Ruth (Jennings) Alexander (1897 - 1981)

Born 15 Sep 1897 in Butte, Silver Bow, Montana, United States

Ancestors

Daughter of John Jennings and Anna (Ross) Jennings

Wife of Clarence Milton Alexander — married 21 Jul 1918 in Missoula, Missoula, Montana, United States

Descendants

Died 9 Jan 1981 at age 83 in Puyallup, Pierce, Washington, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Kenneth Alexander [send private message] and Lissa McEleney [send private message]

Biography

Early life in Montana

Ruth Jennings was born on September 15, 1897, in Butte, Montana, ^[1] Her parents were John Jennings, age 29 years, a miner from Cornwall, England, and his wife, Annie Ross, age 40 years, who was originally from Lochiel, Ontario, Canada. Ruth was the fifth of the couple's six children, three of whom died at a young age. Her siblings in order of birth were Mary Espey Jennings (who died at age one month), John Finley Jennings (who died at age 6 years), Alice Mae Jennings, Ross James Henry Jennings (who died at age 10 months), and Mary Christine Jennings.

Jennings family in 1897: John (seated), Annie (standing), Alice Mae (left), Ruth (center), and John Finley (right).

At the time of Ruth's birth, the Jennings family was living in the mining community of Granite, Montana, where John worked for the Consolidated Granite-Bi-Metallic Mining Company.^[2] Granite was once known as Silver Queen City, owing to the extensive silver deposits in the region.^[3] However, the ore deposits were eventually depleted and Granite became a ghost town. It is now a state park.^[4]

Granite in its heyday was not exactly suited to raising young children. The community was organized to provide housing and services for the hundreds of miners working in the silver mines.^[5] Although there was a school for the children, there were also 18 saloons and a "red-light district."^[6] The community had no local water supply. Instead, Granite's water depended on a pipe and flume that connected Fred Burr Lake, approximately four miles away, to a cistern in the town. The ground of Granite was so hard that not even a cemetery could be established there. Deceased persons were transported down a narrow, unpaved road to the cemetery in Philipsburg.^[7] a distance of approximately 4 miles and an elevation difference of 1,280 feet.^[8]

The Jennings family suffered a major blow on January 7, 1899, when John died as a result of having contracted typhoid pneumonia.^[9] He was interred in the Philipsburg cemetery,^[10] where two of the Jennings children (Mary Espey and Ross James Henry) had already been laid to rest.^[11] Annie was pregnant at the time of John’s death and gave birth to the couple’s sixth child, Mary, in July of that year. Later the same year, on October 5, 1899, Ruth was baptized by Reverend J. A. Smith at the Methodist Episcopal Church in Philipsburg.^[12] The venue for the baptism is somewhat surprising given that there was a Methodist Episcopal Church located in Granite,^[13] but the Granite church was apparently not as well regarded as the church in Philipsburg.^[14]

Following her husband's death, Annie decided to take in boarders rather than relying on welfare for financial support.^[15] In 1900, the Jennings household included five miners and a blacksmith, in addition to Annie and her three daughters, Alice, Ruth, and Mary.^[16] However, given the relatively austere living conditions in Granite, it is perhaps not surprising that Annie and her children decided to leave that community a few years after John's death. By 1903, Annie, Alice, Ruth, and Mary had moved to Helena, Montana,^[17] presumably to be near Annie’s brother-in-law James Jennings, a miner who had been living there for a few years.^[18] Annie had turned to James earlier to arrange for the funeral of her son John Finley, who had died a year after the death of his father.^[19]

Dining room of a rooming house maintained by Annie Ross. Left to right: Catherine Ross (Ruth’s aunt), Annie Ross Jennings, Mary Christine Jennings (on lap), Ruth Jennings, and Alice Mae Jennings.

Annie and her daughters lived in Helena for approximately nine years, residing in at least five locations,^{[20] [21] [22] [23] [24]} all situated within the same general area of the city. During this time, Ruth and Mary attended the Helena Public School,^[24] which was located adjacent to the Helena High School^[25] and was a few blocks from the various Jennings residences (Alice’s formal schooling ended with the 4th-grade education that she received in Granite).^[26] The musical education of the Jennings girls was not neglected. Ruth played the violin, Alice played the piano (taking a correspondence course of piano lessons in 1910^[27]), and Mary played the guitar.^[28]

