Notes


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1351 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Dec 1843
Collis Clara Sarah
Luton 6 91

IGI Christenings, Bedfordshire, England
Clara Sarah Collis, 16 Jul 1845, Dunstable, daugh of: Samuel and Ann Collis

1871 England Census
Name: Clara S Collis
Age: 25
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1846
Relation: Wife's Sister (Sister-in-law)
Gender: Female
Where born: Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England
Civil parish: Wimbledon
County/Island: Surrey
Country: England
Registration district: Kingston
Sub-registration district: Wimbledon
ED, institution, or vessel: 5
Household schedule number: 78
Piece: 856
Folio: 79
Page Number: 12
Household Members: Name Age
Charles Hazell 34
Harriet Hazell 22
Frederick C Hazell 11
Frank L Hazell 8
Clara S Collis 25 no occupation 
COLLIS, Clara Sarah (I10011)
 
1352 freebmd.org.uk
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Births Dec 1858
Collis Dorcas 1d 590 
COLLIS, Dorcas (I9821)
 
1353 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Dec 1864
COLLIS Louis Hassings St Luke 1b 621

London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 about Louis Hastings Collis
Name: Louis Hastings Collis
Age: 21
Estimated birth year: abt 1865
Spouse Name: Florence Emma Brooks
Spouse Age: 21
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 14 Feb 1886
Parish: St James, Islington
County: Middlesex
Borough: Islington
Father Name: Ley Hastings Collis watchmaker
Spouse Father Name: John Brooks tram car driver

England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1915
Name: Louis Hastings Collis
Estimated birth year: abt 1864
Year of Registration: 1901
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
Age at Death: 37
District: Islington
County: Greater London, London, Middlesex
Volume: 1b
Page: 259 
COLLIS, Louis Hastings (I9830)
 
1354 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Jun 1839
Collis William Samuel Louth 14 458

Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
Deaths Dec 1840
Collis William Samuel Louth 14 333 
COLLIS, William Samuel (I10019)
 
1355 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Jun 1842
Collis Dorcas Louth 14 482

Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
Deaths Sep 1857
Collis Dorcas 32 Louth 7a 347 
COLLIS, Dorcas (I10018)
 
1356 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Jun 1867
COLLIS Arthur Bentall Sudbury 4a 425 
COLLIS, Arthur Bentall (I3715)
 
1357 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Jun 1881
COLLIS Walter Leonard Islington 1b 279 
COLLIS, Walter (I9838)
 
1358 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Jun 1898 (>99%)
Collis Thomas Edward Bromley 2a 474 
COLLIS, Thomas Edward (I9827)
 
1359 freebmd.org.uk
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Births Mar 1843
COLLIS Rebecca Brighton 7 282 
COLLIS, Rebecca (I9799)
 
1360 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Mar 1864
Collis Mary Bentall Sudbury 4a 432 
COLLIS, Mary Bentall (I3714)
 
1361 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Sep 1841
Collis Sarah Elizabeth Luton 6 83

IGI Christenings, Bedfordshire, England
Sarah Elizabeth Collis, 17 Jul 1841, Dunstable, daugh of: Samuel Sherlock and Hannah Marie Collis

Could this be the right one?
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Dec 1876
Collis Sarah Elizabeth Camberwell 1d 1255
Hird Robert Camberwell 1d 1255
Sims George Robert Camberwell 1d 1255 
COLLIS, Sarah Elizabeth (I9790)
 
1362 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Sep 1866
Collis Harry L Clerkenwell 1b 648

London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 about Harry Ley Collis
Name: Harry Ley Collis
Age: 24
Estimated birth year: abt 1867
Spouse Name: Sarah Amelia Wood
Spouse Age: 21
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 23 Feb 1891
Parish: St James, Islington
County: Middlesex
Borough: Islington
Father Name: Ley Hastings Collis
Spouse Father Name: Henry Wood

1901 England Census
Name: Harry Collis
Age: 34
Estimated birth year: abt 1867
Relation: Head
Spouse's name: Sarah
Gender: Male
Where born: Clerkenwell, London, England
Civil parish: Islington
Ecclesiastical parish: Christchurch
County/Island: London
Country: England
Street Address: Elforth Rd
Occupation: Artificial Florist
Registration district: Islington
Sub-registration district: Highbury
ED, institution, or vessel: 27
Household schedule number: 168
Household Members: Name Age
Harry Collis 34
Sarah Collis 30 born St Lukes, London, England, (mantle hadiment ? tailor) 
COLLIS, Harry Ley (I9831)
 
1363 freebmd.org.uk
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Births Sep 1870
COLLIS Thomas Lockey Bromley 2a 347

1901 England Census
Name: Thomas L Collis
Age: 30
Estimated birth year: abt 1871
Relation: Head
Spouse's name: Alice L
Father's Name: William W
Gender: Male
Where born: Chiselhurst, Kent, England
Civil parish: North Cray
Ecclesiastical parish: St James
County/Island: Kent
Country: England
Street Address: Occupation:
Registration district: Bromley
Sub-registration district: Chislehurst
ED, institution, or vessel: 9
Household schedule number: 47
Household Members: Name Age
Thomas L Collis 30 House painter, born Chistlehurst, Kent
Alice L Collis 27 wife, born 1874 Thelveton, Suffolk, England
Thomas E Collis 2 son, born Chistlehurst, Kent
William W Collis 74 father, living on own means, born Boston Lincolnshire 
COLLIS, Thomas Lockey (I9825)
 
1364 freebmd.org.uk
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Births Sep 1873
Collis Jessie Sarah Sudbury 4a 446 
COLLIS, Jessie Sarah (I3716)
 
1365 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Dec 1851
Bentall Susanna Sudbury 12 907
Collis John Sudbury 12 907
The district Sudbury spans the boundaries of the counties of Essex and Suffolk; 
Family F1244
 
1366 Freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Dec 1855
COLLIS Mary Bentall Lambeth 1d 499
SIMPSON William Lambeth 1d 499

London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 about Mary Bentall Collis
Name: Mary Bentall Collis
Spouse Name: William Simpson
Spouse Age: Full Age
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 30 Oct 1855
Parish: Lambeth St Mary
Borough: Lambeth
Father Name: Samuel Collis
Spouse Father Name: Philip Simpson
Register Type: Parish Register
 
Family F3453
 
1367 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Dec 1878
Collis David Taylor Thingoe 4a 1003
ORBELL Julia Anna Thingoe 4a 1003
The district Thingoe is in the county of Suffolk 
Family F1246
 
1368 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Jun 1861
Collis William Shoreditch 1c 461
Kilsby Harriett Mary Shoreditch 1c 461
The district Shoreditch spans the boundaries of the counties of London and Middlesex
 
Family F1215
 
1369 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Jun 1870
Collis Alfred Wandsworth 1d 819
MEAD Harriet Ann Wandsworth 1d 819
The district Wandsworth spans the boundaries of the counties of Greater London, London and Surrey
 
Family F1218
 
1370 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Jun 1894
Chappell Kate Elizabeth Braintree 4a 785
Wells Percy Maxwell Braintree 4a 785  
Family F3444
 
1371 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Jun 1900
Ackerman Charles James 6d 579
Collis Mary Ann Aston 6d 579 
Family F3496
 
1372 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Jun 1903
Collis Jessie Sarah St. Giles 1b 1132
Smith Thomas Edward St. Giles 1b 1132  
Family F3555
 
1373 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Mar 1877
BOYNTON Mary Ann Caistor 7a 867
COCKING Thomas Caistor 7a 867 
Family F3536
 
1374 freebmd.org.uk
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Marriages Sep 1886
Collis Jane Ann Halstead 4a 635
HOLLINGSWORTH Frederick Joseph Halstead 4a 635 
Family F3456
 
1375 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Sep 1892
CORBETT Florence Birmingham 6d 50
HANDLEY Thomas Birmingham 6d 50  
Family F3495
 
