This is a continuation of last weeks blog by my sister.

Orson Clough was becoming a mystery. I have him in 1850, but not 1860, or in 1870. Also no wife, no children in 1870. I knew that Ida May Clough was the daughter of Orson Clough, but had not yet confirmed her mother, so I sent for her California death certificate.  My paternal aunt always called her Grandma Peters.  I knew she had lived in Los Angeles.  Guess what, the first one I got was the wrong Ida Peters so I sent for the other one.

It confirmed her father as Orson Clough, born in NY, and stated that her mother was Julia Marsh, born in NY. Yippee!

It stated Ida’s birthplace as California, city or town unknown. Darn.

So now I had Ida’s mother confirmed, and yes, she was the same person in that 1850 census.  In our family there have been lots of surnames.  Growing up I never knew how they were connected, just related some how!  My Great ‘Aunt Blanche’ was a woman I had known well and was the daughter of Ida May.  When I was a teenager she had given me information on her father’s side of the family, not much on her mother’s. (Click on image to enlarge)

Not easy to read, but being the originator I have an advantage. Ida May had married a Bryant before she married my grandfather.  So when I started my genealogy I saw the name Bryant and all those other surnames that had been batted around in my youth.  So now to connect the dots.  I called a “shirt-tail cousin” (he is actually my half second cousin once removed) and he said,

 GRANDMA PETERS, IDA MAE, HAD A SISTER WHO LIVED IN THREE RIVERS CALIFORNIA. HER NAME WAS EVELYN.

Evelyn, who is Evelyn? Aunt Blanche did not say anything about Evelyn, there is no Evelyn on my crude family tree.  Aunt Blanche where are you when I need you?  I already knew part of the mystery but my brain was not connecting the dots, ok, so maybe genealogy is not my thing. Ada was achieving great maternal finds and I’m lost with who is Evelyn?  Well, I was not quitting! The parts I knew,and did not get, was why my grandfathers name was Ira Blossom Putnam. There was also the Busby’s, one of those batted about names, that had named their children after flowers, like Pansy. So I just thought that generation was crazy about flowers. I also knew about another family relative by the name of Ed Bryant, I thought he was grandpa’s cousin or some other relative. Turns out he was grandpa’s half brother.  I called a Three Rivers researcher and asked her about the Bryants . “Oh yes”,she said, “the Bryants, the Blossoms, the Loverins.” I knew about the Loverins, my Aunt Blanche was very close to a Loverin, although I never met him.  Well of course she was close to him, he was her nephew, just like my Dad was her nephew.  So I’m lost, all these relatives and I do not know how we are related.  So there was the clue Ira Blossom my own grandfather was not named for a flower, but named after someone with the surname of Blossom. .  So I started to search for the surname of Blossom in the census and Voila!

1860 Scotsburg, CA, Ira Blossom, 28, Rancher, born in Ohio, Julia Blossom, 33, Housekeeper, born in New York. Julia was 18 in the 1850 census, maybe this is not my Julia. Hmmmm. (Historical note: Scots-burg, now Centerville was founded in 1854 near the Kings River. In 1858 a ferry was established at Poole’s crossing.  In the winter of 1861-1862 flooding destroyed the ferry and town.)

Further research finds Ira and Julia Blossom in Farmersville in 1870 with children Eva (is this my Evelyn?) Emma and Charles.

In 1880 they are in Three Rivers CA, with two more daughters Anna and Lottie.  Both Ira (now shown as born in Illinois) and Julia (shown again born in NY.)  are now 47. Hmmmm……

I was able to follow Ira and Julia till there deaths, Julia in 1922 age 88 and Ira in 1924 age 91. I have both Ira’s and Julia’s death certificates. Ira’s parents are listed as unknown and Julia’s are listed as ?Marsh and ?Crissy.  Hmmmm….

Yes Eva is my Evelyn, born in October of 1860. She is variously listed as Evelyn Clough, Evelyn Blossom and Evelyn Blossom Clough.  I have not researched her, was she Orson Clough’s biological child but raised by Ira Blossom?  Since my great-grandmother choose to name her son Ira Blossom (he was Grandpa Ike to us), her step-father must have been beloved by the family.  In the Three Rivers area there is a Blossom Peak and an Evelyn Lake.  Also Clough’s Caves after William Clough (Uncle Billy) but that is another story.

So I know the rest of the story about Ida May’s mother, but what about Ida and her father Orson? Am I lost again? Darn!

More to follow next week……