Tuesday's Children: Louisa & Lenna HESS

Children of

M. & S. HESS

LOUISA E. HESS

Died

SEPT. 28, 1881,

Aged

5 years and 10 mos.

LENNA A. HESS

Died

Oct. 4, 1881,

Aged

1 year and 6 days

Louisa and Lenna HESS are buried in the Arroyo Grande Cemetery in Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo County, California.

Click to enlarge.

My guess is that the Hess girls were part of the Henry and Susan HESS family, found here in the 1880 U.S. Census, despite the fact that their headstone says "children of M. & S. HESS." The initial for the mother, Susan, would be correct, the age of Louisa would be correct, and Lenna would not have been born at the time this census was taken.

There are several others with the surname HESS buried in the Arroyo Grande Cemetery; however, none appear to have been from this family.

What a tragedy to lose two small children in such a short time.

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Headstone of Louisa and Lenna Hess photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal on September 13, 2008, Arroyo Grande Cemetery, San Luis Obispo County, California.

1880 U. S. Census, San Luis Obispo County, California, population schedule, ED 78, page 327C (stamped), dwelling 82, family 122, Henry Hess; digital image, Ancestry.com; from National Archives microfilm publication T9, roll 80.

Copyright © by Elizabeth O'Neal