Viola "Vi" Duvall

DUVALL, BAWDEN, HANSMEYER

Posted By: Carol Bawden (email)
Date: 4/2/2007 at 14:41:07

VIOLA “VI” KATHERINE DUVALL b. 7 April 1895 in Beardstown, Cass County, Illinois. Vi was the oldest of 3 daughters of John Frederick “Tom” and Katherine Hansmeyer Duvall.

She attended high school in Taylorville, Illinois and came to Davenport where she lived with family friends and was employed by Abraham’s Ladies’ Ready-to-Wear store downtown until her marriage. Vi became an accomplished seamstress and could smock and tat. She was president of Visiting Nurse Association and active in Republican women’s activities. As a young girl, she also played the piano in a Davenport theater for the silent movies. At 90 years old, she was living in the Davenport home that Ray built for her before their marriage at 161 Forest Road, which was “out in the boonies” at that time.

She married 16 February 1921, George Ray “Ray” Bawden, at her parents’ home in Bennett, Cedar County, Iowa. Ray was the middle son of George Washington and Jennie Eldridge Bawden of Davenport, Scott County, Iowa

Ray was born 27 November 1890 in Muscatine, Muscatine County, Iowa. His parents came to Davenport in 1895 and he attended Davenport schools, then on to University of Wisconsin @ Madison where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta social fraternity. After 2 years of university life, Ray returned to Davenport to work with his brother, Albert in the rapidly-growing Davenport Postcard and Novelty Company - an I & I interurban railroad ticket office in downtown Davenport.

On 18 June 1918, Ray enlisted in the US Army, serving as sergeant in the Quartermaster Corps first with Co. 7 at Camp Meigs, Washington, D.C. Later with Co. 11, at Camp Dodge, Des Moines, Polk Cnty, Iowa. After WWI, brothers Albert Ralph (“A.R.”), Harry Eldridge, and Ray formed Bawden Brothers. Ray served as first office manager and bookkeeper. He died of a heart attack on the couch in his living room after dinner on 13 April 1954. He was president of Bawden Bros. Inc. They were members of First Presbyterian Church in Davenport.

Vi and Ray had 2 sons:

George Ray “Binc” Bawden, Jr., b 7 March 1922 in Davenport.

John Duvall “Tim“ Bawden, b 23 September 1929 in Davenport

Vi died 12 May 1987 in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa, and is buried with Ray in Davenport’s Oakdale Memorial Gardens, Sect 26, lot 96.

Vi’s 2 sisters:
A. Pauline Marie - born June 6, 1899 in Beardstown. She married William Floyd Blair 2 June 1926 in Bennett, Cedar County, Iowa. He was the son of William Preston and Lena Grafing Blair. William was mayor of Bennett for 18 years and president of the school board for 9 years. They owned a hardware store, also. They moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1948, and purchased the Cadillac Motel. William died in 1954 and Pauline in December, 1968 in Colorado Springs. They are buried in Inland Cemetery in Bennett, Iowa.

They had 3 children:

Joan Floyd Blair,

Tom Floyd Blair

William Blair, buried with his parents in Bennett, IA

B. Vi's youngest sister, Henrietta, was born 16 January 1897 in Beardstown. She attended school in Bennett and the Iowa State Teacher’s College (now University of Northern Iowa) in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She moved to Davenport and worked as a salesperson at Abrahams ladies ready-to-wear. She did not marry. She died 6 July 1951 in Davenport and is buried with her parents in Inland Cemetery in Bennett.