1376 freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) Spouse District Vol Page
Marriages Sep 1913
Collis Henrietta J Evans Aston 6d 901
Evans Arthur Collis Aston 6d 901 
Family F3497
 
1377 freebmd.rg.uk
Births Mar 1882
Collis Frederick James Orsett 4a 305 
COLLIS, Frederick James (I3589)
 
1378 freebmd.uk.org
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Dec 1862
RAYNER Fanny Elizabeth Ware 3a 186

Could this be ours?
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Mar 1884 (>99%)
RAYNER Fanny Elizabeth Faversham 2a 1045 
Rayner, Fanny Elizabeth (I9864)
 
1379 freebmd.uk.org
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Jun 1864
RAYNER William John Ware 3a 193 
Rayner, William John (I9865)
 
1380 freebmd.uk.org
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Sep 1860
RAYNER Henry Bell Ware 3a 171 
Rayner, Henry Bell (I9863)
 
1381 freebmd.uk.org
Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
Deaths Mar 1853
Chaplin Richard Halstead 4a 203 
CHAPLIN, Richard (I3721)
 
1382 freebmdorg.uk
Surname Given Name District Volume Page
Births Sep 1886
Turpin Florence Ellen Salford 8d 14
The district Salford spans the boundaries of the counties of Greater Manchester and Lancashire



Which one?
freebmd.org.uk
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Sep 1909
KOTCHIE Lillian Florence Lambeth 1d 697
LAW Ronald Alexander Lambeth 1d 697
MACE Arthur Raynold Lambeth 1d 697
TURPIN Florence Ellen Lambeth 1d 697 
TURPIN, Florence Ellen (I9804)
 
1383 At least one living or private individual is linked to this note - Details withheld. Family F1915
 
1384 Friends Cemetary BELL, Jane (I6161)
 
1385 from "History of Cooper County, Missouri", by W. F. Johnson, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka 6 Cleveland, 1919, Vol 1 VKM Publishing Co. 1978: pp 669-671.

"Charles P. Tutt, of Kelly township, is a native of Cooper county and has been prominently identified with the affairs of this county all his life. He was born on the farm where he now resides, Oct. 29, 1858, of pioneer parents and is a descendant of colonial ancestors. Chrles P. Tutt is the son of James H. and Harriet E. (Hickox) Tutt, early settlers of Cooper County, James H. Tutt was a native of Virginia; he was born in Fauquier County, Jan. 21, 1830 and died in March 1898. He came to Missouri with his parents, Phillip A. and Catherine (Ashby) Tutt, in 1835. The family first settled in Calloway County and in 1836 came to Cooper County, and settled in Kelly township on the farm that is now owned by Charles P. TuttPhillit Tutt bought this place from Thomas Best for $5 per acre. At that time there was a log cabin on the place and a few acres of land were cleared. Here Phillip Tutt and his wife spent the remainder of their lives. Phillip Tutt was a surveyor, and for a number of years served as surveyor of Cooper County. He also held the office of judge of the County Court. He was a soldier in the War of 1812 and his father, John Tutt, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, serving with the Virginian troops.Phillip Tutt was one of four brothers who came to Missouri together, the others being Dr. Gabriel, Col. John, and Col. Richard J. They came down the Kanawha River to the Ohio in a boat, and from there the younger men of the families and the negro slaves drove across the country to St. Louis with a wagon train, while the women and the older men came by steamboat down the Ohio and up the Mississippi Rivers to St. Louis. When the Tutt family came to Missouri they brought with them a mare which was a descendant of the famous running horse, "imported Whip," and Charles P. Tutt still has on his place descendants of that animal.
Harriet E. (Hickox) Tutt, mother of Charles P. Tutt, was born in Cooper County, April 9, 1836, and died May 21, 1898. She was a descendant of one of the very early New England families. Judith Clark, who landed atPlymouth Rock with the Pilgrims in 1620, was a direct ancestor of Charles P. Tutt's mother. To James H. and Harriet E. (Hickox) Tutt were born five children, three of whom died in infancy, and the others were George, who died at the age of 27 years, and Charles P., the subject of this sketch.
Charles P. Tutt was educated in the public schools and Cully and Simpson Academy, and Paris institute. He then attended William Jewell College at Liberty, Missouri, from 1881 to 1883. In early life he taught school for a number of years, but has practically devoted his entire attention to farming and stock raising. He is making a specialty of breeding pure blood Shorthorn cattle, Berkshire hogs, and Cotswold sheep, and has been successfully engaged in this work for the past 25 years. His stock has recently been awarded premiums at state fairs and stock shows, and he is regarded as one of the successful breeders of the state. His father before him was a successful stock breeder.
Charles P. Tutt was married in 1892 to Miss Mary L. Grantham, of Mexico, Missouri. She is a daughter of Samuel A. and Mary (Ford) Grantham, early settlers of St. Charles County, Missouri, both of whom are now deceased. Mr and Mrs. Tutt have seven children, as follows: Mary E., married Dr. Silas Barnes, of Pilot Grove, Missouri; George A., Bunceton, Missouri, married Blanceh White; Henry was in an officers training school during the World War and is now residing at home; Claire, a teacher in the Pilot Grove school; Frank E., at home; Harriet, at home; and Virginia, at home." 
TUTT, Charles Phillip (I5944)
 
1386 from 1930 US Census, Montana, Yellowstone, Billings Family F3086
 
1387 from Contra Costa Gazette prior 1900
COLLIS male 31 Dec 1896 Brentwood Walter Collis 9 Jan 1897

things to do:
1. when did Russell retire? Bertha?
2. newspapers in Brentwood & Colfax (marriages; Hazel, Gladyce, Russell, births, + news of the area
3.Social Security registration?

Timeline for Ernest Russell Collis

1896 Dec 31, Russell born Brentwood, Contra Costa, CA
1900 US Census: Contra Costa, CA age 3
1906 April 18, lived in Brentwood behind Blacksmith shop during SF earthquake/fire according to his recollection.
1910 moved with parents to Diamond, Whitman, Washington
1910 US Census: Diamond, Whitman, WA age 13
1915 met Bertha Sherman at the Whitman County Fair.
1917 WWI draft registration; Diamond, Whitman, Washington age 21
1920 US Census: Diamond, Whitman, Washington age 22 living with sister, Gladyce & Pete Ping and brother
Winner
1923 Oct 14, marriage certificate: Russell Collis & Bertha Sherman at Colfax, Whitman, Washington
1924 Sep 27, son, Walter, born in Brentwood, California
1926-28 Polk Stockton directory, Russel & Bertha at Horace and Anderson
1926 Aug 10, daughter, Laura born in Yuba City, Yuba, CA
1930 US Census: age 32, Township 9, Contra Costa, California
1930 Nov 20, daughter, Barbara born in Stockton, San Juaquin, CA
1931 lived on Collis Ranch in Brentwood Ca with mother
1933 After ranch was taken over by bank in 1932, moved to Gobel, OR, built cabin there
1934 Move to Thera, WA
1935 Feb 2, son, Stan, born in Thera, WA
1936 Polk Stockton City Directory at 1435 E Park, iron worker-Kyle & Co. (probably carried over from ealier
1937 Apr 18, daughter, Marilyn born in Colfax,
1939 Jul 7, daughter, Darlyne, born in Colfax.
1940 US Census: South Colfax, Whitman, Washington, age 44
1941 May 4, moved with family to Sacramento, Sacramento, CA
1942 WWII draft registration: 2486 41st St, employed- Lyon Darwin Hardware, Oak Park, Sacramento
1943 Sacramento City Directory: Collis, E Russell (Bertha I) driver h2486 41st St.
1970 Death: June 30 Bertha died in Traverse City, Michigan while visiting with newly found brothers and sister.
1976 Death: June 26, Russell died in bed in Sacramento while living with son, Roy. Cause of death:
Arteriosclerotic Heart desease


Ernest Russell Collis’ Story
Brentwood, California
Gladyce, Arthur, Russell, Hazel, Winner
Ernest Russell Collis was born in Brentwood, California on the 31st of December, 1896. He was the second child of six born to Walter Winner and Laura Susan (Grigsby) Collis. The oldest child, Hazel Crystal, was born in 1894; then Ernest Russell. Next were: Gladyce Esther, born 1898; Winner Winwood, born 1900; Arthur, born 1902 (he died in 1907 just 12 days before their last child, Edgar Dawain, was born on the 19th of September of 1907. His father, Walter was a blacksmith and had a shop in Brentwood.

