Beverly Loyd, Film Actress & Not Forgotten Great Aunt

Beverly Loyd

Great Auntie Beverly Loyd Yandle (nee Gross)

My Great-Aunt Beverly Lloyd (Loyd) Gross was born in Portland, Oregon in June of 1921.  She was born to Charles and Hattie Gross of Portland, Oregon and was the youngest of 3 children: her brothers were Richard, my uncle, and Virgil, my biological grandfather.  Although, I never met any of them in life, I feel especially connected to Beverly.  At the age of 12 she began to model and soon found herself in motion pictures such as Utah with Roy Rogers in 1945 and the Earl Caroll Vanities.  I love old movies and vintage short westerns featuring Dale Evans and Roy Rogers. I was thrilled to find out that my great Aunt was a part of early western movies. Beverly married Loyd Yandle in February of 1941 (although some say 1939) in Washington.  She was a successful motion picture actress and later model-school operator for many years. She died before I got an opportunity to meet her but in my own way, I think we are connected.  I watch her old movies and I think it may be my own way of honoring not just her but the entire Gross Family that has been missing from my life and the lives of my fathers side.  

Copy of the Obituary, detailing Beverly's life (Obituary Link):

Beverly Gross Yandle

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, 2000, in Valley Community Presbyterian Church for Beverly Gross Yandle, who died Aug. 27 at age 79. Mrs. Yandle was born June 16, 1921, in Portland. Her maiden name was Gross. She attended Jefferson High School and graduated from Girls Polytechnic High School. A model from the age of 12, she was named Miss Oregon in 1941. Under the name Beverly Loyd, she was a film actress, appearing in "Utah," a Roy Rogers film of 1945, and the Ingrid Bergman film "Joan of Arc" in 1948. She retired from acting in 1957 and continued modeling and also had a modeling school for a few years. She moved to Hemet, Calif., in about 1980. In 1939, she married Loyd Yandle.

Survivors include her husband; daughter, Beverly Ferrari; son, Mark; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Interment is in Riverside National Cemetery in Los Angeles. Arrangements are by Miller-Jones Mortuary in Hemet.

October 5, 2000

Portland Oregonian


A copy of the Obituary from Lives Remebered: The Telegraph (Telegraph UK Obituaries):

Beverly Lloyd

Oct 21, aged 88. Dancer and B-movie actress under contract to Republic Pictures who appeared in a number of Hollywood films during the 1940s. These included the thriller Silent Partner (1944), in which she played the leading lady to Grant Withers; she was also the beautiful Wanda in the popular Roy Rogers Western Utah (1945) and Constance Grey in The Tiger Woman (1945). As a chorus girl, she was a regular on the early American television series Earl Carroll Vanities and danced on screen opposite John Wayne in The Fighting Seabees (1944). She retired after appearing in Joan of Arc (1948) to marry the Oscar-winning music director Lionel Newman.

Beverly Loyd in Polka Dots and Peggy Stewart on the Trumpet, 1945

Beverly appeared as an entertainer with Earl Caroll Vanities, starred in various motion pictures, and ran a modeling studio.  Some of her performances include (Movie Roster):

1948 Joan of Arc                         -as Court lady, Camp follower
1948 Here Comes Trouble         -as Penny Blake
1945 Earl Carroll Vanities           -as Cigarette Girl
1945 Utah                                   -as Wanda - Bob's girl friend
1945 The Tiger Woman             -as Constance Grey
1944 The Fighting Seabees       -as Chorine
1944 Silent Partner                    -as Mary Price
1944 Sing, Neighbor, Sing         -as Beverly
1943 Pistol Packin' Mama          -as Dancer

Here is not one BUT two terrific films that feature Beverly Loyd, they are also available on Amazon Prime for free (if you are a member). Kick back with some popcorn and enjoy some vintage treasures... They are only 1 hour give or take each.

