tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post2525169648066836676..comments2024-03-26T12:01:39.690-07:00Comments on A Family Tapestry: An Unobtrusive LifeJacqi Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03471698670217119444noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-21602673353630752272014-07-08T21:56:58.802-07:002014-07-08T21:56:58.802-07:00Sometimes, scenarios like that make me wonder. It ...Sometimes, scenarios like that make me wonder. It may have ended up that she was preoccupied with caring for her parents...but what did it start out like? Did a girl like that ever think that was the way her life would end up?Jacqi Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03471698670217119444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-73650959327146283532014-07-08T17:09:57.164-07:002014-07-08T17:09:57.164-07:00An old maid ...probably didn't have time to da...An old maid ...probably didn't have time to date after caring for her parents:)Far Side of Fiftyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07995757632158408442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-78439157234852208312014-07-07T17:41:28.537-07:002014-07-07T17:41:28.537-07:00Unsung she may be, Iggy. Of course, back then, the...Unsung she may be, Iggy. Of course, back then, there were many tasks women occupied themselves with that were sure to bury them in anonymity. I'll keep my eyes open for more clues, of course...and keep this on my list of research needs, next time I head back east!Jacqi Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03471698670217119444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-35119860178415170192014-07-07T17:37:32.384-07:002014-07-07T17:37:32.384-07:00I've heard similar stories, Michelle, of widow...I've heard similar stories, Michelle, of widowed women--mothers--who cleaned the church, did laundry, helped in the church office, or whatever extra little jobs needed doing. Of course, if it weren't for <i>another</i> family member mentioning it, like your ancestor's daughter, we'd never know about those little tasks that filled the days of women like this.<br /><br />It never ceases to amaze me how the little trivial things a person may choose to write--often in their own private collection--become the <i>only</i> means of gaining a clear picture of our past, many generations later. Laura Ingalls Wilder was a celebrated author for her recollections of everyday life in her childhood, but that recognition comes partly for her standing in the gap and filling in the details that, at the time, seemed too trivial ("Everyone knows that!") to record.Jacqi Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03471698670217119444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-4979779098903268022014-07-07T12:42:45.775-07:002014-07-07T12:42:45.775-07:00I was thinking maybe Edna was a Sister - but you s...I was thinking maybe Edna was a Sister - but you seem to think not - perhaps she was someone's helper - or worked somewhere in the "school" (Bloomington IS Indiana University - there isn't much else there!) and was unsung. I think if there is ever a chance, a skim/peek through the College yearbooks might turn something up...Intense Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08441598926026727682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-21717296974165906412014-07-07T08:28:41.579-07:002014-07-07T08:28:41.579-07:00I have an ancestor that did just as you mentioned ...I have an ancestor that did just as you mentioned above, lived with parents and helped care for them until they died (she was widowed at a young age.) Because her daughter wrote about the laundry her mother took in, and the church her mother cleaned for a little income, we know that those things were a support for her, although record of them can not be found in any public record. I think often, private records trump public records in such cases. Hopefully those descendants will have something to share!Michelle Ganus Taggarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18238452675846882700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-1163953073911337342014-07-06T16:40:58.724-07:002014-07-06T16:40:58.724-07:00I get the feeling, Lisa, that this generation of o...I get the feeling, Lisa, that this generation of our typically Catholic Kelly family were not among the faithful in their parish, so church may not have been an option for involvement--though in general, that would have been a logical guess.<br /><br />I know Edna did--as I'm sure many of her generation did--take care of her aging parents until their passing. After that point, I presume the family's home became hers (though I'd have to follow that one further to make sure). Because of the financial success of her brother, perhaps he made sure to see that his parents were well taken care of--and, by proxy, eventually, that would include his sister.<br /><br />There is at least one other newspaper in Bloomington that I am aware of, though not one that can be accessed online...something to add to a research to-do list for the next trip back east.<br /><br />Better yet, I am close to locating some descendants of those nieces you wondered about, and may soon find out if there are any lingering memories of their maiden grand-aunt.Jacqi Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03471698670217119444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-89737814002522423812014-07-06T16:33:38.652-07:002014-07-06T16:33:38.652-07:00Yeah, Wendy...it was probably the laundry ;)Yeah, Wendy...it was probably the laundry ;)Jacqi Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03471698670217119444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-45538594013681187482014-07-06T13:52:36.645-07:002014-07-06T13:52:36.645-07:00I wonder how if she was at home without a career d...I wonder how if she was at home without a career did she support herself? Is the Bloomington Evening World the only newspaper? Perhaps there are other papers. Was she a member of a church? There might be church newsletters describing volunteer work. Or maybe some nieces or nephews of her will have memory.Lisa S. Gorrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06086125812111254305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-25942184018188129652014-07-06T04:55:05.825-07:002014-07-06T04:55:05.825-07:00I too look at female ancestors who are recorded &q...I too look at female ancestors who are recorded "at home" and/or "without occupation" and wonder what they did all day without TV and the Internet. I know laundry consumed more time than it does today, as did cooking probably. Maybe they rolled bandages for the hospital. Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17863357756727783017noreply@blogger.com