Individual Details

It is curious that Laura never seems to know where her parents were born, but perhaps she never spoke to the enumerator. Laura was undoubtedly born in Fannin Co, TX. her mother definitely born in Kentucky.

1900 Census, Lawrence Co, MO, Mt Pleasant Twp, Hh 149
Thomas M. Torbett, b. Nov 1868, age 31, married 2 times, b. MO, father b. Scotland, mother b. TN, farm labor, renting
Laura E., wife, b. Sep 1872, age 27,[also marked as married 2 times, but I doubt this], has had 5 children, b. TX, parents b. TN
Ella , dau, b. Nov 1888, age 11, b. MO
Milford L., son, b. Oct 1891, age 8, b. MO
Gladys M., dau, b. Aug 1893, age 6, b. MO
Herbert L., son, b. Oct 1895, age 5, b. MO
Ruth, dau, b. Sept 1898, age 1

1910 Census. Bowie Ward 3, Montague Co, TX, Hh 255, Living on Strong St
Thomas M. Torbett, age 48, married 1 time for 22 years, b. MO, parents b. TN, Preacher, Circuit Rider
Laura E., wife, 42, 7 children, all living, b. MO, father b. TN, mother b. VA, Dress maker at home
Yvonne, dau, 21, b. MO as were all the children, teacher in the public schools
Milford L, son, 19, doing odd jobs
Gladice M. dau age 17
Herbert L., son 14
Ruth B. dau, 11
Beulah M., dau, 8
Vivian, dau, age 5

1920 Census, Ft. Worth Ward 7, Tarrant Co, TX
Living at 1305 Missouri Ave. Hh 181
T. M. Torbitt, renting, age 58, b. MO, parents b. U.S., farm laborer
L. E., wife, age 51, b. MO, parents b. TN, clerk for the Rail Road
W. Vonie, dau, age 31, b. MO [all the children are dittoed as parents b. in TN - an obvious error] Clerk, Dry Goods Co
Herbert, son, age 23, b. Mississippi [that's interesting! and very wrong as it is for his sisters Beulah and Vivian] Fireman, Rail Road
Bulah, son [not - I have her death certificate], 18, b. MS, stenographer, Packing Co
Vivian, son [not - she was a daughter, too], 16, b. MS
Roy Smith, Jr., grand child, age 3 years, 7 months, b. TX, parents b. MO

1930 Census. Ft. Worth City, Precinct 4, Tarrant Co TX
Household number from 170-172 which includes several families, all renting, and all obviously living in the same residence. The street name unreadable.
Laura E. Torbett, age 61, married but head of household [should she have been marked as a widow?] age 18 when married. Born MO, father b. TN, mother b. LA
Vivan L. dau age 26, single, b. MO, parents b. MO, typist, Fire insurance Co
Herbert S. Torbett, head of household, but was first written in as son and crossed out, age 35, 21 when married, b. MO, cooppersmith [sic], meat packing house
Mima L. wife [marked out as dau in law), 20 when married, b. TX
Herbert B. Bracker, head, [marked out as son-in-law], age 42, married at age 33, b. TX, parents b. Germany, works for the railroad, but I can't read the job
Gladys M. wife [daughter marked out], age 38, married at 29, b. MO
Mery Ruth, granddaughter with the "grand" part crossed out, age 4 [numbers crossed several times and hard to decipher], b. TX
Smith, Roy W. grandson, age 13, b. TX, father b. OK, mother b. MO
??word rubbed out..horn, Hattie, sister, age 62, widow, married at 19, b. MO, father b. TN, mother b. LA

Thomas Torbett apparently died between 1920 and 1930 and should be in the Texas Death Certificates - I did not find him, but I did find these:

#21501 - Laura Ellen Torbett, had lived in Ft. Worth 40 years; her address was 1820 Highland. She died 2 Apr 1853 of a stroke. Born 21 Sep 1868 [says Missouri but it wasn't] she was 84 years, 6 months, 11 days, when she died. She was a widow. Parents given as Sidney L. Hudson, b. VA and Sarah Haden, b. KY. Mrs. H. P. Bracker was the informant [daughter Gladys]. Laura was buried Greenwood Cemetery.
I did search FindAGrave, and Laura's grave, nor any of her children's, does not appear in that cemetery - since it so large, I doubt all graves are entered.

#30307 - Yvonne Katherine Meehan
Yvonne died 26 Jun 1949, her address given as 1820 Highland and she had lived there 35 years. She was born 24 Nov 1887, Missouri. The year 1885 was marked over - I believe it was actually 1888. She was a widow, a bookkeeper. Mrs. H. B. Bracker [her sister Gladys] was the informant. Yvonne died of metastatic cancer of the right breast. Parents are listed as Thomas Torbett, b. MO and Laura Hudson, b. TX. She was buried Greenwood Cemetery in Ft. Smith.

