Triplett History: Finding my grandfather

Family history on my father's side has been easy - I saw a book that went back 200 years when I was in high school. Never thought much about it. Recently, I have done a lot of research into my mom's side. My maternal grandmother's ancestors were easy. My maternal grandfather's were not. Today the pieces come together.

First, the information I had 2 weeks ago: Born in 1903 in Poulsbo, WA, real name unknown, orphaned at 9 years old. That's it. I've been back and forth with my uncle a lot the last few days, and many things came up:

my G-grandfather's name was John Franklin Triplett. He died in 1916-17 in Spokane in a car crash. My G-grandfather and G-grandmother's marriage was a second marriage for both of them and he's the only child of that marriage.

Today, I spent the afternoon with my mother teaching her about the research I've done and how to do some of it herself. New things: my grandfather gave my grandmother a Bible in 1954 with his parents' birth and death dates. My grandfather has a couple half-brothers who died by drowning in the 1920s. My G-grandmother's full name (including her married name from her first marriage).

So - this morning I was able to search through Washington State's vital records and find John Franklin Triplett. He died in Spokane in 1917. I ordered his death certificate. This afternoon, after learning my G-grandma's name, I looked through the census of 1910. There they were: John F and Martha Triplett. 2 sons in their 20s, 1 son who was 11 years old. All born in Missouri. It matches a 1900 census I had seen before.

To sum up the information I have now about my grandfather: my grandfather's name was not Francis or Jack. It was John, like his dad. He was born in Nov, 1898, not 1903. He was born in Missouri, not Poulsbo, WA. He was orphaned at 19, not 9. He did not spent his childhood on the streets.

Next steps: marriage certificate for the G-grandparents and birth certificate for my grandfather. I call him little Johnny for now, until I see his birth certificate and know what his full name was. The trail is no longer cold. This 1/4 of my family tree will soon be filled in.