Grace Gertrude Binks

(For Grace's early life, see biography of her father, Alfred John Binks)

Grace was born March 13, 1901 in Monterrey, Mexico.

She spent 1909-1918 in Australia, and after the death of their father, Alfred John Binks (in 1913) she and her sisters spent the rest of their time in Australia in an orphanage until safe transit could be arranged for them to return to the USA after WW1.

The story goes that Anna Evelyn wrote, explaining the predicament, to their Aunt Sarah (Boswell) in Fort Worth. As the Boswell family were quite well known in that state, the letter found it's way without a complete address.

On March 2, 1918, the girls set sail on HMS Katoomba from East Fremantle, Australia. On March 6, 1918 they arrived at 12:30pm in Adelaide where they were met by cousins Mr & Mrs Cecil H. Walters (Christiana Jubilee Binks) who lived at Rose Park in Adelaide. Other cousins were also there.

On March 7, 1918 they departed Adelaide at 4pm on HMS Katoomba arriving in Melbourne, Australia on March 9th. They continued to Sydney and boarded the ship, 'Samona' arriving in San Fransico, USA on April 1, 1918. By June 8, 1918 they were living with their Grandmother (Boswell) in Fort Worth, Texas.

(See Opal Eloise Binks page for 1920 U.S. Census image).

Grace secretly married Oscar Paul Mankin on November 20, 1920 at Hillsboro, Texas, obtaining the license in Sweetwater, Texas. The marriage was not revealed to the Boswells until December 11, 1920.

Two sons were born; Alfred Paul Mankin (Poplar Street, Dallas, Texas, September 14, 1921) and Clarence Douglas Mankin (Pine Street, Waco, Texas, June 8, 1925). Not long after, the Mankin's marriage ended in divorce and the father kept the older son and reared him. Grace moved to Los Angeles and took her other son, Clarence, and reared him there.

Grace worked in a Californian bank for many years and died on January 30, 1979 in Los Angeles, USA.

Grace in 1951