Harriet Elizabeth (Orndorff) Bly (1856 - 1931)

Born 26 Jun 1856 in Frederick County, Virginia

Ancestors

Wife of Daniel Bly — married 5 Aug 1876 in Shenandoah, Virginia

Descendants

Died 1 Apr 1931 at age 74 in Bly home, North Mountain neighborhood, Shenandoah, Virginia

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Biography

Harriet Orndorff was born in Frederick County, Virginia, in 1856, daughter of William and Harriet Pitcock Orndorff,^[1] but grew up in the North Mountain neighborhood of Shenandoah County, Virginia, near Saint Stephens Church on the Back Road, an area that became known as Top Not. Harriet married and lived out her life in the same neighborhood.^[2] She had a large family with many responsibilities on the farm, but still took time to be very active in the Saint Stephens Church as well as the small Methodist Chapel called Mount Carmel that stood near the Bly property on the Back Road. Harriet was also well known as the local midwife, who helped bring many of the neighborhood babies, including her own grandchildren, into the world.

Quoting from her obituary:^[3] Mrs. Harriet Bly, one of the best known and most beloved women of the Top Not neighborhood died of complications at the home of her daughter, Mrs. M. H. Elbon, Thursday about midnight after an illness of about 18 months. The deceased was born in Frederick County, June 26, 1855, and was the daughter of the late William and Harriet Orndorff. Many years ago she became the wife of Daniel Bly, who preceded her to the grave, July 10, 1909. The greater part of her life, however, was spent in the community in which she died, and where she was highly respected and beloved as a kind and obliging neighbor and friend.

Sources

• Frederick County, Virginia Birth Records, at "Virginia, Library of Virginia State Archive, Births, Marriages, and Deaths 1853-1900", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6ZBF-88W6 : Tue Feb 20 20:33:13 UTC 2024), Entry for Harriet E Orndorff and William Orndorff, 26 Jun 1856.
• Shenandoah County, Virginia Marriage Records. at "Virginia, County Marriage Records, 1771-1989", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6D3Y-FY6T : Sat Oct 21 15:15:27 UTC 2023), Entry for Daniel Bly and William, 3 Aug 1876.
• United States Census, 1880, Virginia, Shenandoah County, Davis Dist. family #317, p. 15B. Digital image at FamilySearch.org: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBG-T3Z?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMCR7-YN7&action=view
• United States Census, 1900, Virginia; Shenandoah, Davis, Page: 15; Enumeration District: 0074: Digital image at FamilySearch.org: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6737-Q8T?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMMJW-V22&action=view Eleven of his twelve children were still at home.
• Obituary and Virginia Death Certificate #10961-Shenandoah County, at Ancestry.com: https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/9278/43004_162028006072_0086-00308?pid=511535&treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=EVG25066&_phstart=successSource

Footnotes

1. ↑ Beth Fridley, ed. Frederick County, Virginia Birth Records, 1855-1896 (2001), p. 8.
2. ↑ United States Census, 1900, Virginia, Shenandoah County, Davis Dist. family #317, p. 15. Eleven of her twelve children were still at home.
3. ↑ Obituary, Strasburg News, April 8,1931.