Dorothy Edna Bruce
Dorothy Edna Bruce
Biography
Dorothy Edna Bruce (1906-2006)
Dorothy Edna Bruce, or "Dotty" for short, was born on 2 March 1906 to Mary Louise Hubbard (1869-1948) and Herbert Kendall Bruce (1867-1960) in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. She had three older sisters: Marjorie Hubbard Bruce (1897-1975), Rachel Story Bruce (1899-1960), and Katherine Louise Bruce (1903-1998).
Dorothy grew up in Fitchburg, Ward 4, Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1910, 4 years after she was born, the census reports her family living at 339 Blossom Street as renters. Her father's occupation at the time was a bookkeeper at a Woolen Mill. Her mother, Mary, did not have an occupation but was able to read and write.
In 1915, when Dorothy was nine years old, Girl Scouts made its way to Fitchburg. Girl Scouts itself had just begun in 1912 in Savannah, Georgia. It was a relatively new concept. Dorothy was a part of the first scouts group in Fitchburg: "Forget-Me-Not" Troop 1. Included in the list of firsts is her sister Majorie as Lieutenant and Rachel as another member of the troop.
Within the next ten years, the 1920 census reports a new living situation for the family. In 1920, the Bruce family moved to Caswell St and, at that time, were the homeowners. Her father also changed occupation from a bookkeeper to a manager at an office. By 1920, Dorothy's sister Majorie
In 1924, on June 25th, at a quarter to eight o'clock, Dorothy graduated from Fitchburg High School. Specifically, she graduated from a College Preparatory course in which she received special honours. Additionally, she wrote the class song: Per Agusta, Ad Agusta, along with one of her classmates. Furthermore, she was featured in the graduation exercises pamphlet for winning the 1910 Prize Essay: "How Schools Help to Make Good Citizens." Unfortunately, her essay is lost to time, but the graduation song still exists and can be accessed through the Fitchburg Historical Society.
After Dorothy graduated from her preparatory course in high school, she went on to higher learning. According to the records from Wellesley College, Dorothy was enrolled from 1924 to 1925. Then, she went on to do a BS at Simmons College. She graduated in 1928 in Secretarial Studies. The yearbook describes Dorothy as "Small and slender, with wavy brown hair and the very nicest smile — that's Dot. She is very sociable, likes the movies, teas, and kittens, especially small, fuzzy grey ones.
In 1930, Dorothy moved to Norwood, Norfolk, Massachusetts. She is listed as a lodger, along with various other people. During this time, she was a secretary at a tannery.
9 June 1934, Dorothy got married. She got married to Frank Mitchell (1908-1994). Frank, otherwise known as Francis Douglas Mitchell, was born in Swampscott, Essex Co., Massachusetts. He was born to Simmons Elmer Mitchell and Margaret Eveline Douglas. His dad was a locomotive fireman and engineer.
Soon after getting married to Frank, Dorothy and her husband had children. From 1937-1941, they welcomed three children into the family. They had a boy and two girls, Bruce, Nancy, and Susan, respectively.
The 1940 census offers us more insight into Dorothy’s life. By the time the census rolled around in 1940, she had both children and her husband living in her household. They were renting in Worcester, Massachusetts, and her husband was an accountant. His income was 2200. Dorothy was not working during this time.
In 1940, another event occurred as well. In 1940, Frank was drafted for war. His draft card gives us more insight into what was happening in their lives. They were living at 6 Autumn Street (which matches with the 1941 directory), their telephone at the time was 3-3318, and he worked at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. The draft card also tells us that he was 5’7", 160 lbs, and had blonde hair and blue eyes.
In 1948, Dorothy’s mother, Mary Louise, passed away. She was 79 years old.
The next time we get hold of Dorothy is from the 1950 census. The census does not offer any more insight than 1940, but between 1940 and 1950, they moved. In 1950, they were reported living in Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts, USA, on Brockton Avenue.
In 1960, Dorothy’s father, Herbert Kendall, passed away. He was 93 years old.
Later on, in 1994, Dorothy’s husband, Frank, passed away. He was 86 years old at the time.
