I can’t tell you how happy I was to find the informationyo u have put together on the Van Grundy family. I inherited a boxfull o f beautiful old photographs and news clippings that start withthe Rich ard Vannier – Ada Van Grundy union. My family was closefriends with t heir eldest child, Ida Vannier Burrus, and herdaughters, Aileen Burrus H olcomb and Ruth Burrus.
So the story goes, my mother, while my father was fightingi n WWII, lived in an Indianapolis apartment building where the 3Burrus w omen also resided. While my mother worked, Ida and,whichever daughter w asn’t at work at the time, babysat for my twoelder brothers, born in ’ 39 & ’42.
From that point on, the families’ friendship grew. I remember*their b eing present at many family Christmases because they alwaysbrought bea utifully and intricately decorated figurine cookies (manyof which, in c ellophane, decorated our family tree for years) plusthey later had a c ottage in Brown County where we, and 2ndgenerations of “we”, celebrate d many a beautiful but rusticThanksgiving together.
Which brings me to one correction that needs to be made toy our records…since I was born in 1947 and remember Ida Burrusvividly; I a m sure she did not die in 1934. Although I am sorry toreport that I d o not know the exact year of her death, I am guessingit was in the ear ly 1950’ and I will see if I can pin the yeardown. Of course, you als o now know that Ruth was also a daughter.
With Aleen’s divorce and Ruth never marrying, there wereno o ffspring to carry on the Ida Vannier Burrus line. Aleen diedfirst and w hen Ruth became ill, my mother had her move in so that shecould care f or her. With the passing of my mother, Beatrice J.Lingeman, in April o f 2000, this box of memorabilia came home withme. I just could not thr ow these items away and made several phonecalls throughout the US to t ry to find a relative to pass them on to.I would be more than happy t o mail these things to you if you wouldlike to have them.
Just let me know,
Andrea Linsmeyer
In 1930 Ida was a 44 year old widow and head of the house in Peoria,IL . Living with her were Ruth, 24, and Allene, 23. Ida was apractical n urse in a private home, Ruth was a clerk in a departmentstore, and Ale en's occupation was unit control in an office.
Indianapolis, Marion Co, IN. The exact date and reason for moving isu nknown but according to the above letter they lived there.
