Ada Harrison - an impenetrable brick wall

[Karamazov]

RoseR,
I was just wondering if you had been able to track what happened to Maynard and son William once they went back to America in 1907 in case that might offer any clues re Ada. Is there any evidence that Ada and William stayed in touch or were they estranged?

Christine

[PhotoFamily]

I do have the actual address where Ada and Richard said they were going . It took my cousin and I a lot of head scratching to work it out but it's no help I'm afraid. It's the address of Ada's sister-in-law in Los Angeles. The name is Lillian Loveday, although the border records show it as Lovelady. The address is 3484 Jean Franco Street Los Angeles. Lillian appears there on the 1930 census, along with her husband George. By 1940 George is shown as a widower, Lillian presumably having died.

We're not talking about the same line. I'm talking about the line above Linda's address. I thought it said "Home in US". What I thought was an address is actually the years of residence.

This is a description of the form:
Form 543, Form 548-B, or Form 1-448, Manifest, includes the person's name, age, sex, marital status, place of birth, physical description, occupation, citizenship ("nationality"), race, ability to read and write, place of last permanent residence, port and date of arrival, destination, purpose for entering the U.S., intention of becoming a U.S. citizen, head tax status, and previous citizenships. It also includes the name and address of the friend or relative whom the alien intended to join, persons accompanying the alien, and the name and address of the alien's nearest relative or friend in the country from which he or she came. If the alien had ever been in the U.S. in the past, the dates and places of such residence or visitation are indicated. It may also indicate the person's head tax status or action taken by a Board of Special Inquiry. The manifests may include a photograph of the alien, sometimes with spouse and minor children.. Emphasis added.
found here:

https://www.archives.gov/research/microfilm/m1504.pdf

Using that information to again examine the line above Linda's address, it would appear Ada lived in Homestead PA from 1888 to 1898.

Did you know that previously?

Did Maynard have any sibs? Homestead's not a big place. Another Harrison family from England in that town could well be related.

If you haven't been able to trace Maynard, well, I know a branch of my family that left England to go to the US - my several times-great-uncle changed his name. It's only known because of letters written at the time.

[RoseR]

Thank you all for continuing to take an interest. To answer your questions and suggestions:

I had a reply from the cemetery and it's not the correct Ada. The one interred there was born in 1898 and died in 1978. She also had a husband, George. It was worth a try.

The entry for a Maynard Harrison travelling from Mexico to New York is Ada's estranged husband I believe. I can't yet prove it but circumstantial evidence suggests he was in a relationship with another woman in the UK, before he left Ada, and he had two daughters by her. Her name was Annie Cook and the girls were Irene and Florence. They travelled to New York, under the name of Harrison, shortly after Maynard returned there with William in 1907. It seems there was a son born in New York in 1908, variously called Stanley James or Lionel James. I've picked them up returning to the UK from Chile in 1920. The incomplete electoral records for the 1920s show Maynard and Annie resident in Middlesex, then I lost them.

I have no idea what happened to Ada and Maynard's son William after he returned to the US with his father in 1907, although there's a possible entry in New York in 1910. There's nothing to suggest that Ada stayed in touch with Maynard and by 1911 she was calling herself a widow. But the fact that the border crossing papers mention that she and her son Richard were on the way to her sister-in-law in Los Angeles suggest there was still some kind of connection.

I did know that Ada and Maynard lived in Homestead between 1888 and 1897. That's where they were married and where their children were born.

Maynard did have siblings, but not a brother George. The Harrisons in the cemetery don't seem to be connected. Maynard's father died in 1888, shortly after Maynard and Ada's marriage. He left quite a bit of money and in 1891 his widow emigrated to the US with her other children. I've traced some of them over there.

It really is quite a muddle. Ada was born in a quiet little Berkshire village, as was I, and I was amazed to learn of the life she'd led. I would like to find out how and where it ended. This is one brick wall which seems impossible to break down.

