Pyrography became popular in the late 1800s and kits were available. This box was likely made from a kit.
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| https://www.etsy.com/listing/194528789/vintage-1907-pyrography-kit |
In my day we called it "wood burning" and oddly our moms did not think we'd mutilate the cat or burn the house down!
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| https://www.etsy.com/listing/179667833/vintage-wood-burning-kit-with-wonder-pen?ref=market |
To learn more about this past pastime see:
https://blog.etsy.com/en/2013/history-pyrography/
http://carverscompanion.com/Ezine/Vol2Issue1/Menendez/Antiquep1.html
http://pyromuse.org/flemish_art_factory.html
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Penciled on the back was "Lucy Bloss, Crystal Michigan."
The 1900 Crystal, Montcalm, MI census shows Lucy, age 5, living with her father Day B(Melvin) loss (35, born in October 1864) and mother Lana (35, born in Sept. 1864) and siblings Frederic (7), Silvia (5), and Dewey (1). Their neighbors included the Charles and Elphins Bloss family and the John and Mary Bloss family.
The 1910 Census for Evergreen Township in Montcalm, MI shows Lucy (14) living with parents David (45) and Luella (31) Bloss and her siblings Fred (17), Sylvia(15), Dewy(11),and Nellie(1), and her step sister Clara D(12) and step brother Roy E. (10) Briggs.David was a farmer, born in Ohio.
The 1920 Evergreen, Montcalm census shows Day M. and Lewella, Nellie (16), Alva (9), Earl D. (4) and Marge (0).
Lucy and Clyde Dayton Hafer were married and living in Carson City when Clyde filled out his draft card . He was 48 years old, born in St. Joseph, MI, and worked for Hummell Hager Oil Co. in Carson City, Montcalm, MI.
The 1920 Iona Co., Ronald Twsp., Michigan census shows Lucy, Clyde working as a farmer on leased land, and their daughter Lena.
The 1930 Bloomer, Montcalm census shows Clyde was manager of a Texaco filling station. He and Lucy had children Lena (10), Richard D.(4), and Doris L. (1).
The 1940 census shows Lucy in Carson City, Montcalm, MI at age 44 living with her husband Clyde D, Hafer (46) and children Richard (14) and Doras (11). Lucy had completed the second year of high school.was a wholesaler with an 8th grade education.
Her step sister was Clara D Briggs, two years younger than Lucy.
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| Lucy Bloss and Clara Belle Briggs |
Clyde and Lucy are buried in the Carson City Cemetery.
Family trees trace Lucy's ancestors back many generations to Richard Bloss born in 1623 in Ipwich, Suffolk, England and died in Watertown, Middlesex, MA in 1665. Richard's father was Edmund Blosee, born 1587 in Ipwich and died April 5, 1681 in Watertown MA. A Bloss genealogy shows that in 1634 a Blosse/Bloyce arrived on the ship Francis. A 1663 "Worthies of England" shows a Thomas Blosse as sheriff during the reign of Charles I.
Clyde also has a family tree on ancestry.com going back to 1824.
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Of course the reason I bought the box was Sunbonnet Sue! The top shows a girl pushing another on a swing. The sides show a girl walking towards two other bonnet babies.
Well, golly, my little box has a history. I wish I knew what treasure Lucy kept in her box and how it came to a Royal Oak flea market.
