Individual 8: Nora Agnes Samuels

Individual Record 8

Name} Samuels, Nora Agnes

Family History} Hancock

Title}

Race} White

Sex} Female

Birth: Date} Exa 1 Jan 1893

Place} Blue Mountain, Napa, California

Marr.: Date} Exa 8 Aug 1911

Place} San Francisco, San Francisco, California (Link)

Death: Date} Exa 1 Apr 1979

Place} Hy-Lond Convalescent, Napa, Napa, California

Burial: Date} Exa 4 Apr 1979

Place} Tulocay Mausoleum, Napa, Napa, California

Grave Marker} Yes

Source 1}	41 = Birth certif
Source 2}	19 = 1900 USA cen
Source 3}	84 = Town directy
Source 4}	24 = 1910 USA cen
Source 5}	40 = Marriage rec
Source 6}	247 = Church recrd
Source 7}	135 = Newspapers
Source 8}	306 = 1920 USA cen
Source 9}	746 = 1930 USA cen
Source 10}	1600 = City directory
Source 11}	1601 = Voter register
Source 12}	1606 = Election recrd

Parents: } George Washington Samuels & Lucy Mildred Coleman
Relationship No.} 7

1st Household No.} 84 = Blue Mountain, Napa County, Calif.

Occupation 1} Housewife
Occupation 2}

Religion/Church} Presbyterian

Spouses: Prime} Hancock, Wilfred Charles
Total Number of} 1

Source 13} 1587 = 1940 USA cen
Source 14} 1586 = 1950 USA cen
Source 15}     47 = Church dirct
Source 16}       8 = Biography
Source 17}   822 = Death certif
Source 18}   861 = Death record

Source 19} 1604 = Obituary
Source 20}     30 = Cemetery rec
Source 21} 1588 = Cemetery rec
Source 22}   833 = Medical recs
Source 23}     13 = Family hstry
Source 24}    817 = Obituary

Source 23}     85 = Family history
Source 24}   733 = Photographs
Source 25}   736 = Photographs
Source 26}   751 = Photographs

Notes: According to the affidavit of her father, Nora Agnes Samuels was born 1 Jan 1893 in Napa County in the Blue Ridge area where her parents had a cattle ranch. Her parents were George Samuels and Lucy Coleman, and she was the fifth of eight children. In the 1900 U.S. census, Nora was living with her family in the Blue Ridge area. She lived and worked on the ranch for 12 years until her parents decided to move their two sons and four daughters to within the city limits of Napa, California.

When Nora moved to Napa the most popular mode of transportation was walking — because the streets were not paved and most of the stores and buildings were clustered around Main and First Streets.

In 1906 when the earthquake hit San Francisco, Nora said that her family's house swayed, their chimney crumbled, and a smokey haze was visible for days. Many San Franciscans were evacuated from their homes and sent to Napa where people put them up in their spare rooms. Nora graduated from Napa Grammar School in 1907.

In the 1910 U.S. census, Nora was living with her family on North Street, Napa. Her father was a foreman for a fruit truck farm. Nora was baptised on 2 Dec 1910 in the First Presbyterian Church of Napa. She was a quietly religious person, usually attending services at the Church by herself.

Nira attended Napa High School which was then a three-story wooden building on Jefferson between Polk and Clay Streets. On 27 and 28 Feb 1911, Nora and nine other girls of the Civics Class went to Sacramento to attend sessions of the Legislature and to see for themselves how laws are made. Nora proudly graduated from Napa High School in May 1911.

Nora had a very busy social life during the years of 1908 through 1912. She attended numerous parties — and kept a scrapbook of the newspaper articles on the parties, trips, engagements, marriages, and deaths of the young men and women of Napa that she knew.

Nora married Wilfred Charles Hancock in August 1911 in San Francisco. She had dark brown hair, a medium build, and was taller than Wilfred. They settled in a home at 1100 West Second Street in Napa.

The family moved to Canary Cottage in Calistoga in about 1914 so that Wilfred could install electricity in that town. They returned two years later.

In the 1920 US census, Nora and Wilfred, both 27, were now living at 2425 Second Street, Napa. Wilfred was an electrician for a store. Besides their four children, Nora's sister Mildred Samuels was living with them. In the 1930 U.S. census The family was still on Second Street, but by the 1940 U.S. census, all the children had moved out.

About 1943, Nora and Wilfred moved from their Second Street home to 827 Church Street, Napa. This is where they were living in the 1950 U.S. census.

Nora was active in Napa's Rebekah Lodge and frequently volunteered her services for various civic or church-related activities — such asbeing an election poll volunteer and her time with the Napa chapter of the American Red Cross (see 1945 photo at the right).
The photo at the left was included in the 1967 membership directory of Napa's First Presbyterian Church.

She fell and fractured her hip on 15 Dec 1971 and was never to walk after that. This resulted in her staying at the Hy-Lond Convalescent Hospital in Napa from 27 Dec 1971 until her death over seven years later on 1 Apr 1979.