NV NV - Donnis Redman, 14, & Michael Griffin, 18, Las Vegas, 1 March 1958

[Quoththeraven]

Is it possible this is the same Michael Lawrence/Lawrence Michael Griffin from San Pedro. Note that his name is Lawrence M. on the 1940 census and Michael L. on the 1950 census. Same parents. Or is this a completely different Michael Griffin?

Ancestry.com

1940 census Ancestry.com

News-Pilot​

San Pedro, California · Thursday, October 09, 1941

1950 census, Ancestry.com

 

[SophieRose]

View attachment 463970
This may be a duplicate.

I think he may have graduated in 1957 and was going to turn 19 later in the 1958 year when he disappeared. Pinky was going to San Pedro High School at the time of her disappearance. So it wasn't like they were at the same school. Quite an age gap.

 

[SophieRose]

IN the 1950's, it was not that odd for a 14 yr old to be 'dating' an 18 yr old boy. I know it seems weird to us, but in the 30's and 40's, girls often married at age 14 or age 15. It was not that unusual. And they married boys that were at least 18 or 19, who had jobs or were in the service. So it was still somewhat normal in the 50's, although it was beginning to be out of favor.

Median Age at First Marriage, 1890–2010

The following table shows the median age of men and women when they were first married in the United States from 1890 to 2010. The median age for a man's first marriage was 28.2 years in 2010, up from 26.1 in 1990. The median age for a woman's first marriage was 26.1 years in 2010, up from 23.9...

www.infoplease.com

Median Age at First Marriage, 1890–2010​

Year​	Males​	Females​
1890​	26.1​	22.0​
1900​	25.9​	21.9​
1910​	25.1​	21.6​
1920​	24.6​	21.2​
1930​	24.3​	21.3​
1940​	24.3​	21.5​
1950​	22.8​	20.3​
1960​	22.8​	20.3​
1970​	23.2​	20.8​
1980​	24.7​	22.0​
1990​	26.1​	23.9​

 

[katydid23]

I guess my family were outliers.

Both my grandmothers were marries at age 15, in the 1920's. One married in St Louis and the other in Oakland, Ca.

My mother was engaged at 18, married at 19. Two of my aunts were also in their teens when married.

I did find this:

What age did women get married in the 1940s?

While in the 1940s many states allowed adolescent women to get married at ages 12 or 14 with parental consent, by the mid-1970s most states required that young women be at least 16 if they were to be married.

Do State Laws Affect the Age of Marriage? A Cautionary Tale About ...​

 

[katydid23]

I guess my family were outliers.

Both my grandmothers were marries at age 15, in the 1920's. One married in St Louis and the other in Oakland, Ca.

My mother was engaged at 18, married at 19. Two of my aunts were also in their teens when married.

I did find this:

What age did women get married in the 1940s?

While in the 1940s many states allowed adolescent women to get married at ages 12 or 14 with parental consent, by the mid-1970s most states required that young women be at least 16 if they were to be married.

Do State Laws Affect the Age of Marriage? A Cautionary Tale About ...​

Also, if the average age in the 50's was age 20, then there had to be a lot of women married as teens for the average to be so low.

 

[StrangeOne]

I guess my family were outliers.

Both my grandmothers were marries at age 15, in the 1920's. One married in St Louis and the other in Oakland, Ca.

My mother was engaged at 18, married at 19. Two of my aunts were also in their teens when married.

I did find this:

What age did women get married in the 1940s?

While in the 1940s many states allowed adolescent women to get married at ages 12 or 14 with parental consent, by the mid-1970s most states required that young women be at least 16 if they were to be married.

Do State Laws Affect the Age of Marriage? A Cautionary Tale About ...​

I can remember my grandmother who was born in 1911 looking at me when I was 15 telling me if I didn't find a man I would be a spinster.

 

[Ciriii57]

Photo Album

Mary Star of the Sea High School

www.marystarhigh.com

The yearbooks are available for Mike's school. He apparently was a member of the Latin, chess and science clubs and the senior play. The first word, sodality, refers to a Catholic guild or brotherhood.
Let's not forget that this was a Catholic school and presumably Mike and his family were Catholics. Depending on how strict they were it might not have gone down well that he was marrying a young, possibly non Catholic, young lady and even worse if she was pregnant before marriage, that may explain the intention to marry?

I have a nasty feeling his modified car was a temptation to someone bad and these 2 were probably murdered somewhere between Las Vegas and William, Az. Since the car was abandoned in Williams I wonder if the perpetrator was from there?

 

[Diavola]

How did the two meet? Did Donnis tell any of her friends they wanted to elope?
Why elope anyway? Did the families really not approve of the relationship (given many girls married young, were either of their families against it?)?
Why is there no information on the Griffin family?

 

[Issa]

I don’t know how they met, but they did live near each other in San Jose, CA. Don is “Pinky” was underage, Michael, I believe was 18 she was 14.

No one reported him missing. I actually helped to get both Michael and Donnis into NamUs, was not easy. Don is great uncle was a great help too.

 

[strangerthanfiction1200]

Is it possible this is the same Michael Lawrence/Lawrence Michael Griffin from San Pedro. Note that his name is Lawrence M. on the 1940 census and Michael L. on the 1950 census. Same parents. Or is this a completely different Michael Griffin?

Ancestry.com

View attachment 464014
1940 census Ancestry.com

View attachment 464016

News-Pilot​

San Pedro, California · Thursday, October 09, 1941

View attachment 464017

1950 census, Ancestry.com

View attachment 464015

Yes, it is. I found his name as Lawrence Michael Griffin in the California Birth Index and his mother maiden name was Butterfield. Also a Newspaper Article in San Pedro, California on 16-October 1939 listed his name as Lawrence Michael Griffin. Very short story, "The Ship "St. Louis in the early part of WW2 left Europe for Cuba. Only 22 were allowed off the ship. The ship saw the lights in Miami and were denied entry. They were sent back. Most of them died in the camps. One passenger could not be found. This was in early 2000. They went back to the records in Auschwitz. The male individual had a first name, last name, date of birth and location. They went back to the birth records. They matched his birthdate. He had a first name and was using his middle name all his adult life. I would suggest whoever follows up and looks for marriage certificate to try both ways: Lawrence Michael and Michael Lawrence. Lawrence was his father's middle name. He is listed in the 1957 City Directory as Michael and living with his parents. All this is coming from Ancestry. com.
Another comment: I agree with previous posters as to who saw them in Las Vegas that day and if they really knew the couple. Was a third person with them? Could the day be when they left San Pedro? Also, another agreement I have is who identified the vehicle, was there paperwork in the car, any personal items found?

 

[strangerthanfiction1200]

I don’t know how they met, but they did live near each other in San Jose, CA. Don is “Pinky” was underage, Michael, I believe was 18 she was 14.

No one reported him missing. I actually helped to get both Michael and Donnis into NamUs, was not easy. Don is great uncle was a great help too.

If the mother had a relative in the police department and reported "Pinky" missing was a missing report generated and did the relative have influence to have the disappearance listed in the newspaper?