Sometimes, genealogical information can come to you in most extraordinary ways. Take, for instance, the life of Henry Travers. You probably know of him from the Frank Capra movie
It's a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart. Henry Travers played the angel Clarence Oddbody who was trying to get his wings, and did so by saving George Bailey from suicide on that cold and icy bridge in Bedford Falls.
But the backstory of his life came to me when we moved to Port Orchard, Washington and into a house on Opdal Road in 1982. It was then that we met the Hess family. As I got to know the wife Peggy Hess, she told me of her connection to Henry Travers. One day, we were discussing the movie and Peggy said, "Oh, you mean my 'grandpa' ".
Henry Travers was born Travers John Heagerty in
Berwick-upon-Tweed,
Northumberland,
England, the son of Daniel Heagerty, an
Irish doctor from
Cork and Ellen Gillman Hornibrook Belcher from Bandon, Co. Cork Ireland. They moved to Huddleston Street in Cullercoats, near Newcastle on Tyne, England.
Henry died in Hollywood, California October 18, 1965. He and his wife Ann Travers were interred in the
Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in
Glendale, California.
I am not aware that Henry was married other than to Ann Glud Courtland, widow of Harold Lansing Courtland. Ann had lived in Alaska with her husband Harold before moving back to Seattle. Harold and Ann had a daughter Dorothy b. abt 1915 in WA; Margaret who was born there around 1920; and their son William Lansing Courtland was born December 30, 1927 also in Washington. Harold Courtland, a cook, died an untimely death in the Kelso, Washington train station after suffering a massive heart attack.
Ann moved to Hollywood, California after Harry's death and that is where she met and married Henry Travers.
So, there you have it. You just never know what serendipitous events might give you a brush with history.
Sources:
FindAGrave,
Wikipedia,
Turner Classic Movies
Technorati Tags: family history, Hemry Travers, Henry Travers: The Rest Of The Story, History, iPentimento, It's A Wonderful Life, James Stewart
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Filed under: Genealogy, History
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Genealogy is really fascinating