52 Ancestors: #50 - Helen Trice Thorpe (1894 KS - 1978 MO)

Helen Trice was born in Fort Scott, Bourbon County, Kansas on 22 December 1894. Her parents were Charles Yancy Trice and Luna “Lena” Estelle Drake. Her family moved numerous times, but she lived in Lamar about 1900 and then had moved back before 1930 and lived there the rest of her life.

Helen married Frank Cessford Thorpe on 21 February 1922 in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Aunt Helen and Uncle Frank, as many residents of Lamar called them, had one daughter Ann Warden who was born in 1926 and then died in an auto accident in 1942.

Aunt Helen had a group of young ladies in Lamar called “Sub-Debs.” I don’t know anything about them, but would love to have information about this group.

During World War II Aunt Helen and Uncle Frank wrote a newsletter and sent it to servicemen from Lamar who were serving in various locations in the world. This newsletter, “Thorpe’s Tantalizing Tidbits,” kept all former residents informed about what was going on in Lamar. It also included news that each serviceman wrote to Aunt Helen and Uncle Frank so that information was distributed also. I now have a copy of these letters, and I intend to transcribe them and post them some time in the future. Since Aunt Helen was my grandmother’s sister, I feel that I am the closest relative to this family.

Helen Trice Thorpe died on 18 January 1978 in Lamar and was buried in Lake Cemetery in that town.

If you have interest in or information about Aunt Helen, Sub-Debs or Thorpe’s Tantalizing Tidbits, I would love to have contact with you.

                                                                                                   

I would like to thank Amy Johnson Crow for her 2014 Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Amy has a blog No Story Too Small and posted this challenge in January 2014. I have only mentioned her blog and inspiration a few times during this past year. It's really been interesting to decide which ancestors to write about and keep it up for 52 weeks. Some weeks I was late, and many weeks my writing was very basic. But I would really like to encourage all of you to take the challenge in the future. Thank you again, very much, Amy.