Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Random Search

SNGF is courtesy of Randy Seaver. This weekend, he has challenged us to do a search on a random person. Here is mine:

Random Name:  Wade Knapp

FamilySearch.org: First census record is 1920 U.S. Census and the first Wade Knapp was:

When I tried to view the image, it took me to Ancestry.  Here is the image:

Wade Knapp is a white male who resides at 1330 S. 35th Street, Omaha, Douglas Co., Nebraska.  He is 4-8/12 years old (b. abt May 1915) and appears to be the son of Albert and Vera Knapp, and grandson of Fred and Frank Knapp.  He also appears to have a brother named Robert, age 4/12 years.  Wade was born in Nebraska, as were his parents.  Robert was also born in Nebraska, but his father is listed as having been born in “United States.”  Could this mean that Albert was not the father of Robert?  I looked for this address on GoogleMaps, but could not get a street view.

I next searched for Wade on the 1930 census, and found a listing on FamilySearch, but with no image (of course).  So … off to Ancestry I go.  I found him at age 14, living at 2599 Ellison Avenue, Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska.  He is listed with his mother Vera, and his brother Robert, and another brother Gerald (age 9).  There is also a 17-year-old cousin, Yale W. East, living with the family.  No sign of dad.  Now, the birthplaces of the parents match (Nebraska).  I looked for this address on GoogleMaps, but could not get a street view.

I was unable to locate him in any school yearbooks, but he attended North High School in Omaha, and went to Omaha University. 

Mr. Knapp seems to have made at least two trips to Hawaii in his lifetime.  The first was in 1948, on the ship Lurline.  He traveled alone from San Francisco to Honolulu and back.  The second was in 1953.  He traveled with what I presume to be his wife, Eleanor of Redfield, South Dakota.  Unfortunately, their marriage predates the records available online.  I assume they married sometime between 1948 and 1953.  Perhaps the Hawaii trip was a honeymoon?

 

Eleanor passed away sometime before 1980, and he remarried a woman named Alice Magee in August 1980, who also predeceased him.  He had three children: Gary, Diane, and Pamela; and four grandchildren.  I assume these were children of Wade and Eleanor.

courtesy of Douglas County Clerk's Office website

He joined the FBI and was a Special Agent in Charge until he retired in 1966.  He worked for the family business (Omaha BoxCompany) with his brothers Bob, Sr. and Jerry.  He retired from the company in November 1986.

Wade Elbert Knapp lived in Omaha, Nebraska, until he died on 7 May 2007.  The SSDI shows that he was born 19 May 1915.  He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Omaha, Nebraska.  You can see a photo of his grave here.  His obituary can be found here.

Most of the information was contained in his obituary, which I attempted to corroborate, but the FBI isn't giving up any information.  This was a pleasant break for me today, to actually be able to find information about someone (even if they aren't related to me) - after spending hours beating my head against a brick wall.  Thanks, Randy!

Do we share any ancestors?

Please email me at lostancestors [at] gmail [dot] com