HAPPY BIRTHDAY ~ Edna Mabel Bowden January 1st 1890

 

I’d like to wish a Happy Heavenly Birthday to my maternal grandaunt, Edna Mabel Bowden, who went by the nickname Denny.

She was a younger sister to my maternal grandmother, Florence Lee Nora Bowden, our family historian. My Grandmother’s Journal

Until last week, I had never seen a picture of her. Read to the end to find out how I obtained one.

Edna was born in Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio to parents Robert Edward Lee Bowden (1863-1906) and Florence Hunter (1869-1946).  Her father made a living by working as a brakeman for the railroad. I have no census records of this family living together.  As Edna’s parents married in 1887 and there is no 1890 census available (insert sad genealogist). 

Her parents divorced 17 Jul 1899, when Edna would have been 9 yrs. old. Her mother then operated a boarding house in Covington, Kenton, Kentucky, until at least 1906.

Edna married John Brown Duncan (1883-1945) on 11 Jul 1907 in Windsor, Essex, Ontario, Canada. They had one child a daughter, Ruth Estelle Duncan, born 23 Mar 1908 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan. In 1910 John was working as a Clerk in Automobile Works. Edna was listed as not working.

Edna and John were married just 4 years when they divorced in 1911. This would leave Edna alone, raising a 3 yr old daughter. At the time of her marriage in 1907, Edna had been working as a telephone operator. By 1910 she had no occupation. I have looked, but not located her in any city directories between 1910 and 1920.

By the time of the 1920 census, Edna was remarried to a man named Elmer W. Cunningham (1891-1946). They had married on 16 Nov 1918 in Bibb County, Georgia. Georgia! How did she end up down there?

The couple was living with her sister, Florence and family (Joseph, Dorothy, Robert and Joan). Edna’s daughter Ruth Duncan, age 11 was living in the household as well as Edna’s mother Florence and her husband George Bell.  A very full household.  They lived at 300 Clarendon Ave. in Detroit, Michigan. This particular home is one my mother recalls from when she was a young girl – she was born in 1924.

The house no longer stands. I drove by the location in 2012 during a visit to Detroit.

1920 census, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan

It seems that marriage didn’t work out for my grandaunt Edna, as she and Elmer Cunningham divorced and she went on to marry a man named C. W. Wood. At least that’s what I think his name was. I spent hours yesterday trying to find a marriage record for Edna to anyone named Wood.  The myriad of ways I searched should have uncovered some kind of record.

Today, I looked again at her death certificate from 1932 and am wondering if his name could have been E.W. Wood?  Now the search will begin anew.

Sadly, Edna only lived to age 42. She died 23 Feb 1932 in Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri.  She is buried in Mt. Moriah Cemetery. You can visit her memorial here #102913411. She is resting next to her mother Florence Hunter Bowden Bell who died in 1946.  Florence does not have a headstone, but Edna does.

According to her death certificate she died of Toxemia from arsenical dermatitis. No idea who she would have been exposed to arsenic that would have seeped into her skin.

Edna’s only child, Ruth was 23 when her mother died.  Two years later she married Edward C. Hogue in Jackson Co., Missouri. The couple had no children. So, this becomes the end of the line for Edna.

Just how did I finally obtain a photo of Edna Mabel “Denny” Bowden?

I went to our mailbox week before last and found several Christmas cards.  One envelope was from my cousin, Rick & his wife, Mary in Michigan.  I opened it and was SHOCKED to find it contained, not only a Christmas card, but also a smaller envelope which contained a very old and damaged photo.  I called and spoke to Mary who told me she found this among some of my grandmother’s belongings a few months ago and had been meaning to send it. Everything belonging to my maternal grandmother, Florence Bowden Milne, who died in 1986 in Michigan, had been left at my cousin’s home.

Florence Hunter Bowden with her daughter, Florence on the left and sweet Edna with her dark curls on the right - this would have been probably 1894-1895

I immediately recognized my grandmother as a young girl and my great grandmother. I knew the other younger girl in the photo couldn’t be anyone but Edna.

There she was with her Mom and older sister. To say I was thrilled is to put it mildly.

I was able to use MyHeritage to clean up and repair this photo. I was amazed at how good it came out.

That then is the story of my grandaunt Edna. I am hoping this will be the first of more stories/blog posts about ancestors, this year.  I have been woefully neglectful over the past 2 yrs in keeping up with my posts.  I blame it on this beautiful place I moved to in 2023.  Montana makes me want to be outside all the time.  Darn hard to write blog posts when I’m outside.  LOL!

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

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