Personal Details

Born	December 29th, 1843
Birthplace	county of Kent, Michigan, USA
Baptized	No Entry
Baptized at...	No Entry
Baptized by...	No Entry
Baptized in...	No Entry
Occupation(s)	Millener, teacher
Died	April 30th, 1899, aged about 56 years
Died at...	Niles, Michigan, USA
Cause of Death	No Entry
Burial Place	Niles, Michigan, USA
Disposition	No Entry

Parents

Father	[946_saf]	Elijah Godfrey 7
Mother	[946_sam]	Nancy (Willet) Godfrey 7

Spouses, Mates & Children

Husband #1 [946] - William Gilbert Blish 8 Married by: No Entry Married at: Dowagiac, MI, USA Children by this spouse: No Records of Children

Immediate Family Tree

Gen. 8	Gen. 7	Gen. 6	Gen. 5	Gen. 4
Mary E. (Goddfrey) Blish	Elijah Godfrey	No Entry	No Entry	No Entry
				No Entry
			No Entry	No Entry
				No Entry
		No Entry	No Entry	No Entry
				No Entry
			No Entry	No Entry
				No Entry
	Nancy (Willet) Godfrey	? Willet	No Entry	No Entry
				No Entry
			No Entry	No Entry
				No Entry
		? (?) Willet	No Entry	No Entry
				No Entry
			No Entry	No Entry
				No Entry

