Amelia Mary Earhart (1897 - 1937)

Born 24 Jul 1897 in Santa Fe, Atchison, Atchison, Kansas, United States

Ancestors

Wife of George Palmer Putnam — married 7 Feb 1931 (to 1937) in Noank, New London, Connecticut, USA

Died 2 Jul 1937 at age 39 in Central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island, Phoenix Islands, United States

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Biography

Amelia Earhart was a Kansan.

Amelia Earhart was an aviation adventuress and hero to women, pushing boundaries and making flights throughout the 1920s and '30s.^[1][2]

Young Amelia

Amelia Mary Earhart was born July 24th, 1897^[1][3][4] in Kansas.^[5][6][7] She was baptised October 10, 1897 at Trinity Episcopal Church, Fifth & Utah St, Atchison, Atchison County, Kansas, USA.^[7] Her family later moved to Des Moines, Iowa^[8], then on to Chicago.^{[citation needed]}

Amelia studied at Ogontz School (a girl's finishing school), Rydal, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in 1916^[3][4][9] and later Pre-Med at Columbia University, New York City, New York in 1919.^{[4][3][10][9][1]}

She served as a war nurse in 1917 in Spadina Military Convalescent Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.^{[4][3][10][9][1]}

By 1920, the family was in Long Beach, California. ^{[citation needed]} This is when Amelia took her first 10-minute air flight ... and loved it.^[9][1]

Aviatrix

After that first rousing flight, she wanted to learn how to fly herself. Her flight instructor was Neta Snook. Amelia worked odd jobs to pay for $1,000 lessons.^[1] Six months later she purchased her own small plane, "the Canary".^[9][1] By May 1923, she was only the 16th woman to be issued a pilot's license.^[3]

In 1926, Amelia was working as a social worker at Denison House, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA.^[10][9] While working one day in April 1928, Captain Hilton H. Railey, called Amelia to ask her, "Would you like to fly the Atlantic?" ^[9] She flew with two other male pilots. She left Harbour Grace, Newfoundland on June 17, 1928 and landed in the United Kingdom 20 hours and 40 minutes later.^[11][9][12] She became a celebrity.^[9] She was offered product endorsement deals (clothes, luggage) and wrote articles.^[13] By 1927, she had 500 hours of solo flight with no incidents.^{[citation needed]} She set many new flying records in races and distances.^[9][1]

By 1930, Amelia was living in New York.^[13] On February 7, 1931, she married George P. Putnam.^{[4][14][9][15][16]} Their relationship was a partnership, focused on equality.^[9] Amelia was always liberal in her thinking, and believed in equal rights for women.^[9]

Amelia and George

She became an aviation pioneer for women.^[1] The Boston Globe newspaper called Amelia one of the best female pilots.

Amelia made many solo flights, and taught other women to fly.^[9][1] She wrote books about flying, and she was one of the founders of the "The Ninety-Nines'", an aviation organization for women.^[17]

The Fateful Flight

Amelia Earhart wanted to be the first woman to fly around the world.^[9][1] Using a customized Lockheed Electra June 1, 1937, she left Miami, Florida, United States with Fred Noonan.^[9][1] They flew to South America, Africa, South Asia, and the Island of New Guinea.^[9][1] Next was the crossing of the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937^[3] heading for Howland Island, but they wouldn't make it to that stop.^[1] The pair radioed that they were running out of gas and couldn't hear the transmissions from ITASCA, after hitting difficult weather.^[9] That would be the last anyone would hear from Earhart.^[9]

A massive search for the plane, Earhart, and Noonan was launched.^[9][1] Searches continued until July 19th with no traces of plane or people located, and the pair were officially declared "lost at sea".^[9][1][18] Amelia was declared dead January 5, 1939.^[19][20]

There are many theories of what happened to Amelia Earhart, including a recent one that insists she may have been a prisoner of war just before the outbreak of World War II in Japan, but after all this time nothing has been proven.^[21][1]

