Harriette Gertrude Hudspeth

[devonliz]

This lady was a volunteer nurse in the Canadian convalescent home in Dieppe and (I believe) made a big impression on my grandfather, who spent some time there.
I have found her birth details - Sept 1879 in Ontario - and I have newspaper extracts describing her activities in Canada before WW1. She qualified in social work after the war and in 1927 entered the USA as a social worker in Warsaw NY.
In the 1940 US census, she appears as H Gertrude Hudspeth in Providence RI, giving her age as 49, birth year 1891. From newspaper reports, I know that this is the correct person.
FMP lists the death of Harriet Hudspeth, born 1891, died 1971 in Illinois.
Could this be the same person? Her US Social Security number is given - can this be followed up somehow?

I should say that I have mainly used FMP and newspaper archives for this search - I tried to follow up using Family Search and it nearly sent me round the bend. They seem to have redesigned the site and given everyone in the world a 7-place alphanumeric code ... are these codes based on accurate information? And now it's not as straightforward to just 'search' for a name.

[avaline]

Find a Grave has a Harriet Oressa Hudspeth (nee Dull) born 1891 Ohio died 1971 Illinois

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/267 ... a-hudspeth

[Templ4r]

Is this her? On her naturalisation record she says she was born 19 sep 1890.

Name Harriet Gertrude Hudspeth
Gender Female
Race White
Record Type Application
Birth Sep 19 1891
Canada
Submission date Nov 1943
Father Adam Hudspetti
Mother Harriet Miles
Signed By Client's signature
Reference Number 65145422574

[devonliz]

Aha! Yes parents Adam and Harriette ... but the birth registration is from 19 Sept 1879.
She was a bridesmaid for her sister in 1900 and the report did not suggest that she was a child!

[Templ4r]

Her father is plastered all over the Internet....

All I can find are her medal cards, border crossing, etc, she was in Rhode Island in 1944 and storys about her time nursing. nothing much on My Heritage and that is US based. Ancestry seems to have the most.

[devonliz]

Thank you - avaline and Templ4r - seems as if she was a very independent single lady and had to earn her own living.

I will take a closer look on Ancestry next time they have a free offer for international records.

[VALLMO9]

This record on Ancestry includes her 1879 birth year. Perhaps she began shaving several years off her age in later years?

U.S., Border Crossings from Canada to U.S., 1895-1960
Name: Harriet Gertrude Hudspeth
Race/Nationality: English
Departure Contact: Sister Mrs W R Hitchino
Age: 47
Birth Date: 19 Sep 1879
Birth Place: Lindsay
Birth Country: Canada
Arrival Date: 6 Feb 1927
Port of Arrival: Buffalo, New York, USA
Record has photo?: No

FamilySearch has index books of Providence Births, Marriages and Deaths. I scrolled through the images in Vol 30, Deaths, 1941-1945 -- but I didn't see her name listed. The question is: Did she remain in Providence after 1940?

Unfortunately Ancestry and FMP's Rhode Island deaths record sets only go up to 1930. And FamilySearch's "United States Social Security Death Index for Rhode Island" starts at 1962. As such, you may struggle to find an online death record for her during 1940-1962.

[VALLMO9]

Case in point: one of the other tenants living at 190 Waterman, Providence is an elderly lady named Nettie E Bauer. Her name is directly beneath Harriette's on the 1940 census record. Presuming she also remained in Rhode Island, there is no online death record index for her either.

[devonliz]

Thanks, Vallm09! It seems the Fountain of Youth was to be found in Providence RI.
Gertrude must have been 35+ when she went out to France, yet in a newspaper article she was described as one of 'the girls'. I found a passenger list of her return in 1919, aged 36, so she had begun to adjust her age even then (or perhaps she looked younger than actual age?).
Anyway, thank you for searching for a death and for demonstrating why a record is not available.