I'm sure most families have at least a few stories that have been passed down through generations and told over and over again. My family has quite a few. Because of my obsession with genealogy I have always cherished these stories. So it is fascinating to me to do some research to find out the real scoop behind these "legends". Below is an interesting one about my Great Aunt Mildred Orth pictured below. (She is holding her brother's baby Bobbie Orth).
The story I was told repeatedly growing up was that Mildred never married and died in her twenties. My mother was told the same story all her life. It was said Mildred went to spend the night at a friend's home. The house caught on fire and Mildred was the only one who died. Grandma always said it was suspicious because her wallet was missing from her purse. Because of this my Mother was never allowed to spend the night at a friends house and she was always upset if I asked to do so when a child.
When my Grandmother died a cousin of my Mother's came to the funeral home. Mildred's name came up. He was older than my Mother and actually remembered Mildred. We were shocked to learn the story we took as the truth had been made up. It turns out Mildred was indeed married. She did die as a result of a fire but it was in her own home. She backed into the cooking stove and her dress caught on fire, she died a short while later of the burns. The whole overnight at a friends house apparently was made up to cover the fact that Mildred had been married to a Al Collette because he was in prison for stealing a car. My mother's cousin remembered him because his mother would take him to the prison to visit Al after Mildred's death.
I find it amazing that such a story was repeated to cover the truth about Mildred's husband. Maybe it was invented in part because my Grandmother never wanted my mother to stay overnight anywhere. So if you find these kinds of things interesting I would suggest doing some research to find the real story behind your family legends!
