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Anna M. Woodhurst was born in about 1878-79 to parents William (5) Woodhurst and his wife Helen Eveline (nee Darling).
The US 1880 Census finds her at age "1" living with her parents in Delmar, Clinton Co., Iowa.
The US 1900 Census finds her at age "22" living in the household of a butcher James E. Vore in Columbus Street, Wapsinonoc township, Muscatine Co. in Iowa, unmarried and occupied as a servant. The record states that she was born in Iowa in February 1878 and that her father was born in England.
She married at Davenport, Scott Co. in Iowa to Robert L. Ellis on April 28th 1904. The register of Iowa Marriage Returns describes him as aged "22" and born in Maquoketa, Jackson Co., and her as aged "26" and born in Delmar.
The US 1920 Census finds her as "Anna Ellis" occupied as housekeeper to an unmarried electrician Raymond ("Ray") [Clymer] Hemphill in Davenport City, Scott Co. in Iowa. The record describes her as aged "41", married and born in Iowa; her father's birthplace was given as England and her mother's as Iowa. Moreover, boarding in the same household was Anna M.'s unmarried sister Hazel Bernice.
The Iowa State Census 1925 finds her again as "Anna Ellis" living as housekeeper to Ray Hemphill in Ward 4 of Davenport. Both were entered as widowed. There were no children present with them.
She remarried to Raymond Clymer Hemphill at Maquoketa, Jackson Co., Iowa on September 25th 1926. The marriage certificate describes him as an electrician aged "50" born in Iowa to parents Joseph K. Hemphill and Mary Elizabeth Ward. He had been previously married once. Anna was described as aged "49" born in Delmar Junction to parents William Woodhurst and Helen [sic] E. Darling. Both Ray and Anna were residing at Davenport.
The US 1930 Census finds them living at 415, East 32nd Street, Davenport where Ray was still occupied as an electrician. There was no one else in their household.
She died in Davenport on February 22nd 1939. The death certificate gives her age as "60" and place of residence as 407, East 14th Street. Her birthplace and parents' names are entered correctly. The cause of death was cerebral apoplexy [stroke] and hypertension, with several contributory factors including femoral arterial sclerosis. Her birthdate is given as February 6th 1879. Ray was the informant.
The US 1940 Census finds Ray lodging at 718, West 17th Street, Davenport in the household of Christian Frederick Grager and his wife Hazel Bernice (nee Woodhurst), the sister of Anna. He is described as a widowed electrician aged "62".
Ray subsequently partnered Gertrude Wilfreda (nee Emmons) Down. She had previously married in 1914 to John Reynold Down but later divorced him. Several sources claim that Ray and Gertrude married in the 1940s or 1950s, but with differing views as to the date; so far no formal documentary evidence has been found to show that they ever married.
Ray died aged "86" at Salina, California in 1965 according to an obituary in The Californian, issue of March 13th 1965. Gertrude apparently died in California in 1971.