Résumé

Draftsman, City and County of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 1910. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: San Francisco Assembly District 38, San Francisco, California; Roll: T624_99; Page: 12a; Enumeration District: 0187; FHL microfilm: 1374112, accessed 03/26/2025.)

Architect, F.T. Underhill, Architect, Santa Barbara, CA, 1917-1918. (See Santa Barbara, California, City Directory, 1917, p. 29 and Santa Barbara, California, City Directory, 1918, p. 32.)

Architect, E.H. Seiferle, Architect, Santa Barbara, CA, 1920. (See Santa Barbara, California, City Directory, 1920, p. 34.)

Architect, Soule and Murphy, Architects, Santa Barbara, CA, 1942. On 04/25/1942, the Soule and Murphy office was located at 116 East Sola Street in Downtown Santa Barbara. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147 Source Information: U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, accessed 03/26/2025.)

Relocation

Ralph William Armitage was born in San Francisco, CA, on 04/06/1886 to architect William H. Armitage and Alice Hardenbrook.

Armitage likely lived with his parents at 623 Turk Street in 1892. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; California History Section; Sacramento, California; Miscellaneous Card Indexes: Vital Statistics Index (1900-1951); Reel #: 14; California History Room: Microfilm # 734, accessed 04/16/2025.)

The Armitages resided at 914 Kings Avenue in Alameda, CA, in 1900. The household included his parents, sister Victoria and two boarders, the Alameda Superintendent of Schools, Charles Colfax Hughes (born c. 11/1868 in IN) and his first wife Lois Hughes (born c. 07/1875 in NV). Charles Hughes would become the City Superintendent of Schools in Sacramento, CA, for 29 years. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: Alameda Precinct 10, Alameda, California; Roll: 81; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0318, accessed 04/16/2025.)

At some point before 1910, Ralph's parent's divorced, and he, thereafter, resided with his mother.

The 1910 US Census listed Ralph living with his mother Alice and sister Victoria in a rented dwelling at 1321 Octavia Street in San Francisco. His father William was not listed as living at this address. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: San Francisco Assembly District 38, San Francisco, California; Roll: T624_99; Page: 12a; Enumeration District: 0187; FHL microfilm: 1374112, accessed 03/26/2025.)

In 02/1918, Alice Armitage married Lompoc rancher Charles Kelley Hardenbrook, Sr., (1847-1924) in San Francisco, CA. At about the same time as his mother's marriage, Ralph moved to Santa Barbara, CA, where he worked as an architect and he and his wife lived at 1327 1/2 Bath Street in Santa Barbara in 1918. (See Santa Barbara, California, City Directory, 1918, p. 32.)

Two years later, the architect lived with his wife and newborn son at 120 West Islay Street. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1920; Census Place: Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Roll: T625_146; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 99, accessed 03/26/2025 and Santa Barbara, California, City Directory, 1920, p. 34.)

He and his wife Charlotte and son John lived in a house at 235 West Victoria Street in Santa Barbara in 1930. The family owned their house, valued at $10,000 lower than some surrounding residences worth approximately $15,000 to $20,000. The neighborhood was a mix of owned and rented single-family houses. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Page: 25A; Enumeration District: 0010; FHL microfilm: 2339949, accessed 03/26/2025.)

The Armitage house at 235 West Victoria had dropped to an estimated value of $3,000 in 1940. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1940; Census Place: Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Roll: m-t0627-00333; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 42-16, accessed 03/26/2025.) The Armitages continued to live here when Ralph registered for the World War II draft on 04/25/1942. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147 Source Information: U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, accessed 03/26/2025.)

Ten years later, in 1950, the US Census located Armitage living at the same West Victoria Street address. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Roll: 2402; Page: 77; Enumeration District: 42-44, accessed 04/16/2025.)

The architect passed away in Santa Barbara County, CA, on 01/29/1966, at the age of 79 and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Colma, CA, near San Francisco. He was buried in a plot alongside his wife Charlotte, his mother Alice and sister Victoria.

Parents

His father was the San Francisco architect William Henry Armitage (born 01/16/1860 in Sheffield, England-d. 01/30/1944 in San Francisco, CA). William Armitage was naturalized a US citizen at age 32 on 10/07/1892. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; California History Section; Sacramento, California; Miscellaneous Card Indexes: Vital Statistics Index (1900-1951); Reel #: 14; California History Room: Microfilm # 734, accessed 04/16/2025.)

Ralph's mother was Alice Maria (or Marian) Elizabeth Batkin Hardenbrook (born c. 1864 in England -d. 11/22/1929 in CA).

He had a sister Victoria Alice Armitage (born 06/20/1884 in Oakland, CA-d. 1976-07-05 in Monterey County, CA)

Spouse

Ralph Armitage married Charlotte Josephine Hund (born 06/24/1891 in CA- d. 04/22/1968 in Santa Clara County, CA). Her father was Frederick Hund (born c. 1840 in Germany) and her mother Louisa (born c. 1851 in MO). The 1910 US Census listed the Hunds as dwelling at 618 Broderick Street in San Francisco, where Frederick lived on his "own income." Louisa had had seven children, of whom six survived in 1910. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: San Francisco Assembly District 37, San Francisco, California; Roll: T624_99; Page: 5b; Enumeration District: 0170; FHL microfilm: 1374112, accessed 04/16/2025.)

Children

He and Charlotte had a son John Armitage (born 1919 in Santa Barbara, CA).

Biographical Notes

In 1942, at the age of 56, Armitage was described as Caucasian with a light complexion, blue eyes and brown and gray hair. He stood 5-10-and-1/2-inches tall and weighed 160 pounds. This document indicated that the architect had a "small scar left wrist." (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147 Source Information: U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, accessed 04/16/2025.)