Louisa Jane "Lily" Birch ^{1 2 3 4}

   Another name for Louisa was Louisa A. Birch.⁹

   FamilySearch ID: L1HR-NHY.

  Birth Notes:

Although she was cremated per her Washington death certificate, a memorial stone shared with her daughter's dates is in Lake Veiw Cemetery in Seattle with an 1867 birth year for Louise. On the same stone are dates for Louise's mother, Jane Birch. There is a birth record in Gloucester, England for a Louisa Jane Birch in 1867. See https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2X3Z-97Y

  Noted events in her life were:

1. She has conflicting birth information of 3 Dec 1874 and Gloucester, , GLS, ENG. ^{2 7} A curious question is why Lily reported her birth year as 1874 on her 1906 naturalization declaration, and 1875 on a 1913 passport application. Her birth year of 1867 is proven in church records in England and also on a memorial tombstone at her daughter's grave.
In the early 1900s she identifies herself as Lily, but earlier and later in life as Louise.
A possible explanation is she might have wished to change her identity because in the early 1900s there are newspaper articles of lawsuits against her, and John Edmunds Van Ogle, the husband and attorney she divorced at this time?.

2. She has conflicting birth information of 3 Dec 1875 and Gloucester, , GLS, ENG. ³

3. Census in 1881 in Tattenhall, , CHS, ENG. ¹⁰ The 1881 census recorded Loiusa J. Birch, 13, single, scholar, born in Gloucester, living with her mother, Jane Birch, 42, born in Cainscross, Gloucestershire, and "father" Henry Woodley, 82, born in London. Jane operated a boarding school where they also lived at 150 Rock Lane. One of the students in the school was 12-year-old Annie Edmunds, who after her father died in 1875 in Iowa was sent by her mother back to her birthplace to be schooled. Annie's brother John Edmunds in 1884 returned to bring sisters Annie and Susie back to America, and in 1892 he returns to England to marry Lily. Lily and her mother Janeimmigrate to America. in the 1900 census in Seattle, Washington, Lily has left husband John and is living in Annie's household headed by Annie's husband, Frank Beecher Wiestling Jr.

4. She immigrated Emigrated from Liverpool on the ship Adriatic, immigrated at New York on 13 Jul 1893 to New York, New York, NY. ²

5. Newspaper: Tacoma Daily Ledger: Mrs. Birch of Staffordshire, England, has come to Tacoma to reside. She will make her home with her daughter, Mrs. John VanOgle., 14 Jul 1895, Tacoma, Pierce, WA. ¹¹

6. Newspaper: Tacoma Daily Ledger: Real Estate: Louisa J. VanOgle to Jane Birch, lots 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, block 7, Cedar Croft., 30 Jun 1896, Tacoma, Pierce, WA. ¹²

7. Census in 1900 in Seattle, King, WA. ¹³ The 1900 census recorded owning a home at 818 Seventeenth Avenue: Frank Weisling [sic], attorney at law, 35, born Apr 1865, living with wife Annie E., 28, Nov 1872; Dorothy H., 6, Jan 1894; Annie E., 2, Mar 1898; and Lilly Van Ogle, roomer, 28, Dec 1872, married, and her daughter Majorie E. Van Ogle, niece, 6, Jan 1894. Frank and his parents were born in Pennsylvania, and his wife Annie and her parents were born in England. Their children were born in Washington. Lilly, her parents, and her husband were born in England and her daughter in Washington. Lilly immigrated in 1895 and Annie in 1889.

8. She was naturalized on 2 Oct 1906 in Seattle, King, WA. ² Lily Van Ogle filed a Declaration of Intention to become a U.S. citizen...
"I, Lily Van Ogle, aged 32 years, occupation teacher of music, do declare on oath that my personal description is color white, complexion light, height 5 feet 6 inches, weight 138 pounds, color of hair blond, color of eyes gray, other visible marks none; I was born in England on the 3rd day of Dec. anno Domini 1874; I now reside at 818 17th Ave. Seattle Wash., I emigrated to the United States of America from Liverpool on the vessel Adriatic; my last foreign residentce was England. It is my bona fide intention to renouce forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, and particularly to Edward The VII King of Great Britain and Ireland of which I am now a citizen; I arrived at the Port of New York in the state of New York on or about the 13th day of July, anno domini 1893; I am not an anarchist; I am not a plygamist nor a believer in the practice of polygamy; and it is my intention in good faith to become a citizen of the United States of America and to permanently reside therein: So Help Me God.
Lily Van Olge (signature)

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 2nd day of Oct. anno Domini 1906.
Otto A. Case
Clerk of the Superior Court
By Edgar C. Ranie (signature) County Clerk.
.

