Margaret (Gemmill) Wert

Ancestors

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Biography

Margaret Blanche Gemmill was born on August 5, 1911 in Canonsburg, PA, to R. “Ben” and Mary Gemmill. She attended grammar school and high school in Canonsburg. Margaret was a member of the Canonsburg High School Girls’ Basketball Team. She graduated from high school in 1930.

After high school, Margaret briefly attended University of Pittsburg. However, she soon decided on a career in nursing, whereupon she enrolled in the Sewickley Valley Hospital School of Nursing, Sewickley, PA. She graduated from nursing school on August 1, 1933. She also successfully completed the General Electric School of X-Ray. After graduation, she worked for Dr. D. Major Bell (and later, also Dr. James Bell). Because she was also the x-ray technician, she was required to take regular vacations. Since she was relatively well paid, she went on a number of cruises to the Caribbean and Central America.

On June 17, 1940, Margaret B. Gemmil accepted an appointment as a Reserve Nurse in the Nurse Corps of the United States Navy. On December 18, 1941, she was called to active duty. Her wartime military career included assignments to:

• US Naval Hospital, Philadelphia, PA (1942, ensign);

• US Naval Hospital, Balboa, Panama Canal Zone (1942–43, ensign);

• US Naval Hospital, Corpus Christi, TX (1943–44, lieutenant junior grade);

• US Naval Hospital, San Diego, CA (1944–45, lieutenant junior grade);

• US Naval Hospital, Philadelphia, PA (1945–46, lieutenant).

In February 1946, Margaret was released from active duty to take care of her ailing mother. Also, sometime in 1946, she took a position at a hospital in Panama City, Panama. In 1947, she went on a number of Caribbean cruises. From January to May, 1948, she worked as a nurse at John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore MD. On May 17, 1948, she re-entered active service and was assigned to the US Naval Hospital in Philadelphia PA. It was at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital that she met Chief Woodrow “Woody” W. Wert, on the ward of which she was head nurse. They were married on September 14, 1949. In April, 1951, a son, Charles Robert, was born to “Peg” and Woody, and in May, 1952, they had a daughter, Kathleen Diane. In 1949 she requested separation from the US Navy and it was granted on November 10, 1949. Finally, on June 18, 1952, Lt. Margaret B. Gemmill Wert, NC, USNR received an Honorable Discharge from the United States Navy.

Life as a Navy wife was very challenging for Margaret, with Woody changing duty stations every couple of years or less. It was particularly difficult having to care for two small children with Woody being deployed for long periods of time. However, on 06/05/60, Woody was transferred to Fleet Reserve and inactive duty. Immediately following his retirement, Woody and Peg moved their family to Freedom, CA, where they had purchased a small, neglected farm. They lived there for the next 14 years,

After Woody retired from the school district, he and Peg moved to Little River, CA, where he and his son built a log home. There Peg and he lived for the next 10 years. Peg became an active member of St. Anthony's Catholic Church, Medocino CA. She accompanied Woody on a several trips to visit family and attend submarine veterans functions. Sadly, in 1984, after a very long illness, Margaret "Peg" Blanche (Gemmill) Wert died. Initially, she was buried in Hillcrest Cemetery, Mendocino CA. In 2008, her son had her remains moved to Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, CA‎ where they were laid to rest next to her husband.

Sources

• Ancestry.com, Birth date: abt 1912 Birth place: Pennsylvania Residence date: 1920 Residence place: Canonsburg Ward 1, Washington, Pennsylvania. 1920 United States Federal Census. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1920usfedcen&h=34355876&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

• Ancestry.com. Birth date: abt 1912 Birth place: Residence date: 1930 Residence place: Canonsburg, Washington, Pennsylvania. 1930 United States Federal Census. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1930usfedcen&h=17059847&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

• Nestor, G. (2003) Gemmill Margaret 1930. Canonsburg High School Graduates from 1889 – 1959. Retrieved from http://www.chartiers.com/pages-new/articles/canonsburg1.htm

• Ancestry.com. Birth date: abt 1912 Birth place: Pennsylvania Arrival date: 28 Jul 1939 Arrival place: New York, New York Departure date: Departure place: New York, New York. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=nypl&h=1004476335&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

• Ancestry.com. Birth date: abt 1911 Birth place: Pennsylvania Arrival date: 18 Dec 1939 Arrival place: New York, New York Departure date: Departure place: New York, New York. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=nypl&h=1005148866&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

• Ancestry.com. Birth date: abt 1912 Birth place: Pennsylvania Residence date: 1 Apr 1940 Residence place: Canonsburg, Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. 1940 United States Federal Census. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1940usfedcen&h=23190797&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

