The back of this photo says, "a bird dumped on my face haha Grant and Eleanor". I suspect the caption is due to the damage of the photo on his face. I believe this is really his wife Elenora because this is a pretty intimate pose and there is a 21-year difference between Grant and his sister Eleanor. This couple seems to be about the same age.
As indicated in the
Part 1 post for Grant, he was not married to Jessie Rostron. While looking through the
Lafferty-Tobias Funeral Home 1907-1918 book in the Blair County section of the Genealogical Department at the State Library I happened upon an entry for the death of Grant's infant daughter, Mary Belle.
In the obituary, the mother is named as Emma, but I suspect this is just a nickname. Elenora is her given name, as it is the name used on censuses and the funeral home register. Her maiden name is Pressel.
 |
| Altoona Tribune - 12 Apr 1913 |
 |
| Altoona Mirror - 12 Apr 1913 |
The change in surname indicates that she and Grant were married. She was also named as Mrs. Clemens in her Father's obituary. Her Father's obit also says the family was members of Grace Methodist Episcopal Church which closed in 2009. I would suspect this is where they would have been married. Perhaps one day the church records will be available.
 |
| Altoona Tribune - 19 Jun 1915 |
Grant said he was married with a four-year-old on his
WWI Draft Card. Was he referring to Emma and Mary Belle hoping it wouldn't be checked? Mary Belle would have been about six-years-old when he filled out his draft card. I have not been able to find any records or newspaper articles that show he had another child. In fact, the 1920 Census shows him having a wife named Elizabeth. They were living with others as lodgers and the owner probably provided the information to the census-taker. Did she not know Grant's wife's name? Was he no longer with Elenora? The ages are correct for it to be Elenora.
No comments:
Post a Comment