Alice Lenora Cougher was born 16 March 1881 in Pennsylvania to John Glover Cougher and Clara Buehl. It is rememberd, by some family memebers in Santa Cruz, that Alice was a twin. We can only assume that the twin died at a young age. John and Clara are found in Sligo Borough, Clarion County, Pennsylvnia in 1880. In 1882 it is presumed the family was near Kansas City, as there is evidence that John was there. Alice was just one year old at this time. They remained based around the Kansas City area at least until 1887. By 1891 John and Clara were divorced. It is told--through the Nadeau branch of the family--that John left the family poverty-stricken and Alice, being the oldest, had to steal bread so the family could eat. Sometime before 1897 Clara and children--Alice, Laura, Grace--had been living in Pottawatomie County, Kansas. It has also been remembered that Clara was remarried to a man named Krohn after she and John were divorced. We find this last to be true, as Clara turns up in the 1910 census as the wife of Ludwig Krohn. They were married 25 April 1896. At the age of 18 years and 21 days, Alice married Robert Josiah Comfort in Westmoreland, Pottawatomie County, Kansas. By the time Alice and Robert moved to California-- sometime after the 1910 census was taken--they had had 6 chidren: Edith Pearl, Marguerite Beth, Clyde Robert, Alyce Viola, Florence Grace (died at 3 days old), and Keith Raymond. They arrived in Santa Cruz by 1912, where Alice had two more children: Wayne Willis, and Harold Rodney (born and died the same day). Alice and Robert remained in Santa Cruz until their last days. Alice died at the age of 89 years old on 28 September 1970 in Garden Convalescence Hosp, Santa Cruz, California, and was buried 01 October 1970 at Oakwood Memorial Cemetery, Santa Cruz, California.

A note about Alice's mother, Clara:
(to be moved to a future profile page for Clara)

Stories that came through the Nadeau's (Alice's sister Grace's family) has it that...

Clara's mother died on the ship while coming to America. Clara had several brothers that settled in Pennsylvania. It was believe that Clara might have been the only girl in the family.

After John Glover Cougher's first wife, Eliza, died shortly after giving birth, he hired Clara to be a "wet nurse" for his young baby. Clara's husband (unknown) had just been killed in an explosion (a mine?) and at the time she was expecting their child. Clara's baby died soon after being born. Clara was then able to nurse John's child. Soon after, John and Clara were married.

After being married for about 10 to 15 years, Clara and John where divorced. It is said that John left Clara and the girls (Alice, Laura, Grace) to fend for themselves. About 1897 Clara married Ludwig Krohn, a fellow German, who settled in Pottawatomie County.

Clara's life was a very difficult one: her mother died on the voyage to America; her first marriage ended with the death of her husband and baby; her second marriage ended, seemingly abandoned and divorced; and her third marriage ended after three years when her husband, Ludwig, died; all this by the age of 51.

Stories contributed & relayed by Frances Miller, 2003