Ancestry of Elizabeth Short : The Black Dahlia

Authors

One of the FBI 'Crimes of the Century' series

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1 Elizabeth "Bette" Short

Elizabeth Short was nicknamed "The Black Dahlia" either by friends at a drugstore she used to visit, or the nickname was made-up by a newspaper writer, sources vary on that point.  Born in Massachusetts in 1924, she was the third of five daughters to Cleo Alvin Short Jr and his wife Phoebe Mae Sawyer who had married in 1918. 

Her parents separated between 1940 and 1943, by which year her father, a mechanical engineer, had moved to Vallejo, California, while Phoebe stayed in Medford, Massachusetts.  There is apparently no basis whatsoever in the story that her father's car was found abandoned and the family thought he had committed suicide and didn't know where he was.  And instead of having "abandoned" his family as some claim, he himself states that "When I left the family I provided a trust fund for their support."

Elizabeth wrote to her father, he sent her money, and she came to California to live with him for a short time in 1943 in Vallejo.  Later that same year, he told her she could not live with him, because although they had set up housekeeping together she "wouldn't stay home".  She drifted down to the L.A. area, where as a minor, she was arrested for under-age drinking in California, and sent back on the train to her "parents in Massachusetts", probably just her mother.  She took a job as a waitress in or near Boston.

She had had some kind of respiratory problems and so went to Florida for her health, and while there, in 1944 she met Major Matt Gordon Jr of Pueblo, Colorado.  She wrote him frequently, one newspaper account states that he told his mother (who then presumably told the reporter), that Elizabeth had written him "27 letters in 11 days".  They had planned to get married, Matt had already bought the wedding ring.  Matt was killed in an airplane crash in India 10 Aug 1945.  A telegram from his mother to Elizabeth expressing her condolences was preserved by Elizabeth in a scrapbook discovered after her death.

Elizabeth, some sources claim, was an aspiring movie actress, but other sources claim that, at least after her death, no movie studios would claim that she had worked for them.  She had applied to be a clerk, or a cook, and might have worked as a waitress, she is also reported to have posed nude for artists or photographers.  After leaving her father's place, she apparently lived with some female roommates, and another couple in the San Diego area.  She seemed to have a lot of boyfriends, at least judging by an address book found with 75 men's names in it.  And her roommates said she always managed to come up with some money to pay the rent.

She was murdered early in 1947, age 22, her body found in a vacant lot on South Dalton.  Several news stories were written because of the particularly grisly way she was discovered, cut in half.  Although many suspects were interviewed, no one was ever charged.  Several people confessed to the crime, but were judged to be mentally defective, or habitual confessors.  Several books have come out on the cold case.  New theories are still being developed.

Elizabeth Short was an 11-th generation descendant of Richard Pinkham of Old Dover, New Hampshire.

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2 Cleo Alvin Short Jr
Cleo Short, age 62 in 1947


