1880]
    Hackett, Bessie M F W 29 Married Age at first marriage 26 [mar abt 1927] AR VA OK [b abt 1901]
    Hackett, Colleen F W 2 CA NJ AR [b abt 1928]

    It appears the report of age at marriage year married apply to the current marriage, not their first marriages.

    They were also reproted in the LA City Directory in 1930.

    U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
    Los Angeles, California, City Directory, 1932, p 392
    Hackett George W (Bessie M) carrier PO h 434 W At 44

    They were divorced some time before the 1940 census.  In 1937 and later, Berssie was reported in the Alhambra, Califronia, City Direcotry as Mrs Bessie Hackett.

    U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
    Alhambra, California, City Directory, 1937, p 150
    Hackett Mrs Bessie h 625 S Raymond av

    U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
    Alhambra, California, City Directory, 1939, p 161
    Hackett Mrs Bessie h 625 S Raymond av

    U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
    Alhambra, California, City Directory, 1946, p 175
    Hackett Mrs Bessie M r 1121 S Atlantic blvd

    But in 1940 George and Bessie are in separate residences and both reported as divorced.  This matches the 1942 report on George's WWII registration that his contact was Colleen May Hackett, their daughter.  She kept the name Hackett for the rest of her life.  In her death record she is Bessie Mae Hackett.

    This California death record matches Bessie, with the correct mother and father's last name.  But this record reports her birth date as 24 April 1901.  This cannot be right, since she was reported with her twin sister Jessie in the June 1900 census, when they were reported as 0 months old.  The reported birth date is May 1900, which would be correct if they were less than one month old.  If they were born some time in April 1900, then for a 1 June census date, they should have been reported 1 month old.

    Maybe the enumerator was sloppy in his report.  24 April might be the correct day of birth.  But they had to be born in 1900.

    California, Death Index, 1940-1997
    Bessie Mae Hackett
    Birth 24 Apr 1901 Arkansas
    Death 31 Dec 1955 Los Angeles County
    Mother's Maiden Name Walton
    Father's Surname Gaddy

    Bessie Mae Gaddy Hackett
    Birth Apr 24, 1901
    Death Dec 31, 1955
    Burial Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, Vesperland, Map 1, Lot 1536, Space 3
    Maintained by Find A Grave, Originally Created by Chris Mills Feb 22, 2012
    --  Find A Grave Memorial #85415123, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=85415123&ref=acom

Sources

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