Other Events:

• FamilySearch Id: K24C-9XC
• Reference Number: *
• _MARNM: Sly
• _UID: 0458416283314645AA9D192A0BF5BBA2257E

Notes:

Notes for Elizabeth Morris, born about 1820 Ireland, Was living at West Bloomfield, Michigan, at time of marriage to William W. Sly.

Isabella County Probate Records: The petition of Elizabeth Brown, widow of William Sly, late of said county, deceased, respectfully showeth that on or about the first day of January 1863, the said William Sly died leaving goods and clothing, rights, credits and real estate in the county, aforesaid, and that to the best of the knowledge and belief of your petitioner, no last will and testament was left by the said William Sly, deceased. That the deceased has left a widow, Elizabeth Brown, your petitioner, age 37 years and six children; William age 18, Lester age 15, Alvorus(?) Loren, Daniel age 12, George age 9 and Hattie age 5/ and that the deceased was at his death an inhabitant of said county. Your petitioner therefore prays that letters of administration be granted on the estate of the said William Sly and that Philander Harness may be appointed administrater.
signed with her X 28 July 1863

In the 1870 Census It looks like Alvannah Loren was living with a John Sly in Bloomfield, Oakland, MI and Lester was living with Elizabeth's sister Jane Crawford and family in West Bloomfield, Oakland, MI. ( see their notes).

Michigan Marriages, 1851-75 about Elizabeth Sly
Name: Sylvester C. Brown
Spouse: Elizabeth Sly
Marriage Date: 4 Oct 1864
County: Wayne
State: MI

Children all in Isabella County 1865

Sylvester Brown and wife, Rosannah, took care of Hattie, Daniel, and George year ending 28 May 1866. Mr. Brown submitted a bill for food and clothing 7 June 1869. (Could this be the parents of Elizabeth Sly's 2nd Husband, Brown)

Marriage record in Wayne county, Michigan for a Sylvester C. Brown and Elizabeth Sly, both of Royal Oak, Michigan. He is 39 and she is 33. Date of Marriage 4 Oct 1864 at Detroit, Michigan by Timothy McCarthy.

Oakland County, Michigan probate files: #1983 George Morris, Intestate filed 10 Aug 1863, died 1 Aug 1863. Heirs: brothers and sisters, John Morris, Mary Hedican, Nancy Gilchrist, Jane Cummings and Elizabeth Sly. Adm George Crawford. (each of the sisters received 762.69 1/2 as heirs of the estate)

Oakland County, Michigan Probate files: file # 1993 John Morris; intestate filed 31 Aug 1863, Died 20 Aug 1863. Heirs: sisters; Mary Hedican, Nancy Gilchrist, Jane Cummings, Elizabeth H. Sly. (each sister received 367.77 1/2 as heirs of the estate.)

Jane Morris came to America with her 2 brothers, John and George Morris when she was only 15. They settled in New York State, remained for about 5 years and in 1835 came to Oakland County Michigan. In the meantime their father, mother and 3 sisters also came to the United States. (from Oakland County, Michigan History P. 872, see George Cummings)

Name: Elizabeth Sly
[Y Sly]
Birth Date: 1827
Birth Place: Ireland
Death Date: 7 Feb 1879
Death Place: Oakland County, Michigan, USA
Has Bio?: Y
URL: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-..

Elizabeth Morris Sly
Birth: 1827, Ireland
Death: Feb. 7, 1879
Oakland County
Michigan, USA

Elizabeth married William on July 17, 1842 in Commerce, Oakland County, Michigan.

Elizabeth's second husband was Sylvester C Brown. They were married on Oct 4, 1864 in Detroit, Michigan.

Aged: abt 52.
******************
Elizabeth's mother's full name was Jane Crawford-Morris.
Family links:
Parents:
William Morris (1777 - 1835)
Jane Crawford Morris (1775 - 1845)
Spouse: William Wesley Sly (1807 - 1863)
Children:
William Wesley Sly (1848 - 1922)*
Hattie Sly (1849 - 1859)*
Lester Daniel Schley (1850 - 1935)*
Loren Alvanus Sly (1853 - ____)*
Daniel Sly (1856 - 1942)*
George Albert Sly (1858 - 1942)*
Burial:Walled Lake Cemetery, Walled Lake, Oakland County, Michigan, USA
Created by: RMW
Record added: Oct 15, 2011
Find A Grave Memorial# 78443251

Elizabeth married William Wesley SLY on 17 Jul 1842 in Commerce, Oakland, Michigan, United States. William (son of Christopher SLY and Lodema MACK) was born on 22 Oct 1807 in New York, United States; died on 11 Jan 1863 in , Isabella, Michigan, United States; was buried in , Isabella, Michigan, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Elizabeth married Sylvester BROWN on 4 Oct 1864 in , Wayne, Michigan, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• FamilySearch Id: K887-C9F
• _UID: 78BEB381E610A847BD21B8BE43C219894A62

Notes:

!NOTE: From the "History of Hennipen Co., Minnesota" by William Fletcher.
William Wesley Sly was born 9 July 1848 in Oakland County, Michigan. At the age of 16 he went to sea and before he was 21 years of age, he circumnavigated the globe. He lived in England two years and engaged in painting for which he had a natural ability. From there he went to Italy, Asia, East India, China and was in Abyssinian expedition with supplies, was at Ensley Bay at the time King Theodore suicided. In 1869 he returned to Bomban, and there went on board the Great Eastern, laying cable. He served in the late war and after peace was declared, he went again to sea. In 1872 he engaged in the paint business in Detroit and remained there until 1878. (With the exception of one schooner trip to Duluth, in which he was shipwrecked and nearly lost his life.) In 1878 he came to Minneapolis and took charge of the Minnesota Linseed Oil Company and paint works. In 1889 he formed a partnership with L.J. Skiinner, known as the Minneapolis Liquid Paint Company. He married in June 1880, Mary-daughter of Rev. L.D. Brown of St. Paul.
!SOURCE: C W Pension records, vital records-Yankton, SD

Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934
Name: William W. Sly
State Filed: Michigan
Widow: Mary E. Sly

1880 United States Federal Census Record about William W. Sly
Name: William W. Sly
Age: 32
Estimated birth year: abt 1848
Birthplace: Michigan
Occupation: Liquid Paint Manufactir
Relationship to head-of-household: Something other than a direct relationship
Home in 1880: Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota
Marital status: Widower
Race: White
Gender: Male
Father's birthplace: NY
Mother's birthplace: ENG

Minnesota Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905
Name: W. W. Sly
Census Date: 1895
County: Hennepin
Locality: Minneapolis Ward 8
Birth Location: Michigan
Gender: Male Paint soldier in War of the rebellion.
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1849
Race: White
Line: 21
Roll: V290_68
Listed with wife, Mary E. age 32, George L age 19, Florence E age 12, Bessie age 11.

1920 United States Federal Census Record
Name: William W Bly [William W Sly]
Age: 70 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1850
Birthplace: Michigan
Race: White
Home in 1920: Utica, Yankton, South Dakota
Sex: Male
Marital status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Employee: laundryman in South Dakota Institution for the Insane
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Mother's Birth Place: Ireland
Father's Birth Place: New York
Image: 840

Family Data Collection - Individual Records William Wesley Sly
Name: William Wesley Sly
Spouse: Bessie Bedell
Parents: William Sly , Elizabeth Morris
Birth Place: Oak, Walled Lake, Michigan
Birth Date: 1848
Death Date: 10 Dec 1922

(This is a letter from William W. Sly, born 1848, to his son George L. Sly)
PANAMA RAILROAD COMPANY July 26,1909 Geo. L. Sly Bristol, England
Son George, Your last came to hand in due time. Glad to hear from you and to know that you are well and that your mother is better. So I am still here doing nothing. Things look pretty blue for me here. Am still looking for something no matter what it is so long as I can make a living and save a little and when I do get a little ahead, will leave this country for sure as it is no good at all anymore. I do not know where I will head for as yet but am on the lookout for someplace. It is all guesswork to know the best place. I suppose that you will be going back to Africa again soon or if not, where to? Keep me posted where you are as we can write one another sometime so long as we can buy stamps.

The canal is going on all the time and will be finished in 1915 sure then you will see the greatest waterway in the world. It sure is a big job of work but will go through all right. The railroad is one of the best on earth and does more business than any railroad on earth for its length, only 48 miles long from Panama to Colon Coast. Two dollars and forty five cents.....first class and no baggage. For it you must pay three cents per pound on all baggage except your suitcase and things like that. Each day four trains come to Panama and on Sundays six trains, two hospital cars bring in the sick and wounded to the Ancon which is the largest hospital in the world, consisting of something like 26 buildings, all separate and each one from fifty to eighty feet on the ground floor and many of them are two story high. The largest part of the sick are negros. Yes, seven eights of the sick are blacks but all have white American nurses and have just the same treatments as the whites. There is wards for Americans, English, Germans, French, Italians, Spanish, Negroes and Greeks. So you see we have a mixed population down here in this country. No more for this time. Remember me to all your family, your wife and baby. Yours W.W. Sly Ancon P. O.

William married Bessie BEDELL about 1871. Bessie was born in 1848 in Bristol, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

William married Mary E BROWN on 24 Jun 1880 in , Hennipen, Minnesota, United States. Mary (daughter of Rev. LD BROWN) was born about 1848 in Pennsylvania, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• FamilySearch Id: KH2V-KGB
• _UID: 62C1B2A7EC6265419B5CCAC69231992E8158

Notes:

1870 United States Federal Census
Name: Leslie Sly ( The record definitely reads Lester. He is living with his mother's sister and family)
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1851
Age in 1870: 19
Birthplace: Michigan
Home in 1870: West Bloomfield, Oakland, Michigan
Gender: Male
Post Office: Pontiac
Household Members: Name Age
Robb Cummings 59
Jane Cummings 51
William Cummings 26
George Cummings 23
Annha Cummings 19
Leslie Sly 19 farm labor (Lester)

1880 United States Federal Census Record about Lester Sly
Name: Lester Sly
Age: 29
Estimated birth year: abt 1851
Birthplace: Michigan (father bn New York, Mother bn Ireland)
Occupation: Carpenter
Relationship to head-of-household: Self
Home in 1880: Juniata, Adams, Nebraska
Marital status: Married (27 yrs)
Race: White
Gender: Male
Spouse's name: Minnie Sly 24, Lulu 6, Annie 3,
Father's birthplace: MI
Mother's birthplace: MI
Note: George A. Sly age 23, carpenter (with measles); and wife Katie N age 18, are living next door

1900 United States Federal Census Record about Lester Sly
Name: Lester Sly
Home in 1900: Crooked River, Ray, Missouri
Age: 49 Occupation Carpenter
Estimated birth year: abt 1851
Birthplace: Michigan
Race: White Married 27 yrs (wife Minnie 3 children, 3 living)
Relationship to head-of-house: Head wife Minnie age 42, son Alonzo 19 born Illinois, Pearl 6 bn Michigan