The last accessible record we have of Dorothy is from 2006. In 2006, Dorothy passed away on 15 May. She was 100 years old. Her cause of death was dementia.
Some interesting facts found while searching for Dorothy were her connection to the Mayflower and the ancestors she descended from there.
The book that we tracked Dorothy down in was a poetry book that we tracked another lady on our website: Angie Clara Chapin.
The note found in the book reads as follows: For Dear Miss Chapin with many happy memories and love from Dorothy Bruce, ‘26.
Written also in her handwriting is an address with a date: Penequid Point September, 1927
Along with those two notes is another note: 210 Roland Ave, Baltimore. At this time, it is unclear what both places have in common with anyone mentioned within the book.
The last bit of information taken and linked to another person on booklives is a nameplate with the name: Constance Virginia Carter. Her nameplate is decorated with two lions in the middle with a statement in Latin: Virtus Vera Nobilitas meaning "Virtue is true nobility."
1942 Record Number of the Wellesley College Bulletin. Accessed through the Wellesley College Digital Repository. Accessed 3 November 2023.
"Archival Record 2015.169.013 ‘program.’" Accessed through the Fitchburg Historical Society. Accessed 13 November 2023.
Blake, Simone. "A History of Girl Scouting in Fitchburg." December 1982. Accessed through the Fitchburg Historical Society. Accessed 13 November 2023.
"BRUCE, Dorothy Edna (57499)." Accessed on Nova Scotia Roots. Accessed 31 October 2023.
"Dorothy E Bruce in the 1920 United States Federal Census." Accessed on Ancestry.ca. Accessed 1 November 2023.
Dorthy E Bruce in the 1910 United States Federal Census. Accessed on Ancestry.ca. Accessed 1 November 2023.
"Dorothy Edna Bruce - Facts."Accessed on Ancestry.ca. Accessed 1 November 2023.
"Dorthy B Mitchell in the 1950 United States Federal Census." Accessed on Ancestry.ca. Accessed on 1 November 2023.
"Dorothy B Mitchell in the U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995." Accessed on Ancestry.ca. Accessed on 2 November 2023.
"Dorothy B Mitchell in the Vermont, U.S., Death Records, 1909-2008." Accessed on Ancestry.ca. Accessed 10 November 2023.
"Dorothy Mitchell in the 1940 United States Federal Census." Accessed on Ancestry.ca. Accessed 1 November 2023.
"Francis Douglas Mitchell - Facts." Accessed on Ancestry.ca. Accessed 1 November 2023.
"Frank Douglas Mitchell in the U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947." Accessed on Ancestry.ca. Accessed 3 November 2023.
"Herbert Kendall Bruce - Facts." Accessed on Ancestry.ca. Accessed 1 November 2023.
"Mary Louise Hubbard - Facts." Accessed on Ancestry.ca. Accessed 1 November 2023.
"Miss Dorothy Bruce in the U.S., Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index, 1800s-current." Accessed on Ancestry.ca. Accessed 1 November 2023.
"MITCHELL, Bruce D. (57500)." Accessed on Nova Scotia Roots. Accessed on 31 October 2023.
"MITCHELL, Francis D. (57498)." Accessed on Nova Scotia Roots. Accessed 31 October 2023.
"MITCHELL, Nancy M. (57501)." Accessed on Nova Scotia Roots. Accessed 31 October 2023.
"MITCHELL, Susan P. (57502)." Accessed on Nova Scotia Roots. Accessed 31 October 2023.
Simmons College (Boston, Mass.)--Yearbooks 1928. Accessed through the Simmons College Archives and Special Collections. Accessed on 9 November 2023.
The Wellesley Legenda 1924. Accessed through the Wellesley College Digital Repository. Accessed on 29 October 2023.
The Wellesley Legenda 1928. Accessed through the Wellesley College Digital Repository. Accessed on 29 October 2023.
"United States. Census 1930 | Massachusetts. Census 1930." Accessed on Family Search. Accessed 31 October 2023. Page 724.
Special thanks to the Fitchburg Historical Society for allowing me to access their archives.
With special assistance from Elias A. Reed.
