Applegate Family – Someone Peed In My Gene Pool!

August 10, 2025

Introducing George Thomas Applegate

Introduction Page – George Thomas Applegate

Every family has those steady, familiar presences — the kind of people who anchor a family’s story without demanding the spotlight. For our family, George Thomas Applegate was one of them.

Born in Crothersville, Indiana, in 1899, George grew up in a time when the pace of life was measured in work shifts, neighborhood news, and the changing seasons. His life carried him through early factory work, decades at Allison, and the shifting rhythms of a city that was always growing around him.

George was no stranger to life’s twists — from stepfathers to wartime draft registrations, from divorce to late-in-life marriages — yet he met each chapter with a kind of quiet perseverance. He remained rooted in Indianapolis, building a life that blended hard work, community, and family ties.

If you knew George — whether you worked alongside him, saw him at church, or shared a seat at his kitchen table — we’d love for you to add your stories here. It’s these personal memories that bring his history to life far better than census records and draft cards ever could.

📝 Share Your Memories
Use the comment box below to tell us about George — his laugh, his habits, the advice he gave, the things that made him uniquely himself. Your stories will help keep his memory alive for future generations.

Want the full story?
Visit George Thomas Applegate’s Family Page to explore his complete life timeline, from his Crothersville childhood to his final years in Indianapolis.

August 9, 2025

Introducing Elsie Mae Applegate

Elsie Mae Applegate Tudor

27 January 1893 – 24 June 1985

From Crothersville’s quiet streets to the busy neighborhoods of Indianapolis, Elsie Mae Applegate Tudor lived a life rooted in devotion — to her family, her community, and the organizations she poured her time into. The daughter of George W. Applegate and Serilda White, Elsie grew up in a blended household, learned early the value of hard work, and carried that ethic into her marriages, her career, and her civic life.

Married first to Wilford Mann in 1912, Elsie found her lifelong partner in Orval Ray Tudor, a World War I veteran. Together, they built a steady life in Indianapolis, sharing more than 60 years of companionship. Elsie worked for L.S. Ayres & Co. for 24 years, served as deputy assessor for Washington Township for over a decade, and held leadership roles in the Order of the Eastern Star, Ladies Oriental Shrine, and the American Legion Auxiliary.

She was a woman who could manage a household with grace, work the sales floor with charm, and preside over community meetings with authority. Elsie’s life spanned 92 years — years in which she witnessed remarkable change but never lost her steadfast sense of purpose.

Explore Elsie’s full story
Visit Elsie Mae Applegate Tudor’s Family Page for a detailed look at her life, historical records, and the milestones that shaped her 92 remarkable years.

Share Your Memories

If you knew Elsie — as a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or fellow member of the many organizations she served — we’d love to hear from you. Share your memories, stories, or photos in the comments below so her legacy can continue to live on through the people who knew her best.

August 9, 2025

Introducing John William Applegate

8 May 1891 – 14 October 1977

John William Applegate

The Man of Many Chapters | Survivor of War and Work | Keeper of Quiet Roads

Some lives are drawn in straight lines — John’s was a patchwork quilt of moves, marriages, and reinventions. Born in Crothersville, Indiana, in the spring of 1891, he grew up in a household where the door was always swinging for siblings, extended family, and visitors.

By the time the First World War arrived, John had already endured a serious hand injury but still stepped forward to serve. After his discharge, his life unfolded in restless chapters: from Indiana streets to Ohio hotels, from sales counters to bakery offices, and eventually, the Arizona desert. His five marriages marked turning points, each carrying him into a new role, a new address, a new attempt at permanence.

He was a man who kept moving — not because he lacked roots, but because he carried them with him.

Want the full story?
Head over to John William Applegate’s Family Page for a detailed, milestone-based history of his life, complete with records, photographs, and research notes.

Tell Us What You Know

The documents tell us where John lived and when he married, but they don’t tell us how he laughed, what stories he told at the dinner table, or whether he liked the desert sunsets in Arizona more than Indiana’s summer evenings.

