Kate & Bill were both born in Scotland. Bill arrived in the US first in 1907 when he was just 19 years old. Kate arrived in 1910 when she was 11 years old. They married on 4 September 1918 in Montana. I imagine this photo was taken near that time. What a beautiful portrait. I love Kate’s dress!
Two years after they were married, Kate & Bill welcomed their only child into the world, Catherine Lucille Millan. Young Catherine was born in Montana. Kate would only live for three more years before succumbing to tuberculous meningitis on 18 July 1923. She died just a few months shy of her 24th birthday and her 5th wedding anniversary.
Life can be bitterly unfair at times. She served as a nurse, we believe during WWI. She was my great grandmother’s only sister. She was a daughter, a wife, a mother. People loved her, needed her, and yet, she passed from this life too soon.
William would go on to struggle for many, many years. He was not able to care for Catherine Lucille as a single dad working in the mines. So, she was bounced around between relatives. Eventually, she would marry and have three children of her own.
This photograph is one of very few remnants of Kate’s short life. I hope her small posterity will find it here and treasure it.
Here is the original scan. The handwriting in blue ink is Aunt Barbara’s, and the writer of the penciled words is unidentified. This photo was loaned to me by Aunt Barbara to scan. I am so glad. I did have a previous scan of this photo that was done on an all-in-one scanner several years ago. It wasn’t nearly as detailed as this version. Notice the photographers mark in the bottom right as seen below:
Happy Thursday, I hope you make a wonderful photo discovery this week!
What a beautiful portrait – it’s just a shame it accompanies such a heartbreaking story! Thank you for sharing x
Thank you, Hope. And thanks for stopping by and saying hi! <3
How very sad. TB took so many lives back then. We take so much for granted now.
Oh Amy, just wait until Monday’s post. We really do. <3
Such a beautiful photograph. My mother, also an only child, lost her father to tuberculosis during WWII when she was only 5 years old. It’s sad to have never known my grandfather.
Oh Cathy, that is so sad. I’m sorry. How was life for your mother and grandmother after that? I hope they were okay and had some good support from loved ones.
My grandmother was a very strong-willed (insert other synonyms here) lady who worked as a professional seamstress from home. She was strict while raising my mother who I believe received more love from her maternal grandfather who lived in the home and her paternal aunt who lived next door.
I’m glad your mom had other family members close by. It sounds like she had more love and stability than Kate’s daughter did.
They look like such a lovely couple. It’s so sad that her life was so short.
Thank you, Sheryl. It really is sad. We are so fortunate today. I don’t know a single person with TB (aside from deceased family members). Modern medicine is amazing.