Thanks, Mary Katherine, for the lead. I will check it out.

BTW, Gertrude Hurt goes by Gertrude Conley, and lives in Greenwood, MS, a few miles from Avalon, John's "hometown".

I must also specify that , as far as I know, she is still alive. I do know that she celebrated 110 years last June. I have heard nothing of her dying since then.

According to the Greenwood Commonwealth, Gertrude says that, though John later married Jesse, he was never legally divorced from her (Gertrude). Supposedly, John had told his employer that he wanted a divorce, and the employer told John that he would "take care of it". John assumed that the man did take care of it; howbeit, the employer failed to do so. So, John became a bigamist when he married Jesse.

This was never a problem until John's death in 1966, when the royalties of his recordings were up for grabs.

Any one else have any input?

khandu