Sidney purchased a new Ford Model-T, when in his 70s, and took great pride in keeping its chrome highly polished. He was one of the first people in the family, if not the first, to own an automobile. He enjoyed family get-togethers and encouraged the continuation of the Bliss Family Reunion, an annual event which was held each July 4th into the 1940s.

Sidney E. Bliss The Albion Recorder, dated April 4, 1916

Sidney E. Bliss was born at Clyde, NY, and died at his home, 107 West Elm street, Albion, MI, March 28, 1916. He was a son of Calvin H. Bliss and his wife Seraph Bothwell Bliss and was the great-grandson of Captain Samuel Bliss of Rehoboth, Mass., of Revolutionary fame. Capt. Bliss commanded a company of eight-day minutemen April 19-27, 1775, and afterwards (1775) a company of eight-months men in Col. Timothy Walkerís regiment and was Gen. Washingtonís steward at Morristown in the winter of 1777. Mr. Bliss was married January 10, 1861, to Helen M. Hubbard.

In 1866 they came to MI, locating at Tekonsha, but the following year they moved to a farm three miles south of Albion, where he lived until 1884. In that year he moved to Albion, since which time he has made this city his home. He was by trade a carpenter, and worked at building more or less during the whole of his life.

His home life was especially happy until the death of his wife, March 20, 1901. Six children were born to them, all of whom are living: Mrs. Mary S. Buckman, Hanover; Charles S. Bliss, Albion; Wm. H. Bliss, Kansas City, Kansas; Mrs. Susan E. Barnes, Duluth; Mrs. Etta M. Kendrick, Traverse City; Mrs. Nellie M. Barnes, Chicago. There are also eleven grandchildren.

Since the death of his wife, his son Charles has lived in the family home on West Elm street, and he had made his home there, although he [Sidney] had spent part of his time with his other children.

He was converted in 1879 in a revival held in the Babcock schoolhouse by Rev. Uri Mason, and was baptized in the river which ran through his farm. He joined the M. E. Church in Albion at that time and has since been a regular attendant and faithful member.

While he lived on the farm he not only attended the church in town but also took student preachers home with him for the service at the schoolhouse in the afternoon.

He has been a man of clean personal habits, a devoted husband and father, a citizen who could always be counted on to throw his influence on the side of right, and a humble yet devoted Christian.

Four of his eight brothers and sisters are left to mourn his departure. They are: John B. Bliss, Marshall; Mrs. Mary S. Williams, Tekonsha; Miss Carrie H. Bliss, Wolcott, N.Y.; and C. H. Bliss, Farmville, Va.

The funeral service was conducted Sunday, April 2, at 2 p.m., by the Methodist pastor, Rev. A. R. Johns, D. D., at the family home, and the body was laid to rest at Riverside cemetery.

Mrs. Sidney Bliss The Albion Recorder, dated March 21, 1901

Last evening at six oíclock occurred the death of Mrs. Sidney Bliss at the home of her son, Charles, in Elm street, where Mr. and Mrs. Bliss had removed from their farm south of the city but a week ago. Mrs. Bliss had been ill with pneumonia for a short time. Mrs. Bliss is one of the older residents of this vicinity, having lived, prior to her removal to this city, for a number of years upon their farm south of the city. About 10 years ago Mr. Bliss built a house in this city in Elm street, where they resided until last spring, when they returned to their farm, leaving it again, as stated, a few days ago.

Her long residence here, her loving nature, her noble character and her consistent Christian life won for Mrs. Bliss a host of true friends, and her departure will be keenly felt by them. Besides her husband, four daughters and two sons are left to mourn her loss: Mrs. Mary Fergusson of Hanover; Mrs. Nellie Barnes of Chicago; Mrs. Susie Barnes of Sumner, Iowa; Mrs. Etta Kendrick of Ganges; Charles of this city and William. As we go to press arrangements for funeral services have not been made.

Helen was interred at the Riverside Cemetery in Albion.