A move to the Pacific Northwest

In the Fall of 1912, Annie, Alice, Ruth, and Mary, as well as Annie’s sister Catherine, moved from Helena to Washington state, traveling by means of the Northern Pacific Railway.^[28] They initially stayed with others who had come there from Montana, but in the spring of 1913 they relocated to Puyallup, Washington, because Annie had been told that it was a nice place to live. Ruth initially attended Central School in Puyallup.^[28] She then attended Puyallup High School (which was located across the street from her house), where she was a freshman, age 16, in 1914.^[29] She completed two years of high school there.^[30]

Ruth's high-school education was cut short by her pregnancy and the birth of a daughter, who was born on May 23, 1917, in Tacoma, Washington.^[31]The identity of the child's biological father is undocumented. In late 1917, the young infant was adopted by George Leland Case and Vienna Estelle (Neel) Case and given the name Elizabeth Hunt Case.^[32] There was no further contact between Ruth and her daughter.^[33]

Return to Montana

In 1918, Ruth traveled to Montana to marry Clarence Alexander. Their wedding ceremony was held on July 21, 1918,^[34] in the house of Clarence's parents, Charles N. and Eva M. Alexander.^[35] According to one of Ruth’s daughters, the couple had met when Ruth was riding on a train on which Clarence was working. ^[36]

On August 20, 1918, only a month after the wedding, Clarence was inducted into the United States Army.^[35] He served in France during the First World War. During Clarence's deployment overseas, Ruth lived in Missoula with the Charles Alexander family, which, in addition to Charles and Eva, included their sons Frank, Arthur, Lawrence, and daughter Cassie.^[37]

Clarence received an honorable discharge on June 15, 1919, and after he returned home, he and Ruth lived with the Charles Alexander family for about two years. During this period, Ruth was employed as a hotel chambermaid.^[37] According to a relative,^[38] Ruth worked at the Hotel Shapard, which is no longer in existence, having been destroyed by a massive fire on New Year's Eve in 1942.^[39] Ruth and Clarence's first child, Charles Jennings Alexander, was born in Missoula on October 16, 1920.^[40]

Back to Washington state

Ruth, Clarence, and their infant son, Charles, soon left Montana and headed back to the West Coast. For a brief period, they lived in Portland, Oregon,^[41] but then they settled in Puyallup in 1921. Here, the couple had an additional four children: Robert Henry, born in 1922, Shirley Evangeline, born in 1924, and two living daughters born in the 1930s.

In order to supplement the family’s income, Ruth was employed for many years by the Hunt Brothers Cannery,^[42] which had opened in the early 1920s and closed its doors in 1957.^[43] Clarence and Ruth also raised chickens,^[44] which provided eggs, food for Sunday dinners, and fertilizer for the garden.

Clarence and Ruth Alexander with grandson, at home in Puyallup, Washington.

Ruth and Clarence were active in a number of social organizations. Among these was the Neighbors of Woodcraft, which is not an organization devoted to woodworking, as the name might suggest, but a fraternal benefit society with a strong ritual orientation.^[45] Among her other contributions to the organization, Ruth was elected clerk in 1939.^[46]

Ruth’s other social activities included participation in Job's Daughters, where her two youngest daughters served as officers;^[47] in the American Legion auxiliary, Bruce A. Mercer post, where she helped organize dinners;^[48] and in the Women's Society of the First United Presbyterian Church, where she was elected secretary in 1934^[49] and hosted a meeting with her mother in 1940,^[50] among other activities.

On December 29, 1955, Clarence, age 60, died at home as a result of a bowel obstruction.^[51] Despite the loss of her husband, Ruth continued to be involved in various social organizations, although the emphasis changed somewhat to reflect her new situation. According to membership cards that were contained among her personal effects following her death, Ruth was a member of Puyallup Chapter No. 9 of Widows World War I, Inc. (U.S.A.); and a member of Ezra Meeker Auxiliary 752 of the Veterans of World War I of the U.S.A. She was also a member of the Degree of Pocahontas, which was the female auxiliary of the Improved Order of Red Men, a fraternal organization claiming direct descent from the Sons of Liberty; and a member of the Rebekahs, an international service-oriented organization which was a branch of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.^[42] She continued to maintain her affiliation with the Neighbors of Woodcraft.^[52]

Back seat driver's license issued to Ruth Alexander.

Ruth was not an automobile driver. Nevertheless, reflecting her sense of humor, she was the owner of a “Back Seat Driver's License.”^[53] Instead, Ruth’s typical mode of transportation in and around Puyallup was her adult tricycle.^[54] For many years, she decorated her tricycle and proudly rode it in the annual Puyallup Daffodil Festival parade, together with a group of like-minded seniors.

