Gertrude Caroline Ederle (1905 - 2003)

Born 23 Oct 1905 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States

Ancestors

Died 30 Nov 2003 at age 98 in Wyckoff, Bergen, New Jersey, United States

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Biography

Gertrude Ederle is Notable.

First woman to swim across the English Channel

Gertrude Ederle was an American competition swimmer and Olympic champion, setting 29 world and national records from 1921-1925. On August 6, 1926, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel, beating all previous times by men.^[1]

Early Life

Gertrude Caroline Ederle was born on 23 Oct 1905 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States, daughter of Jakob Heinrich Ederle and Gertrude Anna (Haberstroh) Ederle.^{[2] [3]} The 1910 census showed her parents had migrated from Germany and rented a home on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, New York, New York. Her father was listed as Henry Ederle, a butcher aged 34; he had migrated to the United States in 1892 and was a naturalized citizen. Her mother Gertrude was a saleslady in the butcher shop, aged 27; she had migrated in 1884. The couple had been married for nine years and had had four children, of which three were living. Their household included daughters Helen (7), Margaret (5), and Gertrude (4), as well as a servant Anna Garble (33), who had immigrated from Hungary in 1905. Henry's brother Ernest Ederle (21) and his nephew William Ekin (18), both aliens, were also in the home. Ernest had migrated in 1906 and was a driver for the butcher shop; William had migrated in 1908 and worked in the shop as a butcher.^[4]

In 1920 Trudy's father Henry (44) owned his home mortgaged, still on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan. He still ran a butcher shop, and the census record of that year showed he had become a citizen of the United States in 1908. The household also included Trudy's mother Gertrude (36) and five children: Helen (16), Margarett (15), Gertrude (14), George (9), and Emma (7).^[5]

Swimming Career

Gertrude competed in the 1924 summer Olympics, winning 1 gold and 2 bronze medals.

Trudy was already swimming competively by this time, and two years later at age 16 she quit school to focus on swimming.^[6] In 1924 she was selected for the US team attending the summer Olympics in Paris, France. There she won the gold medal along with teammates Euphrasia Donnelly, Ethel Lackie, and Mariechen Wehselau for the 4×100 meter freestyle relay. She also won bronze medals for both the women's 100-meter and 400-meter freestyle races.^[1]

After the Olympics, Trudy turned her attention to distance swimming. In 1925 she became the first woman to swim the length of New York Bay, covering 16 miles in 7 hours and 11 minutes.^[6] She then attempted the English Channel on 18 Aug 1925.^[7] Nine hours into the swim her coach pulled her from the water against her wishes and she was disqualified.^[6]

The following year, on 6 Aug 1926, she tried again and succeeded, becoming the first woman to do so. Leaving from a beach near Cape Gris Nez, France just after 7 a.m., she completed her 35 mile route to Dover, England in 14 hours and 39 minutes, nearly two hours less than previous swimmers.^[8] Her time record stood for 25 years until Winnie Leuszler's 13:25 crossing in 1951.^[9]

Trudy was honored with a ticker tape parade in New York on her return home.^[10] For the next few years she made appearances on the vaudeville circuit, including Billy Rose's Aquacade. She also played herself in the silent movie Swim Girl, Swim, starring Bebe Daniels.^[11]

Later Years

By 1930, Trudy's family had moved to Stadium Avenue in the Bronx, New York, New York, where her father Henry (54) owned a home valued at $18,000. He was the proprietor of a meat and provisions store, and the family owned a radio. His wife Gertrude (47) and five of their children remained in the home: Helen (27), Gertrude (24), George (19), Emma (17), and Henry (10).^[12]

Trudy had suffered from hearing loss due to childhood measles, and the damage was compounded by her channel swim. By 1928 she was almost completely deaf. During World War II she worked at the La Guardia airfield, overhauling and testing flight instruments.^[13] For the majority of her life, however, Trudy dedicated her time as a swimming instructor for deaf children at the Lexington School for the Deaf in New York.^[6]

Gertrude Ederle never married or had children. She died on 30 Nov 2003 in Wyckoff, Bergen, New Jersey aged 98. ^[14]She was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.^[15]

