Today started out so simple. I woke up, realized that March 18th meant something from my childhood, and following that little 6th sense we sometimes have and found it to be the birth date of my dear Aunt Mamie (Milburn) Abbott (1903 - 1995). She was born in Mystic, Appanoose County, Iowa, the oldest of the 3 Milburn sisters. She and her husband took me fishing when I was probably only 3 or 4 years old. They owned a store in Exline, Iowa before moving to Des Moines sometime in the 1950s. Mamie always was the one to come with homemade chicken soup when I was sick as a child.. Any visit to her house required you stay for a cup of tea and "you MUST eat something!"
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So I thought I would spend a few minutes checking to see if all was in order in the family tree regarding Aunt Mamie. Well, no it isn't but that is another long story....so I started looking for newspaper articles about Mamie, which led to articles about her husband, Orville Abbott (1900 - 1965), then her mother-in-law, Aseneth Worley Abbott (1877-1966) then I find an article about Guy O. Worley, Aseneth's nephew, a private, "Dead in the Battle for Democracy" in 1918. I find the info about Guy, add it to the tree, can't find his draft registration for World War I but do find his burial supposedly at Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial. Then, there is another article saying he is buried at Baccarat, France - which looks to be 200 miles away? I am confused.
And what of all the pictures taken by the Red Cross that were mentioned in the above article? Where did they end up? And how did I get so far out of this family tree branch, when I just wanted to say "Happy Birthday to Aunt Mamie?" :-) So many questions...not enough time or resources. I cannot leave this post about Mamie without relaying my favorite story so far, from the Centerville Iowegian, 28 Apr 1922:
"Friends of Miss Mamie Milburn were surprised to hear of her marriage to Orville Abbott, of near Exline, which took place last Sunday. The groom is a stranger to Mystic people, but the bride is well known having grown to womenhood here, being a graduate of the Mystic High School. Mrs. Abbott's many friends extend their congratulations."
Surprised to hear of her marriage, huh? Hmmmmm
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Dearest Aunt Mamie with baby 'me' visiting while visiting the home of my godparents, Vic and Marie Murray, Des Moines, Iowa. Abt 1954?
From NewspaperArchive.com The Burlington Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Tuesday January 20th, 1920, Page 3.
"Friends of Miss Mamie Milburn were surprised to hear of her marriage to Orville Abbott, of near Exline, which took place last Sunday. The groom is a stranger to Mystic people, but the bride is well known having grown to womenhood here, being a graduate of the Mystic High School. Mrs. Abbott's many friends extend their congratulations."
Surprised to hear of her marriage, huh? Hmmmmm
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