Gertrude Esther Shirley

Gertrude E. Shirley, better known as "Gertie", was the daughter of Royal J. Shirley and his wife, Mary J. Brooks. Gertie was born on August 4, 1878. On February 16, 1898, at the age of 18, Gertie married Archibald “Arch” Bell in Harford. She spent much of her married life back home with her parents, as several news clippings have been found reporting her ill and in the care of her mother. Arch and Gertie were divorced soon after and Gertie married Newman A. Harvey on January 9, 1904. They raised three daughters and were very active in the church ministry. Gertie was a member of the Red Cross and a minister of the gospel. Her mother, Mary Shirley died on the 7th of February of 1937, and Gertrude followed her on the 9th of October, 1937, in Groton, Tompkins County, New York. She was buried in Willow Glen Cemetery. She was 59. She was joined by her husband 26 years later.