A. Dorsey Bouque Moves to Indiana

A. Dorsey Bouque

JACOB SMITH > WILLIAM CUSTER SMITH > ELLA MAE SMITH CUNNINGHAM > EFFIE
CUNNINGHAM BOUQUE  m Lester Irwin Bouque > A DORSEY BOUQUE

My 2nd greatgrandfather, William Custer Smith and his wife Mary Ann Munson's daughter Ella Mae Smith moved to Moberly, Missouri after her 1885 marriage to Howard Cunningham sometime after 1893. Howard worked on the Wabash railroad, as many men who lived in Moberly did. Their daughter Effie Mae married Lester Irwin (L. I.) Bouque, son of  Charles Bouque and Alice Smith (no relation). L. I. Bouque also worked for the Wabash railroad. Ella's daughter, Effie and L. I. had seven children. They had a set of twins Harry (1907-1908) and Harold (1907-1924). Lester, A. Dorsey, Carl, and Francis "Frank" survived childhood, along with sister Gertrude. A. Dorsey, whose name was Arthur Dorsey Bouque, was born 03 Jan 1909 in Moberly, Randolph County, Missouri.

Though Howard and Ella Mae created a life in Moberly, none of their children would stay there. Lester would spend most of his adult life living in Europe and would die in Kansas City, Frank and Dorsey moved to Indiana, Carl to Kansas City, and Getrude to NYC and then to New Jersey.

Dorsey's childhood seemed to be filled with all the things kids love including being a member of Troop 12 of the Boy Scouts in Moberly. He graduated from Moberly High School in 1927 and was able to return to his 20th reunion in 1947. Like many young men, he worked for the railroad, but briefly, serving as a ditcher's helper. Sometime prior to 1930, he moved on from Moberly and went to Gary, Indiana to find work. He married Mary Frances Hord on 03 Nov 1930 in Indiana, and had a son Charles on 04 Feb 1934 in Gary.

The couple divorced  Frances worked as a clerk for Kresge after her divorce and died in a hospital after residing in a nursing home in Valparaiso, IN on 15 Mar 1986. Cause of death was a sepsis due to a bowel perforation and a broken  hip.

Dorsey married Donelda Ferne Bowron on 21 Apr 1946.She hailed from Canada and her family had emigrated to the US prior to 1930.

D. Ferne and A. Dorsey had four more children that I could locate. Dorsey worked as a laborer in manufacturing  and later in building construction during his time in Gary. They lived 536 Monroe St in Gary and later at 401 Tyler St. Word was received by L. I. Bouque that his son had died of pneumonia related to Fridelander's bacillus (now called  Klebsiella pneumoniae) in Gary's Methodist Hospital after a five-day illness on 06 May 1959.

Sadly, just two months later, A. Dorsey's son, Harold Wayne, born 09 Aug 1948 in Gary, would die on 03 Jul 1959 at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago a week before his 11th birthday, and would also died of pneumonia.

Wife, D. Ferne died 26 Jul 1979 in Crown Point in Lake County.