Sidney and Helen were married by Rev. John N. Brown in the village of Clyde, town of Galen, NY. Witnesses were Mr. Alvin Williams and Miss Mary S. Bliss. The newlyweds then settled at Galen, in Wayne Co., NY, where they had the first two of their children. Then the family, along with those of Sidney's brothers John B. and Samuel, and their sister Mary and brother-in-law Alvin, all moved to Tekonsha, MI, in 1866. Shortly thereafter, Sidney and Helen settled at Albion, Calhoun Co., where they resided the rest of their lives.

At the time of the 1880 Federal census taken in the Village of Albion, 18-year-old Mary S. was listed as a "servant" in the household of Charles B. Bogue, a 24-year-old grocer from VT. Also in the household were 23-year-old Martha, wife of Charles, their two-year-old son Charles B., and A. E. Harlow, a 25-year-old "boarder and clerk in store" from VT.

Mary was interred at Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, MI.

The family was living in Hanover, MI, at the time when Mary's mother died in 1901.

Mary and George owned a farm outside of Hanover on a road that was named "Buckman Road" by the power company. One day a young neighbor boy by the name of Kenneth Salsbury, who was living on the farm belonging to his parents Pearl and Frances (Barnes) Salsbury, saw smoke coming from the Buckmans' farmhouse. Ken hurried to alert its occupants. He then carried Mary's good bed from the house, but that was about all that could be saved. Mary and George then moved into Hanover, where they resided for the remainder of their lives. They were living in Hanover when Mary's father died in 1916.

Mary and George were especially devout Christians, and they made it part of their business to ensure others in the family didn't stray. They would drive around on Sundays and might show up at any family member's doorstep without notice. The Barnes branch of the family tended to be more liberal in their interpretation of what should or should not be done on Sundays. Card playing was one of their favorite pastimes when getting together on the Sabbath, an absolute no-no to the Buckmans. Thus, such gatherings tended to be especially watchful to detect George and Mary pulling into the driveway.

Charles S. Bliss The Albion Recorder, dated March 12, 1948

Charles S(idney) Bliss, 86, 107 West Elm street, a life long resident of Albion, died Thursday at 2:50 p.m. after being in poor health for about a year.

Mr. Bliss was born in Clyde, N.Y. in 1862. At the age of three years he moved with his parents to a farm near Tekonsha and then to a farm south of Albion. After leaving the farm, Mr. Bliss was employed in the Albion Malleable Iron Co. Foundry, the L.J. Wolcott Windmill and Cook Engine Works, Electric Railway Co. shops and as a caretaker of the Homestead Loan and Building Assín offices until he had to resign because of poor health.

Mr. Bliss became a member of the First Methodist church in 1880. He married Ida Marie Stancroff March 17, 1892. They celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1942. Mrs. Bliss died last June 2.

Surviving are a daughter, Mrs. Fay Young, Albion; a grandson, Donald Osborn, South Bend, Ind.; three sisters, Mrs. George Buckman, Hanover, Mrs. Nellie Barnes, Jackson, and Mrs. Etta Kendrick, Holland; a great-grandson; and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at the Marsh funeral home Sunday at 2:30. Dr. F.S. Goodrich and Dr. D. Dempster Yinger officiating; burial in Riverside cemetery [Albion].

Charles and Ida were married by Rev. R.W. Van Schoick. The family was living in Albion in 1901 and 1916 when his parents died.

Two Albion newspaper articles, one before and one after their fiftieth wedding anniversary:

------Article #1:
"Tuesday, March 17, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Bliss, 107 West Elm street, but the event will be observed Sunday, with "open house" at the Bliss home from three to five and seven to nine p.m.

"Albion was the scene March 17, 1892, of the wedding of Mr. Bliss and the then Edith Marie Stancroff, who had been making her home here with Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Powers, now deceased. The ceremony was conducted by Rev. R. W. Van Schoick, then pastor of the First Methodist church.

"Immediately after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Bliss established their home at 112 West Elm street, where they lived for 15 years. It was during that time that a daughter, Helen, now Mrs. F. A. Young, 413 Allen place, was born to them. March 1, 1907,** they moved to the home they since have occupied. Previously the home had been occupied by Mr. Bliss' parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Bliss, having been built by the father.