Ruth Alexander (in white sweater) riding her decorated tricycle in the Puyallup Daffodil Festival Parade.

Death and interment

Ruth died on January 9, 1981, at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, at the age of 83. The cause of death was heart failure due to atherosclerosis and diabetes.^[55] She was buried in Sumner Cemetery,^[56] where her husband, Clarence,^[57] and their daughter Shirley^[58] were also interred.

Research Notes

Ruth Jennings' certificate of baptism gives her birthplace as Granite, Montana, but other documents, including a signed handwritten statement by Ruth's mother,^[59] all state that Ruth's birthplace was Butte, Montana.

Sources

1. ↑ "Montana, U.S., County Births and Deaths, 1830-2011". Montana State Historical Society; Helena, Montana; Montana, County Births and Deaths, 1830-2011. Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 61255 #372621
2. ↑ The Helena Independent, Jan 26, 1899, p. 16.
3. ↑ Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, Library of Congress. "Miners' Union Hall, Main Street, Granite, MT." Accessed 22 Feb 2021.
4. ↑ Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. "Granite Ghost Town State Park." Accessed 22 Feb 2021.
5. ↑ Image 1 of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Granite, Deer Lodge County, Montana; Image 2 of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Granite, Deer Lodge County, Montana; Image 3 of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Granite, Deer Lodge County, Montana. Accessed 19 March 2021.
6. ↑ Kathy Weiser, "Granite – Montana's Silver Queen." Legends of America. Accessed 22 March 2021.
7. ↑ Montana Department of Environmental Quality. "Philipsburg Mining District" Accessed 13 Mar 2022.
8. ↑ Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. "Granite Ghost Town State Park." Accessed 22 Feb 2021.
9. ↑ "Death of John Jennings." The Helena Independent, January 26, 1899, p. 16.
10. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #124012748
11. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #124013851; Find A Grave: Memorial #124013440
12. ↑ Certificate of Baptism. Document obtained from the personal effects of Ruth (Jennings) Alexander; a digital copy is in the possession of Kenneth R. Alexander.
13. ↑ Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Granite, Deer Lodge County, Montana, 1892. "Image 1"
14. ↑ "Journal of the Fourteenth Session of the Montana Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Held at Helena, Montana, August 8 to 13, 1900." Helena, Montana: Herald Publishing Company, 1900, p. 23.
15. ↑ Personal recollection. Ruth Jennings Alexander as told to her grandson. Notes from the interview are in the possession of Kenneth Alexander.
16. ↑ "1900 United States Federal Census". Year: 1900; Census Place: Granite, Granite, Montana; Roll: 912; Page: 7; Enumeration District: 0039; FHL microfilm: 1240912. Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7602 #30791427
17. ↑ "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995". Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #1045300427
18. ↑ "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995". Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #1048005411
19. ↑ "Funeral Director's Registry of Funerals." Document obtained by Kenneth Alexander from the personal effects of Ruth Jennings.
20. ↑ "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995". Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #1045300427
21. ↑ "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995". Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #1040000744
22. ↑ "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995". Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #1041467250
23. ↑ "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995". Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #1049119205
24. ↑ ^{24.0 24.1} "1910 United States Federal Census". Year: 1910; Census Place: Helena, Lewis and Clark, Montana; Roll: T624_833; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0159; FHL microfilm: 1374846.
25. ↑ Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Helena, Lewis and Clark County, Montana, 1892. Image 3
26. ↑ "1940 United States Federal Census", Year: 1940; Census Place: Puyallup, Pierce, Washington; Roll: m-t0627-04356; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 27-77, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2442 #67040509 (accessed 14 June 2023)
27. ↑ "Correspondence course of lessons for the piano." The Columbian Conservatory of Music, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, lesson 20, p. 5. Document obtained from the personal effects of Ruth Jennings; a digital copy is in the possession of Kenneth Alexander.
28. ↑ ^{28.0 28.1 28.2} Personal recollection. Alice Schanck, as told to her grand nephew. A digital copy of the notes is in the possession of Kenneth Alexander.
