Fourteenth Generation

841. Blanche Loretta GRIGGS (~) was born on 10 Feb 1909 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^{192,302,391,403,543,544} Tomah Journal Article: "Born to Mr. and Mrs. Sam Griggs, on Feb 10th, a girl."

In her autobiography that Blanche wrote in high school, she notes that, "The house in which I was born in was located in the center of the block, where the Church of God is located now." That would have been in the Village of Tomah.

She and her parents could not be located in the 1910 Census. It is believed that they were living in South Dakota, where her brother Glenn was born in May, 1910.

After Glenn's birth, they lived in Huron for an unknown period, and then they moved back to the Tomah area. They may have lived with Eva's parents for a year or two, because later in her autobiography Blanche mentioned that, "Before I started school, I used to play with Alma Kuehl, who lived near us." Alma was a daughter of Otto and Gusta Kuehl, who owned a farm in Section 28 of Tomah Township, about 3 miles south of Tomah, just west of Highway 131--near the farm of Eva's father, Ira J. Root.

Blanche later mentions that they lived in that home until "We moved to North Tomah and I started school"--which must have been in about 1913. It is believed that her father was renting a farm there, because she talked about helping with threshing and other farm chores. She mentioned that "Worden Shutter lived near us and he used to come over almost every day to play with Glen (her brother, Glenn)." Worden's parents owned a farm in Section 31 in the southwest corner of LaGrange Township. According to her brother LaVerne's birth certificate, they lived in LaGrange Township when he was born in October 1917.

She then mentioned that, "We moved to Tar (actually, Tarr) Valley near Tunnel City where I went to school." That may have been in about early-1918 or so. Tunnel City is in Greenfield Township, about 4 miles northwest of Tomah.

She then mentions that, "The next year we moved to a farm near Wilton. I lived there two years." The farm is believed to have been northeast of the intersection of Highway 131 and County Trunk "A." They probably lived there from about 1919 until just after her mother died in December 1920. According to the 1920 Census, it appears that her father rented a farm from either John O'Leary, James McGarvey or Leopold Von Haden in Section 3 or Section 10 of Wilton Township--about 5 miles south of Tomah.

. She appeared in the census in 1920 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.³⁰²
. She graduated in 1928 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^315,445,523 from Tomah High School.

A detailed search of the 1930 Census failed to locate Blanche or her brothers Glenn and LaVerne, whom she would have been caring for. They were not listed in the census record for their father and step-mother on their farm in Kirby.

They are believed to have been living at the home of their paternal grandparents, Clarence and Carrie Griggs at their home at 1308 Stoughton Avenue in Tomah. But that household was not listed in the census records. The census enumerator included neighboring homes in their block at 1312, 1314, 1316 and 1320, as well as homes across the street at 1301, 1303 and 1305 Stoughton. But, for some unknown reason, she did not include 1308. Census records for all of Monroe County as well as Adams County have been searched, with no listing for Blanche.

Her daughter, Doris Mae (who was one year old at the time), was living with Tom Cassity and his first wife, Blanche Mary Street, in the village of Adams, and was listed as a "Boarder." It is assumed that Blanche Griggs would have been living in the Tomah-Adams area near her infant daughter, but she cannot be located. Doris Mae was born in Adams, so Blanche was apparently living there at the time of her daughter's birth in February 1929.

. About Jul 1928 she was a school teacher in Monroe County, WI.⁵⁴⁵ It is not known how long that she taught school, but it is believed that she taught between graduating from High School in June 1928 and the birth of her daughter, Doris Mae, in February 1929. She died on 11 Apr 1971 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI.¹⁹²

Gary Griggs remembers "Aunt Blanche" as a very friendly, outgoing person who really enjoyed life and had a good time with whatever she did. She particularly liked to get together with her extended family at parties, picnics, weddings, and other occasions. She especially liked children, and would spend hours with them playing cards and board games or putting together picture puzzles.

Obituary Notes: "Blanche Loretta Cassidy was born in Tomah on February 10, 1909 and passed away (some months after suffering a Stroke) at the Three Fountains Nursing Home in Milwaukee on April 11, 1971 at the age of 62 years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Samuel Griggs and Eva (nee Root) Griggs and her husband, Tom. She is survived by one daughter, Mrs. John (Doris) Russ of Anchorage, AK, three grandchildren, two brothers (Glenn and LaVerne Griggs), and nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held from the First Methodist church in Tomah Thursday, Apr. 15. Stanley Wiese officiated and burial was in the Wood Cemetery."

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She was buried on 15 Apr 1971 in Wyeville, Byron Township, Monroe County, WI.^110,192,546 in the Wood Cemetery.

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Blanche Loretta GRIGGS (~) and Thomas "Tom" CASSITY were married in 1940 in Waukon, Allamakee County, IA.^192,398

They did not marry until 1940, but Blanche was apparently living with Tom for several years before that. Gary Griggs has a letter that his father, Vern, wrote to Blanche in September 1936 that was addressed to "Miss Blanche Griggs, % T. Cassidy."

