As Noreen and I look down on the graves we
realize that something is wrong. Maybe
it’s the inherent feelings shared by a brother and sister who have grown up
together in the same family with its shared values and traditions. Or maybe
it’s what any two members of the Rice family would feel while viewing these
graves. Or, maybe it’s simply what anyone would feel. Something is wrong. Something
is just not right. I don’t need to say anything to Noreen. She doesn’t need to say
anything to me. We just feel it. We just know it. I suppose anyone would know it.
 |
| Zelda and Edna, Granddad's sisters |
Edna and
Zelda Rice were older than Leslie. Edna by six years. Zelda by four. Their
little brother was their mascot as they grew older and into their teens. Despite the difference of two years, the two
girls shared nearly exactly the same birth day, celebrating each year together,
as one.
They
became, like their birthdays, inseparable and much like twins, both in their
appearance and in the time shared with each other. Edna was the leader, the
daring one, the one who took the initiative. Zelda was the soft, tender. Both grew to educated, forward thinking
women.
Born in
Augusta, Kansas, Edna on June 3, 1883 and Zelda on June 7, 1885, they were the
daughters of Rev. Francis Jay Rice and his wife, Rose Heiz Hefty. They were both born on a Sunday.
Francis was
from a long line of English ancestors who had arrived on the continent in the
middle 1600s. Puritans at the beginning, the Rice line gradually became
Baptists, of which Francis continued in this faith as a minister.
Rose was
the daughter of immigrants, Anne Marie and Balthasar Heiz, from Glarus, Switzerland.
When her mother died in 1859, it was decided that two year old Rose would be
placed with family friends rather than remain with her own father and three
siblings. Leaving behind her sisters Katherine and Maria, and her brother
Balthasar jr., Rose moved to live with Marcus and Magdalena Hefty, pious Swiss
Evangelists, caring, and generous. Through the years, Rose kept contact with
her sisters, but took the name Hefty, despite not being baptized.
In 1866, the
Heftys and Rose moved to Valley Falls, Kansas where she began and completed
school. It was here she met the young
minister Francis Rice and three years after their first meeting they were
married on December 28, 1880.
Francis and Rose changed their residential
locations several times, but always within the state boundaries of Kansas,
except for their last move. They lived
fourteen years in central Kansas at Augusta, and it was here their first two
children, Edna and Zelda, were born. Leslie the youngest was born in 1889 at
Topeka.
 |
| Edna, Leslie, and Zelda Rice Photograph might be from about 1901 - 1904 |
In 1902 the
family moved to Arkansas and here the children grew to adulthood and began to
teach, a profession which they remained with throughout their lives. Zelda eventually moved to Phoenix due to poor
health, plagued with sinus problems which apparently could not be cured despite
several operations. It was believed that the dry air would help to relieve her
symptoms. At times Edna lived with Zelda, but also other places such as New
Mexico and California.
Education
was obviously an important factor in the Rice family in that all three of the
children were educated as teachers. Learning followed a long line of traditions
within the family. Francis J. Rice, their father, was a minister receiving his
education at Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas. Their grandmother, Julia Rice,
also a teacher, went to school at Fredonia Academy in New York in the middle
1840s, at which time schooling for women was not all that common. Their
great-grandfather Anselm was a lawyer, and as one moves further back on the
registry of ancestry, one finds at least three generations of ministers of
prominence.
Edna and
Zelda were attractive women although they lived their lives as spinsters.
According to my mother (their niece), this was due to a very protective father.
Suffering
from sinus ailments, Zelda moved to Phoenix, at first during the winters, but
later permanently. She lived at 331 N Laurel Ave, Phoenix, Arizona
until her death in 1945.
The picture to the right was
taken by Zelda.
 |
| 331 N Laurel Ave, Phoenix, Arizona |
In 2012 Noreen and I drove by the house which is still standing with few noticeable changes, even after more than seventy years.
The location is now in a
dubious part of town. We slowly drove by, taking a picture, with the doors
locked, and our foot on the accelerator.
Both Edna
and Zelda liked to draw, although Zelda was probably the most accomplished, as
evident from this painting made by Zelda:
Zelda and Edna traveled to Europe in 1929 at which time they undoubtedly visited Glarus, Switzerland from which their grandparents immigrated.
Zelda died in Phoenix on October 8, 1945, probably of pneumonia. She is buried at Greenwood Memorial Park in Phoenix.
At her graveside were a few friends and her faithful sister who arranged for the funeral and the placement of a headstone. Her father had passed away in 1936, her mother in 1942. It is not known if her brother, some 1600 miles away in North Dakota, was able to make the trip.
Time passed on by. Her brother died ten years later at Jamestown, North Dakota in 1965.
But
something was not completed.
As Noreen and I gazed down upon two graves, we had exactly the same thought and at exactly the same time. She posed a question, but I completed it.
“Would you
join me….”
“in buying
a stone for Edna?”
“Yes”
My sister and I were looking at two graves, but only one was marked. We knew, we felt within us that this was not right. Edna’s place on this earth needed closure and recognition.