Utah Movie, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Beverly Loyd, 1945, Republic Productions

Hal Roach Comedy, Here Comes Trouble, 1948

Extra Screen Shots From Utah, 1945:

Beverly Loyd Speaking with arms folded.

Beverly Loyd pointing, about to go on her Cowboy date!

Beverly Loyd in Polka Dots

Beverly Loyd doing a raised eyebrow smile in Utah, 1945

The following photos are all from the movie Here Comes Trouble, 1948:

Beverly Loyd in a beautiful floral dress.

Beverly Loyd in a flowing floral print dress

Beverly Loyd and William Tracy embrace

I make this face often. LOL

That's not going to work out for poor Dodo.

I loved this dress.  This movie was funny and a total vintage treat.

She had a beautiful smile.

I didn't know Beverly in this life but I am thankful that I get to watch her on screen.  It makes it feel like I know a tiny piece of her, even if just for a moment.  For the brief time she is on screen we are together and I feel privileged to be able to see her. 

Thanks,

XOXO

Happy Halloween!

P.S. The following film features a young Beverly Loyd as one of the ensemble of ladies in the movie:

Roger Conant and the Salem Dream Connection

The Conant Connection and the Salem Dream

Have you ever felt connected to some place or a certain time period but couldn’t explain why? Have you ever had vivid dreams about that place, or could smell it? Have you ever felt you lived in a place or time period and were sure of it? Have you ever felt out of sync, out-of-time or knew you knew a place without ever having been there?

I have.

I will start with the dream. I have had the same reoccurring dream for many, many years now.  I’m not sure when it began but it crops up often and is always the same.  I am standing in an early saltbox home, although I never ‘see’ the outside of the house I just know that it is a light brown in parts and dark brown in other areas.  It isn’t a big home but small and cozy.  My reoccurring dream is the same no matter how much I try to move around.  I am always rooted in front of a low table or wooden counter space.  The only think I see is the stained glass window that features yellow, golds and some browns and the pattern seems to be a wheat stalk or flower of muted colors.  It’s the only bright distinguishing feature.  I can tell I am wearing a dress but I never see the actual dress.  If I move away from the window I always loose the dream.  The smell of the house is a mixture of bread dough, not yet baked and a hearth fire that isn’t quite ready.  I’m not sure what I am doing with my hands but I know they are busy.  And, as I said I am not sure what I am wearing but I also sense that my hair is strawberry red/blonde mixed and it’s pulled back and covered in a cap of sorts.  I can see this dream, feel this dream and I can even smell this dream. Once in a while, if I am out and about in the here and now, and I smell that certain scent it’ll take me back to the spot… to that time period.  It’s as if I am home for only a few brief moments.  The only other concrete thing is that from the beginning of this dream I knew I lived in Essex County, Massachusetts and was not located within a village but we weren’t far from Danvers and Salem, Massachusetts.  I also knew and could sense it was early in colonial history, as though we were still under the British crown.  Far from the years of the Revolution, and in fact, far from the years of the Salem Witch Trials.

So when it came time for me to research my family history I was expecting to find Massachusetts relatives but what I was not expecting to find was my 11^th great grandfather was Roger Conant.  Governor Roger Conant, founder of Salem.  I knew I was connected to him.  I knew it as easily as I know my own address right now.  It was like a lightbulb for me.  A connection so deep that I held my breath with each of my Massachusetts relatives within his line.  I felt so much a part of this family.  I felt at home.  Massachusetts is a place I know I lived once before.  It’s why I am an ardent ancestral digger.  I have always felt deeply connected to the past but where it concerns the Salem area, I know I KNOW I have lived there once in a past life and my brain has allowed, or was able to save just one tiny scrape of my previous life. 

This line means a lot to me and I have researched many of these folks and they led incredible lives.  They were immigrants, farmers, distinguished men and women, and were pioneers of the America we know and love today.

Conant Line:

Governor Roger Conant was born in April of 1592 in East Budleigh, Devon, England.  He was an immigrant, arriving in Massachusetts where he settled what is now Salem.  He married Sarah Horton and together they had my 10^th great grandfather Lot Conant. 

