Gertie was born in Oregon, Holt Co, MO, daughter of Elihu Merritt "Merritt" Blackburn and Zerilda Caroline (Smith) Blackburn. She was the wife of James Franklin "Frank" Blackburn. To this union, 4 children were born: Stella, Cecil, Juanita, and Georgia. Gertie died of blood poisoning after undergoing a medical "procedure." Her death certificate lists her cause of death as pyemia for 17 days. In the mid-90s, her niece, Lois Blackburn Shone, said that the blood poisoning was due to an abortion. Gertie was pregnant a 5th time and 2 of her 4 children were deaf. Worried that she would give birth to another deaf child, she went to have an abortion (illegal back then). (Lois was too young to know this information first hand. She must be repeating a story that her parents told her about her Aunt Gertie).
Gertie was born in Oregon, Holt Co, MO, daughter of Elihu Merritt "Merritt" Blackburn and Zerilda Caroline (Smith) Blackburn. She was the wife of James Franklin "Frank" Blackburn. To this union, 4 children were born: Stella, Cecil, Juanita, and Georgia. Gertie died of blood poisoning after undergoing a medical "procedure." Her death certificate lists her cause of death as pyemia for 17 days. In the mid-90s, her niece, Lois Blackburn Shone, said that the blood poisoning was due to an abortion. Gertie was pregnant a 5th time and 2 of her 4 children were deaf. Worried that she would give birth to another deaf child, she went to have an abortion (illegal back then). (Lois was too young to know this information first hand. She must be repeating a story that her parents told her about her Aunt Gertie).
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