BlairAndCernyFamilie..

Only a brief and short synopsis can be written about our grandnrcthere
Frances Blackburn Blair. Infonnation from old relords
show she was born ln Logan county in 186Z and was 17 years old
when she and our grandfather were married. None of hlr grandchildren
really ever knen her.
Grandnother Blar'r suffered fronr asthma for many years. she and
her daughtersl-either Hayme or Kathryn made mairy-trips to Denver,
colorado as well as to the Hunter llineral sprinls in'Kramer,
lndiana nfiere she took Hfneral mrd baths and sait water batirs for
her health as well as for pleasure. she also went to Arizona
many times because of the dry climate.
rn the year ltl0, grandfather and grandnother Blair were not
affluent or well-to-do people but a great amount of money was
spent on these trips. Patrick Blalr atways renained at homel
he never took tr.ips or vacatfons.
0n June lJ, 1905 their youngest daughter, Ella graduated frorn the
ursuline convent in sprlngfield. For a short time she rrcrked in
Chicago at Handel Brothcrs department store which today is Wieboldtrs
store. she becane ill on a wednesday and had surgery on a Thursday
for r'elief frorn appendicitis and died at 10:45 Saluriay evening,
June ll, l9l0 at st, Johnrr tlospital. The family maintained that the
doctor, Dr. Prince was inebriated at the time of the surgery and she
bled to death. She was only 22 years old.
Ella Blair was a glrl with a most lovable dispositfon and her father
rtrhen speaklng of her safd: ItI never made a special favorite out of
any ofnry childrene but Ella was so jovial and full of fun that I
could not help naking her nr| pet.rl
The funeral was held at 8:J0 ln the morning frorn the residence and
at 9 olclock from st. Agnes catholic church. Rev. Father Howard,
pastor of the church and the Rev. Father Daw, pastor of the catholic
church at rlliopolis officiated. A special car on the Illinois
Traction system conveyed the renrains and relatives and friends to
Illiopolis wtrere burlal was made in Calvary cenetery.
Grandnother Blair was not a physically strong person but wlth
astlrna, a chronic disease she always had difficulty r'n breathing
and a feeling of suffocation.
She had three brothers, llatthew J, Richard H and William J.
She
had four sisterse ltargaret Day, llary btitt, Catherine and Ella.
she died April l, 1920 at her residence in Springfield at the age
of 58 years. At the time of her death there was a violent snow
storm with a strong wind and extreirely cold. she died on Thursday
and the next Sunday was Easter sunday. The fanily knew that the