OH OH - Ruth Marie Hurlbert, 20s, 1920s

[masquerading]

Trino, you've done a ton of work on your aunt's disappearance - you should be proud of yourself! I'm sure it has been exhausting. I'm going to do another search through some news archives tonight - I'm thinking that maybe she was in an accident (car, train, or otherwise) and that it wasn't widely reported. Only going that route because if a young woman was murdered I assume there would've been a lot of newspaper coverage and if it was in Ohio or New York that you would've looked into it already.

 

[SeeThemFly]

What was her mother's maiden name? If I was going to live under an assumed name, my mother's maiden name might be the first one I would jump to. Maybe we could look for her under that name instead?

 

[jinger]

Such an interesting story and its great you tried to find out what happened, although you haven't logged in here in a while I have my doubts she was pregnant. Back then women strived to gain weight (to an extent), it showed being taken care of and wealth; many advertisements were geared towards supplements to cause weight gain so they would be desirable for a man and not be some skinny thing. Unfortunately I think the only way to really solve this thing would be to send in DNA and wait to see if a match came up from someone that had her as a grandmother or great grandmother if she truly did have a child. Her child now would most likely be dead now but a possible offspring of that child. It is pretty apparent she was traveling with someone, or staying local perhaps a married man or something.

 

[Trino]

I have my DNA results on Ancestry. Ancestry is traced through the mother, and Ruth was my father's sister.

I really do believe Ruth was pregnant. She was, more or less, running around, going to Speak Easies, living a 1920's modern girl lifestyle. My grandfather kicked her out of the house so my aunt told me. Then, my grandmother kicked my grandfather out over the Ruth situation.

My aunt told me Ruth had been to NY. I think that's a known. Canada? Maybe?

 

[Trino]

2024 update: nothing new. Her only living sibling (sister) died in 2015. I have her last letter to my grandmother. She mentioned gaining weight. I'm thinking she may have been pregnant, which is perhaps why she and my grandfather had "words" and also why he did not report her as missing. No hospital records around the Akron area for her or a child. Some things are never resolved, I guess.

 

[dulcinea]

Have you tried reaching out to a university? In college, I worked at a university with a help desk where you could go to get help with ANYTHING. Librarians are masters at research and often know of databases or places to look for info that "regular" people might not think of or have access to. All of the department librarians (I attended at a large university) had shifts at the help desk during their work hours and each one had skills in different areas. If one didn't have answers, they would connect you to one who did. I heard the most fascinating stories from my boss about what people needed help with!

 

[Brightchaser47]

I just located a note, written by Ruth's mother that said Ruth left home on January 19, 1925. I also located a letter she later wrote, dated Aug 20, 1925, to her mother, so she was obviously alive at that date. Analyzing the letter, I wonder if she was pregnant.

Here' a portion of the letter, edited to omit the chit-chat about family. Yeager's was an upscale department store in Akron, OH, no longer in existence. If you read previous posts, her father did not approve of Ruth's flapper lifestyle.

" My dearest Mother,
A few lines to let you know I am feeling fine and hope everyone at home is the same. I was in Akron a few minutes and stopped in Yeagers to write a few lines.

Mother dear, now please don't worry about me. I shall come home some time, and you shall certainly be surprised, too. So, please take good care of yourself, as I am.

How's......

I certainly am crying while I am writing this. But, you know, Papa would never want me back, and, of course, if I came, I wouldn't stay. So, I might just drop in to see you soon.

How's.......

I certainly had a wonderful time in Toledo and Canada. I'm having my picture taken and will send you one very soon.

Please take good care of yourself. I weight exactly 128 lbs now. I certainly am getting fat but am feeling fine.

Well, Mother dear, please don't think hard of me for not coming up this time. You know I am always thinking of you. Now please don't worry about me as I am getting along fine, plenty to eat and everything.

Your Daughter,
Ruth

P.S. You'll soon have a picture of me if you'll accept it. I am always thinking of you."

