#132 THREE COUSINS' DROWNINGS
It’s always distressing when my research uncovers a drowning in the family. Water is so “ordinary” that we forget how quickly it can turn unforgiving and that “ordinary” activities—work, travel, training, recreation—can carry unexpected risks. ELIZABETH & CHARLES BROODER Michael Brooder and Eliza Moran were married on August 21, 1890 in Leland, Michigan. He was a lumberman, aged 33; she was a school teacher, aged 28. Three sons--Ben, William and Charlie were born in the 1890s. In July 1911, tragedy struck the Brooder family with devastating force. On July 4, young Charles, only eighteen years old, drowned while swimming in Lake Michigan. He had ventured into deeper water than his companions, and when he turned back toward shore he was seen to be in dis...
