Bernal Guild

Biography

Timeline

1. An 1898 snowstorm and shortly afterward

   Olive seeks shelter for her children

   Olive first arrived with three younger children; Florence and Edith appeared when she moved in. Dan offered shelter in exchange for cooking and keeping house.

   History of the Guild Family

2. 1901; also described as only a few months before Clarence’s 1902 birth

   Death of Newton and Bernal’s inheritance

   Bernal used his inheritance to buy a fine horse and a new Colt .45 revolver.

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3. when he died

   Newton’s estate passes to his children

   The size and details of the estate are unknown.

   History of the Guild Family

4. After Newton’s death in 1901, at age 21

   Bernal becomes a traveling sewing-machine salesman

   Left the farm unmarried to sell Singer Sewing Machines on credit and collect installments. Met Belle while returning to collect her mother’s payments.

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5. date not given

   Birth of Bernal Almond

   History of the Guild Family

6. after receiving his inheritance

   Bernal sets out as a traveling salesman

   Used his portion of Newton’s estate to set out on his own.

   History of the Guild Family

7. Before Dan married

   Dan and Bernal work a rented farm

   Grew feed corn and ninety-day russet potatoes for sale or barter and kept chickens, pigs, and a milkin’ cow.

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8. After Dan lost the property; before the 1921 move

   Floyd stays with Uncle Bernie and Belle

   Floyd learned horse care and joking from his favorite uncle.

   History of the Guild Family

Stories mentioning Bernal

• Carrie’s Roots and a Treasured Lock of Red HairThe family traces Carrie’s Fairbanks ancestry and Newton’s Guild ancestry, notes the neighboring family grave sections near Dedham’s old St. Paul Church, and recounts Carrie’s birth, marriage, children and death. A lock of her red hair passed from Belle to Barbara Guild Miller. Floyd was born after both grandparents had died.
• Inventive Hands and the Fortunes of an InheritanceNewton’s mills, repair shop, patents and royalties illustrate what the family calls the Guild tinkering trait. The account also credits Thaddeus Fairbanks and Mr. Morse with scale and engine innovations. After Newton’s death, Dan supported his family with his inheritance, Bernal became a traveling salesman, and Frank Beckman lost most of Adah’s share in a failed furniture store venture.
• A Family Resemblance RememberedFamily stories said Newton passed an underdeveloped ear and cheek to Adah, who was proud of the resemblance; similar transmission was believed to involve Floyd’s children and Bernal’s son. The passage identifies the condition as Hemifacial Microsomia, gives an occurrence rate of about one in 5,600 births, and asserts that the family’s repeated occurrences were chance rather than genetic inheritance.
• A Snowstorm, an Open Door, and a Growing FamilyDrawing partly on Floyd’s accounts, the family recounts Dan and Bernal’s rented farm and Olive’s desperate appeal after Clarence Vosburg’s accidental death. Dan offered shelter in exchange for cooking and housekeeping, initially unaware of her two oldest daughters. Olive and Dan married in 1899 and had five children, two of whom died young. The account also recalls Carrie’s devout household and Bernal’s departure after Newton’s death to sell sewing machines, including his meeting with Belle Woodley.
• Olive and Clarence's Farm Years and a Sudden LossAfter marrying in St. Mathias, Olive and Clarence Vosburg traveled on horseback to a North Dakota farm, raised five children, and returned to Minnesota in 1898. In summer 1899, Clarence was crushed by a boulder while clearing a field. Myrtle's account, relayed by Orville, attributes the accident to a broken wedge pole and rejects other reported causes. Olive was left with five children.
• From the Old Farm to a New Start in MolineFamily memories follow Dan and Olive on the Falk property, the mysterious driveway inscription, Myrtle's minnow sales, and Bessie's diphtheria quarantine and marriage. After Dan lost the property, Clarence moved to Bessie's home and Floyd stayed with Uncle Bernie, learning horse care and practical jokes. Gus Falk helped Floyd move to Moline and find work in 1921. Relatives admired his success, and visits and reunions continued through his parents' later years. The passage preserves contradictory dates in Olive's calendar account and the boys' refusal to admit writing the inscription.
• Sophrona's Children and the Love That Helped Edith HealAdah Sophrona Guild Beckman died of tuberculosis at 38, leaving eight surviving children after Samuel's fatal poisoning at two. Her widower Frank married Clara, who severely abused little Edith and was imprisoned after Frank discovered the abuse. The family concealed the imprisonment with a brain-tumor story. Frank later married Mary, whose love helped Edith recover. Edith became a tender mother, and her daughter Gerri supplied details. The account also recalls Adah's lost inheritance and Frank's later Wabedo Lake resort.

Referenced in

• History of the Guild Family
• History of the Guild Family — CARRIE FAIRBANKS
• History of the Guild Family — DAN AND OLIVE
• History of the Guild Family — THE SAW MILL