U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
Name: Lester A Sly
Residence Year: 1908
Street address: 745 N Pine Mrs Merilla
Residence Place: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Occupation: Carpenter
Publication Title: Colorado Springs, Colorado, City Directory, 1908

1910 United States Federal Census Record about Lester A Sly
Name: Lester A Sly
Age in 1910: 58
Estimated birth year: abt 1852
Birthplace: Michigan
Home in 1910: Colorado Springs Ward 3, El Paso, Colorado
Race: White
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Married 36 years
Relation to Head of House: Head
Mother's Birth Place: Ireland
Father's Birth Place: New York
Household Members: Name Age
Lester A Sly 58 carpenter contractor
Merrilla Sly 52 wife 5 children, 2 living
Pearl M E Sly 16 daughter, Hairdresser
Stephen W Reade 68 roomer


1910 United States Federal Census
Name: Lester A Sly
Age in 1910: 58
Estimated birth year: abt 1852
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Father
Father's Birth Place: New York
Mother's Birth Place: New Hampshire
Home in 1910: Oklahoma City Ward 3, Oklahoma, Oklahoma
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
Household Members: Name Age
Alonzo D Sly 28 head carpenter, contractor
Emma E Sly 24 wife
Lester A Sly 58 father carpenter, contractor
David M Quinlan 51 father in law (to Alonzo) divorced, farmer retired


1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Lester A Schley
Home in 1920: Oklahoma City Ward 1, Oklahoma, Oklahoma
Age: 69 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1851
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Mabel
Father's Birth Place: New York
Mother's Birth Place: Ireland
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Own/mortgaged Occupation: Carpenter/ finisher
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Household Members: Name Age
Lester A Schley 69
Mabel Schley 62 (I read Arabel)
Pearl Gladden 26 (I read Salladen for last name) daughter widowed
Harold M Gladden 7 ( " ) grand son


1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Lester A Schley
Home in 1930: Billings, Yellowstone, Montana 118 Ave B
Age: 80
Estimated birth year: abt 1850
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Father-in-law
Race: White
Occupation: none Military Service: no: Age at first marriage: Parents' birthplace:father: NY, mother Irish free state Household Members: Name Age
Herman H Pfeil 43 manager dry goods store, married age 21
Pearl I Pfeil 36 married age 17
Harold Pfeil 18
Lester A Schley 80 widower, married age 25


Montana Death Index, 1907-2002about Lester A Schley
Name: Lester A Schley
Age: 83
Estimated birth year: 1850
Gender: Male
Death Date: 5 Nov 1933
Index Number: Blgs 3672
Source: Montana Office of Vital Statistics

Name: Elizabeth Schley
Maiden Name: Morris
Gender: Female
Birth Place: New York City New York
Spouse: William Schley
Child: Lester Alonza Schley
Certificate Number: 3672
daughter Pearl Pheil witness

Lester married Armintha Morilla LIPSCOMB on 3 Jul 1873 in Pontiac, Oakland, Michigan, United States. Armintha was born on 22 Jul 1857 in , Saginaw, Michigan, United States; died on 4 Jan 1928 in Billings, Yellowstone, Montana, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• FamilySearch Id: KFFK-QD8
• Reference Number: *
• _UID: ACE9B1E9CFA0B34FA10EA025755230444F94

Notes:

Things to do:
1. divorce papers, Oscoda, Cheboygan counties?
2. Isabella, Bay, Oscoda County newspapers. (gold rush news, marriages, divorces, deaths)
3. What was Loren's occupation? lumber?
4. Where were the gold strikes in 1888?
5. location of Michigan counties: Eaton, Bloomfield, Mecosta, Isabella, Iosco, Cheboygan.

Timeline for Alvanus/Alvannah Loren Sly:
1854 Loren born in Michigan
1860 Census, Loren, listed as Alvanus, lived with parents and siblings in Oneida, Eaton, Michigan
1863 Jan 11, Loren's father, William W Sly, age 56, died in Isabella county, Michigan
1864 Oct 4, Loren's mother, Elizabeth, married Sylvester Brown. The children were farmed out.
1870 Census, There is an Alvin Sly, age 17, living with John and Almira Sly in Bloomfield, Oakland, MI
1873 Loren's mother, Elizabeth, age 53, died in Michigan
1877 Loren married Elizabeth Close in Hinton, Mecosta, Michigan
1878 Nov 30, daughter, Clara or Carrie, born in Ausable, Mecosta, Michigan
1879 owned 40 acres of land in Hinton, Mecosta County, MI (T 13 N, R 8 W)
1880 Census. Loren A Sly, wife, Elizabeth, and daughter, Carey living in Fremont, Isabella, MI
1881 May 3, daughter, Addie May, born in Oscoda, Iosco, Michigan
1883 Jul 26, son, Ernest Wayne born in Mackinaw City, Cheboygan, Michigan
1888 near this time Loren left for the gold fields and disappeared. ???


Alvana Loren Sly and Elizabeth Close were married 23 September 1877 in Hinton, Mecosta, Michigan. According to his cousin, Alonzo Daniel Sly, Loren borrowed the suit of his brother, Lester, to be married in. In1880 Loren and Elizibeth lived in Fremont, Isabella County, Michigan with their 1st child, Carey. Elizabeth's parents lived nearby. They had 2 more children, Addie Mae and Earnest, and times were hard. Loren (as he was listed in the 1880 census) decided to go to the gold fields. Just where he went is unknown. It is said that he sent a couple of letters home and then was not heard from again. According to Olive Sly Huff, the daughter of Ernest Sly, who was Loren's son, "Ernest said he was 5 years old ( about 1888) when his father left for the west." After her husband left, Elizabeth took in roomers to make ends meet. Richard Smith was one of her roomers. Richard and Elizabeth married and moved to Montana to homestead, ten miles east of Eureka. Elizabeth (Libby) and Richard Smith raised her grand daughter, Bertha Sherman. According to a cousin, "Old Dick wasn't too gifted in work. It was always Aunt Lib that did the work. She even worked out at cooking. It's still a wonder to me how people got by in those days."
Alvanus or Loren A. Sly was born about 1854 in Michigan, the 3rd child of 6, of William and Elizabeth Sly. His father died when he was about 9 years old. His mother remarried, but most of the children were farmed out. Bertha Sherman said that her grandmother, Elizabeth Sly described Loren as a red-haired man who walked with a limp. When Bertha was just a little girl she ran into the house and said "Grandma, there is a red-haired man who walks with a limp coming up the road!" When they went to look, the man was gone. They wondered if it could have been Loren Sly. Loren's brother, Lester, lived and died in Billings Montana in 1933. The place and time of death of Loren are unknown.
Elizabeth Close was born in Adams County Indiana on the 25 December 1858. She was the second child of 6 born to James and Nancy Close. Her father had been married before and Elizabeth had a half brother, George. She grew up in Indiana, later moving to and marrying in Michigan. After her first husband left and she remarried and moved to Michigan, Libby raised vegetables and strawberries to sell to the neighbors. She also sold cottage cheese, eggs, milk, chicken, cookies, etc. She was well liked by everyone. Elizabeth (Close) Sly Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer at the Mayo Clinic and Bertha often administered Morphine to her grandma to make the pain bearable. Elizabeth died from the cancer in July 1919 at the age of 60.

Alaska Gold Rush 1880-1914 (Valdez 1898)

!SOURCE: Sealed to spouse, 10 Dec 1985 SL, Marriage sealing batch # M518622, sheet #1003, film# 1004849

1860 United States Federal Census Record about Alvanus Sly
Name: Alvanus Sly
Age in 1860: 7
Birth Year: abt 1853
Birthplace: Michigan
Home in 1860: Oneida, Eaton, Michigan
Gender: Male
Post Office: Grand Ledge
Household Members: Name Age
William Sly 52
Elizabeth Sly 33
Wm W Sly 12
Lester 8
Alvanus 7
Daniel Sly 6
George Sly 3


1870 United States Federal Census (There is a George, age 45, and Jane Sly on this page 2 families up)
Name: Aline Sly ( this definitely is written Alvin perhaps our Alvanus Loren?)
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1853
Age in 1870: 17
Birthplace: Michigan
Home in 1870: Bloomfield, Oakland, Michigan
Race: White
Gender: Male
Post Office: Franklin
Household Members: Name Age (All born in Michigan
John Sly 47 born abt 1823 Michigan
Almiea Sly 40 (looks like Almira)
Aline Sly 17 (looks like Alvine) farmer
Charles Sly 5
William Watkins 20 farmer

U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918 about Loren Sly
Owner's Name: Loren Sly
State: Michigan
County: Mecosta
Town: Hinton
Year: 1879

This is a census of John and Almira who Alvine was living with in 1870
1880 United States Federal Census about John B. Sly
Name: John B. Sly
Age: 57
Birth Year: abt 1823
Birthplace: New York
Home in 1880: Bloomfield, Oakland, Michigan
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Almira D. Sly
Father's Birthplace: New York
Mother's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Neighbors: View others on page
Occupation: Farmer
Household Members:
Name Age
John B. Sly 57
Almira D. Sly 47
Charles B. Sly 14


1880 United States Federal Census Record Loren A. Sly
Name: Loren A. Sly
Age: 26
Estimated birth year: abt 1854
Birthplace: Michigan
Occupation: Farmer (Noted that he was employed 2 months during census year)
Relationship to head-of-household: Self
Home in 1880: Fremont, Isabella, Michigan
Marital status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
Spouse's name: Elizabeth Sly age 21, daughter Carey age 1
Father's birthplace: NY
Mother's birthplace: MI


Lawrence Sly
mentioned in the record of Earnest W. Sly and Blanch R. Holbrook
Name: Lawrence Sly
Gender: Male
Wife: Elizabeth Close
Child: Earnest W. Sly
Other information in the record of Earnest W. Sly and Blanch R. Holbrook
from Montana, County Marriages
Name: Earnest W. Sly
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 30 Jun 1907
Event Place: Kalispell, , Montana
Age: 24
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Birthplace: Mack City, Mich.
Birth Year (Estimated): 1883
Father's Name: Lawrence Sly
Mother's Name: Elizabeth Close
Additional Relatives: X
Spouse's Name: Blanch R. Holbrook
Spouse's Age: 21
Spouse's Marital Status: Single
Spouse's Race: White
Spouse's Birthplace: Pine Valley, Oregon
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1886
Spouse's Father's Name: Henry W. Holbrook
Spouse's Mother's Name: Mahala E. Neil
Reference ID: V3p513 , GS Film number: 1902479 , Digital Folder Number: 4350527 , Image Number: 287
"Montana, County Marriages, 1865-1950," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F33W-J42 : accessed 21 Oct 2014), Lawrence Sly in entry for Earnest W. Sly and Blanch R. Holbrook, 30 Jun 1907; citing V3p513, Kalispell, , Montana; FHL microfilm 1902479.

