By Don Taylor

I find it important to look at all ancestors using my regular process, even if I know quite a bit about the individual from the start. That process includes finding the individual in all of the census records possible. It also includes finding birth, marriage, and death information. That information can then be used to search newspapers and other sources by both the individual’s name and their known addresses. The process also typically provides basic information about the individual’s parents, siblings, spouses, and other vital records regarding their life.

Crutchfield Project 2017 – Ancestor #3

Emily C. (Galella) Crutchfield

Emily C. Galella was born on 7 February 1915 in Illinois. She was the sixth of the ten children of Danato Mario and Anna Maria (Santore) Galella. Danato, also known as Dan, was an Italian immigrant, but Emily’s mother, Anna, was born in Illinois, as were all of her siblings.

The 1920 Census finds five-year-old Emily living with her parents and six of her siblings at 750 Forquer Street, Chicago, IL. In the 1940s Forquer Street was renamed Arthington and 750 Arthington would be where Interstate 90 is today only a couple blocks from the Jane Adams Hull-House Museum in the University Village/Little Italy neighborhood. The 1920 household included Parents Dan & Mary (Maria) as well as seven children

• William Age 13
• Josie    Age 11
• John    Age 10
• Katie    Age  8
• Tony    Age  7
• Emily   Age  5
• Mike    Age  1

The 1930 Census finds the family had moved to the Englewood area of Chicago to 5813 S Carpenter Street. According to Realtor dot Com, the home was built in 1885 and exists today as a multi-family home.  Dan was a laborer in the building construction trade and owned his home there valued at $6,000.  Living with Dan and Mary in 1930 were six children, John, Catherine (Katie) Emily, Anna (age 10), Susie (age 7) and Peggy (age 6). All the children were attending school.

Marriage

It appears that Emily married Ralph Crutchfield sometime in 1935 or 1936.

Adulthood

3312 Hoyne Ave.

In 1940 the family was living at 3312 Hoyne Avenue, in the McKinley Park neighborhood of Chicago. According to Realtor dot Com, today this is a small, 959 square-foot home, which was built in 1880. In 1940, Ralph rented the home for $32/month. Today, the home would rent for nearly 45 times more, or about $1,437/month, according to Realtor dot Com’s “Rental Estimate.” Ralph was a soda fountain manager at a retail drug store.

About 1985, the couple moved to 2115 W Farwell Ave, Apt. 507 in the West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago. Today it is a condominium.  Emily continued living in the West Ridge / Lincolnwood area until her death on 1 April 2000.

Sources

• 1920 Census (FS), Family Search, Dan Galella – Chicago, Cook, Illinois. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJQ7-JNM.
• 1930 Census (FS), Family Search, 1930 Census – Dan Galella – Chicago, Cook, Illinois . https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XSLK-4XG.
• 1940 Census (A), Com, Ralph Crutchfield – Chicago, Cook, ILL, ED 103-2877, Sheet 9B, Line 77. https://search.ancestry.com/search/collections/1940usfedcen/144720395/printer-friendly?_phsrc=UeZ897&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&gss=angs-g&ne.
• Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL), Com, 1992-04-19 – Page 34, Obituaries – Katheryn Smith.
• S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1, Ancestry.Com, Emily C Crutchfield. https://search.ancestry.com/search/collections/USpublicrecords3/400881295/printer-friendly?_phsrc=UeZ924&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&gss=angs-g.
• S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Ancestry.Com, SSA&C – Emily C Crutchfield. https://search.ancestry.com/search/collections/Numident/806634167/printer-friendly?_phsrc=UeZ923&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&gss=angs-g&new=1.
• United States Public Records, 1970-2009, Family Search, Emily C Crutchfield – 11 No 1997 – No Image. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K158-6G9.