Lester Pence Barlow

[Lisa in California]

There is a U.S. Army Register for a Charles Seaman, born c1880, but I'm not sure how to correct read the image. 

[skylark]

Gosh, you all have been very busy - I have only been away from the site for 2 hours.  Thank you all.

I'm a bit bothered by the WW1 ref. the birth date is wrong and the name of the next of kin is wrong - unless, of course, there was a divorce and Ruby, in 1917 was still using her married name.

[shellyesq]

I've found some various stuff on Lester Barlow.  It appears that he invented bombs.  I found an obituary for him that says he died in Stamford, Connecticut on 5 Sep. 1967.  An obit seems to be quoted here:  http://www.barlowgenealogy.com/Families/RichardBarlow-AnnePickup/richardbarlow-annepickup.html  Another obit from the Bridgeport (Connecticut) Telegram lists his first wife as "the English beauty Ruby Maryon" and his second wife was Mrs. Gertrude Fitzgerald Barlow.  Both marriages ended in divorce.

In the Iowa State Census of 1915, Lester is living in Clear Lake, Iowa & is single.  There's no mention of a wife on passport applications from 6 Mar. 1917 and 10 Jul. 1918, although there is no specific spot where he would say that he was married or not.  On a New York passenger list arriving 3 May 1917, he is listed as single.  In an undated WWI Draft Registration Card, Lester's permanent home address was Clear Lake, Iowa, but it appears that he was working in Washington, DC.  His nearest relative was his father George in Clear Lake.  His birth date appears to be 2 Dec. 1885 or 1886.  In a WWII Draft Registration Card, he is listed as born in Monticello, Wisconsin, living at 21 Woodside Dr., Greenwich, Connecticut, and the person who would always know his address was Eden Rawlins Barlow at the same home address.  He was listed as "self-employed [inventor and cattle raiser]."  

[shellyesq]

From the Oshkosh (Wisconsin) Daily Northwestern from 3 Aug. 1918:
"Mrs. Ruby Maryon Barlow, wife of Lester Barlow, inventor of the submarine depth bomb, is suing for divorce at New York.  The wife is a famous English beauty.  Barlow has for some time been seeking a reconciliation.  A letter from him intimating that her love might by bought by him capped the climax."

There's also an article on the divorce from the New Castle (Pennsylvania) News dated 8 Aug. 1918 that contains part of Lester's letter. 

[skylark]

Well this is getting exciting - so Ruby Seaman came to England 23 March 1917 and she, as Ruby Barlow, was suing for divorce in Aug.1918 in New York.  This is really narrowing things down.

She must have been married between these dates, and what happened to her previous husband Charles Henry Seaman?

[shellyesq]

Per the groom's index at www.italiangen.org, Lester Barlow married wife #2 Gertrude Fitzgerald in Manhattan on 5 May 1919, so I guess the divorce was final by then.

[shellyesq]

Here we go:  http://tiny.cc/54kua  She divorced Charles Seaman.

[knittree]

Thank you all so much for helping Skylark ( and I ).

Ruby was a mystery lady for a while.

The only place we have in the UK where she is called Ruby is on one census.
I think someone had started writing Gertrude then stopped and wrote Ruby over it. Very difficult to read.  Both Ancestry and Findmypast had indexed her as Ruby.

Findmypast show how many entries there are and where they are in the name you are searching.  In Ruby Maryon's case there was just one - that census.

Once again thank you. 

[shellyesq]

You're welcome.

I think some of the above information about Charles might be a match, even with the varying birth dates.  The article I linked to above says he was from Cleveland.  The 1900 Census has a Charles H. Seaman born Apr. 1875 in New York and living in Cleveland, Ohio.  His parents were George & Emma J. Seaman.  The 1880 Census has George M., Emma J., and Charles H. Seaman (age 5, born New York) living in Hoboken, New Jersey.

There is a marriage in Grand Rapids, Michigan on 17 Jan. 1918 for Charles H. Seaman, age 36 (consistent with the 1881 birth year), and Lucille Shanhan (fits the wife on the WWI draft card).  Charles is the son of George M. Seaman and Emma J. Borland.  There is a death record for Mary Lucile Seaman, wife of Chas. H. Seaman, from 5 Mar. 1919, here:  http://seekingmichigan.cdmhost.com/seeking_michigan/seek_results.php?CISOROOT=/p129401coll7  So that seems to fit the 1920 Census that has Charles as a widower.