Mary Etta DeGrasse Liden

When Mary Etta DeGrasse (also called Mayme) was born on April 30, 1888, in Chicago, Illinois, her father, Wilfred, was 26, and her mother, Lena, was 18.

Mary's birth certificate was filed in Cook County on May 8, 1888, just over a week after her birth on April 30, 1888. The address given is 168 Franklin. Her mother is listed as Leweise Wright. This could present a conflict with other records that indicate her mother's maiden name was Godfrey.

We find Mary in 1900 with her parents (mother is Josephine) and her brothers Wilfert or William (born January 1890), Benjamin or Leo (born September 1891), and sister Inace (born April 1896). The family lived at 456 Washburne in Chicago. Late that same year another girl was born to the family Fanchon (born November 1900). Mary would have 2 more sisters Blanche was born in 1903 but only lived until 1906. Eleanor was born in June of 1905.

When Mary was 18 she married Charles Junker in Indiana. They had 1 daughter, Evelyn (born in February 1908). 

On June 30, 1909 Mary married Laurentis (Lawrence) Liden after obtaining a marriage license on June 28. They are listed in the 1910 census at 2011 W. 69th Place with one child, a daughter named Ruth. I have located a birth record that shows Olive Elizabeth born to Lawrence and Mary Etta in April 1909. Later reports show their first child, Olive was born in April 1910. No other record of a child named Ruth has been found. Ruth is a nickname for Elizabeth which is Olive's middle name. Given the later popularity of nicknames in this family it fits and I don't believe this is another child. 

Mary gave birth to her first son, Victor "Bud" Liden, in April of 1911. Mary and Lawrence had 6 more children: Lawrence "Tud", born in January 1914, Willard "Wid" in April 1915, Virginia "Ginny" and Vernon "Dud" in July of 1917, Lagie born in April 1919 died just after his first birthday in April 1920, and Rosemary "Rose" in October 1922. It should be noted here that there is a birth record for October 1922 for Franchon Betty Jane Liden and not one for Rosemary. No other records exist for Franchon and in August 1929 a delayed birth certificate was filed for Rosemary Liden. My assumption is that they decided to change her name and that Franchon and Rosemary are the same child.

The 1920 census shows all the children (except Rose) living at home. They lived at 80th & Vincennes. The family lived at 86th & Vincennes in Chicago at the time of the 1930 census with 6 children living at home. 

In 1940 Mary and Laurence are at 66th& Peoria. In 1940 a David DeGrasse is also living with them and listed as father in law to Laurence. This is almost certainly Mary's father using his middle name. After the 1940 census May and Laurence moved to Dexter, Missouri.

Mary Etta DeGrasse Liden died on May 25, 1953, in at the Poplar Bluff hospital in Missouri, at the age of 65.

As always if you have any new or conflicting information please comment or contact me at melanie0971 at gmail!