GEYER-L Archives

From: Betty Hart <>
Subject: VA and/or DC ... Ancestors of Ethelene Pearle (nee Grigsby) Windsor... Sorrell/Murray/Geyer/Rhodes
Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2005 12:10:36 -0400

When I sent my initial message a couple weeks ago, entitled
"SORRELL/GRIGSBY/MURRAY/WINDSOR/GEYER/RHODES - In DC & VA", I was hoping
that one of Ethelene Pearle (nee Grigsby) WINDSOR's descendents might read
it and respond.

Pearle was married to Lemuel Henry WINDSOR (born ~ 1892); he was my
Grandfather's first cousin. Pearle and Lemuel lived for many years with
Pearle's Father-in-Law (John Henry WINDSOR) as his wife died long before he
did. During part of this time, they lived at 145 E St., S.E. (Pearle's
Husband's Grandfather died across the street from 145 E St., S.E., at
136.). Pearle died on June 15, 1967, at her residence at 6922 33rd St.,
N.W.; Washington, DC.

Since Pearle lived with her husband's Father and was with the family for so
many years and during their latter times, I was hoping that someone in her
family may have our Windsor Family Bible or some other information or
photographs. Since my Windsor relatives who lived near Pearle in DC were
all males (who don't normally appreciate or gather family information as
much as us females do), I was hoping that maybe Pearle had collected and
saved some Windsor family information. My descendents from this Windsor
family never knew, or passed down, anything about their family. Our
families at least once a year (so we had been told by my Grandfather) had a
family gathering and, of course when there was a funeral or such. This was
not often enough for my Mom (whose maiden name is Windsor) to know or ask
anything about the family, plus some of the family had passed away before
she was born or when she was a young child.

I have photos of young Pearle; the caption reads: E. Pearle Windsor,
President 1929-30. And a photo of her husband; caption reads: Lemuel H.
Windsor, Grand Master. I know that many in the WINDSOR family were members
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in the District of Columbia. As
stated in his obituary, young Henry Grigsby WINDSOR was Chief Ruler of the
National Capitol Junior Lodge of Odd Fellows. He attended McKinley High
School student. Three generations of these WINDSOR's worked at the Navy
Yard in Washington DC as did some of the other family members. Lemuel,
Pearle's husband, retired with 47 years with the Federal Government at the
Navy Yard.

Again, I have just been trying to "throw out" tidbits of family information
in hopes that someone may still be living who can provide a link of
valuable information to my family. I feel if any of Pearle's sisters or
other descendents were still living when she passed away that they would
have collected/fallen heir to her possessions.

I would greatly appreciate anything you can contribute to this family
mystery ...

Thank you,
Betty

----------
P.S.
As is said in my previous message:
I have photos which I took of a LARGE monument in Congressional Cemetery
(in DC) that has the following names on it:
1st Side - E. Pearle (Grigsby) WINDSOR; her husband, Lemuel Henry WINDSOR;
and their son, Henry Grigsby WINDSOR.
2nd Side - R. H. SORRELL; Mary E. SORRELL; and, Emma J. MURRAY*.
3rd Side - GRIGSBY ... Milton T.; Richard S.; A. Mae (according to age
listed in the 1900 census, this is Pearle's sister ... listed as Annie M.);
Annie E. (according to year born, this is Pearle's Mother).

I have a copy of the newspaper article describing the auto crash in which
young Henry Grigsby WINDSOR died. This article states that he was killed
in a car accident in the vicinity of Colonial Beach, Virginia; that he was
staying with his family at their summer place near Fredericksburg. The
article also mentions that Henry's cousin, Miss Joan GEYER, of West Point,
Virginia, was killed. Pearle's sister, Emma, married a Geyer. So I expect
that it was Emma's daughter, Joan, who was also killed in this crash. Upon
reading this article again, I see that young Miss Geyer was a survivor of
this crash. Sorry!

I have the information from Pearl's obituary which named her
sisters, Mabel E. GEYER and Emma L. RHODES. She passed away on June 15,
1967, at her home in Washington, DC.

I also have a copy of the 1900 DC Census showing GRIGSBY, Annie E.*, Head,
Widowed, born in Virginia; her four daughters ... Pearle (married name
WINDSOR), 14; Mabel E. (married name GEYER), 12; Annie M. (from picture of
gravestone, it appears that she died 2 years after this census at age 12),
10; and, Emma L. (married name RHODES), 8. All four daughters were born in
DC. (This census showed two SORRELL and one GRIGSBY families all on this
one page, meaning that they lived very close to each other.)

*I believe that MURRAY was Pearle's Mother's maiden name (Annie E. MURRAY
GRIGSBY).

This thread:

• VA and/or DC ... Ancestors of Ethelene Pearle (nee Grigsby) Windsor... Sorrell/Murray/Geyer/Rhodes by Betty Hart <>