[PhotoFamily]

TI had a reply from the cemetery and it's not the correct Ada. The one interred there was born in 1898 and died in 1978. She also had a husband, George. It was worth a try.

Sorry about that. I was really hopeful.

[PhotoFamily]

And frustrating. Do you have Richard's death certificate, or find the index for it?

Name: Richard Maynard Harrison
Social Security #: 565161375
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 7 Mar 1891
Birth Place: Pennsylvania
Death Date: 18 Dec 1957
Death Place: Los Angeles
Mother's Maiden Name: Godwin
Father's Surname: Harrison

Might be interesting to know who the informant was. I'm told that LA area obits are hard to find.

[RoseR]

I'm grateful for your suggestion regarding the entry on the grave website. At least I can discount that one.

Yes, I do indeed have a copy of Richard's death certificate. After coming across the reference I was desperate to do so. I was fortunate to come across a lovely lady in Los Angeles who was happy to get a copy for me. But it actually raised more questions than it answered, which is nothing unusual. There was no informant as it was done under a Pre-Need Arrangement, something which seems to be common in the US. Richard signed the papers himself beforehand.

So I contacted the cemetery where it says he's buried and asked if they had any info. I was told that his daughter A signed for the interment. She was now A M having presumably married sometime after the 1940 Census, which found her single and living with her Dad. The woman at the cemetery kindly did some online searches to see if she could find anything else on daughter Ada, but there was nothing. I've checked too and can find no trace of her.

As usual with this particular family line I just go round in circles. It's given me more problems than all the others put together.

[Karamazov]

I'm grateful for your suggestion regarding the entry on the grave website. At least I can discount that one.

Yes, I do indeed have a copy of Richard's death certificate. After coming across the reference I was desperate to do so. I was fortunate to come across a lovely lady in Los Angeles who was happy to get a copy for me. But it actually raised more questions than it answered, which is nothing unusual. There was no informant as it was done under a Pre-Need Arrangement, something which seems to be common in the US. Richard signed the papers himself beforehand.

So I contacted the cemetery where it says he's buried and asked if they had any info. I was told that his daughter A signed for the interment. She was now A Mhaving presumably married sometime after the 1940 Census, which found her single and living with her Dad. The woman at the cemetery kindly did some online searches to see if she could find anything else on daughter Ada, but there was nothing. I've checked too and can find no trace of her.

As usual with this particular family line I just go round in circles. It's given me more problems than all the others put together.

Do you have an exact DOB for A (Richard's daughter)? Plus any more info on Consuela, his elder daughter?
Christine

[RoseR]

Unfortunately not, nor much information either. I first pick up a reference to the eldest child Consuela on the Draft Registration for WW1 which Richard filled out on 5th June 1917. He said he had a wife and 18 month old child, indicating she was born in late 1915/early 1916.

In 1924 Consuela crossed from Mexico to Texas with her mother Maria. The entry states she was 8 and born in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

The 1930 US Census shows Consuela as age 14, so indicating a birth around the time stated above.

The 1930 Census is the first time I find her sister A . She's aged 8, so born about 1921/22.

The border crossing a few months later doesn't give the ages of the girls.

The 1940 Census shows daughter A living with her father Richard in Texas. She's aged 19, so born about 1921. It says she was born in Texas.

That's all I have on either girl, until daughter A turns up signing for her father's interment in 1957 under the name of A M

[PhotoFamily]

Ahem. It occurs to me that we don't know for certain that AH has died, and she's within the 100 yr moratorium on using the names of Living Persons. Moderators, you may wish to clean up some posts?

