Gloria Josephine BLIVEN, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.
Photo # 22 Little Gloria
Little Gloria looks to be about 3 years old in this posed
portrait. This is the only photo I have of my second cousin who died of
pneumonia at the age of 10. My mother was her "big" cousin and she
told me that Gloria was very smart for a little girl.
Gloria's middle name was Josephine and she was named for my
grandmother, her mother's big sister. My great aunt, Dorothy had an unhappy
marriage with her husband Harry M. Bliven and
they divorced before Gloria passed away.
Harry was a automobile parts salesman and Dorothy did the
books for her father, J. Fred's business. The 1930 census states she was 27 at
marriage and is still married but he's not listed in the household. I tracked
him down and he is living with another, much younger woman (it says married) and their 7 month
old son. I suspect that the 1930 census for my great aunt should have listed
her as divorced. In the 1940 census, she is listed as divorced. I have one city
directory listing where they are living together with her parents.
Harry liked to drive fast cars and my mother always sneered
when his name was mentioned. There was a photo of him but my mother must have
thrown it out. She was fond of doing that to photos she didn't like.
I love Gloria's little chubby woolen stockings and her
intense stare. Her father must have had dark hair like hers. I had a lead on
him at one point and never heard from the genealogist who told me that she did
some research for the Bliven family.
Word count: 275
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