Grace (Momda) WATSON
Grace, known as Momda, was born on July 28th, 1894 in
Guelph, Wellington Cty., ON Canada.
- Birth Notes
- Taken from Ancestors of Earl Richard Osbourne website: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~royc/Osborne/earlosborn/a1.htm
Grace Watson,1 daughter of David Bain Watson and Mary Ellen Jordan , was born on 28 Jul 1894 in Guelph, Wellington, Ontario, Canada, died on 7 Jun 1970 at age 75, and was buried in Yerington Cem., Lyon, Nevada.
General Notes: THIS IS THE EULOGY OF GRACE (MOMDA) WATSON OSBORNE DINI AS PREPARED BY TOMMI OSBORNE
MOMDA
Grace Watson was born July 28, 1894, one of fourteen children born to David B. Watson and Mary Ellen Watson (nee Jordan) at Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Grace's father, David B. Watson, was a Scottish dance master from Aberdeen, Scotland and a brewer by trade.
After the death of her husband in 1903, Mary Ellen remarried in 1906 and moved to the boom town of Rhyolite, Nevada. Grace, Freda and Edwin, the three youngest children accompanied them. Grace, as a young girl worked as an operator for the telephone company at Rhyolite.
When the Rhyolite boom was over the family moved to Tonapah, then to Mason Valley, Nevada and lived on what was known as the Morris Ranch at the southern end of the valley.
In Mason Valley Grace met and married a prosperous valley rancher Sidney Phelps Osborne. Children from this union were Ellen L. Osborne (Scierine, Large), Roy E. Osborne, and Earl R. Osborne. In later years, after a remarriage and divorce, Grace married Edward Dini, a local farmer. She cared for him through many years of multiple sclerosis. Grace died June 7, 1970.
These are the facts and figures of Grace's life; but they cannot reveal the life of Grace. She was truly the "blithe spirit" of the poem. He happiest moments were playing the piano. With no formal musical training Grace really brought life to any music she played. In her last years, and ill herself, she spent hours playing for those "poor old souls" (her words) at the convalescent home in Carson city. Momda (as all of her children called her) never acknowledged that her stay in the home was necessary, or permanent. With that attitude of course, she soon could come home to Yerington. She continued to visit and play for the people in the convalescent home as long as she could.
Momda was a singularly uncomplicated person. Direct, and loving, she didn't need to look for the best in people .. that was all she truly saw.
To see and hear Momda laugh was a joy in itself. As her grin grew wider her eyes disappeared and her laugh was so infectious that you found yourself joining her in laughter, even if you didn't know the joke.
Momda loved people and parties, but she was also a dedicated homemaker, caring for and serving those she loved all her days. Even in the worst times there was joy in living around Grace.
She loved and worked for the church in Yerington even though her attendance was irregular in her later years.
Momda died July 1970, but her loving joyous spirit lives on in her children.
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Family lore has it that there is Indian background in the current Osborne generations. There are several photographs of Grace in which there is a striking resemblance of Grace's facial structure to that of an Aleut or Eskimo (in the eye of the author, RCL). In a family photograph taken in about 1901, Grace is the only one with this appearance, but there is no question of the resemblance. Grace's son Roy shares this striking resemblance, especially in his earlier photographs. Even at the age of 76 there is no question as to the genetic influence. To a certain extent, her daughter Ellen also had this appearance. Her other son, Earl, has a slight American Indian appearance.
Surprisingly, photographs published in The Jordan/Stanchfield Family History, written by Linda Von Rueden Troolin and Jan Jordan Lokensgard in 1994, show both of Grace's parents have Indian facial appearances. This is especially amazing because David Bain Watson was born in Scotland
The Jordan/Stanchfield Family History written by Linda Von Rueden Troolin & Jan Jordan Lokensgard, 1994, Chapter III has:
12. GRACE (MOMDA) WATSON was born in Guelph, July 28, 1894. The information on Grace was written by her son Earl Osborne, and will be paraphrased or quoted in the following sentences. After her father's death her mother remarried a man named Jack Holly. She was one of three children who migrated from Canada, with her mother Mary Ellen and new step-father, to Rhyolite, Nevada, September 1, 1907. Shortly after they arrived there Jack Holly died. While in Rhyolite, Grace worked very hard to help her mother support the family. She stayed out of school the first year she was there to assisted her mother with her laundry business, by ironing. Grace helped to care for her two younger siblings Freda and Edwin. She also worked at the Miner's hospital her mother ran and was one o the first telephone operators in Rhyolite.
When her mother married a third time the family moved to Mason Valley and soon after Grace joined them. In Mason Valley Grace met and married a prosperous valley rancher, Sidney Phelps Osborne, March 28, 1912. He was born in Burlington, Michigan September 9, 1877 to Charles and Emily Osborne. Phelps' mother returned to Michigan to give birth to Phelps as she preferred to have he firstborn child born in a more civilized environment than existed in Nevada at that time.
