Happy Birthday, Tattie!

Tattie and Heather, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

I finally found the photo I took on an Easter Sunday of my great-aunt and my baby daughter on the first Easter after she was born. Notice that they have a similar expression on their faces!

Born in 1895 on April 7, Dorothy was the "baby" in her family. She was small and blonde as compared to her siblings, my grandmother and her robust brother, Harold. She had bad vision and hearing but she was very smart. Math was easy for her.


She's our divorced woman but that's a story for another time. She once had the cutest little girl who died way too young.

After Tattie died, my mother bemoaned that the holidays weren't the same without "Tattie" but then, my mother said that every time someone died. Change is hard for us New Englanders.

Somewhere along the way we switched from the traditional Ham dinner to Kentucky Fried Chicken  I thought it was so much more fun. Isn't it crazy what you miss?

So many recipes that I have inherited make way too much food for the size of my family. Many are things we no longer eat or even enjoy. Family food changes with the time. 

Fortunately, birthday cake doesn't go away! Happy Birthday, Tattie!

Revisit: Gloria J. Bliven

Gloria J. BLIVEN, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

News Flash: another genealogist has contacted me after looking at this photo that I have posted to this blog.

I have waited and waited to find out more about the father of little Gloria. His name was Harry. My family was not "wild about Harry", so this should be interesting.

I'll let you know as soon as the news arrives!

Wordless Wednesday Gloria Josephine BLIVEN

Gloria Josephine BLIVEN
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

Wordless Wednesday

Only known photo of little Gloria J. BLIVEN. She looks to be about 3 years old. I love her mended stockings and intense look. She may have worn glasses.

Tombstone Tuesday Gloria J. BLIVEN

Gloria J. BLIVEN
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

Tombstone Tuesday: Gloria Josephine BLIVEN.

Little Gloria, who was my first cousin, once removed, lived only from 1923 to 1933. I really don't know much about her as when a child dies in a family, the sadness can overwhelm people for generations. I pat her headstone whenever I visit the plot.

Gloria middle name was Josephine, which was my grandmother's (her aunt) middle name. I don't know why she was named Gloria perhaps someone on her father's side bore this name.

All I have to research with Gloria is this headstone and the matching years of birth and death on the nearby Barber family monument. That's the source of those dates. I have her photograph, taken at about 3 years of age which will be posted tomorrow as my Wordless Wednesday.

Gloria's father was named Harry M. Bliven. He and Gloria's mother, my great aunt, were married quite briefly and divorced. I have once census year where Gloria is listed. She is listed with her mother, Dorothy Palmer BARBER Bliven (listed as married but the husband is not in the household), Dorothy's parents, J. Frederick BARBER and his wife Ellen "Nellie" SCHOFIELD and Nellie's widowed mother Sarah J. GARDINER Schofield. They live at 160 West Broad St. in Pawcatuck, New London, Connecticut just over the Westerly, Rhode Island border.

Harry M. Bliven was a salesman (1922 Westerly City Directory). I do know, from family stories that he sold automobile parts and he must have met my great aunt when he sold items to my great grandfather, J. Fred Barber at this automobile repair business in Westerly. My great aunt was a whiz at math and kept the books for her father. This was not a match made in heaven. My mother said Harry drove fast cars and she did not like him.

My grandmother, scowled when I asked about this man but smiled when I asked about Gloria. I think Gloria may have died of pneumonia. Bad lungs run in my Barber family.

I'd like to think I have found Harry. He seems to have remarried. I think his parents were Ernest Bliven and Jennie B. Da Costa. It's just a big family mystery.

Gloria would have been 24 years old when I was born. I think I missed out on knowing her.

Born and Died in December

Edwin Barber Monument
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

Ida Elizabeth BLIVEN was born 26 Dec 1857 and died 11 Dec 1893.

My fellow genea-bloggers are participating in an Advent Blogging Theme this year and although I am enjoying the many, many posts, I chose not to particulate in this event because December is just too busy to try to do anymore than I am already doing.

But, I saw this event of finding out how many persons in your charts have a birthday (like myself and my daughter) in December. I expected to have to work quite hard to generate such information but RootsMagic 4 made this task quite easy and enjoyable. I was glad I stopped working on current projects to learn how to do it.

As a former worker in a hospital, I am acutely aware of the number of people who die in December. But, this one made me pause as Ida died in December of "placenta previa" which means this is a double death as her baby must have also died when she did. How sad for the father and the son they already had! As expected, Edwin Barber married again in the same year, and the first child he had with this new wife, was named after his deceased wife.