Julia is the daughter of
John Henry Feather Sr. (sometimes
known as "Henry"), and his second
wife Sophia S. Koppenheffer, of
Hinchman, in Oronoko Township,
Berrien County Michigan
(North of Buchanan, MI).
Her parents lived one mile West of
(the 4-corners of) Hinchman, Michigan.
-------------------------------------
Julia had two "full" sisters
(Adalina and Harriet),
three half-sisters, and four
half-brothers.
Julia was the eldest of her
mother Sophia's three children.
---------------------------------------
Julia's father came from Pennsylvania
to Berrien Springs, Berrien Co. Michigan
with his parents Joshua Sr. and Mary
Ann Feather in 1836. They settled about
one mile West of Hinchman, MI in 1837.
They were the
first white people living within
six miles of Berrien Springs, MI
(North - N.-E. of Buchanan, MI).
--------------------------------
Julia went to school, in the
Hinchman School, in Hinchman, Michigan.
---------------------------------
Julia was married on June 9, 1891
to Milton James Bliss, the son of
DeBert Bliss and his wife Nancy A.
Smith, in Hinchman, Oronoko Township
(North of Buchanan),
Berrien County Michigan, by S. P.
Fryberger, Minister of the Gospel.
Witnesses were Henry A. Feather (her
half-brother), and George R. Lockey.
------------------------------------
The farm that Julia and Milton lived
on, on Geyer Road, was left to Milton
in his father DeBert's will.
----
DeBert had purchased this farm in 1872
(per: Deed book # 47, page 409
and Deed book # 45, page 254).
-------------------------------------
The farm was later listed in
Julia's name only (which was very
unusual in those days).
------------------------------------
In 1894 (three years after they were
married), Julia Bliss purchased from
her husband Milton Bliss, 80 plus acres,
of the East half of the S.-W. quarter of
Section 18 (and also, an additional
strip of land), for the sum of $2,500.oo
(per: Deed Book - Liber 111, page 446).
-------------------------------------
Julia's wealthy grandfather Joshua
Feather Sr. gave each of his children
AND each of his grandchildren, either
land to start a farm or money to buy
a farm, when they reached their age
of maturity (or were married).
(He must have specified that the
money had to be used to buy property).
---------------------------------------
Julia left her large share of this farm,
in her will, to her son Lloyd Feather
Bliss (instead of to her husband Milton).
--------------------------------------
Julia also named her son Lloyd
as the executor of her will
(instead of her husband Milton).
------------------------------------
Lloyd apparently could not bring
himself to be the one to take this large
part of the farm away from his father,
as he did not fulfill his duties as
the executor of her will.
The Court had to later, remove
Lloyd as the executor, and appoint a
bank as the executor of Julia's will.
--------------------------------------
Milton and his son Lloyd, later
lived next door to each other,
on this farm.
----------------------------------
Note: Julia's large share of this
farm, is listed in Julia's will
as the "East half of the South-
west quarter of Section eighteen"
(on Geyer Road, N.-E. of Buchanan, MI).
-----------------------------------
Later, in Milton's will, his real
estate [which he left to his cousin
Harry F. Smith, of Detroit, Michigan],
is listed as the "West fourty-two
acres" of this farm.
--------------------------------------
Julia's son Lloyd Feather Bliss, raised
his children on this farm, which
made a total of four generations
of the Bliss family that had lived
on this farm on Geyer Road (DeBert,
Milton, Lloyd, and Lloyd's children,
including Thelma Bliss).
------------------------------------
The two children of Milton James Bliss
and Julia M. (Feather) Bliss are:
--------------------------------
1. Lloyd Feather Bliss
b. July 4, 1895 on his parents
farm on Geyer Road,
N.-N.E. of Buchanan, Berrien Co. MI.
d. March 19, 1938 on his farm on
Geyer Road (in Niles Twp.), N.-N.E.
of Buchanan, Berrien County Michigan.
m. Cecile Gay Upham on Nov. 4, 1916,
in St. Joseph, Berrien County Michigan,
by W. H. Camfield, Clergy.
Lloyd had six daughters and one son:
Thelma Celestia, Mary Louise,
Marguerite Gay, Barbara Cleo,
Frances June, Kathryn Ann
(who was born as "Florence Mae"),
and Gordon C. Bliss (infant).
Note: Son Gordon was born two months
"after" the death of his father Lloyd.
Lloyd never got to see his only son.
------------------------------------
2. Allene Bliss.
b. Sept. 14, 1900.
d. Oct. 19, 1900, at five weeks of age.