Research Notes

• Family not found in 1940 census.
• More images of Trudy can be found under the images tab above.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} International Swimming Hall of Fame, 1965 Honor Swimmer, Gertrude Ederle; accessed via the Internet Archive 22 Jul 2022; https://web.archive.org/web/20190923040119/https://ishof.org/gertrude-ederle-(usa).html archived 23 Sep 2019.
2. ↑ "New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W4Y-JVV : 11 February 2018), Gertrude Ederle, 23 Oct 1905; citing Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, reference cn 51263 New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,984,762. FamilySearch Record: 2W4Y-JVV accessed 21 Jul 2022.
3. ↑ Social Security: "U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007"
   Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007
   Ancestry Record 60901 #21379272 (accessed 4 December 2022)
   Name: Gertrude Caroline Ederle [Gertrude C Ederle]; Gender: Female; Birth Date: 23 Oct 1905; Birth Place: New York, New York [New York|]; Death Date: 30 Nov 2003; Claim Date: 25 Jul 1967; Father: Henry Ederle; Mother: Gertrude Haberstroh; Citizenship or Alien Status: U.S. citizen.; Type of Claim: Duplicate request; evidence of identity only submitted.; Notes: 21 Jun 1990: Name listed as GERTRUDE CAROLINE EDERLE; 24 Jul 1967: Name listed as GERTRUDE C EDERLE.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M5ZF-9B3 : accessed 8 March 2019), Gertrude Ederle in household of Henry Ederle, Manhattan Ward 22, New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1375, sheet 7A, family 3, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1048; FHL microfilm 1,375,061. FamilySearch Record: M5ZF-9B3 accessed 21 Jul 2022.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJY2-1GX : accessed 8 March 2019), Guthrude Ederle in household of Harry Ederle, Manhattan Assembly District 7, New York, New York, United States; citing ED 540, sheet 3B, line 86, family 79, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1197; FHL microfilm 1,821,197. FamilySearch Record: MJY2-1GX accessed 21 Jul 2022.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} The Glinda Factor, 2019; accessed 25 Jul 2022: https://web.archive.org/web/20220726013842/https://theglindafactor.com/gertrude-ederle/.
7. ↑ The Washington Times (Washington D.C.), August 18, 1925, Image 1, column 8: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1925-08-18/ed-1/seq-1 accessed via the Library of Congress 22 Jul 2022.
8. ↑ The Washington Times (Washington D.C.), August 07, 1926, Image 1, columns 1-4: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1926-08-07/ed-1/seq-1 accessed via the Library of Congress 22 Jul 2022.
9. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "List of successful English Channel swimmers," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_successful_English_Channel_swimmers&oldid=1096952950 (accessed July 26, 2022).
10. ↑ The Bismarck Tribune (Bismarck, N.D.), August 27, 1926, Image 1, column 2: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042243/1926-08-27/ed-1/seq-1 accessed via the Library of Congress 22 Jul 2022.
11. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Gertrude Ederle," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gertrude_Ederle&oldid=1097101637 (accessed July 22, 2022).
12. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X7D1-NXZ : accessed 8 March 2019), Gertrude Ederle in the household of Henry Ederle, Bronx (Districts 251-500), Bronx, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 398, sheet 36A, line 4, family 323, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1476; FHL microfilm 2,341,211. FamilySearch Record: X7D1-NXZ accessed 21 Jul 2022.
13. ↑ Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) 31 Jan. 1943; accessed via Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1943-01-31/ed-1/seq-32/> 27 Jul 2022: page C-3 (image 32), column 7.
14. ↑ Obituary: "U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current"
    Dallas Morning News, The; Publication Date: 30/ Dec/ 2003; Publication Place: Dallas, Texas, USA; URL: http://www.dallasnews.com/obituaries/stories/120103dnmetederleobit.bc943.html
    Ancestry Record 7545 #808663 (accessed 4 December 2022)
    Name: Gertrude Ederle; Gender: Female; Death Age: 98; Birth Date: 23 Oct 1905; Birth Place: New York City; Residence Place: Highlands, N.J.; Death Date: Abt 2003; Death Place: Wyckoff, N.J.; Obituary Date: 30 Dec 2003; Obituary Place: Brooklyn, Kings, New York, USA; Father: Henry Ederle; Spouse: Anna.
15. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8142767 : accessed 08 March 2019), memorial page for Gertrude Ederle (23 Oct 1905–30 Nov 2003), Find A Grave: Memorial #8142767, citing Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, Bronx County, New York, USA; Maintained by Find A Grave.

• "New York State Census, 1915", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9KT-9D5 : 4 June 2022), Gertrude Ederle in entry for Henry Ederle, New York City, New York County, New York, United States, 1915.
• "United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV5Y-NP66 : 16 March 2018), Gertrude Caroline Ederle, 1923; citing Passport Application, New York, United States, source certificate #284678, Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925, 2254, NARA microfilm publications M1490 and M1372 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• "New York State Census, 1925," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KS35-HL6 : 8 November 2014), Gertrude Ederle, New York, A.D. 07, E.D. 04, New York, New York, United States; records extracted by Ancestry and images digitized by FamilySearch; citing p. 26, line 10, New York State Archives, Albany.
• "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXMP-DZ9 : 2 March 2021), Gertrude Ederle, 1925; citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KX94-WT8 : 2 March 2021), Gertrude Ederle, 1925; citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXM6-LFJ : 1 March 2021), Gertrude Ederle, 1926; citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24NH-5WT : 2 March 2021), Gertrude Ederle, 1931; citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24LM-P3J : 2 March 2021), Gertrude Ederle, 1940; citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24LJ-WZG : 2 March 2021), Gertrude Ederle, 1941; citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/01/sports/gertrude-ederle-the-first-woman-to-swim-across-the-english-channel-dies-at-98.html

See also:

• Wikipedia: Gertrude Ederle
• Wikidata: Item Q263287, en:Wikipedia