2024 update: nothing new. Her only living sibling (sister) died in 2015. I have her last letter to my grandmother. She mentioned gaining weight. I'm thinking she may have been pregnant, which is perhaps why she and my grandfather had "words" and also why he did not report her as missing. No hospital records around the Akron area for her or a child. Some things are never resolved, I guess.

Just chiming in here a bit late. I hope you haven't entirely given up on your search for Ruth. I agree she was likely pregnant. Given that, and the fact she mentioned travel and eating good, and was writing the letter from an "upscale" department store (yet everything is in first-person singular "I", not "we"), could a relative or family friend have been secretly supporting her financially or have given her money when she left? jmo

 

[Vivette]

Aw, I would have loved for you to have found her child or something. Could she perhaps have gone back to Canada, gave birth and/or died there?

 

[Trino]

Just chiming in here a bit late. I hope you haven't entirely given up on your search for Ruth. I agree she was likely pregnant. Given that, and the fact she mentioned travel and eating good, and was writing the letter from an "upscale" department store (yet everything is in first-person singular "I", not "we"), could a relative or family friend have been secretly supporting her financially or have given her money when she left? jmo

Keep in mind this happened in the 1920's. All immediate relatives are deceased. I have never heard of anyone supporting her, and I knew the family well. They weren't the supporting type, take my word for that. The Great Depression (1929) happened soon after that, and everyone was out of money. My aunt (d 2015) thought maybe R died in NY. I found nothing to indicate that. No idea why my aunt said that, but my aunt was an "off the cuff" individual who insisted my cousin's (her niece) illegitimate child was adopted, when the child died (proven) shortly after birth. Also keep in mind my aunt really never knew her sister who left when my aunt was about 3 yrs old. Nobody trusted anything my aunt said.

My dad was about age 12 when R left so he would have known her better. He had no idea, thought she may have died but had no info. Not discussed in the family. Got to remember this episode was an embarrassment rather than a problem.

Let me just explain how closeted things were. My real great-grandmother, my dad's real grandmother, was only 34 when she was hit by a car and died. My grandfather remarried, and my dad, born later, absolutely never knew the new wife was not my dad's real grandmother. Not one word about his deceased real grandmother. When someone died, that was it, I guess. You just didn't discuss some things.

All that's left of this family is me and two cousins (and children). Would you believe my two cousins had never heard of Ruth? There are a couple of other Ruths with the same name who died in OH. Not her. Carefully checked.

 

[Trino]

Keep in mind this happened in the 1920's. All immediate relatives are deceased. I have never heard of anyone supporting her, and I knew the family well. They weren't the supporting type, take my word for that. The Great Depression (1929) happened soon after that, and everyone was out of money. My aunt (d 2015) thought maybe R died in NY. I found nothing to indicate that. No idea why my aunt said that, but my aunt was an "off the cuff" individual who insisted my cousin's (her niece) illegitimate child was adopted, when the child died (proven) shortly after birth. Also keep in mind my aunt really never knew her sister who left when my aunt was about 3 yrs old. Nobody trusted anything my aunt said.

My dad was about age 12 when R left so he would have known her better. He had no idea, thought she may have died but had no info. Not discussed in the family. Got to remember this episode was an embarrassment rather than a problem.

Let me just explain how closeted things were. My real great-grandmother, my dad's real grandmother, was only 34 when she was hit by a car and died. My grandfather remarried, and my dad, born later, absolutely never knew the new wife was not my dad's real grandmother. Not one word about his deceased real grandmother. When someone died, that was it, I guess. You just didn't discuss some things.

All that's left of this family is me and two cousins (and children). Would you believe my two cousins had never heard of Ruth? There are a couple of other Ruths with the same name who died in OH. Not her. Carefully checked.

Correction:
My real great-grandmother, my dad's real grandmother, was only 34 when she was hit by a car and died. My GREAT-grandfather remarried, and my dad, born later, absolutely never knew the new wife was not my dad's real GREAT-grandmother. Not one word about his deceased real GREAT-grandmother.