Statue of Roger Conant, founder of Salem, Massachusetts, photo taken in 2004. Image provided by: Wikipedia)

Lot Conant (1624 – 1674) married Elizabeth Mansfield (1629 – 1650).  Together they had:

Roger Conant, Jr. (1668 – 1745) who married Mary Raiment/Raymond (1684 – 1783).  Together they had:

Mehitable Conant (1715 – 1814) and she married Josiah Piper, Sr. (1708 – 1758).  Together they had:

Josiah Piper, Jr. (1708 – 1758) who married Mary (surname unknown); together they had:

Mary “Polly” Piper (1769 – 1846) who married Walsingham Bosworth (best name EVER) (1777 – 1821), together they had:

Olive Bosworth (1801 – 1875) who married Samuel Willis Cowden (1786 – 1873), together they had:

Elizabeth Betsy Cowden (1816 – 1866) who married Charles M Scates (1810 – 1891) and together they had:

Charles Luther Scates (1844 – 1899) who married the widow, Alice Elizabeth James (nee Lampson); who together had:

Luther Bertcell Scates (1868 – 1940) who married Emma Catherine Pitzer (1869 – 1947) and together they had my great grandpa Charles Edward, who married Velma and who together had my lovely little granny Evelyn Velma.

The first six family members after Gov. Roger Conant were all Massachusetts born and/or died. It’s simply amazing that I’m connected to my dream through my family and through relatives I didn’t know existed but could only feel in spirit.  I’ve often prided myself on not being religious but being spiritual and this only strengthens my resolve.

XOXOXO,

Nellie Hull

Picts and Vikings Line

Working on my Pict/Celt and Viking line is always a fun ride.  With lineages that go back this far it is important to note that new information always comes up and sometimes changes have to happen in a line that directs the whole ballgame onto a new direction.  I once worked on a Shelton line in which I had a major error in one of the names of my ancestors that unraveled probably a good 6 months worth of work. Ugh. Super frustrating but it does happen. I work really hard on lines, ancestry, and trees but errors occur.

**Note: When I use the word lines as opposed to trees it is because I am working on straight lineage connections to myself, omitting spouses and siblings.  In no way shape or form should you do this when working on actual trees because not only can siblings and spouses tell you much valid information but they can also provide information about what happened to the family after the persons death (as in probate records, deeded lands, and remarriages). This paints an incredible picture of the lives of many ancestors.  I only provide lines after I've worked on the actual tree enough to provide a good snapshot of my ancestors' heritages.

And like all ancestry work... IT. WILL. NEVER. BE. FULLY. COMPLETED! Also, I am an amateur so anything you take away from this line needs to be fully researched and investigated on your own time.

So here are my two heritage lines (they are the same until #28):

Viking  Heritage Line:

Sea-faring Danes depicted invading England. Illuminated illustration from the 12th century Miscellany on the Life of St. Edmund. Pierpont Morgan Library. Image Provided by (Wikipedia).