There's a travel record of an AM traveling from Mexico City to San Antonio, but gives no indication of age, so I think it's of little use:

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gss=angs-g&new=1&rank=1&gsfn=Ada&gsfn_x=1&gsln=Maudsley&gsln_x=0&MSAV=1&msbdy=1921&msbpn__ftp=Texas&msrpn__ftp=Weslaco%2c+Texas&msrpn1__ftp=Robstown%2c+Nueces%2c+Texas%2c+USA&msfng=richard+Maynard&msfns=Harrison&mssns0=Maudsley&_83004003-n_xcl=m&cp=0&catbucket=rst&uidh=dzh&ssrc=pt_t84780279_p48504117071_kpidz0q3d48504117071z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid_m1&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&h=802791&recoff=8+10&db=gpl&indiv=1&ml_rpos=1

RoseR, if you were very lucky, the DC might tell you the undertaker/mortuary that buried the remains? You could try googling it, and seeing if it still exists. That's worked out for me (one time!) - and the funeral home was able to give me the obit.

[Karamazov]

Ahem. It occurs to me that we don't know for certain that AH has died, and she's within the 100 yr moratorium on using the names of Living Persons. Moderators, you may wish to clean up some posts?

There's a travel record of an AM traveling from Mexico City to San Antonio, but gives no indication of age, so I think it's of little use:

Oops, hadn't thought of that re AH/AM!
Coming at it from another angle - do you have a first name name/maiden name for Richard's wife who died pre-1930?

Christine

[RoseR]

My apologies too, my enthusiasm overcame any thought that it was inappropriate.

With regard to Richard's wife: her name was Maria and she was born in Mexico City. That's all I have. I've tried looking at Mexico records but I don't speak Spanish, which is a definite handicap.

[RoseR]

I did contact the cemetery where Richard is buried. They told me that his daughter Ada, now Maudsley, had signed for the interment, but that's all they had. The actual undertaker is no longer in existence.

[Elaine]

Don't think this has been mentioned yet, Richard's WW1 draft card

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gss=angs-g&new=1&rank=1&gsfn=maynard&gsfn_x=0&gsln=harrison&gsln_x=0&msbpn__ftp=Wales&msbpn=5250&msbpn_PInfo=3-|0|0|3257|5250|0|0|0|0|0|0|&msadp=5&cp=12&MSAV=1&uidh=euf&cpxt=1&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&h=34126901&db=WW1draft&indiv=1&ml_rpos=2

Name: Maynard Harrison
County: Cameron
State: Texas
Birthplace: Berkshire,England
Birth Date: 7 Mar 1889
Race: White

and not American subject

[Karamazov]

Don't think this has been mentioned yet, Richard's WW1 draft card

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gss=angs-g&new=1&rank=1&gsfn=maynard&gsfn_x=0&gsln=harrison&gsln_x=0&msbpn__ftp=Wales&msbpn=5250&msbpn_PInfo=3-|0|0|3257|5250|0|0|0|0|0|0|&msadp=5&cp=12&MSAV=1&uidh=euf&cpxt=1&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&h=34126901&db=WW1draft&indiv=1&ml_rpos=2

Name: Maynard Harrison
County: Cameron
State: Texas
Birthplace: Berkshire,England
Birth Date: 7 Mar 1889
Race: White

and not American subject

It was mentioned upthread post 14 - an attempt to dodge the American draft by claiming that he was British rather than American born.

[PhotoFamily]

I think I saw today that Ancestry just added Catholic Mexican records - tho that may not cover your peeps.

2nd dtr A. could have been going to Mexico to see her older sister, C. in that airline passenger list?

I've also wondered if the reason we can't find, say, an SSDI record for 2nd dtr, A is because she is still living. Still, many possibilities exist - she divorced, remarried, moved to another country, etc.

[Elaine]

Thanks Karamazov, missed that when I looked back

[PhotoFamily]

OK, I'm trying to keep in mind that Harrison is a common name. But -
isn't this interesting:

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VP9K-G87

It's common in central & south America to hyphenate parents' surnames to give to the child, so that's why the child was Torres Harrison, and the mother's maiden name was Harrison. Notice that this person was born in Mexico, but died in California.

But probably just a coincidence.

If dtr C remained in Mexico, perhaps Ada died there? Certainly seems to be a well traveled family!

