I recently received a comment from a distant cousin regarding her great-grandfather George Grace. George is the twin brother of my great-grandfather, Eugene Grace, and this is the first time I’ver heard from any of his descendants.
It was wonderful to hear from her, as no one seems to know what became of him, his wife, and their six children. From the research I’ve done that’s been limited to what I can find online, they seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth. Part of the reason for that has been uncovered by talking to my distant cousin.
George and his wife Anna’s children were Lawrence, John, George Jr., Phyllis, Doris, and Alice. The woman who contacted me is the granddaughter of George Jr. One of the reasons he’s been so hard to find is that he legally changed his name to Joseph Richard Grace. George Jr. was kicked out of his parent’s house when he was 12 years old, and left to fend for himself because the family was desperately poor at the time. He worked on a farm nearby for room and board, and then later joined the Navy. George Jr. never forgave his parents for this, changed his name, and never spoke to either of them again. He changed his name, taking the Jr. part of his name and turning it into Joseph Richard. He died on July 30, 1969 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Manchester, NH.
Joseph Richard Grace (George Grace Jr.), May 31, 1914-July 30, 1969
George Jr., by then Joseph Richard, went on to Mary Laurette Duval and had 4 sons, the first of which died as an infant from spina bifida. His other three sons are still living.
Not much else is know about George and Anna, since Joseph (George Jr.), broke off all contact with them. It’s going to take more than just internet detective work to find out how and where they lived out the remainder of their lives.
I want to thank Sandra for giving me persmission to share this information with the other Graces who read my blog! It always means a great deal to me to hear from the descendants of the children of Edward and Catherine.
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October 7, 2012 at 3:27 am
Glenn Beachard
I’m the son of Doris Grace Beachard and would like to hear from Grace decendants also. I have a fair amount of info on my Mom’s siblings. My Mom was the last remaining but passed May 27, 2012.
December 24, 2012 at 4:17 am
Patrick Grace
My name is Patrick Richard Grace. I am the youngest son of Joseph (George) Richard Grace. That is my father pictured in the story. I was elated to see it as I have no photos of my father. He died when I was six and I hardly remember him. I would like to get in touch and see how we are related. I remember an ungle Glenn Beachard who had a chicken farm in Raymond NH in the 60′s/70′s. He had a daughter Robin and son Eddie. that is all I remember. Please get in touch with me.