Bertha Sherman said that her grandmother, Elizabeth Sly said that Loren was red-haired and walked with a limp. According to a letter from Olive Sly Huff, the daughter of Earnest Sly, who was Lorian's son; Earnest said he was 5 years old ( about 1888) when his father left for the west. Elizabeth and Lorian Sly were living in Michigan, Bay County, Pinnconning Village. When money became scarce, Lorian left for the gold fields. There were two or three letters received from him. Then no more word. Elizabeth took in roomers to make ends meet. Richard Smith was one of her roomers. Richard and Elizabeth married, after 1894, and moved to Montana to homestead, ten miles east of Eureka. Addie Mae Sly and Milton Sherman married and went with them. Libby and Dick Smith raised Bertha Sherman, daughter of Addie Mae and Milton Sherman. When Bertha was just a little girl she ran into the house and said "Grandma, there is a red-haired man who walks with a limp coming up the road!" When they went to look, the man was gone. They wondered if it could have been Lorian Sly. Lorian's brother, Lester, lived and died in Billings Montana in 1933. ( Bertha was born in 1903.)

findagrave.com
Loren Alvanus Sly..
Birth: 1853
Grand Ledge
Eaton County
Michigan, USA
Death: unknown
Yellowstone County
Montana, USA
Loren married Elizabeth Close on Sept 23, 1873 in Michigan.
Loren, apparently, left his family in 1888. He was going to look for gold in Montana. He sent a few letters and then was not heard from again.
Death: aft 1898.
Family links:
Parents:
William Wesley Sly (1807 - 1863)
Elizabeth Morris Sly (1827 - 1879)
Spouse:
Elizabeth Libby Close Sly (1858 - 1919)*
Siblings:
William Wesley Sly (1848 - 1922)*
Hattie Sly (1849 - 1859)*
Lester Daniel Schley (1850 - 1935)*
Loren Alvanus Sly (1853 - ____)
Daniel Sly (1856 - 1942)*
George Albert Sly (1858 - 1942)*

*Calculated relationship
Burial: Body lost or destroyed

Created by: RMW
Record added: Jun 01, 2012
Find A Grave Memorial# 91113176

Alvannah married Elizabeth Close on 23 Sep 1877 in Hinton, Mecosta, Michigan, United States. Elizabeth (daughter of James CLOSE and Nancy Ann DOUGHERTY) was born on 25 Dec 1858 in , Adams, Indiana, United States; died on 8 Jul 1919 in Eureka, Lincoln, Montana, United States; was buried on 9 Jul 1919 in Tobacco Plains Cemetery, Eureka, Lincoln, Montana, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: A55EE35F209CB54F8B2CC9B77DA91C57D56F

Notes:

1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Daniel Sly
Home in 1900: Oscoda, Iosco, Michigan (State Street)
Age: 40
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1860
Birthplace: Michigan (father bn Vermont, mother bn Ireland)
Relationship to head-of-house: Head (renting home)
Spouse's name: Bessie (married 3 years)
Race: White
Occupation: fireman locomotive
Household Members: Name Age
Daniel Sly 40
Bessie Sly 26 (2 children, 2 living)
Bert Sly 7
Clarence Sly 1

1910 United States Federal Census
Name: Daniel Sly
Age in 1910: 52
Estimated birth year: abt 1858
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Father's Birth Place: New York
Mother's Birth Place: Ireland
Spouse's name: Bessie J
Home in 1910: Gustin, Alcona, Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
Household Members: Name Age
Daniel Sly 52
Bessie J Sly 36
Burr L Sly 18
Maud R Sly 8

1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Daniel Sly
Home in 1920: Genesee, Genesee, Michigan
Age: 60 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1860
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Bessie
Father's Birth Place: New York
Mother's Birth Place: Ireland
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Own
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Household Members: Name Age
Daniel Sly 60
Bessie Sly 48
Mandie Sly 18

1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Daniel Sly
Home in 1930: Flint, Genesee, Michigan
Age: 70
Estimated birth year: abt 1860
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Bessie
Race: White
Household Members: Name Age
Daniel Sly 70
Bessie Sly 53
Burs L Sly 36

Daniel married Mildred E. HAYES on 4 Jul 1885 in Biggs Twp, Oscoda, Michigan, United States. Mildred was born on 21 Feb 1869 in Bridgeport, Oscoda, Michigan, United States; died on 23 Nov 1893; was buried in East Tawas, Iosco, Michigan, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Daniel married Bessie Imolene SHEPARD on 10 Jan 1894 in Biggs Twp, Oscoda, Michigan, United States. Bessie (daughter of Alvin T. SHEPARD and Maud FANKHAUSER) was born on 14 Aug 1874 in New Haven, Gratiot, Michigan, United States; died on 10 Apr 1941 in Flint, Genesee, Michigan, United States; was buried in Gracelawn Cem, Flint, Genesee, Michigan, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 284CA31A6DA8494F86B62BBE0A40EF8BC758

Notes:

Birthdate he gave himself was 2 April 1858.

1880 United States Federal Census Record about George A. Sly
Name: George A. Sly
Age: 23
Estimated birth year: abt 1857
Birthplace: Michigan
Occupation: Carpenter
Relationship to head-of-household: Self
Home in 1880: Juniata, Adams, Nebraska
Marital status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
Spouse's name: Katie N. Sly
Father's birthplace: NY
Mother's birthplace: IRE
note: Lester Sly (brother) living next door

1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Geo A Sly
Home in 1900: Pinon, Montrose, Colorado
Age: 42
Estimated birth year: abt 1858
Birthplace: Michigan
Relationship to head-of-house: Head
Spouse's name: Katie W
Race: White
Occupation: carpenter
Household Members: Name Age
Geo A Sly 42
Katie W Sly 37
Ford C Sly 18
Clint C Sly 17
Clyde Sly 14
Mabel R Sly 11
Leafy H Sly 8
Taynel Sly 5



1910 United States Federal Census
Name: George A Sly
Age in 1910: 52
Estimated birth year: abt 1858
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Father's Birth Place: New York
Mother's Birth Place: New York
Spouse's name: Kate N
Home in 1910: Nucla, Montrose, Colorado
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
Household Members: Name Age
George A Sly 52
Kate N Sly 48
Clint L Sly 25
Leafy E Sly 18
Tripell g Sly 14
Frank L Sly 7

1920 United States Federal Census
Name: George A Sly
Home in 1920: Nucla, Montrose, Colorado
Age: 61 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1859
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Kate N
Father's Birth Place: New York
Mother's Birth Place: Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Own
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 701
Household Members: Name Age
George A Sly 61
Kate N Sly 57
Frank L Sly 17

1930 United States Federal Census
Name: George H Sly
Home in 1930: Compton, Los Angeles, California
Age: 72
Estimated birth year: abt 1858
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Race: White
Occupation: builder/contracter Military Service: no, Rent/home value: Age at first marriage: 22, Parents' birthplace: NY, NY
Household Members: Name Age
George H Sly 72 widowed builder/contracter
Frank L Sly 24 single Mechanic/garage





LIFE STORY OF GEORGE ALBERT SLY
I, George A. Sly, have been asked by my children to write a history of my life as I remember it. As all of our family records have been lost, I will have to depend on my memory, When I was about five years old, we lived on a farm near St. Louis, Michigan and about that time father died leaving mother with six children and none of them old enough to take the responsibility of providing a living forthe family. After the funeral, the neighbors came in to see if they could help solve the problem for mother. The children were five boys and one girl, she being the baby and I was next to her. I went to live with a neighbor named Allen, and mother went to live with her brother near Pontiac. I was with Allens about a year when mother's brother died and again we were destitute when a man by the name of Exelby (or Axford) wanted me to live with him. I was then about 8 years old and able to do some work. Exelby lived on a farm in Clinton Co. (MI) and we stayed there about a year then moved to Saginaw Co. where his brother had a sawmill and he joined him in the mill. I helped around the mill. They had a young man as engineer and he had TB and got too weak to work, so I was to help him. He took all the pains to teach me how to fire the boiler and run the engine and pumps. Soon after he was taken much worse and died and then I was put in charge. After that time Exelby got the wandering blues and he made up a party and then went to Nebraska and filed a homestead and in the spring of 1872 Exelby and another man chartered a car and left for Lincoln, Nebraska and Hebron, and I went with the car as we had two teams of horses to look after when we arrived in Lincoln. We found the ........and we loaded the wagon and started for Hebron. The first thing was to build a place to live in which we did by digging a dugout and a sod house. This was April 1872 and that year the B&M railroad built the road from Lincoln to Kearney and the U.S. established a mail route to Red Cloud, 120 miles south, and Exelby took the contract to carry the mail two trips a week for a year and after a few trips I was put on to run the route. I had a pair of ponies anda spring wagon with........which was very good during the summer, but in the winter was tough and I had no winter woolen clothes on, overshoes, no overcoat but I got through and at the end of the contract, I had worked out a few dollars for myself. I paid extra both ways and a great many ..... of...... both ways. When I made the fast trip I got ready to go on my own as I lived with Exelby for several years and he had given me no schooling and lots of chores so one night I slipped out with a few dollars and hit east on the railroad and ................... I saw some men loading some wagons with machinery and I asked for the boss. He was pointed out to me and I told him I wanted a job. He called the foreman, Mr. George Carr, and said can you use this boy? Carr asked me if I could drive a team. I said, yes. All right, Carr said and I worked for him three years and I went to school winters and did chores for my board. Then there was a flouring mill being built a few miles from there and I got a job there and the millwright took a shine to me and took pains to see me put over the care of the tools. About a year after the mill was in operation, it changed hands which left us out and I drifted back to Juniata and put in the winter going to school. The next summer I went to work for a company, James & ...... who was running a general store, a grain elevator and a sawmill in Juniata and worked for them two years and during that time I met the finest girl, my future wife, and also where one of my brothers was in Michigan and in early winter went to visit them, coming back the next spring and at Christmas time we were married, December 14, 1879. I will remember the large one room log house where father died with a large fireplace in one end withthe drain crank hinged at one side where the meals were cooked, with the wide mantle above the fireplace on which was the family Bible with its well worn pages and at one side the old weight clock which always recorded the time. These were the happiest days of my childhood and the only happy house I ever knew until I moved and had a home of my own. The years I was with the Exelbys family, I was never happy as they were very cruel and brutal to me and as I write this for my children I must add that we have raised a family that I am proud of, Each and every one of them a respected citizen.

