From Barbara Allison [email protected]
This is the obituary of Mary Elizabeth (Birdsong) Hess

Mrs. Ambrose Hess Dies At 85

Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Hess, 82, wife of Ambrose Hess, died at the family home about 3 miles southwest of California, Missouri at 4p.m. Saturday, July 5, 1941.

Her death was unexpected. She had been in falling health the past three or four years and was in bed of a serious illness for several months last fall and winter. In recent months, however, she had been able to be up considerable of the time, spent part of the day Saturday reading the county papers and went to the table for her lunch. She had been suffering of enlargement of the heart for some time. She had gained her “second eyesight” and was able to read well without glasses.

Mrs. Hess was one of the twin daughters of William and Martha Louise (Allee) Birdsong. She and her twin sister, Martha Louise, deceased, were the only children of her parents. The date of her birth was April 10, 1859.

Her mother died soon after the children were born and they were reared by their grandparents.

There was a half-sister, Etta, by a later marriage of Mrs. Hess; father. She married Artie Williams. Her death occurred in recent years. Etta’s mother, Mrs. Hess’ stepmother, was murdered at the old Birdsong farm, now owned by George Hess, and out of this grew one of the most sensational murder trials in the history of Moniteau county in which Ison Vaughan was tried but never convicted.

Mrs. Hess spent her entire married life living within about a mile of the place where she was born. On December 21, 1867 she was married to Mr. Hess. They began housekeeping on the farm where she died, in a log house which stood some distance north of the present Hess home Later they built a log house on the site of the present residence and then replaced it, many years ago, with the large frame house. Mr. Hess, who was 85 years old May 22, was born in Maryland near Johnstown, PA. In 1863 during the height of the Civil War, his family abandoned farm and home located in Ohio, remaining there until1866, coming then to Moniteau county and locating on the present Ambrose Hess farm. Mr. Hess’ father was killed a few years later by air damp in a well in which he was working. Ambrose Hess, at the time of his marriage bought out the other heirs. His mother lived mostly in his home until her death in 1915 when she was 96 years old.

Eleven children were born to Mr. And Mrs. Hess. Three children preceded their mother in death, Johnny who died when six weeks old Charley who died March 22, 1916 and Dollie who died February 13, 1923. The surviving children are Mrs. George McDowell, Mrs. Gottlieb Boehlen and Mrs. Mary Allee, Clarksburg; Arthur Hess, Sedalia; Jack Hess, Kelso, Washington; Mrs. Walter Rohrbach; Mrs. Everett Wilson and George Hess, of California. There are 26 living grandchildren, 24 living great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. The latter is the infant daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Harry Mitchell McDowell of Marshall.

Hrs. Hess had been a member of Mt Pleasant Baptist Church since she was a young woman. She was a generous home loving soul and lived a busy life. In addition to her own children she reared several of the grandchildren and helped rear her half-sister and some nieces and nephews of Mr. Hess’. She was a good neighbor and highly respected in the community.

Funeral services were held at the home at 2 o’clock Monday afternoon, the Rev. Wilson Allee, who is her first cousin, officiated. Burial was in the Allee Cemetery a short distance from her home. .