This week we are looking at my paternal great grandmother Ida May Clough.  Her story may be a little confusing, she had both Madeleine and I confused for years. She was married three times and had 7 children.

Ida was the daughter of Orson Clough and Julia Marsh, born  on 29 December 1854 depending on what census we look at Ida May was born in Illinois, New York, and California. We know that there was at least one other child from this union, William Orson Clough had been born 23 November 1851.

Madeleine, my sister and research partner, had found Julia Marsh (Ida May Clough’s mother) in the 1850 US census in the Benjamin Clough family in Hamburg, Erie County, New York. Julia is only 18 and listed last, probably a domestic servant. Orson (Ida May Clough’s father) is 22 and the son of Benjamin and Lydia Clough.

In the 1855 New York Census for Hamburg we did find B.J. (70) and L. Clough (68), and W. Clough (4) listed as gchild. But without Orson or Julia in the household. From a biography on William O. Clough he states that his father moved to Illinois in 1856.

In the 1860 US census, I did find a Benjamin Clough(50) and a Lucinda (42) with a young child Lucinda (9) and a William Clough (9). In DuPage, Will County, Illinois but no Orson or Julia. Madeleine, my sister, had located early on during one of her searches in the Library in Amador county an Ida M. Clough (6) in Amador County with a Almira Surface in 1860.  So the big Question has been “where is Orson and Julia in the 1860 US census?” If any one stumbles upon them please let us know. And who is this Almira Surface to the Clough’s?

In October of 1860 Eveleyn Clough is supposedly born to Julia (Marsh) Clough in California. And at the same time she is reported to have married Ira Blossom in California. Julia (Marsh Clough) and Ira Blossom settle in the Three Rivers Area east of Visalia, California

In the 1870 US census, Elliott township San Joaquin county, California we find an Ida (14) Clough in the A.A. Clough (37) family. This may or may not be our Ida May. If any one knows this Clough family and can prove or disprove this I would love to hear from them.

I have located a marriage of an Edwin D. Briant (Bryant?) in San Joaquin county to an Ida May Clough on 22 February 1872. Not sure if this is ours but it fits. Their first child Clarence Edwin Bryant b. 28 Dec. 1872. Their next child  Allace Bryant  (according to 1900 census) was born in December 1874. We have not been able to find a specific date but I have found her death record that only shows the year of her birth. The last child to this union is Maud Bryant who was born in October 1876.

In 1880 Ida (Clough) Bryant (26) is a widow  with three children. I have not been able to determine what happened to Mr. Bryant.

In the 1880 US census we find Ida May (Clough) Bryant in Amador County, California  on 3 June with Orson Clough (53), Jenna (37) his wife, Kate Herbert (18), William Herbert (16), Nelly Herbert (11), Hilda Clough (7), Libba (6), Amy (3), Ida Bryant (25) wd. , Clarence (7), Allace (5), Maud (3).

 

On 30 December Ida May (Clough) Bryant marries Joseph Fletcher Putnam in San Joaquin county. Joseph F. Putnam is raising his daughter (Grace) from an earlier marriage to Fanny Stewart on his own. Fanny had deserted him in 1878 and taken their 2 year old daughter Alice with her to Kansas never to return leaving the older child Grace behind. Joseph filed for divorce in April  1880 claiming desertion and was awarded a divorce.

From this marriage Ida (Clough Bryant) and Joseph Putnam have four children. Arthur who dies in infancy, Ira Blossom b.30 March 1883 in Three Rivers , California, Lena A. b. 12 August 1885 in Three Rivers, California, and Blanche A. b. 12 August 1888 in Three Rivers, California.

 

23 April 1897 we have Ida M. (Clough Bryant) Putnam marring C.T. Peters in Tulare, California. Hey, what happened to her marriage to Joseph F. Putnam? From the Photo above you can see that Joseph F. Putnam and his children are back in Clements where he grew up.

In the above 1900 US census we find near the bottom Charles T. Peter (30) a laborer at a sawmill with wife Ida M. (Clough Bryant Putnam) (45) and Clarence Bryant (27) s.son.

I do not see them in the 1910 US Census but they do appear in the 1914 City Directory for San Pedro which is in the Los Angeles Area.

The above photo of Ida (Clough Bryant Putnam) with her adult children was probably taken some time around 1920. The only child missing is C.E. (Ed) Bryant.

Below is a photo of Ed in his Spanish American War outfit.

In 1920 we find Ida (Clough Bryant Putnam) Peters (65) widowed  at her daughter, Alice (Bryant) (45) Corsen’s home. Also in the same household is her other daughter Maud (Bryant) (43) Tyler   and Edwin (16) Tyler who would be Ida’s grandson.

I the 1930 US census for Los Angeles Ida M. (Clough Bryant Putnam) Peters (75) is Living now with her daughter Maud (Bryant) Tyler (53) widowed working as a telephone operator and Fredrick F Tyler (25), Maud’s son, a fireman for the fire department. Ida May’s daughter Allace (Bryant) Corsen dies 2 December 1931.

 

Ida May (Clough Bryant Putnam) Peters died on 6 February 1932. Her death certificate shows her birthdate 29 December 1854. Birth place is listed as unknown City , State of California. I do not believe that is accurate. When we look to see who the informant was it shows a L.M. Koontz of County Farm, Calif. It does list her parents as Orson Clough b. New York and Julia Marsh b. New York. The cause of death for Ida May was Chronic Myocarditis which she had been treated for over 1 year.