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Blog Entry 65 of 126 Gladys Mercier, Arvada.
I like living in Arvada.I am a member of Trinity Baptist Church and have many good friends there.I lived in the same house in Denver until I married, so as you can see, I am a native.My husband and I adopted 2 Korean sons who are now adults, 1 is a State Patrol Sgt., the other is an upholsterer. My husband died Sept.1st,2005. My family is a real blessing to me.I will probably write most about them, especially my great grandchildren (3)

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~happy

It would have been great to have a twin sister.

Contributed by: Gladys Mercier   on 4/20/2007

When the Denver Seminary dedicated their chapel to my mother, Hazel Simpson, the dean said that when God needs someone special, sometimes He starts 100 years back with a mother.

My mother raised 8 of us by herself when my dad left.

Mom had already had a difficult life, being put in an orphanage when just a child and then adopted by a family in Fleming, Co that allegedly only adopted her to make her help with the work on the farm, the cooking and cleaning, etc.

She eventually ran away and went to another farm in Fleming where she was hired by a kind family named Marks where she worked until she came to Denver when she was about 19.

In Denver, she met my father and married him. Big mistake. He was controlling and abusive but they had 8 children before she was able to have an arrest warrant against him so that he could not return. He never gave her any financial support.

When I was born in 1930, I had a twin sister. She died soon after birth and was buried the next day. I never was able to find where she was buried except that she was in what was called the " potters field" at Riverside Cemetary because there was no money for a grave or a marker.

Riverside Cemetary has been in the news lately because of the neglect of the place. It was bought by Fairmount but they no longer take care of it.
Riverside is Denver's oldest Cemetary and some famous Denver pioneers are buried there

I went to Riverside the other day to take some pictures and see how much it had gone down hill and I was sad. There is hardly any grass left and some headstones are overturned.

There are also some very elegant headstones there, a beautiful white horse, a small house, crosses, angels and others. I felt as if I was walking in Denver's past.

I almost didn't even ask about my sister's grave but a freight train was blocking my way out so I went to the small office which was locked ,but a very nice man saw me and let me in. I asked about how long the train was going to be there and he said sometimes it is 20 minutes to a half hour and there is no other way out!

Well, just off hand, I asked him if he had any records from Sept 11 or 12th, 1930, really expecting him to say no but he said he would look! Wow, he came up with a record of a Baby Simpson, buried Sept 12th, 1930.

I was very excited. He showed me the block number and right about where she would be. There was no marker but I feel as if I have found her after all these years.

Mom never wanted to talk about her death and I understood how painful it was for her so I didn't know much except that she had died soon after birth.
My twin sister is buried in the " potters field". That brings tears to my eyes but I know her soul is with the Lord.

How wonderful it would have been to grow up with her.


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Submitted By: Ann Himel
posted on 5/16/2007 @ 10:05:53 PM
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Oh, Gladys. Your sister is with you, and I believe always has been. I believe she, too, sent the train to block your way. Congratulations. Don't ever stop writing. You have a gift of sharing that brings us all so much closer to one another. Bless you.
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Submitted By: Kim Price
posted on 5/3/2007 @ 12:57:00 PM
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Gladys - what an amazing life you have led. I live just 25 miles from Fleming Colorado and was surprised to hear about what happened to your mom, knowing as I do how warm and hospitable most farming families out here are.
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Submitted By: Brendan Leonard
posted on 5/1/2007 @ 1:27:48 PM
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Great blog, Gladys.
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Submitted By: Gladys Mercier
posted on 4/27/2007 @ 10:57:25 PM
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Yes, that was truly a miracle that the train blocked me.
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Submitted By: Stan Dyer
posted on 4/27/2007 @ 7:29:25 AM
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You would have just driven away. God sent that train to compel you to visit the sister no one goes to visit.
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Submitted By: Charmaine Robledo
posted on 4/24/2007 @ 3:18:25 PM
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I agree with Bill. Gladys, I would love to read more about your family's history and your life growing up here.
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Submitted By: Karin Malchow
posted on 4/23/2007 @ 9:37:31 AM
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I had a brother (not a twin) who died soon after birth. The hospital was doing research on premature infant development and gently asked my mother if she would contribute his body. It was hard for her and some family members disapproved. Years later, I had a preemie and I thought of my mother and my brother adding to the medical knowledge that saved my son and many other babies.
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Submitted By: William Boucher
posted on 4/22/2007 @ 12:23:38 PM
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Your family's story would make a great book (and movie).
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Submitted By: Gladys Mercier
posted on 4/21/2007 @ 6:24:28 PM
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Barbara, I only intended to write about finding my sister's grave but got carried away. I will break it down better soon. Thanks for reading it.
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Submitted By: Barbara Neff
posted on 4/21/2007 @ 2:33:52 PM
Rated Blog Entry
Gladys, you packed so much into this blog I read it twice. Your mother's life story, the story of orphans in the early 1900's, the story of your sister, the state of Riverside Cementary--each worthy of close examination. I hope you'll tell more of these topics. Great blog.
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Showing 1-10 of 10 comments
CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Gladys Mercier

Arvada , CO

Gladys Mercier has posted 126 blog entries and 968 comments since joining on 12/9/2005. Gladys Mercier 's average blog rating is 4.99.
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