Eva Etta Shackford, the daughter of Orra Leonard and Victoria (Rundlett) Shackford was born Feb 25, 1881 in Laconia, New Hampshire. Although her marriage record stated she was 18, she was still 17 on April 9, 1898 when she married Albert Clifton Towle, a machinist in Malden, Massachusetts. On January 12, 1900 Eva filed for divorce and in June 4, 1900, both Eva and Albert were living with their respective parents in Malden, Massachusetts. The divorce was finalized on June 12, 1900 with the custody of minor child given to Eva. Soon thereafter Eva married Robert James Hurd, also a machinist on June 22, 1901 — Albert married Martha Alice Barnes on June 5 of the same year.
Eva and Robert remained in Malden, Massachusetts living in at least three different locations – 439 Lynn, 916 Easton, 46 Fenwick – in the 1910 census Eva reported having had seven children, five of which were living.
In 1913 they moved to Lakeport, New Hampshire where Robert continued to work as a machinist and also served on the Hook and Ladder Company. By 1920 the family included 10 children and Robert was working as the foreman of a machine shop. Again the family had to move every few years and living at 177 Valley, 16 Rowen, and 2 Moulton Street in Lakeport.
Eva had four more children including a set of twins before she died of empyema and influenza on Jan 8, 1926 in Laconia. She was buried in the Bayside Cemetery in Laconia. Robert remarried Jan 1, 1935 the widow Cora M (Forrest) Smith and lived to age 74.
If you’d like to see a photograph of Eva Etta or her large family, there are a few photographs that have been shared on Ancestry.com – we’re not sure who is the owner of these photos but have started asking permission to share them on this blog. We’d love to learn more about Eva as a person beyond birth and census records — we’re searching for any newspaper articles or information from others.
CHILDREN:
Florence Hazel Towle (1899-1907) – the birth record shows a Lawrence H Towle, male but the census and death record list this child who died young as Florence, female. There is a question if these are two separate children but Eva mentioned only Florence when cooresponding with Samuel Burnham Shackford, her divorce record says minor child, and the 1900 census shows a Florence.
Leonard Robert Hurd (1901-1959) – married Irene Parker Philbrick – served in WWII
Louise Victoria Hurd (1903-1985) – married Earl George Clough
William Edgar Hurd (1905-1989) – married Eunice Ruth Ludlow
Joseph T Hurd (1906-1910) – died of pleurisy
Eva May Hurd (1908-2002) – married Clarence Bruce Papps
Walter Shackford Hurd (1909-1980) – married Jennie Louise Ferri
Arthur Edgar Hurd (1910-1975) – married Gladys Blackey
Ernest Hurd (1910-1993) – served in WWII
Oscar Leroy Hurd (1913-1922)
Evelyn Mae Hurd (1915-1997) – married Edward Harry Miner
Harry Hurd (1916-1987) – married Rita Dorothy Boucher, served in Navy in WWII
Lawrence Edward Hurd (1917-2009) – married Florence Ellen Blackey, served in the Navy in WWII
Marshall A Hurd (1919-1992) – married Jeannette Morin, served in the Army in WWII
Frances Hurd (1920 (twin)-2008) – married Lionel Joseph Cloutier
Frank Randlet Hurd (1920 (twin) -1993) – married Alice Sina Wilson, served in the Army in WWII
Charles Augustus Hurd (1922-2011) – married Dorothy Pearl Stone), served in Navy in WWII
Keith Lewis Hurd (1923-2002) – married Amelia Mildred Nelson), served in Army in WWII (was only 17 when enlisted)
Eva’s Shackford Ancestry includes Captain Samuel Shackford who served in the Revolutionary War and is mentioned in multiple Lineage Books: Eva Etta Shackford (1881-1926), Orra Leonard Shackford (1856-1927), George W. Shackford (1832-1869), Josiah Ring Shackford (1796-1874), Josiah Shackford (1767-1843), Capt Samuel Shackford (1728-1812), William Shackford (1706-1773), Samuel Shackford (abt 1674-1731), William Shackford (abt 1641-1720)
Eva is my seventh cousin removed with a common ancestor of William Shackford & Deborah Trickey. The relationship is too distant to share DNA with her descendants.
Research Questions: Are there any newspaper articles that mention members of this family which may help us learn more about their lives?
All posts on this website are a work in progress. We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared. Also we’d love it if you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!
SOURCES:
1900 United States Federal Census, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Malden, enumeration district (ED) 848, Sheet No 8, dwelling 160, family 182, Orra Shackford; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 January 2020).
1910 United States Federal Census, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Malden, enumeration district (ED) 905, Sheet No 9, House Visited, 169, Family No 209, Robert J Hurd; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 April 2019).
1920 United States Federal Census, Belknap County, New Hampshire, population schedule, Laconia, Sheet No 25A, dwelling 594, Robert J Hurd; digital images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 28 April 2019).
Find A Grave, Find A Grave, digital images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 12 January 2020), Eva Etta Shackford Hurd, MEMORIAL ID 201280906.
Massachusetts, Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915, , Albert C Towle m Eva E Shackford, 9 April 1898; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 31 March 2014).
Massachusetts, Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915, , Eva Shackford Towle m. Robert J Hurd, 22 June 1901; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 31 March 2014).
“Middlesex County, Massachusetts, divorce docket books 1887-1938,” Digital Images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ : accessed 3 February 2020), Vols. 1 – 5 (to #3853) : 1887-1903, Film 8297355, Image 637 of 1090, Eva Towle vs Albert C Towle.
New Hampshire, New Hampshire, Birth Index, 1659-1900, , – Shackford, 25 February 1881; database with images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 February 2020).
New Hampshire, Death and Disinterment Records, 1754-1947, , Eva Etta Hurd, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 February 2020); New England Historical Genealogical Society. Citing New Hampshire Bureau of Vital Records, Concord, New Hampshire.
“Shackford Genealogy Manuscript,” 13 October 1925; SG SGA 5; Shackford collection by Samuel Burnham Shackford; New England Historical and Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts. (56) William Shackford, Shackford Genealogy Manuscript, #667 Eva Etta Shackford. – refers to letters with Etta that mention one child with Edward – Florence Hazel and a Middlesex Divorce 2818
Copyright 2020 Joanne Shackford Parkes (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not copy this material and paste it elsewhere) . Updated Feb 3 to add Eva’s divorce dates & additional sources
SHACKFORD Family History 