Some Genealogy and History Just For Fun!

Gertrude Ederle - Olympic Swimmer

A Distant Cousin wins the Gold In the Paris Olympic Summer Games… 100 years ago.

Life for young women in the 1920s, including our Hostetter Gals, was marked by significant change and excitement. This era saw a sense of liberation and a break from traditional norms, with young women embracing the flapper lifestyle—bold fashion choices, bobbed hair, excessive makeup, and rebellious behaviors like smoking and drinking in public.

The New York/New Jersey area was a cultural hotspot, filled with jazz music, cinema, and new forms of entertainment. The ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 granted women the right to vote, empowering them politically.

Gertrude Ederle, a 10th cousin once removed to our Gram Hostetter according to FamilySearch.org, embodied the era's spirit with her defiance of societal norms. She wanted to swim and compete. How rebellious could that be? Well, swimming and competing were just not considered ladylike or appropriate for females back then. But Trudy wanted to swim. So she did.

Born on October 23, 1905, in New York City to German immigrants, Trudy grew up in Manhattan, enjoying the beach at Coney Island and summering at the family's beachfront home in Highlands, New Jersey.

A world-class swimmer, Trudy set 29 American and world records from 1921 to 1925. At the 1924 Paris Olympics, she won Gold in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay and Bronze in both the 400-meter and 100-meter freestyle events.

On August 6, 1926, at 20 years old, Trudy swam the English Channel, covering 21 miles from France to England in 14 hours and 31 minutes, a record that stood until 1950. (She also beat the records of five men who swam the channel before her.) Her return to America was celebrated with the largest New York City ticker-tape parade ever celebrated for a sports icon and a visit to the White House, where President Calvin Coolidge hailed her as "America’s Best Girl."

Trudy's achievements included designing her own line of women's swimwear and appearing in the 1927 film Swim Girl, Swim. Though a spinal injury in 1933 ended her competitive career, her legacy endured.

In May 2024, Disney+ released Young Woman and the Sea, a biographical film about Trudy starring Daisy Ridley. It’s currently available to stream.

While we may never know if Gram and the Hostetter Gals knew of their relation to Trudy, it's likely they knew of her victories and reputation. They may have seen her in a Newsreel in a movie theater or anxiously listened along with the rest of the world to the radio updates of her progress.

Trudy's pioneering spirit and perseverance inspired countless women and girls, popularizing swimming across America. By 1930, over 50,000 women had earned their American Red Cross swimming certificates.

Have you heard of Trudy Ederle? Read the book or seen the Disney movie?

* When I say “Just For Fun!” I mean I haven’t personally confirmed all sources, but others consider the information true and accurate.