Doreen, Thank you for your suggestions. -They got married in Reno.. Did check with a Catholic Church in Hanford but did not get a reply from them. -Don't know when or where she was buried. Lost contact when I was a toddler and did not even know her name until recently. -Checked 1930 and 1940 census - no record of her with the Lopes or anywhere else. In 1940 her name may have been Velma Hughes unless she changed it after the separation/divorce, but couldn't find that either. -Did check both obits for Belle & Hercules Lopes - she is not mentioned in either one. I think she may have been a relative of them since my DNA includes ancestral surnames of Lopes & Viereira (Belle's maiden name). -No idea of what her social security number was or where she may have obtained one. -Didn't know about the Eagles - will try there Thank you again for your help, Dave
On Fri, Oct 2, 2015 at 9:12 AM, Doreen Caetano <[email protected]> wrote: > This is a long shot but in the town she got married try checking with the > Catholic church. Maybe she received her sacraments there: baptism, > communion, confirmation, marriage, and burial. Do you have where she was > buried? Check with the cemetery to see who handled the services then check > with the funeral director to get a copy of his notes. Who was the contact > person for the director? There might not be a birth certificate because > babies were delivered at home. Their baptism records served as birth > certificates. Some times they are listed in the Portuguese newspapers. Have > you searched the newspapers for Velma or Mr. and Mrs. Lopes? St. Brigid > Catholic Church, and Whitehurst Funeral Home is in the same neighborhood as > the house. Sacred Heart Hospital was also there but now it is a county > hospital. > Check the census records to see if she was living with Mr. and Mrs. > Lopes in 1930 and 1940's. If this does not work check Mr. and Mrs. Lopes > burial records to see if Velma is mentioned. Their obituary might mention > her (Hanford Sentinel is the local newspaper). She may have been a > relative of theirs. She may have been the contact person for the funeral > director. It may have her location and accurate name. I have seen the name > Velma a lot in this area. I had an aunt named Belma and that was her legal > name. > Did she have a Social Security Number? Get those records. Was there a > place where actors had to register for work? Maybe a labor union? > Back then there was a local social club for the Portuguese. The men joined > the Eagle's and the women joined a different club. My grandparents and > aunts were members. The Eagle's is still operating. They have records too. > Maybe Mr. and Mrs. Lopes were members. If so they may have purchased a > membership for Velma too. The Eagle's help family and people who need help. > They also had life insurance policies so they may have paid for their > funerals. Good luck with your search. > > On Wed, Sep 30, 2015 at 10:38 AM, Dave Worman <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Marilyn, >> >> Thank you for your interest. >> >> The marriage certificate shows her name as Velma Cotta when she married >> Joe Hughes in 1933. Her age was 24 and she lived at 230 Ivy St., Hanford, >> CA. She had been previously married and was divorced in 1928 - no >> indication of her married name. >> >> Research shows that Herculano & Belle Lopes built the house at 230 Ivy >> St, Hanford, CA and lived in it during the 1930's and beyond. >> >> On my original birth certificate her maiden name is given as Velma >> Cotta. It also indicates that she was born in California, no city or area >> was specified. If Joe Hughes furnished this information it may be >> unreliable. >> >> She and Joe Hughes were trying to become Hollywood actors. I cannot find >> a divorce but they separated sometime around 1937-38 or so. >> >> That sums up most of what I know about her. >> >> Dave >> >> >> >> >> On Wed, Sep 30, 2015 at 11:11 AM, Marilyn Thompson <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> Do you have any additional information? Born Northern, Central, Southern >>> California? Married names? >>> >>> On Wed, Sep 30, 2015 at 9:03 AM, Dave Worman <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> First, Thank You!! to each one of you who have spent so much time >>>> trying to help me with this search. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> I am still searching for information on Velma Cotta, born about 1910 >>>> probably in California. Divorce 1928 - married again 1933. In 1933 >>>> lived at 230 Ivy St., Hanford, CA with Belle and Hercules Lopes. Have >>>> hit a brick wall here and am still wondering about her. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> And to those of you who have not yet done the DNA testing, please test >>>> because you may be able to help people with brick walls like me. Who >>>> knows, we might be cousins. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Dave >>>> >>>> -- >>>> For options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail >>>> (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at >>>> http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the >>>> right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my >>>> membership." >>>> --- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/azores. >>>> >>> >>> -- >>> For options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail >>> (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the >>> right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my >>> membership." >>> --- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/azores. >>> >> >> -- >> For options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail >> (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the >> right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my >> membership." >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Azores Genealogy" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/azores. >> > > -- > For options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail > (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the > right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my > membership." > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Azores Genealogy" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/azores. > -- For options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership." --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/azores.
