As I was attaching source records to ancestors on the Family Tree at FamilySearch.org yesterday, I was drawn to a particular family for whom I had incomplete information. I knew that my granduncle and aunt had a daughter named Flake Elizabeth Flanders who died at a young age, but I didn't know any details. I went to Ancestry.com to see if I could learn any more about her life and came across a note on Marlin Bryant's Central Kansas Integrated Family Tree Database. The note said Cause of Death was "Accidental Gasoline House Fire". Oh my goodness. This stopped me in my tracks.
This is my relationship with Flake Flanders.
This is my relationship with Flake Flanders.
Flake Elizabeth Flanders was born 26 Oct 1905. On 8 Oct 1923 she married Franklin Frederick Batchman in my hometown of Great Bend, Barton, Kansas. On 19 June 1924 Flake gave birth to their son Bernard Robert Batchman. In my database, I had the information that both Flake and her son Bernard died on 28 June 1929.
In his Ancestry tree, Marlin Bryant included the note that the death was reported in the Great Bend Tribune.This afternoon I contacted Kp Neuforth, the Research Director of the Barton County Historical Society, asking for advice in finding a microfilmed or digitized copy of the Great Bend Tribune. Kp advised me that the microfilm was available at the Great Bend Public Library, BUT it was temporarily operating out of another location while HVAC repairs were being made. She suggested that I share the names with her and she offered to search The Hutchinson News (a larger town 60 miles from Great Bend) through her subscription of Newspapers.com for any reports of the deaths. And we got "lucky"! Kp emailed this document to me:
In his Ancestry tree, Marlin Bryant included the note that the death was reported in the Great Bend Tribune.This afternoon I contacted Kp Neuforth, the Research Director of the Barton County Historical Society, asking for advice in finding a microfilmed or digitized copy of the Great Bend Tribune. Kp advised me that the microfilm was available at the Great Bend Public Library, BUT it was temporarily operating out of another location while HVAC repairs were being made. She suggested that I share the names with her and she offered to search The Hutchinson News (a larger town 60 miles from Great Bend) through her subscription of Newspapers.com for any reports of the deaths. And we got "lucky"! Kp emailed this document to me:
I was so saddened by the tragic events detailed in this article. It just breaks my heart.
I read the news report several times. And while it answers my original question as to the cause of Flake and Bernard's deaths, it brings up another question. My records show that Flake was only 22 years old, while the article says 24. And it says they were at the home of Dewey Haddon. Dewey Haddon is my uncle. He was married to my mother's oldest sister Ethel Flanders. Ethel was a first cousin to Flake Flanders Batchman. Ethel and Dewey were married 14 Mar 1925, but didn't have their first child, a son, until 1935. The news article tells us Mrs. Haddon and her daughters extinguished the flames on the son. My Uncle and Aunt Dewey and Ethel Haddon did not have any daughters. Evidently some facts got mixed up by the time the story was reported in The Hutchinson News. Or else .... there are facts about the family that I'm not aware of! In family history research that's always a possibility!
I also find it rather sad that neither Flake or her son Bernard Batchman have a headstone marker in the Great Bend Cemetery where they're buried. These are the markers provided by the Cook and Weber mortuary.
I read the news report several times. And while it answers my original question as to the cause of Flake and Bernard's deaths, it brings up another question. My records show that Flake was only 22 years old, while the article says 24. And it says they were at the home of Dewey Haddon. Dewey Haddon is my uncle. He was married to my mother's oldest sister Ethel Flanders. Ethel was a first cousin to Flake Flanders Batchman. Ethel and Dewey were married 14 Mar 1925, but didn't have their first child, a son, until 1935. The news article tells us Mrs. Haddon and her daughters extinguished the flames on the son. My Uncle and Aunt Dewey and Ethel Haddon did not have any daughters. Evidently some facts got mixed up by the time the story was reported in The Hutchinson News. Or else .... there are facts about the family that I'm not aware of! In family history research that's always a possibility!
I also find it rather sad that neither Flake or her son Bernard Batchman have a headstone marker in the Great Bend Cemetery where they're buried. These are the markers provided by the Cook and Weber mortuary.
I'm so grateful to Kp Neuforth for her help in finding the news article that answered my questions about the deaths of my cousins. I promised her that I'd "pay it forward", as she has done. I'm also blessed to be part of the greater genealogy community. It sure helps with the research, especially when we want to learn more details about sad stories like this one.
