Leverta, Is This You?? Maybe??

Copyright 2017, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Last we chatted about Leverta, just yesterday, I bemoaned that I had after many years, never located her marriage to Harold A. Bates.  And, that, I would continue the search.

Yesterday, I slid down the shiny rabbit hole of research digging around at Ancestry and FamilySearch.  (Be sure to read my Disclaimer page, thanks.)

I still found very few hits, I found one.  One of my genie angels later disproved that hopeful hint.  Rats. 

I revisited hits from prior research ventures.  At Ancestry, I have been having good results using their "Suggested Records" list.  This is to the right of the screen once you have identified a record you are interested in and have clicked thru for further information.  I have found some great stuff with the "Suggested Records".  And, I have found stuff that does not apply.  So, use with caution, but, have a lookie see, you never know.

I also sometimes change from the search name to other names shown in the record.  So, for a census enumeration index I might click on the head of household instead of one of his/her children.  This has also proven to be fruitful.

I did that yesterday, and look what I found - - a marriage for a Harold A. Bates and Mrs. Leverta Wilmer.  I was at the 1930 census index for Leverta, clicked Harold's name and started looking at his "Suggested Records".  Bam!

Who is Mrs. Leverta Wilmer?  Well, I'm just not sure.  I have never found Leverta, with any surname, on the 1900 or 1910, YET!  Those census enumerations may provide me with some hints about her marriages.  I suspect her second hubby, Francis Templeton Shepherd may have died in 1896.  So, she would have been free to marry Mr. Wilmer (?) between that date and 1901.

And, the search carries on - - - because, NO, I am not certain nor fully convinced this is my Leverta.  I feel it is, logically, it can work.  But, it has too many holes and missing information.  Back to the rabbit holes I go.

*  Part of the difficulty is that Leverta and many of her kin lived in and/or around Norfolk Virginia and many of their vital records are difficult to locate.  Norfolk City, Norfolk County, the area and it's records are a hot mess.  I'll just leave it at that for now.  It's difficult.  Just really difficult.

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Never Give up Hope

Copyright 2017, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

I have been looking for more information on Leverta Eley Etheredge (Shepherd??) Bates for years, well over 20 years.  When I first started blogging I shared a photo I have of a mystery lady, whom I believed was Leverta, and in fact, I still do. You can read what facts I knew in 2009 by looking at that post.  I know some more since then, but, not a lot.  I have discovered information and data about her second, or third husband, Harold Bates.

I have been attempting to fill in her life story, and find her final resting place.  I have had some wonderful assistance along the way from a few genie angels.  AM and Susan.  And, probably others.  As I always ask, just where would my research be without the kindness of others??  Answer - - NOT where it is today - - I guarantee you that.

NOW, this morning on a Facebook page for Reclaim the Records, there was an announcement concerning death indexes for the State of New York. They mentioned they were not sure that deaths occurring in institutions were indexed, and if you found one, please let them know.  I decided to give it a whirl and see if there was any chance I could find Leverta.  I started in 1941 (taking a chance that she survived 1940) as I knew she was still alive in the 1940 census, per this index transcription:

Leverta Bates

 in the 1940 United States Federal Census

Name: Leverta Bates

Age: 62

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1878

Gender: Female

Race: White

Birthplace: Virginia

Marital Status: Married

Relation to Head of House: Inmate

Home in 1940: Middletown, Orange, New York

Map of Home in 1940: View Map

Inferred Residence in 1935: Middletown, Orange, New York

Residence in 1935: Same Place

Sheet Number: 33B

Institution: Middletown State Homeopathic Hospital

Attended School or College: No

Highest Grade Completed: High School, 4th year

Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: 03

1941 - - nadda

1942 - - nadda

1943 (the year that Reclaim the Records acknowledged was the worst, almost impossible to read - - yea!!)   BINGO!!  

Here is a screen capture, what I can read:  Bates, Leverta, Died Middletown, age 64 years.  Appears death occurred in May, the 8th, the 18th or the 28th.  The certificate number, well, mmmmm, 24881, maybe???

I took this screen capture to Photoshop, but, the improvement is minimal.

I even screen captured just the last 3 columns in a larger format from the web site:

And, again, the digital enhancements, minimal improvement.

Now, despite the disappointment that the index is the least legible of the set, I am thrilled. I know what year and probably what month she passed.  And, I know that she was still at the institution.

The index for this specific entry is here.

There is this blog, which is now inactive that tried to work on burials for institutions in the state of New York.  After a number of years and what appears to be much frustration the writer has moved on.

I'll keep working on this, of course, as her story is still not fully told.

And, I still think that photo, it's her, a wedding photo, if you will.

* And, seriously, how LUCKY was I that Leverta's entry was one that someone enhanced with a marker??  I mean, if you were a betting person - -

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Relatively Speaking, Tie In's, Birth and Marriage Dates, and Mega Thanx

It is so rewarding to realize that my little blog has readers, followers, and those that read, and then write and give me feedback.  Amy is one of those, she reads and she gives feed back.

Amy was instrumental in Spelling Don’t Count, Even in Indexing, Save Me Please!  Amy put me on to the Chancery cases digitized at the Library of Virginia.  I could work on those cases for years, they are a gold mine for me.  Amy lives in the area of Virginia where the Darden and Eley clans lived.  She has "insider information", she sometimes pulls obits for me.  Amy is indeed a great researcher and online friend.  THANX AMY!!

A while back, she read cousin Anne's Relatively Speaking post, Where Does the Inspiriation Come From?, Or Blunder Your Way to a Blog Topic!  Anne's comment "What I really find irritating are the number of headstones I've found recently with just years on them...", had Amy writing me suggesting a follow up blog when it was my turn next to write Relatively Speaking.  (I can use all the help I can get, another thanx Amy!)

Amy wrote, "Remember on the Brantley stuff that one of the books that Rick let them copy was the 1902 Voter Registration Book. Now I cannot vouch for all places (since I can't seem to find anyone in IOW that knows where their books are), but the Southampton one has full birthdates in some of the sections and tells how many years they person resided in the state, county, area/locality.  I've been able to complete get complete birthdates for people that only had the years listed on their tombstone."

Actually Amy, I did not remember, but, I went surfing.  The main link to the Brantley Association of America is here.  Isn't this a fabulous site and project??  The Southampton County page is here, and further investigation will lead you to the Southampton Records, with those voter registrations down at the bottom of the page.  And, yes, I need to spend a considerable amount of research time here Amy, I see so many surnames that are in my data base. *

Here is a small sample of the page, you will have to click on it to open to a new page to see in a larger format, then click the back button to return here to Reflections.

 Thanks to Amy, a great idea of where to look for birth dates!
 

* While writing this post, I actually did snoop around some more and I discovered a license to marry for Charles H. Darden and Martha A. Stephenson.  I have been looking for this for YEARS!!  Charles is my ggg grandfather, and Martha is his second wife.  Charles' house is shown in Smile For The Camera, "Give Their Face A Place", Sarah Anne Darden.   Guess I owe Amy ANOTHER big thank you!

THANK YOU!!

**And, since I am thanking Amy, guess I will include another shout out for this tidbit she forwarded this weekend, because, as she wrote, "ok, decided to stop my stuff and work on someone else's line... " Amy found more stuff I have been looking for.  Amy you are really on a roll.  How many times can I say thank you??  Obviously, NOT enough! (Image from Ancestry)

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence.

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