Personalized History Timeline, 1843 to 1899

1829-1851: 2nd Cholera pandemic from before birth until age 8 1830-1860: Underground railroad leads 100,000+ slaves to freedom in US from before birth until age 17 1837-1901: Reign of Queen Victoria (Hanover) from before birth until after line end 1841-1844: John Tyler president of US from before birth until age 1 1844: 1st telegraph line message, Washington to New York at age 1 1845-1849: Irish Potato Famine from age 2 to age 6 1845: Florida enters the union - 27th at age 2 1845-1848: James K Polk president of US from age 2 to age 5 1845: Texas enters the union - 28th at age 2 1846-1848: The Mexican-US War from age 3 to age 5 1846: Iowa enters the union - 29th at age 3 1848-1856: 1st gold rush in California -- Sutters Mill from age 5 to age 13 1848: Wisconsin enters the union - 30th at age 5 1848: Oregon organized as a territory at age 5 1848: NY allows women to own real estate at age 5 1849-1852: Zachary Taylor president of the US from age 6 to age 9 1849: Fizeau measures speed of light at age 6 1850: New Mexico organized as a territory at age 7 1850: California enters the union - 31st at age 7 1850: World pop. est. at 1.1 billion at age 7 1850: US pop reaches 23 million at age 7 1850: Utah (included Nevada) organized as a territory at age 7 1851: Gold rush in Australia at age 8 1852-1859: 3rd Cholera pandemic from age 9 to age 16 1853: Washington (included pt. of Idaho) organized as a territory at age 10 1853-1856: Franklin Pierce president of US from age 10 to age 13 1854: Nebraska organized as a territory at age 11 1854-1856: Crimean War from age 11 to age 13 1854: Kansas organized as a territory at age 11 1857: Dred Scott decision: Blacks could not be US citizens at age 14 1857-1860: James Buchanan president of US from age 14 to age 17 1857-1866: Transatlantic cable laid from age 14 to age 23 1858: Minnesota enters the union - 32nd at age 15 1858: India bill transfers government of India to England at age 15 1859: Darwin pub. Origin Of Species at age 16 1859: Oregon enters the union - 33rd at age 16 1859: Oil Well at age 16 1860: South Carolina Secedes from the Union at age 17 1860: Rifled barrel invented at age 17 1861-1865: Abraham Lincoln president of US from age 18 to age 22 1861: Kansas enters the union - 34th at age 18 1861: Nevada organized as a territory at age 18 1861: South Dakota organized as a territory at age 18 1861-1865: Civil War from age 18 to age 22 1861: Colorado organized as a territory at age 18 1861: North Dakota organized as a territory at age 18 1861: Transcontinental Telegraph completed at age 18 1861: The Apache Declare War on the US at age 18 1861-1865: Confederate States of America Exist from age 18 to age 22 1861: Gold rush in New Zealand at age 18 1862: US Homestead act at age 19 1863: Arizona organized as a territory at age 20 1863: Idaho organized as a territory at age 20 1863: Emancipation Proclamation frees southern slaves at age 20 1863: Battle of Gettysburg at age 20 1863-1879: 4th Cholera pandemic from age 20 to age 36 1863: West Virginia enters the union - 35th at age 20 1864: Louisiana organized as a territory at age 21 1864: Nevada enters the union - 36th at age 21 1865: President Lincoln assassinated at age 22 1865: Ku Klux Klan founded at age 22 1865: Lister invents Disinfection at age 22 1866-1868: Andrew Johnson president of US from age 23 to age 25 1866: Walker, Mitchell 1st elected US black officials (Massachusetts) at age 23 1867: Nebraska enters the union - 37th at age 24 1867: Alaska purchased from Russia at age 24 1867: Diamonds discovered in South Africa at age 24 1867: Confederation of Canada at age 24 1867: Dynamite at age 24 1868-1878: War between Cuba and Spain from age 25 to age 35 1869: Trans-continental railroad completed at age 26 1869: Suez canal opened at age 26 1869: Financial black friday caused by attempt to corner gold at age 26 1869: Cutty Sark built at age 26 1869-1876: Ulysses S Grant president of US from age 26 to age 33 1870-1871: Franco-Prussian war from age 27 to age 28 1870: US black men can vote at age 27 1870: 1st black US senator (Hiram Revels) at age 27 1871: Great Fire destroys Chicago at age 28 1873-1878: Depression, banks fail from age 30 to age 35 1873: Color Photographs at age 30 1876: American Centennial at age 33 1876: Telephone (Bell, Latimer) at age 33 1876: Little Big Horn - Battle at age 33 1876: Colorado enters the union - 38th at age 33 1877-1880: Ruthorford B Hayes president of US from age 34 to age 37 1877: Wax Cylinder Musical Recordings at age 34 1878: 1st commercial telephone exchange in US at age 35 1879: Electric Light Bulb (Edison) at age 36 1879: Zulu war at age 36 1881: James A Garfield president of US at age 38 1881-1896: 5th Cholera pandemic from age 38 to age 53 1881: President Garfield assassinated (dies of med. care) at age 38 1881-1885: Chester Arthur president of US from age 38 to age 42 1884: Motorcycle at age 41 1884: 1st subway at age 41 1885: Automobile at age 42 1885-1888: Grover Cleveland president of US from age 42 to age 45 1886: Induction Telegraph (Grandville T. Woods) at age 43 1887: X-Rays (Tesla, not Rontgen!) at age 44 1888: 70...77 rpm musical records at age 45 1888: Great Blizzard of 1888 - 400+ deaths at age 45 1889: Washington enters the union - 42nd at age 46 1889: North Dakota enters the union - 39th at age 46 1889: Montana enters the union - 41st at age 46 1889-1892: Benjamin Harrison president of US from age 46 to age 49 1889: Holerith invents the punch card at age 46 1889: South Dakota enters the union - 40th at age 46 1890: Oklahoma organized as a territory at age 47 1890: Battle of Wounded Knee at age 47 1890: Idaho enters the union - 43rd at age 47 1890: Wyoming enters the union - 44th at age 47 1891: Mormon prophesy of 'coming of lord' by 1891 unfulfilled at age 48 1893: New Zealand is 1st to grant women right to vote at age 50 1893: Nikola Tesla invents Radio (not Marconi!) at age 50 1893-1896: Grover Cleveland president of US from age 50 to age 53 1893-1897: US Financial panic, depression from age 50 to age 54 1893: Movies at age 50 1894-1895: Chinese-Japanese war (1) from age 51 to age 52 1894: Plague in Hong Kong and China - 1 million die at age 51 1896: Utah enters the union - 45th at age 53 1896: Supreme court approves separate but equal segregation at age 53 1897-1901: William McKinley president of US from age 54 until after line end 1898: Spanish American 1-year war at age 55 1899-1902: Boer war from age 56 until after line end 1899-1923: 6th Cholera pandemic from age 56 until after line end

Additional Information

After losing her father at the age of eleven, early developed self-reliance, and at the age of fourteen began teaching a district school. Later she learned the millener's trade, working for her board and spending the day in the store. She was an indefatigable worker, rising early and retiring late. For one year and a half after her marriage she lived on the farm, after which she again enganged in the millinery business, until failing health compelled her to give it up. She was of a kind and sympathetic disposition, abhoring quarrels or contentions of any kind. An invalid for twelve years, she endured it patiently and calmly planned for the inevitable. She died April 30th, 1899, at Niles, Michigan.