Matilda Pearl Davey (1880-1958) 12 for ‘26

It’s a new month and a new surname: Davey. Matilda Pearl Davey is my husband’s grandmother. He may have met her twice; the first time when just a toddler in 1954 with his brother, the sons of Matilda’s only son, George Gorrell. They visited again in 1957.

Childhood

Matilda was born on 18 April 1880 to Frederick Henry Davey and Matilda “Tillie” Wollenweber. She was their second-born child.[1] She had three brothers from Fred’s first wife, one brother from his second wife, and two step-brothers from the third wife.[2]

Her mother died when she was five years old.[3] In the beginning, her mother’s sister, Julia Wollenweber, came to live with them and her father married her on 28 July 1887, however, the marriage did not last and they were divorced by 1892.[4] The story as told by her son, George, Matilda was sent to live with aunts and perhaps spent time in a children’s home.[5]

One aunt may have been Catharine Rose (Davey) McFall, who lived in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and later Indianapolis. The other aunt mentioned was Sue (Davey) Wellman, who lived in Cincinnati. There was an orphan’s home in Jeffersonville, located near the Ohio River.  

Adulthood
By 1900, she was living in Kansas City working as a maid in the Washington Hotel. The directory said she lived at 1221 Broadway.[6] The hotel was on Washington at the southeast corn of 12th Street.[7] The census, held in June 1900, showed her living at the hotel.[8] She was not in the 1899 directory.[9]

She advertised in the newspaper in April 1900 for a lost pocketbook containing $15, she lost between Main and Broadway at 12th Street, so not far from where she worked and lived. The return for a reward was to come to her at the Washington Hotel.[10]

She married Joseph Norman Gorrell on 19 December 1900.[11] He was a lineman for a telephone company. In their first years of marriage, they moved around because of his job building telephone lines. They lived in St. Joseph, Kansas City, Carthage, and Joplin, Missouri, and Wichita, Kansas.

Four children were born to them:

• Bertha on 4 January 1904 in Kansas City
• Ada on 26 March 1906 in Kansas City
• George on 29 January 1915 in Blackwater
• Claire on 4 January 1917 in Carthage

I see a big gap between Ada and George and now wonder if Matilda had a couple of miscarriages. It is also possible Joseph was away a lot building telephone power lines.

Articles in Jasper County newspapers revealed a lot about Matilda’s activities. Below are some examples. 

There were many articles about the Christian Endeavor Society of the Christian Church. In one article, she attended a social held by the society.[12] She directed the play “Crusade with Christ” for the Christian Endeavor Society in 1928.[13]

She was involved in the Loyal Gleaners. She attended a state Sunday school convention and gave a report to the Loyal Gleaners class.[14] Another time, she assisted the class at the Sunday school.[15]

She became involved with the Jasper County Women’s Christian Temperance Union in the 1930-40s. In May 1930, the WCTU institute was held at the Central Methodist Church, and Matilda gave the noontide prayer.[16] She provided a demonstration from the Sunday school department at a WCTU institute in 1933.[17]

In the 1940s and 50s, she was a member of the Webb City Garden Club. On one occasion, she spoke about herbs.[18] She was elected as chaplain in 1950.[19] She was a member of the Home Makers Club, and they met in her home in 1946.[20] At a War Mothers Club meeting, she gave a reading.[21]

Besides her many activities, there were articles featuring visits to her children or her brothers. Once during the war, she traveled to California to visit her daughter, Ada, in Fresno, and her son, George, in Sacramento.[22] She did it again in 1951 to attend her son George’s wedding.[23]

In 1950, they had a celebration of the 50th Anniversary. I did not locate an article about it, but they had an open house and my father-in-law took a few photos. Here is one of them together.

They celebrated their 55th anniversary in December 1955. The article mentioned she was a member of the Christian Church and was an active worker. For twenty-five years she was the teacher of the Loyal Gleaners, the women’s bible class, and Sunday school.[24]

For their 57th wedding anniversary, they received from the H.J. Heinz Company a congratulatory letter and gift package. A spokesman explained, “We happened to hear about the happy occasion and thought it fitting that a 57th anniversary be recognized by the makers of Heinz 57 Varieties.”[25]

 Matilda died 4 February 1958.[26] She was a member of the First Christian Church where she taught Sunday school for more than 30 years. She was a past president of the Webb City W.C.T.U. and a member of the War Mothers Club and the Webb City Garden Club. At the time of her death, she left twelve grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.[27]

She was buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Webb City.[28]

This is part of November's 12 for '26 and the Davey Family. Next up is Matilda's father, Frederick Henry Davey.

