Blanche L. HINKLEY

   Cause of her death was Heart failure due to hypertension..⁷

  General Notes:

OBITUARY from Britton, South Dakota newspaper:
Graveside Services Held for Former Britton Lady
Graveside services were held at the Britton cemetery Tuesday for Blanche Hinkley Whitney, who died Saturday, July 28 at Albert Lea, Minn. Wynn Ward performed the services.
Blanche Hinkley was born to Harriet and Gus Hinkley at Brown's Valley, Minn., June 11, 1882. She was united in marriage to Oliver Whitney in 1907, who preceded her in death.
Mrs. Whitney moved to Britton with her parents about 1899 and resided here and other points in the Dakotas until 1931, when she moved to Minnesota. She had resided at Albert Lea for the past five years.
She leaves to mourn her passing an only son, Henry Oliver, a grandson, Ronald and a brother, James Hinkley, all of California.
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The following letter is assumed to be written to Blanche by Dave Davis her cousin, but may have been written by some other Dave. It did however provide another lead to Soldier Valley, and tie in with the names of some of the Whitney family.

Faith Alta

February 13, 1913

Dear Pal,
I am lonesome tonight so I guess I'll try and ans your welcome letter. Say, this homesteading gets on a fellows nerves at times, I am glad I've only got another six weeks on this my second heat. Everybody is well here. Mother Sewall is happy in her new house. She is getting to be quite a pioneer, got so she can do without an egg in her coffee, and can use tallow in place of lard for cooking. Cliff and his honey have just got settled in their new house. No, Fred Theil is not married yet to my knowledge. Bill arrived home Xmas he says he didn't see nothing to beat sunny Alta in his travels. Cliff Sewall entertained (rest of sentence lost to water damage).

It is too bad about your cousin John, yet I used to know the gentleman and I must say of all the Whitney's I ever met he was the only mutt. If you go down to the soldier valley next summer I bet they will show you a good time. Bess is a fine girl, or was when I knew her. And she used to say she would never change. I smile as I write that. I never new Frances, but the girl that died she sure was a peach. I'd like to be going down with you, there is a lot of people there that I'd like to see again. I hope the mother and you and the little fellow are over the grippe by this time. Do you call him Oliver now? Well there isn't much to write that you would care about. So give my Regards to mother and Jim and be good to yourself. Yours Truly

Dave ¹

  Noted events in her life were:

• Residence, 23 April 1910, Britton, Marshall Co., South Dakota. ⁴

Blanche married Oliver F. WHITNEY, son of Oliver Cromwell WHITNEY and Elizabeth Ellen POLEN, in 1907.¹ (Oliver F. WHITNEY was born in March 1879 in , , Iowa ⁸ and died after 1 July 1909 in Britton, Marshall Co., South Dakota ⁹.) The cause of his death was Consumption (probably Tuberculosis).⁷