Vital Information
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Sybil Dora Holt | WikiTree Holt-14739 |
| Born | 29 Jul 1900 | WikiTree Holt-14739 |
| Birthplace | Wilmot, Cowley_County_Kansas | WikiTree Holt-14739 |
| Died | 27 May 1989 (age 88) | WikiTree Holt-14739 |
| Death Place | Jackson County, Missouri | WikiTree Holt-14739 |
| Burial | Oak Ridge Memory Gardens, Independence, Jackson County, MO | WikiTree Holt-14739 |
| Father | Noah_Caswell_Holt (1869-1935) | WikiTree Holt-14739 |
| Mother | Dora L. Copeland (Jul 1872 - 12 Feb 1940, Jefferson, TN) | WikiTree Holt-14739 |
| Sister | Vada Emily Holt Langton (b. 1905, Wilmot, KS) | WikiTree Holt-14739 |
| First Husband | Clinton_Woodward_Orrill (m. 24 Nov 1920, Wichita, KS; d. 13 Mar 1926, Sugar Creek, MO) | WikiTree Holt-14739, Orrill-24 |
| Second Husband | Fred Forest Fulghum (b. 21 Sep 1895, New Paris, IN; d. 20 Dec 1966; FaG #25618094) (by 1928) | FaG #25618094, memoir photo captions |
| Biological Children | Leo Eugene Orrill (9 Mar 1922 - 15 Mar 1922; died at 6 days), Aura Gale Orrill (b. 1923, later Gale_Fulghum) | WikiTree Orrill-24, Orrill-25 |
| Stepson | Robert_Edgar_Fulghum (b. 28 Aug 1924; Fred's son with Margaret Parsons) | FaG #135422906 |
Biography
Sybil Dora Holt was born on July 29, 1900, in Wilmot, Cowley County, Kansas, the daughter of Noah Caswell Holt and Dora L. Copeland. She grew up in the Holt farming community of Richland Township, where her father's family had settled decades earlier. Her uncle John William Holt and aunt Clara Effie Kennedy Holt farmed nearby.
On November 24, 1920, Sybil married Clinton Woodward "Jack" Orrill in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas, at age 20. Their first son, Leo Eugene Orrill, was born March 9, 1922 but lived only six days, dying March 15, 1922 in Wichita. A second son, Aura Gale Orrill (later Gale Fulghum), was born February 19, 1923 in Kansas City, Missouri.
On March 13, 1926, Clinton was killed at age 25 when a tar still exploded at the Standard Oil refinery in Sugar Creek, Missouri. He died at the Independence Sanitarium. Clinton's father Frederick Thomas Orrill died less than three months later, on June 4, 1926, in Arcadia, California. Sybil was left a 25-year-old widow with one small child, having already lost her firstborn as an infant.
After Clinton's death, Sybil sent Gale to live with her uncle and aunt, John William and Clara Holt, on their farm near Wilmot (1926-1928). By 1928, Sybil had married Fred Forest Fulghum (1895-1966), a WWI veteran and gas fitter from New Paris, Indiana, whose first wife Margaret Parsons had died on December 14, 1926. Fred brought his son Robert Edgar "Bob" Fulghum (b. 28 Aug 1924) into the marriage. Fred gave Gale the Fulghum surname, replacing the Orrill name; Bob was already a Fulghum by birth. Gale and Bob were raised together as brothers. The 1930 census lists the Fred Fulghum household in Jackson County, MO, including Gale (age 7, born MO) and Robert (age 5, born KS). By 1935 the family lived at 1222 N. Liberty, Independence, Missouri. Fred and Sybil are both buried at Oak Ridge Memory Gardens, Independence.
Sybil died on May 27, 1989, at age 88, in Jackson County, Missouri, and was buried at Oak Ridge Memory Gardens in Independence. She lived in the Independence area for decades, overlapping geographically with her son Gale's adult life.
Significance
The identification of Sybil as a Holt by birth resolves the central mystery of Gale Fulghum's early life: the "foster grandparents" were not unrelated caregivers but Sybil's own uncle and aunt. The Holts took in Gale and Bob because they were family.
Document Sources
| Document | Type | Vault Note |
|---|---|---|
| WikiTree Holt-14739 | Online family tree (tertiary) | wikitree.com/wiki/Holt-14739 |
| "The Best of Times" memoir (2004) | Personal memoir | Fulghum/The Best of Times - Gale Fulghum (2004).pdf |
| 1930 US Census | Federal census (primary) | Referenced on WikiTree |
Data Discrepancies
| Field | Source A | Source B | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name in memoir | "Sybil Orille" | Sybil Dora Holt, aka Orrill | "Orille" was phonetic misspelling of married name "Orrill"; maiden name was Holt |
| Husband's name in memoir | "Jack Orille" | Clinton Woodward Orrill | "Jack" may be misremembering, nickname, or different person; see Clinton_Woodward_Orrill |