Rose May Hilliard was born 15 Aug 1895 in Maple Grove Township, Manistee County, Michigan. Her parents were Samuel David Hilliard, known as "Dave", and Sarah Elizabeth Milks, known as "Libbie". Dave was born in 1859 in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Libbie was born in 1868 in Rollin, Lenawee County, Michigan. Dave was a farmer, beekeeper, hunter for the logging camps, and laborer. Libbie was an excellent seamstress and tatter, she raised chicks and sold eggs, she took care of the apple orchard and sold apples, was a homemaker, mother and grandmother. Libbie had beautiful dark hair and eyes. She also had migraine headaches. She died from pneumonia. Rose had six siblings, named: William Ezra Hilliard, b. 1885. Daniel Paul Hilliard b. 1887. Samuel David Hilliard, b. 1888. Mary Grace Hilliard, b. 1890. Hazen Isaiah, b. 1898. and Pearl Ann, b. 1902. Rose had Rheumatic Fever when a child which gave her an enlarged heart. When Rose was 18 years old, she married Andrew Oscar Harju (a neighbor), in Kaleva, Michigan, on 16 September 1913. Oscar and Rose had three children: Lawrence, Raymond and Bernice. Rose washed her clothes in a wringer washing machine and hung them on the line to dry. She canned fruits and vegetables and placed them on shelves in the basement. They had a coal and wood burning furnace in their new house, but they also had a woodstove in the basement. Rose was often lending a helping hand to take care of her grandchildren. She loved to see family come to visit and was a great storyteller. She went to the beauty shop to get a permanent and sometimes asked her granddaughters to put curlers in her hair. Rose always wore dresses. As a young girl she went to school in Kaleva and then her family took her to Grand Rapids to stay with an aunt so she could finish her schooling. She completed 8th grade. She helped take care of the children, to earn her keep. Her mother taught her how to sew and tatt. When her granddaughters came to visit, she would take them in the bedroom to show them her high button shoes, in three different sizes, and tell them how her waist was only 17 inches, which was the same size as her husband's neck size of his shirt. Oscar liked to tell that story too. Rose was so happy to have visitors; she walked them out to the car and talked the whole way, getting them to stay a while longer. She enjoyed watching soap operas on TV and reading romance magazines. She made toast in the oven with the broiler on and made tea or Postum. Her granddaughters loved her "store bought bread." Rose had some candy in her dresser drawer so when a granddaughter helped her do chores, she took them in her bedroom afterwards and gave them a piece of candy. She was a good grandma! Rose wrote the Obituary for her father. She was a good writer and she submitted a story to the Maytag writing contest, at the Kaleva Hardware store. They sent her story in and it resulted in Rose winning the contest. She won a new Maytag Washing Machine. Since the washer was free, they decided to purchase a Maytag Dryer to go along with it. Initially, the company offered her a new Maytag Dishwasher, but Rose said she would rather have a washing machine, so they agreed to do that. Her granddaughter Beth Harju has the newspaper article that mentioned Rose winning the contest.
Name: Rosa Hilliard, gender: female, age at marriage: 18, birth year: abt. 1895, birthplace: Manistee County, Marriage: September 16, 1913, marriage place: Kaleva, Manistee County, Michigan, Residence place: Kaleva, Michigan, Father: David Hilliard, Mother: Elizabeth Milks, Spouse: Oscar Harju, Record number: 5526, Oscar's mother: Sophia Hiroikoske, Oscar's father: Matti Harju
--Source-- 1940 United States Federal Census, Name: Rose Harju, Age: 44, Estimated Birth Year: 1896, Gender: Female, Race: White, Birthplace: Michigan, Marital Status: Married, Home in 1940: Maple Grove Township, Manistee County, Michigan, Inferred residence in 1935: Rural, Manistee County, Michigan, Residence on a farm in 1935: Yes, Street Number: 7A, Attended School or College: No, Weeks worked in 1939: 0, Income: 0 , Income from other sources: No, Household members: Oscar Harju 47, Rose Harju 44, Raymond 19, Bernie 12
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