So, who was Charlotte Halley, anyway?

Well, further to my little project of browsing thru the 1930 census records, I deceided to see what else I could find out about the first resident of 1916 Elizabeth Avenue.

Evidently, while the house was being constructed, Miss Charlotte Halley rented another house at nearby 335 Princeton Avenue. She lived there with her widowed mother Mrs. Mary A. Halley, who was born in England about 1846. Miss Halley was born in Illinois about 1877, and worked as a stenographer at a local real estate company. [1930 Census, Orlando, Orange County, Florida, page 152.]

Here's everything I've gleaned on their family background:

The Halley Genealogy

Belton Halley, son of James Halley and Mary Carmichael, was born 15 November 1847 and christened twelve days later at Christ Church in London, England. He married 22 August 1869 in Surrey, England, to Miss Mary Ann Dards, daughter of John C. Dards and the former Charlotte Sommers.

The Halleys came to the United States about 1872, and were living at 3515 Portland Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, by 1880. Mr. Halley worked at the time as a builder and contractor. Subsequent census records indicate he became a naturalized citizen in 1887. By the following year, he had moved his family to 4405 Sidney Avenue.

In 1900, Mr. Halley was working as a real estate agent and gave his address as 72 44th Avenue in the Hyde Park section of Chicago. The 1910 U.S. Census gives his address as 1135 44th Street, and reported that he lived on his “own income.” Part of this income evidently came from renting out rooms as his immediate family grew smaller, as broker Alexander Bower and his family were listed as tenants that year. The 1920 Census lists him as “retired,“ and notes that his mother was born in Scotland. (All previous enumerations had given her birthplace as England.)

Mr. Halley died 20 December 1921 in Chicago, and was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in that city. His widow then moved to Orlando, Florida, with her two daughters, and died here 4 January 1938. Her body was shipped back to Chicago to be buried with her husband.

The Halleys had seven children:

1. Frank Charles Halley, born 10 July 1870 in London, died 2 July 1872, just a few days short of his second birthday.
2. Belton Henry Halley, born 15 November 1872 in Chicago, was still living with his parents’ family as late as 1900, when he was listed as a mechanical engineer in the U.S. Census. He married 30 June 1903 to the former Helen E. Padgett. He died 11January 1927 in Chicago at age 54.
3. Ernest James Halley, born 15 February 1874 in Chicago, died there 23 January 1910 at age 35.
4. Della (or Delia) Charlotte Halley, born 5 September 1876 in Chicago, who became the first owner of 1916 Elizabeth Avenue in Orlando. Early census records identify her by her first name (Delia in 1880, and Della in 1900). But, by 1910, she was going by her middle name of Charlotte and working as a stenographer while living with her parents in Chicago. She never married, and was still living with her parents and working in the same capacity in 1920. She died 14 October 1962.
5. Ada Cotsworth Halley, born 8 January 1879 in Chicago. She married in that city 17 February 1904 to Frank Wilcox Osmun, Sr. He was born 28 May 1871 in Pontiac, Michigan, and died 4 January 1960 in Orlando. Ada survived him until 23 January 1977, and is buried by his side at Woodlawn Cemetery in Orlando.
6. Calvin Butrick Halley, born 4 March 1881 in Chicago, no further information.
7. Percy Cotsworth Halley, born 1 October 1882 in Chicago, no further information.
   

References:

• 1880 Census, Cook County, Illinois, page 37a.
• 1888/9 Elite Directory, Chicago, Illinois.
• 1900 Census, Cook County, Illinois, page 257a.
• 1910 Census, Cook County, Illinois, page 2a.
• 1920 Census, Cook County, Illinois, page 46a.
• Barbara Cousins Osmun, 1200 Kingsport Lane, Richmond, VA 23225, Ancestral File 83-082380, available online at http://www.familysearch.org/.
• Illinois Statewide Archives, http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/.