The Mysterious Life of Jordena F. Green - Part 2

Happy Birthday, Jordena.
Yesterday, I posted some pictures of Jordena Greens' suitcases and a little of what I found out about her travels.  But who was Jordena, and how did she afford this lifestyle of luxury travel to Europe, Africa and the Orient?

I thought there might be a hint in her maiden name. Jordena was born Jordena Flood on December 20, 1911. I immediately thought of the wealthy Flood family, the family that owned these two mansions in San Francisco.

Photos: seesdifferent.wordpress.com

But then I saw that Jordena was born in Globe, Arizona, an old mining town that currently has a population of under 8,000. That seemed strange until I was reminded that the Flood family made their fortune in mining. Still, wouldn't the society wives of rich influential men stay at home in the city rather than roughing it in a dusty mining town? Wouldn't they prefer to give birth to their children in a city hospital with all the amenities?

Whatever the case, I could not find a definitive link between Jordena and the James. L. Flood of the white mansion above. James L. married twice and had two children, James and Mary Emma (born in 1900 and 1908.)

Here's where it gets interesting. Jordena could have been born into an unrelated Flood family, but it would have to be a Flood family with a fair amount of money to afford her lavish lifestyle. The most interesting tidbit of information comes from the 1920 US census, which shows Jordena (age 9) living in Los Angeles with her mother Jennie Kaleb, her stepfather John Kaleb, and her brother, Richard. A. Flood, age 10.  John Kaleb's occupation is listed as 'house painter.' Hmm. Just imagine how many houses John Kaleb would have had to paint to finance his stepdaughter's travels.

Here's one possibility, although it is pure speculation. Jordena's mother Jennie was a waitress or a secretary working in Globe, Arizona. Perhaps James L. Flood was there and took a shine to her. She bore two of his children, but they certainly couldn't get married, because he was already married.  And besides that, she probably was not a society girl. Although James L. Flood had mentioned another illegitimate daughter to his wife, a child who actually lived with them, it is unlikely that he would want to mention the existence of two more.

The illegitimate daughter who lived with the Flood family, Constance May, filed a paternity suit after James L. Flood's death to gain her share of the inheritance. I don't think Jordena did anything like that, but she may have had a trust fund set up in her name, perhaps one that she could access once she reached the age of 21. We may never know, but the money had to come from somewhere.

All this from a set of luggage! If she hadn't left an address label on the case, and a tag inside, I would never have guessed what the initials J.F.G. stood for.

The story isn't quite over. Come back tomorrow to find out about Jordena's marriage.

The Travels of Jordena F. Green - Part I

If Jordena Green were alive, she would be celebrating her 100th birthday tomorrow. She might have celebrated by taking a first-class trip around the world--but only if she bought some new suitcases. That's because I bought her old, well-traveled suitcases about 25 years ago when I lived in San Francisco. Jordena also lived in San Francisco and she did not travel light. One suitcase is almost large enough to fit a grown person. Another one is just a little larger than a normal modern suitcase. And then there's the special vanity case. I suspect there was also a wardrobe case that ended up somewhere else.

All the cases are covered with hotel labels from her various travels. Jordena traveled frequently and only stayed at the finest hotels.

Although I missed the opportunity to call Jordena when she was still alive, the internet provides an amazing amount of information (including her former phone number!) In this case, some of the most useful records are the ships' registers on Ancestry.com. These records let me know what ships she sailed on, which class (always first!), her age, whether or not she was married, and sometimes how long she would be traveling (often more than two months at a time), and a street address. Jordena's home address changed very frequently, which is no surprise, because she seems to have been traveling most of the time.

Jordena stayed at the world's finest hotels, including Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel.

She also stayed at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel

Most of the hotels where she stayed still exist in all their finery. The Hotel Ritz in Madrid looks well maintained and offers rooms from $421 to $5,964 per night. The Hotel Quisana Capri also offers rooms starting at about $430 per night.

It appears that Jordena began her travels in the 1930s when she was single and in her 20s, although the trips continued after she married. That's when she bought these monogrammed Hartmann Skymate suitcases with the pink satin lining.  Even after all of these years, the scent of her perfume in the suitcases is quite strong, but very pleasant. A friend assured me that the scent is White Shoulders, but I certainly wouldn't know.

On August 17th 1935, she boarded the SS Malolo, bound for Hawaii. She returned home to Los Angeles on the SS Lurline on October 5th. A nice long trip. Two months later, she sailed back to Hawaii on the SS Mariposa and didn't return until the end of February, 1936.  It appears that she also made trips by airplane, as evidenced by airline stickers on the cases form Iberia Airlines, British European Airways, and Pacific Northern Airlines. It's clear from the labels that she visited several cities numerous times, staying in different luxury hotels.

Here are some additional images of the suitcase labels.

I never met Jordena. I guess I probably assumed that she had died and that's why the suitcases were for sale.  It turns out that she didn't die until 2001. If only I had done this research a little earlier, I could have just called her up and asked her about her travels and her (ahem) family history.  I'm not sure why it is that I've become curious enough to research it now, but I can tell you that there's something a little odd here, an intriguing mystery to say the least. Tune in tomorrow for more details on the mysterious life of Jordena F. Green.

Christmas Shadow Cards

I don't usually post anything on the weekends, but I am swimming in Christmas postcards, so I thought I'd post some extra ones today. These are from an interesting series that emphasizes the larger-than-life shadows cast by the figures. Mistletoe is also featured prominently.

 

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order.

The message to Mrs. Sarah C. Becker in Valatie, New York reads:

December 13, '10

Ideas are O.K. Size 10 1/2 (all black). Thermometer crawling slowly upward. This is a picture of a "suffer-yet" Dutch Lady (Old Dutch Cleanser)

The message on this card to Mr. Henry Grimes of Grand Meadow, Minnesota reads:

If you have a class reunion remember me to everybody. I could spend two months very profitably visiting you. As it is I'm going back where I was born so long ago and expect everyone to know me from the family resemblance. Clara Parker