Happy Birthday To Dwight

Now that's a smile that lights up a room and because we know the humor behind it, the face also warms our hearts.  Today we honor him on his 83rd birthday.  We reminisce of days past and treasure days present.  Whether we bow to his "position" in the family or not, we all care about what Dwight thinks about us:  What we are doing, how we are doing it, etc.  We love you!  Keep encouraging us!  Keep us laughing!  Keep us from taking ourselves too seriously!  And most of all....Keep happy and healthy!  

May today be a good time for you!  Our love, also, to Velna, who stands loyally (with her own humor, I might add) at your side.  We are grateful. 

Our Great-grandfather, Moses Blood

Above is a picture of the funeral card - evidently used in place of a program for those attending the funeral.  

The information about our great-grandfather, Moses Blood, father of Roscoe Marion Blood comes from our second cousin, Betty Sullivan, who has done a great deal of research on our Blood line.

Moses was the grandson of the first Moses, pioneer from Vermont, was born in Flora Township south of Belvidere, ILL.  He grew up on the family farm about three miles south and one west of Charles City, Iowa schools, and went into town to an old stone school building.

   

Young Moses, the grandson of the pioneer from VT, was b. while the family still lived in Flora Township, south of Belvidere. But he would have been too young to start school until they arrived in Charles City, IA.

He grew up on the family farm, about three miles south and one west of Charles City schools then were pretty modern in Floyd County. There were no one-room school houses. He went clear into town to school in the old, stone building that was blown down in the terrible tornado in the 1930's, which changed the whole look of the downtown.

When he was a young man helping his dad farm, Sarah  Batty HAWKINS bought land right across the road from them, and they were married in 1870. They had four children but the first baby died shortly after birth. So Mabel Clare BLOOD was their only girl, and they also had three boys. They had a nice farmhouse and outbuildings, still standing in 1997, but by then in pretty bad shape, as the ground had just been sold to a quarry, and the people renting were obviously very poor and uncaring about the looks of the place.

Moses and Sarah lived on the east side of the river, about five miles from town. When Moses was just 45-years old, he had a bad accident in the woods, followed by a long illness, and died, leaving Sarah and her four children. When he died, the farm was foreclosed for back taxes, and so Sarah and the children moved to town. He is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Charles City, IA., but there is no marker. (Source: "Riverside Cemetery Records", Charles City; "History of Floyd Co", (1893), p. 393; Personal Knowledge from Father and Grandmother & three visits to Charles City to see land, get land records, take photos, etc.).

Shadow Box Full of Memories

 Map of the northwest corner of the State of Wyoming with important locations in the Russell M. Blood - Minnie A. Wasden Blood family life.

 Piece of very light pink and tan blanket in the background was a wedding gift from Aunt Sofe (Wasden-Johnson), and our Grandmother, Tilda C. C. Wasden.  This picture was taken after the wedding in Lovell, with a partial shot of Aunt Cindy, Dad, Mother and Grandma sitting on the running board of the car, and Grandpa to the right.  Mother's car loaded with bedroll and whatever else they needed to get to Denver.

 Picture on the left is Mother's teacher placement picture from college.  On the right is a picture of Dad found in an old photograph album that was given me by Uncle Norman after Aunt Cindy had passed away.

The complete shadow box - picture taken at an angle so that I wouldn't get a glare on the 50th wedding anniversary picture on the right.  And, everyone knows that the upper right-hand picture is the one taken of Mother holding baby Louise and Dad in his cowboy hat and work clothes.  These are some of my favorite pictures from the past.