Where Did They Go?

As a toddler, my now 40ish son often replied when asked about a lost item, “But I searched EVERYWHERE!”  Literally, I searched everywhere for more information about Gladys Lacey and her family members, but the trail came to an abrupt wide dead end until one clue lead me to a surprising and very twisted path.

According to the 1910 U.S. Census, Gladys Lacey and her family resided at 65 Ellsworth Avenue in Grand Rapids.  But the 1920 Census recorded her as living in Lyons, Michigan with my Great Grandparents, Darwin and Hope Wood. (more…)

by

Making a Living?

The 1910 Federal Census for Grand Rapids listed ‘Gladys Lacey’ and revealed ‘Gus Lacey’ as head of the household of wife Violet, daughters Gladys and Arrabella, and son Morris.  Grand Rapids city proper numbered about 133,000 residents, according to R. L. Polk & Co.’s 1910 Grand Rapids City Directory.  The 1910 Federal Census recorded 70,000 residents were born in Michigan, while 63,000, or 47% of the population, were migrants from other states or immigrants from other countries.  They sought a better life for themselves and their family.  Many escaped poverty and starvation, political unrest, or religious persecutions.  Others fled more perilous inhuman conditions that threatened their very lives.  Only about 529 residents were black or mulatto, a miniscule .04% of the total population. (more…)

by

From Whence Did She Come?

Now to guess where Gladys previously lived.  Immediately two places seemed the likeliest—either Grand Rapids or Lansing. The railroad connected the 3 communities, with trains passing through Lyons several times daily. Grand Rapids was 49 miles from Lyons, while Lansing was about 38 miles away.  But intuitively, Grand Rapids seemed more likely.

Perhaps statistics might help me choose. In 1910 the Grand Rapids population numbered 112,571 compared to only 31,229 living in Lansing.  There were 659 blacks living in Grand Rapids, according to the U.S. Census, but only a few dozen lived in Lansing.

Then I remembered while searching through all the 1911 Lyons Herald issues, trying to discover when my great grandparents moved to Michigan, that most advertisements were from various Grand Rapids stores, especially the well-known Herpolsheimer’s department store. Darwin and Hope Wood earned a great sum of money when they sold their Iowa farm and moved to Lyons, Michigan. They took pride in wearing stylish, expensive clothes. The Grand Rapids advertisements probably persuaded them to select the larger city for shopping.  Thus, the statistics and shopping mecca pointed to Grand Rapids, which became my search target area. (more…)

by

Where to Begin? Cousin DeEtte and my dad were not only first cousins but good friends.  They often saw each other as children, and when each married, continued getting together.  Dee, as most of the family and close friends called her, remembered stories about the grandparents, aunts, and uncles that Dad forgot.  In 2008 when I first saw the wedding picture, Dad was 94 and Dee 88.  Sadly, both showed signs of dementia and stories became tangled in the telling.   Still, Dee was adamant that the Gladys was the black girl sitting in the front row of the wedding picture, but couldn’t remember her last name.  Dee thought she came from Iowa when her grandparents, Darwin and Hope, moved from Iowa around 1911, which I felt was highly unlikely.  So if not Iowa, where did the young girl previously live?  How old was Gladys then?  And how did she come to live with my great grandparents in a white community?  Where to begin…