IN IN - Opal Beatrice Fulks, 22, Monticello, 4 March 1931

[natureaker]

This case seems to have recently been added into NamUs earlier this month. Very little information is known.
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Missing Person / NamUs #MP59776
Opal Beatrice Fulks, Female, White / Caucasian

Demographics
Missing Age: 22 Years
Current Age: 111 Years
First Name: Opal
Middle Name: Beatrice
Last Name: Fulks

Sex: Female
Height: 5' 0" - 5' 10" (60 - 70 Inches)
Weight: 100 - 180 lbs
Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian

Circumstances
Date of Last Contact: March 4, 1931
NamUs Case Created: September 1, 2019
Last Known Location Map
Location: Monticello, Indiana 47960
County: White County

Circumstances of Disappearance: Unknown. Last documented presence was at birth of third daughter Barbara Annette Fulks on March 4, 1931 in Monticello, Indiana.

Physical Description
Hair Color: Unknown
Left Eye Color: Unknown
Right Eye Color: Unknown

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[Gardener1850]

Opal's maiden name was Raider according to her daughter's findagrave page: Barbara Annette Fulks Sprunger (1931-2000) - Find...

Opal was married July 25, 1926 in Delphi, Carroll Co., Indiana. Her husband remarried August 7, 1942 according to his findagrave page: George Emery Fulks (1908-1959) - Find A Grave...

 

[Gardener1850]

Opal's middle daughter's obituary spells her maiden name "Rader"
Maurine Marie Fulks (1929-2011) - Find A Grave...

But her oldest daughter's obit has the spelling as Raider:
Beverly Beatrice Fulks Best Austin (1927-2013) -...

Possibly a typo in the middle daughter's obit but I like to note name spelling variations for research purposes.

 

[Stella]

According to this genealogical website, Opal Beatrice Raider Fulks died, aged 72, in Illinois. It's a bit confusing as there are a few with same or similar dates.

https://www.myheritage.com/names/opal_fulks

 

[Gardener1850]

According to this genealogical website, Opal Beatrice Raider Fulks died, aged 72, in Illinois. It's a bit confusing as there are a few with same or similar dates.

https://www.myheritage.com/names/opal_fulks

I would take that with a grain of salt. My Heritage is pulling the info on that page from user-generated public family trees. Most likely someone who is not a close relative of Opal has put the wrong Opal Fulk's date of death in their family tree without realizing it; since there are others with her same or similar name it is an easy mistake to make. I'm an amateur genealogist and I see incorrect family tree info online quite often. MOO.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

I would take that with a grain of salt. My Heritage is pulling the info on that page from user-generated public family trees. Most likely someone who is not a close relative of Opal has put the wrong Opal Fulk's date of death in their family tree without realizing it; since there are others with her same or similar name it is an easy mistake to make. I'm an amateur genealogist and I see incorrect family tree info online quite often. MOO.

I have been looking for the last couple of hours, and the only source of information I have been able to find for “Opal Beatrice Raider Fulks died, aged 72, in Illinois” is a family tree.

There is a U.S. Social Security Death Index entry for an Opal Fulks, who passed away in October 1981: Birth: July 3 1909; Last residence: Norris, Illinois; SSN issuing state: Michigan.
https://www.myheritage.com/research...-social-security-death-index-ssdi?s=684740751


I was able to find our Opal’s (IMO, based on other information available; please see screenshots) marriage license, and it lists her date of birth as July 17, 1908 and place of birth as Stroud, Lincoln County, OK.
https://www.myheritage.com/research...pal-b-raider-in-indiana-marriages?s=684740751


I was also able to find her (IMO) in the 1930 U.S. Census (“Enumerated by me on April 12 - 14, 1930”), and it shows her as being 21 years old at the time.
https://www.myheritage.com/research...al-fulks-in-1930-united-states-federal-census


I would definitely like to find out more about Ms. Fulks who passed away in 1981, just in case our Opal decided to start a new life using a different DOB, or someone else was using her identity, etc.

 

[Gardener1850]

I have been looking for the last couple of hours, and the only source of information I have been able to find for “Opal Beatrice Raider Fulks died, aged 72, in Illinois” is a family tree.

There is a U.S. Social Security Death Index entry for an Opal Fulks, who passed away in October 1981: Birth: July 3 1909; Last residence: Norris, Illinois; SSN issuing state: Michigan.
https://www.myheritage.com/research...-social-security-death-index-ssdi?s=684740751
View attachment 217433

I was able to find our Opal’s (IMO, based on other information available; please see screenshots) marriage license, and it lists her date of birth as July 17, 1908 and place of birth as Stroud, Lincoln County, OK.
https://www.myheritage.com/research...pal-b-raider-in-indiana-marriages?s=684740751
View attachment 217434 View attachment 217435

I was also able to find her (IMO) in the 1930 U.S. Census (“Enumerated by me on April 12 - 14, 1930”), and it shows her as being 21 years old at the time.
https://www.myheritage.com/research...al-fulks-in-1930-united-states-federal-census
View attachment 217436

I would definitely like to find out more about Ms. Fulks who passed away in 1981, just in case our Opal decided to start a new life using a different DOB, or someone else was using her identity, etc.