"Mr. Bliss was born in Clyde, N.Y., in 1862. At the age of three years, he moved with his parents to a farm near Tekonsha. A year later Sydney Bliss purchased a farm three miles south of Albion on the River road and moved his family there, young Charles living there until 1890.

"After leaving the farm, Mr. Bliss was employed in the Albion Malleable Iron Co. foundry as a moulder, the plant being located then at the corner of Superior and Cass streets., in the center of the business district. Later he was employed as a moulder in the foundries of the L. J. Wolcott Windmill Co. and Cook Engine Works for 21 years. Then he became a painter in the MI Electric Railway Co. shops, just west of Albion, remaining there for 16 1-2 years, until the shops burned and were never replaced. For 11 years he has been caretaker of the Homestead Loan and Building Assn. offices.

"Mr. Bliss became a member of the First Methodist church in 1880 and Mrs. Bliss united with that church in 1894. Mrs. Bliss is a member of the South Albion Women's club and is active in the Mizpah circle of the Methodist church and in the Art Needlecraft club. Mr. Bliss is a member of the Three-Quarters-Century club.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bliss have one grandson, Donald Osborn, who was married recently to Miss Betty Keckler and who lives in South Bend, Ind.

"Preceding the open house Sunday afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Bliss will be honored at a family dinner in the home of their daughter on Allen place."

**Helen's year of birth was either 1893 or 1894.--C.W. Paige

------Article #2:
"Fiftieth Anniversary Observed

"Mr. and Mrs. C. S. Bliss, 107 West Elm street, opened their home to friends Sunday afternoon and evening in observance of their fiftieth wedding anniversary. The home was a profusion of flowers and plants presented them by friends and clubs. Many gifts and cards were also presented the honored couple.

"Punch and wafers were served from the dining table, which was spread with a lace cloth and centered with gold colored eslendulas and yellow daffodils with white tapers in gold candle holders on either side.

"Mrs. Lyle Marsh, Mrs. Norman Cobb and Miss Rhea Bliss presided at the punch bowl. Between 80 and 90 guests called during the afternoon and evening including Mr. and Mrs. Henry Globig of Battle Creek; Mr. and Mrs. Carl Kruger, Sturgis; Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Trader, Litchfield; Mr. and Mrs. A. F. Ross, Lansing; Miss Rhea Bliss and George Miller, Marshall, and Mr. and Mrs. Donald Osborn, South Bend, Ind.

"Mr. and Mrs. F. A. Young, Allen place, entertained at a family dinner Sunday noon, the table being centered with an anniversary cake beautifully iced and topped with a miniature bride and groom."

William lived in Albion for many years. He later moved to Kansas City, Kansas, where he became a master mechanic.

The family was living in Albion when William's mother died in 1901. They were living in Kansas City, KS, when William's father died in 1916.

Ella Susan ("Susie") went from being a housewife to a housemother and moved into the Sigma Nu frat house with her young son George Barnes in 1917. Had her child been a girl instead of a boy, Susie was told she wouldn't have been hired.

During her lifetime, Susie lived in the following places: Albion, MI; Chicago, IL; Sumner, IA; (various) MN; ending up again in Albion. She died during an operation on the same day that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt passed away.
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Newspaper articles (first one from Jackson newspaper, second from Albion paper)---

Article No. 1--

Dean Of Nation's Fraternity Housemothers Dies At Albion:

Albion- (Special) -Mrs. Susan B. Barnes, 76, the unofficial dean of American fraternity housemothers, died here Thursday after a few weeks illness.

Mrs. Barnes had been a housemother at Albion college for 28 years. She served at the Sigma Nu fraternity house for 26 years prior to the summer of 1943, when draft calls caused the group to suspend its activities. Since then, she had been housemother at one of the women's annexes near Susanna Wesely hall.

In 1942, the Sigma Nu group held a reception in honor of her 25 years of service and announced that their investigation failed to show any housemother that had served a single fraternity so long. She was a member of the First Methodist church, being treasurer of its Ladies Aid society for some years before it became the WSCS. She was also affiliated with Albion chapter No. 124, OES.

