Hello Andrea….welcome to Afrigeneas. Lyndam has given you a wonderful guide to helping you organize your research. Placing the folks you are researching in Time and Place is a must. Newport News was/is an Independent City in Virginia, the records for these cities are separate from the counties that surround them. The coming of the Railroad and Newport News Shipyard and the jobs they provided would see a surge of the population beginning in the late 1890’s. African American’s along with whites would migrate to Newport News from all parts of Virginia, other states and countries.

You mentioned that you had Georgia’s birth certificate. I have a copy of a 1912 VA Birth Certificate it asks for specific information about mother’s place of birth, occupation, age at last birthday, etc. What information is given for her mother, Mary PAGE? How old was Mary at the time of Georgia’s birth? Does she give her Place of Birth? For the Father…was LOPEZ the only information provided? I am mindful that although these questions were asked, the information is not always provided.

Newport News like the other cities had City Directories (like phone books but without phone numbers). Newport News City directories begin in 1896, these directories provide information in the years between the census records which are done every 10 years. Not everyone who was in the City are necessarily in the directory, but it is a great snap shot of the population. Black folk are always identified in some way, in the early years with an asterick “*”, in later years with the letter C in parentheses (c). These are available at a local library I managed to take a look at some of the directories. They are usually done every year or every other. Genealogy many times is a collection of bits and pieces that you have to put together like a jigsaw puzzle. Hopefully this information will prove hepful.

1910
*Peyton COLES, lab (laborer), h (home) 1767 Ivy Ave.
NO Mary Page listed
No LOPEZ listed, however there was a Rebecca LOPES, widow of Jos, ho 353 26th. She is white. I took note of it because it was close in spelling to LOPEZ.

1911
*Peyton COLES, grocer 1757 Ivy Ave
NO Mary Page listed
Rebecca LOPES and her daughters 353 26th

1914
*Elvira Coles, boarding 630 20th

1919
*Peyton COLES, lab h 621 20th Street
*Jno LOPES, lab h 712 21st Street (Lopes spelled with an “s”)
No Mary PAGE

1920 – In this year I saw all the Surnames you mention listed
*Peyton Cole, lab, 621 20th Street
* Geo LOPEZ, lab, h 545 16 th Street (yes, spelled with a Z)
* Jno LOPEZ, lab 521 19th Street
*Mary PAGE, laundress h 620 ½ 20th Street – this was the first time I saw a Mary PAGE listed, I have no idea if this is your Mary.

1927
Georgia Page (c) student r 738 17th Street –
Mary PAIGE (c) dom r 1231 31Street (Yes, there was an "I")

1929
Elvira Coles (c), h 20th Street
Georgia PAGE (c) r 738 17th Street

1931
Mary PAGE (c) janitress Walter Reed School 3410 Wickham Ave.

Selma