. They were divorced about 1948 in Adams, Adams Township, Adams County, WI.⁵⁴⁷ Thomas "Tom" CASSITY (son of Edward "Ed" CASSITY Sr. and Luceba R. "Sebie" MILLER) was born on 3 Dec 1886 in Valley Junction, Byron Township, Monroe County, WI.^110,192,548 The plat map of Byron County in 1887, just after Tom's birth, listed no Cassity family, so his family must have lived in the village of Valley Junction or they were renting a farm somewhere in Byron Township.

(Note: His second wife, Blanche, and her daughter, Doris Mae, used the spelling "Cassidy." That is the spelling that is on his gravestone.)

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He appeared in the census in 1900 in Grand Rapids Township, Wood County, WI.⁵⁴⁹ He was living with his mother and step-father. He appeared in the census in 1910 in Byron Township, Monroe County, WI.³¹⁴ His household consisted of Tom, his first wife, Blanche Street, and his sister Edith. (His surname was listed as "Cassidy.")

. He appeared in the census in 1920 in Byron Township, Monroe County, WI.³⁰² His household consisted of Tom, his wife, Blanche Street, and their adopted son, George, age 2. They lived next door to the family of Blanche's daughter Grace and her husband Clare Griggs. (His surname was listed as "Cassidy.")

. In Feb 1929 he was a Street Commissioner in Adams, Adams Township, Adams County, WI.⁵⁵⁰ according to information on the birth certificate of Doris Mae, the daughter of his second wife, Blanche Griggs. (Tom was listed as Doris Mae's father on her birth certificate, but he is not believed to have been her birth father.)

. He appeared in the census in 1930 in Adams, Adams Township, Adams County, WI.⁴⁴⁵ His household (on Grove Street, at the intersection with Elm Street) consisted of Tom, occupation "Machinist Helper, Steam Railroad;" his wife, Blanche Mary Street Cassity; Doris Mae Griggs, age 1, (the daughter of Tom's second wife, Blanche Griggs), listed as a "Boarder;" and Robert J. Cassidy, age 20, listed as his nephew. Robert was the son of Tom's sister, Callie.

. About 1946 he was a city public works employee in Adams, Adams Township, Adams County, WI.²⁷ Gary Griggs remembers riding with "Uncle Tom" as he drove city dump trucks and road graders in the Adams area. As a youngster of 5-6, he would bounce around on the truck seat as Tom drove on dirt roads to and from the city dump. In the Spring, Tom would take Gary for rides in the road grader, as he smoothed out the bumps from the Winter frost. Tom always seemed to have beard stubble, was always smoking a pipe, and loved to stop at the tavern after work.

. He died on 14 Oct 1961 in Adams, Adams Township, Adams County, WI.¹⁹²

Obituary Notes: "Funeral services for Thomas Cassity, 74, of Adams, were held Tuesday, October 17 (1961), at 10 A.M. from Roseberry's Funeral Home, Friendship. The Rev. Charles Bryan of Friendship officiated.

Mr. Cassity died in a fire in his home in Adams. He was born December 3, 1886, at Valley Junction. His parents were Ed and Sebie Cassity. He lived in Wyeville for many years, where he was an employee of the North Western Railroad. He moved to Adams when the railroad shifted their headquarters there. He was employed by the railroad for over 30 years. In 1938 he became an employee of the City of Adams, retiring in 1958 after 20 years of dedicated service.

Surviving Mr. Cassity are his former wife, Blanche Cassity, of Milwaukee; his daughter, Doris, Mrs. John Russ, of Anchorage, Alaska; two brothers: Robert of Reedsburg and Edward of Sparta; a sister, Edith, Mrs. Ben Street of Salem, Ore.; three grandchildren, Randy, Gail and Tony; and many nephews, nieces, cousins, and a host of friends. Two sons preceded him in death, also two sisters, Callie and Lizzie, and a brother, James.

Interment was in Wood Cemetery at Wyeville. Pallbearers were Joe Fuller, John Liske, Gene Kennedy, Ed Vonderak, Earl Grinnel, and John Opedson, Sr., all of Adams."

He was buried on 17 Oct 1961 in Wyeville, Byron Township, Monroe County, WI.^110,546 in the Wood Cemetery. Blanche Loretta GRIGGS (~) and Thomas "Tom" CASSITY had the following children:

+1088	i.	Doris Mae CASSIDY.
1089	ii.	(Infant Son) CASSIDY was born in 1935.27,110 It is not known for sure who was the birth mother of this infant son. Tom divorced his first wife, Blanche Street, in 1934 and did not marry Blanche Griggs until 1940. If the boy's mother was Blanche Street, she would have been 48 years old when she gave birth. The boy's gravestone says "Infant Son of T. &. B. Cassidy." The surname spelling with a "d" would indicate that his mother may have been Blanche Griggs, because she used the spelling of "Cassidy," whereas Blanche Street used "Cassity." . He died in 1935.110 He was buried in 1935 in Wyeville, Byron Township, Monroe County, WI.110,546 in the Wood Cemetery.