Russell, as we called him, remembered living in a 2 story house behind the blacksmith shop during the great San Francisco earthquake and fire on the morning of April 18, 1906. He was 10 years old. During the earthquake Russell's bed rolled across his upstairs bedroom floor. He jumped out of bed and with the entire family hurried out of the house and into the yard. Water was sloshing over the top of the huge water tank near the house. The ground under foot was rolling and undulating like waves on the ocean. The fire in the city across the bay gave an eerie red glow to the sky. Perhaps thoughts of Armageddon went through their minds. News wasn't instantaneous as it is today. Some time later, Russell went to Market Street with his Uncle Byron Grigsby, to observe firsthand the damage and devastation. They later heard that Walter's sister, Florence Gates, watched the fire and destruction all around her from a doorway in San Francisco. Aunt Florence is said to have rushed into the house to save the oil painting of her mother, Ann Randall Collis, as a child, by cutting it out of the large heavy frame. Florence was living in San Francisco at the time with her husband, Merville Gates. Her father, William Collis, had died 6 years previous and her mother, Anne Collis, was living in Brentwood with 2 of her daughters. Florence had married in 1903 at age 29, and never had any children. Prior to her marriage, Florence was living on her own and was a portrait artist in San Francisco.

Russell’s brother, Winner, wrote the following story about Russell and how Winner broke his arm: “I must have been about 7 or 8 years old. It was during the summer. We lived just a short half block from the old blacksmith shop in Brentwood. Russ, your dad, and I were playing on an old hitching rack which was a 1 ½ or 2 inch pipe run through the branches of three locust or pepper trees. It was about 3 or 4 feet above the ground, but seemed higher to me then. I was standing on the pipe. Russ was up in the tree above me. He said he was coming down and would step on my fingers if I did not get out of the way. I let loose of the tree, turned on the pipe and started walking on the pipe to the adjoining tree. I suppose I was barefooted. Anyway, I slipped and fell to the ground with my right arm under my body and broke so many bones in my elbow, that old Dr. Cool just put it in a towel and tied the towel around my neck so I could be as comfortable as possible with all the broken bones in a mess.” (Later he told me that the doctor told him to carry a bucket of sand around with that arm to straighten it out.) “In 1954 I looked at the bones in a fluoroscope in Portland, Oregon, and saw all the mess of odd shaped bones with one piece of bone floating all by itself in the middle of the elbow. The Doctor said, 'that is the kind of break we like to turn over to our competitor'.”

As the automobile became more affordable and thus more popular, the need for blacksmiths became less necessary. In 1908 Ford Motor Company mass produced more than 10,000 Model T's. About 1907, Russell's father was working for Holt Harvester Company as a salesman and demonstrator of combine harvesters. He was away in Washington State when his 5th child Arthur died and the family had the baby's body lie in the home on the kitchen table, waiting for the father's return before culminating the funeral arrangements. What a sad time for all. It must have been a traumatic time for the family, with father traveling so far away and travel being slower in those days. Did they have a car, or did he travel by train? Train travel was quite expensive at the time.

Uncle Winner sent me a letter with the following information about Russell: “Before we moved to Diamond, Washington, your dad must have been about 12 or 13; he had been somewhere and seen one of the old time roller coasters. So in back of the house at Brentwood, he built one; must have been 30 or 40 feet long, with humps and dips. The high point was possibly 6-7 feet high, with smooth 2 or 3 inch boards as the track, which he greased with soap. We had a good many short rides on it. Don’t know where he got the lumber for all the post and scaffolding, plus braces.”

Berkeley, California

Shortly after the death of Arthur, the family moved to Berkeley so they could be close to Laura's parents, Elmira and Erasmus, (called Dorwin) Grigsby. Walter was still traveling quite frequently with his sales job. Laura's parents lived on Grant Street at that time. Laura, Russell’s mother, played the piano and organ quite well and Grandma Grigsby, wanted the same for her grandchildren. Russell had other ideas though, so when he was supposed to be practicing the piano, Uncle Byron would sneak him out the back door and off they would go to the baseball game in Emeryville. Grandma Grigsby was also concerned about the children's need for spiritual training. She insisted that the children read the Bible and thus Russell developed strong moral ethics and became quite familiar with the scriptures even though in later years he seldom attended church with his family.

Grandpa Grigsby had a little barn along side the house in Berkeley in which he kept a little roan mare, “Kitty”. He would take the kids for a ride in a one horse buggy or surrey with the fringe on top down Shattuck Avenue.
Grandpa & Grandma Grigsby with mare Kitty
Winner also wrote: “I don’t know how old he was when your dad sold candy strings in Oakland. Grandma Grigsby got him the job. But I remember the round candy strung on strings. Before or after that, he had a paper route in Oakland. I got up one morning to help him. I know and remember it was 4 o’clock in the morning; too early for a little kid.

State of Washington

In March 1910 Walter moved his family with 5 growing children to the Colfax area in the southeastern part of the state of Washington. Russell was 13 at the time. Perhaps Walter was drawn to the area while there selling harvesters. The area had vast rolling hills planted in wheat. Walter again took up blacksmithing in a small blacksmith shop near Diamond, Washington. At the time the wheat harvesters were using an eight or twelve mule team, so there was a need for shoeing. There was a big flood that year.

Hazel was the oldest daughter of the family, and married shortly after their arrival in Washington; she was just seventeen at the time and married Fred Kasdorf, whose family had moved to Colfax, Washington about 1890. His parents were born in Germany.

Russell quit school during his eighth grade year. Did the move to a new school in Washington make it too hard for him to adjust? But, then he never did like the containment of the classroom. He would sit on the schoolyard fence, spit tobacco and taunt the kids in school, according to his sister, Gladyce, who was 2 years younger than Russell. He never went back to school after that. Gladyce would occasionally work for May Lamb, helping in the house. May and Roy Lamb were the parents of Bertha Sherman. Bertha was living with her maternal grandmother, Elizabeth, called "Libby", Smith, and step grandfather in Eureka, Montana, at the time, but Bertha would occasionally visit her mother and stepfather in Diamond. (How did she get there? Train? Car? I doubt it. Horse and buggy?)

Russell's youngest brother, Edgar, was 7 years younger than Winner, and 11 years younger than Russell. I have no information of his involvement with the older children. He later married Alma and lived in Salt Lake City, Utah. He had no children

In about 1915, Russell met Bertha Sherman for the first time at a county fair during one of her visits to her mother's house. She was only twelve years old at the time. Russell was a handsome young man of sixteen. There must have been some attraction, as it was a remembered event throughout their lives. Bertha went back to Montana to continue living with her grandmother. Bertha's grandmother suffered from breast cancer, and during Libby's illness, Bertha nursed her and administered morphine shots to her to ease the pain. Libby died when Bertha was sixteen, so she came back to live with her mother in Diamond, Washington.

According to Winner Winwood, "After Dad and Mom (Laura and Walter Collis) moved back to California from Diamond, Washington, Russ and I rented a house in Diamond and batched. Russell was acting as one of the sparring partners to help train Ernest Ping, Uncle of Pete Ping, to fight a local boy who had done some fighting while in the navy. One evening Russell was sparring with Ernest, when Ern hit Russell square on the `button' or nerve center on the chin. Russell got a funny look on his face and simply wilted in a heap on the floor, much to the consternation of everyone. He `came to' very soon, however."

Russ’ sister Gladyce married Pete Ping in November of 1917 in Dayton, Washington. Pete was born in 1896 in Washington. Pete was living with his family in Diamond, Washington. He worked for Roy Lamb at the time. In the 1920 Census, Russell and Winner were living with Pete and Gladyce in Diamond, Washington. Pete and Winner were working for the railroad. Russell was working as a farm laborer.

