Laura Bohls (née Hosfeld) was born this day, the thirty-first of July, in nineteen-eleven. The census of 1920 lists her as eight-year old Laura C., for Catherine, I believe, one of two children, her younger brother Alfred being the other, of Alfred H. and Catherine Hosfeld. Looks like they lived at 1454 Ontario Street in Toledo OH.

I can’t find any record of such an address in the Lucas County Auditor’s Real Estate Information System. There’s a 1452 next door to a 1456 North Ontario Street, but the records say they were both built in the early 1890s. Where was 1454 then? Where is it now?

I know the house pictured above, a house she helped to build in 1936. That’s the only house I knew for my Grandma and Grandpa. That’s the house where we watched the Moon landing in 1969.

The census records say that Alfred Sr. was born in Ohio, whereas Catherine was born in Illinois. Says Alfred’s father and mother were both born in Germany and spoke German. Catherine’s father was born in England but spoke French, and her mother was born in Ireland and spoke English.

Isn’t it amazing what you can just go find on the Internets these days?

Grandma had ten children. Lordy, that’s a lot of kids. My father was her second born, after first-born Virgil Jr.

She passed away on April 16, 1999. She would have been ninety-five today.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!