4 Generation Boche/Bionaz

                                                                                                          about 1935, California
Elizabeth Joan Bionaz is my mother. Her parents are John Bionaz and Elizabeth Hawk Bionaz. Grandpa Johnny's mother is Orpheline Boche Bionaz. Orpheline's parents are Peter J Boche and Charlotte Mary Ducley.
Orpheline and her parents were born in Northern Italy.

Two Babies Named Eli

            Several years ago I was at a dinner at my great Aunt Amelia’s house. There were several cousins from my mother’s generation there and as we talked someone mentioned that they remember something about two babies born with the same name and that one died at a young age. The thought was that Grandma Charlotte Boche (my 2-great grandmother and Amelia’s mother) had two boys with the same name. Something about she had one and he died and then named the second one the same name, but no one could remember any details.

            While I was looking at a microfilm of Pennsylvania births, I came upon a possible answer to the question; “Were there really two babies with the same name?” I found that there were two Joseph Eli’s born in October of 1902. On 2 October 1902, Charlotte Ducley Boche had a son, who lived to have a family. The second Joseph Eli was born to my grandmother Orpheline Mary Boche Bionaz, my great-grandmother and Charlotte’s oldest daughter, who was born 7 October 1902. This Joseph Eli died at a young age. I still do not know when he died, but I do know he died before the 1910 Census. He is not listed in the 1910 Census and the census states that Orpheline was the mother of 3 children, with only 2 still living. A picture taken about 1908 of Orpheline’s children only has Charlotte and John, the two children listed in the 1910 Census, and no Joseph Eli in it. Also, John E. Bionaz, Orpheline’s husband, Petition for Naturalization dated Sep 1908, does not list a child named Eli, it only lists Charlotte and John as his children. I do not know if these are the two babies with the same name that was mentioned that day so many years ago, but they could be.

Tombstone Tuesday

This is the tombstone for my great-grandma Orpheline Boche Bionaz and for her oldest child Charlotte Bionaz. Orpheline was born in Italy and Charlotte was born in Pennsylvania.

Burial:Italian Cemetery

Colma
San Mateo County

California, USA

Plot: 125

Orpheline Charlotte

1885-1956 1901-1929

BIONAZ

Surname Sunday

There is an interesting pattern to some of the men the women I my mother's family married. See if you notice it.
Starting with my great-grandmother.
Mary Orpheline Boche, married John Elere Bionaz.
Her son John C Bionaz, married Elizabeth Grace Hawke. (Here it kind of skips a generation, but it makes up for it in the next generation.)
My mother Elizabeth "Joan" Bionaz, married James Edward Baker Jr
Her sister my aunt Jacqueline Carol Bionaz, married Arthur Stuart Backer (Yes, my mother married a Baker and her sister married a Backer)
Me, Betty-Lu Baker, married a Burton.
Did you notice the pattern? All the last names that start with a "B". I just think it is interesting and wanted to share this with others.