Since Southeastern Washington is wheat country, most of the jobs were involved with planting and harvesting the wheat. In the early times an eight-mule team was used to pull the harvester and involved lots of hand work. Russell often talked about how many rattlesnakes he would find on his pitchfork as he hoisted hay into the wagons. The men traveled from field to field harvesting each crop as it was ready. It was a cooperative effort. They generally worked in the field from dawn to dusk, eating at a big trailer with benches down both sides, and slept on a bed roll in the wheat fields at night. (With the rattlesnakes?) .

Because Diamond was such a small community, Bertha and Russell were both at many local social events. Both were attending a box social and grange dance where each lady prepared a box lunch for two and each man was to bid on the lunch of his choice (or the lady of his choice.) The young man bidding on Bertha's lunch was someone she didn't want to be with. She asked Russell to bid on her lunch and he did. They began going together from then on. Bertha was about 18 at that time.

In 1917 All young men had to register for the draft during WWI and Russell was no exception. Stan said he was told by Roy that Russell was sent to New York, but he got the flu and by the time he was well, the war was over. The war ended 28 June 1919, when the Treaty of Versailles was signed in France, so he must have been in New York at that time. I could find no record of his service. There were 1,500,000 people who died from influenza in the United States during 1918 and 1919.

After they became engaged, Russell decided to go back to Brentwood for a while. He said, "I probably got mad at her". While in Brentwood, Russell had quite an experience. Winner wrote, "Russell, a friend named Fred Orr, and I decided to join the Merchant Marines in San Francisco. ( They had all just registered with the draft board for WWI. Perhaps that had something to do with their decision.) We had signed up, had one physical and passed, had gone to the base in San Francisco for a final exam and to be sworn in. We were standing around waiting, when a merchant seaman asked if we were joining up. We said, `yes'. Then he said, `Don't do it! You will regret it.' We talked it over and sneaked out of there, ran like crazy, got a street car to the ferry and went into Oakland and caught a train for Brentwood: all the time looking over our shoulders for a couple of MPs to come and take us back. The MPs never showed up." We were much relieved.

During this time, Bertha was attending Catholic school. She sent Russell his diamond ring and told him she was going to become a nun. (And she didn't even like Catholic school.) Fortunately for us this did not happen. Perhaps spurred by his Merchant Marine experience, Russell forgot he was mad at her. He took the ring and went to Washington to find out what was going on. They reconciled and were married October 14, 1923.

After Russell and Bertha were married, they boarded at a farmhouse in Mount Hope, Washington, near Spokane, while Bertha taught at Harp School and Russell helped out on the farm. Since they were married in October after the wheat was harvested, Russell went off to look for work. He stayed in a Hotel and this is one of the few times they spent a night apart during their entire married life. Mostly, Russell worked in the wheat fields, sometimes using an eight-horse team. At one time he was a grain receiver in the warehouse and did general farming work. Bertha quit her teaching job at the end of the year and never taught school again.

(Much of the foregoing was told to me by Russell in January 1976. Some parts were quoted from a letter dated July 13, 1976, to Marilyn Parker from Uncle Winner Winwood Collis. Some of the information also came from Bertha and some from the children of Bertha and Russell.)

Brentwood, California Again

In 1924 Russell and Bertha Collis moved back to the Grigsby/Collis ranch in Brentwood where Walter Collis, had built a small one room house with a little screened porch for them. Laura had inherited property in Brentwood, from her mother Elmira Grigsby, who died in 1923. Russ' sister, Hazel, lived with her husband and three children in another little house on the property. Walter and Laura lived in their house behind the others

Shortly after moving back to Brentwood, Walter Leroy, called Roy by the family, was born in September of 1924, in Mrs. Pemberton's Nursing Home with Dr. Cook attending. The same doctor had delivered Russell. Roy was named after Russell’s father, Walter, and Bertha’s step-father, James Leroy Lamb.

Russell needed work, so they left the ranch in late 1924 and moved to Stockton for a time where Russell worked for a box factory, He also worked as a steam pipe fitter's helper in building the river boats, the Delta King and the Delta Queen. He also worked on the Carquinez bridge. He then went to work for Holt Harvester Company.

When Holt Harvester Company closed down, Russell and Bertha moved to Yuba City with their baby, Roy. There he worked for farmers picking peaches and later for a cement contractor until he became ill and had to have an emergency appendectomy. In August of 1926, Laura was born in a small private hospital in Yuba City, with Dr. Johnson delivering her. The hospital was so small that the doctor carried his patients from the delivery room to their rooms. Times were hard for the average family during this time before the great depression. Russell and Bertha were no exception and had no money and couldn't pay the doctor. Dr. Johnson, who had delivered Laura, said, "Well, I can't just let him die." He was a great big man and carried Russell to the operating table. He performed the surgery with the bill owing.
After the surgery, Russell, Bertha, and the two children returned to the ranch in Brentwood for Russell to recuperate. Russell was not able to work for a while. This compounded the financial situation. They were living on the ranch in Brentwood in 1930 when Russell's father, Walter, died from Carcinoma of the bladder at the hospital in San Francisco. He had been doctoring for some time. Barbara was born in November of that same year. Their old Brentwood doctor had died by that time and so Bertha went to Stockton to have Barbara at Dammeron Hospital. Perhaps Russell was influenced by his cousin, Langley Collis, who was a doctor in Stockton. Stockton was only about 30 miles from Stockton along the Sacramento River. Russell had worked there before and was familiar with the area.

Due to the expense of Dad’s illness and an untimely hailstorm causing the crops to fail, Russell's mother, Laura, mortgaged the property and all the tools and equipment to the Bank of America. Walter was gone and Russell was trying to keep the ranch going. There was no money and the ranch and all the farm equipment were taken over by the Bank of America in 1932, for a debt of $3000. Three years later it sold for $30,000. Russell was angry. He didn't think the bank should be taking the tools and equipment along with the ranch. However, they, to, were listed in the mortgage. Russell took all the household belongings that the bank hadn't taken and which they would not be able to take with them, and put them on the burn pile. This included a large organ that had belonged to his mother. (This was according to Aunt Gladyce. She was frustrated with him.) Russell often reacted to situations with anger rather than thinking things through rationally.

Russell's mother, Laura, went to live with her daughter, Gladyce, and her husband, Pete Ping, on 76th Avenue in Oakland. Pete’s parents also were living with them at the time. It seemed Gladyce and Pete were often to have relatives living with them. They had no children of their own.

They now had three small children and times were still hard. The price of bread was 7 cents a loaf, milk 43 cents a gallon, gas 18 cents a gallon and a stamp cost 3 cents. The cost of a car was $540, a house $6,514 and the average income was $1,431 a year. Two of the top songs were: April in Paris and Willow Weep for Me. Perhaps the Willow was to weep because finding the 7 cents for a loaf of bread was hard.

What to do now?

Russell and Bertha decided it was time to move. They went to Gobel, Oregon. Russell's brother, Winner, was living in Oregon at the time. Roy helped Russell build a log cabin in Gobel, but they were only there a few months, before heading back to Washington. Russell was a mover. Bertha’s stepfather’s mother, Emma Lamb, had died in 1931 and their house was available for rent from the estate.

Back to Washington

Since Bertha's mother still lived in Diamond, Washington and that is where she and Russell had met, they moved back to Washington. Bertha wrote, "By this time the depression was in full swing and Russell worked at any job he could get. Summers he worked in a warehouse receiving the grain harvest. In winter he worked shipping the grain out when a farmer sold his crop. He also helped the farmers butcher. He sometimes would work all day and get in return a couple of hog's heads, feet and a liver for his day's work. Not too much when a dressed carcass could be bought for 5 cents a pound. Anyway, head cheese and pickled pig's feet are pretty good, and I still like liver."

