Thursday, April 13, 2017

Seavers in the News-- Obituary for Alforetta (Bloss) Seaver in Watertown, N.Y.

It's time for the next issue of "Seavers in the News" - an irregular feature of Genea-Musings that helps me find interesting and informative details about the lives of persons named Seaver.

Here is the obituary of Alforetta K. (Bloss) Seaver published on 27 April 1955 in the Syracuse (New York) Herald Journal newspaper on page 3:


The transcription of this obituary is:

"Funeral Tomorrow for Mrs. Seaver

WATERTOWN -- Mrs. Alforetta K. Bloss, 81, widow of George H. Seaver, died at her home, 1111 Franklin st., yesterday of heart attack.

"She is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Martin H. Casselamnn, of Watertown, and Mrs. George Woods, of St. Regis Falls; two brothers, Walter and Chester Bloss of Parishville.

"Mrs. Seaver was born at Parishville.  She was married to Mr. Seaver at Massena May 16, 1902. They came to Watertown from Faust 43 years ago.  Mr. Seaver, a machinist for the New York Central, died in 1941.

"The funeral will be tomorrow 1:30 P.M. from the Northam and Fox Funeral Home, the Rev. Thomas J. Carlisle, pastor of Stone Street Presbyterian Church, officiating.  Burial will be in Parishville."

The source citation for this obituary is:

"Funeral Tomorrow for Mrs. Seaver," Syracuse [N.Y.] Herald-Journal, 27 April 1955, page 3, column 4, obituary; indexed database and digital images,  Ancestry.com  (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 April 2017).

Information gleaned from this obituary include (with my commentary in brackets):

*  Alforetta K. Bloss was the widow of George H. Seaver. [Was she married to a Bloss when she died?]
*  She was 81 years of age.
*  She died "yesterday" [26 April 1955?] at her home, 1111 Franklin Street [in Watertown?]
*  She died of a heart attack.
*  She has two living sisters and two living brothers named Bloss.
*  She was born in Parishville [New York].
*  She married George H. Seaver on 16 May 1902 in Massena [N.Y.] [but I have a record that says it was 16 April 1912 in Utica, N.Y.]
*  They came to Watertown 43 years ago [in 1912?]
*  George H. Seaver was a machinist on the New York Central railroad, and died in 1941.

I easily found George Horace Seaver (1876-1941) in my RootsMagic family tree database, married to Alfaretta K. Blass (1874-1955) on 16 April 1912 in Utica.  George Horace Seaver is my 3rd cousin 4 times removed.

I think that there are several errors in this obituary.  My guess is that one of her siblings was the informant for this obituary, since she is not referred to as Alforetta K. Seaver for some reason.  They may have erred on the marriage date - it's off by 9 years and 11 months.  Therefore, it's very likely that her maiden name was Bloss, not Blass as the marriage record indicates.  

I found Alfaretta in the following records on Ancestry.com:

*  1880 U.S. Census as Alferetta Bloss in Parishville, N.Y.
*  1900 U.S. Census as Alferetta Bless in Parishville, N.Y.
*  1910 U.S. Census  as Alforetta D. Sever in Altamont, N.Y.
*  New York County Marriage Records, 1847-1849, 1907-1936 - two as Alfaretta K. Bloss and one as Alfaretta K. Blass, all in Utica in 1912.
*  1920 U.S. Census as Alfaretta Seaver in Watertown, N.Y.
*  1925 New York State Census as Alforetta Seaver in Watertown, N.Y.
*  1930 U.S. Census as Alfaretta K. Seaver in Watertown, N.Y.
*  U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 as Alforetta Seaver in the 1917, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1935, and 1944 directories for Watertown, N.Y.

 Were they married twice - once in 1902 and again in 1912?  I don't know - I have the 1912 record.  

I don't see any indication of children - the obituary does not mention any, and the census records do not show any.

I did not have Alfaretta's death date or death place, her cause of death, her siblings, George's date of death or occupation, or their residence in Watertown.  Those Facts can be added to the database using this newspaper article as the source.


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