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[1] Division of Health of Missouri, Standard Certificate of Death, no. 1696, Tillie D. Gorrell, 1958, Jasper County; imaged, “Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1969,” Missouri Digital Heritage (https://www.sos.mo.gov/images/archives/deathcerts/1958/1958_00001696.PDF : accessed 31 Oct 2026); Missouri Secretary of State, Jefferson City. For second-born child, see 1880 U.S. census, Clark Co, Indiana, Jeffersonville, ED 26, p 111B&C (stamped), Phillopena Wollenweber household. Fred, Matilda, 1-yr-old Fred, and 1 month-old Mary R. Somehow Matilda Pearl was recorded as “Mary R.” Phillipena was Matilda’s grandmother.

[2] No one record supports this statement. This family was together during the gap of the 1890 census that was burned.

[3] Carthage Banner (Missouri), 5 Nov 1885, p. 3, col. 2.

[4] More about that story when I write about Frederick.

[5] Note from George J. Gorrell, dated 15 Oct 2000; Gorrell Family Archive.

[6] Hoye’s City Directory of Kansas City, Missouri (Hoye Directory Co, 1900), 271, Matilda Davy; imaged, “U.S., City Directories, 1822-1999,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/11443225 : accessed 31 Oct 2026) > Missouri > Kansas City > 1900 > Kansas City, Missouri, City Directory, 1900 > image 160 of 734.

[7] Hoye’s City Directory of Kansas City, Missouri (Hoye Directory Co, 1900), p. 1025, Washington Hotel; imaged, “U.S., City Directories, 1822-1999,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/11443630 : accessed 31 Oct 2026) > Missouri > Kansas City > 1900 > Kansas City, Missouri, City Directory, 1900 > image 565 of 734.

[8] 1900 U.S. census, Jackson Co, Missouri, Kansas City 3rd Ward, sht 1b, fam 36, Tilley Davey.

[9] Checked under Davey, Davie, and Davy.

[10] “Lost,” Kansas City Journal, 10 Apr 1900, p. 9, col. 3.

[11] Jackson Co., Missouri, marriage license, v. 26, p. 598, no. 21336, Joseph N Gorrell & Tillie Davey, 1900; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-8989-3ZZ1 : viewed 1 Oct 2025), IGN 007515712, image 345 of 716. 

[12] “Society,” The Webb City Daily Sentinel, 30 Sep 1922, p. 2, col. 2.

[13] “To Repeat Drama at Tower of Light Church,” The Webb City Daily Sentinel, 11 Feb 1928, p. 1, col. 1.

[14] “News Notes,” The Webb City Daily Sentinel, 30 Nov 1923, p. 3, col. 4.

[15] “News Notes,” Webb City Daily Sentinel, 31 Dec 1925, p. 2, col. 2.

[16] “Society News,” Joplin Globe, 25 May 1930, p. 16, col. 2.

[17] “W.C.T.U. Institute Held,” Joblin Globe, 2 March 1933.

[18] “Webb City Society,” Joplin Globe, 13 Jul 1947, p. 13, col. 2.

[19] “Webb City Society,” Joplin Globe, 10 Dec 1950, p. 16, col. 2.

[20] “Town Talk,” The Webb City Daily Sentinel, 26 Jun 1946, p. 1, col. 3.

[21] “War Mothers Meet,” Webb City Sentinel, 21 Mar 1952, p. 1, col. 7.

[22] “Town Talk,” Webb City Sentinel, 30 Oct 1942, p. 1, col. 3.

[23] “Home from Son’s Wedding,” The Webb City Sentinel, 12 Oct 1951, p. 1, col. 5.

[24] “Will Observe 55th Wedding Anniversary,” The Webb City Sentinel, 15 Dec 1955, p. 1, col. 3

[25] “Heinz ’57 Gift for W.C. Couple Wed 57 Years,” The Webb City Sentinel, 3 Feb 1958, p. 1, col. 3.

[26] Division of Health of Missouri, Standard Certificate of Death, no. 1696, Tillie D. Gorrell, 1958, Jasper County; imaged, “Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1969,” Missouri Digital Heritage (https://www.sos.mo.gov/images/archives/deathcerts/1958/1958_00001696.PDF : accessed 31 Oct 2026); Missouri Secretary of State, Jefferson City.

[27] “Death of Mrs. J. N. Gorrell,” The Webb City Sentinel, 4 Feb 1958, p. 1, col. 5.

[28] Photo of marker, Matilda D. Gorrell, taken by Lisa S. Gorrell, July 1998.

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