The family lived in a warehouse near the train tracks in Thera. Thera was a little town near Diamond and is no longer there. It was probably just a little railroad stop. There was a small apartment built into a wheat warehouse. Daughter, Laura, remembers the bathroom was at the far end of the warehouse and the children would put on roller skates to go to the bathroom.

Bertha and Russell were involved in community plays while living in Thera. It seems strange to me that they were involved in any social events as the only social involvement they had in Sacramento was mostly visiting with relatives according to my recollection. We would often visit at Gladyce and Pete’s. Sometimes we would visit with Hazel and her family, but the children were older than most of us.

Stanley Richard was born at home on Feb 2 1935 while they lived in the warehouse in Thera. He was the 4th child of Bertha and Russell Collis. When Stan was 14 months old, they moved to a small ranch 3 miles west of Colfax. The ranch was owned by Bertha's stepfather, Roy Lamb, and his sister, Melba. They had inherited the ranch from their mother who died in 1931. Barbara remembers holding hands and touching the electric fence surrounding the pig pen. A shocking experience! Bertha stated, "It was pretty small. Russell clerked in the hardware store in Colfax during the day and worked the ranch in his off hours. We had six cows, some pigs, and grew wheat on the few acres rich enough to support a crop. With the garden, my chickens, milk, cream, and eggs we managed pretty well.

The effects of the depression were evident everywhere. Bertha and Russell were hard workers and took advantage of every opportunity to earn wages and care for their family. Russell would take whatever odd job he could find and Bertha would help in whatever way she could. While living in the home near Colfax, Bertha would prepare meals and feed the road crews working on the highway. The crew would sit at long tables in the yard for their meals.

Bertha and Russell attended many dances where he often called the square dances. The coats would be piled in a corner where the babies and small children were put to sleep on the piles of coats. Roy said he did not like being at the dances, so he would sneak out and find his friends.

Russell was good at "witching" water with a green stick. He could tell how far down to drill and how much water could be found. He located many wells for friends in Washington, Oregon, and Brentwood. He never liked to boast about it and often worried that his predictions would not prove out. It was definitely a gift that he had and he was pretty much "right on".

Marilyn Louise was born April 18, 1937 in Colfax in Mrs. Marbell's Nursing Home, with Mrs. Dimich, a nurse, attending. Marilyn was the 5th child of Bertha and Russell.

Gladyce Darlyne was born on 7 July 1939 in the same Nursing home. She was the 6th child of Bertha and Russell. Bertha said she was a happy baby.

May Lamb, Bertha’s mother loved to fish for catfish in the stream near her house. She would snag whoever she could to go fishing with her. Laura and Roy each remember fishing with her. Laura said the fish tasted like mud. Norman Kuntz, a neighbor boy also was a fishing companion of hers after her grandchildren no longer lived close by. Roy Lamb gave Norman May’s fishing pole after she died. Norman subsequently gave it to Scott, Marilyn's son, when they visited him in Diamond. May also loved her little rock garden in the front of her house and was often found there weeding and caring for the plants. Stan and Barbara remember her often serving cut up oranges with powdered sugar when they were there for breakfast.

In 1941 Melba, Roy Lamb's sister, wanted or needed her money out of the house and so the house that Russell and Bertha were living in was sold. Bertha said, “When the ranch sold, we packed all our belongings in a home made trailer, stashed our kids and the dog in an old 1927 Buick and started back to California." Away they went pulling the trailer behind. Where to go now was the question. Pete Ping, Gladyce's husband, was working at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento. They started back to California on May 29th of 1941. What a tearful time for May to lose her daughter and all of her grandchildren again. Do you suppose her thoughts were that she probably would never see them again, but hoped to go visit? I can’t imagine stuffing that car full of 2 parents and 6 children from ages 16 down to 2 years, along with all the stuff to get by on that long of a trip.

Sacramento, California

Russell's sister, Gladyce, and her husband Pete Ping lived in Sacramento at 4964 13th Avenue. Gladyce's brother Edgar was living there for a time in 1941. Pete worked as an electrical engineer at the Sacramento Air Depot, according to the 1942 Sacramento City directory. Russell and his family stopped by to visit Gladyce and Pete and ended up staying with them. Russell found a job clerking at Lyon Darwin Hardware store in the Oak Park section of Sacramento. While they looked for a house, all eight members of the family moved in with Pete and Gladyce. Their home was a one bedroom house with a little room off the kitchen that served as a dining room, and a small living room. That made 10 people in about 600 square feet. Fortunately it was summer time. What an interesting time that must have been. Some slept in the screened porch and others slept on the floor in the small living room.

Few people would rent to a family with six children and a dog. Finally a house for rent was found at 2486 41st Street in Sacramento. When it came up for sale, Bertha and Russell bought it. The house was on the corner of 41st and Y Streets. It originally sat on a lot in the middle of what is now Y Street, but had been moved when the street was cut through.

The house was a two bedroom 1 bathroom house with a wall bed in the living room and a small screened room in the back southwest corner. Stan and Roy slept in the screened porch area, the girls in the middle bedroom. (Where did Laura and Barbara Sleep? Wall bed?) Mom and Dad slept in the bedroom off the kitchen. The sleeping arrangements would changeoften as the need appeared. When Laura and Charlie were married, They moved into the bedroom off the kitchen and Mom and Dad slept in the middle bedroom and the three younger children slept in the screened porch. Roy was in the army. The 1942 Sacramento City Directory lists E. R. Collis at that address as a clerk with Lyon Darwin Hardware.

Roy tells the story of Dad losing his temper with someone as he was driving truck for the Lyon Darwin. Someone cut him off and said something obscene. Russell stopped the truck, got out, grabbed the tire iron out of the back and went after the guy. Roy stopped him, thankfully. Russ did lack patience at times in his early years. If he became upset with his employer, he would quit his job.

Roy was the first child to leave home as he went into the army in 1943 during World War II. He had not graduated from high school yet, but the draft registration was being invoked, so he decided to enlist. He became part of the 705th Tank Destroyer battalion and was one of those who were cut off and surrounded in the Battle of Bastone. Mom stated, "It was sure good to have a job at that time, for I had to keep my mind on my work. On the days when I was home and the kids were coming home from school, I'd listen for his steps on the porch even though I knew he was far away. When he came home after the war, I thought I'd go mad before he settled down and quit pacing the floor. I guess it's pretty horrible what they have to go through" In 1946 Roy was home and Dad made a bedroom in the basement for him. I remember hearing Roy's radio playing "Intersanctum" or " The Shadow". I remember the sound of the squeaking door that began one of the programs.

Moving days were finally over for the family. Russell had an "itchy foot". He liked change. When he talked about moving again, Mother told him, "If you move again, you will go without me and the children!" She had had enough moving. They lived in the house on 41st Street until they both retired. Perhaps Dad’s “itchy foot” was one reason we went for rides so often on Sunday afternoons. We visited and camped at most of the historic spots in Northern California: Yosemite, Wright's Lake, Lake Tahoe, Big Trees, Caverns, Volcano, The Mystery Spot, The Winchester House, San Francisco, and many more.
They lived in that house for the next 23 years and Russell held a variety of jobs. He worked for a short time at McClellan Air Force base repairing carburetors. He also picked fruit at several of the farms in the area. We would go glean pears after the regular picking and Mom would can them at home. He was a mechanic at the Wonder Bread bakery in Oak Park in 1945. I still remember the smell of the bread cooking as I walked by. He worked for a short time as a janitor at Stanford Junior High School. He was very offended by the language the kids wrote on the walls of the restrooms. He quit that job fairly quickly. By 1949 he was working as a Construction worker.
.
In the 1950's Russell remodeled the house, changing the whole configuration of it. He added an upstairs bedroom, extended the back of the house to accommodate a bedroom where the screened porch used to be, and added another bathroom and laundry room on the back. This was a difficult time as money was tight and Dad was working double time; a paying job during the day when weather permitted, and working on the house nights and weekends. He was burning his candle at both ends. There was a time when he was on the roof with an electric skill saw. He missed the board and cut through his thigh. It was a bad cut. He was alone so he had to climb down and get himself to the emergency room at the county hospital on Stockton Boulevard. Fortunately, it was only two blocks away.

