Rosemary Baur was born on May 13, 1911, in Chicago, Illinois, and was the only child of Jacob Baur (the founder and president of liquid carbonics) and Bertha Duppler.

As noted in the attached articles, Rosemary was an heiress to a fortune as a young girl.  Her father died when she was a mere 15 months old.  Her father was 54 years old at the time of his death.  He had surprised everyone when at age 51 he married Bertha Duppler who was said to be the highest salaried woman working for the government as a secretary to the postmaster. Bertha was 29 years old when she married Jacob who was 51 years old.

Jacob was 53 years old at the time of Rosemary’s birth.  Her mother, Bertha, was 32 years old.

In the 1920 census, Rosemary was 8 years old and lived on East Cedar Street in Chicago.  In addition to her mother (head of household), there are also listed a cook, butler, 2 maids, and a governess. At some point the address became 1511 Astor St.

Rosemary’s mother, Bertha, was for 24 years,  the Republican National Committeewoman for Illinois and was twice a candidate for Congress

Rosemary was the “wealthiest girl in Chicago.” She married a young English barrister who was Canadian born, Brennan “Bartle” Bull, on November 2, 1931. They had two children during their marriage. She died on May 17, 2006, in her hometown, at the age of 95.

Rosemary and her husband Bartle had 2 children.  They were Romia Bull and Bartle Bull.

Why is Rosemary Baur Bull a part of my family history?  When I was growing up, my father, would tell stories of a part of his family that were not just rich…but “stinking rich.” He told of how they lived in buildings that spanned city blocks with servants to care for their needs. He always told me it was “the other side of our family.”  I did not really question what all that meant until my interest in ancestry grew.

Rosemary Baur is a part of our family history but is NOT a direct descendant.  My great grandmother Carrie Baur was a sister to Rosemary’s father, Jacob Baur.  This means Rosemary’s father was my one of my Grandmother’s uncles.

So, why am I including this blog?  Well, it makes quite a story and completes for me those stories my father used to tell of this family.

There were literally too many articles from the past to include in this blog, but ironically, there seems to be almost no information about her later years, nor could I find an obituary for her.  In an article about her husbands’ death it is noted that she was separated from him at the time of his decease.

Here are some articles regarding Rosemary’s husband:

When Garrett Denny Spruhan was born on February 10, 1891, in Terre Haute, Indiana, his father, Henry Joseph Spruhan, was 33 and his mother, Caroline “Carrie” Baur, was 27. Garrett was 2nd in the birth order.  Our direct ancestor (and my grandmother), Henrietta Spruhan, was 3rd in the birth order making her Garrett’s younger sister.

Garrett went to prep school at Stevens Industrial Tech in New Jersey.  He lived in Hoboken on campus.  He graduated from Rose Polytechnic.  Married Marion (Parks) Spruhan on August 16, 1916, in Indiana. They had one child during their marriage, a girl named Martha Ellen Spruhan.

Garrett died on October 14, 1918, in Jefferson, Kentucky where he was stationed at Camp Taylor, at the age of 27, and was buried in Terre Haute, Indiana.  He died from the flu during the great flu pandemic of 1918.  His daughter was a toddler when he died.

Death notice

Marriage certificate

certificate of death

WWI draft registration

When Dorothy (Dora) Bishop was born on March 22, 1857, in Berrien, Michigan, her father, John Kellogg Bishop, was 29 and her mother, Sarah Romelia Knapp, was 25.  

Dora married Juan James Hess on October 29, 1874, in her hometown in a church wedding. She was 17 years old at the time of her  wedding.  Juan was 24 years old.  The young couple had grown up having lived near to each other for many years. Their residence after marriage  was R.D. 5, Benton Harbor, MI.  This was the site of what would become a  successful fruit farm that Dora and husband Juan maintained.  It was located four miles southwest of the city.  

 Juan had originally purchased a 1/4 ownership of this farm that had been his father’s. Later, Juan bought out his three brothers so that the entire 80 acre farm was his.  He cultivated the land into an orchard growing peaches, pears, apples and cherry trees.  It was a very successful venture.

It would come to pass that this farm would later become the home where my father, Robert Lawrence Hess, and my Uncle, George Kellogg Hess, Jr., would spend most of their childhoods!  Juan Hess was Robert and George’s grandfather.

Dora and Juan had four children in 16 years. Only two of the children lived to adulthood.  They were Robert De Montel Hess and my  Grandfather, George Kellogg Hess, Sr..  Dora and Juan had lost their two other children during the year of 1880. The children who perished early were Hattie Hess b. 1875  and Perry B. Hess b. 1878. 

Dora died after a brief illness on October 15, 1904, in Benton, Michigan, at the age of 47, and was buried in Berrien, Michigan. Her husband Juan remained a widower until his death at age 78. She had been married to Juan for nearly 30 years. My grandfather, George Kellogg Hess, Sr., was only 14 years old at the time of his mother’s death.

A history of Dora’s family…

Dora’s father had been born in Herderson, Jefferson Co., New York in 1827 and in addition to his “rustic” education, worked on a family farm. When he was 17 years old, he left  New York with his family and became one of the pioneers in Bainbridge, MI.  It was there, in Berrien, Michigan, that he was wed to Sarah Romelia Knapp on February 2, 1848.   Sarah had entered into marriage at the age of 16.  After her family moved from New York to Michigan, her father worked as a ship-carpenter near St. Joseph, Michigan.

Dora’s siblings were:

Rosaltha Bishop b. 1849 d. 13 Jan 1873 Bainbridge, Berrien, MI

James G. Bishop b. 1852

Perry S. Bishop b. 1854

Frank Bishop b. 1844 (married to Carrie Maud Ives)

Arthur Bishop b. 1856

Clinton Bishop b. 14 April 1861 d. 24 May 1920 (married Lucy Mae Smith)

Fred Bishop b. 10 Jan 1862 d. 14 January 1941 (married Mary Bell Bratton)

John Kellogg Bishop, Jr. b. about 1867

Berd D. Bishop b. 24 March 1869 d. 19 Feb. 1960

Louise Bishop b. 1871 d. 19 Feb. 1954

As an adult, Dora was quite the entertainer and had frequent elaborate parties in her lovely country home.  She often made the social pages of the local papers.