Surviving are a son, George Barnes, Detroit; two step-sons, Kenneth Barnes, NY, and Earl Barnes, Detroit; three sisters, Mrs. W. F. Kendrick, Holland, Mrs. George Buckman, Hanover, and Mrs. Will Barnes, Jackson, and a brother Charles Bliss, Albion.

Three Albion clergymen, the Rev. G. Dempster Yinger, President John L. Seaton of the college, and Dr. F.S. Goodrich, will officiate at the funeral Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Marsh Funeral home. Burial at Horton.
_________________

Copied from an article by the Jackson Citizen Patriot as stored in a scrapbook held by Horace Levengood.

Article No. 2--

Mrs. Susan Bliss Barnes, 76, died at 4:45 a.m. today at Sheldon Memorial hospital, where she had been a patient for some time.

She was born Aug. 28, 1868, in Albion to Mr. And Mrs. Sidney Bliss. Except for a few years in Duluth, Minn., Mrs. Barnes has spent her entire life in Albion. At the time of her death she was housemother at Ingham house, an annex for college girls on Ingham street. Prior to this time, Mrs. Barnes had been matron for the Sigma Nu fraternity for 26 years.

On Feb. 22, 1942, she was honored with a reception given by the fraternity for 25 years of service as its housemother. According to its members, these 25 years of service placed Mrs. Barnes in the position of "dean of American fraternity housemothers."

Mrs. Barnes was a member of the First Methodist church, treasurer of its Ladiesí Aid society for several years, of the W.S.C.S., the Bethany circle and Albion Chapter No. 124, O.E.S.

She is survived by a son, George Barnes, Detroit; two stepsons, Kenneth Barnes, NY, and Earl Barnes, Detroit; three sisters, Mrs. W.F. Kendrick, Holland, Mrs. George Buckman, Hanover, and Mrs. Will Barnes, Jackson; a brother, Charles Bliss, Albion; four grandchildren and several cousins, nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held Saturday at 2:00 at the Marsh funeral home. Officiating will be Rev. G. Dempster Yinger, Dr. John L. Seaton and Dr. F.S. Goodrich. Burial will be in Horton.

Martin and Susan were married by Rev. W. F. Kendrick, Susan's brother-in-law.

The family was living in Sumner, IA, when Susie's mother died in 1901. The family was living in Duluth, MN, when Susie's father died in 1916.

After Martin's death, Susie and son George went to live for a month or so in Chicago with her sister and brother-in-law, Nellie and Will Barnes. Then she and George settled in Albion, MI. Martin's sons by his first wife had already left home by then.

Places where the family lived: Chicago, IL; Sumner, IA; (various, including St. Paul and Duluth) MN; Albion, MI (after Martin died).

Etta was one of the three primary women upon whom Jennie Louise (Barnes) Paige based her life's conduct because of her strong, Puritan ethic beliefs. The other two were Etta's sister, Nellie Mae (Bliss) Barnes, who was Jennie's mother, and Mrs. Anna Shellhouse, who was Jennie's 1920s Sunday School teacher in Jackson, MI.

Etta taught kindergarten before marrying the Reverend William F. Kendrick. She joined the "Daughters of American Revolution" in 1919 and gave a copy of the Bliss genealogy and history to her nieces Jennie and Helen so that they could join.

Etta removed to the M.J. Clark Retirement Community, a Methodist-affiliated home in Grand Rapids, MI, 17 November 1950. That remained her residence until her death, which occurred a little more than five months from what would have been her 100th birthday. Interred at Pilgrim Home Cemetery, Holland, MI.

An article about Etta appeared in 1964 entitled "Her 61st Session":

"Mrs. Wm. F. Kendrick, widow of a former minister of the MI Conference, attended her 61st consecutive session at Albion, June 10-14, and was greeted with a kiss from Bishop Reed. She is 94."
-------------------------
Following is Etta's obituary, prob. in The Albion Recorder, dated January 28, 1970

Mrs. Etta Bliss Kendrick, 99, a native of Albion and widow of Dr. William F. Kendrick, a well known Methodist minister and district superintendent in Western MI, died Monday morning at Clark Memorial Home, Grand Rapids, where she had resided the past five years.

