Delbert (Smith) Thomas

Ancestors

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Nancy Thomas [send private message]

Biography

Delbert "Tom" was born in 23 September 1920 in Independence, Oregon to Albert Smith and Sarah Thomas.^[1] He entered the US Navy in 1941. He married Maralyn Lina Laiti in Seattle, Washington.^[2] She moved to Long Beach, California to be near Tommy stationed aboard his ship.

Following Tom's discharge from the Navy, the couple returned to the Northwest. They lived in the north end of Seattle and Tom worked as an auto mechanic on Capitol Hill in Seattle. Not long after their only child was born, the moved to across Puget Sound to Kitsap County.

Tom bought the only gas station in Keyport, Washington. His wife worked at Keyport Naval Base.

The marriage fell apart because of Tom's drinking.

Tom married Dorothy May Elder 8 October 1960, at Kitsap County, Washington.^[3]

And then he married Virginia Currie. She graduated from 8th grade in Sequim, Washington.^[4]

He died in 2001.^[5][6] He was buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Portland, Oregon.^[7]

Obituary:^[8]
"Delbert Thomas, 80, of Salem died Friday. Born in Independence....Survivors include his daughter, Nancy Thomas of Seattle; and sister, Mildred Walling of Salem"

Military Service

Sonarman 2nd Class Delbert (Smith) Thomas served in the United States Navy in World War II
Service started: 27 Dec 1941
Unit(s): USS Hatfield (DD-231)
Service ended: 13 Oct 1945

United States Navy Entered Service 27 December 1941 Honorable Discharge 13 October 1945 as a Sonarman 2nd Class V6 Length of Service: Years 3; Months 9; Days 17 Served aboard the USS Hatfield Stationed at Ind Com Nav Rep Base, San Diego California Stationed at Frontier Base, San Pedro, California

Name change - Born a Smith, died a Thomas

written by Nancy Thomas

Last year [prior to discovering my father's death] I decided to get a copy of my father's birth certificate in hopes of learning the names of his parents. I knew his mother's name was Sarah and that was all. He was born in 1920 in Oregon. Oregon will only issue a copy of a birth certificate of someone born in the last 100 years if you can prove your direct relationship to the person. I sent my fee accompanied by a copy of my birth certificate, marriage license and driver's license. My father's name, date of birth, and place of birth are all on my birth certificate.

About four weeks later, I got a call from a woman who works at the Dept. of Vital Statistics in Oregon. She told me that she had looked for Delbert Lyle THOMAS, born 23 Sept 1920 in Independence, Oregon, and there was NO birth recorded on that date, in that place, in that name. She had my birth certificate in her hand and said that clearly there was something amiss - either a name change through adoption, or an error on my birth certificate. I was dumbfounded as was she. She gave me her private extension and said she would "hold" on to my paperwork for a week but then would need to file it under unable to locate.

I called my mother. She said that as far as she knew, my father had never changed his name, birth date or anything. My mom did remind me that my father had a sister just a couple years older, Ellen, and an older half sister, Blanche.

Armed with that, I hoped in the car and went to the library. Independence Oregon is a small town and since my father was born just three months following the 1920 census "day", I felt it likely that his mother and sisters were in that town. I located the roll of film, found the start of the pages for Independence and began reading line by line. I was looking for a woman with a daughter Ellen and possibly Blanche.

After only 15 minutes of reading, I find the household of Albert SMITH. Living in this house was Sarah SMITH, and a daughter, Ellen age 1 9/12. Next door lived Herman Rappe and his wife Blanche RAPPE. BINGO!!! I knew that Blanche had married a Rappe - it was one of the few things my mother had recalled.

I come home and call the woman at the Dept of Vital Statistics. I asked her if she would look for Delbert Lyle SMITH, born on the same date, in the same place as Delbert Lyle THOMAS. She then said, "I really can't do that. You have sent proof that you are the daughter of Delbert THOMAS but not Delbert SMITH. You'll have to resubmit." I burst into tears, thanked her, and hung up.

Some ten minutes later, the phone rings. I answer, "Hello." In my ear I hear, "I found your father." She went on to explain that even though it was against the rules, she felt I wasn't going to all this trouble to misuse the information and decided to help me out. She read me his parents names, Albert SMITH and Sarah THOMAS, and all of the other pertinent info. Three days later I had the certificate in my hand.

Fast forward one year -- Aunt Mildred tells me about the name change. Albert Smith walked out on Sarah, leaving her with four small children to raise. Sarah supposedly asked the judge at the time of the divorce [1930] to change her name and the names of the children to Thomas. Years later when Mildred was required to supply a birth certificate, and verification from the court of the name change, it was discovered that it had never legally occurred. Thus the story of how my father was born a SMITH and died a THOMAS.

Sources

1. ↑ State of Oregon Certified Birth Certificate No. 012664, naming father as Albert W. Smith, and mother as Sarah Thomas, in the possession of Nancy Thomas.
2. ↑ State of Washington, King County Marriage Certificate Series A No. 95371, dated 17 October 1943, Delbert Lyle Thomas to Maralyn L. Laiti, in the possession of Nancy Josue.
3. ↑ Marriage Certificate
4. ↑ Diploma in the possession of Nancy Thomas.
5. ↑ State of Oregon Certified Death Certificate No. 01-003961, naming parents as Albert W. Smith and Sarah E. Thomas, in the possession of Nancy Thomas.
6. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V9PW-Y2J : 20 May 2014), Delbert L Thomas, 23 Feb 2001; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
7. ↑ *"Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVK4-8DBD : 13 December 2015), Delbert Lyle Thomas, 2001; Burial, Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, United States of America, Willamette National Cemetery; citing record ID 36457277, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
8. ↑ Stateman Journal, Salem, Oregon, February, 2001

• State of Washington Certificate of Live Birth
• 1920 Federal Census Polk County, Oregon; Precinct 16 First Independence; ED 368, Sheet 6B
• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCS9-HN5 : accessed 14 November 2018), Lyle D Smith in household of Sarah Thomas, Portland (Districts 1-219), Multnomah, Oregon, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 191, sheet 3B, line 55, family 75, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1951; FHL microfilm 2,341,685.
• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRTW-8H2 : 14 March 2018), D Lyle Thomas in household of Sarah C Thomas, Ward 5, Salem, Salem Election Precinct 7, Marion, Oregon, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 24-65, sheet 62B, line 57, family 305, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3374.