Mildred Bloss is Carrie Bloss' daughter, not Roses'

I have wondered how we ended up with 14 kids for Rose and Richard Bloss when they reported on two different Censuses that they had 10 of 12 total children living.  If my count is right, they had 11 of 14 kids living in each census-- 1910 and 1920.  So I knew there were two kids listed with them that weren't their kids.  (Interestingly, Mildred is not listed with the family in 1900 when she would have been 6 years old.  Where was she?)

When I found Carrie's obituary, it named the surviving siblings to Carrie.  Instead of listing Mildred as a sister to Carrie, it named Mildred as the only surviving daughter to Carrie.  That was big!  I wanted to confirm this, as there could be two Mildreds-- a Mildred Lind (Carries' daughter) and a Mildred Bloss (Rose and Richards' daughter.)  After all, in those two Censuses I already mentioned, Mildred is listed as the daughter to Richard.  And there are a handful of papers that are addressed to Mildred Lind (the ones claiming Carrie's life insurance policy payout.)  So what was going on?

The confirmation came when I looked for a letter in the many papers that survived these two women.  (Remember that I have the effects of Mary Sophia, Rose, Carrie and Mildred.)   I wanted to see how they viewed each other.  I needed to find a letter written to or from 'Mildred Bloss' not 'Mildred Lind', and it needed to be written to or from Carrie.  I found that letter-- from Mildred to Carrie, with that written clearly on the envelope.  The letter is addressed simply, 'Dear Mother.'  I'll post it here.

Interestingly, Mildred refers to Rose as 'Ma' in her letter and Carrie as 'Mother.'  

So Mildred was born to Carrie and given the name of Bloss for a last name.  That would imply that there was no marriage prior to her birth.  Carrie would have been 21 years old, still living at home and helping her mom quite a bit.  The letters all describe Carrie as a big help to her mother.  I would surmise that Mildred was pulled right into the household and raised along with Carries younger siblings.  After all, Rose and Richard went on to deliver another child or two.  The last one was born when mother Rose would have been almost 45 years old!  Carrie would have been 25 years old at the time.

There is another child in the family that really belongs to a different family.  I suspect it is Willie, born in 1896 and died just a few months later.  He's buried in a different place in the cemetery, away from Rose, Richard, Carrie, Oscar, and the two children that died in their early childhood-- Archie and Kate.  He's about 40 feet away, and his name isn't on the large Bloss monument either.  Remember that Rose reported 10 of 12 kids living in 1900.  We have the names of the two who passed away on their family stone as Archie and Kate.  Does Willie really belong with someone else? Has he been lumped in with Rose and Richard without really having any idea that he belongs there?

Olive delivered 2 children and gave them the last name of Bloss-- Leland in 1901 and Margery in 1904.  Did she also deliver Willie in 1896?  Or did Carrie deliver him, as this was just 2 years after Mildred's birth.  Is there a birth record for him?  Many of them were destroyed by fire.  It's something to look into.  Until then, we can see what these letters reveal about any other mislabeled kids.

Mary Sophia Harvey Kingsley Leonard Amy had a Sister!!!

I put two and two together yesterday from a set of letters I received from my cousin in Pennsylvania. Two letters that is.  Two letters were written by Mary Sophia Amy and sent to her daughter.  One was specified for Roses' 12 year old son Clarence.  Both share something about her sister that wouldn't be usable alone.  I got a name (hard to make out) from one letter and the relationship and age from the other.

Here they are:

Mich, Howard City, Nov 21, 1901

(At top:  This picture the boys found only the fish)

Dear Child Rose,

I was glad and surprised to get a letter from my noisy boy.  Guess he has changed a good deal as he is so interested in his school and to write a letter to me which pleased me very much.  I see it wasn't Jane writing on the letter and thought it was Lottie, first but was pleased to find it came from Clarence.  Would like Lottie to keep her promise of writing next time.  I think Della's little art picture was pretty good.  Tell her to try again.  I do think that Kate is not doing for me as she would like me to do by her in not answering my letters.  She don't care to hear from me as that is the way I should think.  I suffer Carrie don't get time to write.  She has so much to do.  But I am glad you don't give up that way.  I had a letter begin to Nara, Freemont's girl but have laid the letter away that had the address in and can't seem to find it.  Must look again.  I am staying for a few days with a Mrs. Graves and children for company as one of her boys wasn't well, had throat troubles, is some better today.  Can eat some today.  I sent by her for my mail this morn, she brought a letter for me from your Aunt Dennis.  She isn't any better.  She says it seems so bad that her children can't be near her when she so bad.  Well I haven't got the business seen to yet.  I thought it would have been done before this but it has to go just so long it made feel quite blue when I would hear of the snow in so many other places as I heard it was 2 feet deep up north and their ant milk you was snowing.  There is rain here at present but a week ago there was a little flurry, all went of course.  Well I hope Carrie won't be away long and leave you to do the work.  I suppose Richard is at work again now.  You know I told you my tick hurt me so when I write it was real bad when I sewed much too.  The Dr. that called to see the boy said I had what was called muscular rheumatism and I get some powders of him for it and taking them for it now.  Mrs. Graves has rheumatism and he is treating her.  She is lame in her feet.  I had a letter from cousin Irus' folks last week they don't like it up there she says.  It is awful lonesome up there.  If he had only stayed here and worked their place it would have been so much better but he is no farmer.  But the mill he worked at burned down so it lets him out of steady work.  Well well Rose be careful of yourself as you can give my respects to Irus' folks and his (illegible-- Thaits) and my love to all of our folks and a kiss for the little ones and remember me as your loving mother.