#59945 - Milford Leslie Torbett
Milton had lived in Ft. Worth 45 years, his address also given as 1820 Highland. He died 8 Sep 1963 of prostate cancer. Born 21 Oct 1890, he was 72 at his death. He was marked as divorced, a retired aircraft electrician. Father's name was Thomas M. Torbett; his mother Laura E. Hudson. He had served in World War I. H. L. Torbett [his brother Herbert] was the informant. He was also buried Greenwood Cemetery.

#49783
Mrs. Roy W. Smith, living at 1305 Missouri, Ft. Worth, died 10 Jun 1917, of pulmonary tuberculosis. She was age 20 - no date of birth given. Father listed as T. M. Torbett, b. MO; mother as Laura Hudson, b. MO. Yvonne Torbett was the informant. She was buried Greenwood Cemetery. [This would have to be the daughter, Ruth]
I'm sure young Roy Smith Jr., living with his grandmother, would have been her only child.

#42218 - Beulah Torbett
Miss Beulah Torbett died at All Saints Hospital in Ft. Worth. She was listed as living at 2923 Azle Ave.
Beulah died 15 Dec 1927. Born 24 Dec 1902, she was 24 years, 11 months, and 21 days at the time of death. States she was born in Texas, but I believe it was Missouri. Father T. M. Torbett, b. MO; mother Laura Hudson, b. MO. Yvonee Torbett, her sister, was the informant. She is noted to have died of Bichlorid of Mercury Poisoning at the Sanatorium, and was said to be accidental. She was buried Greenwood Cemetery.
Mercuric chloride, or dichloride, or bichloride, was used as a medicine before the advent of antibiotics. It was inhaled, ingested, injected, and applied topically. Poisoning was so common that its symptoms were confused with those of syphillis. The chemical is used as a catalyst in the manufacture of vinyl chloride, even as a fungicide in agriculture. Beulah's sister died of tuberculosis - was she at the Sanatorium for treatment of the same?



I did not find a death certificate for daughter Gladys Bracker but I did find one that raised more questions that it answered.
There is a death certificate for H. B. Bracker who died 4 Jan 1942 of a heart attack on the Missouri-Pacific Train near Conroe, Montgomery Co, TX. His resident address was given as 2923 Azle Ave, Ft. Worth - which is the same address given for Beulah Torbett when she died in 1927. He was married, bon 18 Feb 1889 [Herbert B. Bracker was listed as age 42 in 1930 - just a year difference]. He was travel agent for the M-P Railroad and the 1930 census does show Herbert was employed by the railroad. His parents were listed as Ed Bracker, mother's maiden name as ZeDlitz and both were said born in Texas. Mrs. K. B. Bracker of 3114 Alcannon, Ft. Worth, was the informant. [Apparently not his wife since the initials are plainly different as is the address.] When Laura died, the informant for her death certificate was Mrs. H. P. Bracker - the signatures are nothing similar. I'm not sure now who is who. Was this Herbert Bracker that died?

Birth	21 Sep 1868
Marriage	7 Feb 1888	Stone County, Missouri - Thomas M. Torbett
Death	2 Apr 1953	Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas

Spouse	Thomas M. Torbett (1868 - )
Child	Yvonne Katherine Torbett (1888 - 1949)
Child	Milford Leslie Torbett (1890 - 1963)
Child	Gladys M. Torbett (1893 - )
Child	Herbert L. Torbett (1895 - )
Child	Ruth B. Torbett (1898 - 1917)
Child	Beulah M. Torbett (1902 - 1927)
Child	Vivian Torbett (1904 - )

Father	Sydney LeRoy Hudson (1839 - 1915)
Mother	Sarah Mildred Haden (1840 - 1905)
Sibling	William P. Hudson (1859 - 1860)
Sibling	Mary Elizabeth Hudson (1861 - 1932)
Sibling	Margaret L. T. Hudson (1863 - 1864)
Sibling	Thomas M. Hudson (1865 - 1867)
Sibling	James H. Hudson (1867 - 1867)
Sibling	Minnie B. Hudson (1871 - 1872)
Sibling	Bulah Irene Hudson (1873 - 1933)
Sibling	Lillie M. Hudson (1874 - 1880)
Sibling	Benjamin Hudson (1877 - 1877)
Sibling	Lulah A. Hudson (1878 - 1880)
Sibling	Alice Oleta Hudson (1882 - 1967)
Sibling	[Son] Hudson (1883 - 1883)
Sibling	Finis Leroy Hudson (1889 - 1947)