Mervin Warren Gilliland 1938-1939

GILLILAND, SMITH, ESSER, NAMER

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 3/12/2011 at 16:55:20

Baby Fatally Burned in Waterloo Blaze
Waterloo – Mervin Warren Gilliland, 9 months old son of Mr. and Mrs. Warren Gilliland, burned to death when fire destroyed the family’s small temporary home. Mrs. Gilliland, who had been working in the garden, noticed the flames too late to save her baby’s life. She cut her arms trying to crawl through a broken window into the house. (Mason City Globe-Gazette, Mason City, IA, June 15, 1939)

Cylinder Woman’s Grandchild Burns
Mervin Warren Gilliland, nine-months-old grandson of the former Miss Eileen Smith who attended the Cylinder school two years ago, was burned to death Wednesday of last week when the temporary home of his parents at Waterloo was destroyed by fire. Mrs. Esser, in company with Mr. and Mrs. Joe Namer of Emmetsburg, attended the funeral services, which were held at Estherville Friday.

The mother had left the child asleep in bed and had gone out to work in the family garden. She heard a crackling noise and turned to see the home in flames. She rushed to the window of the bedroom where the child was sleeping, broke the glass in a frantic attempt to save the baby, but was severely burned and driven back before she could reach the child. The father, who was at work at a factory at the time of the tragedy, had built the temporary home a short time ago to house the family until a new and permanent home could be completed. (Reporter, Emmetsburg, IA, June 22, 1939)