If you knew John — or if he was part of your family’s stories — please share your memories, photographs, or anecdotes in the comments below. Every detail helps stitch together the man behind the records.

April 1, 2017

Applegate Family History

Applegate Surname

John Edward Beyl’s marriage to Edna Mae Applegate gives me a whole new line of ancestors to research. My initial search on the Applegate surname looks promising.

I did a quick search on Ancestry.com to find the origin of the surname Applegate. It appears to be a variant of Applegarth, which comes from the northern Middle English word gate or road.

Fortunately, Ancestry seems to have hundreds of thousands of records for the Applegate surname, so this may be very promising when researching this line of genealogy.

It looks like most of the Applegate ancestors immigrated to New Jersey. Many also immigrated to other areas of the Northeast, including Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. But of course, there are some scattered throughout the rest of the United States.

Naturally, I will be looking for how they got to Indiana. Edna Mae was born in Indiana, which is not to say that her immediate ancestors originated there. But they ended up there, so I will be looking for where they were immediately before Indiana and where their arrival point was.

I don’t yet know where her parents were born, so I’m not sure how far back in the Applegate line they immigrated. Based on the time frame, I would venture to guess that it would’ve been her grandparents or great-grandparents who immigrated.

It seems that many Applegate immigrants came from England, while many others came from Great Britain. A couple came from Denmark, and one came from Ireland.

Since 12% of my DNA comes from Great Britain, we could assume they immigrated from Great Britain, although I’m not into making assumptions about genealogy.

That could come from a different line. So I’ll have to research this further.

Most of the Applegate families seem to have immigrated between 1851 and 1890.

There was a pretty big spike in 1857. It would be interesting to find out what happened that year, if anything, that caused so many more to come over.

This time frame would appear to be the time of Edna’s great-grandparents. I’ll definitely want to confirm this.

I haven’t seen any passenger lists for this line, though I’ve only done the research for one person so far. Hopefully, I’ll find more on them soon.

As expected, most of them were farmers, and many were Laborers. I’ve found a lot of Laborers in the Beyl lineage. I’m guessing I’ll also find many more in the Applegate lineage. But you never know.

I’ve found that most wives prior to the 1900s were housekeepers or housewives, so it’s not surprising to see the 6% in this chart. I’ve also seen a few Carpenters in there, but again, that’s on the Beyl side.

It’s interesting to see a few Blacksmiths in this line. I hope to find one or two among my ancestors…just because I dare to be different.

Edna’s father was a Drayman who owned his own house. I just learned that a Drayman is a person who delivers beer for a brewery. That is different, I like that…alcohol aside.

Applegate Ancestors I’ve Researched So Far

George W. Applegate
- John William Applegate
- Edna Mae Applegate
- Elsie Mae Applegate
- George Thomas Applegate

Finally, the Applegate family’s life expectancy has been pretty close to that of the general public.

It seems as though many lived to see their 70s.

I do find it interesting that life expectancy spiked in the late 1950s by over 20 years! It’s commonly known that technological advances began in the 1950s; perhaps this is the reason for the spike.

Researchers are still trying to determine the reasons for such differences. So, I will continue focusing on my own ancestors and let the scientists tackle that question.

There is not much information on this line just yet, as I’ve only researched one person so far. But, as always, I will come back and update this page as I find more information. There is so much to do, so little time!

It would be nice to know more about these ancestors. Where did they come from before Indiana? Why did they immigrate to the United States? Are there any notable or famous ancestors in this line?

Have you found Applegate in your family tree yet? If so, I’d love to hear from you!

Even if you haven’t, have you found reliable places to research the history of your family name? I’d love to know where to go to find out accurate facts about surnames that can provide some of the history behind the name. Do share and let us know how you do it. Just drop a line in the comments below.

That’s all for now, I’ll check back regularly and update this page as I find additional information.

Happy searching!

~Kris