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 |
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
- 1. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
- 2. California, Death Index, 1940-1997
- 3. 1930 Federal Census, Los Angeles County, California
- 15 April, Los Angeles, District 19-642, page 7A, 434 Ave 44 West, Hse #68, Fam #87
- 4. 1900 Federal Census, Polk County, Arkansas
- 4 June, Eagle Gap Township, District 98, page 2B, Hse/Fam #36
- 5. California Marriage License
- 6. Ancestry Messaging
- 7. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
- Los Angeles, California, City Directory, 1932, p 392
- 8. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
- Alhambra, California, City Directory, 1946, p 175
- 9. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
- Alhambra, California, City Directory, 1937, p 150
- 10. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
- Alhambra, California, City Directory, 1949, p 137
- 11. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
- Alhambra, California, City Directory, 1939, p 161
Page created using GEDmill 1.11.0