A Fire, A Hero, a Little Girl Saved....

 My grandaunt on my paternal grandmother's side was Mary Kathlaleena Hendricks (1908-1976). In January, 1972, Mary wrote a "Family record"- typed it out on a typewriter and I'm assuming gave copies to her children and other family members. This text is several pages long, but there is one excerpt that really spoke to me as a genealogist. 

The script reads: 

"Well, more sadness. A family next door to us house caught fire and Mother was ready to have another child. We lived so closet to them, just think about this, every able man, woman and child in our town of Jeffersonville, Indiana, came in and saved our possessions. Everybody around a one mile area was at that fire. The neighbors that lived in the house that burned up was named Baldwin. The flames were so high, everyone in seeing distance could see it. They had three boys and one daughter. She was asleep, taking a nap, and her coward father wasn't making an effort to rescue her. Our dad, bless his heart, told that coward to get back and away. He rolled up his sleeves and opened his shirt and went through the flaming house and rescued the little girl. That's the kind of man our Dad was, he loved everybody".

So, as a genealogist, I wanted to know more about this Baldwin family and this little girl whom my great-grandfather rescued. Because of the text before this story, I was able to pinpoint the fire around or just after 1920. 

In the 1920 U.S. Census, Isaac (36 years) and Myrtle (35) Hendricks (my great grandparents) lived at 621 Broadway in Jeffersonville, Indiana. They live in their rented home with their 2 sons and 3 daughters: Harry (17), Ida (12), Mary (11), Catherine (6) and Claude (2 1/2)..  

Next door, at 623 Broadway lived Frank Baldwin (50), his wife Laura (45) and their 4 sons and one daughter: Edward (10), Franklin (9), Joseph (6), Ormand (5) and Mary R (2 1/2). . 

Here's what I found about the Baldwin Family:

Frank Baldwin was born on 22 April 1868 in Indiana and died at the age of 79 on 23 Mar 1948 in Kentucky. In 1903, Frank married Laura Katherine Metz. Laura was born on 17 Aug 1875 in Clark County, Indiana and died at the age of 59 on 11 September 1934 in Jeffersonville, Indiana. 

On Findagrave.com, Frank and Laura have 3 children listed: 

Edward H. Baldwin (1909-1973), David Franklin (1911-1978) & Mary Rose Baldwin Bishop (1917-1993). 

Now, Mary is the little one that my great-grandfather rescued from the fire. 

Mary Rose Baldwin was born on 14 May 1917 in Jeffersonville, Indiana and died at the age of 75 on 06 March 1993 in Jefferson County, Kentucky. 

Although I did find the small information of Mary's birth, death and married name, I couldn't find an actual marriage record or her husband and/or any possible children information. However, It's good to know that she lived until the age of 75.