Hey, do you remember the house across the street from Venice High School?
Quote:
Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire
The caption reads "Dolce Casa: Home of Mr. and Mrs. John F. Humphreys near Venice, California October 1, 1916"
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A group of Union Army Civil War nurses visited "Dolce Casa" in October 1918. Among them was Margaret Cook Meseroll Hayes,
who was born in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada on December 11, 1833. Her first husband (Meseroll) died in 1858; she
remarried in 1866 (Hayes) but was widowed again in 1879. Her son with Mr. Hayes had died in 1875, just short of age four.
October 13, 1918,
Los Angeles Evening Express @ Newspapers.com
Mrs. Hayes (seated), who was a nurse in Memphis, Tennessee, is shown here c. 1900 with another former Union Army nurse:
00115905 @
LA Public Library
In 1905 Mrs. Hayes survived a streetcar accident that killed former LA City Councilman James Blanchard and injured about 20.
The
Herald said Mrs. Hayes' arm and head were cut, while the
Times said she had a broken arm; apparently the impact of the
crash threw her through the open door of the streetcar she was riding:
December 5, 1905,
Los Angeles Times @ Newspapers.com
Here is a depiction of the accident (Burlington no longer crosses Washington). Mrs. Hayes was in the Washington Street car,
and Blanchard was crushed by the Burlington Avenue car he was in:
December 2, 1905,
Los Angeles Times @ Newspapers.com
A photo of the accident scene; the building in the background might be on the NW corner of Burlington and Washington in this
February 2023 GSV:
December 2, 1905,
Los Angeles Times @ Newspapers.com
On December 11, 1929, Mrs. Hayes was filmed celebrating her 96th birthday by helping to plant a tree, perhaps at the VA in Los Angeles.
She really put her foot into it!
University of South Carolina
Mrs. Hayes' two daughters died in 1922 and 1931. On May 30, 1934, the LA Coliseum hosted a Memorial Day ceremony that
featured school children giving medals to Civil War veterans:
May 30, 1934,
Los Angeles Evening Post-Record @ Newspapers.com
And there's Margaret Hayes getting her medal. She looks a little tired . . .
. . . but she's still smiling!
University of South Carolina
Margaret Hayes died less than two months later, on July 18, 1934:
July 20, 1934,
Los Angeles Times @ ProQuest via LA Public Library