This Day in my Family History: In Search of Mary Mulry Bland

I'm finally back at the blog challenge- "this day in my family history." Anybody else at it, too? Comment with a link to your blog.

On this day 103 years ago, January 25, 1913, my great-great aunt, Mary Elizabeth Mulry, was born. She was born in Indianapolis to Lawrence and Nellie Hitchcock Mulry. She grew up with three brothers, Larry, John, and James.

Mary's 61st birthday - 1974

Mary married three times, first to a Leroy Heinrichs in 1929. She had two children with her second husband, Thomas West, - Robert "Bobby", and Marilyn. Tragically, Marilyn was killed in an accident while riding her bike when she was only 12 years old. Mary married a third time to Ralph Bland, and they had five sons - Ralph, Larry, Johnny, Kenny, and Gilbert. She lived in Beech Grove for much of her life, and passed away in 1985. She is buried at Washington Park East Cemetery in Indianapolis.

John, Mary, Larry, & Jim
Mulry siblings at Mulry family reunion 1974

For the past five years now, I have been researching and writing a book about the Mulry family of Indianapolis. I have been able to collect a plethora of information- genealogical details, stories, memories, photographs, and more- about the families of Mary's brothers, Larry, John, and James. (I am descended from James.) I have not had such luck with Mary's family. Despite the potential for many descendants with six sons, I have not been able to locate Bland or West relatives and therefore I know next to nothing about her side. There have been some memories of Mary and her family shared with me by relatives on her brothers' sides, but none of them have any idea of the whereabouts of her family nowadays. If on the off chance that you are related to Mary and you happen upon this blog, I would absolutely love to hear from you. I have been wanting to publish the Mulry Family History for some time now, but there's one thing holding me back and it's this gaping hole in the book that is the Bland family. I would love to complete the family history book, but it may just not be possible. I may just need to bite the bullet and publish it as is, but something is holding me back. If any of you are out there...help?

 

Mary Elizabeth Mulry Bland

  1913-1985