_________________________________

A picture of Julia and Milton Bliss,
with their son Lloyd Feather Bliss
(pulling a toy wagon), taken on their
farm on Geyer Road, N.-N.E. of Buchanan,
Berrien County Michigan,
can be seen in a book titled:
"Greetings From Buchanan, Historic
Photobook Series", by Leo J. Goodsell
and Robert C. Myers. Published in 2005
by the Berrien County Historical
Association (page 35).
Note: This book may possibly still be
purchased from the Berrien County
Historical Association gift shop.
------
Note: The book states that the photo was
taken about 1910, but it "should" say
about 1900, because Lloyd was born in 1895.
--------------------------------------
Hinchman High School photos of Julia and
her sisters Lina (Adalina), and Harriet
Feather, can be seen on page 41,
of a book titled:
"The Heyday of Hinchman", by Beverly
Campbell Pottle, published in 2006,
by The Berrien County Historical
Association, Berrien Springs, Michigan.
This book contains lots of photos.
Note: This book may also be purchased
from the Berrien County Historical Assn.
This book has a lot of information on
the Feather family, of Hinchman, MI.
--------------------------------------
The family has a four generation
picture of Julia, her mother Sophia
S. (Koppenheffer) Feather, Julia's
son Lloyd Feather Bliss,
and Lloyd's first born child
Thelma Celestia Bliss, which was taken
around Christmas of 1918 (shortly
before Sophia's death in Feb. of 1919).
-------------------------------------
Around 1919
(about five years before Julia died),
Julia suffered from a stroke of
paralysis, which left her bedridden.
(Julia's mother Sophia, died in 1919).
Julia later suffered additional
smaller strokes. After being
bedridden for about five years,
Julia committed suicide by drinking
carbolic acid and chloroform
(a cleaning fluid for clothing),
on their farm on Geyer Road,
N.- N.E. of Buchanan,
Berrien Co. MI., on Sept. 13, 1924
at the age of 54 years,
10 months and 28 days.
--------------------------------------
At the time of Julia's death, Julia
and Milton had a lady working in their
home, to do the cooking and cleaning, etc.
-------------------------------------
Shortly before Julia died, she arranged
for someone to come to her home and pick
up numerous articles, and deliver them
to her son Lloyd's home in Edwardsburg, MI.
---------------------------------
Julia is buried next to her husband
Milton & their children Lloyd and Allene,
in the "Bliss family plot",
in Section A, Lot # 33.
Julia's headstone reads:
-------------------------
MOTHER
JULIA M
1869-1924
------------------------------
Note: There were three "different"
obituary's for Julia, in the
local newspapers.
-----
One obituary for Julia was published
in "The News Palladium" newspaper,
in Benton Harbor, Michigan on
Monday, Sept. 15, 1924,
page 10, columns 5 and 6.
---
Another was published in the
"Saint Joseph Herald-Press" newspaper
in St. Joseph, Michigan on
Monday, Sept. 15, 1924,
page 4, column 2.
---
The largest (and most detailed)
obituary for Julia
was published in the
"Niles Daily Star" newspaper, in
Niles, MI on Monday Sept. 15, 1924,
on page 1 (front page), and
continued on page 5.
---
Note: This last obituary incorrectly
gives her name as "Fanny" Bliss,
when it should say "Julia" Bliss.
---
Note: These obituaries may be
obtained (from microfilm), at
the Niles District Library.
----------------------------------
Julia's probate record (will) is on
file in Berrien County Michigan.
---
In a codicil to her will, among
the things that Julia leaves to her
son Lloyd are, one iron money safe,
inscribed with the name J. H. Feather
that had belonged to Julia's father,
and Julia left
one set of solid silver tea spoons,
one set of table spoons, and
her gold watch, to her [6 year old]
granddaughter Thelma Bliss.
---------------------------------
Note: This memorial was
researched and written,
by Nancy (Letcher) Heib.
---------------------------------
Note: For the history of this Feather
family, see: "The Feather Family
of Oronoko Township, Berrien County
Michigan", compiled by
Nancy (Letcher) Heib, located in the
Allen County Public Library,
Fort Wayne, Indiana.
----------------------------------
Note: See the memorials for Julia's
family, on this web site:
----
Paternal Grandfather,
Joshua Feather Sr., of Michigan.
Paternal Grandmother,
Mary Ann (Smith) Feather, of MI.
Maternal Grandfather,
Jonathan E. Koppenheffer, of PA.
Maternal Grandmother,
Julia Ann (Swineford) Koppenheffer, of PA.
---
Father, John Henry Feather Sr., of MI
Mother,
Sophia (Koppenheffer) Feather, of MI.
Husband, Milton James Bliss, of MI.
Son, Lloyd Feather Bliss, of Michigan.
Granddaughter,
Thelma (Bliss) Letcher, of Michigan.
-------------------------------------
Click on photos to see enlargements,
captions, and additional photos.
-----------------------------