Legacy

Amelia has remained a hero to women for decades. There are numerous monuments to her across the United States.^[9] Her hometown of Atchison, Kansas contains several, as well as scholarships and awards named for her.^[9][18] There is also a lighthouse that was built in her honor on Howland Island, which was the next stop on her world journey.^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16} History.com Editors, "Amelia Earhart", History.com, 2009. Accessed 20 July 2017.
2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Amelia Earhart," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amelia_Earhart&oldid=791363146 (accessed July 20, 2017).
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5} Ruth Martin Family Tree 1995 Abbreviation: Ruth Martin Family Tree 1995 Author: Chaky, Rebecca;Martin, Ruth Publication: Never Done Press, PO Box 1712, Friendswood, Texas 77549-1712, 1995
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4} Challiss, Harres, Martin, Tonsing, Otis, Family Tree Author: Martin, Ruth Publication: Printing Center of Texas, Fort Worth, Texas, 1979
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMB9-GVV : accessed 20 July 2017), Amelia Earhart in household of Edwin S Earhart, Kansas City Ward 4, Wyandotte, Kansas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 157, sheet 8A, family 176, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,504.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2HK-YZC : accessed 20 July 2017), Amelia M Earhart in household of A G Otis, Atchison Ward 2, Atchison, Kansas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 3, sheet 14A, family 275, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 431; FHL microfilm 1,374,444.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} East to the Dawn: the Life of Amelia Earhart Abbreviation: Earhart, Amelia East to the Dawn: the Life of Amel Author: Butler, Susan Publication: Addison-Wesley, Reading, Massachusetts, 1997
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MG93-YMY : accessed 20 July 2017), Amelia M Earhart in household of Edward Earhart, Des Moines Ward 3, Polk, Iowa, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 111, sheet 7B, family 135, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 419; FHL microfilm 1,374,432.
9. ↑ ^{9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 9.14 9.15 9.16 9.17 9.18 9.19 9.20 9.21 9.22 9.23} AmeliaEarhart.com, accessed 20 Jul 2017
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2} The Sound of Wings Abbreviation: Earhart Sound of Wings Author: Lovell, Mary S Publication: St. Martin's Press, New York, 1989
11. ↑ Passenger List
12. ↑ "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:246B-3QV : 2 October 2015), Amelia M Earhart, 1928; citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X42G-QNZ : accessed 20 July 2017), Amelia Earhart, Manhattan (Districts 1001-1249), New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1212, sheet 10B, line 51, family 145, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1567; FHL microfilm 2,341,302.
14. ↑ 1920 to June 4, 1935, Record Type: newspaper clippings, Subject: RuthMartin Tonsing and relatives
15. ↑ "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:246B-3QV : 2 October 2015), Amelia M Earhart, 1928; citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
16. ↑ "Hawaii, Honolulu Passenger Lists, 1900-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV9Z-K58R : 30 December 2014), Amelia Putnam, 1934-1935; citing Ship , NARA microfilm publication A3422 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
17. ↑ Lovell, Mary S. (1989). The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-4668-6648-5.
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVQ-9NL1 : 13 December 2015), Amelia Earhart, 1937; Burial, Atchison, Atchison, Kansas, United States of America, International Forest of Friendship Memorial; The memorial (6353816) no longer appears on FAG. The are two other memorials there, however. Find A Grave: Memorial #6667 and Find A Grave: Memorial #2574
19. ↑ Van Pelt, Lori (2005). Amelia Earhart: the sky's no limit (1. ed.). New York: Forge. ISBN 978-0-7653-1061-3.
20. ↑ Time BY OLIVIA B. WAXMAN JANUARY 4, 2019 12:00 PM EST Amelia Earhart Was Declared Dead 80 Years Ago. Here's What to Know About What Actually Happened to Her
21. ↑ Holloway, Daniel, "History Investigates Amelia Earhart Doc Claims, Suspends Repeats", Variety, 19 July 2017. Accessed 20 July 2017.

See also:

• Challiss Martin Memory Book, collection of newspaper clippings, Atchison, Kansas. Author: Tonsing, Ruth Publication: before 1967
• Genealogical and Biographical Record of North-Eastern Kansas, Publication: Lewis Publishing Co, Chicago, 1900
• Tonsing. Ruth Martin Photo Album, Author: Tonsing, Ruth Martin Publication: 1967
  • Note: This is a color photocopy of two original albums once in possession of Ruth's son, Paul Tonsing. Each photo has a typed caption with the date,location, and people listed. The order suggests that Ruth pasted the photos and typed the captions shortly after the photo was taken or sent to her
• Reinhardt, Richard. "Aviatrix." American Heritage Vol 51, Issue 3, May/June 2000. American Heritage.com (Web) accessed 31 Dec 2016
• Roberts, Gary Boyd. "Notable Mayflower Descendants: Amelia Earhart (1897-1973)", The Mayflower Descendant (Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2014) Vol. 63, Page 179-205
• This WikiTree profile is referenced from Wikidata: Item Q3355, en:Wikipedia
• Find A Grave: Memorial #2574, database and images (accessed 18 February 2021), memorial page for Amelia Earhart (24 Jul 1897–2 Jul 1937).
• Letter from Amelia Earhart to President Roosevelt Regarding her World Flight, 11/10/1936. National Archives Identifier 6705943.
• California Hall of Fame, 2006