My mom always told me that my middle name, Ann, was given to me in honor of her Aunt Ann, the woman she lived with for some amount of time (how long?) while her parents were going through their divorce. Somehow I learned that Aunt Ann was really Anna Teresa (Fitzgerald) Sronce, who was really her great aunt as she was the younger sister of Mom's grandfather, Edward Fitzgerald. And I also knew that Aunt Ann lived somewhere around Berkeley or Oakland, California. And even now I don't know much more than that. And once again, I could just KICK MYSELF for not asking more questions.
Anna Teresa Fitzgerald was born 27 July 1883 in Woodland, Yolo County, California. She was the seventh (and last) child of Mathew and Julia (Horgan) Fitzgerald.
I found what looks to be two entries in the 1900 census for Anna.
The first was enumerated on 7 Jun 1900 where she was in Fresno with dad Mathew and siblings Nick, Mary, and Joseph. Mom Julia died shortly after Anna's birth so this all checks out.
The second entry was just a week later on June 12-13 where I found Anna in Woodland. She was a lodger in the Delia Morrison household and was "at business college". This Anna was born July, 1883 so it also looks to be her. However, this shows that both her father and mother were born in New York when, in fact, they were both born in Ireland. Maybe it was easier just to say your parents were born in New York? Or, Delia didn't know where they were born so just said New York?
On 14 Aug 1902, Anna married Robert Hartsel Sronce. And together over the next few years they had three children - Robert, Hartsel, and Elizabeth.
In 1910, Anna and Robert lived on G Street in Sacramento. Young Robert and Hartsel had now joined the family, as had Aunt Elizabeth Sronce. I don't have any record of a sister named Elizabeth but I also don't see a brother (making her a sister-in-law). More research needed. In this census it states that both parents were born in New York.
By 1920, Anna and Robert were living at 1600 Bancroft in Berkeley. Again, both parents were born in New York. And now not only were Robert, Hartsel, and Aunt Elizabeth in the home, but daughter Elizabeth had joined the family.
1930 found Anna and Robert at 754 61st St in Oakland. In the home were son Robert and daughter Elizabeth and a "relative" Sarah. Google maps shows the house in February, 2019:
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| 754 61st Street, Oakland, CA - google maps |
By 1940, they had moved to 1509 Edith in Berkeley. With Robert and Anna were daughter Elizabeth and her husband, Malcom Bell. Mom, did you live here?
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| 1509 Edith, Berkeley, CA - google maps |
I went back and researched some other things and found that Mom remembered living with them at 1441 Milvia Street in Berkeley. But I don't find ANYTHING (other than Anna's death certificate) that showed them ever living there.
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| 1441 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA - google maps |
I know that in 1940 Mom and her mother were living in a hotel on Harrison Street in Oakland (my grandmother was the Hotel Manager) so I think Mom must have been living with the Sronce's in the mid 1930's. How long did she live with them? Was it a week, a month, years? I guess I'll never know. AND I DIDN'T ASK!!!
Anna died on 2 May 1950 in Alameda County. Based on the death certificate, she died of an acute myocardial infarction at her home on Milvia Street. She is buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.
I know I can't beat myself up but geez, why didn't I ask more questions???
You're not alone, as I am sure you know. When my mother-in-law died in 2009, the rabbi who did the intake for the funeral asked questions about her mother, who'd died when my MIL was 20 or so. My husband and his brother knew nothing about their grandmother except when she died. And we were all suddenly saddened when we realized that we had lost the last chance to learn anything about this woman and her relationship with my MIL. So sad.
ReplyDeleteSo don't beat yourself up. We all have long lists of questions we wished we had asked.
So true. It also amazes me when I see death certificates and where the name of the parents should be, it says unknown. When my mother died and we were completing the death certificate, my brother and sister looked at me and said "you do it, we don't know much".
DeleteI know how you feel! Your aunt lived in some beautiful homes, that’s for sure.
ReplyDeleteYes they did. I guess I should be thankful that I asked my mother SOME questions, I just wish I'd asked more.
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