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Bertie “Birdie” Britton

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Bertie “Birdie” Britton

Birth
Dallas County, Texas, USA
Death
16 Jan 1897 (aged 13–14)
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas, USA
Burial
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
View Source
Victim of fire in boys dormitory of Buckner's Orphans Home.

Daughter of Sallie Britton (Matron of Orphan's Home)

Sister of Sadie Britton and twins, Martin and Milton Britton.

Lived to age 13 years.
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The Evening Times (Washington, D.C.) January 16, 1897 page 1
Dallas, Tex., Jan. 16.—Buckener's Orphans' Home, located in the suburbs of this city, was destroyed by fire shortly after midnight this morning. Five boys perished in the flames and several were seriously burned. The dead are:
Carlos Jones.
Birdie Britton.
Milton Britton.
Martin Britton.
And an unknown child.
Mrs. Britton, the matron, had been in bed a short time when she smelled smoke and immediately raised the alarm, and runners were sent to all the rooms to alarm the children and get them out of the building.
After seeing a large percentage of the children had been removed from the building, and that others would be out in a few moments, she suddenly remembered her own children, and running to her room endeavored to rescue them.
She was too late, however. The fire had already entered her own room, and, although she fought the flames with desperate zeal, she was compelled to retreat with the affrightened cries of her children ringing in her ears.
Owing to the confusion, particulars of the fire are hard to obtain. It is believed the fire was the result of carelessness. Just before retiring for the night Matron Britton ordered one of the larger boys in the institution to prepare a fire in a stove beneath her room, to be kindled in the morning. The boy reported that he had arranged the fire all right, but it is suspected that hot ashes were dropped on the floor, setting fire to the woodwork. Before the fire apparatus from this city could reach the scene the building, with its contents was entirely destroyed. The loss of property is estimated at about $15,000.
Contributor: Loretta Castaldi (47472615) • [email protected]
==========================
Children in Orphanage are Cremated.
Dallas, Tex., Jan. 16--Sixteen little girls and boys are dead as a result of last night's fire at the Buckner Orphan Home, and nine others are seriously burned and crushed. Three of the injured, it is thought, cannot recover. The awfulness of the holocaust was not fully realized till today. The fire, which commenced about 10 o'clock Friday night and raged until the boys' dormitory was destroyed, did not cool enough for search for bodies in the ashes until early this morning. At that time it was thought only five children had been burned to death. When the ashes had cooled enough to admit of a search, scores of sympathizing friends and neighbors began the sad task of finding the bodies of the five, whom it was known had perished. The search had hardly been instituted when the terrible truth that there were more than five bodies in ashes appeared. The search continued until dawn, when fifteen bodies had been found.
--The Chaffee County Republican (Buena Vista, CO) Jan. 20, 1897
Victim of fire in boys dormitory of Buckner's Orphans Home.

Daughter of Sallie Britton (Matron of Orphan's Home)

Sister of Sadie Britton and twins, Martin and Milton Britton.

Lived to age 13 years.
==========================================================================
The Evening Times (Washington, D.C.) January 16, 1897 page 1
Dallas, Tex., Jan. 16.—Buckener's Orphans' Home, located in the suburbs of this city, was destroyed by fire shortly after midnight this morning. Five boys perished in the flames and several were seriously burned. The dead are:
Carlos Jones.
Birdie Britton.
Milton Britton.
Martin Britton.
And an unknown child.
Mrs. Britton, the matron, had been in bed a short time when she smelled smoke and immediately raised the alarm, and runners were sent to all the rooms to alarm the children and get them out of the building.
After seeing a large percentage of the children had been removed from the building, and that others would be out in a few moments, she suddenly remembered her own children, and running to her room endeavored to rescue them.
She was too late, however. The fire had already entered her own room, and, although she fought the flames with desperate zeal, she was compelled to retreat with the affrightened cries of her children ringing in her ears.
Owing to the confusion, particulars of the fire are hard to obtain. It is believed the fire was the result of carelessness. Just before retiring for the night Matron Britton ordered one of the larger boys in the institution to prepare a fire in a stove beneath her room, to be kindled in the morning. The boy reported that he had arranged the fire all right, but it is suspected that hot ashes were dropped on the floor, setting fire to the woodwork. Before the fire apparatus from this city could reach the scene the building, with its contents was entirely destroyed. The loss of property is estimated at about $15,000.
Contributor: Loretta Castaldi (47472615) • [email protected]
==========================
Children in Orphanage are Cremated.
Dallas, Tex., Jan. 16--Sixteen little girls and boys are dead as a result of last night's fire at the Buckner Orphan Home, and nine others are seriously burned and crushed. Three of the injured, it is thought, cannot recover. The awfulness of the holocaust was not fully realized till today. The fire, which commenced about 10 o'clock Friday night and raged until the boys' dormitory was destroyed, did not cool enough for search for bodies in the ashes until early this morning. At that time it was thought only five children had been burned to death. When the ashes had cooled enough to admit of a search, scores of sympathizing friends and neighbors began the sad task of finding the bodies of the five, whom it was known had perished. The search had hardly been instituted when the terrible truth that there were more than five bodies in ashes appeared. The search continued until dawn, when fifteen bodies had been found.
--The Chaffee County Republican (Buena Vista, CO) Jan. 20, 1897


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