1. Me
2. Mom
3. Grandmother
4. Velma Tanner (1890 in Nebraska – 1986 in Lancaster, CA)
5. Mary Hygiana Deuel (1852 in Beloit, WI – 1930 in Ventura County, CA)
6. Theodore Cross Deuel (1824 in New York – 1909 in Fullerton, CA)
7. Betsy Cross (1799 in Weare, NH – 1891 in Afton, WI)
8. Theodore Cross (1765 in Methuen, MA – 1833 in Antwerp, NY)
9. John Cross III (1711 in Haverhill, MA  – 1769 in Methuen, MA)
10. John Cross II (1681 in Methuen, MA – 1746 in Methuen, MA)
11. John Cross I (1644 in Ipswich, MA – 1697 in Methuen, MA)
12. Robert Cross (1613 in Charlinch, Somersetshire, England  – 1693 in Ipswich, MA) *Immigrant*
13. Thomas Cross (1580 in Somersetshire, England  – 1640 in Ipswich, MA) *Immigrant*
14. Anghard Ellis (1565 in Charlinch, Somersetshire, England   – 1682 in England)
15. Mary Dutton (1516 in Dutton, Cheshire, England  – 1580 in St. Giles Cripplegate, London, England)
16. Eleanor Legh (1480 in Adlington, Cheshire, England  – 1522 in Adlington, Cheshire, England )
17. Katherine Savage (1458 in Clifton, Cheshire, England  – 1515 in England)
18. Knight: Sir John Savage, Lord of Clifton (1403 in Clifton, Cheshire, England  – 1463 in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England)
19. Knight: Sir John Savage I (1370 – 1450; b/d in Clifton, Cheshire, England )
20. Margaret Danyers (1347 in Cheadle, Cheshire, England – 1428 in Clifton, Cheshire, England)
21. Isabel Baggiley (1325 – 1364; b/d in Cheadle, Stockport, Cheshire, England )
22. Sir William de Baguley (1305 – after 1325; b/d in Cheadle, Stockport, Cheshire, England )
23. Lucy Corona (illigimate daughter but claimed*) (1250 – 1316; b/d in Cheshire, England)
24. King Edward I, Plantagenet (1239 in Westminster Abbey, London, England – 1307 in Burgh by Sands, Cumberland, England)
25. King Henry III, Plantagenet (1207 in Winchester, City of Winchester, Hampshire, England  – 1272 in Westminster, City of Westminster, Greater London, England)
26. King John “Lackland” Plantagenet (1166 in Beaumont Palace, Oxfordshire, England  – 1216 in Newark Castle, Newark, Nottinghamshire, England )
27. King Henry II, Plantagenet (1133 in Le Mans, Sarthe, Pays De La Loire, France – 1189 in Chinon, Departement d'Indre-et-Loire, Centre, France)
a. Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122 in France – 1204 in Mirabell Castle, France)
28. Matilda, Holy Roman Empress and Queen of France & Germany (1102 in Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, England – 1167 in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France)
29. King Henry I (1068 in Selby, Yorkshire, England – 1135 in Saint-Denis-en-Lyons, Normandy )
30. King William “The Conqueror” [First Norman King of England] (1028 in Falaise, Normandy  – 1087 in Priory of Saint Gervase, Rouen, Normandy )
31. Robert I, Duke of Normandy (1000 in Normandy, France – 1035 in Nicaea, Turkey [now Iznik] )
32. Richard II, Duke of Normandy (963 – 1026; b/d in Normandy, France)
33. Richard I, Duke of Normandy (933 – 996; b/d in Fécamp Normandy, France)
34. William “Longsword” I, Duke of Normandy (893 in Bayeux or Rouen, France – 942 in Picquigny on the Somme in France)
35. Rollo [also known as Hrólfr or Granger Hrólf in Icelandic Sagas] (846 in Møre og Romsdal, Norway – 932 in Normandy, France)
36. Rögnvaldr “The Wise” Eysteinsson, Jarl of Møre, Norway (d. 890)
37. Eystein “The Clatterer” Ivarsson, Jarl of Oppland & Hedmark, Norway (805 – 846 b/d in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway)
38. Ivar “Vidfame” Halfdansson, King of Sweden (780 in Oppland, Norway  – 824 in Vestfold, Norway) [Also known as Eyestein the Fart]
39. Halfdon “The Aged” Sveidasson, Jarl of Upland (750 in Oppland, Norway– 800 in Borri, Norway)
40. Sveidi "Sea King" Heytirsson, Norse King (650 in Romsdal, Møre og Romsdal, Norway – 710 in Oppland, Norway)

“According to both the Heimskringla Saga and the Orkneyinga Saga, Eystein Ivarsson Glumra was the father of Rognvald. The Orkneyinga Saga says Eystein Glumra's earliest ancestor was Fornjot, King of Finland and Kvenland. Fornjot's great-great-grandson was Thorri who had two sons, Norr and Gorr, who emigrated westward. Norr took the mainland called Norway and Gorr took the islands. Gorr's son Heiti was the father of Sveithi (Sveide), the Sea King, who died about 760. Sveithi's son, Halfdan the Old, who died in 800, was the father of Ivar, Earl of the Uplands. And Ivar, in turn, was the father of Eystein Ivarsson Glumra.”

