The Bundy Family First Home, 2022. On May 19, 1951 Johnny and Louise Bundy got married in Tacoma, Washington and shortly after purchased their first home located at 1620 South Sheridan Avenue in Tacoma, WA. Previously, Ted and his mother had lived with his great uncle’s place at 1514 South Sheridan Ave in Tacoma. Ted was only four years old when he moved into the home with his new family and it wasn’t long before his half sister Linda was born in 1952. Louise and Johnny began their life together in this four bedroom house shortly after they got married in May of 1951. Shortly after their union little “Teddy Nelson” officially became known as “Theodore Robert Bundy.” In 1953 the Bundy’s welcomed Glenn into the world and to accommodate their growing family moved to 658 North Skyline Drive in Tacoma. This would ultimately become Ted’s main childhood home until the family moved in 1968 to 3214 North 20th Street in Tacoma.
A very young Ted Bundy. Bundy has always claimed to have had a completely normal, almost uneventful childhood; however a closer analysis determined he was an awkward child who had a hard time figuring out who he was. What is brought up most often is Teds “origin story”: it’s common knowledge in the True Crime community that Bundy was born illegitimate. He had no idea who his real Father was and back in the 1940’s when he was born it was far more scandalous than it is now and it really seemed to have a deep effect on Ted’s psyche and the way he viewed the world. He thought Louise was his sister and his Grandparents were his parents.Two pictures of Ted as a young child.Bundy has always claimed that he had a completely normal, an uneventful childhood. His friends and family often backed up this claim. But a closer look reveals he was a socially awkward child who sometimes crossed the lines of propriety, morality and legality. Though the suspect behavior exhibited by a young Bundy has been seen in others who didn’t go on to rape and murder numerous victims, his childhood offers some clues as to how he became a serial killer.Theodore Robert Cowell was born on November 24, 1946, to Eleanor ‘Louise’ Cowell at the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers located in Burlington, Vermont. His father’s identity was unknown to him and is still unconfirmed to this day. Ted’s birth certificate listed his Father as a mystery man named Lloyd Marshall that Louise claims was a salesman and Air Force veteran, but Louise later changed her story claiming she’d been seduced by a sailor whom she knew as Jack Worthington. Like Mother, like son, is it possible Louise could have been misleading about the identity of Teds Father: investigators could find absolutely no proof that anyone by that name existed in either Navy or Merchant Marine archives. Some family members suspected that Bundy was fathered by Louise’s own violent, abusive father, Samuel Cowell however he was eventually cleared by DNA analysis.A picture of Ted with his grandfather, Samuel Cowell in the summer of 1950. In interviews Bundy spoke warmly of his maternal grandfather and claimed that he “identified with, respected, and clung to” Samuel. However in 1987, other family members came forward and admitted to attorneys that Cowell was actually a maniacal bully as well as a bigot that hated “blacks, Italians, Catholics, and Jews.”Little Teddy with a snowman.From an early age it seemed Bundy showed a keen interest in the dark and twisted. Louise’s younger sister Julia recalled one time where she’d taken a nap and woke up to discover she was surrounded by knives with a three year old Ted standing over her, smiling.Ted with his adopted Father Johnnie Culpepper Bundy. He had a strained relationship with his stepfather and resented the fact that he was a blue collar working man with no higher education..By the time Ted reached his teenage years he earned a reputation in his community as a peeping Tom, a habitual liar, and a thief. He was arrested twice on charges of burglary and auto theft but those were later dropped and expunged from his record due to good behavior and his youthful offender status.Ted in approx 3rd/4th grade.Ted in approx 5th/6th grade.A young Ted Bundy out fishing, taken in September of 1962.Ted at a boy scout event.Ted shooting a rifle at a boy scout event.A young Ted Bundy poses with two childhood friends.From left to right: Sandra, Glenn, Louise, Sandra, and Ted.Front Row: Linda (b. 1952), Richard (b. 1961), Sandra (b. 1956). Back Row: Ted (b. 1946), Glenn (b. 1954).Bundy Family First Home, April 2022.Bundy Family First Home, April 2022.Bundy Family First Home, April 2022.I was able to dig up a better picture where the property was a little better maintained and you can actually see the house.
Another Bundy Blog. 