Finding my maternal grandmother’s oldest brother George
Everett Rucker and his family in the 1940 census was not easy. The Ruckers HAD to be in Washington, DC. That much I knew. I checked Ancestry but found nothing under
George OR Everett Rucker, and nothing using all combinations for Rucher,
Pucker, Ducker, and any other spelling that I thought might be how an indexer interpreted
the name.
I then went to FamilySearch using the same strategy. Nothing.
I went back to Ancestry and searched for George and Ollie
without a last name in Washington DC.
There they were: George and Ollie
RuckeS.
So why didn’t FamilySearch give me that? I then tried searching George and Ollie without a location. FamilySearch found George and Ollie RuckeR in District of Columbia. It turns out FamilySearch doesn’t recognize Washington
DC. At least FamilySearch got the names right, and
now I know how to look for someone living in the nation’s capital.
So in 1940 Uncle Everett and his family were renting their home at
612 Morris Place for $45 a month, the same house in which they were living in
1935.
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| from Google Maps Based on the address on other houses, the Ruckers must have lived in the last house, far right. |
Everett was a mechanic, but I cannot decipher the
handwriting naming the company he worked for. He worked for the railway in 1930, but that
doesn’t seem to be the word in the blank.
Nevertheless, he was fully employed in 1939 earning
$2600, which equates to roughly $42,548 today.
He worked 48 hours the last week of March 1940.
Everett (42) had completed a year of high school while
his wife Ollie D. Coakley (38) had finished only 8 years. Their sons George Jr. (16) and Jimmy (14)
were attending school. Ollie was busy
caring for two younger daughters Norma (4) and Mary Ann (3).
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| Click to enlarge |
I remember Everett and Ollie as being very quiet and kind
people. Never did I hear anyone call him "George." Yet, in all the census records, that is how he is listed. I wonder if his immediate family called him George while the rest of us said Everett, or if they were just being "correct" for the occasion.
I always liked them! I think Everett is a sweet name. Glad you found them in the census. I had only thought of them as living in Shenandoah.
ReplyDeleteEverett is on my list of names that should be brought back.
DeleteReading your posts has inspired me to look more closely into my own family history. I did a lot of searching during ancestry.com's recent free weekend, and I'm going to sign up and see what else I can find once things settle down a little here. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteLet me know if I can help. Enjoy the hunt.
DeleteIt looks such a pretty area with the trees in the street. I wonder if the tree roots cause any problems to the foundations of the houses? Perhaps the first word of the company he worked for is 'Washington' but the line underneath is indecipherable.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I got the first word. The second word looks like somethingworks. I think the street looks lovely too.
DeleteHi Wendy! Isn't GoogleMaps great? I love that we can see where our ancestors lived.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can't get that second word either. Like you I got Washington, but the second word? Not so much.
There is some comfort in knowing others can't read that word either. Somebody will come along and solve the mystery and I'm going to wonder why I couldn't see it. Thanks for stopping by.
Delete