George married Catherine Helen HILDERBRAND on 24 Dec 1879 in Juniata, Adams, Nebraska, United States. Catherine (daughter of John HELDENBRAND and Rachel Ellen BUCK) was born on 27 Jun 1862 in Belle Plaine, Benton, Iowa, United States; died on 18 May 1928 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 99884B782199114D8599302CF56613765A2D

Other Events:

• _UID: 9EF1F10E3714D24E9FCA5F649E611EB1F379

Other Events:

• _UID: AF57634D50EB7F468DB5A53492649091E803

Notes:

S!NOTE: married 2 Aug 1904, Johannesburg, South Africa. !SOURCE: grandson in South Africa. and from pension records of the Phillipine War.
Ancestry, One Worldtree
George Lester Sly
Born: 10 Aug 1874 Detroit, Wayne, MI, USA
Died: 10 Jan 1950 Capetown, South Africa

American Foreign Service
Report of the death of an American
Cape town, South Africa, January 31, 1950
name: George Lester Sly Occupation: retired
date of death: 10 January 1950, 6:25 pm
Place of death: Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
cause of death: Post Renal Uraemia, Right sided hemiplegia according to death Certificate, attached
buried at Maitland Cemetery No. 1, Cape Province
Retired Carpenter/ South African Railways
Copy of this report sent to: William Wesley Sly, son
address Bungalow J-41, South African Airways, Wingfield, Cape
Remarks: No cost is borne by the Consulate General as the disposition of theremains, effects, telegrams, etc. was handled by William W. Sly, son. Mr. Sly came to South Africa in 1900 to fight in the Boer War. It is assumed that no passports were issued at that time. Death Certificate

George married Susan on 3 Aug 1904 in Johannsburg, South Africa. Susan was born about 1858. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: F844FE6C43271844B39440720F29CCEB5499

Other Events:

• _UID: 15E97C1E1A0E044A8790A7FEE6BD7AA38A47

Other Events:

• _UID: 629EA2D7C138D749853E6D910998D35017B3

Notes:

married D.M. Bartlett, 1892, St. Louis, MI

Lulu married D. M. BARTLETT in 1892 in Michigan, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: EFE996F0CCD51B43B24E1657EC4DA4D980BC

Notes:

1880 census gives birthplace as Michigan

:NOTE: died on the trail to Nebraska and is buried along the trail somewhere.

Other Events:

• _UID: F42E04AE7F9FAF4CA73895E11AB802475DC9

Notes:

married Emma Quinlan, 17 Nov 1904, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

1910 United States Federal Census
Name: Alonzo D Sly
Age in 1910: 28
Estimated birth year: abt 1882
Birthplace: Illinois
Relation to Head of House: Head
Father's name: Lester A
Father's Birth Place: Michigan
Mother's Birth Place: Michigan
Spouse's name: Emma E
Home in 1910: Oklahoma City Ward 3, Oklahoma, Oklahoma
Marital Status: Married 5 yrs
Race: White
Gender: Male
Household Members: Name Age
Alonzo D Sly 28 carpenter contractor
Emma E Sly 24
Lester A Sly 58 father carpenter contractor M1 58 yrs
David M Quinlan 51 father in law marital status D


1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Alonzo D Sey [Alonzo D Sly]
Home in 1920: Lawton Ward 4, Comanche, Oklahoma
Age: 38 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1882 [abt 1892]
Birthplace: Illinois
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Emma
Father's Birth Place: Michigan
Mother's Birth Place: Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Rent
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 876
Household Members: Name Age
Alonzo D Sey 38 machinist garage
Emma Sey 34
Everett Sey 7 Son bp OK
David Sey 5 son bp OK
Virginia Lee Norman 4 neice bp OK


1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Emma E Sly
Home in 1930: Lawton, Comanche, Oklahoma
Age: 47
Estimated birth year: abt 1883
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Father's name: David
Spouse's name: Alonzo D
Occupation: Education: Military Service: Rent/home value: Age at first marriage: Parents' birthplace:
Neighbors:
Household Members: Name Age
Alonzo D Sly 49
Emma E Sly 47
David Sly 15
David Quinlan 71 father in law, Widow, bp Canada-French

Social Security Death Index
Name: Alonzo Sly
SSN: 448-34-3486
Last Residence: 73505 Lawton, Comanche, Oklahoma, United States of America
Born: 19 Jun 1881
Died: Oct 1981
State (Year) SSN issued: Oklahoma (1952-1953 )

Could this be related? (Yes, It's his daughter in law according to A letter written by A D Sly in 1968)
Social Security Death Index
Name: Addie M. Sly
SSN: 443-30-1712
Last Residence: 73505 Lawton, Comanche, Oklahoma, United States of America
Born: 15 May 1917
Died: 22 Feb 2003
State (Year) SSN issued: Oklahoma (Before 1951 )

Alonzo married Emma Elizabeth Quinlan on 17 Nov 1904 in Oklahoma City, Lahoma, Oklahoma, United States. Emma (daughter of David Michael Quinlan and Clara Ann Ott) was born in 1885 in Nebraska, United States; died on 24 Sep 1970 in Oklahoma, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 9763206117DBAF4FB80F9B250386B64F80E1

Other Events:

• _UID: B311673B8363A14399A5077E49EB56AA2700

Notes:

1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Pearl I Pfeil [Pearl I Schley]
Home in 1930: Billings, Yellowstone, Montana
Age: 36
Estimated birth year: abt 1894
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Father's name: Lester A
Spouse's name: Herman H
Household Members: Name Age
Herman H Pfeil 43
Pearl I Pfeil 36
Harold Pfeil 18
Lester A Schley 80

1930 United States Federal Census Name: Herman H Pfeil
Home in 1930: Billings, Yellowstone, Montana
Age: 43
Estimated birth year: abt 1887
Birthplace: Texas
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Pearl I (age at first marriage:17)
Race: White
Occupation: Manager Dry Goods Store.Education: Military Service: Rent/home value: Age at first marriage: 21 Parents' birthplace: both Texas
Household Members: Name Age
Herman H Pfeil 43
Pearl I Pfeil 36
Harold Pfeil 18
Lester A Schley 80

Pearl married Saladden about 1908. was born in in Nebraska, United States; died before 1920. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Pearl married Herman H Pfeil after 1920. Herman was born in 1887 in Texas, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 9A71CEB69D7C1C4DA11B664821586D47A87C

Notes:

Carrie Sly
in the Michigan, County Marriage Records, 1822-1940
Name: Carrie Sly
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Birth Date: abt 1878
Marriage Date: 3 Dec 1896
Marriage Place: Pinconning, Bay, Michigan, USA
Father: L. Sly
Spouse: Fred A. Fletcher
Film Number: 000947222

http://www.mifamilyhistory.org/isabella/cenvital.html
Isabella County, Michigan Birth Records:
Child No. Birth Date Name (if any,and color other than white) Sex Birth Place Full Name of Each Residence Birth Place Occupation of Father Date of Record
1668 Nov 30, 1878 Clara Sly F Mecosta Co. Loren Sly Fremont Michigan Farmer May 20, 1879 Elizabeth Sly Indiana

Funeral service card states Carrie Ann Fletcher born Nov 30, 1876, Ausable, Michigan.

Carrie Ann and Fred Fletcher lived in Michigan. They stayed there when Carrie's mother and stepfather, Libby and Dick Smith, came west to Montana.They were still in Michigan when Milton Sherman left Montana and returned to Michigan about 1905. They probably kept in touch with him. Later they also came west to Montana near Eureka where Fred was the Mill pond tender on Flathead Lake. In 1912 the family moved into the "Love Cabin" near the homestead of Carrie's sister, Elizabeth Smith. Later moved to a lot in Eureka, Montana which was owned by May Sly.

1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Fred Fletcher
Home in 1900: Whitney, Arenac, Michigan
Age: 25
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1875 April
Birthplace: Michigan
Relationship to head-of-house: Head
Spouse's Name: Carrie
Race: White
Occupation: fisherman
Household Members: Name Age
Fred Fletcher 25
Carrie Fletcher 21 2 children, 1 living married 4 years
Dortha M Fletcher 10/12

1910 United States Federal Census
Name: Carrie Fletcher
Age in 1910: 31
Birth Year: abt 1879
Birthplace: Michigan
Home in 1910: Flathead, Flathead, Montana
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relation to Head of House: Wife [Daughter]
Marital Status: Married
Father's Name: Fredirick Fletcher
Father's Birthplace: Indiana
Mother's Birthplace: Indiana
Neighbors:
Household Members: Name Age
Fredirick Fletcher 36 Sailor of tugboat
Carrie Fletcher 31 6 children, 5 living
Dorothy Fletcher 10
Bernice Fletcher 8
Earnest Fletcher 6
George Fletcher 4
Brewster Fletcher 3

1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Carrie A Fletcher
Age: 41
Birth Year: abt 1879
Birthplace: Michigan
Home in 1920: Port Angeles, Clallam, Washington
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relation to Head of House: Head
Marital Status: Married
Father's Birthplace: United States [United States of America]
Mother's Birthplace: Indiana
Home Owned: Rent
Able to Read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Household Members: Name Age
Carrie A Fletcher 41
Effie B O Brien 18
Ernest W Fletcher 16
George D Fletcher 14
Brewster J Fletcher 12
Leroy W Fletcher 6
Luella J O Brien 0 [8/12]


1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Fred Fletcher
Home in 1920: Eureka, Lincoln, Montana
Age: 45 years
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1875
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Roomer
Father's Birth Place: New York
Mother's Birth Place: Canada
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 794
Household Members: Name Age
William Butter 49 (should be Butler)
Dintha Butter 55
G C Grimes 35
Fred Fletcher 45 (no job)

1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Carrie Fletcher
Gender: Female
Birth Year: abt 1879
Birthplace: Michigan
Race: White
Home in 1930: Port Angeles, Clallam, Washington
Marital Status: Widowed
Relation to Head of House: Head
Father's Birthplace: Indiana
Mother's Birthplace: Indiana
Household Members: Name Age
Carrie Fletcher 51 laundress at a laundry

Washington, Select Death Certificates, 1907-1960 about Carrie Ann Fletcher
Name: Carrie Ann Fletcher
[Carrie Ann Sly]
Gender: Female
Age: 80
Estimated birth year: abt 1877
Death Date: 3 Jul 1957
Death Place: Port Orchard, Kitsap, Washington
Father: Clarence V. Sly
Mother: Elizabeth
FHL Film Number: 2033736
Reference ID: 13430

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current about Carrie A. Fletcher
Name: Carrie A. Fletcher
Birth Date: 1878
Death Date: 1957
Cemetery: Discovery Bay Cemetery
Burial Place: Maynard, Jefferson County, Washington
URL: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-...

Clara married Fred Warren FLETCHER on 3 Dec 1896 in Pinconning, Bay, Michigan. Fred (son of George D FLETCHER and Synthy Galm) was born in Apr 1875 in Lowas City, , Michigan; died between 1920-30. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Also Known As: May
• Reference Number: *
• _MARNM: Sherman, Lamb
• _UID: BC8E4DCBA85B074B8A6691067B6D96D08C16

Notes:

Time line for Adie Mae Sly Sherman Lamb
1881 3 May born Oscoda Iosco, MI
1897 8th grade graduate Pinconning, Bay, Michigan
1900 US Census Mae living with Aunt Torisa Close Pierce, Milton, Rock, WI
1902 17 Feb,Mae married Milton Kellum Sherman, Tawas City, Iosco, MI
1902 Mae & Milton Sherman moved with her parents to Eureka, Lincoln, Montana
1903 2 Mar daughter, Bertha Sherman born
1906 Milton left Mae and Bertha and returned to Michigan, Mae went with Aunt Carrie Fletcher to Port Angeles, then
waitressed in Davenport Hotel in Spokane WA
1908 23 Dec married James Leroy Lamb, lived in Lacrosse, Washington
1911 moved to farm 1 mile E of Diamond, WA, then moved into town of Diamond
1953 16 Jan Died in Auto Accident in Spokane, Spokane,Wash

*Washington Death Index, 1940-1996 Washington Death Index, 1940-1996
Name: Addia M Lamb
Place of Death: Spokane
Date of Death: 16 Jan 1953
Age: 71
Gender: F
Certificate: 1692

COLFAX GAZETTE, COLFAX, WASHINGTON, JANUARY 5, 1912.
Pg 3
LACROSSE.
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Lamb of Diamond
are visiting friends here since
last Thursday. Mr. Lamb returned
Saturday and Mrs. L. will remain
another week.


