Thriller Thursday - Falling down an elevator shaft

Dudley M Mitchell is my mother's maternal grandfather. 

Dudley was born October 20, 1875 in Valley Fall, Kansas.  He was child number 7/8 born to Mary Frances Coffey and Moses Mitchell.  He had a twin sister name Mary (aka Dolly).  She passed away between 1895-1900). 

I heard this story last October from my mother's Uncle Raymond.  He is Dudley's second child. 

Raymond remembers his mother being pregnant with his younger sister, my grandma, when this incident took place.  Since Raymond was born in 1921 and my grandma is 10 years younger, it was approximately 1930. 

His father worked as a laborer in a cold storage unit in Topeka, Kansas.  The cold storage building did not have lights in it because they created heat.  There was an elevator that ran to the second story of the building.  The men were supposed to ride the elevator one at a time.  Someone had used the elevator while Dudley was on the upper floor.  They did not return the elevator to the second story when they were finished.  When Dudley completed his task upstairs, he worked his way back to the elevator in the dark.  Not realizing the elevator was gone, he stepped into the elevator shaft and fell.  He badly injured his back. 

Dudley did not return to the cold storage unit after he recovered.  He opened a grocery store in Topeka.  Because of his generous nature, the grocery store would eventually fail during the Depression.  The family moved to Hutchinson where Dudley found a job in another grocery store. 

Sorting Saturday - Organziation Update #1

When I started this blog back in April, it quickly became apparent that I needed to do some organizing of the research I have completed.  My old filing system was okay but it sometimes took a while to find what I was looking for.  It is just time to have a clean slate!

My plan has several avenues of attack:

1. Reorganizing my digital files
1. creating a new library to put all files into so they are no longer separated between documents and photos
2. having a standard naming convention
3. adding citations to the comments section of the properties for each file
4. checking that the digital files are referenced in my genealogy software
2. Adding information to my genealogy software
1. taking all of the paperwork that is in a box and adding it with citations
2. going through my 3 ring binders to find any information that I have missed adding to my software
3. Scanning
1. Everything that is added to my genealogy software needs to be scanned and added to my digital genealogy folders (with citations of course)
2. Again, going through the 3 ring binders to identify any documents that have not been scanned and get it done

I knew that this was going to be a HUGE project.  My original goal was to have this all done by the end of the year.  HaHa!  It has been a very busy summer (a new baby and 5 weddings) so things are not as far along as I would have wanted at this point.  I have moved and added citations to almost all of my census images, most of the transcriptions, and most of the vital records that were already scanned.  This is almost 500 files!  I was even more surprised to find out that I still have just over 1000 files to move to their new homes!!  I was a bit disheartened to see that I had some research in digital files that was never added to ancestors as citations.  Glass half full - I did find them and they are now added to help paint a fuller picture of my ancestors.  I have not started any of the scanning that needs to be done.

I need to start attacking these for 15 minutes a day if it is ever going to get finished.  Not too likely to happen since we have been so busy but it is a good goal to hit at least a couple of days a week.  I am hoping to have a little more time starting in October. 

All in all, a decent start to a HUGE project.

Those Places Thursday - 2 Wright Street, San Francisco, California

This is the house that my husband's grandmother, Shirley Gingg, grew up in.  She was raised by her grandmother, Wendla Botmaster.  Wendla married twice, first to Charles Mattson, and then to John Long.  All of the stories I hear about her refer to her as Grandma Long. 

2 Wright Street is located in the Bernal Heights neighborhood.  The picture above looks from Bernal Heights towards Potereo Hill.  It now lies very close to the intersection of Cesar Chavez (Army Street) and Hwy 101.  Here is a Google Maps satellite view of the area today.

Workday Wednesday - Dudley Moses Mitchell

Dudley Moses Mitchell was my maternal great grandfather (1875-1957). 


1895 Kansas Census - Farmer - Arkansas City, Cowley, Kansas
1900 Federal Census - Farm Laborer - Bolton Township, Cowley, Kansas
1905 Kansas Census - Teamster - Arkansas City, Cowley, Kansas
1910 Federal Census - Teaming Flour Mill - Arkansas City, Cowley, Kansas
1918 WWI Draft Registration - Grocer at Scott Grocery Company - Topeka, Shawnee, Kansas
1920 Federal Census -  Overseer Cold Storage - Topeka, Shawnee, Kansas
1925 Kansas Census - Laborer - Topeka, Shawnee, Kansas

I know that Dudley owned a grocery store at the end of the 1920's in Topeka.  He lost the store during the Depression.  The family moved to Hutchinson, Kansas where Dudley worked as a Grocer in the Save You More Market.

Funeral Card Friday - Claus Alfred Pope

Claus Alfred Pope died at Sonoma Valley Hospital on 23 June 1971.  He had been sick with heart problems for the two weeks leading up to his death.  He was born 19 September 1901 in San Francisco, California to John Pope and Catherine Offerman.  He was survived by his wife, Althea (Austin) Pope, son, John A. Pope, daughter, Joyce (Pope) Hunter, and sister, Elfrieda (Pope) Fancher.

Surname Saturday - Dean Lawbaugh Family

This is my first Surname Saturday post.  I have decided to start with Dean Lawbaugh's family because I have a wonderful photo of the family.  Dean Russell Lawbaugh is my great grandfather on my mother's paternal side.

top: Eugenia, Bill, Clemmie
bottom: Effie, Dean, Eddie

1. Dean Russell Lawbaugh was born 15 December 1888 in Wellington, Kansas to William Henry Lawbaugh and Clementine L Hudson.  He died 30 May, 1950 in Los Angeles, California.  He is buried in Wellington, Kansas.  Dean married Effie Bender on 12 May 1912.

2.  Effie Mae Bender was born 30 December 1892 in Halstead, Kansas to William Henry Bender and Mary Eugenia Bradley.  She died 15 march 1974 in Fort Smith, Arkansas.  She is buried in Wellington, Kansas.

i.  Eugenia Beryl Lawbaugh was born 23 February 1913 in Wellington, Kansas.  She died 11 July 1995 in McMinnville, Oregon.

ii. Clemedean Lawbaugh was born 7 January 1917 in Wellington, Kansas.  She died 23 June 1996 in McMinnville, Oregon.

iii. Edna Mae Lawbaugh was born 11 May 1921 in Wellington, Kansas.  She died 28 August 2001 in  Topeka, Kansas.

iv.  William Henry Lawbaugh was born 12 September 1923 in Wellington, Kansas.  He died 14 October 1965 in Lake Isabella, California.