Fern Odell Reid

Brief Life History of Fern Odell

When Fern Odell Reid was born on 10 July 1913, in Eagletown, McCurtain, Oklahoma, United States, her father, John Henry Reid, was 43 and her mother, Frances Eugenia Couch, was 35. She married James Louis Steffenson on 18 May 1936, in Bellflower, Los Angeles, California, United States. She lived in California, United States in 1981 and Merced, California, United States in 2003. She died on 17 July 2004, in Oregon, United States, at the age of 91, and was buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, United States.

Photos and Memories (1)

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Family Time Line

Alva Winston Bright
1913–1992
Fern Odell Reid
1913–2004
Marriage: 23 August 1946
Linda Fern Bright
1947–1947

Sources (21)

  • Unknown, "United States 1950 Census"
  • Legacy NFS Source: Fern Odell Reid - Individual or family possessions: Family Bible: birth:
  • Fern Odell Steffenson, "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952"

Spouse and Children

World Events (8)

1916 · The First woman elected into the US Congress

Jeannette Pickering Rankin became the first woman to hold a federal office position in the House of Representatives, and remains the only woman elected to Congress by Montana.

1917 · The U.S. Army Spruce Production Division

Thousands of soldiers were assigned to the U.S. Army Spruce Production Division to provide wood for airplanes and ships during World War I. Poor working conditions in 1917 caused the men to strike which slowed the logging production in the area. The demands of the strikers were rejected by the lumber companies. As the need was ever-present for lumber during the war, the government stationed soldiers to do the work. Over 230 spruce soldier camps were built and occupied throughout the Pacific Northwest at this time. 

1937 · The Neutrality Act

The Neutrality Acts were passed in response to the growing conflicts in Europe and Asia during the time leading up to World War II. The primary purpose was so the US wouldn't engage in any more foreign conflicts. Most of the Acts were repealed in 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

Name Meaning

Scottish: variant of Reed , of which Reid is the common modern Scots spelling.

History: Samuel Chester Reid (1783–1861), the sea captain who designed the stars and stripes form of the present the American flag, was born at Norwich, CT. His father, Lt. John Reid, a former British naval officer of a distinguished Glasgow family, had resigned his commission and joined the cause of the American Revolution.

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

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