IAHARRIS-L Archives

From:
Subject: Searching for Rosamond "Rose" Alberta KIER BOLTER
Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2002 15:14:38 EST

Reseacher: Shirley Helen Bolter-Baker
Email:

If any one can help Shirley plese email her.

Shirley wrote:

My name is Shirley Helen Bolter-Baker.  I was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa
back in 1930.  I have lived in Long Beach, Ca now since 1961.

I have been "Desparately" trying to find my Mother who was supposed to have
passed away sometime back between the 14th of August of 1972 and the 29th of
September of 1975.  Her name was Rosamond (Rose) Alberta Kier-Bolter.  Her
maiden name was KIER, and she was born on 6/16/1905 in St. Joseph, Missouri.
My Parents were married in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1922.

I have learned that Harrison County is very close to Pottawattamie County,
which is the County of Council Bluffs, Iowa and I believe your County is
quite close to my Birth County.

I got on your Harrison County Cemeteries Website tonight, looking at all the
listings of your Cemeteries in Harrison County.  This is where I found your
name and email address, hoping that you might be able to give me some
suggestions on how to go about trying to find my Mother's "Resting Place",
who I have been looking for all of my life.

I lost my Mother back in 1939, when I was not quite 9 years old.  At that
time, my Parents "Separated" because my Father was an Chronic Alcoholic and
he was sent away to the Sanitarium in Clarinda, Iowa for rehabilitation,
because there was no such thing as "Alcholic Anonymous" in those days.

My Father's name was Edward Harold Bolter, I have his Burial records, he is
buried at Rosecrans National Cemetery, closeby here to me in Point Loma, San
Diego, Ca. and I have his Soc Security Records from 1921 - 1953, with some
years missing.  He was in WW1 and I have all those records, too.

Because my Mother was unable to finacially take of my 7 Siblings and I, they
took us away and placed us in the Grandview Farm County Home (it was located
where the new Abraham Lincoln High School was built sometime before 1985)
there in the Bluffs and in various Foster Homes.  We were classified as
"neglected dependents" by the Court in Council Bluffs.

I have all the Court Records of what happened to all of us back then.

I last saw my Mother back in 1942, when I was 12 years old, when she came to
see me.  She was allowed to visit for a short time and then she left, I never
even knew who she was at that time.

A younger Brother and I went to live with some Foster Parents, (him to one
home and me to another), but we both went to the same School.  Our Mother
would come to School to visit us at Recess and walk us part way home to our
separate Foster Homes after School.

When my Brother's Foster Mother found this out, she went to Court and
petitioned the Court that if my Mother was to ever come anywhere near us
again, she would have my Mother "Arrested".  We never saw our Mother again in
our entire lives.

I have been "Desparately" trying to find my Mother all of these years.  My
Father never tried to contact me until 16 years later.  It was by a Post Card
telling me that he had something important to tell me.  This was in December
of 1954.

I was informed of this by this Brother above -- (he was stationed in the US
Marine Corps in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, (where we finally found each
other) -- where my Husband and I were stationed there, also.

My Brother had heard from a Sister of ours who lived in California at that
time, that our Father died the "very next month of January of 1955 in Los
Angeles, Ca. 

Therefore, it wasn't until 1985 that I got a letter from an Aunt by marriage,
who was helping me with some information on my Mother, that she sent me an
Obituary on my Mother's Mother (my Grandmother) that my Grandmother had died
in December of 1954, and my Mother was "with my Father in that very month".

Even though my Parents were "Separated" all of those years, they alway knew
where the other one was, and at one time, actually stayed in the same place
together.

In 1985, after my 4 Children were all grown up, I started to seriously write
letters to any and every place that I could think of trying to find my
Mother.

On my Grandmother's Obituary, whoever the "Submitter" was, they had "Wrongly
Mis-spelled" my Mother's last name of "BOLTER" with the spelling as
"BOULTER", which was "WRONG".   This became a problem in order to find her.

Then on the 14th of August in 1972, my Uncle Clyde (my Mother's 2nd Brother),
died in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  My Mother was listed on his Obituary, but her
whereabouts was "NOT" given --- and "AGAIN", whoever the Submitter was, they
had "Wrongly Mis-spelled" her last name of "BOLTER" --- this time as
"BOULDER", which was "Wrongly spelled again".

Not only this -- Guess what, my Mother was "Still Alive and Still Married" to
my Father, even though he had died back in January of 1955.

Then on the 29th of September of 1975, my 2nd Brother who was born and lived
in Council Bluffs all of his life, died in Omaha, Nebraska and I was able to
get his Medical Records.

In them, it read:  Family History -- Mother died of "Unknown Causes". 
Nothing was mentioned as to what Day, Month, Year or in what City or State
that she had passed away in.  They also had the "Wrong Cause" of my Father's
Death.

Again, there was "No Name of who the Submitter was of this information".  My
Mother would have been between 67 and 70 years of age between this 3 year and
1 month period of her life.

I have had 3 Researchers help me to find her with absolutely "no luck",
hitting Brick Walls over and over again.  They think that she might have
re-married again sometime between these 3 yrs and 1 month, -- since we can't
find her under her correct name of "Bolter", nor her maiden name of Kier, nor
these "wrong spellings of Boulter and Boulder.

Thinking that she might have stayed near Council Bluffs or Omaha, I wrote to
the Vital Statistics Office in both Des Moines, Iowa and Lincoln, Nebr. for a
Death Certificate in all of these names and period of years.  I had "No Luck"
in going in this route looking for her.

Vicky, would you know of any other way for me to go in order to find her
"Resting Place" and getting a Death Certificate for her???

I have been "very depressed" for many years now about not knowing where she
has been "laid to rest" and I need some "Peace of mind and closure" in my
life of knowing whatever happened to her.  It is my lifetime goal, to find
out whatever happened to her.

Social Security claims that she didn't have a Soc Sec Number on her. 
Supposedly she didn't file for one on my Father's Soc Sec Benefits, but I
don't know for sure.

She did work as a Cook or Waitress for a Blackie's Cafe back in late 1941 or
early 1942 in Anderson, Indiana, but it was "torn down" years ago I hear, so
I don't know how to go that route to find anything on her.

I just found a Cousin of mine over the Internet (I have a 455 Page Genealogy
Book from 1785 through 1978 on my Mother's Ancestry and I have found many of
her Ancestors over the Websites that I belong on) and this Cousin -- (I was
surprised to learn) also lives in Council Bluffs.

She has done some Research for me and she found out that my Mother had worked
for a Doctor of Dentistry in the Bluffs as a Cook or a Housekeeper (actually
living in his Home, because Poor People had to survive that way years ago
because of having no money to have a Home of their own). 

My Cousin couldn't find anything on her from 1942 through 2000 in the City of
Council Bluffs.  She checked the Phone Directory and Court Records, I guess.

I was back in the Bluffs this past September the 10th.  I checked with the
Court House for some Death Records on some of my Aunts and Uncles.  I bought
about 5 or 6 of them and NONE of them were "CORRECTLY" made out with the
proper names as they should have been.

I suppose that I could send (and spend $29.00) for a Social Security Card
Application for my Mother, to see if she ever applied for a Soc Sec Number, 
but I may have a hard time getting one on her because of the "Wrong Spelling
twice of her last name", -- then again she might have a "re-married" name and
I have no idea of what that name would be.

"Please", if you can think or know of any other way that I can go to help me
find my Mother's whereabouts, I would "greatly appreciate" any ideas that you
might have.

Thank you kindly in advance, take care and God bless, Shirley

This thread:

• Searching for Rosamond "Rose" Alberta KIER BOLTER by