After those initial years, Russell worked most of his years in Sacramento for Construction Companies on different houses and buildings. He drove a truck for Robinson's Construction Company during the tearing down of the old Buffalo Brewery and construction of the Sacramento Bee building on the site on Q Street. In the 50's he worked on a $100,000 home near the American River. We were all flabbergasted at that outrageous price for building a home was rare at that time.

The holidays were always special times at the Collis house. Aunt Gladyce and Uncle Pete were always there along with friends, Lois and Carl Carlson. We had barbequed hamburgers on the 4th of July with Mom's special barbeque sauce, watermelon, and lemonade made with real lemons. Dad had built a brick barbeque on the site of the old garage turned into a grape arbor. It was frightening when that old garage caught fire and burned to the ground. On summer nights we would sleep in the back yard as the house was too warm. Beds would be moved into the back yard and covered with tarps to protect them from occasional summer rains.

On Thanksgiving morning Mom would get up about 3:00 A.M. to start the turkey cooking. Aunt Gladyce would also cook a turkey. We always had lemon jello with pineapple, shredded carrots, and chopped celery in it. There was always the special chopped cabbage and shrimp salad, stuffing, cranberry, mashed potatoes and gravy. Mom's homemade mince meat pie from an old English recipe which came from Dad's grandmother, Ann Collis, and pumpkin pie were the traditional desserts. The teenagers always went to the Sacramento/ McClatchy high school football game in the morning, and then come home to hopefully help put the finishing touches on dinner. There was a long table that went from the dining room into the kitchen. Turkey sandwiches with cranberry, mayonnaise, and lettuce, were absolutely necessary in the evening.

Our house was about 3 to 4 blocks from the old California State Fair Grounds on Stockton Boulevard and Broadway. Kids could get in free so we were there quite often. In the evenings we would sometimes go to the fair to watch the horse show as Dad's cousin was driving the Budweiser wagon there. Dad liked the harness races and we would attend those also. Maybe we would get an original orange freeze at Merlino's across the street from the fairgrounds.

A favorite thing to do was to sit on the front porch in the early evening and watch the fireworks high in the night sky. Fairgoers would park on all the streets for many blocks around the fairgrounds. We would put sawhorses in front of the house to save a place to park our car. The state fair was a big part of our lives when it ran during the summer.

Each summer we would go on a week long camping trip. At times we would go to Yosemite, or more often we went to Wright's Lake to stay at Fred Held's camp near the Dark Lake Road. Fred Held was a friend of Uncle Pete. He camped at the lake every summer from the time it opened until it closed in the fall. Uncle Pete, Aunt Gladyce, Lois and Carl and our family would join him for a week. Stan usually brought a friend, Frank Marchi, as Barbara had Dixie, Lois Carlson's daughter. Darlyne and I had each other. Laura and Charlie were married by that time. There was a lot of stuff to take for that many people. Dad was a genius when it came to packing the trunk of the car. He had built a special cabinet for the kitchen stuff and knew just where everything went in the trunk so it would all fit. We would hike up to Twin Lakes or some of the other lakes in the high country.

Darlyne wrote, "I still remember the trips there in the old Ford (I think). Daddy always said, 'She’s a boilin.' I thought camping was fun because Mom did all the work." We always carried a canvas water bag over the hood ornament in case the car boiled. We would stop by the side of the road. Let the car cool for a while and then add water from the water bag to the radiator. Then off we would go again. We could use the water for drinking as long as we didn't use too much. We forded Lyon Creek when we got to the top of the hill and would refill the water bag and all take a drink of the fresh Mountain water from the creek. When we got to Wright's Lake, we hung blankets from tree to tree to give us privacy and to separate our camp from the others. We probably looked like a bunch of “okies”, but we had fun.

Russell liked to listen to the baseball game on the radio. At times we would attend the Sacramento Solons baseball game at the ball field on Broadway. I loved going with Dad and Uncle Pete. It wouldn't be a ball game without a hot dog. His main interests were ball games and reading the newspaper. Dad was a hard worker. He often worked late into the night to keep the car running. No computers in cars in those days.

Since Russell worked in construction, and thus he showered in the evening, he would cook breakfast for the family while mother got ready for work. He loved pancakes and we would often eat pancakes with syrup. When it rained and he didn't work, he would clean house. He liked to have everything clean and orderly. When we would come home from school, the house would be shiny and clean and the floors waxed. He was a hard worker. We loved it when it rained. We weren't really cognizant of the loss of his income, we only thought of him picking us up from school so we didn't have to walk the 12 blocks in the rain. We didn't laugh a lot together, but I remember our childhood as peaceful and wonderful. We had supportive, kind parents and we were the most important things in their lives. He didn’t spank us often, but when he did, we knew we had been spanked.

Russell retired in about 1963, three years before Bertha retired in December 1966. After retirement, they sold their house and bought an Airstream trailer. One of Bertha's greatest wishes was to see New England in the fall. They traveled for a year across the northern states to New England, then down the east coast to Florida. Bertha had heart problems in Florida and they remained there for a time while she convalesced. They then traveled back west across the southern states. They parked their trailer in a small trailer park on Stockton Blvd. near Florin Road in Sacramento. To me it was a small confined and dark place, but I never heard them complain.

After Bertha's death in 1970, Russell continued to live in the trailer with his little long haired Chihuahua, Chi-chi. Life did not hold the interest it had when his life long partner was alive and with him. One day he ran a red light and he couldn't get the idea out of his head that he might have hit someone; a car, a kid on a bicycle or a pedestrian. He gave up driving. He also had a slight stroke and it seemed unwise for him to be alone. He moved in with his oldest son, Roy, on Middleberry Street in Sacramento and he lived there until he died in his sleep of a stroke on the 24th of June in 1976, at the age of 79. He was buried beside Bertha in Eastlawn Southgate on Highway 99 near Florin Road in South Sacramento.

Addendum:
1. Some of Russell's favorite sayings were:

· "Children should be seen and not heard."

"It's just as cheap to run the car on the top half of the tank as on the bottom."

· Regarding wearing lipstick: - "Any old barn looks better painted."

· Regarding accumulating worldly goods: "I've never seen a hearse pulling a trailer!"

· "Life is backwards; when the children are young and you need the money and the big house and
you don't have them. When you no longer need them, you have them."

Whenever he teased me, I would cry, and Dad would say, "Your eyes are too close to your bladder." It made me sad, because I didn't want to cry, but couldn't help it.

2. Interview with Barbara on the phone in 2007.
She remembers going to the Grange dances and the kids would sleep on the pile of coats on the floor. When they lived in the warehouse in Thera, Dad would load the wheat sacks into the boxcars. He would let the kids ride up the conveyer. The Colfax house they lived in was about 3 miles on the left from Colfax, going toward Diamond. They would skate in the living room. The school was in Colfax and the kids would return home from school walking on the railroad track. The school was a dance studio last time Barb visited. She remembers dad talking on the old crank phone when receiving a call that his mother had died. Dad had a white suit which he ruined when he threw up after drinking wine. She also remembers driving down the streets of San Francisco and the chinamen all went running into the buildings with their pigtails flying.

