Mom's mother, Mary Ellen Howard O'Bryan, died when Mother was only three years old.  Mom's paternal grandmother, Sarah Ellen Lowder O'Bryan, lived with them until Mother was about six. According to the 1910 Cooper County, MO census, they were living at 510 6th Street in Boonville.  Grandpa Bert/Burt was a blacksmith.  Later he worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad for 15 years. He was a foreman at Lamine, MO in 1918 and transferred to Independence in 1923.

Grandfather Bert/Burt F. O'Bryan eventually married Plula Fizer.  Plula had a brother, Oscar David Fizer who married Rena Ault.   Rena had two sisters, Anna Ault Gowins and Mildred Ault Maness.  Their mother, Mrs. Ault,  practically raised Mom.  Rena, Anna, and Mildred always considered Mom a sister. They were the best of friends all their lives.  Mom had one full brother, Perry Morton "Jim" O'Bryan and three half brothers; Curtis, Earl, and Robert O'Bryan.

I have a lot of information that I am in the process of adding about the Hess and Howard families. Mother's grandmother was a Hess. While in Missouri in the spring of 2001, we found a book about the Hess family. It was compiled by Charles Hall.  According to newspaper clippings, the Hess family had an annual family reunion in California, Missouri for at least 16 years.  It was during these reunions that Mr. Hall gathered a lot of his information.  Each branch of the family would compile their history and then he put it all together with his research.  Our family info was compiled by Cnorah Howard Montgomery of Miami, Oklahoma. She was Mother's "Aunt Norah". I would very much like to find some of her descendants to exchange information with.

linda@lfthompson.com