Christmas - Wish I Could Eat Dinner with You

And the message to Mr. Geo Ray of Bridgewater, New York reads:

Friend cyi

Wish I could eat dinner with you.

yrs Brownie C.

Here's a card with a similar style.

Jordena Flood Green - Part 3

O.K., where did we leave off yesterday? Jordena Flood, born in 1911 in the small mining town of Globe Arizona, of apparently humble parentage, is suddenly jet-setting around the world and staying at the world's finest 5-star hotels.

Image of Globe, Arizona courtesy of epodunk.com

She is single and in her twenties. It would appear that her mother gave birth to her and her brother out of wedlock, but later married a man who worked as a house painter and became their stepfather. Oh, and look what I found:

So, Jordena's father was a railroad conductor! That and being born in a town called Globe must have predestined her to become a world traveler. Since this ruins my theory about her rich father and a trust fund though, the source of her traveling funds remains a mystery.

If Jordena had taken a job as a maid or a waitress it would have made sense given the circumstances, but for her to be suddenly spending money like an heiress is very odd. Jordena's family had moved to Los Angeles by the time she was 9 years old. Did she make a fortune acting in movies? If so, it was under a different name. 

The ships' registers indicate that her travels between the ages of 24 and 30 were always first class, and generally for months at a time.  At the age of 29, she moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco. At the age of 30, she married Martin I. Green, a doctor at Green's Eye Hospital. Here's a picture of Green's Eye Hospital.

 

The hospital later became the San Francisco Eye and Ear Hospital and then Cathedral Hill Medical Center. After this point, it's hard to know if Jordena's travels were financed with her husband's money or hers. Their first trip appears to be in January, 1941, and included visits to Australia and Hawaii. Unfortunately, Jordena's husband died within four years, at the age of 46.  As far as I can tell, they didn't have any children and she didn't remarry. She did continue to travel though.

Jordena also moved a lot and I'm not sure why. Back in the 30s, 40s, 50s and even 60s, people didn't move nearly as much as they do today. Jordena was an exception. While her addresses were always decent ones--on Nob Hill or in Pacific Heights--they were never exceptional or particularly elite. Perhaps it was because she focused on travel.

Here are some of her San Francisco addresses. I think there are a few more.

536 Stockton Street
485 California Street (which seems to be very much in the Financial District)
1201 California Street
1801 Bush Street
1750 Vallejo Street
630 Mason Street, #1201
1400 Geary Blvd, Apt# 2001 (This appears to be an assisted living facility)

There is also an address listed for San Clemente, California and Laguna Woods, California (Leisure World.) I have the sense that she went there to retire, but decided that she missed San Francisco and returned.

Jordena Flood Green died on April 21, 2001 in San Francisco. She must have had so many stories to tell. I'm sorry I never met her and had a chance to hear about her trip to Libya and her stay at the famous Hotel Casinò Uaddan or the trips to Italy, Spain, Singapore, or Egypt.

All the same, I am thankful to her for the suitcases, which document her travels and after all of these years still smell of her perfume.

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.