29. ↑ ”Freshman Babies Contest Entry Tag.” Item obtained from the personal effects of Ruth (Jennings) Alexander; a digital copy is in the possession of Kenneth Alexander.
30. ↑ "1940 United States Federal Census". Year: 1940; Census Place: Puyallup, Pierce, Washington; Roll: m-t0627-04356; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 27-77. Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2442 #67040304.
31. ↑ Certificate of Birth, Delayed Birth Registration, Washington State Department of Public Health. Copy in the possession of Kenneth Alexander.
32. ↑ Petition for Adoption, No. 11466, Superior Court of the State of Washington. Copy in the possession of Kenneth Alexander.
33. ↑ Personal recollection. A living stepdaughter of Elizabeth Case as told to Kenneth Alexander via email.
34. ↑ "Montana, U.S., County Marriages, 1865-1987". Montana State Historical Society; Helena, Montana; Montana, County Marriages, 1865-1950. Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 61578 #315026
35. ↑ ^{35.0 35.1} "U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-current". The Missoulian; Publication Date: 22/ Jul/ 1918; Publication Place: Missoula, Montana, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/349086287/?article=5a147034-86dd-43c5-9c43-b94f551ac616&focus=0.44316438,0.2629107,0.5753782,0.36191502&xid=3398. Ancestry Record 62116 #33563918
36. ↑ Personal recollection of a daughter of Clarence Alexander, 22 Jun 2015, as told to Kenneth Alexander via email.
37. ↑ ^{37.0 37.1} "1920 United States Federal Census". Year: 1920; Census Place: Missoula, Missoula, Montana; Roll: T625_973; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 153. Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6061 #85103007
38. ↑ Olive Sarsfield. Personal recollection, as told to a grandson of Ruth Alexander. Notes in the possession of Kenneth Alexander.
39. ↑ Hotel Shapard fire
40. ↑ "Montana, U.S., Birth Records, 1897-1988". Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services; Helena, Montana; Montana, Birth Records, 1919-1986. Ancestry Record 61591 #555487
41. ↑ Working cards, Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America, issued to C. M. Alexander, 1921. Item obtained from the personal effects of Ruth (Jennings) Alexander; a digital copy is in the possession of Kenneth Alexander.
42. ↑ ^{42.0 42.1} Newspaper obituary (newspaper unknown); a digital copy is in the possession of Kenneth Alexander.
43. ↑ Price, Lori, Ruth Anderson, Ezra Meeker Historical Society. Puyallup: A Pioneer Paradise. Arcadia Publishing, 2002, pp 90, 114.
44. ↑ Personal recollection. Helen Louise Alexander as told to a nephew of her husband. A digital copy of the note is in the possession of Kenneth Alexander.
45. ↑ Schmidt, Alvin J. Fraternal Organizations. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Institutions. Westport CT: Greenwood Press. 1980, pp 236-238.
46. ↑ "Woodcraft Party." The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), 12 April 1939.
47. ↑ "Bethel Unit 30 of Puyallup to Install." The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), June 13, 1954, p. 66.
48. ↑ The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), November 11, 1939, p 19.
49. ↑ "Puyallup Brevities." The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), March 21, 1934, p 6.
50. ↑ "Puyallup Brevities." The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), February 21, 1940, p 17.
51. ↑ "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960". Citing Puyallup, Pierce, Washington, reference 24545, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia; FHL microfilm 2,033,577. FamilySearch
52. ↑ The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), 25 June 1961, p. 61.
53. ↑ ”Back Seat Driver’s License.” Document obtained from the personal effects of Ruth (Jennings) Alexander; a digital copy is in the possession of Kenneth Alexander.
54. ↑ Kenneth Alexander. Personal recollection. 18 May 2022.
55. ↑ Certificate of death, Tacoma-Pearce County Health Department, State of Washington Department of Social and Health Services. A digital copy is in the possession of Kenneth Alexander.
56. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #19826930
57. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #19826943
58. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #19833950
59. ↑ ”Handwritten note signed by Annie Ross.” Document obtained from the personal effects of Ruth (Jennings) Alexander; a digital copy is in the possession of Kenneth Alexander.

• Maternal relationship is confirmed by a triangulated group on GEDmatch who share a 7.8 cM segment on chromosome 3, consisting of Kenneth Alexander, GEDmatch kit # PA920473C1, and Dale Berry, his 5th cousin, GEDmatch kit # T923621, and GG, his 3rd cousin 1x removed, GEDmatch kit # A613178. (Dale and GG are 4th cousins 1x removed.) Their most-recent common ancestors are Hugh Munro and Catherine Campbell, the 4x great grandparents of both Kenneth Alexander and Dale Berry and 3x great grandparents of GG.