In 1918 and 1919 thirty-seven young women, friends and neighbors of my grandmother Fannie Mae Turner were members of the Edelweiss Club in Montgomery, Alabama. These are snapshots from their lives, place and times.
Bertha Lovelace was born in 1890, the third and youngest living child of Henry Allen and Lucy (Arrington) Loveless. There were eight children born. Five died of convulsions, measles, pertussis, bronchitis, croup and hepatic obstruction before they reached their fourth birthday. After his first wife died, Henry Allen married again. He lost his second wife and 9th child in 1915. His third wife survived him.
In 1908 Bertha took the teachers exam along with my grandmother Fannie. They both passed but neither taught. They both worked in their family business. For Bertha that was the Loveless Undertaking Company. In 1911 the Loveless family incorporated the H. A. Undertaking Company. They went on to become one of the biggest undertaking companies in the Montgomery African American community. I found Henry Allen Loveless very interesting and I am sharing a bit more about him below.
by Clement Richardson (Click to enlarge)
March 7 – Bertha Loveless Entertains
Miss Bertha Loveless entertained the Edelweiss Club at her home, March 7th. All the regular club members were present, besides several invited guests. A delicious luncheon was served and all present expressed themselves as having spent a very pleasant evening.
As her father seems to have hijacked this post there will be more about Bertha Loveless and the Harmony Quartette tomorrow.
Very interesting post about the Loveless family and their successful family business. I see that Henry was a trustee of the Swayne school and active in a number of fraternal groups. He reminds me of my Dad’s uncles, who were also fraternally active.
My husband’s father was. Mine wasn’t.
Loveless ia an unusual surname.
So sad to read about all those deaths in the family.
Yes it is. On Find a Grave they gave the age and cause of death for each child, but I could find no names. It must have cast a cloud of fear for the remaining children’s survival.
Imagine an undertaking business named Loveless!
You know? I’m always fascinated with the old newspapers being so involved with their citizens’ life, like what clubs existed and what they did. It sounds strange and still fascinating.
It made people buy papers. There weren’t all the instant wireless ways of communicating. And what a boone for me!
So many babies and small children died of childhood illnesses! Thank goodness for vaccines!
And antibiotics.