Oh, cancel - definitely a coincidence: born in 1967

[Karamazov]

Don't think this has been mentioned yet, Richard's WW1 draft card

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gss=angs-g&new=1&rank=1&gsfn=maynard&gsfn_x=0&gsln=harrison&gsln_x=0&msbpn__ftp=Wales&msbpn=5250&msbpn_PInfo=3-|0|0|3257|5250|0|0|0|0|0|0|&msadp=5&cp=12&MSAV=1&uidh=euf&cpxt=1&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&h=34126901&db=WW1draft&indiv=1&ml_rpos=2

Name: Maynard Harrison
County: Cameron
State: Texas
Birthplace: Berkshire,England
Birth Date: 7 Mar 1889
Race: White

and not American subject

I don't have an ancestry sub so couldn't view via your link but found it here on familysearch - curiouser and curiouser!

https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=75&query=%2Bgivenname%3AMaynard~%20%2Bsurname%3AHarrison%20%2Bbirth_year%3A1888-1892~%20%2Brecord_country%3A%22United%20States%22

So we know he was lying about being born in Newberry (sic) Berkshire. But is his claim that he served 3 years as a private in the infantry in England also a lie? Without checking back through this thread, if I recall correctly, no info has been posted about when Richard crossed the Atlantic again after his father upped sticks in 1907 with the younger son, William.
Is this draft card - Jun 1917 - the earliest documented evidence we have found of him being back on the other side of the Atllantic?
It does however look like he was in central/North America some years previously with both daughters being born in Mexico circa 1915/16 and 1921/22 according to the 1930 Mexico census.
So could he feasibly have served 3 years in the British Army before he went to Mexico/US?

It would really help if we could find his marriage record to Maria XXXX or birth records for the daughters. (Sorry to go all Sybil Fawlty there - stating the b****ing obvious!)

My head's too scrambled with all this to do any more searching tonight for UK military/UK outward passengers/1910 US/1911 UK/ or Mexican census records.
Besides which, RoseR may be able to fill in some of these blanks...

[PhotoFamily]

Maria S de Harrison crossing the border into Texas. If you arrow to the previous card, you'll find Consuela

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=MexBorder&h=267196&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt&ssrc=pt_t84780279_p48504445037_kpidz0q3d48504445037z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid

And here's the marriage record!

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?ssrc=pt_t84780279_p48504115172_kpidz0q3d48504115172z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid_m1&srchb=r&gss=angs-g&rank=1&tid=84780279&pid=48504115172&gpid=&gsfn=richard+Maynard&gsln=Harrison&msbdy=1888&msddy=1957&msbpn__ftp=Homestead%2c+Allegheny%2c+Pennsylvania%2c+USA&_82004030__ftp=Los+Angeles%2c+Los+Angeles%2c+California%2c+USA&cp=15&cpxt=1&msrpn__ftp=Tottenham%2c+Middlesex%2c+England&msrpn1__ftp=Robstown%2c+Texas%2c+USA&msrpn2__ftp=Weslaco%2c+Texas&msrpn3__ftp=Robstown%2c+Nueces%2c+Texas%2c+USA&msfng=Maynard&msfns=Harrison&msmng=Ada&msmns=Godwin&msbng0=William&msbns0=Harrison&mssng0=Maria+%28Harrison%29&mssns0=S&mscng0=Consuela&mscns0=Harrison&mscng1=Ada&mscns1=Harrison&_83004003-n_xcl=f&MSAV=1&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&h=86240&db=MexCivRegMarTM&indiv=1&ml_rpos=1

Is your Ancestry sub active? If not, only send a PM

[PhotoFamily]

OK, I'm comfortable using Ada's name again:

Name: Ada Mae Holbeck
[Ada Mae Harrison]
Social Security #: 565282900
Gender: Female
Birth Date: 29 Jul 1921
Birth Place: Texas
Death Date: 15 Feb 1981
Death Place: Los Angeles
Mother's Maiden Name: Segura
Father's Surname: Harrison

and she's in a family tree:

http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/12875362/person/-56307228

but as a side branch