Born June 11, 1870 in Albion, the daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Sidney Bliss, she married Rev. Kendrick in 1896. Subsequently, she resided with him during pastorates in Battle Creek, Ganges, Greenville, Kalamazoo and Ionia and also while he served as superintendent of the Grand Traverse, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo districts. Later, he was superintendent of Clark Home until 1942. In retirement they lived at Holland, where he died in 1945.

Subsequently Mrs. Kendrick resided with her daughter and son-in-law, Mrs. Gladys (Milton) Hinga and the late Mr. Hinga, in Holland.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. And Mrs. Randall C. Bosch, Holland; a granddaughter, Mrs. Max Boersma, Grand Rapids, and a grandson, William Hinga, Pella, Iowa. She was a sister of the late Charles Bliss and Mrs. Susan Barnes, both of Albion.

Services were being held this afternoon at the First United Methodist Church of Holland, with burial in Pilgrim Home Cemetery.

The family was living in Ganges, MI, when Etta's mother died in 1901. The family was living in Traverse City, MI, when Etta's father died in 1916. For much of their married life, however, Etta and Will lived in and around Holland, MI.

During their life together the Kendricks became good friends of the S.S. Kresge family, founders of the S.S. Kresge store chain and K-Mart. Later in life they joined other Methodist couples in purchasing a room at the M.J. Clark Retirement Community, a Methodist-affiliated home in Grand Rapids, MI. Their names are on a plaque at the Home. The intent was to move to the home sometime after Will's retirement from the ministry. But Will had passed away before Etta took up residency.

Nellie loved salt-rising toast. While her grandson Charlie Paige was little and his Grandma Nellie still owned the house on Ganson Street, she continued to let rooms. Charlie recalls vividly, even forty years after, the pungent odor of toasting salt-rising bread whenever he'd enter the house; a smell that was never absent.

Nellie was petite, standing only about five feet tall as compared to her husband Will's six-foot height. Her hobbies included crocheting, knitting, and sewing doll quilts for the little girls of the family.

Nellie was basically religious, a trait inherited from generations of devout Christian predecessors. For some years she attended the Horton Methodist Church, yet Will's dislike of attending church eventually turned her away from going, also, though she always kept the spark of her beliefs burning in her heart.

When Nellie was in the process of moving out of her house near the end of the 1950s, she gave to her grandson, Charlie Paige, a 900-page, oversize book entitled The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young, by Richard Newton, D.D., published at Philadelphia in 1880. The religious book was dedicated "to Christian Parents, Ministers, Teachers, and all who are Striving to Follow the Command of Our Blessed Lord to His Apostle Peter, `Feed my Lambs'...." The book, which was probably given to Nellie by her parents and used as an in-home Sunday School class, contained passages from the Scriptures together with real-life anecdotal dramatizations of their meanings and how they related to the then (1880s) modern world. Along with the written text there were also twenty-one picture prints from steel engravings, twenty wood engravings printed as plates, and dozens more "engravings on wood printed with the text." Also included were newspaper articles Nellie had cut out, apparently feeling they were pertinent in some way. There was also a piece of paper with these words scribbled in palsied handwriting, "Must You Go," and a locket-size miniature of her mother, Helen (Hubbard) Bliss.

Interred at Horton Cemetery, Horton, MI

Will and Nellie were married by Rev. W. F. Kendrick, Nellie's brother-in-law.

They moved to Chicago, where their family lived in a house at 10943 Wabash Avenue.

World War I was in progress when the family liquidated its Chicago assets and relocated to MI in spring, 1918. The family moved to the house on Baldwin Street, in Horton, that Will had inherited from his parents. This house would remain in the family from 1889 through 1970, although for much of that time it was rented out.

An Account Of The Family Of Will And Nellie Barnes Including The Year They Spent On A Farm---

Will's brother Martin had word that there were jobs available in Chicago, and this was enough to entice the brothers to move there. Will returned to MI to marry Nellie Mae Bliss in 1899, and soon afterwards they settled in Chicago. Then Martin returned to MI in 1900 long enough to marry Ella Susan Bliss, Nellie's sister. They, too, made the windy city their home, at least for a while. Will and Nellie's family would live at 10943 Wabash Avenue.