3. Letter from Jim Just
March 26, 2008
Dear Aunt Marilyn,
I've just finished reading your short history of Russell and Bertha Collis. I found it fascinating. Thanks so much for doing this. Memories and lives are so fragile and fleeting, it's important to preserve what we can.
I don't have much to add. I do remember the wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The whole family would always gather at the 41ST Street house for Christmas Eve, and exchange gifts. The really precious things weren't the trinkets, but the warmth of the family and the precious memories of being together.
We kids practically lived at that house during the - what was it, 10 or 14 day run? - of the state fair. Bertha must have been a saint to put up with us, always welcoming and never a complaint.
I remember Russell as very kind and having a wicked sense of humor. I loved working with him and the other men of the family, and learned carpentry and construction skills that still serve me well today.
In my junior year -1 believe, I was suspended for a week for flipping off my gym coach (do kids still have to take P.E. these days)? As "punishment," I was assigned by my folks to work with Russell building a garage in our back yard at the Elvas Avenue house. While shingling the roof, I stepped off the edge, hit the top of a fence on the way down, flipped over, and landed on the back of my head, knocking myself silly. Russell came over, looked down at me over the edge of the roof, and said, "Lazy kid. You're the hardest kid to keep working I've ever seen."
But he gave me the rest of the day off.
Love, Jim Just

4. The Delta King is an authentic 285-foot riverboat. The King and her identical twin, the Delta Queen, were christened on May 20, 1927, and began their daily river voyages between San Francisco and Sacramento in June of that year. At 6:00 p.m. each evening, the grand ladies of the Delta left their docks for the 10 hour trip that included prohibition era drinking, jazz bands, gambling and fine dining. A stateroom was $3.50, but for a dollar and "’your own blanket" the night could be spent on the Cargo Deck.
The King and Queen reigned on the Sacramento River until the late 1930's when an increase in the number of roads, bridges and automobiles made riverboating a less efficient means of transportation. Depression and World War II signaled the end of the sternwheel era and both the King and Queen were drafted into the U. S. Navy to serve on San Francisco Bay as net tenders, floating barracks, troop transports and hospital ships. At the conclusion of the War, the Delta Queen was purchased and taken via the Panama Canal to the Mississippi River where she still serves. The engines of the Delta King were taken for spare parts. The King was shuttled between Canada and California as a derelict with hopes of becoming a floating Ghiradelli Square or Chinese Restaurant dashed at each turn by sinkings and litigations. In 1984, after being sunk for 18 months in San Francisco Bay, the Delta King was towed to Old Sacramento, where it underwent a complete renovation. Five pain-staking years later the Delta King reopened to reign, once again, as the heralded monarch of the Sacramento River.


1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Walter Collis
Home in 1900: Supervisors District 5, Contra Costa, California
Age: 33 Occupation: farmer
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1867
BirthPlace: California
Relationship to head-of-house: Head
Spouses's Name: Laura
Race: White
Household Members: Name Age
Walter Collis 33
Laura Collis 33
Hazel Collis 5
Russel Collis 3
Gladys Collis 2

1910 United States Federal Census
Name: Russel Collis
Age in 1910: 13
Estimated birth year: abt 1897
Birthplace: California
Relation to Head of House: Son
Father's name: Walter L
Father's Birth Place: California
Mother's name: Lora
Mother's Birth Place: California
Home in 1910: Diamond, Whitman, Washington
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Gender: Male
Household Members: Name Age
Walter L Collis 42
Lora Collis 44
Hazel Collis 15
Russel Collis 13
Gladys Collis 11
Wynner Collis 9
Edgar Colli 2

*World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 Record
Name: Ernest Russell Collis
City: Diamond
County: Whitman
State: Washington
Birthplace: California;United States of America
Birth Date: 31 Dec 1896 age 21
Roll: 1992258
DraftBoard: 0
Employer: self Nearest Relative: Walter Height med Build:med Color of Eyes brown Hair dark brown:

*1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Russel Collis
Home in 1920: Diamond, Whitman, Washington
Age: 22 years
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1898
BirthPlace: California
Relation to Head of House: Brother-in-law
Father's Birth Place: California
Mother's Birth Place: California
Marital status: Single occupation: farm labor
Race: White
Sex: Male
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 889
Household Members:Name Age
Elmer F Ping 28 railroad labor
Gladys E Ping 21
Russel Collis 22 farm labor
Winnie Collis 19 railroad labor

Marriage Cert in posession of Darlyne Frost; Family Bible.

California Voter Registration, 1926-28 Stockton, 5th Ward, 8th Precinct
line 22 Collis, Ernest R , benchand, Horace Ave. and Anderson Dem
line 23 Collis, Mrs Bertha I, housewife Horace Ave. and Anderson Dem

*1930 United States Federal Census
Name: E Russel Callis
Home in 1930: Township 9, Contra Costa, California
Age: 32
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1898
BirthPlace: California
Relation to Head of House: Head occupation: farmer
Spouses's Name: Bertha I
Race: White
Household Members: Name Age
E Russel Callis 32
Bertha I Callis 27
Walter L Callis 5 1/12
Laura M Callis 3 6/12
Allen E Morrison 25 roomer - farm hand

1940 United States Federal Census
Name: E Russell Collis
Age: 44
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1896
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: California
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: South Colfax, Whitman, Washington
Farm: Yes
Inferred Residence in 1935: South Colfax, Whitman, Washington
Residence in 1935: Same Place
Sheet Number: 3A
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 46
Occupation: Clerk
House Owned or Rented: Rented
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 10
Attended School or College: No
Highest Grade Completed: Elementary school, 7th grade
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: 48
Class of Worker: $720 Wage or salary worker in private work
Weeks Worked in 1939: 52
Income: 780
Income Other Sources: Yes
Neighbors: Ted Ackerman
Household Members: Name Age
E Russell Collis 44
Bertha L Collis 37
Walter Leroy 15
Lora Mary 13
Barbara Jean 9
Stanley R Collis 5
Marilyn Collis 2
Gladyce D Collis 8/12

U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 about Ernest Russell Collis
Name: Ernest Russell Collis
Birth Date: 31 Dec 1896
Birth Place: Brentwood
Residence: Sacto, California
Race: White
Roll: WWII_1734613

1939 Sacramento City Directory: Collis or Ping not found
1940 Sacramento City Directory: Ping, Elmer F (Gladyce E) h4964 13th av
Ping, Frank (Mary E) h5018 14th av
1940 Sacramento City Directory: Collis, Edgar, D, gdnr, PG&E co, h4964 13th av
1941 Sacramento City Directory: Ping, Elmer F (Gladyce E) h4964 13th av
Ping, Frank (Mary E) h5018 14th av
Ping, Peter r 4964 13th av
1943 Sacramento City Directory: Ping, Elmer F (Gladyce E) Elec eng SAD h 4964 13th av
Ping, Frank (Mary E) h5018 1/2 14th av
Ping, Gladyc E clk DMV r 4964 13th av
1943 Sacramento City Directory: Collis, E Russell (Bertha I) driver h2486 41st St.

*California Death Index, 1940-1997 Record about ERNEST R COLLIS
Name: COLLIS, ERNEST R
Social Security #: 542034134
Sex: MALE
Birth Date: 31 Dec 1896
Birthplace: CALIFORNIA
Death Date: 26 Jun 1976
Death Place: SACRAMENTO

Died in his bed at his son, Walter LeRoy Collis', home on Middleberry St., Sacramento from a stroke.

*Social Security Death Index Record
Name: Ernest Collis
SSN: 542-03-4134
Last Residence: 95815 Sacramento, Sacramento, California, United States of America
Born: 31 Dec 1896 California
Died: Jun 1976
State (Year) SSN issued: Oregon (Before 1951 ) 
COLLIS, Ernest Russell (I17)
 
1388 from marriage record COGHLAN, John Maxwell (I5901)
 
1389 from marriage record COOMBS, Evalina (I5896)
 
1390 from Spotsylvania County, Virginia 1745 FOX, John (I6094)
 
1391 from the Vacaville Reporter, 29Sep 1883

"Vacaville Reporter", 29 Sep 1883- Durward parker and his fair young bride have gone to Capay to live. They have the best wishes of a large circle of friends 
Family F1472
 
1392 from Utah, County Marriages
Name: Charles Woodward
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 19 Feb 1921
Event Place: Salt Lake, Utah, United States
Age: 62
Race: White
Birth Year (Estimated): 1859
Father's Name: Luther Tuttle Woodward
Mother's Name: Elizabeth Hall
Spouse's Name: Annie Shupe
Spouse's Age: 52
Spouse's Race: White 
Family F3851
 
1393 from Utah, County Marriages
Name: Charles Woodward
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 19 Feb 1921
Event Place: Salt Lake, Utah, United States
Age: 62
Race: White
Birth Year (Estimated): 1859
Father's Name: Luther Tuttle Woodward
Mother's Name: Elizabeth Hall
Spouse's Name: Annie Shupe
Spouse's Age: 52
Spouse's Race: White 
WOODWARD, Charles (I9615)
 
1394 From: don grigsby
To: marlparker ; Rose Grigsby ; Chris Lucas ; William (Hal) H. Grigsby NGFS Member ; Lgrigsbys
Subject: Re: Aaron Grigsby parentage
Date: Thu, Mar 31, 2016 12:13 am

The NGFS Y-DNA Study `committe is in the process for testing three of the descendants of this line and hope to study and draw important conclusions this year. It looks likely at this point that Aaron Grigsby b.1757 and a two close relatives a Samuel and a William Grigsby are descendant of a presently unknown son of either William or Thomas Grigsby who were sons of John (II) Grigsby the son of "Immigrant John" Grigsby. We will see whether our "Big Y" tests at FTDNA support or refute this hypothesis which I strongly believe to be correct..