Note from Marge Collis:
I enjoyed reading this very much. I seem to remember Roy saying his grandmother worked in Nome, Alaska, as a phone operator? Was that somewhere in the story also? I know he loved his grandmother, and had fun times with her. She took him fishing - which she apparently loved doing? Perhaps, she just thought HE needed the experience, being the oldest, and needed some 1 on 1 attention, I don't know - whatever it was, he had wonderful memories of his Grandmother.

Grandma and Grandpa lamb lived in Diamond Washington on a hill back from the mercantile on the main road that goes to Endicott. Thera was just outside of Colfax 1.5 miles toward Endicott. The house there that Bertha and Russell lived in has been torn down.
Addie Sly (Slyh), graduated 7 June, 1897, from Pinconning School, Bay City, Bay County, Michigan.
!NOTE: The following was told to Marilyn Parker by Bertha Sherman Collis, 13 Jan 1970:
"Elizabeth Close married Loren (Lorian) Sly and probably lived at Fort Wayne, Indiana when her children were young. Lorian walked with a limp. He left during the panic of 1893 (or near that time), to go to the gold fields. He wrote 2 or 3 letters, but was not heard from again. It was not made clear whether his wife, Elizabeth, moved to Tawas City before or after he left. She took in roomers to make ends meet. Richard Smith was a logger and boarded with her as he felt widows needed the money. They later were married. Addie Mae met and married Milton K. Sherman against her mother, Elizabeth's will. Elizabeth and Grandpa Dick were moving to Montana and wanted Addie to go with them and Milton to follow. They could then be married out west. Instead Addie and Milton were married in Tawas City. She went west with her family and Milton followed. They lived in the little cabin close to Addie's parents. Milton left when Bertha was about 2 years old. Bertha knew nothing more about her father"
!NOTE: The following was taken from a letter dated New Year's 1970, to Marilyn Parker from Maye Alverson:
"I always thought if Dick Smith had been a different man, your grandparents (Mae and Milton Sherman) would have made a go of it. But you would have had to know Dick to understand. He sure never made Aunt Lib happy. But that is a long gone story now and so are all those connected with it." The following was taken from a letter dated 19 Feb, 1970, to Marilyn Parker from Maye Alverson. (72 year old step daughter of Jennie Close Butler who was a sister to Elizabeth Close Sly Smith.) "Mae and Milton might have got along but Dick never got along with anyone. One night he shot at Milton through the wall and put two shots above his head. Poor old Dick was always on the outs with his neighbors, wouldn't let them use his road and such. Roads were pretty hard come by in those days." "Dick always seemed to be good to Bertha. She must have been quite small when Mae left her with Aunt Lib. When Mae left here, she went with Carrie Fletcher to Port Angeles. From there I lost track." "When Milton and Mae separated, he sold his re-leasement to Dan Alverson, Fred's father (Maye Alverson's father-in-law). It has been in the Alverson name until about 10 years ago. When Mrs. Burr Alverson remarried to a man by the name of Anderson. It was known as Alverson and Anderson for several years. Yes, Fred did own Dick's (Richard Smith) old place until about 5 years ago. He sold to a friend and his brother-in-law. They in turn made the meadow into a lake. It's on Terriaul Creek. Made a nice lake, but the neighbors fish it out, so Henry don't get much use of that as they live out on the flats at Iowa Flats as it's called". "Both of the Andersons are dead now and that place is owned by a young couple by the name of Arle Burk. Jack A. got $19,000 for it. Times do change. Acreage has gone sky high since the Libby Dam Project has started. Fred sold his for $40 per acre and now could easily get $75. And over near the recreation zone on the Kootenai, the land is going as high as $125 per acre." "Ernest Sly built a place on Glen Lake and it still stands and people live in it. I wouldn't be surprised but what Dad built the chimney on it as he has built so many in this country, also fireplaces. You can't get into Glen Lake only on one lot that the county owns but was taken over by the Fish and Game commission. The Lake now is so much larger than your grandmother knew it as the water from Grave Creek-Terriault Creek runs in it and it's used all over the valley and is known as the Glen Lake Irrigation Ditch.
The following information was taken from a letter dated January 28, 1970, to Marilyn Parker from Mrs. M. O. Chambers, (Great Aunt Tillie, Milton Kellum Sherman's sister) " Mae Sly worked at the Elliot House Hotel. It included a restaurant and bar. She was a waitress. I seem to remember that her parents worked for the Elliots also. Milton Kellum Sherman and Mae Sly were married in Oscoda, Michigan. However, the marriage was registered in Tawas City, the county seat. Mae Sly was a very beautiful girl. She had most of the young men in a whirl for sure. However, Milton won her. When her parents decided to move to Montana, Mae insisted on going too. Milton, being so mad about her, gave in and went along. Milton was always a very calm, quiet man, would never argue or quarrel with any one. What happened between Mae and Milton I never heard. I do know he loved her and Bertha very much. When he came home, I was only about 6 or 7 years of age, but I remember he had a picture of Bertha at about age 1 or 2. He had that picture enlarged and it hung in our parlor. Several times I have gone into the parlor and found him standing there before that picture with tears running down his face. In all the years, I have never known Milton to be anything but kind and gentle to everyone. A real good man." "Now about his work and living. While he remained in the Oscoda area, he worked for the most part as a lumberman as did most of the other men in those days (unless they were in business). Later, about 1916, he moved to Detroit and he worked in a factory. After the War (1st WW), he moved out to Auburn, Michigan, a farming community not too far from Detroit, and became a farmer. He moved to the farm in Manton, Michigan area sometime in the 30's, I think, staying there until his death in July, 1953."
Extract from a letter dated March 6, 1970 to Bertha Sherman Collis from Bacil B. Sherman, (youngest child of Milton Kellum Sherman). "When I was younger, I used to travel quite a little. Dad asked me to try to locate you, but I had no success in any way."
When Milton went to Michigan about 1905, it is said that he wanted Mae to go with him, but she wouldn't. She went to town to find work as a waitress and left Bertha with Grandma Libby and Dick Smith, Addie Mae`s mother and step-father. She worked in Montana, Washington and perhaps Alaska. When she married "Roy" Lamb, she hated to take Bertha from her home with the Smiths.
"Mae" and Roy lived in Lacrosse, Washington until Oct., 1911, when they moved to a farm one mile East of Diamond, Washington, where they lived twenty-nine years until her death. In 1919, Libby Smith died, so Bertha came to live with her mother and step-father (she considered him her father as she knew no other.)

(the following note accompanied each framed piece of quilt that I sent to each of my children, grandchildren and sisters and brother, stan)
This piece of quilt is from a "Grandmother's Flower Garden" quilt top made in the 1940's by my grandmother, Addie Mae (Sly) Sherman Lamb. She is the mother of my mother, Bertha (Sherman) Collis. Mae, as she was called, was born 3 May 1881 in Michigan. She moved as a newly wed with her husband, Milton Sherman, to Kalispell, Montana, where my mother was born. Milton left Montana and returned to Michigan when Bertha was about 2 years old. He asked for Mae and Bertha to accompany him, but to no avail. She left Montana to look for work in Alaska and Washington. She later married James Leroy Lamb and moved to Diamond, Washington, where she lived out her life. She was killed in a car accident while on a shopping trip to Spokane, Washington on 16 January, 1953.
As I quilted this small piece of her quilt top, I couldn't help but think of her loving fingers making the small delicate stitches. How appropriate that it should be called 'Grandmother's Flower Garden' as she loved her garden. Perhaps some of the fabrics were from her dresses. She also loved fishing in the stream near her home in Diamond. When Scott was living in Moscow, Idaho, just across the Washington border from Diamond, we took a drive over there. We looked around and found the spot where her house used to be. We met a man about my age named Norman Kuntze, who used to go fishing with Grandma. He just happened to have her fishing pole and retrieved it from his garage and gave it to us. Scott now has it as he too was doing some fishing at that time. I hope you enjoy this small piece in memory of her. I wish I had known her.
Love, Marilyn Parker

PS. I remember with fondness the 1 dollar bill she would send to each of us on our birthday. One time a large box arrived at our house. It was full of fancy dress up clothes. My did Darlyne and I have fun with those.

(email from Stan after I sent him a framed piece of Addie Mae's quilt)Thanks for the quilt. Roy and I were the last of the family to see grandma. We went to wash in 1949 or 50. I remember as a little boy she would fix sliced oranges for breakfast. Guess what she served when Roy and I visited. She sure looked good for her age. It was a shock to me when she was killed.

Memories from Barbara about Grandma Lamb: Barbara felt she was special to Grandma. Grandma would put leftover bacon on the butter dish. She also remembered the sliced oranges with powdered sugar. She had a back room with many windows but not heat. She would warm bricks and wrap them in a towel for their beds. She was always doing handwork; Tatting, crocheting, knitting. She worked in her rock garden and had mostly flowers. Barb remembers going to the general store with Dad and Grandpa. The school was a dance studio last time she visited. Grandma wanted to come visit when we moved to California, but Grandpa said, "wait until I retire." For whatever reason, they never came.

bother, "Earnest Slyh" living in Rutland, Dane, WI as servant?
1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Addie M Sley
Home in 1900: Milton, Rock, Wisconsin
Age: 19
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1881
Birthplace: Michigan
Relationship to head-of-house: Niece
Race: White
Occupation:
Neighbors:
Household Members: Name Age
David A Peirce 45 Harness born in Germany came to USA 1862
Torisa Peirce 35 married 10 years (had 4 children, 2 are living)
Bertha A Peirce 13 born Kansas
Rosa N Peirce 9 born Colorado
Addie M Sley 19

1910 United States Federal Census
Name: Addie M Lamb
Age in 1910: 29
Birth Year: abt 1881
Birthplace: Michigan
Home in 1910: La Crosse, Whitman, Washington
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: James L Lamb
Father's Birthplace: United States [United States of America]
Mother's Birthplace: United States [United States of America]
Neighbors:
Household Members: Name Age
James L Lamb 25
Addie M Lamb 29

1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Mae Lamb [Mae Titcomb]
Age: 36
Birth Year: abt 1884
Birthplace: Michigan
Home in 1920: Diamond, Whitman, Washington
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Roy Lamb
Father's Birthplace: Indiana
Mother's Birthplace: Indiana
Able to Read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Neighbors:
Household Members: Name Age
Roy Lamb 35
Mae Lamb 36
Bertha Sherman 16