Therefore, the line would be furthered as follows
41. Heiti
42. Gorr
43. Thorri

For additional Research:

Source: Excerpts from the Saga of Hardrada

Source: The Orkneying Saga

Source: Descendants of Fornjotur Kvenland King

Source: Eystein Glumra & Viking Line

Celtic/Pict Heritage Line:

The Aberlemno Serpent Stone, Class I Pictish stone with Pictish symbols, showing (top to bottom) the serpent, the double disc and Z-rod and the mirror and comb.  Image provided by (Wikipedia). 

1. Me 

2. Paula Vance

3. Grandmother

4. Velma Tanner (1890 in Nebraska – 1986 in Lancaster, CA)

5. Mary Hygiana Deuel (1852 in Beloit, WI – 1930 in Ventura County, CA)

6. Theodore Cross Deuel (1824 in New York – 1909 in Fullerton, CA)

7. Betsy Cross (1799 in Weare, NH – 1891 in Afton, WI)

8. Theodore Cross (1765 in Methuen, MA – 1833 in Antwerp, NY)

9. John Cross III (1711 in Haverhill, MA  – 1769 in Methuen, MA)

10. John Cross II (1681 in Methuen, MA – 1746 in Methuen, MA)

11. John Cross I (1644 in Ipswich, MA – 1697 in Methuen, MA)

12. Robert Cross (1613 in Charlinch, Somersetshire, England  – 1693 in Ipswich, MA) *Immigrant*

13. Thomas Cross (1580 in Somersetshire, England  – 1640 in Ipswich, MA) *Immigrant*

14. Anghard Ellis (1565 in Charlinch, Somersetshire, England   – 1682 in England)

15. Mary Dutton (1516 in Dutton, Cheshire, England  – 1580 in St. Giles Cripplegate, London, England)

16. Eleanor Legh (1480 in Adlington, Cheshire, England  – 1522 in Adlington, Cheshire, England )

17. Katherine Savage (1458 in Clifton, Cheshire, England  – 1515 in England)

18. Knight: Sir John Savage, Lord of Clifton (1403 in Clifton, Cheshire, England  – 1463 in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England)

19. Knight: Sir John Savage I (1370 – 1450; b/d in Clifton, Cheshire, England )

20. Margaret Danyers (1347 in Cheadle, Cheshire, England – 1428 in Clifton, Cheshire, England)

21. Isabel Baggiley (1325 – 1364; b/d in Cheadle, Stockport, Cheshire, England )

22. Sir William de Baguley (1305 – after 1325; b/d in Cheadle, Stockport, Cheshire, England )

23. Lucy Corona (illigimate daughter but claimed*) (1250 – 1316; b/d in Cheshire, England)

24. King Edward I, Plantagenet (1239 in Westminster Abbey, London, England – 1307 in Burgh by Sands, Cumberland, England)

25. King Henry III, Plantagenet (1207 in Winchester, City of Winchester, Hampshire, England  – 1272 in Westminster, City of Westminster, Greater London, England)

26. King John “Lackland” Plantagenet (1166 in Beaumont Palace, Oxfordshire, England  – 1216 in Newark Castle, Newark, Nottinghamshire, England )

27. King Henry II, Plantagenet (1133 in Le Mans, Sarthe, Pays De La Loire, France – 1189 in Chinon, Departement d'Indre-et-Loire, Centre, France)

a. Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122 in France – 1204 in Mirabell Castle, France)

28. Matilda, Holy Roman Empress and Queen of France & Germany (1102 in Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, England – 1167 in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France)

