Myrtle

Myrtle I. HILLIS was born about 1905, in Texas, possibly Bowie County, Texas.... altho we are not real sure of her birth date, and place of birth... or even of her full name!  I wonder if her middle name could be Irene? Her oldest brother named a daughter Irene...

Myrtle married Clarence G. GANDY about 1919, place unknown yet.

They had one daughter, Bernice.

Myrtle is a mystery! Apparently, she left when Bernice was about 2 years old... about 1922, and Bernice was raised by her GANDY grandparents. This is the story that I've always heard. Another story was that she "went north, remarried [who?!], and did not want her new husband to know about her family...

If I remember correctly, the 1930 census, Clarence claimed to be "widowed"... but I have yet to find a death record. She probably is deceased by now, but we have no information...

I did find a marriage record in Wichita Falls, Texas between a Mrs. Myrtle GANDY and another man, about 1923... which is an area that some of the GANDYs were in... but do not know if the record pertains to her, or another "Myrtle GANDY"...

Bernice had always hoped to find her mother, but was not successful before she died.

She once told me a story, that when she was a very young little girl, before she left for school one morning, a strange lady showed up at the house, bringing her a doll. They made her go on to school without telling her who this lady was, and when she got home, both the lady and the doll was gone... and they never spoke of it again. In later years, she always wondered if that lady was her mother?!

Myrtle's Aunt was Mary Ella HILLIS, who married Richard Ross GANDY [not sure how he was kin to Clarence...]. Bernice told me that when Aunt Ella was in the hospital, she wanted to tell Bernice something, but passed away before she was able to....?! Bernice was heartbroken, because she was under the impression that it was about her mother, Ella's sister...Myrtle