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Hattie Belle Bilyard

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Hattie Belle Bilyard

Birth	:	16 Jan 1887 Hamilton County, Iowa, USA
Death	:	17 Oct 1991 Ames, Story County, Iowa, USA
Burial	:	Oakwood Cemetery, Stratford, Hamilton County, USA
Coordinate	:	42.2942009, -93.9182968
Plot	:	Section H
Description	:	Webster City Daily Freeman Journal January 15, 1990 Another birthday no big deal, even when it's No. 103 Hattie Bilyard is 103 years old today, a fact she doesn't find especially amazing. "I'll tell you how it feels after my birthday," she remarks when asked the standard question about what it's like to be that age. Friends and Neighbors, By Billie Shelton In these 1990s, the norm is large farms and small families, but it was just the opposite in the 1890s — when Hattie, her parents, five sisters and a brother lived on a 40-acre farm near Homer. "And it was a hillside... Read More	Webster City Daily Freeman Journal January 15, 1990 Another birthday no big deal, even when it's No. 103 Hattie Bilyard is 103 years old today, a fact she doesn't find especially amazing. "I'll tell you how it feels after my birthday," she remarks when asked the standard question about what it's like to be that age. Friends and Neighbors, By Billie Shelton In these 1990s, the norm is large farms and small families, but it was just the opposite in the 1890s — when Hattie, her parents, five sisters and a brother lived on a 40-acre farm near Homer. "And it was a hillside farm too," Hattie points out. The children attended country school: First the South Bend School and then the Missouri Bend School when the Bilyard family relocated to a different farm in the area. Hattie says she didn't attend school even through eighth grade, because schools didn't always go that far, and because she and her sisters started to "hire out" in other neighborhood homes, even though "Papa didn't really want us to." She's not sure, but she figures she was probably 13 or 14 years old then. "Hiring out" in those days meant living with a family and doing household chores. "When I first started I was small, so I got $1," Hattie recalls. That's $1 a week for working a six-day week. On Sundays, Hattie and her sisters (who hired out on other farms) were free to go home for a visit, and it sounds as if Hattie was always glad to be with her family again. "The twins (her twin sisters) always got to work together but I had to work alone," she explains. Hattie drove a horse and buggy, borrowed from the farm where she was working, back to the Bilyard farm. Except for one special Sunday, which Hattie still remembers clearly even though she was probably in her late teens at the time: "Mrs. Barr told me that morning to hurry up and get the work done so Mr. Barr could take me home. So I did," she smiles, remembering. "It turns out he had bought a Ford car, one of the first anywhere around. The first car ride I ever had was with Mr. Barr I thought that ride was pretty good!" The ride to Hattie's home was probably 10-15 miles, quite a trip in those days. Hiring out, working in people's homes when they needed assistance — sometimes because of illness or a new baby in the house — was the only career Hattie ever had, even though she says she would have been better out working with the horses." Pay gradually increased to $2 per week, then $3.25, and finally all the way to $4 per week, which is the most she ever received. Hattie never married, and her last job was in 1944. She is a simple, modest woman who never complains, according to her friends, who often stopped by for coffee at the Stratford home where Hattie lived with her two single sisters and her married sister and husband. Hattie, described as "always happy and very kind," has spent her whole life in the Strafford area, but does remember traveling to Illinois and Wisconsin. In generally good health, she goes for meals in the Stratford Care Center dining room daily. Hattie is the last surviving member of her immediate family; her two nieces and a nephew visit their aunt at the nursing home when they can. One niece came from Arizona for Sunday's birthday party at the care center. Hattie, one of Hamilton county's oldest citizens, seems quite unconcerned about her birthday party and even about turning 103, for that matter. But then maybe if we'd lived in a generation that has seen the changes she has — from the first airplane flight by the Wright brothers to man walking on the moon, from crank wall phones to "fax" machines, from women suffragettes winning the right to vote to women winning elections — then a little thing like celebrating more than 100 birthdays wouldn't be any big deal, either. Webster City Daily Freeman Journal October 18, 1991 Hattie Bilyard Hattie Bilyard, 104, Stratford, one residents, died Thursday afternoon, Oct. 17, at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames, where she had been a patient for 11 days. She had been a resident of the Stratford Care Center since 1987. Funeral services will be held Monday, Oct. 14, at 1:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Stratford. Rev. Paul Welander and Kev. James Hill officiating. Burial will be in the Oakwood Cemetery in Stratford. Visitation at the Foster Funeral Home in Webster City will be after 5 p.m. Saturday until 9 a.m. Monday, when the casket will be taken to the church. Harriet Belle Bilyard, daughter of William and Rosina (Darr) Bilyard, was born Jan. 16, 1887, on a farm near Stratford. She attended rural schools in the Stratford area. She did housework for many homes in the Stratford area. She is survived by two nieces and a nephew, Marie Trueblood, Farnhamville; Elaine Russell; Tempe, Ariz.; and Harold Harris, Fort Dodge. She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother and a five sisters. She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Stratford, where she was active in church work.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Hattie Belle Bilyard's memorial?
Hattie Belle Bilyard's memorial is located at: Oakwood Cemetery, Stratford, Hamilton County, USA.
When did Hattie Belle Bilyard death?
Hattie Belle Bilyard death on 17 Oct 1991 in Ames, Story County, Iowa, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Hattie Belle Bilyard's memorial?
Latitude: 42.2942009
Longitude: -93.9182968