29. Matilda of Scotland (1080 in Dunfermine, Scotland – 1 May 1118 in Westminster Palace, England)

30. Malcolm III “Canmore” King of Alba (1031 in Scotland – 13 Nov 1093 in Alnwick, England)

31. Duncan I, King of Alba (d. 14 Aug 1040 in Pitgaveny near Elgin)

32. Bethoc MacAlpine (984 in Perth and Kinross, Scotland – 1043 in Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross, Scotland)

33. Malcolm II “The Destroyer”, King of Scots (d. 25 Nov 1034 in Glamis, Scotland)

34. Kenneth II “The Fratricide” King of Alba (954 – 995 in Fettercairn)

35. Malcolm I, King of Alba (900 – 954)

36. Donald II, King of Picts and Alba (d. 900 in Forres or Dunnottar)

37. Constantine I, King of Picts (d. 877 in Atholl)

38. Kenneth I (Kenneth MacAlpine), King of Picts (810 in Iona Island, Scotland – 13 Feb 858 in Cinnbelachar, Scotland)

39. Alpíne Mac Echdach {Pictish Name: Ælfwine} (d. 836 in Galloway, Ireland [Killed])

40. Possibly Eochaid

Lots of names, lots of work and it will never fully be completed but man, isn't it fun to know who you are in the end? I fill very connected to history and to these people as if I have always known them and felt them in my spirit.  The tree I am working on lately is Roger Conant's and he is my 11th Great-Grandfather.  He is also the founder of Salem, a place I have always felt a deep spiritual connection even when I was very young. Perhaps his soul and the souls of all my ancestors dwell in my cosmetic and genetic makeup. They are somewhere in my soul. And as such, ancestry is very much alive to me and my ancestors are always deep within me and around me.  I feel them and I hope someday you feel yours too. 

My favorite quote and I truly believe this quote.

The past is alive because we are, our ancestors love...

XOXOXO,

Nellie Hull

1.   

I am a Gilmore Girl, notes on my Gilmore Ancestry

Gilmore Family Crest (Postcard Available Here: zazzle )

'Nil penna usus' - 'Not the quill but its use'

"It will be given to the persevering" 

Gilmore Girl, sort of...

Gilmore girls conjures up images of Yale, New England, Dean, Jess, Paris, Rory, tartans and coffee. Lot's and lots of coffee!  It is one of my favorite TV shows and although I know it isn't real I was delighted to find a link to the actual Gilmore family name in my own lineage. As an avid ancestry junkie, I had to dig and piece together my own line from the beginning of what was available online and in paperwork.  I will highlight a couple of key figures (not that they aren't all important) and relay a bit more information about those individuals. So here goes...

Gawin Gilmore was born in roughly 1610 in Scotland.  The ancestral name is said to have originated in the Scottish Highlands (Wiki) as well as Ireland.  The name is stated to mean Devotee or Servant to the Virgin Mary.  It has two Gaelic forms, one being the Scottish Gaelic of 'Mac Gille Mhoire,' and another in the form of Irish Gaelice in 'Mac Giolla Mhuire.' When Gawin was born in Scotland in 1610 King James IV was on the throne and Scotland was in economic dire straits. Increased taxes, inflation problems, and harvest failures all marred Scotland's vast lands and kept the region in a state of poverty on the fringes of Europe.  Gawin's exact reasons for leaving his homeland of Scotland and venturing to Coleraine, Londonderry, North Ireland are unknown but economic stresses and failed crop harvests could have most likely played a key role in his decision.  Robert, son of Gawin, was born in Coleraine, along with his son William.  They both migrated to Rockingham County, New Hampshire.  Early Scottish and Irish immigrants weren't uncommon as persecution, economic hardships and constant fighting sent many to North America after the 1700s. William Gilmore went on to have Robert Gilmore, and Robert went on to have James Gilmore in 1685 in North Ireland, which means they must have made many return trips as evident by the births in both North America and Ireland for the family line.  James Gilmore had William Gilmore in Coleraine, Londonderry, North Ireland.  William Gilmore, my 8th great grandfather, became involved in the Revolutionary War defending his home of New York.  He served in the 1st regiment of New York:

