Worthington, Ada Elizabeth, 1899-1989.

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Ada E. and John C. Worthington were married on August 19, 1926, and lived for a short time in Trinidad before settling in Truro, Massachusetts, in 1933. They had three children: John C. Jr., 1927, Christopher H. "Toppy," 1928, and Diana, 1939. Ada Elizabeth (Warden) Worthington, daughter of William and Marie Christine (Halsey) Warden, was born September 2, 1899, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Educated in England, she served in the Women's British Auxiliary Ambulance Corps during World War I before coming to the United States in 1918. She worked at Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, eventually becoming a registered nurse. In 1933, Ada Worthington founded Cape Cod Fish Net Industries, a firm that by 1938 employed more than 40 people. She owned and operated women's boutiques in Hyannis and Truro, Massachusetts; New York City; Sausalito, California; and Miami, Florida. In New York her fashions sold in 21 stores; she and her fishnet products, which included dresses, scarves, dolls, curtains, etc., were featured in several fashion magazines. She retired in 1980 and died April 17, 1989.

John Cheney Worthington, son of Robert Briggs and Velnette (Cheney) Worthington, was born February 2, 1899, in Dedham, Massachusetts. He attended Kent School and enlisted in the Marines during World War I. While working in the oil fields of the American Southwest and Mexico, he learned to fly airplanes and competed in many air races. He assisted in the design of several airports and worked as a sales represntative for the Merrimac Chemical Co. In 1933, John Worthington started the Pond Village Cold Storage Co., a fish processing plant, which he ran until his retirement in 1963. He served in the Ferrying Division of the Army Air Transport Command during World War II. Beginning in the 1950s, he became active in Truro town affairs and served three terms as selectman. He was an advocate of preserving Cape Cod's beaches, testifying before several government bodies. He was also active on behalf of marine fisheries and served on the governor's fishery advisory board through the 1960s. John Worthington died on December 23, 1992.

From the description of Papers of Ada E. and John C. Worthington, 1897-1988 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 122593266

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Worthington, Ada Elizabeth, 1899-1989. Papers of Ada E. and John C. Worthington, 1897-1988 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Cape Cod Fish Net Industries. corporateBody
associatedWith Fishing Research Corporation. corporateBody
associatedWith Parris Island (S.C. : Recruit depot) corporateBody
associatedWith Pond Village Cold Storage Company. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Army Air Forces. Air Transport Command. Ferrying Division. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Marine Corps. corporateBody
associatedWith Worthington, John C., 1899-1992. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Massachusetts
United States
Subject
Businesswomen
Clothing factories
Courtship
Fashion designers
Fisheries
Marriage
Parent and child
Suicide
World War, 1914-1918
Women-owned business enterprises
Women's clothing industry
World War, 1939-1945
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1899

Death 1989

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