This past weekend LaDonna and I took opportunity for a get-away to Springfield, to see a minor league baseball game and visit Mom, Matt & Brandy. We also took a brief side trip to Hartville, MO. It was my plan to visit some gravesites of family members from the Bear side of my heritage. Sites in particular we were looking for included Grandpa Bears parents, Samuel & Sabrina Bear, his first wife Lula Belle, who died in childbirth, and a sister of Mom's, Mary Coleen Bear who died from a ruptured appendix. (so I was told). It was an interesting trip. We found all the gravesites except for Sabrina Bear. Stumbling around in the cemetery we came upon several graves of men who had fought in the Civil War and lived. There was also a memorial for CSA (confederate states of America) soldiers who had fought and died in the Battle of Hartville. (Jan 1863)
With all of this as "prelude" I would like to share with you some background about Fritz Earnest Bear, my Grandpa. He was born November 16, 1892 in Garden City, Kansas and died October 6, 1964. The information I share with you comes from an article written by Veda Rowe, his daughter, my Aunt, contained in a genealogical packet of information I received from my Mom.
Fritz Earnest Bear moved to Hartville in 1907 with his parents, Samuel and Sabrina Glasscock Bear, one brother Frank and two sisters Mable and Blanche. He played on the high school basketball team in Hartville. At one time he was a catcher on the flying trapeze for a circus.
He was a member and director of the Hartville Concert band playing the trumpet and trombone. On Saturday nights they would perform in concerts around the courthouse. In 1916 he married Lou Champion. They had a son Richard, a daughter Kathleen, another son Sammie Paul who died at two years of age and a fourth child who died with mother Lou at childbirth. In 1927 he met and married Bertha Stephens. He was Editor of the Hartville Democrat from the late 20's to the early 30's. He then spent several years in the newspaper business in Mansfield, Marshfield, Lockwood, Golden City, Branson and Crane. The family, then consisting of six new additions; Betty, Rita, Anita, Fritz Jr. and Veda (Mary Coleen died in Hartville 1938) moved to Springfield in the early 1940's, where Fritz worked as a printer for Elkin-Sawyers for 21 years.
He passed away at the age of 72 in October 1964. He loved fishing, camping, listening to marching band music, playing card games, cribbage, smoking cigars, playing jokes on people and his children and was very witty. He also made up his own crossword dictionary.
In future blog posts I'll try to share more with you about Grandpa Bear and the Bear family. Oh yeah, the name "Fritz-toe" comes from my brother Gregg. On a trip to Missouri Grandpa's friends were calling him Fritz. Gregg thought it sounded a lot like Frito corn chips so started calling Grandpa, "Fritz-toe". -30-