1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Addie M Lamb [Addie N Lamb]
Gender: Female
Birth Year: abt 1883
Birthplace: Michigan
Race: White
Home in 1930: Diamond, Whitman, Washington View Map
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Spouse's Name: James L Lamb
Father's Birthplace: Indiana
Mother's Birthplace: Indiana
Occupation: Education: Military service: Rent/home value: Age at first marriage: Parents' birthplace:
Neighbors:
Household Members: Name Age
James L Lamb 43
Addie M Lamb 47

1940 United States Federal Census
Name: James L Lamb
Respondent: Yes
Age: 56
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1884
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Illinois
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: Diamond, Whitman, Washington i
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: Diamond, Whitman, Washington
Residence in 1935: Same House
Sheet Number: 3A
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 47
Neighbors:
Household Members: Name Age
James L Lamb 56 caretaker wheat warehouse
Addie M Lamb 58

Addie married Milton Kellum SHERMAN on 17 Feb 1902 in Tawas City, Iosco, Michigan, United States. Milton (son of James Milton SHERMAN and Martha Madora SMITH) was born on 26 Nov 1880 in Malahide, Elgin, Ontario, Canada; died on 25 Feb 1953 in Manton, Wexford, Michigan, United States; was buried in Caldwell Twp Cemetery Missaukee Co,Michigan, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Addie married James Leroy LAMB on 23 Dec 1908 in Lacrosse, Whitman, Washington, United States. James (son of Harvey Thomas LAMB and Emma Hamilton Traylor) was born on 21 Feb 1885 in Palmer, Christian, Illinois, United States; died on 31 Jul 1955 in Colfax, Whitman, Washington, United States; was buried in Colfax Cem, Colfax, Whitman, Washington, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Occupation: Logger, trapper, lemon rancher, carpenter
• _UID: FE982C1C80CE4248A3A10CCCBD0221944625

Notes:

Mack City could be Mackinaw City, Cheboygan, Michigan; or Mackinac Island, Mackinac, Michigan.

Monecito Memorial Park

The following was taken from a letter dated 17 May, 1977, to Marilyn Parker from Olive Sly Huff, daughter of Ernest Sly. "Papa (Ernest) always said that he was 5 years old when his father (Lorn Sly) left for the West and that he really didn't remember him. Papa was born in 1883, so his father would have left Michigan in 1888. Dick Smith was a roomer (boarder) in Elizabeth Sly's home . According to law, if a person disappeared and was not heard from for seven years, they were legally dead. So Dick and Elizabeth probably married in about 1895 in Michigan."

This could be our Earnest as Addie Mae was living with Aunt Torisa in Wisconsin in1900 census
1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Earnest Slyh
Home in 1900: Rutland, Dane, Wisconsin
Age: 17
Birth Date: Jul 1882
Birthplace: Michigan
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relationship to Head of House: Servant
Marital Status: Single
Occupation:
Neighbors:
Household Members: Name Age
Fred H Rogers 23
Eddith M Rogers 20
Ruth Rogers 3/12
Earnest Slyh 17 servant, farm labor, went to school 4 months of year


Earnest and Reba and 2 children are listed in the 1910 federal census in Lincoln County, Montana on April 20th. In 1910 Earnest Sly is said to have left Montana with his wife Blanch's brother to work on a cattle ranch in East Oregon. Blanche and the children and her mother followed by train in the fall of 1910. In the 1920's, Ernest Sly was logging and trapping in Washington and Oregon. Later he moved to San Bernadino, California and farmed 5 acres of lemons.

1910 United States Federal Census
Name: Earnest W Sly
Age in 1910: 29 [27]
Estimated birth year: abt 1881 [abt 1883]
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Father's Birth Place: United States of America
Mother's Birth Place: Indiana
Spouse's name: Blanch R
Home in 1910: Glen Lake School District, Lincoln, Montana
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
Neighbors:
Household Members: Name Age
Earnest W Sly 29
Blanch R Sly 24 bp Oregon
Bertha Lois Sly 2 daughter BP Montana
Roba Susan Sly 6/12 (Reba) daughter BP Montana
Edwin J Holbrook 34 boarder (brother in law?) BP Iowa


World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 Record about Earnest Wain Sly
Name: Earnest Wain Sly
City: Scotts Mills
County: Marion
State: Oregon
Birth Date: 26 Jul 1883
Race: White
Roll: 1852135
DraftBoard: 2
Serial # 1521 order # A1375 Medium build, medium height, grey eyes, black hair, farmer, married to Blanch Sly
12 Sep 1917

1920 United States Federal Census
Name: E W Shy [E W Sly]
Home in 1920: Scotts Mills, Marion, Oregon
Age: 36 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1884
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Blanche
Father's Birth Place: Indiana
Mother's Birth Place: Indiana
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Rent
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 1184
Household Members: Name Age
E W Shy 36
Blanche Shy 33 BP Oregon, father BP Massachusetts, Mother BP Wisconsin
Olive Shy 11
Reba Shy 10
Walter Shy 6
Mokkla Holbrook 72 Mother in law , widow, BP Wisconsin, (parents BP both Maine)

1930 United Staes Federal Census
Name: Ernest W Sly
Home in 1930: Redlands, San Bernardino, California
Age: 46
Estimated birth year: abt 1884
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Blanche R
Race: White
Occupation: Carpenter, Education: Military Service: no Rent/home value: Age at first marriage: Parents' birthplace: Household Members: Name Age
Ernest W Sly 46
Blanche R Sly 44
Walter E Sly 17 Farm labor
Evangeline Sly 8
Fred Miller 29 Farm labor

Ernest married Blanch Rebecca HOLBROOK on 30 Jun 1907 in Kalispell, Lincoln, Montana, United States. Blanch (daughter of Henry Waterman HOLBROOK and Mahala Ellis Neal) was born on 25 Jan 1886 in Pine Valley, Baker, Oregon, United States; died on 9 May 1964 in San Bernardino, San Bernardino, California, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 2EBDF52D3AAB534BB5DC11E9994AB020CEF5

Notes:

!SOURCE: Alonzo Daniel Sly in Oklahoma told Elaine Johnston, grand daughter of Daniel Sly (RIN 29) This story. "Randolph walked into the hot ashes where his father had burned out a stump and when his feet burned he sat down in the ashed. He died from the burns.

Other Events:

• _UID: 59C05D5FAE0A064599CD52C2BA966B2734B8

Notes:

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 Record about Burr Sly
Name: Burr Sly
City: Harrisville
County: Alcona
State: Michigan
Birthplace: Michigan
Birth Date: 22 Sep 1891
Race: Caucasian
Roll: 1675112

Burr married Ella SPENCER on 25 Sep 1917 in Alcona, Alcona, Michigan, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Marian Olive HAMMER. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 6BD7553C46696148BDA3C3127E3A6278F243

Other Events:

• _UID: 388C4A7A3E683D43AF5A05747AA96426DD30

Notes:

married James M. Bain

Maude married James Monroe BAIN on 11 Sep 1923 in Flint, Genesee, Michigan, United States. James was born on 19 Aug 1893 in , Franklin, Illinois, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: CDC46A1DB7C7694B9A8D776A6C23B4881DFF

Fred married Gertrude Irene TSCHOP on 1 Jun 1905 in Cortez, Montezuma, Nebraska, United States. Gertrude was born in 1881. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: DE18DCD2C13E36458BEEB795FF845DF5B87D

Clint married Ida Marie CARDER on 1 Oct 1919 in Nucla, Montrose, Colorado, United States. Ida (daughter of John Lee CARDER and Adda Agnes Hewitt) was born on 7 May 1900 in Cairo, West Virginia, USA; died on 19 Sep 1973 in Moab, Grand, Utah, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 1736223927C69141820980FC145F194943C7

Clyde married Ada Virginia CORRIN on 11 Jan 1915 in Green River, Emery, Utah, United States. Ada was born in 1886. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: BC5D37C0850E0A439A5A800DC27340745A66

Notes:

!SOURCE: LDS ordinances batch and sheet 7600030-2&6, call # 1058651

Mabel married Alexander Constantine NICHOLSON on 2 Jul 1907 in Nucla, Montrose, Colorado, United States. Alexander was born on 17 Jul 1878 in Esbjerg, Ribe, Denmark; died on 6 Jul 1952. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 488AB1820A904F47BC0CC2FB35F6E4BE87FE

Leafy married Floyd Jackob WINKFIELD in 15 Jul in Nucla, Montrose, Colorado, United States. Floyd was born in 1892. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 22AC66ED55130447B720EC505D6BAE44A14A

Family/Spouse: Henry James BENZ. Henry was born in 1895. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: B0A89C51D34B384D95C65FEB49821932A370

Frank married Lorna Ellen STAY on 23 May 1933 in Huntington Park, Los Angeles, California, United States. Lorna was born on 10 Jul 1908 in Wilford, Salt Lake, Utah; was christened on 6 Aug 1908 in Wilford, Salt Lake, Utah; died on 6 Apr 1937 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States; was buried in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Frank married Gertrude Wright after 1937. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: E117D5F2633254499218AC0E064896447DE2

Other Events:

• _UID: 66302099D2D6D84E9B2B49D852916C64B717

Notes:

Probably died before 1920

Other Events:

• _UID: 1045D95ED95F6A40A35EDBDB7482A932F641

Notes:

Could this be our David?
Social Security Death Index
Name: David M. Sly
SSN: 701-16-8345
Born: 26 Feb 1915
Died: 2 Mar 1989
State (Year) SSN issued: Railroad Board (Issued Through) (Before 1951 )

Other Events:

• _UID: 34C4893B58F8F74E93A0FA4EDFDE826A7543

Other Events:

• _UID: F218E4D10B9C3249A15F2B1E938EA8A4977D

Notes:

Wisconsin, Births and Christenings Index, 1826-1908

Name: Dorothy May Fletcher
Birth Date: 2 Jul 1899
Birth Place: Milton, Rock, Wisconsin
Gender: Female
Race: White
Father's Name: Fred Fletcher
Father's Birth Place: Lowas City, Michigan
Mother's Name: Carrie A Slyh
Mother's Birth Place: Michigan
FHL Film Number: 1305582

Other Events:

• _UID: 9674A69BBA95524898CBED02024A5DD50454

Notes:

!NOTE: Effie Berniece married Robert Walther in about 1927. She lived in Bay City, MI in 1970's.