Around 1917, Will and Nellie's eldest son Chuck left the frantic, bustling city life and went west to NE in protest. In 1918, with hopes that their roving son would return, the family moved back to MI - to a vacant family residence on Baldwin Street in Horton. Chuck did return, and in the spring of 1919 the family once more moved, this time to a rented farm just down the road from David June Barnes' farm on Cross Lake near Horton. Will, Nellie and the brood would live on this farm for only a little over a year, but during that short period of time a number of misfortunes would unquiet their lives.

The Year Of The Farm:

The Will and Nellie Barnes family moved to the farm in the spring of 1919. Besides farming the land and raising sorghum, Will worked at Jackson Steel Products in Jackson. He would leave home and take the Sunday night train to Jackson, to return again on the following Saturday night train. During the week he boarded with his brother-in-law and sister's son and his wife, Frank and Charlotte Fales on Bates Street. Will's son Chuck tended the farm while the other kids went to school.

The first unwanted happening was too impatient to wait for the family to settle in. Helen and Chuck spent the night at their uncle June's farm down the road so they could get an early start in helping move the next day. That next day, while carrying a carton of canned fruit, Helen fell down the cellar stairs at the new residence. Chuck found her there and, as a result of the fall, she was blind.

Helenís folks put her to bed for a time until a friend of the family mentioned taking her to a chiropractor in Jackson. Following the advice, Nellie arranged with her husband's brother and sister-in-law, Thomas and Pearl Barnes of Jackson, for her and Helen to stay with them until completion of the chiropractic treatments. Thomas and Pearl lived on E. Main Street (now E. MI Avenue), and the location was within easy access of the city streetcar.

After the second treatment, as they rode the streetcar back to her aunt and uncleís house, Helen noticed she could faintly see. Not wishing to build false hopes, Helen kept this awareness to herself until it either proved permanent or passing. That evening, as the family sat down to dinner, Helen said she wasn't hungry and went into the front room. Suddenly she called, "Mother, I can see!"

Another misadventure occurred when the family was preparing to take the car into Horton one evening. As Nellie bent down to pick something up off the ground, Chuck looked back from his vantage point on the drivers seat and saw all clear behind. He thus backed the car down the driveway. Unfortunately his mother had bent down directly behind the car and was thus run over. Owing to the way those cars were built, she came out of it relatively unharmed.

There were other maladies, such as the time Chuck got kicked by a horse, and another when the entire family came down with a siege of boils so bad that Will couldn't go to work. By the fall of 1920 Will and Nellie had had enough. The family moved back to the house in Horton and remained there for the next three years. In the fall of 1923 they moved to 1114 E. Ganson in Jackson, except for Helen who had just gone to Toledo and then to Buffalo, N.Y. with her new husband, Clyfford Leggett, and Chuck, who had married Esther Harmon two years before.

The preceding account was told to the author by sisters Jennie (Barnes) Paige and Helen (Barnes) Leggett.

During and after the Great Depression, Will and Nellie let fully-furnished rooms upstairs for an additional income. They also occasionally let downstairs. They would convert the dining room into a small apartment by closing the sliding wooden doors that separated the dining room from the living room.

The following article from the Jackson Citizen Patriot newspaper tells of the party held for Will and Nellie to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary:

"Mr. and Mrs. Will Barnes of Jackson were honored on their 40th wedding anniversary with a dinner Wednesday evening at the home of Mr. and Mrs. [C]lyfford Leggett. The grandchildren furnished a musical program, being accompanied by Howard Paige with his accordion. A corsage of gardenias and a boutonniere were presented to Mr. and Mrs. Barnes and later gifts were received. The guests included Rev. and Mrs. Will Kendrick of Grand Rapids; Mrs. Susie Barnes, Albion; Mrs. Lilla Barnes, Hanover; Mr. and Mrs. George Buckman, Hanover; Mr. and Mrs. Howard Paige and family of Saginaw; and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Barnes and family of Jackson."

[The "Lilla Barnes" mentioned in the above article was probably Lillian M. (Snyder), wife of William's brother Fredrick. C.W.P.]