Sources for 2
  • Maine Marriage Records, 1705-1922 on Ancestry: "Cleo Alvin Short Junior to Phoebe Mae Sawyer; 11 Apr 1918; at Portland, Cumberland County, Maine; he 32, she 20; father C Alvin, mother Alice; spouse's father Charles T, mother Ella Lenora; groom resides in Portland, chief mechanical mate, U.S.N.; bride is a bookkeeper; groom was born in Gloucester, VA; bride in Milbridge, MA; first marriage for both; married by John H McLean of Portland, a clergyman; married in Portland; grooms father, born in Virginia is dead; grooms mother Alice Billips born in Virginia is dead; brides father Charles T Sawyer born in Milbridge, is dead; brides mother Ella Lenora Brown born in Milbridge, lives in Portland as a housewife; certified by Frank B W Welch, clerk of Portland, Maine"
  • 1920 US Federal Census of Somerville City, Middlesex County, Massachusetts: "C Alvin Short, head, 34, born Virginia/VA/VA, Salesman, Machinery; Phoebe, wife, 22, born Maine/ME/ME"
  • 1921 U.S City Directories, Portland, Maine: "95B Munjoy Street, C Alvin Short (Phoebe M) salesman" Also in this same directory under Short are a Charles Short with wife Jane and a Harry Short no wife
  • 1922 U.S City Directories, Portland, Maine: 125 Morning, C Alvin Short (Phoebe M) salesman"
  • Maine Birth Records, 1621-1922: "Dorothea Short, born 16 Oct 1922 Portland, ME; 2nd child; father Clio A Short born Gloucester, VA, salesman; mother Phoebe May Sawyer born Millbridge, ME, housewife; residing at 125 Morning Street; physician F G Devereux, MD of Portland"
  • 1927 U.S. City Directories, Portland, Maine : "Clio A Short (Phoebe M), traveling salesman, home at 66 Montreal
  • 1928 U.S. City Directories, Portland, Maine : "Clio A Short (Phoebe M), traveling salesman, home at 66 Montreal
  • 1930 US Federal Census of Medford City, Middlesex County, Massachusetts: "49 Evans Street; Cleo A Short, head, rents for $45 per month, 44, married first at 32, born Virginia/VA/VA, Engineer, Mechanical, Veteran of the World War; Phoebe M, wife, 31, married first at 19, born Maine/ME/ME; Virginia M, daughter, 9, born Maine; Dorthea, daughter, 7, born Maine; Elizabeth, daughter, 5, born Massachusetts; Elenora, daughter, 4, born Maine; Muriel J, daughter, 1, born Massachusetts"
  • 1938 U.S. City Directories, Medford, Massachusetts : "Mrs Phoebe M Short, 115 Salem Street"
  • Google Map

    Relationship of 1020 S Kingsley Drive
    to where her body was found

  • When he applied for a Social Security card in 1940, he was then still living in Massachusetts, in Weynemouth and listed himself as then married and his wife's name as Phoebe May (source).  This address where Cleo is living, is directly on the ocean.  Perhaps he was living there because he missed the sea, or because he had been working there on a ship.  However sometime between 1940 and 1943 he moved to California, leaving his family.  The claim that his abandoned car was discovered in 1930 and his family thought him dead is cited in Mary Pacios book, citing the Medford Mercury that year, but it's not clear from that, that he was in fact never found.  When Elizabeth Short was killed in 1947, he is quoted as having said that she lived with him "in Vallejo about five years ago", but that he hadn't seen her since.  That same article however erroneously reported that he had been "separated from his wife for 20 years".  An article a few days later states that her mother testified at the grand jury inquest, that Elizabeth had left Medford "19 Apr 1946" but she also mentions "her final visit home" so perhaps this date was just the date she last visited Medford.
  • California Voters Registrations:
    • 1946 Los Angeles, Cleo A Short, 1020 S Kingsley Drive, Democrat
    • 1948 Los Angeles, Cleo A Short, 1020 S Kingsley Drive, Democrat
    • 1952 Los Angeles, Cleo A Short, 2644 Cudahy Street, Republican
    • 1954 Los Angeles, Cleo A Short, 2644 Cudahy Street, Republican
  • Social Security Death Index: "Cleo Short; born 18 Oct 1885, SSN issued by Massachusetts before 1951; died Jan 1967, last residence Huntington Park, Los Angeles County"
  • California Death Index: "Cleo A Short, born 18 Oct 1885 Virginia; died 19 Jan 1967 Los Angeles County"
  • US Veterans Gravesites on Ancestry: "Cleo Short, CMM US Navy World War I, born 18 Oct 1885, died 19 Jan 1967, interred 27 Jan 1967, Los Angeles National Cemetery, Section 99A Row C Site 15"


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3 Phoebe May Sawyer
Phoebe and Elizabeth Short