Don

On Wednesday, March 30, 2016 10:54 PM, "marlparker@aol.com " > wrote:

i am sorry that I don't have any documentation. I belonged to the Grigsby group for a while and this was a compilation of their work. I put it out there for comments and appreciate your response. I would love to have any sources references that you would be willing to share.
Marilyn


From: Donald@www1.g3.pair.com , L.Grigsby@www1.g3.pair.com , Ph.D. >
Subject: Comments
Date: March 9, 2016 at 11:23:36 AM MST
To: genealogy@parkerpress.com
Reply-To: dlgrigsby@att.net

Comments: I would like any documentation you have discovered concerning the parents of Aaron Grigsby born 1757 who was a sailor on the Grand Turk. Our National Grigsby Family Society genealogical research has failed to find any documentation regarding Aaron's parentage (our database which is not documented, I believe to be in error). To my best knowledge the William Grigsby, Jr. to whom you and our NGFS database attribute as father of Aaron, according to all research of which I am aware, had only one son and he was Horatio Grigsby. Further, our preliminary NGFS Y-DNA research indicates that Aaron Grigsby 1757 was from the line of a different son of our "Immigrant John" Grigsby (1623-1730). I would appreciate your response and any documentation you can offer. Donald L. Grigsby, Ph. D. dlgrigsby@att.net < /div> 
GRIGSBY, William (I1749)
 
1395 From: don grigsby
To: marlparker ; Rose Grigsby ; Chris Lucas ; William (Hal) H. Grigsby NGFS Member ; Lgrigsbys
Subject: Re: Aaron Grigsby parentage
Date: Thu, Mar 31, 2016 12:13 am

The NGFS Y-DNA Study `committe is in the process for testing three of the descendants of this line and hope to study and draw important conclusions this year. It looks likely at this point that Aaron Grigsby b.1757 and a two close relatives a Samuel and a William Grigsby are descendant of a presently unknown son of either William or Thomas Grigsby who were sons of John (II) Grigsby the son of "Immigrant John" Grigsby. We will see whether our "Big Y" tests at FTDNA support or refute this hypothesis which I strongly believe to be correct..

Don

On Wednesday, March 30, 2016 10:54 PM, "marlparker@aol.com " > wrote:

i am sorry that I don't have any documentation. I belonged to the Grigsby group for a while and this was a compilation of their work. I put it out there for comments and appreciate your response. I would love to have any sources references that you would be willing to share.
Marilyn


From: Donald@www1.g3.pair.com , L.Grigsby@www1.g3.pair.com , Ph.D. >
Subject: Comments
Date: March 9, 2016 at 11:23:36 AM MST
To: genealogy@parkerpress.com
Reply-To: dlgrigsby@att.net

Comments: I would like any documentation you have discovered concerning the parents of Aaron Grigsby born 1757 who was a sailor on the Grand Turk. Our National Grigsby Family Society genealogical research has failed to find any documentation regarding Aaron's parentage (our database which is not documented, I believe to be in error). To my best knowledge the William Grigsby, Jr. to whom you and our NGFS database attribute as father of Aaron, according to all research of which I am aware, had only one son and he was Horatio Grigsby. Further, our preliminary NGFS Y-DNA research indicates that Aaron Grigsby 1757 was from the line of a different son of our "Immigrant John" Grigsby (1623-1730). I would appreciate your response and any documentation you can offer. Donald L. Grigsby, Ph. D. dlgrigsby@att.net < /div>
Founded in 1664, created from Westmorland County and named for the Engli sh County of Stafford, Stafford County, Virginia, has strong connectio ns to events that shaped our nation's history. It was at Marlboro Poin t,that Indian Princess Pocahontas was kidnapped and taken to Jamestow n. Another historical figure also made Stafford his home. Augustine Washin gton, with the rest of his family, including a six-year-old son named Geor ge, moved to Ferry Farm in 1738. The future first president spent his form ative years there until he reached young adulthood

IGI Microfiche 1990
Aaron Grigsby was a marine soldier on the "Grand Turk", a famous Maassachusetts privateer ship during the American Revolution. The Grand Turk belonged to Elias Haskett Derby, of Salem, Massachusetts, and commanded by Emperor Moseley. It sailed out of Salem, Mass. to cruise West Indian waters late 1782 or early 1783. Aaron was held prisoner by British on Barbados for seven months. Aaron was in the vicinity of Rockbridge or Wythe County, Virginia in 1794. He moved to Giles Co., Tenn. in 1808, where he was living with his son, Amos Grigsby, in 1840.

Soldiers in the revolutionary army received rations of a quart of beer a day.
1789 James Madison proposes that Congress levy a low 8-cent duty per barrel on malt liquors to encourage "the manufacture of beer in every State in the Union."
Beer and bread were the mainstays of the ordinary person's diet for centuries.
Yeasts during this time were exactly the same as those used in bread.
Before the 1800's most beer was really "Ale."


American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) about Aaron Grigsby
Name: Aaron Grigsby
Birth Date: 1756?
Birthplace: Tennessee,
Volume: 68
Page Number: 78
Biographical Info: Rev.War
Reference: Census of pensioners for Rev. military serivces. Washington, DC. 1841. (195p.):155

1840 United States Federal Census about Aron Grigsby
Name: Aron Grigsby
Military Service: Veteran age 85
County: Giles
State: Tennessee
Number of persons in household: Ages of persons in household: Occupation information : 
GRIGSBY, Aaron (I220)
 
1396 Gail Moss (Aug 1994) 18485 Cord 96B, Woodland, 95695; 661-3567 WINDSOR, Gail (I5205)
 
1397 Gail Orr Hall
Birth: Jun. 25, 1913
Ossian
Wells County
Indiana, USA
Death: Jul. 20, 1989
Britton
Lenawee County
Michigan, USA


Family links:
Parents:
William Irvin Hall (1880 - 1960)
Hazel Fern Orr Hall (1889 - 1951)

Spouse:
Ruth Louise Cutler Hall (1921 - 1998)*

Sibling:
Gail Orr Hall (1913 - 1989)
Lucille Stout (1915 - 2013)*

*Calculated relationship

Burial:
Oak Lawn Cemetery
Ossian
Wells County
Indiana, USA

Created by: JC
Record added: May 19, 2010
Find A Grave Memorial# 52591551 
Hall, Gail Orr (I11170)
 
1398 Gallo Roman Consul, 381 SYAGRIUS, Afranius (I7437)
 
1399 George Pockett
in the Gloucestershire, England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1813
Name: George Pockett
Event Type: Baptism
Baptism Date: 3 Dec 1775
Parish: Elmore, Gloucestershire, England
Parish as it Appears: Elmore
Father: Joseph Pockett
Mother: Elizabeth Pockett
Register Type: Parish Registers 
Pocket, George (I9717)
 
1400 Gideon died young. SHERMAN, Gideon (I1613)
 

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