Family/Spouse: Hugh O'BRIEN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Effie married Robert WALTHER in 1927. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: A8F560DD2D67724C902488E53FEBD3509AD5

Notes:

!NOTE: He died when he was lost in the Woods in the 1930's 12 miles from Eugene near Dexter, OR


1930 United States Federal Census

Name: Geo D Fletcher
Age in 1930: 24
Gender: Male
Birth Year: abt 1906
Birthplace: Michigan
Race: White
Home in 1930: Lost Valley, Lane, Oregon
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's Name: Florence Fletcher
Father's Birthplace: Wisconsin
Mother's Birthplace: Michigan
Household Members:
Name Age
Geo D Fletcher 24
Florence Fletcher 21

Other Events:

• _UID: 40569E1BB36D2240B05751360D9ADEB397FA

Notes:

U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963 about Ernest W Fletcher
Name: Ernest W Fletcher
Birth Date: 13 Oct 1903
Death Date: 10 May 1959
Cemetery: 15th And Naval
Cemetery Location: Bremerton, Washington

Ivy Green Cemetary

!NOTE: All children were in Leiviston Idaho. Ernest died of heart attact
Washington, Select Death Certificates, 1907-1960 about Ernest W. Fletcher
Name: Ernest W. Fletcher
Gender: Male
Age: 55
Estimated birth year: abt 1904
Death Date: 10 May 1959
Death Place: Bremerton, Kitsap, Washington
Father: Fred Fletcher
Mother: Corrie Sly
FHL Film Number: 2033963
Reference ID: 10039

1920 United States Federal Census about Ernest W Fletcher
Name: Ernest W Fletcher
Age: 16
Birth Year: abt 1904
Birthplace: Michigan
Home in 1920: Port Angeles, Clallam, Washington
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Son
Marital Status: Single
Father's Birthplace: Michigan
Mother's name: Carrie A Fletcher
Mother's Birthplace: Michigan
Able to Read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Carrie A Fletche r 41
Effie B O Brien 18
Ernest W Fletcher 16
George D Fletcher 14
Brewster J Fletcher 12
Leroy W Fletcher 6
Luella J O Brien 0 [8/12]


Washington, Deaths, 1883-1960

Name: Ernest W Fletcher
Gender: Male
Birth Date: abt 1904
Death Date: 10 May 1959
Age at Death: 55
Death Location: Bremerton, Kitsap, Washington
Father: Fred Fletcher
Mother: Corrie Sly
Record Source: Washington State Death Records

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 8EAE83382BFE924EBB5BE2745514A952D08D

Notes:

1920 United States Federal Census about Leroy W Fletcher
Name: Leroy W Fletcher
Age: 6
Birth Year: abt 1914
Birthplace: Montana
Home in 1920: Port Angeles, Clallam, Washington
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Son
Marital Status: Single
Father's Birthplace: Michigan
Mother's name: Carrie A Fletcher
Mother's Birthplace: Michigan
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Carrie A Fletcher 41
Effie B O Brien 18
Ernest W Fletcher 16
George D Fletcher 14
Brewster J Fletcher 12
Leroy W Fletcher 6
Luella J O Brien 0[8/12]

1930 United States Federal Census about William L Fletcher
Name: William L Fletcher
Gender: Male
Birth Year: abt 1913
Birthplace: Montana
Race: White
Home in 1930: Oscoda, Iosco, Michigan
Marital Status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Son
Father's Name: Fred A Fletcher
Father's Birthplace: Michigan
Mother's Birthplace: United States
Household Members:
Name Age
Fred A Fletcher 55 bn Michigan father bn New York, Mother bn Canada English, fisherman great lakes
Effie B Brooks 28 daughter Michigan, married, Telephone operator
William L Fletcher 17 son bn Montana fisherman great lakes
Ruth J Fletcher 23 niece

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Physical Description: 5'2", light brown hair, hazel brown eyes, heavy set
• FamilySearch Id: 5 foot 3, light brown hair, med build,
• FamilySearch Id: KFFK-QHG
• Occupation: Supervisor- Drivers Lisc Dept of Motor Vehicles for CA
• Reference Number: *
• Religion: Nazarene, Sacramento, Sacramento, California, United States
• _MARNM: Collis
• _UID: CC42A326D290344E91B6EDDD17737D9467E8

Notes:

BERTHA IRENE SHERMAN

Bertha was born in Kalispell, Montana, on 2 March, 1903. Her mother, Addie May Sly, and father, Milton K. Sherman, had met in Michigan where May was a waitress in the restaurant of the Elliot House Hotel. Milton and his brothers were loggers. Milton's sister, Matilda, wrote, "May Sly was a very beautiful girl. She had most of the young men in a whirl for sure. However, Milton won her. I recall that her parents worked for the Elliots also." May and Milton married February 17, 1902 in Oscoda, Michigan. The marriage was registered in Tawas City, the county seat. Matilda (or Tillie as she was called) continues, "When May's parents decided to move to Montana, May insisted on going too. Milton, being so mad about her, gave in and went along. Milton was always a very calm, quiet man. He would never argue or quarrel with any one."

May's parents spoken of here are her mother, Elizabeth, and step father, Richard Smith. Elizabeth Close had married Loren Sly in Michigan in 1877. Addie May was the second of their three children. Loren left for the Gold fields about 1888 during a recession. The family received a few letters then heard no more from him. Elizabeth took in roomers to make ends meet after her husband disappeared. Richard Smith was one of those roomers. He was a logger and said he liked to take a room with a widow to help her out. Although Elizabeth was not officially a widow, she was raising her three children by herself. Richard Smith and Elizabeth were married in Michigan about 1900.

Elizabeth (Libby) and Richard Smith moved to Montana in 1902 and took up a homestead near Eureka. May and Milton went with them and also filed for homestead land. They lived in what was called the "Love Cottage". Bertha's father, Milton, left when Bertha was about 2 years old, and according to Bertha, she never heard from nor saw him again. Maye Alverson, a step cousin to Bertha, wrote that someone had taken a shot at Milton while he sat in his home. The suspected person was Richard Smith, who supposedly did not care for Milton. Richard Smith was often upset with one or another of the neighbors and eventually lost much of his land through unsuccessful law suits.

In the book: "The Story of the Tobacco Plains Country, the Autobiography of a Community," Page 164 in a chapter on "Fortine Area Homesteads." It says, "Among many other Michiganders who homesteaded in this vicinity were Dick Smith and his wife, and Mrs. Smith's son and daughter, Ernest and May Sly. For years Dick Smith was the community "radical"--always fighting the capitalist lumber companies and writing accusing letters to his Congressmen: "Just sore at everybody in the world," as Harry Weydemeyer puts it. Mrs. Smith died and her son and daughter went west, but Dick stayed on, living alone at his homestead, and died there at a ripe old age, still kicking."

Milton decided he could not stay any longer. It is said that when Milton left, he asked May to come with him, but she refused. I later learned that Milton had returned to his parent's home in Michigan. His sister, my Aunt Tillie, wrote," What happened between May and Milton I never heard. I do know he loved May and Bertha very much. When he came home, I was only about 6 or 7 years of age, but I remember he had a picture of Bertha at about 1 and a half or 2 years of age. He had that picture enlarged and it hung in our parlor. Several times I have gone into the parlor and found him standing there before that picture with tears running down his face." Maye Alverson wrote that Milton had sent money and gifts to Bertha which never reached her. Perhaps her step-father, Richard (Dick), had intercepted them. Bertha said that Grandpa Dick was never anything but kind to her and she loved him.

After Milton and May separated, May went to Spokane, Washington to look for work. She worked as a waitress in one or another hotel there. She left Bertha in the care of her grandparents, Libby and Dick Smith. Bertha had fond memories of her time with her Grandmother. She remembered playing on the kitchen floor with an egg beater and a bowl, beating imaginary eggs while her grandmother prepared a meal. Bertha had diphtheria when she was four years old and lived in a little house in Eureka Montana. It's not clear whether she was living with her mother or grandmother at that time. When Bertha's mother, May, married James Leroy Lamb in 1908, they wanted Bertha to come live with them in Diamond, Washington, but Grandmother Libby felt she couldn't part with her, so Bertha continued living with her grandmother. Periodically she would visit her mother and step father. Roy had graduated from college with a business degree. He was a bookkeeper when he married May, but he didn't like it. He later became a road overseer. Later he managed the warehouse near the railroad.

Bertha attended Therriault (pronounced Tarry-o) School in Eureka, Montana The school was held in a log cabin close the 'Love Cabin' previously belonging to her father. The school and 'Love Cabin' were about 3 miles from the Smith's homestead. As the Smith homestead was several miles from school and any neighbors, Bertha would often ride her horse to school. At times she would be the only child at school. I'm sure she was a lonely child, but perhaps didn't know any different. She did have her animals for friends and playmates.

It was a hard life in the far Northwestern corner of Montana. Richard was never a good provider. Libby was a hard worker.and had a strawberry patch and vegetable garden. She would sell eggs and vegetables to the neighbors to make ends meet. She would even hire out as a cook.

Hunting was a necessity to provide food for the winter. There would be a deer hanging in the shed all winter. It was so cold that the deer would freeze, and a saw would be used to cut off a chunk of meat for dinner. Bertha learned to can the deer meet in the oven. She also learned to shoot a gun at a young age and was a good shot. There wasn't much opportunity to shoot a gun when she lived in Sacramento and in fact there were no guns in the home, but she liked to target practice when she would visit her daughter and son in law, Barbara and Tom Alexander, in Arizona.

In 1917 Bertha started Lincoln High School in Eureka, Montana. She lived with her Grandma in a rented house next door to her Aunt Carrie Fletcher and her family. The Fletchers lived in a house they built on a lot owned by Bertha's mother. Bertha was a regular Tom boy, according to her, and she played "Follow the Leader" with the Fletcher boys all over the mill pond and the lumber yard. Uncle Fred Fletcher was the tender at the dam but never stopped them even though it was a danger as the logs bobbed and rolled as they jumped from one to another. What fun they had. At one time Uncle Fred was a diver repairing boats on Flathead Lake and as a child, Bertha would go visit them where they lived in Somers, Montana. At that time so many children bothered her, so Aunt Carrie let her go into the cellar and kept the other kids away. She stated, "I guess I had spent to much time alone that I couldn't stand the commotion." It seems she outgrew that by the time she was in high school.

Bertha's Grandmother, Libby, had breast cancer, and said to have been caused from falling down a well. Libby went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, New York, but they could not cure the cancer and prescribed morphine for the pain. Libby was there during the flue epidemic of 1918 and Bertha had the flu and was alone in the house in Eureka. In the spring of 1919, Libby's illness and the resulting pain became very bad, and she kept asking for Bertha. Bertha quit school to tend to her. A couple of times May came to care for Libby, but when she wasn't there, Bertha nursed her and administered morphine shots to ease the pain. At times Ernest Fletcher would give Bertha a break and he would care for Libby. She died the 8th of July in 1919 when Bertha was just sixteen.

After her grandmother's death, Bertha went to live with her mother and stepfather in Diamond, Washington. They had no children of their own. Bertha told me that she didn't know why, but she assumed that her parent's wouldn't want her to live with them. Perhaps she felt rejected as she had visited but had not really lived with her mother since the age of two. In retrospect Bertha stated that her stepfather, Roy Lamb, "was very tolerant and understanding of what must have been a very bratty and spoiled sixteen year old. Anyway, I have only pleasant and affectionate memories of him." Roy was very good to her and they developed a very close relationship. Bertha and her mother also became very close after she moved back home. Bertha was still an only child and longed for brothers and sisters.

