and the drama continues...

So I set Mary Ruth Gulledge aside for awhile and went off finding other ancestors until I get this message on ancestry.com.


"I have been searching for a Mary Ruth Gulledge who was married briefly to Deryl Perry Sparks. They are listed in the 1930 Lake Charles LA census and had a daughter less than 1 yr old. At some point they returned to East Texas (Marshall, Winnsboro areas) and divorced. The daughter stayed with the Sparks family and she never saw her mother again after about 1936. Is it possible that your Mary Ruth Gulledge in the picture is the same person? Any response would be appreciated! Thanks!"

I paused for a long time, then looked back at Mary Ruth to see what I DO know about her. She had lived in Lousiana. She had lived in the Marshall area. Dad met her in Gladewater at a cafe that I assume she ran. He met Mom at a cafe she ran as well. Food is important to the Elmore's. I DIDN'T know where she was in 1930. I had found her mother, sister and nephews, but not her. The birthplace on the Mary Ruth Sparks census says Missouri, which is correct. Her parent's birthplaces are not, but it's been conflicting on previous documents as well.

So, my answer was "Interesting. Well, I suppose it's possible." Now I'm back to searching for the real Mary Ruth Gulledge once again.