What does
the placement of a stone mean to us? Each of us will decide that for
himself. However, Edna had once stood by
the grave of her beloved sister, watched her lowered into the ground, and later
made sure her own last resting place would be beside her. It just seemed right for us that Edna also
should have a stone placed beside the sibling she so loved.
Now, should
anyone visit the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery in Phoenix, and stand beside site 31-17-4-4,
they will see not just one memorial, but two. I know that I can stand on this
very same spot where my Granddad stood as he said good bye to his sisters.
It is
certain that persons we loved, and knew, will be remembered as long as they are
in our hearts. And yet, although none of today’s Rice family knew these two
girls, they will not be completely forgotten. Memorial stones do not in
themselves carry memories, but they serve as reminders through generations.
My granddad
and grandmother are buried on the lonesome prairie outside of Mott, North
Dakota. The stones are there and attract
few visits. But the stones will remain
for generations, allowing others to stand by the graves and remember that here
once stood, on this very place, loved ones in sorrow, and in remembrance. Possibly
even your own mom or dad.
 |
| Edna
Julia Rice 1853- 1955 Date of photograph unknown |
 |
Zelda Magdalena
Rice 1855- 1945
Picture from about 1909 |
Edna's middle name was Julia from her grandmother Julia Rice, and her great-grandmother Julia Potter.
Zelda's middle name was Magdalene from her foster grandmother Magdalena Hefty.
Notes about the two sisters:
Notes about the two sisters:
From their
father, Francis Jay Rice, in a letter to his own father written in 1901.
“My family are well. The children are attending school. Edna will graduate fr. the city high school
next June, and Zelda the year following if nothing happens. Leslie is doing fairly well in school but
likes play a good deal better which is quite natural.”
From
Virginia Rice Bohn (Zelda’s niece)
“Zelda was in ill health most of her life. She spent her summers in Arkansas but her
winters in Phoenix, Arizona. She
suffered from sinus trouble and was reported to have had several operations on
her sinuses.
She
was of slight build with brown eyes and hair.
I
only met her once, when we visited the farm in 1936 and I really don’t remember
her too well. She was quiet and seemed
to have gone her own way.
She
taught school in her life time, and traveled a lot in both Europe and the
United States.”
From
Virginia Rice Bohn (Edna’s niece ):
“Edna
taught school but made the homeplace in Arkansas her residence , and later
spending the winter in Arizona with Zelda, until the farm was sold and then
retired to California.
She
was dark with dark eyes and hair. She
was also very thin.
Edna
was a very individualistic person. The
stories told about her were many. For
instance, My father told of taking her out to lunch at a very fancy café and
she ordered only a cup of hot water and then proceded to bring out her own
sandwiches and tea bag, which she used to make tea. Another instance was that she always answered
your letter on the back side of your letter.
When
we visited the farm, she always ate her meals separately from the rest of
us—not that she didn’t want to eat with us, but she was used to eating at
different times.
She
was a teacher and traveled a lot in the summer time including several trips to
Europe. I do know that she taught school at Pierre, South Dakota at the time
Dad was a Sherwood, North Dakota. “
From Norman
(about Edna):
I remember
being told of a time when Edna became tired of waiting for traffic such that
she could cross a street in Phoenix. She
there upon walked out into the middle of the street and directed traffic until
the pedestrians on both sides had finished crossing. What a fine effort for a member of the Rice
family!
Noreen and
I never met Edna nor Zelda, although in the early 1950s Edna sent a 19 volume
set of the World Book Encyclopedia to Noreen and me, a gift from an unknown
aunt, but befitting a teacher. A gift
which remained a true gift for many years.
 |
The last
known picture of Edna Rice
Date and location unknown |
 |
Last
known picture of Zelda Rice
Date and location unknown |
Credits:
Photo of Zelda’s house in Phoenix by Norman Mills and Noreen Braun
Photo of Edna and Zelda’s headstones by Barbara Digges of Find a Grave, Sept 5, 2012
All other photos from the personal collection of Virginia Rice Bohn
Find A
Grave
Barbara Digges who took the picture of the two headstones in Phoenix is a member of Find A Grave, (as am also I) an organization of volunteers who register graves both in the USA and throughout the world. In addition, these volunteers take pictures of stones, cemetery plots, etc upon request from persons who are unable to do so. My experience with requesting such photos has been that volunteers such as Barbara have been gracious about doing so, and are very effective. It’s seldom that one needs to wait more than 24 hours before receiving the picture requested.
Barbara Digges who took the picture of the two headstones in Phoenix is a member of Find A Grave, (as am also I) an organization of volunteers who register graves both in the USA and throughout the world. In addition, these volunteers take pictures of stones, cemetery plots, etc upon request from persons who are unable to do so. My experience with requesting such photos has been that volunteers such as Barbara have been gracious about doing so, and are very effective. It’s seldom that one needs to wait more than 24 hours before receiving the picture requested.
Find a
Grave has also become an important source of information for genealogists. Those doing research have begun to include
family information together with information on the graves. There are to this day registered nearly 90
million graves in this program.
I have
begun to do so, although am only at the beginning. Should you want to visit my site try:
