Susan Curtie Ethridge was born in Schell City, Vernon, MO, in Nov. 1885. Per her Social Security Number application, she was given this name at birth, but at some point, she began going by "Kate". In the 1900 census, she was enumerated as "Curtie", and she signed her younger brother Joseph's death certificate, in March 1910, as "Susan Curtis". A month later, however, she was enumerated as "Kate" on the 1910 census.

1900 census, Speedwell Twp., St. Clair, MO: Ethridge, William, head, born Aug. 1842, age 57, widowed, farmer, owns farm, no mortgage, born in TN, f-LA, m-TN; dau- Curtie, born Nov. 1884, age 15, at school, born in MO, f-TN, m-KY; son- William, born Jan. 1887, age 13, at school, born in MO, f-TN, m-KY; son- Joseph J., born Feb. 1890, age 10, at school, born in MO, f-TN, m-KY

1910 census, W. Speedwell Twp., St. Clair, MO: Ethriedge, W. M., head, age 66, widowed, farmer/general farm, owns farm, no mortgage, born in U.S., f-U.S., m-U.S.; dau- Kate, age 23, single, born in MO, f-U.S., m-U.S.; son- Will, age 21, single, farmer/general farm, born in OR, f-U.S., m-U.S.

On Janurary 8, 1919, Kate married Mark Thompson Cole, in Vernon Co., MO. They apparently immediately migrated to Montana, where they homesteaded.

1920 census, School Dist. 31, Yellowstone, MT: Cole, Mark, head, owns home, mortgaged, age 41, farmer/general farm, born in MO, f-MO, m-VA; wife- Kate, age 34, born in MO, f-KY, f-MO; son- Raymond P., age 3/12, born in MT, f-MO, m-MO

1930 census, School Dist. 31, Yellowstone, MT: Cole, Mark T., head, owns home, age 51, married, age at 1st marriage-40, farmer/gen. farm, born in MO, f-MO, m-VA; wife- Kate, age 44, married, age 1st marriage-33, born- MO, f-KY, m-MO; son- Raymond T., age 10, born in MT, f-MO, m-MO; dau- Opal M., age 8, born in MT, f-MO, m-MO; dau-Edrie H., age 5, born in MT, f-MO, m-MO

Mark died in May 1947, and after his death Kate moved to Seattle, WA, to live with their son. She died there in September 1972.


Obituary from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, WA, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1972, page D11:

Rites Tomorrow for Kate E. Cole
Kate E. Cole, 86, a Seattle resident since 1947, died Sunday night in a Seattle hospital.
Born in Schell City, Mo., Mrs. Cole traveled to Oregon by covered wagon around the turn of the century. She returned to Missouri and after marrying Mark T. Cole, homesteaded near Billings, Mont., in 1919. After her husband died in 1947, she moved to Seattle and lived with her son.
Surviving Mrs. Cole are one son, Raymond T. Cole, Seattle; two daughters, Mrs. Paul Gallagher of Olympia and Mrs. Lloyd Robbins, Vancouver; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be at St. Mark's Cathedral tomorrow at 2 p.m. Burial will be at the Acacia mausoleum. Remembrances may be sent to the Children's Orthopedic Hospital.


Note: Kate was a toddler when the extended family made the move to Oregon, so she would have had no direct memory herself, but would have passed on the family story of the journey. Kate's obituary mentions that the family traveled by covered wagon. The migration was actually made in 1887, well before the turn of the century. Most of the family, however, and for reasons unknown, had returned to Missouri by 1890, except for one of Kate's uncles, Greenberry Ethredge, who had moved on into Washington, prior to its Statehood. Right before the turn of the century, though, another uncle, Ransom Ethredge, left Missouri again, also moving to Washington State, where he and Greenberry, along with their families, lived out their lives. The stories of the two separate family migrations appear to have gotten a little mixed up in the memory of Kate's children.