596327

[3991.ftw]

[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 1, Ed. 1, Tree #3991, Date of Import: Oct 25, 1998]

Mary Louise Smith (1890-1983) was born in Shanghai, China where her missionary parents were located at that time. The family lived in China until 1899, when the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion and other political events forced Mary's father John to resign from his post as a missionary. The family returned to the United States, and lived in various small towns in Illinois, North Dakota and Iowa where John found pastoral responsibilities.

All of Mary's siblings were offered scholarships of one sort or another at one college or another, and Mary went to Lenox College for one year. She then taught school in various places for a time, but returned home to help her mother in the care of her father during his last illness in 1910.

Mary did housework at various places, and finally joined a family in Cedar Rapids where she found work as a receptionist in a doctor's office for a couple of years. She then went to Chicago to study nursing at Presbyterian Hospital there, however she found the work physically beyond her abilities, and left the nurse's training program after about a year.

Mary held down some clerical jobs, without any formal training in the subject, and by taking a correspondence course, was able to pass the Civil Service Clerical Examination. She then found work as a clerk with the Federal Government in Washington, DC, during World War I.

Pressure from her mother caused Mary to leave Washington, DC after about a year, and return home again. Subsequently, she travelled to Southern California in a search for work, but after a year she gave up the effort, and returned to Chicago where she worked for Western Electric Company in the payroll department.

Somehow in all this travel, Mary met Albert Stuart Ormsby, and fell in love with him as he did with her. He convinced her that Southern California was the place to live, and she again went there. They were married shortly after that, and soon they had a daughter, Nancy Jean, and a son Alan Strong. They remained in or near Los Angeles until shortly after Alan was born, then they moved to San Francisco.

After a short time, they had a house built in San Bruno, just south of San Francisco on the peninsula and moved there. Their third child, Norman Bruce was born while they were in San Bruno. They lived there for several years, and then moved to Palo Alto, which is farther south down the peninsula from San Francisco.

In 1940, Albert died, and Mary's life became much more difficult. She sought work in Palo Alto, but because of her lack of much formal training, and the fact that she had not worked in many years, she was unable to find anything meaningful in that small town.

Mary decided to seek work elsewhere, and in 1943, she moved to Stockton, which is in the central valley of California. Nancy had only a few months left in high school, and she didn't want to move to a new school for graduation. Therefore, Nancy stayed in Palo Alto with friends, and graduated from Palo Alto High School, and then rejoined the family in Stockton.

Mary was able to find a reasonable job with a real estate title company, where she did clerical work, and apparently enjoyed herself a great deal. It is possible that some of the research she did in her work there led her into the hobby she devoted many years to, geneaology. She remained with the title firm for a bit over ten years, and then retired.

In 1945, Alan reached his 18th birthday, and was eligible for the draft. He enlisted in the army so that he could have more choice about assignments and training, and left home in October. Alan returned homein 1948, worked for a time at a military supply nearby, then went off to college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Norman stayed at home until the Korean conflict forced him into the army, in 1952. He spent a relatively short time in Korea, and did not enjoy it very much. He returned home after that. Nancy stayed at home until she married in 1947.

Mary moved to San Francisco in about 1954, because she had retired from work, and didn't need the large house in Stockton any longer. She lived in a couple of different flats in San Francisco, and traveled to various libraries to continue her genealogical research. It seems that this was the happiest time in her life, and fortunately for her it went on for several years.

Finally, she became unable to cope with the problems of every day life on her own, so she moved to San Jose, about 60 miles south of San Francisco, where Nancy and her husband were living then. They looked after her, and provided a house for her to live in as long as she was able to do that. Eventually she was forced to move into a rest home, because she simply could not manage to fend for herself at all.

The last twelve years of her life were spent in the rest home, which was pleasant enough as such places go. She died of nothing more than old ageat 93 in 1983.
[phelps.FTW]

[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 1, Ed. 1, Tree #3991, Date of Import: Oct 25, 1998]

Mary Louise Smith (1890-1983) was born in Shanghai, China where her missionary parents were located at that time. The family lived in China until 1899, when the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion and other political events forced Mary's father John to resign from his post as a missionary. The family returned to the United States, and lived in various small towns in Illinois, North Dakota and Iowa where John found pastoral responsibilities.

All of Mary's siblings were offered scholarships of one sort or another at one college or another, and Mary went to Lenox College for one year. She then taught school in various places for a time, but returned home to help her mother in the care of her father during his last illness in 1910.

Mary did housework at various places, and finally joined a family in Cedar Rapids where she found work as a receptionist in a doctor's office for a couple of years. She then went to Chicago to study nursing at Presbyterian Hospital there, however she found the work physically beyond her abilities, and left the nurse's training program after about a year.

Mary held down some clerical jobs, without any formal training in the subject, and by taking a correspondence course, was able to pass the Civil Service Clerical Examination. She then found work as a clerk with the Federal Government in Washington, DC, during World War I.

Pressure from her mother caused Mary to leave Washington, DC after about a year, and return home again. Subsequently, she travelled to Southern California in a search for work, but after a year she gave up the effort, and returned to Chicago where she worked for Western Electric Company in the payroll department.

Somehow in all this travel, Mary met Albert Stuart Ormsby, and fell in love with him as he did with her. He convinced her that Southern California was the place to live, and she again went there. They were married shortly after that, and soon they had a daughter, Nancy Jean, and a son Alan Strong. They remained in or near Los Angeles until shortly after Alan was born, then they moved to San Francisco.

After a short time, they had a house built in San Bruno, just south of San Francisco on the peninsula and moved there. Their third child, Norman Bruce was born while they were in San Bruno. They lived there for several years, and then moved to Palo Alto, which is farther south down the peninsula from San Francisco.

In 1940, Albert died, and Mary's life became much more difficult. She sought work in Palo Alto, but because of her lack of much formal training, and the fact that she had not worked in many years, she was unable to find anything meaningful in that small town.

Mary decided to seek work elsewhere, and in 1943, she moved to Stockton, which is in the central valley of California. Nancy had only a few months left in high school, and she didn't want to move to a new school for graduation. Therefore, Nancy stayed in Palo Alto with friends, and graduated from Palo Alto High School, and then rejoined the family in Stockton.

Mary was able to find a reasonable job with a real estate title company, where she did clerical work, and apparently enjoyed herself a great deal. It is possible that some of the research she did in her work there led her into the hobby she devoted many years to, geneaology. She remained with the title firm for a bit over ten years, and then retired.

In 1945, Alan reached his 18th birthday, and was eligible for the draft. He enlisted in the army so that he could have more choice about assignments and training, and left home in October. Alan returned homein 1948, worked for a time at a military supply nearby, then went off to college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Norman stayed at home until the Korean conflict forced him into the army, in 1952. He spent a relatively short time in Korea, and did not enjoy it very much. He returned home after that. Nancy stayed at home until she married in 1947.

Mary moved to San Francisco in about 1954, because she had retired from work, and didn't need the large house in Stockton any longer. She lived in a couple of different flats in San Francisco, and traveled to various libraries to continue her genealogical research. It seems that this was the happiest time in her life, and fortunately for her it went on for several years.

Finally, she became unable to cope with the problems of every day life on her own, so she moved to San Jose, about 60 miles south of San Francisco, where Nancy and her husband were living then. They looked after her, and provided a house for her to live in as long as she was able to do that. Eventually she was forced to move into a rest home, because she simply could not manage to fend for herself at all.

The last twelve years of her life were spent in the rest home, which was pleasant enough as such places go. She died of nothing more than old ageat 93 in 1983.