22nd dear Child as it came to my mind that this was your birthday I am writing a few lines more and will have to send this to the office and have them put the directions on the paper and have them put it on for me.  I wish you may have a happy day and many more.  Would like to have sent you some kind remembrance if I had the chance but you have my love and best wishes of your mother.

Mary S. Amy 

Dear Grandson, November 21, 1901 Howard City

I received your kind and welcome letter last night.  A young man by name of Charlie Johnson brought it to me.  I am staying for a few days with a lady nearby name of Graves whose boy wasn't very well and she felt rather lonesome nights as her husband is working away and her other son is going to school at ... the boys' names are James and Byron. James is twelve, going on thirteen in June, Byron is 11 in April. He has what the doctor calls quinsy, but seems to me more like enlarged tonsils. His mother went to see the doctor this morning. It seems so strange to hear of so much snow at place we have none but frost  in the morning it snowed just a little just a few days ago but went off when the sun came out again. This is a beautiful morning. Well my son you have written me a nice letter and I was very much surprised but glad and now I shall expect one often until I can come and see what you are all doing. Glad you are so interested in your school. That is right. Keep on and be a good scholar and when you are older you will be glad. I was at church last sunday quite a few out. I have just got a letter from my sister in York state. She is older than your grandma two years, and she is sick and no one to care for her or don't, only a neighbor woman.  It seems as though her children could be near her to care for her dont it?  There is a man here who has cancer and he looks so bad it makes him sorry for him(self) he gets a little better, then worse.  Well we'll close and say with my love for all from Grandma.  write again

Here is a scan of the page from the letter that give the name 'Demis' or whatever.  What does it say?  Doris?  Dorcas?  Demis?  Dennis?  I circled the name below, I could use a little help here.

Clearly Mary's sister had married, so her last name would be different.  And she had children.  I'm using birth year 1831, since the birth year I have settled on for Mary is 1833 from her daughter Rose.  Can we find her? 

Carrie Bloss Lynde's Postcards-- need help identifying senders!!!

Through a kind gift from a distant relative, I am now in possession of a pile of letters, documents, post cards and photographs once owned by Carrie Bloss Lynde.  I am learning a great deal about these dear relatives of mine as I read these old documents.  I thought I'd scan these in and see if anyone else knows who these people are.  I color corrected these these to make the writing stand out more, so excuse the weird colors.

Some of the people who wrote these messages are unknown to me.  The most mysterious is a 'cousin' named Carrie.  She wrote very detailed post cards to our Carrie, seeming to know a lot about the family.

An alarming note on the middle postcard reads, "Elva was here a few minutes yesterday and she said Cole came home and she did not believe that he would have more than a few days to live.  Is that true?"  I don't know who Cole is either!  He is mentioned in several post cards by others to Carrie, usually in connection with Olivia 'Ollie' Bloss.  Is he her son?  Or another husband?  She married first to a Peter Broman in 1896 then a William White later.  

These postcards are from a cousin named 'Lilla'.  Speaks of her mother who's leg got better but then her arm and shoulder broke out with sores.  January and March of 1910.  Postmarked Union City, PA.  

These are from a cousin named May, who signed one of these as from May and Gene.  Who is she?  She writes from Corry PA.  Cards dated 1908-1910.

These postcards are from Eva Bloss, cousin of Carrie.  Who is she?  How does she relate?  She wrote these from Corry, PA.  Postmarked 1909.

More cousins wrote Carrie.  Help me figure them out:  The top one, Allene or Altrene or Alliene, wrote about Mildred from Erie PA.  Not 100% sure she's a cousin.  The middle one-- cousin Grace mentions a Clifford and an Anna in 1908;  The bottom one-- cousin Mabel writes from Union City, PA in 1911.   

The top one was written by a 'Coon' in 1912.  Guessing he's a little boy, who does he belong to?  Later he is linked to 'Gust' and I am assuming that's a relative of Oscar Lynde, Carrie's husband, because the name Gust appears often in his family.  The middle one is signed Enga dated 1910 posted in Polar Bluff, Missouri. The bottom one was posted in 1908 from Watsonfarms, PA.     It's signed Manda and Maze?  Can't really make it out.  Friends of Carrie?