For whatever reason, Bertha decided she wanted to go to catholic school. She attended St. John's Academy, a Catholic girl's boarding school for a year and a half. She had met Russell by then and Barbara said that Russell told Bertha she needed to give up Catholic School or him. She moved back with Roy and May.
Bertha was a good student and she loved learning. She took Latin in school which served her well throughout her life, as she had a good vocabulary and a good understanding of words. She loved working crossword puzzles. She attended Colfax High School, where she graduated 23 May 1922. She was an officer and treasurer in the Campfire Girls-Tenega. Campfire girls were first organized in 1910 as the first non sectarian organization for girl in the the United States.

Bertha attended State Normal School at Cheney, Washington, in 1923. She started teaching in September 1923 at Harp School in Mount Hope, just out of Spokane, Washington. She had met Russell Collis at a fair when she was 15. They were married 14 Oct 1923. Bertha quit teaching at the end of that school year as she was pregnant with Roy. She never went back to teaching again. She would have been a wonderful teacher. She was smart and patient and loving.

When Bertha and Russell moved to Sacramento in May 1941, Bertha worked at the Libby McNeil Cannery on Stockton Boulevard, canning apricots, and peaches. The next summer she worked at Bercut Richards canning tomatoes. It was tiring hard work, but she was used to hard work. She had been a stay at home, but work at home mom throughout the early years of marriage; she had cooked for road crews in Colfax while they were living there. She had helped roof a house when 8 months pregnant with Barbara.

Bertha was an active member of the Nazarene church on 21st and S Streets. It was a strict religion which discouraged dancing, makeup, jewelry, and movies. She wrote many poems embracing religious themes. She was Sunday school superintendent and at one time printed the Sunday bulletin on the mimeograph machine; a messy job. She took her children to church by herself as Russell only attended on Easter and Christmas. He would often cook dinner while we were at church and after dinner, we would take a ride. There were many such trips around the area. One by one her children quit attending as they reached their teenage years. Eventually Bertha quit attending.

Bertha began working for the State of California, Department of Motor Vehicles on 15 Dec 1942 and remained there until she retired in April 1965 as a Supervisor in the Division of Drivers License. She was 62 years old. She was a finger print specialist in analyzing and comparing finger prints. She was well liked and well thought of in the department. As she got older, she seldom drove the car as Russell took her where she wanted to go. They even went grocery shopping together. They were compatible and excepting of their differences and strengths.

Bertha was quick to figure things out. She was always ready to fix things. I can remember her taking apart the toaster or iron and putting them back together again and they worked. That was in the days when you fixed what you had rather than throwing it out and buying a new one. We had an old electric curling iron as I remember. You had to be really careful not to get it too hot or you would burn your hair and it would break off. She was always working on some kind of hand work; knitting, crocheting, tatting, and sewing. She made most of our clothing when we were young and taught us to sew at a very young age. She could create any garment you could show her. Every Easter we would have a new homemade out fit to wear to church. She knitted many Barbie doll sweaters for her first grandchildren. As she aged, she developed arthritis in her hands and no longer did handwork. She wrote lots of poetry, much of it of a religious nature, but some with a bit humor also. She was a lady of many talents. My most vivid memories of her were of the times I would have a bad dream in the night. I would creep into my parent's room and stand or kneel beside her bed. She would wake up and take me into bed with her until I was ready to go back to my own bed. When I was young, Stan, Darlyne and I slept in the same room. One night I woke up and saw Stan standing beside my bed; and yet when I looked over at his bed, he was fast asleep in it. The person standing beside my bed disappeared into my parent's closet in the nest room. I was scared out of my whits. My parents got up and searched all through their closet and even into the attic opening in the ceiling of their closet. No one could be found. I was sure that someone was there. They were so patient with me even in the middle of the night, knowing it was a bad dream.

One cold night in January of 1953 Bertha received a telephone call during the night. Her mother had been in an automobile accident and was killed instantly from a ruptured aorta and spleen. The car she was riding in and another car had collided in a snowstorm just south of Spokane, Washington. She had been shopping with other women from her home town area. (See addendum 6).It was a terrible shock. I woke up to Bertha's screaming. Roy had always promised to bring May down to Sacramento to see her daughter and grandchildren. Now that was no longer an option and Roy was devastated. Bertha and Russell drove up to be with Roy. It was a sad reunion. Roy, May's husband, came to visit us in Sacramento with a neighbor boy, Norman Kuntz after her death. Norman was about 16 at the time and probably helped with the driving. Roy was so lonely. Roy died July 31, 1955. Bertha and Russell took a trip to Diamond to settle his affairs.

When Bertha retired, she and Russell fulfilled one of her lifelong dreams of seeing New England in the fall with all of the beautiful colors. They sold their home, bought an Airstream trailer and traveled across the United States. While they were gone, I found some of her treasures that she had stored at Darlyne and Bill's house. Among her papers, I found May Sly and Milton Sherman's marriage certificate stating they were married in Bay County Michigan. I called the operator and told her I was looking for Milton Sherman and explained the reason. She gave me the names and phone numbers for all of the Shermans in that area. One of the persons I called gave me the name and number of Tillie Sherman Chambers who was a sister to Milton. Milton had died in 1953 of a heart attack. That was the same year but about a month after May's death. Aunt Tillie told me that Milton had come home and married Zoë Sharrow in 1908. Milton and Zoë had four children; 3 boys and a girl.

Another of Bertha's desires was fulfilled even though she hadn't known it. The family discussed whether Bertha should be informed of the news of her new family since she had a serious heart condition. Stan said that we had no choice. She needed to be told. When Bertha and Russell returned from their year long trip across the States, I broke the news to her that she had 3 half brothers and a half sister. She was so excited! She could hardly wait to talk to them on the telephone. She had a conversation with Joe, the oldest brother and wrote to the cousin who was involved in researching the genealogy of the family. She decided to fly back to Michigan to meet them. We knew it was risky due to her heart condition. She had had a heart attack in Florida and was confined to the trailer for quite some time. Russell did not wish to go as he was not comfortable meeting so many new people. We talked about the risk, but they decided she should go and the new family in Michigan was anxious to meet her.

When she got to Michigan, a cousin, Vernon Sherman, arranged for a large Sherman family reunion. Milton's sister, Tillie, his wife, Zoey, and all of Milton's children and their families attended. There were also many cousins. Bertha loved it all and had a wonderful visit. (See Addendum 18 - letter from Vernon Sherman).

After a couple of days in Michigan, Bertha felt lots of pain in her legs and back. She knew something was not right. She ended up in the hospital in Traverse City, Michigan. Russell, accompanied by his oldest son, Roy, flew back to Michigan to be with her. Despite his reticence, he met all the Sherman family. They were very good to him and he liked them. Bertha was in the hospital for about a week. Surgery was performed to remove the embolism, but it was too late. She died in the hospital June 30, 1970. Her body was shipped back to Sacramento for burial at Eastlawn South. (See addendum 7). Joe, her half brother, and his wife Lora came to visit us in Sacramento a while later. It was nice for the family to meet him. We met his daughter Norma and her husband, Bud, and their children also, but never met the rest of the family.

Some of Bertha's Legacies:

·She loved all nature, from the most delicate flower to the high majestic peaks.
·She was a conservationist before it was popular to be one. We could never throw even a bit of paper on the ground.
·She cared about all humans, from the intellectual to the down trodden.
·She had a deep spirituality.
·She loved a good joke.
·She was a good shot with a gun.
·She had a good command of the language with a large vocabulary. She felt the Latin she took in high school accounted
for this. She loved doing crossword puzzles.
·She knew and loved poetry. Just a word would prick her memory and she would recite a long loved poem. She wrote
poems both spiritual and humorous.
·One of her favorite sayings was; "Necessity is the mother of invention." Another regarding attitude was; "You can catch
more flies with honey than with vinegar."
·She insisted in honesty and truthfulness in all things minor and major. We could never bring anything home that wasn't
ours. She would say quietly and calmly, "It isn't yours, go put it back where you found it."
·She was an excellent seamstress and had always wanted to take dressmaking courses. She could look at a picture of a
dress or outfit and create one like it.
·Her hands were always busy with knitting, crocheting, tatting or other handwork.
·She was not an exceptional housekeeper. One of her favorite sayings was, "It will never be noticed on a galloping
horse."
·She always took a position against gossip, but was not concerned if she was the butt of the gossip. She would say, "If
they're talking about me, then they're not talking about someone else."
·She loved life and lived it.
·She had often stated that she only had three desires: "To live to see her family raised; to see New England in the fall;
and to have brothers and sisters." She fulfilled all three of them.


One of her sayings,"When they are little they step on your toes. When they are big they step on your heart!"

*1910 United States Federal Census
Name: Bertha I Hserman [Bertha I Sherman]
Age in 1910: 7
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1903
BirthPlace: Montana
Relation to Head of House: Granddaughter
Father's Birth Place: Austria
Mother's Birth Place: Michigan
Home in 1910: School District 10, Lincoln, Montana
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Gender: Female
Neighbors:
Household Members: Name Age
Richard Smith 44
Elizabeth Smith 31
Bertha I Hserman 7 ( Should be Sherman)

1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Bertha Sherman [Bertha Shorman]
Home in 1920: Diamond, Whitman, Washington
Age: 16 years
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1904
Birthplace: Montana [Washington]
Relation to Head of House: Stepdaughter
Father's Birth Place: Michigan
Mother's Name: Mae
Mother's Birth Place: Michigan
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Sex: Female
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 887
Household Members: Name Age
Roy Lamb 35
Mae Lamb 36
Bertha Sherman 16

Bertha married Ernest Russell COLLIS on 14 Oct 1923 in Spokane, Spokane, Washington, United States. Ernest (son of Walter Winner COLLIS and Laura Susan GRIGSBY) was born on 31 Dec 1896 in Brentwood, Contra Costa, California, United States; died on 26 Jun 1976 in Sacramento, Sacramento, California, United States; was buried in Eastlawn Southgate, Sacramento, Sacramento, California, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: A7083D62E827CC4689457FDCF405C60A6119

Olive married Lawrence J. BACON in 1926. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Olive married Albert Frederick Joseph HUFF in 1958. Albert was born in 1917; died in 1990. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 7DDF135D0A01C54BBA6F8782CD64CFDDF6E4

Reba married John FORSYTH in 1934. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Reba married Louis ARIANA in 1962. Louis was born on 24 Apr 1897; died in Jan 1978 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 5FAD0B600C82E242985AA157F2120B83A51F

Notes:

Died in a motorcycle accident at age 21, not married.

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: D3A5BB2A622A3C43B29489EE0F6CC12788F1

Other Events:

• _UID: FDCA6CF1F90B9642BF5FC431211F80C295DF

John married Hilda Jeanette Carlson in 1946. Hilda was born on 23 Feb 1918; died on 10 Aug 1995. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 297AFFBE476ECF43AD805A8FAD9940D89B73

Other Events:

• _UID: B57CA60FB60EA44EBFCB353A10B7906F5B8C

Other Events:

• _UID: F1B655C98A0BA04EBE71604CA34DF8BAC564

Other Events:

• _UID: 0AC13A88A6153F42AE775E4C7FAE4C16278F

Other Events:

• _UID: 5EA743567DCCC544B495EB02410BBF4D7E96

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]