Tacoma "Pearls"

Seth and I have never agreed on girls names that we both like for our potential daughters. My absolute favorite name for a girl is Pearl and he doesn't particularly like it anyway, but especially not because with the last name Parkinson, her initials would be P_P.

However, I'm obsessed with and fixated on the name and I'm convinced that he will one day see the beauty of it.

Especially with this recent finding! Both Ezra and Isaac are (tangentially) named after Tacoma/Washington State historical figures and obviously with the name Pearl, now our (potential, probably non-existent) daughter will be too.

Tacoma historian Michael Sullivan recently wrote about Pearl Danner:

...a wonder[ful] series of photographs [from the WSHS] trac[es] her adventures as a young woman living near Puyallup just before and after the turn of the 19th Century. Someone in her family loved to take photographs and had a playful eye for content and composition. In the portraits of Pearl and her sister Naomi they grow from little girls at a tea party to young women standing in a clear cut cutting ferns on a summer day. But who was the photographer? What became of Pearl and Naomi? Did she go through life with the deadpan humor she exhibited in her picture with the bowler hatted spaniel? I think the answer is in her smart gaze in that white dress somewhere near here a century ago.

So I went looking for Pearls from Tacoma and I found:

Pearl Gunn

"...a teller at Bank of California was held up by a man she described as "tall, dark, very handsome, well dressed, cool and calm"... Pearl Gunn stated she was petrified about the incident." (TNT 5/6/48)

Pearl A. Wanamaker

"Pearl A. Wanamaker [superintendent of public instruction] shows her family the Altrusa International annual award she received as the woman performing the most distinguished services in a public field at Lakewood Terrace." (T.Times 9/26/1946)

Pearl E. Shepherd

"Gary Gay Shepherd was born to Mrs. Pearl E. Shepherd, formerly Pearl Holden, at Saint Joseph's Hospital on January 8, 1943. Mrs. Shepherd was married to Corporal Grover G. Shepherd. The joyous news of the baby's birth arrived almost simultaneously with the official notice that his father had been killed in action; the first casualty from Tacoma in the North Africa campaign. Corp. Shepherd had died November 20th. Announcement of his death was contained in the casualty list released by the War Department just a few days before his son's arrival." (T. Times 01-11-1943)

Pearl Rehbock

"Mayor Harry P. Cain with personal secretary Pearl Rehbock (also office manager of the USO-YMCA)  at his office in (Old) City Hall about 1940. She appears to be taking dictation. There is a copy of a Washington Association of Cities publication on his desk blotter and a City of Atlanta Traffic Study in his "IN" box." (ca. 1940)

Pearl McCord 

"Rodney and Pearl McCord. McCord was a trainman for Tacoma Railway and Power Company." (ca. 1936)

Pearl Lees

"Pearl Britton Lees demonstrates hand-weaving on her loom for the Weaver's Guild. Lees teaches the recently revived craft in her home at 3520 So. 10th St., where she operates the Wayside Arts and Craft School. One of the techniques demonstrated was the purely American "Summer and Winter" weave in an eight harness technique." (T. Times, 11/11/1938)

"Franklin Park Improvement Club... poses in undeveloped Franklin Park with blueprints. Pictured, left to right, are Henry Pitcher of the WPA, Mrs. J.B. Champlain, C.F. Mason, Parks Superintendent Sherman Ingels, and Mrs. Pearl Lees." (T. Times 9/12/1939)

Pearl Branham

"Lincoln High School custodians posed at the foot of one of the staircases in the school. The woman custodian in the front row is Pearl Branham. She began working at Lincoln during WW II, and worked there for sixteen years." (11/30/1951)

Pearl Rhodes

"Henry A. and Pearl Rhodes, Rhodes Investment Company, in garden on the top floor penthouse of the Ansonia Apartments, overlooking Commencement Bay. Potted plants and lawn furniture arranged in outdoor deck garden on asphalt roofing material." (7/31/1952)

Pearl L. Sohlberg

"Red Cross feeding children at Children's Industrial Home. After a furnace and boiler exploded in the basement of the Children's Industrial Home, the American Red Cross stepped in and offered assistance. Red Cross volunteers are helping feed children and transport them to and from school. View of Pearl L. Sohlberg, Red Cross Volunteer, distributing food to children." (T. Times, 9/26/44)

"When we think of the Red Cross, we most often think of first aid and disaster assistance. During both World Wars, coffee and doughnuts were traditional items served by the Red Cross as part of their morale-building services, especially to troops overseas. In this picture from August, 1944 a smiling Red Cross volunteer, Pearl L. Sohlberg (Mrs. Joseph "Jack" E. Sohlberg) is serving coffee and doughnuts." (T.Times 9/26/1944)

Pearl Richards

"The Young Men's Business Club Auxiliary helped raise money for new high school band uniforms for Stadium, Lincoln and Bellarmine in April 1947. The "Band Aid" committee distributed collection/ donation bottles throughout Tacoma in cooperation with local businesses. Left to right view of committee members on jeep outside Lincoln High School are: Mildred Ose, ["Tacoma Pioneer"] Pearl Richards, Kathleen Allard and Virginia Belfoy." (T.Times, 4/26/47, p. 11).

