Bruce Garver wrote the following "bio" of Laura M. (Hefner) Dennis (1874-1937) on October 11, 2021 and would appreciate receiving suggestions for its improvement. Bruce is a fifth cousin to Dennis Irvin Knox, a great-grandson of America Amanda (Kiger) Dennis, the sister of Martha Ann "Mollie" (Kiger) Dennis, who is the mother of Lawson E. Dennis. Dennis irvin Knox and Bruce Garver are fifth great-grandsons of Samuel Garver, Sr. (September 17, 1767, to September 19, 1839) and Anna Elizabeth "Elizabeth" (Troutman) Garver (August 15, 1764, to April 15, 1836).
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Laura M. Hefner was born on May 29, 1874, at Saunders in Valley County, Nebraska, to Thomas Jefferson Hefner (1829-1877) & Ophelia (Hays) Hefner Emmett (1844-1923) who had wed during the year 1861 and had earlier raised an older daughter, Elizabeth G. Hefner (Turpin, 1864–1940) who wed James A. Turpin (1854–1891) with whom she raised a daughter and two sons.
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THE MARRIAGE & TEN CHILDREN OF LAWSON E. DENNIS & LAURA M. HEFNER DENNIS: In 1891, Laura M. Hefner (Dennis, 1874-1937) wed Lawson E. Dennis, the eldest of the three sons of Martha Ann "Mollie" (Kiger) Dennis (1850-1931) and Thomas A. Dennis (1848-1928), a Civil War veteran of the 94th Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry within the U. S. Army. Together Laura M. (Hefner) Dennis and Lawson A. Dennis raised seven sons and three daughters whose ten Find a Grave Memorials are linked below to each other and to those of their parents and, where applicable, to those of spouses and children. In their order of birth, Laura's and Lawson's ten children are:
(1) Sherman Luman Dennis (1891–1956) never wed;
(2) James G. Dennis (1894–1950) in 1920 wed Helen Jasper Dennis (1902–1980) with whom he raised four children;
(3) Earl Dennis (1896–1897) died in infancy;
(4) Pyrle Lee Dennis (1898–1933) wed Alice Mary (Healy) Dennis Brown (1897–1985) with whom he raised two daughters;
(5) Charles Russell Dennis (1900–1962) in 1921 wed Callie Elizabeth (Pope) Dennis (1893–1982) and had no children;
(6) Lillian Josephine Dennis (1905–1906) died in infancy;
(7) Harry Clifford Dennis (1907–1950) wed Anne E. (Schneider0 Dennis (1909–2003) and had no children;
(8) Daisy Dean Dennis Rich (1911–1939) in 1929 wed Everett Edwin Rich (1910–1967) with whom she raised one daughter;
(9) Lela Gertrude Dennis Sorenson (1916–1994) wed Roy Anton Sorenson (1912–1985) and had no children; and
(10) Thomas Jefferson Dennis (1918–1966) wed Helen (Gillam) Dennis with whom he raised four children.
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DEATH & INTERMENT: Laura M. (Hefner) Dennis died on March 4, 1937, at Normal in McLean County, Illinois, and was interred at nearby Towanda, McLean County, in Pennell Cemetery, Row 14, near the grave of her husband, Lawton A. Dennis, who had died on September 18, 1923, at the age of fifty-three, and was interred in Row 12 of Pennell Cemetery.
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Before composing the above "bio" on October 11, 2021, Bruce Garver attached the following document to this Memorial for Laura M. (Hefner) Dennis:
From the "Illinois, U.S., Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947":
Name: Laura M Dennis [Laura M Hefner]
Spouse : L E Dennis (Lawson E. Dennis)
Mother: Hefner (Ophelia (Hays) Dennis Emmett)
Father Thomas Jefferson Hefner
Birth: 29 May 1874 Nebraska
Death: 4 Mar 1937 Normal, McLean, Illinois
Residence: Normal, Normal Twp., McLean, Ill.