At some point after 1900, Homer S Tidball, in his early thirties, left Iowa and (we strongly suspect) ended up in Seattle, WA in 1910. Did he stop anywhere along the way or did he travel directly? We know transcontinental train service became available to Settle around 1906, so it is likely he did not travel there until then. So, did he go somewhere else first?
The answer is yes (we think). The following 1906 voter registration for Cochise Country, AZ suggests he did. “Tidball, Homer S.”, age 39, born in Iowa, registered to vote as a resident of Lowell, AZ (precinct 28). Lowell was a mining town in the early 1900s, so this makes sense. The Lavender Pit Mine in nearby Bisbee was a draw for coal miners looking for employment. Lowell is on the Arizona – Mexico border.
Our Iowa Homer, with such a unique name, would have been 39 in 1906, so it’s pretty safe to say that this is the same person.
Ok, so we aren’t exactly sure why or when but we know that a “Homer S Tidball” (same spelling as Iowa Homer!) also shows up in Seattle when the 1910 census was taken (April). Is this our Homer from Iowa? Did he come from Iowa, through Arizona? Is this our great-grandfather “Tedball” from George’s birth certificate?
Here is a the header to the census document for Seattle, King County, WA on April 15, 1910.
Next is the detail of the census sheet. Homer is a identified as a “Lodger” at 3831 11th Ave NE, Seattle. He is listed as “Tidball, Homer S”, which is the same as his 1900 marriage record to Lizzie Brown – but differs from his middle initial “L” in some earlier Iowa census records.
He is 43 years of age (born ~1867), widowed and born in Iowa. It shows that his father was born in Ohio and his mother in Indiana – all of which is consistent with Iowa census data and other genealogical information about his parents.
His occupation is listed as “mining” and the industry recorded is “coal mining”. Swan Township, Iowa was a prolific coal mining district in the 19th century. Other research shows that he was born in the “Coal addition of Swan Township” and at least 2 of his brothers were coal miners. Homer’s occupation in previous Iowa census records was also “coal-mining”.
The last few items on the sheet (not shown) indicate that he is able to read and write and that he was employed as of April 15, 1910.
Make a mental note of the name of another lodger, listed before Homer, named “Phillip Gonzales”. He was 25 years old, single and born in Mexico.
The images below are the bottom of the previous sheet and the top of the current sheet, showing the names of the owners of the house Homer lodged in. The owners are William and Margaret Martin (both born in Canada of Scottish parents). They owned their home and kept lodgers. William was a street car operator while Margaret kept the house. The census also shows Martins had three daughters – Ruth G, Jennie E and Margaret S.
The Martins, their home and some of their lodgers are an integral part in linking the Iowa Homer to the Seattle Homer, as well as the Minnie piece of the puzzle. Keep the following facts in mind for later reference:
• All three Martin daughters were born in Massachusetts.
• There is another lodger named Phillip Gonzales, a Mexican.
This photo show the current lot at 3831 11th Ave NE, Seattle, where the Martin’s house was. Obviously and unfortunately that house is no longer standing.
Click here to find out Homer’s next move…