Sussex County-Portsmouth City Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Baldwin, Carolyn M., 1946 

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Baby Dies In Fire When House Burns At Rushmere 
  * * * 

Carolyn Baldwin, 15-Months Old, 
  Perishes During Visit With Parents to Relatives. 

  Carolyn Baldwin, 15-months old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Baldwin of 
503 Norman Street, Portsmouth, was burned to death Friday about 4:30 PM (EST) 
in a fire which completely destroyed a two-story, five-room frame house in 
Rushmere, seven miles from Smithfield on the Smithfield-Surry Highway. 

  The entire contents of the house, furniture, clothing, etc. were also 
destroyed. 

  According to Ashby Bowden, only other occupant of the house at the time of 
the fire, all other adults were out of the house, his wife had prepared supper 
and gone to the nearby resort of Burwell's Bay to bring home Mr. and Mrs. 
Baldwin, their four-year-old son and Bowden's two children, who had been 
swimming. 

  Bowden himself narrowly escaped being trapped in the flames.  He said he was 
awakened by smoke and had to jump to safety from a second-story window.  With 
aid of a neighbor he got a ladder and attempted to rescue the child trapped in 
another upstairs bedroom but the flames were too intense, he said.  Searchers 
were able to find only the child's teeth and a few bones in the ruins. 

  Bowden said the fire appeared to have started in the kitchen.  The house 
belongs to Mrs. Ethel Baldwin of 503 Norman Street, Portsmouth.  The 
Smithfield Volunteer Fire Department responded but the structure was too far 
gone to save.  The firefighters did prevent the blaze from spreading to nearby 
residences. 

  The Baldwins were visiting Mr. and Mrs. Ashby Bowden who occupied the house. 
Mrs. Bowden is Mr. Baldwin's sister.  Funeral services for the victim were 
held at the grave in the Methodist Church Cemetery at Wakefield Sunday 
afternoon at 3 P M with the Rev. L.F. Paulette officiating.  There were many 
beautiful floral offerings and a large number of people attended the services. 

  Mrs. Baldwin, mother of the child, was the former Miss Katherine Edwards of 
Wakefield. 

  Traylor Funeral Home of Wakefield was in charge. 

  Mr. and Mrs. Ashby Bowden and children lost everything they owned in 
furniture and clothing when the home burned.  The children's ages are a girl 
Shirley, 7, and John Ashby Jr., 3.  Gifts of any kind from the public will be 
highly appreciated by the family who are temporarily making their home with 
Mrs. Bowden's mother at Box 181, RFD 4, Suffolk, Va. near Kings Fork 
Schoolhouse. 

  The family is very anxious to find a house of some kind that they can rent 
in Isle of Wight County as Shirley enters school this fall and it is desired 
that she attend the Smithfield School. 


Carolyn Maxine BALDWIN, daughter of John W. & Kathryn M. (EDWARDS) BALDWIN, 
b. 28 May 1945, Portsmouth, 
killed in fire 16 Aug 1946, at aunt's home, Rushmere, 
interred in Wakefield Cemetery*, 20 Sep 1956, 
"Smithfield (VA) Times," Aug. 21, 1946, p. 1, col. 1 

*Wakefield list, an extension of the 
   Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/sussex/cemeteries/wakefd.txt 

Find a Grave Mem. #127407051 

Her father is also buried there.  His obit ("Richmond 
   Times-Dispatch," Sep. 20, 1956, p. 8) is posted at: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/sussex/obits/b435j1ob.txt 

Her mother 2m. Richard T. SLADE.  They are also buried there. 
   Her obit (Purviance Funeral Home, 1983) is posted at: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/sussex/obits/s430k2ob.txt 

Her aunt Mary Leslie (Mrs. Jno. Ashby) BOWDEN is buried in St. Luke's 
   Memorial Park.  Isle of Wight County Historical Society {IWCHS} 
   Grave Site Survey Task Force {GSSTF} report #18: 
   http://www.iwchs.com/Cemetery-Reports.html 


Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by 
Mrs. Bruce Saunders (bs4403@verizon.net), 
and re-formatted by File Manager. 

file at: 
http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/sussex/obits/b435c1ob.txt