Making the Case for Anna Gibbs Ancestry
| This page is more about the discovery process to find Anna Gibbs's ancestry and her connection to Sadie Brooks Harr (see Harr Brooks for why). |
We now believe "Aunt Vie"s birth or maiden name is Anna Gibbs. Follow the discovery of her information.
The beginning
All we had on Aunt Vie to start was a memorial card from her funeral in 1968. It simply read "Anna V Davis, Died 15 Feb 1968", had a prayer, and listed the funeral home. Sadie's grandkids mentioned how she visited from Pittsburgh every year. Agnes would go visit her in Pittsburgh as well. She was simply known as Sadie's best / good friend and so as Aunt Vie to the grandkids. It was not even until later that photos were found of some of her visits in the 1950's. She would always stay with some other relation in the Cleveland area but visit a whole day. As we were getting nowhere on researching Sadie and her background, this connection was determined crucial
The Funeral Home
There was essentially nothing being found on an Anna Davis who died 15 Feb 1968. But it was so common a name as well; even using an assumption that she was born and died in the Pittsburgh area. The first break through came by looking up the funeral home on the Internet and discovering it still existed. A phone call was made to Kevin at Readshaw Funeral Home.
He offered to go in the basement archives and find what he could. A few days later he emailed me. Anna Davis, born Dec. 23, 1889 in Pittsburgh, PA, parents Joseph Gibbs and Ann Perrott, husband David Davis, children: Ethel Maier, John and David Davis, burial South Side Cemetery. David Davis made arrangements, He lived at 2844 Louisiana Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15216. Funeral Service was at St. Mark's Episcopal Church which is no longer. A treasure trove of information giving her maiden name (father), and children to try and discover.
This led to finding the Social Security Death Index record which would confirm a birth date as well as indicate it was issued in Pennsylvania. A lot to go on.
The first census
Pennsylvania is not very open with records; at least definitely not online. So no birth, marriage or death records to find Anna and/or David Davis nor her parents Joseph Gibbs and Ann Perrott. Would figure she was married by 1930 but no census record showing the couple either. But finally a breakthrough when a 1900 census record in Pittsburgh is found for a 10 year old Annie and her parents and siblings. But nothing more and that census did not really indicate much except that her parents were born in England. And she had slightly older twin sisters and a much older brother Frederick.
The Real Connection
It was much later that I really studied that 1900 census source in more detail. It was then that I discovered that Frederick was born in Wales. This triggered a memory of one of the possible Sadie Brooks/Cox candidates. Sure enough, looking back at the Sadie Brooks in the 1900 census there is the other servant in the house. A Beatrice Gibbs also born in Wales with parents from England. And she emigrated the same year as Frederick and is just a few years younger. How did I miss that before.
So Beatrice and Sadie are working in a house together. Annie is the much younger sister living nearby with the parents. This is clearly the connection although not sure why the younger sister Annie is so attached to Sadie. Seems it would be Beatrice. Much more to research further on this family.
Ends up Frederick and Beatrice appear in the 1881 census in Wales with two other siblings as well and just the mother Ann. And the Welsh birth records are online and list all five siblings born there.