Note: Death date from stone; buried in Blair Cemetery;

the following from family papers: Merab Hitchcock Bradley Obituary rough copy; photocopy of original family copy, Isabel Johns Williams Papers; privately held by Patricia L Duro, Fountain Valley, California, 1998.

Note: in 1928, newspapers often printed different obituaries. This one was written by a family member, and perhaps printed in a different paper than the one below, possibly written by a friend of the family or a newspaper reporter of the time.

Merab Hitchcock was born in Fair Haven, Connecticut August 12, 1849, and married William A. Bradley of Meriden, Connecticut October 20, 1869.

In February, 1883 they moved from Connecticut to Blair, Nebraska, bringing with them seven children, two later being born in Blair.

In 1892, they moved with their family to the farm north of town, living there until the death of Mr. Bradley in September, 1898, when she moved back to Blair, living there until 1914. In the spring of that year she went to Los Angeles, California with her daughter Flora, residing there until her death.

Of her nine children, two died in Infancy, and one, Elizabeth Fox, on December 16, 1908. Her surviving children are Flora, of Los Angeles, California; Nellie, Mrs. J.W. Newell of this city; Gertrude, Mrs. E.J. Williams of Lincoln, Nebraska; Alice, Mrs. O.F. Newell of Los Angeles; Hattie, Mrs. A.M. Johns of this city, and Walter, of Santa Ana, California. Besides her six surviving children, she also leaves eighteen grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

When a girl, she was confirmed in the Episcopal church at Centerville, Connecticut. Later she belonged to the same communion, St. Mary’s, of this city, and All-Saints, Los Angeles.

2) obituary printed in the Aug. 30, 1928 Tribune, Blair, Nebraska

Dies At Los Angeles

Mrs. Merab Bradley Was Long-Time Resident of Blair

Relatives in this city received word the fore part of the week of the death of Mrs. Merab Bradley which occurred Sunday, at Los Angeles, California. The deceased was born in Fair Haven, Connecticut, August 12, 1849 and on October 20, 1869 she was married to William Bradley at Meriden, Conn. In February, 1883 the family moved to Blair where they resided until 1892 when they moved to a farm north of the city.

Fifteen years later the husband died after which Mrs. Bradley removed to Blair, going to Los Angeles in 1914 to make her home with her daughter, Flora. She was a resident of this community for many years and was widely known and highly thought of by a large circle of friends. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bradley, two of whom died in infancy, while a daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Fox, died in 1908.

She leaves to mourn her loss, a son, Walter, of Santa Ana, Calif.; five daughters, Mrs. J. W. Newell and Mrs. A. M. Johns of this city, Flora of Los Angeles, Calif.; Mrs. E. J. Wiililams of Lincoln and Mrs. O. F. Newell of Los Angeles. Eighteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren also survive. The body will be brought to Blair and services will be conducted at the Blair cemetery at 2:00 o’clock tomorrow afternoon, Rev. Carl G. Bader officiating.

~~~obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library, Blair, Nebraska ~~~

FindaGrave memorial # 113534165