Sometimes we come across materials in a timely fashion.  Yesterday our volunteer Doug found this memorial card in a scrapbook (2011.065.0058) he was cataloging and noticed that today would mark the 113th anniversary of Maud’s untimely death.  We attempted to do a little digging into Maud’s story and didn’t come up with much.  She is buried in the City View Cemetery in Salem.  The 1893 City Directory lists a John Kitchen residing at 455 High Street.  Since the 1893 directory does not seem to consistently name spouses, it is possible this might be her spouse.  Since she had such a short life, she would have only been enumerated in two federal censuses, 1880 and 1890.  Unfortunately for us, the 1890 census was destroyed in a fire.  She doesn’t show up in the 1880 Census, but if Kitchen were her married name, that would make sense.

Luckily for us, Marion County conducted a census in 1895 and we have a transcription in our research library.  Maud appears with a husband named John Kitchen and two little girls.

Kitchen
John — born in Michigan, 6’3″ tall, 145lbs., light complexion, Nurseryman, Protestant, Voter, Male, 29.
Maud — born in Oregon, 5’2″ tall, 125lbs., light complexion, housekeeper, Protestant,       female, 22.
Vera — born Oregon, 3′ tall, 44lbs., light complexion, female, 2.
Verda– born Oregon, 1’4″, 16lbs., Light complexion, female, 1.

The family is hard to find after this initial installment.  The next City Directory we have in the archives (1905) doesn’t list any Kitchens living in Salem.  The 1905 Marion County Census, lists Vera, now 12, living with a Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Reed.  A quick look back through the 1905 City Directory, shows John C. Reed, a sawyer at the Capital Lumber Company, living at 452 High St.

A quick search on the Oregon Historic Newspapers Database and we find Maud’s Obituary.  It reads:

Died

Kitchen == In this city, after a short illness, at midnight, Thursday night, July 13, 1899, Mrs. Maud Kitchen, aged about 30 years.  Cause, rupture of an abcess

[sic].

  The deceased was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Al Reed, who reside near this city.  She leaves two small children.

A few more newspaper references round out what we know about Maud Reed Kitchen.  She married John Kitchen at her parent’s house at 445 High Street on April 8, 1891.  She was 18 at the time (he was 26).