Pearl Rush

"Holiday photograph of Sam and Pearl Rush and their family at their home at 10511 A St. Mr. Rush was the owner of the Bone Dry Shoe Store at 942 Commerce. Holiday greeting card are displayed along the mantle, along with a statue of the Madonna. The young boy poses atop his Christmas gift, a new tricycle while a rocking horse, drum and flexible flyer wait for his attention under the tree." (12/29/1950)

 Pearl Croft

"In December of 1942, newly elected Pierce County Sheriff Lee Croft and his wife Pearl pose with one of their three children and a grandchild. The trio are photographed at the Croft Hotel, which Mr. Croft owned as well as resided there." (12/21/1942)

"Mrs. Pearl Croft (left) and Mrs. Georgia Clayton prepared the turkey with dressing dinners that were served at the annual Autumn Dinner Festival on November 8, 1968 at the Senior Center at 923 No. 13th Street. All Pierce County senior residents over the age of 55 were invited. Mrs. Clayton, the chef at the center, was assisted by Mrs. Croft, the widow of former Sheriff, Lee Croft. Senior Centers, including two in Tacoma, were being established in the late 1960's to offer activities for the older population. The Tacoma centers were on No. 13th St. and at Wright Park." (TNT 11/7/68) 

Pearl Fitch

"Pearl (Mrs. Hereford) Fitch, left, admires rare old lustre ware belonging to Inez (Mrs. C.G.) Jennings, right. The pair are posing at the Jennings home in October of 1942. They are both members of the National American Glass Club." (T. Times 10/17/1942)

Pearl Mehalick

"Lennard Anderson, the head of the music program at Central School, uses a ruler to point to the short list of music questions that he wrote on the blackboard. The five attentive violin students are (l to r) Janice Wardle, Lila Lee Wright, Pearl Mehalick, Fred Remmen and Patricia Baldwin. The Central School staff believed that every student should have the opportunity to learn to sing or play a musical instrument." (T. Times 1/17/1941)

Pearl Emmons

"Harry Eugene and Pearl Emmons are relaxing in their beautiful home, located in Tacoma's Stadium neighborhood. Harry is President and Manager of Tacoma Sash and Door Company. Interior view of their home, fireplace with a Purdue University emblem on right side, book shelf in background." (11/29/1947)

Ta da! That's just the women I found by searching "Pearl" in the Tacoma Public Library Image Archives. "Pearl" came up with a lot of society pages photographs of women in wedding dresses ("pearl colored satin") or glamour shots ("with three strands of a pearl necklace"), images of businesses, etc., of Pearl Street, and of photographs of people and ships from Tacoma associated with Pearl Harbor... I still want to do a bit more searching, though.

There's an obvious trend regarding the popularity of the name Pearl. The Social Security Names Database backs that up too:

Popularity of the female name Pearl

Year of birth	Rank
2012	756
2011	806
2010	958
2009	983
2008	a
2007	993
2006	a
2005	a
2004	a
2003	a
2002	a
2001	a
2000	a
1999	a
1998	a
1997	a
1996	a
1995	a
1994	a
1993	a
1992	a
1991	a
1990	a
1989	a
1988	a
1987	a
1986	977
1985	945
1984	889
1983	893
1982	829
1981	852
1980	900
1979	999
1978	a
1977	a
1976	917
1975	893
1974	878
1973	882
1972	808
1971	846
1970	843
1969	881
1968	761
1967	737
1966	702
1965	602
1964	587
1963	587
1962	510
1961	522
1960	505
1959	521
1958	481
1957	448
1956	421
1955	407
1954	387
1953	377
1952	363
1951	346
1950	320
1949	325
1948	290
1947	293
1946	282
1945	265
1944	238
1943	223
1942	191
1941	212
1940	197
1939	198
1938	189
1937	187
1936	172
1935	166
1934	154
1933	143
1932	138
1931	137
1930	121
1929	114
1928	110
1927	102
1926	95
1925	90
1924	78
1923	78
1922	71
1921	65
1920	62
1919	56
1918	56
1917	57
1916	57
1915	56
1914	56
1913	55
1912	54
1911	48
1910	39
1909	40
1908	39
1907	35
1906	35
1905	31
1904	30
1903	27
1902	28
1901	31
1900	24
1899	27
1898	26
1897	25
1896	25
1895	26
1894	28
1893	26
1892	26
1891	27
1890	24
1889	24
1888	26
1887	25
1886	29
1885	26
1884	25
1883	29
1882	33
1881	38
1880	47