Family Members:

Parent

William Bilyard

(1854 - 1937)

Mary Rosina Darr Bilyard

(1859 - 1939)

Siblings

Arthur Willis Bilyard

(1878 - 1934)

Grace Eliza Bilyard Harris

(1879 - 1957)

Clara Mae Bilyard

(1881 - 1962)

Elsie Bilyard Fry

(1890 - 1982)

Elva Bilyard

(1890 - 1967)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Oakwood Cemetery
Stratford, Hamilton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2942009, -93.9182968

2. Hooks Point Cemetery
Hamilton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2944530, -93.9199090

3. Vegors Cemetery
Webster County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3177986, -93.9421997

4. Neese Cemetery
Homer, Hamilton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3250000, -93.8935000

5. Nesse Cemetery
Hamilton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3250008, -93.8933029

6. Hardin Township Cemetery
Hardin Township, Webster County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2411003, -93.9708023

7. McGuire Bend Cemetery
Dayton, Webster County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3410000, -93.9880000

8. South Marion Cemetery
Stratford, Hamilton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2327995, -93.8735962

9. Bass Cemetery
Dayton, Webster County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2966995, -94.0149994

10. Homer Cemetery
Homer, Hamilton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3680992, -93.9088974

11. Hartman Cemetery
Lehigh, Webster County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3666397, -93.9835627

12. Saratoga Cemetery
Stanhope, Hamilton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3539009, -93.8167038

13. Linn Cemetery
Pilot Mound, Boone County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2045330, -93.9970230

14. Ober and Scott Cemetery
Duncombe, Webster County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3841390, -93.9982856

15. Oak Grove Cemetery
Lehigh, Webster County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3438988, -94.0475006

16. Christ the King Catholic Cemetery
Dayton, Webster County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2601929, -94.0727539

17. Lawn Hill Cemetery
Stanhope, Hamilton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2677994, -93.7611008

18. Dayton Cemetery
Dayton, Webster County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2675000, -94.0755000

19. Mineral Ridge Cemetery
Ridgeport, Boone County, USA
Coordinate: 42.1749992, -93.9266968

20. White Cemetery
Boone County, USA
Coordinate: 42.1777992, -93.9636002

21. Blanchard Cemetery
Webster County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4021988, -93.9997025

22. Lake Center Cemetery
Stanhope, Hamilton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2482986, -93.7568970

23. West Lawn Cemetery
Lehigh, Webster County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3616982, -94.0678024

24. Zion Cemetery
Kamrar, Hamilton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3544006, -93.7572021