 William Gilmore SR listed on muster roll for 1st regiment NY Jan thru March 1781.  He is listed on the lefthand side.  Names appear alphabetical. Document found through ancestry.com search. His DAR # A121410

William Gilmore Sr pay muster in Capt John C Ten Braeck's company April 1783.  He is 11th down on the lefthand side.  Very faint script but visible of enlarged. Document found on ancestry.com search.

William Gilmore fought bravely for independence but sadly passed in 1786.  According to documents because of his war service his family was granted land by the newly formed Congress:

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application & William Gilmore SR bounty land certificate grant from the Dept of War. Document found on ancestry.com search.

William did have many children (12 in total!) and one of those children, named Margaret, was my 7th great grandmother.  Margaret Gilmore was born in in Pelham, Massachusetts and married Samuel Cowden on December 11, 1755, in Holden, Massachusetts.  Samuel and Margaret had six children including James Cowden, my 6th Great Grandfather, who then had Samuel Willis Cowden, my 5th Great Grandfather, who then had Elizabeth Betsy Cowden, my 4th Great Grandmother, in 1816 in Vermont.  Elizabeth married Charles Scates and had 6 sons and 5 daughters. Elizabeth lived in the north in the tumultuous era leading up to the civil war and it was her son, Charles Luther Scates, my 3rd Great Grandfather, who fought for the north in the Civil War as a union soldier.  I wrote an earlier blog about his service during the Civil War and his time after on the Kansas frontier.  Charles Luther Scates, who married the widow Alice James in 1867 in Ohio, went on to have have Luther Bertcell Scates (my 2nd great grandfather).  Luther traveled to Los Angeles with his wife Emma sometime before 1910, when he was first recorded on the 1910 census in Los Angeles County. Luther and Emma had several children including my great grandfather Charles Edward Scates.  

Charles and Luther Scates circa 1918.

Charles Edward Scates was born in 1893 in Kansas and by the age of 17 was living in California.  Charles, who by all accounts was a kind and generous man went on to have 7 wonderful daughters of which my grandmother Evelyn was one of them.  After the Selection Service Act of 1917, Charles at the age of 24 entered the WWI Draft:

WWI Draft of Charles (Front)

WWI Draft Card of Charles (Back)

Again, his service would be called upon for WWII and once again he entered the draft like many other able bodied men at the age of 49. 

WWII Draft card of Charles Edward Scates (Front)

WWII Draft card for Charles Edward Scates (back)...I especially like the term 'stout' for his description. 

So from Gawin Gilmore in the highlands of Scotland to William Gilmore an Irish immigrant fighting in the Revolutionary War to Charles entering the Union Army in the civil war to my great grandfather Charles entering the draft for both WWI and WWII; I am amazed at this line of incredible people. I think the only downside to working on ancestry is the inability to speak to the ancestors.  I want to find out about what life was like for Margaret Gilmore during the Revolutionary War era and speak with Elizabeth Betsy Cowden about her time in New England during the Civil War era.  What was it like for them, personally, during these difficult periods in American history? I may never know the answers and can only hope that someday we'll all be able to sit down and share stories with one another in the great beyond.

Charles and Velma Scates, Sept 1961

I enjoyed working on this line not only because of the Gilmore connection (and I am really going to use the "I'm a Gilmore Girl" phrase as often as possible) but because it allowed me to glimpse into the lives of my amazing relatives.  These were some strong folks to leave homelands, make oceanic voyages more than once, to settle the frontier, live through countless American wars, as well as journeying westward and back again. I am often humbled by their perseverance and endurance, and I am very proud to call them my ancestors. 

Thanks a bunch for reading! 

Signed,

'I'm a Gilmore Girl' 

-Nellie Hull-

XOXOXO