[or-roots] James Boyd Reed

[Paulette]

Aha! Thanks! That is good to know even if it's a guess that Edna May's son Dwyer got confused. Yes, we know JB was with Viola in the 1920 census, and with Etta A. in the 1930 census, and that Etta was his widow in 1941.

I think Sue has added an essential piece by locating the 1891 and 1892 Washington census records (why didn't I think of that?!) with Edna May as a child with her father, and mother "M. A." born in Iowa between 1857 and 1867. And if her mother died young, Edna May may never have remembered her at all.

Many thanks!

Paulette

-----Original Message-----
>From: "Harguess, Dale" <dharguess at coastline.edu>
>Sent: Jul 20, 2009 6:11 PM
>To: or-roots mail list <or-roots at listsmart.osl.state.or.us>
>Subject: Re: [or-roots] James Boyd Reed
>
>It was Della Street in Perry Mason and Paul Drake was his assistant.  So
>you might me on to something about getting things mixed up.
>Dale
>
>
>I find that sometimes the informant information is not accurate, they're
>
>just repeating info they've maybe heard.
>
>Della and Etta sound similar  -- maybe he remembered the Della from the 
>Perry Mason show and got confused.  Though it seems that whoever was the
>
>mother of Edna May Reed who was  born in 1886 was long before he was
>married 
>to Etta and who he was with in 1930 census.
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>---------------------------------------------
>Hi all,
>
>Maybe it's been a bit quiet out there as everyone was on vacation? I
>have a 
>dilemma if anyone has some time. PLEASE? I have been researching my 
>husband's great grandfather James Boyd Reed who was born in Mexico, Ohio
>in 
>1856 and died in Seattle, Washington in Sept. of 1941 (WA State Digital 
>Archives). He was a railroad engineer for the Northern Pacific Railway.
>He 
>also worked in Washington D.C. to get federal pensions for railroad
>workers 
>in the 1930s. There's a monument to him in Auburn, WA.
>
>My husband's mother's mother was JB's daughter Edna May Reed Edwards.
>She 
>was born April 12, 1886 in Washington as per her CA death certificate
>that 
>we have a copy of. Her son Dwyer Reed Edwards was the informant. He says
>
>Edna's father was James Boyd Reed; he names Edna's mother as "Della
>Drake." 
>We can't seem to find anything about Della Drake at all. (Wasn't "Della 
>Drake" Perry Mason's secretary on TV?) There is a family rumor that she
>may 
>have killed herself.
>
>In a 1935 newspaper article from the Lock Haven Express, Lock Haven,
>Clinton 
>Co., PA where JB was visiting in order to research his ancestors from
>there, 
>he mentions he has been married twice and has 4 children. The other kids
>
>that I can find are all younger than Edna May Reed. Another researcher
>that 
>I just met online has worked on this family for many years and did not
>have 
>Della Drake and Edna May Reed in her work. She has two wives listed:
>Viola 
>V. (Combs) Best and Etta A. We know for sure now that Etta A. was JB's
>widow 
>at his death in 1941 - I can trace that. This other researcher thinks
>Etta 
>A. and Della are the same person, at least she has Etta A. Drake as a
>wife 
>of JB's. So, Edna May Reed was born in 1886 to JB and someone named
>Drake. 
>JB's and Viola Best kids are all younger than Edna May. In the 1880
>census 
>JB is single. In the 1920 census he's with Viola; in the 1930 census
>he's 
>with Etta. I cannot see how that all fits.
>
>I know there's very little of the 1890 census, but I guess I need to
>look 
>more closely in the 1900 and 1910 census records to see where James Boyd
>
>Reed is and with whom?!
>
>Thanks for any help anyone can provide,
>
>Paulette
>
>________________________________________
>PeoplePC Online
>A better way to Internet
>http://www.peoplepc.com
>_______________________________________________
>or-roots mailing list
>or-roots at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
>http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/mailman/listinfo/or-roots
>
>_______________________________________________
>or-roots mailing list
>or-roots at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
>http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/mailman/listinfo/or-roots
>_______________________________________________
>or-roots mailing list
>or-roots at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
>http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/mailman/listinfo/or-roots


________________________________________
PeoplePC Online
A better way to Internet
http://www.peoplepc.com