Ranching was Phelps' primary occupation, but he enjoyed prospecting for gold but never did strike it rich. Phelps was a Methodist and enjoyed attending church. He was involved in the social activities of the Mason Valley Improvement Club, a group of relatives, friends, and neighbors, who got together on Saturday nights to entertain and enjoy each others company. Phelps joined in many a skit or play and also loved the dancing.
Grace and Phelps divorced, and Phelps continued to ranch until WW II.
During that time he worked at the Hawthorne Munitions Ordinance Station. He retired after the war but continued prospecting as a hobby. He died on Halloween of 1948, at Hobart Wray Hospital, Fallon, Nevada. He is interred at the Valley View Cemetery in Mason Valley, Nevada. He left a legacy of love for the land and particularly for Mason Valley.
Grace married Edward Dini, a local farmer. She cared for him through many years of multiple sclerosis.
Those are the facts and figures of Grace's life, but they cannot reveal the life of Grace. She was truly the "blithe spirit" of the poem. Her happiest moments were spent playing the piano. With no formal musical training, Grace really brought life to any music she played. In her last years, ill herself, she spent hours playing for "those poor old souls" (her words) at the convalescent home in Carson City. Momda as her children called her, never acknowledged that her stay in the home was necessary, or permanent. With that attitude, of course, she soon came home to Yerington. She continued to visit an play for the people in the convalescent home as long as she could.
Momda was a singularly uncomplicated person. Direct and loving, she didn't need to look for the best in people, that was all she truly saw. To see and hear Momda laugh was a joy in itself. As her grin grew wider, her eyes disappeared and her laugh was so infectious that you found yourself joining her laughter even though you didn't know the joke.
Momda loved people and parties, but she was also a dedicated homemaker, caring for and serving those she loved all of her days. Even in the worst of times, there was joy in living around Grace.
She loved and worked for the church in Yerington even though her attendance was irregular in her later years.
Momda died June 7, 1970 but her joyous spirit lives on in her children.
Grace married Sidney Phelps Osborne 1 on 28 Mar 1912 in So. Mason Valley, Lyon, Nevada. The marriage ended in divorce. Sidney was born on 9 Sep 1877 in Burlington, Calhoun, Michigan, died on 31 Oct 1948 in Fallon, Churchill, Nevada at age 71, and was buried in Yerington Cem., Lyon, Nevada. The cause of his death was Blockage in his intestinal track.
Grace next married Wildord Bauman about 1931 in Yerington, Lyon, Nevada. The marriage ended in divorce. Wildord was born about 1907 in , , Utah and died about 1985 in Probably Yerington, Lyon, Nevada about age 78.
General Notes: After he married Grace, he sharecropped on several ranches, including the Wise and Van Fleet ranches. Phelps Osborne even gave them several heads of livestock to get them started, but George was never was successful in Yerington.
Roy Osborne lived with his father and Ellen had married. Earl lived with his mother and George.
In about 1933 George and Grace moved to Montana after they sold their worldly possessions for $525. They made a down payment on a farm in Pleasant Valley. Unfortunately, before planting, all of the trees would need to be cleared before a crop could be planted. George didn't have time to do this and worked as a sheepherder. Earl cleared some of the trees for fuel. Later, George and Earl worked gathering and putting up hay. They used this money to move on to Logan, Utah where Earl went to high school for one semester. By mid-winter time, the family had moved back to Yerington.
Earl graduated from high school in Yerington in 1938. After working in the area for about a year, he moved out to start his own life.
George and Grace worked for Jack Sceirine (Ellen's husband) for some time and lived there on the ranch.
After Earl had married, George and Grace joined them in Fresno, California. Shortly thereafter, in about 1942, they separated. George and Grace separately returned to Yerington. They runited for a time, but by 1950 they had divorced.
George wandered around California following the fruit crops.
George remarried and had children. In fact, Drew Osborne married his daughter Rose.
There is an entry in the Social Security Death Index as follows:
GEORGE W BOWMAN 21 Aug 1906 09 Mar 1991 (not specified) (none specified) 530-05-2715 Nevada. However, Earl Osborne recalls George died while he was working at the Anaconda Mine that has been closed since at least the 70s, so this in all probability not the same person.
1
Grace next married Edward Dini about 1957 in Yerington, Lyon, Nevada. Edward was born on 28 Jan 1900 1 and died in Aug 1975 at age 75.
General Notes: Social Security Death Index: EDWARD DINI 28 Jan 0000 Aug 1965 (not specified) (none specified) 530-01-2397 Nevada. However, the Osborne family recalls he and Grace were married about 18 years, making his death in about 1975.
She died at the age of 75 on June 7th, 1970. Her burial was in
Yerington Cemetery, Lyon, Nevada.
Edward DINI & Grace (Momda) WATSON 