Good research. The one who passed away in 1981 has a different middle initial (E) and Fulks is her married name: Opal E Fulks (1909-1981) - Find A Grave Memorial

This seems to be nothing more than a coincidence of two women named Opal born within a year of each other (1908/1909) and both Opals happened to marry 2 different men with the last name of Fulks. The name Opal peaked in popularity as a baby name around 1910: Opal Name Meaning & Origin

I don't think there's any identity theft going on. MOO.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Good research. The one who passed away in 1981 has a different middle initial (E) and Fulks is her married name: Opal E Fulks (1909-1981) - Find A Grave Memorial

This seems to be nothing more than a coincidence of two women named Opal born within a year of each other (1908/1909) and both Opals happened to marry 2 different men with the last name of Fulks. The name Opal peaked in popularity as a baby name around 1910: Opal Name Meaning & Origin

I don't think there's any identity theft going on. MOO.

Thank you so much. Saved me a ton of time .

 

[mandrews]

Opal's middle daughter's obituary spells her maiden name "Rader"
Maurine Marie Fulks (1929-2011) - Find A Grave...

But her oldest daughter's obit has the spelling as Raider:
Beverly Beatrice Fulks Best Austin (1927-2013) -...

Possibly a typo in the middle daughter's obit but I like to note name spelling variations for research purposes.

Opal is my grandfathers sister and the correct spelling is Raider

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Opal is my grandfathers sister and the correct spelling is Raider

Thank you so much for letting us know, and I am so sorry for what you and your family are going through.

How could we best help?

By the way, according to the July 31st, 1939 edition of the Logansport Pharos-Tribunes, “Emery Fulks of Monticeilo filed suit in circuit court Saturday for divorce from Opal Fulks and asks the custody of their three children which he alleges she abandoned.”


But the date is more than eight years after Opal’s date of last contact, as listed on NAMUS, which is also her youngest daughter’s date of birth, which I find concerning.

Do you remember your grandfather talking about Opal? Any of your other family members? Would love to learn more about her.

 

[alb1on]

There are two newspaper clippings on Ancestry, both of which state that Emery and Opal separated in 1932. This may just be misreporting her disappearance as separation, but is interesting as it could also be presenting her leaving as a separation. Who knows?

 

[mandrews]

My grandfather did talk about her here and there - primarily that no one knew where she went. He passed 20 years ago, but I will check in with my dad to see what he remembers of stories told about Opal.

 

[Molly's Mom]

George Emery Fulks (1908-1959) - Find A Grave...[/URL]

George sure waited awhile to get remarried.

 

[Molly's Mom]

My grandfather did talk about her here and there - primarily that no one knew where she went. He passed 20 years ago, but I will check in with my dad to see what he remembers of stories told about Opal.

Just wondering if you ever had a chance to speak with your father? I hope there are some answers for you and your family.

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

Thank you so much for letting us know, and I am so sorry for what you and your family are going through.

How could we best help?

By the way, according to the July 31st, 1939 edition of the Logansport Pharos-Tribunes, “Emery Fulks of Monticeilo filed suit in circuit court Saturday for divorce from Opal Fulks and asks the custody of their three children which he alleges she abandoned.”
View attachment 275193

But the date is more than eight years after Opal’s date of last contact, as listed on NAMUS, which is also her youngest daughter’s date of birth, which I find concerning.

Do you remember your grandfather talking about Opal? Any of your other family members? Would love to learn more about her.

Yes very strange that her last documented whereabouts was at the hospital giving birth. No family or friends visited her and the newborn after she went home?
Her brother, Mandrews grandfather, was around at the time. Was that the last time he and his parents saw her as well?

Where could she have gone so soon after having a baby where nobody would have known where she went? Someone would have had to babysit a newborn (and possibly the other children) while she stepped out. Wouldn't she have given that person a reason for needing a babysitter? For example, she needed a sitter so she could run to the grocery store and then what? She never returned?
It's important to know who had the children in their possession last.
Was it that person and/or her husband or her family that reported her missing?

Did she have access to a car?
Was any of her belongings missing like her purse etc.?
Was the husband ever a suspect?

These old cases are quite fascinating, especially the under-reported ones. Unfortunate though, that there is always so little information.

 

[alb1on]

According to this genealogical website, Opal Beatrice Raider Fulks died, aged 72, in Illinois. It's a bit confusing as there are a few with same or similar dates.

https://www.myheritage.com/names/opal_fulks

This also appears in various family trees on Ancestry, but on closer examination the death records cited relate to an Opal E Fulks born in 1909 rather than 1908.

 

[Betty P]

I would take that with a grain of salt. My Heritage is pulling the info on that page from user-generated public family trees. Most likely someone who is not a close relative of Opal has put the wrong Opal Fulk's date of death in their family tree without realizing it; since there are others with her same or similar name it is an easy mistake to make. I'm an amateur genealogist and I see incorrect family tree info online quite often. MOO.

Even on Ancestry.com, I found several trees for my family that showed me as deceased. No kidding. I had to message all the members and ask them to correct the error, as it causes your personal information to become public.

 

[steff13]

I wonder if she could have suffered from post-partum depression and just walked away? Three kids 4-ish and under would be overwhelming in 2021, I can't imagine what it would be like in that era, without all the modern conveniences we have. That could be why there isn't much information out there; maybe the family suspected a mental health issue and they were embarrassed and sort of kept the whole thing quiet. Just thinking out loud.

 

[Betty P]

It was also at the height of the Great Depression. Very bad times for most Americans.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

4072DFIN - Opal Beatrice Fulks
Added to the Doe Network.