Laura was born 7 May 1888 in Dansville NY to Peter G. LaForce and Elizabeth Hoffman. She was the fifth daughter.
When Laura was 12 years old, according to the 1900 US Census, the family lived at 124 Main Street, Dansville with her elder sis, Mabel (15) and younger brother, Robert (10). Her father, Peter (44), was the propietor of the Arlington Hotel , where they lived. Laura’s Mom was 42 years old. Grampa Bartomy LaForce (83) who was a widower, was living with them. A brewer, George Arnold (49) boarded there as well as Samuel Wiley (27) , a bartender , and Sophia Grumbacher (53) , a widow, was a servant.
Laura attended Dansville High School and graduated with the class of 1907.
In 1910, Laura was 22, single, and a nurse at the “Health Resort” in North Dansville, according to the US Federal Census. She lived on Health Street. Here is a link for a video of what Jackson Sanitorium looks like today.
Laura had special training at Jackson Sanitorium in Dansville.
On 19 May 1918, Laura left the Port of New York on the SAXON, with a destination of Base Hospital #117. She was listed as a Reconstruction Aid, in a Medical Unit.
, LA Fauche, France, under Dr. Salmon and did nurse’s work pricipally on shell-shocked cases.
By the 1920 Census, Laura was a lodger at 158 East 65th Street (near Third Avenue), on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. She was 31 years old and still single in January of that year. She was listed as a nurse working in the hospital. A search of Psychiatric hospitals in the area turns up, nonother than New York Presbyterian, which Mike lived across from when a grad. student at Rockefeller U. Laura would have had a short walk to the hospital each day.
On 29 May 1920, Laura and Charles received a license to marry. Laura married Charles Benedict Grady on 1 June 1920 at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Dansville, NY. The witnesses to the marriage were, Laura’s younger brother, Robert J. LaForce and her eldest sis, Elizabeth Scherer. The officiant was Leo Hofschneider. For both of them, it was their first marriage.
Her first son, Charles Benedict jr. was born in June 1921 in West Orange, NJ.
Second son, Peter LaForce Grady, was born 19 July 1924 i West Orange.
In 1930, the US census lists Laura (41) and Charles (51) living at 247 Gregory Avenue, West Orange, NJ. Charles is an electrical engineer working at the electric company. He is not a veteran. Son, Charles was 8 and Peter, 5. Living with them was Charles’ sister, Alice Frances Grady, 63 yr. known as “Aya.” There was also two maids, Margaret Smith, 48, who’d emigrated from Ireland in 1901, and Mary Nolan, sho emigrated from Ireland in 1923. Neither woman was married.
When she was 42 years old, she and Charles sailed aboard the S.S. New Northland from Nassau, Bahamas to the Port of Miami on 15th Feb. 1931. They arrived in Miami on the 16th.
On 19 February 1932, they again sailed from Nassau to Miami, this time aboard the S.S.Munamar. They arrived in Florida, the next day. Charles is 55, and Laura, 43.
On 25 July 1962, there was mention in the Daily Record from Stroudsburg, PA that their Canadensis home was listed on the Monroe County Home Tour sponsored by the Monroe County Federation of Women’s Clubs for the benefit of county welfare projects. In an article the next day, it was reported that a record. Laura, who was 73 at the time, repoted a very successful day at her Skytop Road home, with about 100 people stopping in during the hours of 1 – 6 pm. She reported that it was ” ‘a perfect day’ and that she enjoyed meeting new people, many from the Stroudsburg area.”
Laura died 6 Mar 1982 in Heath Village, Hackettstown, NJ
She was buried in Fairmount Cemetery, in Newark, NJ, Floor A Corridor W, Private Room 28, Crypt 3.
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