Edith Waite

A somewhat elusive but oddly memorable figure in Waite family history for me is one Edith Waite. I recall a trip with my mother, when I was 10 or so, to pay a visit to Edith. It was the summer, of course, and mom was on one of her many treks "back home" to visit family and friends in Mass--mostly in the Worcester area. I can't quite recall where Edith was living on our visit, but I remember a house in the summer, replete with wildflowers in the yard. Being 10 years old, I quickly become bored with the adult chattering in the house and escaped to the yard to explore flora and any fauna.

Alas, details about Edith and her exact connection to the Waite lineage elude me. Hopefully, someone can fill in the blanks, including: Who were her parents and how does she fit in to the family tree in context with Sidney and Carrie, my maternal grandparents?

Oh, yes, one other bit of history that I do recall with Edith. She was living in Salem, Mass in her final years. Could I have visited her there? How long did she live there?

I've also heard that there was a bit of intrigue surrounding her demise. Can anyone adds some color to the story?

Meantime, here are two photos that turned up in my mom's collection. The first is dated Sep. 17, 1949 and listed as taken in Beverly, Mass. The people are named, from left to right: Edith, Ethel and George, Alice and Gordon. That's Alice Waite Jensen and her son Gordon, and Edith W. on the left. Who's Ethel and George? Somewhere in the ether of memory those two names ring familiar.

In the second photo (same date as above), the handwriting on the back lists: Edith, Karl, Ethel and George, and Alice. I recognize Karl Jensen (Alice's husband), along with Edith W. But there's Ethel and George again. Can any one offer some clarity?