WILLIAM HENRY BAILEY FAMILY HISTORY
Because
the family settled in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, I imagine that is
where William may have been inspired by the lumber industry. Chippewa
Falls and Eau Claire were prominent lumbering communities as evidenced
by the fact that Mr. Weyerhaeuser used this area as a stepping
stone before moving on to the state of Minnesota. Before the lumber
industry wreaked havoc on Minnesota timberlands, the White Pine
was king. The trees rose to incredible heights and you could hardly
stretch your arms as wide as a tree and certainly not around it.
Bill is described as being tall, handsome, determined and especially kind. He had a glass eye due to an unfortunate accident that occurred when he was in a high school play. One scene called for Bill to be shot with a pistol that had been loaded with blanks. Whomever loaded the gun apparently overdid it and when Bill was shot he lost his eye. Bill's generosity and sympathy for the plight of the European immigrants endeared him to those who had the privilege of his acquaintance. This will become apparent as we proceed through his history. Bill suffered from senility in his elderly years and was committed to the Moose Lake Sanitorium where he died.
Bill had married a woman named Lillian after his wife's death. Lillian had 4 daughters. Her grandson, Fred, was raised by Bill and Lillian and as a result he took the Bailey name in honor of Bill. I met him in Duluth many years ago and he was a nice gentleman with fond memories.
Bill met his first wife, Mary E. Harmison "Mae" in High School. She was a school teacher in Eau Claire and Bill was a grocery clerk. They married on February 18, 1896 in a Presbyterian ceremony in Eau Claire. Both were twenty-five years old. Mary was the daughter of Calvin P. Harmison. They are buried next to each other in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. They had four children:
Mildred Agnes Bailey was born March 26, 1897 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and died in June of 1967 in San Francisco, CA. She was exceptionally beautiful and headstrong. She married John Malaney despite the objections of her family. This caused a tremendous rift in the family and communication was limited. She and her husband lived in San Francisco, California. She had one daughter, Virginia Malaney who became a nun. According to the Social Security Death Index there is a Virginia Malaney who was born August 16, 1923 and died in June 1972. Her application for Social Security was made in Massachusetts. I understand the Malaneys were from the East Coast.
Florence Egan Bailey was born
August 18, 1899 in Eau Claire,
Wisconsin. She was a slight,
very pretty girl
who was soft-spoken. She married Guy Martin who worked at the
pumping station for the Duluth, Mesabi and Iron Range Railroad.
They had one son, William.
Vivian Frances Bailey (picture on right) was born January 8, 1902 in Duluth and died August 27, 1992 in Henning, Ottertail County, Minnesota at the age of 90. She was a lively and intelligent young lady and enjoyed reading and memorizing poetry. She could still recite much of what she memorized as a young girl. Her favorite poet was Longfellow. She had a terrific sense of humor right up until her death. She married Charles E. Olin in the Methodist Church in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, on May 14, 1918. They lived in Duluth, Superior Wisconsin and eventually Minneapolis, Minnesota. They had ten children. Vivian and Charles divorced and she married again on July 25, 1962 in Minneapolis to John Nicholas Eiden who was born October 31, 1889 in Oregon and died in 1973 in Aitkin County, MN. Vivian was in the Order of the Eastern Star and John was a Mason too. They are buried next to each other in Aitkin.
James Hill Bailey was born June 6, 1906 in Duluth, Minnesota and married a woman named Justine. They lived in Milwaukee where he ran a boarding and rooming house. Jim was a good man with many of his father's personality traits. He was his own man and firm in his convictions. He and Justine had two daughters. Jim died in March of 1955 in his early forties of a heart attack.
For more information on Bill and Mary click on their box
below.
