Has Anybody Seen My Grandfather?

John W. Ingraham, Angella Ingraham (nee Collier), Purvis Charles Ingraham, and Frederick Ingraham.

It’s like he vanished from the face of the earth, just walked off the edge of the world.

I’ve been told that he, at the age of 27, “abandoned” his 25-year-old wife with two small children (ages 3 and 5) in 1936. It was the end of the “Dirty Thirties” and he wanted to be in the theatre, so they say. He took a few photos of the children and was gone, never to be seen by his wife or children again.

My Great-grandfather Albert Burton Hunt with his daughters. My grandmother, Verna Hunt is between the two men. Purvis Charles Ingraham is on the right.

This mystery haunted my father to his death in 1996. His elder sister is still hoping that someone will answer her questions before she passes on. As far as I know, she is the eldest surviving relative I have.

Aunt Margery Melba Bowerman (nee Ingraham), Verna Maureen Ingraham (nee Hunt), and John William Ingraham (my Dad).

A few months ago I started an account with MyHeritage.com and Wikitree.com to see what I could discover. With technologies today these sites crawl through databases around the world making instant discoveries and matches to records and documents about long-lost relatives. I have been obsessively clicking and saving details with the anticipation to find my Grandfather with the next click on a link.

On a website called, FamilySearch.org, I found one document that verifies the birth of Purvis Charles Ingraham to my great-grand-parents John William Ingraham and Angella Ingraham (nee Collier). My runaway grandfather was in fact born on April 5, 1909, in Toronto, York, Ontario.

During this butt-numbing journey, I have learned incredible things about my family history. It is amazing how much information one can find documented by distant relatives. I now have 561 people in my tree. Unfortunately, I am still no closer to answering the mystery.

Regardless, I have discovered some other interesting surprises. I have traced back 13 generations on my mother’s maternal side. As far as I knew her last name was Barkley and we were British but as it turns out, we are German!

The name Buercklin was changed 7 generations ago upon entry to Ellis Island, USA. The earliest people I have found is 1532, Konrad Birckle (Bircklin, Buercklin, Barkley) married to Countess (no less) of Nassau Weilburg Ottilie Birckle. I’m grateful that these people have kept impeccable records. I did some research and the Countess was, in fact, the child of Count Philipp III but I think she married my great x12-granddad and birthed 3 sons before she married Count Otto I of Salm-Kyrburg. At this point in time, it doesn’t matter much to me. Perhaps every German traces their tree to these notable folks.

I am drawn to the duplication of given names in my tree. I have 73 relatives named John including my father and my son’s middle name. I figured that was a safe way to go in terms of keeping both sides of the family happy.

To my astonishment, I have 88 women named Elizabeth in different placements. I have one Ezra and a curious Ezellias. There is a chain of Hans, Hanns, and Hanss and 10 Hannahs. I think the most popular name is Ann at 152. There’s Ann, Anne, Annie, Anna including several called Mary Ann and Mary Jane.

Something I noticed about a woman’s birth or “maiden” name is that it is most often not documented and is left out and forgotten. This feels sad to me as she is recorded with her first name labeled wife and her husband is recorded as “Head” with the full name. In some cases, she loses her name and birth date altogether and becomes Mrs. John Max Roger Strange, like my Grandmother. So I am very careful to reconnect women with their family name whenever I can find it.

I’m waiting for the DNA test to be delivered by mail. Today I found out that my Aunt Marge received one for Christmas so we will be doing this together. I wonder what we will learn next. I’m hoping we can solve the mystery of the missing Father.

Aunt Margery Melba Ingraham, Verna Maureen Ingraham and John William Ingraham.

By the way, since Purvis was not heard from by anyone in his family, or so they say, my Grandmother, Verna Ingraham (nee Hunt) was able to pronounce him dead after 7 years so she could marry my Grandfather Lyle Earnest Mason.

The Mason/Ingraham Family
Back row: Aunt Margery Melba Ingraham, Lyle Earnest Mason, Verna Maureen Mason, Aunt Shirley Mason.
Front row: Aunt Trula Mason, John William Ingraham (my Dad) and Uncle Jack Mason.

Lyle Earnest Mason

Who knows, maybe someone in Steemit-land who has seen my grandfather will click a link.

© 2017 Trula Fountaine. All rights reserved.


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