9. Occupation: teacher of music on 2 Oct 1906 in Seattle, King, WA. ²

10. Residence: 818 Seventeenth Avenue, Seattle, WA on 2 Oct 1906 in Seattle, King, WA. ²

11. U.S. Passport Application on 11 Oct 1913 in Seattle, King, WA. In her 1913 passsport application viewable at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9XQ-P6VP Lily Van Ogle states that she was born at Gloucester, England and that her husband came to America about 42 years ago living in Tacoma & Seattle & Iowa, that he was naturalized as a citizen in King County, Washington, that she was the divorced wife of her husband, that she had resided continuously in the United States from 1893 to 1913 at Tacoma and Seattle, her physical desciprion being 38 years, 5 feet 5 inches, broad forehead, blue eyes, light hair, light complexion, medium nose, mouth and chin. Her application was sworn before her witness, her brother-in-law, F.B. Wiestling. He was an attorney at law and married her sister, Annie, and Lily had lived with them in the 1900 and 1910 census.

12. Cause of Death: Louise died at Maynard Hospital from bronchopneumonia, 21 Apr 1959, Seattle, King, WA. ⁸

13. Occupation: retired University of Washington Assistant Professor of Music on 21 Apr 1959 in Seattle, King, WA. ⁸

14. Residence: 923 14th St. North, Seattle, WA on 21 Apr 1959 in Seattle, King, WA. ⁸

15. Obituary: Seattle Daily Times: obituary of Louise Van Ogle on 22 Apr 1959 in Seattle, King, WA. ⁷ Death Takes Mrs. Louise Van Ogle
(photo of Mrs. Van Ogle)
Mrs. Louise Van Ogle, former concert pianist and assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Music, died yesterday in a hospital. She had been ill several weeks.
Private family services will be held Friday afternoon in the Bonney - Watson chapel. Cremation will follow.
Mrs. Van Ogle was born in Gloucester, England. She studied in England and abroad under such celebrities as Leopold Godowsky, Harold Bauer and Josef Lhevinne.
Career Recalled
Mrs. Van Ogle went to Tacoma in 1893 and came here in 1895. She was a concert pianist and teacher before she joined the university faculty. She taught music and music appreciation on the campus until she retired in 1947.
Mrs. Van Ogle lectured in the West and Midwest and had traveled extensively throughout the world. She collected folk music from almost every county and had much of it recorded.
During her travels, Mrs. Van Ogle attended concerts and operas of the world's leading musicians. Once in Paris she went to hear the concert of a little boy in knee pants, now one of the world's greatest violinists, Jascha Heifetz.
Sibelius Visited
Mrs. Van Ogle was entertained by Jean Sibelius near Helsinki, Finland. She spent the winter of 1913-14 and 1938 in Russia. In all, she crossed the Atlantic 24 times.
Mrs. Van Ogle had been soloist for the Seattle Symphony Orchestra in years past and previewed the concerts for the Sunday Evening Supper Group for 16 years. She was a founder of Pro-Musica, a group which sponsored musical concerts here in earlier days.
The folk music on a radio program on KING, "Music Adventures with Seven-League Boots," has been that of Mrs. Van Ogle. Her voice was used frequently.
Mrs. Van Ogle willed her collection of folk music and books and manuscripts on it to the university. She helped compile the Seattle Public Library's original collection of opera scores, and her own collection has been willed to the library.
Play Translated
Mrs. Van Ogle was fluent in several languages and was commissioned to translate a play "King Christian II" and added the incidental music.
Mrs. Van Ogle was an honorary member of the Sunset Club and the Allied Arts of Seattle. She was a member of the Seattle Art Museum. In recent years she resided at 923 14th Av. N.
Surviving are three nieces, Mrs. C. B. Wattleworth and Mrs. David G. Anderson, both of Seattle, and Mrs. Arthur D. Platt, Portland; a grand-daughter, Mrs. Louise Scruggs Torian, La Grange Park, Ill., and four great-grandchildren. A daughter, Mrs. Thomas Scruggs, died in 1932.

Louisa married John Edmunds Van Ogle, son of John Edmund Piddle and Phebe Ann Barnes, on 21 Mar 1892 in Longton, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom.¹ The marriage ended in divorce. (John Edmunds Van Ogle was born on 23 Mar 1865 in Cainscross, Gloucestershire, England ^{1 14 15}, christened on 16 Apr 1865 in Cainscross, Gloucestershire, England, died on 12 Nov 1933 in Tacoma, Pierce, WA ^{14 15} and was buried in Sumner, Pierce, WA ¹⁴.)