| Home Page | Root Page | Census Records | GRO Records | Parish Records | Names Directory |
Ara H. (1) Woodhurst was born around 1887-88 to parents Earl George (1) Woodhurst and his wife Nellie Belle (nee) Morse.
The World War I Civilian Draft Registration Database states that he was born in Midland County, Michigan on August 19th 1887.
The US 1900 Census finds him at age "11" living with his parents in Pennfield township, Calhoun Co. in Michigan. This describes him as born in Michigan in August 1888. His true year of birth therefore remains uncertain.
He married Anna (nee) Hodges in Saginaw, Saginaw Co., Michigan on November 29th 1908. The register of Marriage Returns describes him as a carpenter aged "21" residing in Saginaw and her as a school teacher aged "21" residing in Hemlock, Saginaw Co. Her parents were Thomas Hodges and Flora (nee Heller).
The US 1910 census finds Ara H. (1) living with Anna and her unmarried sister Hallie Hodges in Burnham Street, Saginaw City in Michigan. He was employed as a house carpenter. The record implies that Anna was born in the late 1880s in Michigan of parents who were both born in New York.
The above-cited database states that he registered in Latah Co., Idaho for military service in WWI.
The obituary of his son Ara H. (2) implies that the family was in Moscow township in Latah Co. around 1915 but moved a few years later to Spokane in Washington State.
The family was mentioned in The Idaho Post on May 30th 1919 in connection with a birthday dinner organized by Ara H. (1)'s mother (referred to there as "Mrs. Frank Stevens"), although he himself was apparently not present at it:
Mrs. Frank Stevens gave a birthday dinner, Friday, May 23, in honor of her mother, Mrs. Ben Hadsell, and her grand-daughter, Nellie Halverson, 13 guests being present. The out-of-town guests were Mr. and Mrs. Ira Woodhurst of Pullman and Mrs. Ara Woodhurst and son, Ara Junior, of Plaza, Wash. The guest of honour received many pretty gifts, one being a beautiful bouquet of wild flowers from Harrison, Idaho.
The US 1920 Census finds the family living in Plaza township, Spokane Co. where he was employed as a salesman for a lumber company. With them was their first son Ara H. (2), born in Idaho, aged just over 4.
The US 1930 Census finds them with two children living in Boise Street, Spokane City where he was employed as a carman (streetcar driver) for a street railway.
At some point in the following decade Ara H. (1) and Anna divorced. The US 1940 Census finds him as a divorcee lodging in Madison Street, Spokane City in the household of another divorcee Vallie May (nee Bauguess) Marnette, a cafe waitress; he was working as a builder contractor on his own account. Also in the household was Vallie's widowed mother Nettie. Meanwhile, Anna, also described as a divorcee, was living with just her second son Earl Lowell in Indiana Avenue, Spokane City and working as a seamstress in the WPA (Works Progress Administration) Sewing Project.
Vallie was born at Fort Madison in Lee Co., Iowa on April 3rd 1894 to parents Albert Marion Bauguess and Nettie J. (nee) Helman. She first married in Moline, Illinois to Tony George, not before 1911, and subsequently divorced him. On February 9th 1921 at age "26" she remarried in Spokane to another divorcee Henry D. Marnette, aged "34". The US 1930 Census finds them living in Eighth Avenue, Spokane City where Henry was occupied as a meat cutter; her mother Nettie was also with them. In the 1930s Vallie divorced Henry too.
Ara H. (1) and Vallie married in June 1943, having made their license application on June 15th.
Ara H. (1) died in September 1961, as reported in the semi-weekly Spokesman Review, issue of September 26th:
Death Takes A. Woodhurst at Age 73
Ara H. Woodhurst Sr., 73, N1223 Madison, a resident of Spokane 41 years, died Monday at a Spokane hospital. Born in Michigan. Mr. Woodhurst was a retired carpenter. He was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, East Gate Masonic Lodge, Spokane Consistory of Scottish Rite Bodies; Carpenters Local No. 98 and Leah Chapter No. 167, Order of Eastern Star. Survivors include his wife, Vallie, at the home; two sons, Ara H. Jr., Spokane, and Earl, Tacoma; a sister, Mrs. Jessie Nutterville, Moscow, Idaho; a brother, Ira E. Woodhurst, Carthage, Mo.; six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. The body is at the Hazen & Jaeger Funeral Home.
Vallie died on December 6th 1976. Her SSN, issued in Washington State (WA), was 533-01-1738 and she had last received benefit at 98118 Seattle, King Co. in that state; her last place of residence had been in Spokane where Ara H. (2) spent most of his life.
The birth of Earl Lowell was reported in an issue of The Idaho Post published on May 7th 1920 as follows:
Mrs. B. Hadsall [sic - Hadsell] has received word of the birth of a great-grandson. Born to Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Woodhurst at Plaza, Wash., a 9-pound son. Mr. Woodhurst is the grandson of Mrs. Hadsall and son of Mrs. Frank Stevens of Moscow. He and his family formerly lived at Moscow.
He married many times. On January 8th 1945 he married in California to Mary J. (nee) Henry. On January 12th 1952 he remarried in San Francisco to Joan Louise (nee) Bungay by whom he produced two daughters: Joan Louise Woodhurst in 1955 and Ada Jean Woodhurst in 1956. On April 25th 1957, however, he remarried in Guadalupe Co., Texas to Helen Mary Lehmann. By 1960 his daughter Ada Jean was living - probably with her mother - in Spokane as that is where she was baptized in 1960 at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. Earl and Helen divorced. In 1966 an application for a marriage license was made by him and a divorcee Doris Reha McEdward on June 8th. This application appears to have lapsed, because the couple reapplied for a license on February 17th 1967. They subsequently married but on January 20th 1972 they divorced; Earl had filed for this divorce. Soon after this Earl died aged "52", on August 30th 1972. He was buried at the Willamette National Cemetery (Plot M-0-1315) in Portland, Oregon on September 7th. The burial record describes him as having been a sergeant in the US Army in which he had served from December 31st 1949 until October 29th 1957, including service in Korea.
It is not known whether he produced children other than the two daughters by his second wife Joan Louise. Strikingly both daughters died in their mid-40s just two weeks apart in October 2000.