Facts
Name: Elizabeth A Grace
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Birth: 30 April 1881 • Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales
Parents:
- Father: James Grace (b: 1844 Ireland d: 25 May 1919 • St. Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota)
- Mother: Bridget Burke (b: 1840 Ireland d: 1906 St. Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota)
Spouses:
- Marriage: 31 Dec 1902 • St. Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota
- Divorce: 10 May 1910 Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota
- Marriage: 3 Aug 1912 Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota
Children:
- Son Loren Edward Frees (b: 23 April 1904 Minneapolis, Hennepin Co. Minnesota • d: 1 Sept 1956 Glendale, Los Angeles, California)
- Daughter Babe Frees (b: 4 Jan 1906 • Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota • d: unknown)
- Daughter: Dorothy E Frees (b: 15 Apr 1907 St Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota • d: 19 Dec 1974
- Son: Donald Frees (b: 28 Nov 1909 • Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota • d: 10 Sept 1910 Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota)
Death: 8 Oct 1961 Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota
According to her death certificate Elizabeth’s cause of death was:
- Immediate cause (a) artivosclenatic coronary artery disease and Hypertensive Heart Disease 20 years
- Congestive failure 2 days
Burial: 12 Oct 1961 Calvary Cemetery, St Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota
Elizabeth “Lizzy” Grace was born to James Grace and Bridget Burke Grace. Elizabeth was born on 30 April 1881 in Cardiff, Glamorganshire, Wales. They came to the US right after Elizabeth was born. She is the youngest of 9 children. Her parents had a total of 15 children but only 9 survived. They settled in St Paul Minnesota where her father was a Shoemaker.
Elizabeth married Andrew Frees when she was 21 years old. and they had 4 children—Loren Edward, a baby girl (who, it is believed, was given to the Bethany Home for Unwed Mothers when she was an infant), Dorothy Mary and Donald. Donald was given up to the Bethany Home for Unwed Mothers when he was 2 months old. According to the divorce records Andrew left the Elizabeth a couple of times during their marriage and would be gone for weeks sometimes months. It seems that during two of the periods of him being gone she had given birth and been unable to care for an infant and an older child (ren) with no means of support so she gave the babies to the Bethany Home. Elizabeth contracted Tuberculosis at some point within the two months after Donald was born and passed it to him. He died of Tuberculosis at 9 months old (Sept 10, 1910) while still in the care of the Bethany Home. Nothing more is known about the other baby girl at this time. I am still searching for her.
Elizabeth and Andrew divorced on May 10, 1910 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She married Wallace Joseph Riddle on Aug 21, 1912 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They did not have children together. Verbal family stories say that the two couples Elizabeth/Wallace and Andrew/Mabel became friends and stayed on good terms until their respective deaths. Elizabeth and Wallace lived in Minneapolis, then to Robbinsdale. In 1935 they bought a house at 5239 Camden Ave Minneapolis, Minnesota where they lived until Wallace died July 18, 1961. Elizabeth was moved to a rest home and died less than 3 months after Wallace. According to her death certificate Elizabeth’s Immediate cause of death was: (a) artivosclenatic coronary artery disease and Hypertensive Heart Disease 20 years. Secondary cause Congestive failure 2 days. She was buried with her family and Wallace in the Calvary Cemetery in St Paul Minnesota. She outlived 2 of her four children (as far as I know. I don’t know when her oldest daughter passed away) Her son Loren passed away in 1956 in California. Her niece Grace Byron (Her oldest sister’s daughter) was the informant on her death certificate as Dorothy was also already living in San Diego, California at this time.
Frees Family History 