Thanks, I am surprised to see all those children in 1910 ,where were they in 1900? Catherine Kelley, seems a possibility, although wasn't the deceased sister also Kate or Katherine and born later than this girl? I wonder where she went after this census. It could be her. Thanks again for your help.
I have to admit that while I’ve been reading the postings since the topic started, I probably don’t remember all of the facts. But, possibly worth mentioning…
1900 - two adopted children, one being Cathrine Kelley, born 1893 (age at last birthday -7).
1910 - nine children on census. Mary Louise stated she was the mother of 11 children, 11 still living.
Perhaps she adopted nine more children after the 1900 census was taken.
My family knew a very kind man who over decades “fostered” many youth. He had a good life, cared about his community and “troubled” young people and wanted the youth to have a second (and sometimes, third) chance. Perhaps Marie Louise adopted youth just to help her, or perhaps she was also a kind soul, wanting to help people (if, in fact, the children were all adopted). It might be interesting to research the children (later in life) to see if they were her actual birth children, or they were also adopted.
The following site is “not secure”
http://loucraft.blogspot.com/2016/but one of Marie Louise’s sons, Joseph Leo, mentioned after his father’s death, his “widowed mother was left to raise eleven children alone”.