• Ancestry.com. Birth date: abt 1915 Birth place: Pennsylvania Arrival date: 08 Aug 1940 Arrival place: New York, New York Departure date: Departure place: New York, New York. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=nypl&h=1006931499&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

• Ancestry.com. Birth date: abt 1911 Birth place: Pennsylvania Arrival date: 26 May 1941 Arrival place: New York, New York Departure date: Departure place: San Juan, Puerto Rico. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=nypl&h=1006383562&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

• Ancestry.com. Birth date: abt 1913 Birth place: Pennsylvania Arrival date: 25 Jul 1941 Arrival place: New York, New York Departure date: Departure place: New York, New York. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=nypl&h=1005993467&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

• Ancestry.com. Birth date: 5 Aug 1911 Birth place: Pennsylvania Arrival date: 12 Mar 1947 Arrival place: New York, New York Departure date: Departure place: Cristobal, Canal Zone, Panama. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=nypl&h=3022135276&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

• Ancestry.com. Birth date: 5 Aug 1913 Birth place: Pennsylvania Arrival date: 10 Dec 1947 Arrival place: New York, New York Departure date: Departure place: New York, New York. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=nypl&h=3023049258&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

• Ancestry.com. Birth date: Birth place: Pennsylvania Arrival date: 26 Nov 1952 Arrival place: New York, New York Departure date: Departure place: Crtstobal,Cz. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=nypl&h=3029725330&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

• Ancestry.com. The Daily Notes; Publication Date: 16/ Sep/ 1949; Publication Place: Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/56917723/?article=57092eec-65e7-4c54-ad2c-d25e74cf96fe&focus=0.85753644,0.0856786,0.98081756,0.26145607&xid=3356. Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999. Ancestry.com Operations Inc. (2020), Lehi, UT, USA.

• Ancestry.com. The Daily Notes; Publication Date: 11/ Apr/ 1966; Publication Place: Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, United States of America; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/56856577/?article=b6d3e2fb-9534-4550-a8c3-9d905069423b&focus=0.29362744,0.2470523,0.40245113,0.47. Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current. Ancestry.com Operations Inc. (2019), Lehi, UT, USA.

• Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Marriages, 1852-1968. Ancestry.com Operations Inc. (2016), Lehi, UT, USA.

• Ancestry.com. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Marriage Index, 1885-1951. Ancestry.com Operations Inc. (2011), Provo, UT, USA.

• Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Veteran Compensation Applications, WWII, 1950. Ancestry.com Operations Inc. (2013), Provo, UT, USA.

• Ancestry.com. Birth date: 5 Aug 1911 Birth place: Death date: Sep 1984 Death place: Littleriver, Mendocino, California, United States of America. Social Security Death Index. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=ssdi&h=66482710&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

• Ancestry.com. Birth date: 5 Aug 1911 Birth place: Pennsylvania Death date: 4 Sep 1984 Death place: Mendocino, California. California Death Index, 1940-1997. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=cadeath1940&h=7828066&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

• Ancestry.com. Birth date: 5 Aug 1911 Birth place: Death date: Sep 1984 Death place: Littleriver, Mendocino, California, United States of America. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010. Retrieved from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=vadeaths&h=7378643&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

• National Cemetery Administration. National Cemetery Administration; U.S. Veterans' Gravesites. U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006. Retrieved from https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=8750&h=6859704&ssrc=pt&tid=14166785&pid=69458529&usePUB=true (Ancestry.com).

• Ancestry.com. The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels and Airplanes Departing from New York, New York, 07/01/1948-12/31/1956; NAI Number: 3335533; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. U.S., Departing Passenger and Crew Lists, 1914-1966. Ancestry.com Operations Inc. (2016), Provo, UT, USA.

• Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1700s-Current. Ancestry.com Operations Inc. (2012), Provo, UT, USA. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49035263/margaret-blanche-wert

• Ancestry.com. U.S., Select Military Registers, 1862-1985. Ancestry.com Operations Inc. (2013), Provo, UT, USA.

Military records for Gemmill, Margaret Blanche. Request number: 1-4463296901. (2008) Military Personnel Records, National Personnel Records Center. St. Louis, MO.

Wert, J.M. (1996) The Wert Family of Dauphin County Pennsylvania. p. 169.

• Gemmill, T.L. The Origin of the Name GEMMILL and the Genealogical Progenitors of Scotland and York County, PA. Red Lion, York County, PA. p. 120.

Photographic history.

Footnotes

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Charles Wert for creating Gemmill-35 on 27 Aug 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Charles and others.