Genealogy SCORE!!!

Thanks to my step-cousin, Frank. I met Frank by way of Ancestry.com, and never knew there was a connection until he emailed me back. He had my grandfather, Gordon, in his family tree.

Frank’s mom was the second wife of my uncle, Robert. Small world! Well to my blessing, he is also a registered genealogist in the state of Connecticut. Not long ago, CT changed it’s laws concerning the ability to get birth certificates. It had to be 100 years from the day the person was born, unless you were a certified genealogist. I was not, so I thought I had to wait until 2013 to get access to my grandfather’s information. Until I met Frank that is!
Here is what he scanned and sent to me today. I will have the original in my hands shortly.

This provides me with so much new information. First, I suspected Arthur was a farmer before moving to Stamford and working for the Philip’s Chemical Co., but I wasn’t positive. Second, it gives me both middle names for Arthur and Clara, which I didn’t have before.
And the big shocker……..my grandfather wasn’t an only child as we thought!

Here is my theory, and if anyone can provide any information or insight, please contact me……In the 1920 census for Stamford, CT, Arthur and Gordon are listed as boarders. Arthur is still listed as being married. There is no mention of any other children, or Clara. There was a huge TB epidemic making it’s way through this area at the time, and many people ended up being sent to Laurel Heights TB Sanitarium in Shelton, CT. I believe this may be where Clara ended up….and where she eventually died, sometime between 1920 and 1930. In the 1930 census, it is still Arthur and Gordon living alone as boarders, but Arthur is now listed as widowed.

The other two children? I have no idea. They could have died as well from TB. Gordon was the youngest. They could have died before the family moved to Stamford from Simsbury, sometime after Gordon was born in 1913.

Love the challenge of the mystery!!!

Be blessed!