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Ida E. (Ream) Millis |
Ida E. (Ream) Millis -- also known as "Ideal" -- was born in 1859 or 1860 in Ursina, Somerset County, PA, the daughter of Levi and Hila (King) Ream.
Ida as a child migrated with her widowed father to Osceola, Clarke County, IA. But she may have resided with others, as in 1870, at age 10, she is not shown in her father's household in Osceola.
Prior to marriage, in early 1880, she was a music teacher and lived with her married sister Samantha Johnson in Osceola.
On Dec. 30, 1880, at the age of 20, she was joined in wedlock with George P. Millis ( ? -1921). He was a native of Ohio.
The Millises bore three children, of whom only one is known -- Loren George Millis.
They spent their adult years in Iowa and Kansas. They are known to have dwelled in Marysville, KS circa April 1882. At that time, they received a visit from her father and brother-in-law Moses T. Johnson following an extended trip that had taken the duo to Puget Sound and Southern California.
Ida and George divorced sometime prior to 1900. He established a home in Sacramento and, in 1907, married a second time to Katherine "Kate" Trefren ( ? - ? ), also of Sacramento. News of their marriage license was printed in the Sacramento Star. He was a member of the Sacramento lodge of the Moose and was sued among other members in April 1912 for improperly trying to reorganize the charter of their group. George earned a living as a real estate salesman and later with the Carmichael Company in Sacramento. He died at the home of his wife's kin F.A. Trefern at 2114 16th Street on Nov. 16, 1921. The Sacramento Bee printed an obituary, and burial was in the Lawn Cemetery of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
In 1898, perhaps already a single mother, she received from her father a deed to three town lots in the Highland Park section of Sacramento, CA. Then when her father died in 1903, his newspaper obituary listed Ida as residing in Osceola.
Ida and Loren shared their residence in 1910 in Cedar Rapids, Linn County, IA, at an address on Second Avenue West. Neither had an occupation that year, but they earned income by keeping roomers. Ida claimed to be married and to have been so for 29 years.
When her wealthy brother Norman died in 1915, Ida received a life trust bequest of $25,000 from the estate and was named in the Oct. 6, 1915 edition of the New York Times.
By 1920, she and her son had relocated to Sheridan, WY. The United States Census of 1920 lists Ida as "divorced" and a "practitioner" of Christian Science and Loren as a bookkeeper in a sugar factory. Then during the 1920s, mother and son migrated again to California and put down roots in Santa Ana, CA. The federal census enumeration of 1930 shows her as "widowed" at age 60 and residing with 38-year-old bachelor son Loren in Santa Ana. Similarly, as in 1920, the 1930 census-taker recorded her occupation as "pracitioner - Christian Science" and him as a bookkeeper for a sugar factory.
Research is underway to determine if she died in Orange County, CA on Sept. 9, 1931, with burial in Santa Ana's Fairhaven Memorial Park.
~ Son Loren George Millis ~
Son Loren George Millis (1890-1987) -- sometimes misspelled as "Lauren" -- was born on May 26, 1890 in Osceola. A record of his birth was kept in the family Bible.
He stood 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighed 150 lbs., with blue eyes and light brown hair. He carried scars on his left knee and left upper shin.
He resided in Shoshoni, WY in 1917 when required to register for the military draft during World War I. At that time, he disclosed that he was employed as assistant cashier at the First National Bank. He was recruited in July 1917 to join the U.S. Navy, with his name appearing in a list in the Billings (MT) Gazette.
In 1930, a bachelor at the age of 40, he resided with his mother in Santa Ana, CA, and earned a living as a bookkeeper in a sugar factory. He received a tract of property from his aunt Samantha (Ream) Johnson in November 1931, located in Broward County, FL.
Evidence shows that Loren continued to live in Santa Ana in 1939-1942, at their home address of 602 South Birch, operating "Loren's Model Shop," a miniature airplane business at 302 Bush Street.
When again filling out a draft registration card during World War II, he stated that Mrs. C.P. Kinyan of Santa Ana would always know his whereabout.
He was united in matrimony with Utah native Anna B. (March 18, 1894-1974).
Sadly, Anna died on Sept. 27, 1974. Her remains were placed into eternal repose in the Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena, Los Angeles County.
Loren outlived his wife by a baker's dozen years. Death carried him away at the age of 97 on Nov. 21, 1987.
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Copyright © 2002, 2009, 2012, 2014-2017, 2022-2023 Mark A. Miner |