Francis Mildred Pitts (1899)

Born 9 May 1899 in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada

Ancestors

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Biography

Francis Mildred Pitts was born on either 9 May (according to the 1901 Census) or 9 June (according to her FRegistration of Baptism), 1899, to Angus and Mary Ann (Gillis) Pitts, at Steveston, British Columbia, and baptized at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in New Westminster on 21 June, 1899^[1].

The 1901 Census recorded Mildred Pitts, 1, and her parents Angus, 26, and Mary Ann, 25, living in New Westminster, British Columbia. Father Angus was working as a Machinist, and the family was Canadian and Catholic, with Angus and Mildred being of French origin and Mary Ann of Scotch origin^[2]. This Census asked for the dates of birth as well as ages of all members of the household and Mildred's date of birth was recorded here as 9 May, 1899.

At the time of the 1911 Census, Francis Pitts, 12, and her family, were living at 301 Vernon, Vermont, or Cordero Street in Vancouver (the spelling is unclear and I'm guessing from adjacent addresses I can read). Father Angus, 37, was working for himself as a house painter, and identified as French, Canadian, and Roman Catholic, as did all the children. Mary, 35, identifies as Canadian and Roman Catholic, also, but reports her Nationality as Scotish. All of the household can read and write except for 5-year old Angus, who is not in school yet. Mary is not working outside the home, and daughters Francis, 12, and sons John A., 10, and Alexander, 9, are all enrolled in school 9 months of the year^[3]

At some point, Mildred moved to San Diego, California.

At the time of her father's death on 19 August, 1929, his obituary read that besides his wife, "he is survived by one daughter, Mildred, in San Diego, and three sons, Alexander of Portland, and John and Angus of Vancouver," so we know Mildred was living in San Diego in 1929^[4].

At the time of her mother's death on 13 November, 1950, Mildred was living in Berkeley, California. Mary Ann's obituary, published on 15 November, 1950 in The Province newspaper, said that she was 75 years old, and was survived by 3 sons, Alex of Seattle; John and Angus of Vancouver; one daughter, Mildred, of Berkeley, Calif.^[5].

Research Notes

Family lore has it that Mildred moved to the U.S. to work as an actress and this may be why she disappears after 1911 - she likely changed her name. However, she may also have married between the date of the 1911 and 1921 Censuses and so disappeared from the record that way.

The obituary of Mildred's mother in 1950 states that she is survived by 4 Grandchildren and one Great-Grandchild. We know Mary Ann's son Angus Joseph had 3 sons, and John Albert had 2 surviving children Alec and Shirley, and Shirley's son Donny would be the Great Grandchild, so one of Angus Joseph's sons must have died before his Grandmother, and Mildred must not have had any children.

A James R. Wilkerson divorced a Mildred M. Pitts in November, 1973, in Sacramento, California, U.S.A.^[6]. The initial M. would seem to indicate that this is not our Mildred.

There was a Mildred Pitts who married a Gordon Denton in Los Angeles, California in 1927 who could also have been our Mildred. Unfortunately there isn't any information about birthplace or parents on the Register, just the names of the spouses. Ancestry.com. California, U.S., County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1849-1980 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017. Original data: California, County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1830-1980. California Department of Public Health, courtesy of www.vitalsearch-worldwide.com. Digital Images. Detail: Name: Mildred Pitts; Gender: Female; Event Type: Marriage; Marriage Date: 18 Mar 1927; Marriage Place: Los Angeles, California, USA; Spouse: Gordon Denton.

Sources

1. ↑ B.C. Department of Vital Statistics, Registration of Baptisms, 1899, B16252: Pitts, Francis Mildred
2. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. Census of Canada, 1901; Census Place: Richmond, New Westminster, British Columbia; Page: 5; Family No: 50.
3. ↑ 1911 Census for Angus Pitts household in Vancouver, District 20, Hastings Saw Mill Camp, Hastings Shingle Mill Co., Waterfront Sub-District at https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1911&op=img&id=e001940848
4. ↑ Obituary for Angus Pitts, Aged 57, The Province, Tue Aug, 20, 1929, pg 11
5. ↑ Obituary for Mary Ann Pitts, Aged 75, The Province, Wed., 15 November, 1950, page 23.
6. ↑ Ancestry.com. California, U.S., Divorce Index, 1966-1984 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: State of California. California Divorce Index, 1966-1984. Microfiche. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. Detail: Name: James R Wilkerson; Spouse Name: Mildred M Pitts; Location: Sacramento; Date: Nov 1973.