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Sources for 3
  • Maine Birth Records, 1621-1922 online at Ancestry: "Phoebe May Sawyer, born 2 Jul 1897 Milbridge; father Charles T born Milbridge, engineer; mother Ella N Brown, born Milbridge
  • 1900 US Federal Census, Milbridge, Washington County, Maine 'Pheby M Sawyer age 2 daughter"
  • 1910 US Federal Census, Milbridge, Washington County, Maine "Pheobie M Leighton daughter-in-law (recte step daughter), age 12"
  • Maine Marriage Records, 1705-1922 on Ancestry: "Cleo Alvin Short Junior to Phoebe Mae Sawyer; 11 Apr 1918; at Portland, Cumberland County, Maine; he 32, she 20; father C Alvin, mother Alice; spouse's father Charles T, mother Ella Lenora; groom resides in Portland, chief mechanical mate, U.S.N.; bride is a bookkeeper; groom was born in Gloucester, VA; bride in Milbridge, MA; first marriage for both; married by John H McLean of Portland, a clergyman; married in Portland; grooms father, born in Virginia is dead; grooms mother Alice Billips born in Virginia is dead; brides father Charles T Sawyer born in Milbridge, is dead; brides mother Ella Lenora Brown born in Milbridge, lives in Portland as a housewife; certified by Frank B W Welch, clerk of Portland, Maine"
  • 1920 US Federal Census of Somerville City, Middlesex County, Massachusetts: "C Alvin Short, head, 34, born Virginia/VA/VA, Salesman, Machinery; Phoebe, wife, 22, born Maine/ME/ME"
  • 1930 US Federal Census of Medford City, Middlesex County, Massachusetts: "49 Evans Street; Cleo A Short, head, rents for $45 per month, 44, married first at 32, born Virginia/VA/VA, Engineer, Mechanical, Veteran of the World War; Phoebe M, wife, 31, married first at 19, born Maine/ME/ME; Virginia M, daughter, 9, born Maine; Dorthea, daughter, 7, born Maine; Elizabeth, daughter, 5, born Massachusetts; Elenora, daughter, 4, born Maine; Muriel J, daughter, 1, born Massachusetts"
  • 1938 U.S. City Directories, Medford, Massachusetts : "Mrs Phoebe M Short, 115 Salem Street"
  • Florida Death Index, 1877-1998 "Phoebe Mae Short born 2 Jul 1897, died 1 Mar 1992 Indian River County, Florida"

4 Cleo Alvin Short

5 Alice Billips

6 Charles T Sawyer

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7 Ella Lenora Brown
Ella N Brown was born in 1869 in Maine.  Her first husband Charles Sawyer died sometime before 1919.  They had at least the following children: Eugene Sawyer born 1887/8; Susan E Sawyer born 1890/1; Ralph Sawyer born 1891/2.  All born in Maine.  All of these children died apparently unmarried.  Charles and Ella also had a daughter Phoebe born in 1899, also in Maine, who married Cleo Alvin Short Jr in Maine in 1918.  On 30 Oct 1904 in Millbridge, Maine, Ella was married to Jefferson Leighton.  As "Ella Leighton" she was yet living in 1947 when Phoebe flew to California to bury Elizabeth.  Ella stayed in Phoebe's home, with Elizabeth's three then unmarried sisters.  The eldest sister Virginia was already married and living in Berkeley, California.

Sources for 7
  • Maine Birth Records, 1621-1922 online at Ancestry: "Edna Sawyer, born 22 Sep 1887 Milbridge; father Charles; mother Ella" - "Eugene Sawyer, born 29 Nov 1889 Portland; father Charles, mother Ella" - "Susie Clara Sawyer, born 1 Jan 1891 Portland; father Charles Turner Sawyer, mother Ella N" - "Phoebe May Sawyer, born 2 Jul 1897 Milbridge; father Charles T born Milbridge, engineer; mother Ella N Brown, born Milbridge
  • 1900 US Federal Census, Milbridge, Washington County, Maine 'Pheby M Sawyer age 2 daughter"
  • 1910 US Federal Census, Milbridge, Washington County, Maine "Pheobie M Leighton daughter-in-law (recte step daughter), age 12"
  • 1920 US Federal Census Portland, Cumberland County, Maine
  • "Ella Lenora Brown Leighton" at Findagrave.com