One Surviving Daughter

Last week’s blog post about the baby in Gus and Catherine’s family ended sadly with Charles’ sudden death at age 46.

As we continue to look at the children of Gus and Catherina Linn, the next one up the ladder is their only surviving daughter, Mary C. Linn. She was born on March 11, 1863, one year before Gus left to serve in the Civil War.

On December 2, 1887, Mary was united in marriage to Milan Ellsworth Curtis. Milan was born in Wisconsin and moved with his parents to Dayton sometime before Milan’s younger brother Charles was born in 1868. In the 1900 Federal census for Dayton, Milan is shown as a mason; in the 1910 census, he is a manager in an egg house.

Mary’s best friend, Elsie (Meaner) and her husband Harry Kinney had 5 young children; and when Elsie gave birth to her youngest in 1897, she died from child birth complications. The father, with so many young children, was unable to cope and gave them to various friends and family to adopt or to care for. In the case of Bessie who was born in December 1895, Elsie’s best friend Mary (Linn) and husband Milan Curtis decided to adopt her. Bessie took the name Bessie Myrtle Curtis when she was adopted by Mary and Milan, whom it has been said, could not have any biological children. And Bessie was their only child.

I’ve had contact with descendants of this family and have learned from them that Milan had a serious illness in the late 1800’s that took him and Mary west to try to find a better climate for him. While they were searching in Oregon, Mary’s father Gus died in 1897. Mary and Milan immediately returned to Iowa where Milan was made the trustee of Gus’ estate.

Mary, Milan and Bessie stayed in Dayton at least through the 1910 Federal Census; but by the 1920 Federal Census, they had moved west to Caldwell, Idaho. Their descendants say that Mary and Milan had visited Ontario, Oregon, and loved the Snake River but decided to live in Caldwell, Idaho, not far from the Snake River, and near the state capital of Boise.

Idaho became a state in 1890, but it was still a bit “rugged” and unsettled during the early 1900’s. Life couldn’t have been easy in the beginning.

Milan’s occupation in Idaho was hay dealer in both the 1920 and 1930 Federal Censuses, providing hay to local ranchers and farmers. By 1930, Milan was approaching 70 years of age and still working as a hay dealer.

In The Ogden Reporter, 29 August 1939, "Mr. and Mrs. M. E. Curtis of Caldwell, Idaho, are here for a ten-day visit with her brother, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Linn and other relatives. Sunday all the Linn families met at the M.E. church basement for a covered dish dinner in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis. They numbered about fifty relatives for dinner. All enjoyed a very pleasant day visiting."

This gathering happened just a few months after the passing of her sibling and our direct descendant Andrew Linn (March 22, 1939). And just a few months after this visit, Mary (Linn) Curtis died. She passed away on the 8^th of February 1940 in Caldwell, Idaho, of congestive heart failure at the age of 76.

I look at the pieces of Mary’s life, dates and places, and see a strong and adventurous woman. In being supportive of her husband’s health condition, she moved far away from her family, living the last 30 years of her life thousands of miles away from them. Unable to have children of their own, Milan and Mary did a most generous and loving thing by adopting Bessie, the daughter of Mary’s best friend.

I’d like to turn briefly to their daughter Bessie because she too, as a young girl, left her home and friends and siblings in Iowa for the unknown of Idaho.

In 1917, Bessie married Homer S. Jarvis in Caldwell, Idaho. They had three children: Curtis Jarvis, born in 1919; Homer Jarvis, born in 1921; and Betty Mae Jarvis, born in 1925. It is with the descendants of Betty Mae that I have had some contact over the years. The story they tell of Bessie is the following:

Bessie had become pregnant a fourth time and was having serious complications. The doctor recommended that Bessie terminate the pregnancy so that Bessie might live. Her husband refused this request. Bessie left Homer because of this and did not have the fourth child. We see Bessie and Homer in the 1930 Federal census in Pocatello, Idaho, living near each other but not in the same household.

Bessie decided to gain some training so she could help support her children. During this time, she sent Homer (known as Bud) to live with an aunt in California, Curtis to live with Milan and Mary Curtis (the grandparents), and Betty to the State Home for Children (for 3 months only as Mary Linn Curtis took her out to live with her and Milan when she found Betty crying at the state home). Bessie attended business school during this time, but still had regular contact with Curtis and Betty who lived with her parents.


 In the 1940 Federal Census, Bessie is a stenographer to an Adj General.and she has full custody of the three children. She and Homer are divorced.

Bessie did marry again. On December 12, 1943, she married Jesse Leon Basil. Bessie died April 15, 1956.

And again from family members of Bessie, we learn Bessie and her 4 siblings stayed connected and also had a good relationship with their father Harry Kinney. Bessie took up painting in her later years and, along with her sister Nellie (Nell) Kinney Boardman, who was a painter of some renown, the two traveled together and showed their paintings, mostly landscapes in many galleries. You can see images of Nell Boardman’s paintings online.

Some brave, loving and resilient women we have in our family!