Marina Ermachenko - aka Mary Newitt (1896-1944)

***NOTE - This Post Was Edited September 2019***

Mary Newitt, also known as Marina Ermachenko, was form in Russia in July of 1896. On December 20, 1919, Mary was wedded to Michael Losacco in Vladivostok, Russia. Michael was part of the A.E.F. in Russia. They returned to the United States in 1920, arriving in San Francisco on August 18th aboard the Army Transport Ship Sheridan. At this time, Mary became a naturalized citizen. Following an abusive marriage, she divorced her husband on December 28, 1922 in San Francisco. She married Clarence Keith Newitt 20 February 1925 in Redwood City, California. At the time of their marriage, they were both living in San Francisco. Mary was working as a maid at the time of their marriage. They lived in San Francisco. They are first found together in the San Francisco directories in 1927. They lived in San Francisco until her death in 1944.

Mary passed away on May 20, 1944 at St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco. According to the Coroner's Register, she was brought to the hospital on May 16th and placed under observation. She was admitted for surgery on the morning of the 20th and placed under anesthesia, but passed away just prior to the surgery. She was buried at the Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma, just south of San Francisco.

Below are the available records that track Mary Newitt's life in San Francisco, California, including her marriage record to Keith Newitt and newspaper articles chronicling her divorce from her first husband.

Troopship Manifest for USAT Sheridan

 San Francisco Chronicle: December 29, 1922

 San Francisco Examiner: December 29, 1922

Oakland Tribune: December 28, 1922

Marriage record: Clarence Keith Newitt & Maria Lasacco

1930 Census - San Francisco, California

1940 Census, San Francisco, California

 SSN Application - 1942

Death Certificate

 

Coroner's Inquest

Gravestone

Mortuary Record

***Update November 22, 2020***

I just found another newspaper article for Mary's divorce. This article is from The San Francisco Call from December 28, 1922. In addition to adding another source for her divorce, this newspaper article also provides a photograph of Mary (any time you can find a photo of an ancestor, you have found a gem).