This name interests me because they settled around Brays Mill as did my line. When I am searching cemeteries in the immediate area around Iberia and Brays, I will almost always find a Blize stone and it will be an old one. When I look up tax records on who paid school taxes for different old schools, like the Burns School at Brays and Rabbithead School: I also find these same names in these little cemeteries, buried side by side. They shared their lives, their food
and their sorrows. They married into the neighbor families and started the generations that are around today. The parents usually approved of these marriages, because as my mother put it, "They're from good stock". However, one time I was dating a girl from Vienna, and my mother said: "She is a good girl and from a fine family of 15 children, You are from a family of 13 children, My God, you'll shell them out like rabbits". Now my Grandmother Whitaker approved: "That girl is a hard worker and a good strong German girl." To grandma, looks were not as important as: "Are they gonna be around for the "Long Haul"?


I know my grand-parents shared their lives with the Blize family because they would be listed: West family, Blize family and Whitaker family. All next door to each other at Brays Mill.

We find William Blize in the 1840 census: William was in his 40s. He was in a family of 11 people, 6 males and 5 females counting him.

1850 census:
William Blize age 51 (Tenn)
Elizabeth age 33 (Tenn)
(children all born Mo)
Paulina age 16
Prior age 14
Jarvis (James?) age 12
Melvina age 10
Nancy age 8
William age 6
Rachel age 4
Emily age 2

Melvina Blize married William Kanatzer, 11/15/1857.
1860 census: (Richwood Twp)
William Kanatzer age 25 (Mo)
Melvina age 19 (Mo)

1880 census: (Richwood Twp)
William Kanatzer age 46
Melvina age 39
Andrew J. age 19
Sarah E. age 14
Martha E. age 10
Lucinda age 9
Ida Rell age 6
Laura J. age 3

Sarah J. Blize married William West, 12/24/1849.
1850 census:
William West age 21 (Ky) (son of Abner & Sally Laffoon West)
Sarah age 18 (Mo)

In 1860 census: (Richwood Twp) Nancy C. Blize age 18 was living with
Joseph & Elizabeth Kanatsar.

1860 census: (Richwoods Twp) (William has remarried)
William Blize married Sarah M. Witten, 8/29/1854.
William Blize married Caroline Coxey, 5/17/1858.
William Blize age 61 (Tn)
Caroline age 33 (Mo)
William N. age 16
Rachel E. age 14
Emily C. age 12
Amanda S. age 3 months
(next door)
James Blize has his own family:
James Blize age 22 (Mo)
Nancy J. age 16 (Mo)
Sarah West age 27 (Mo)
George M. West age 8 (Mo)

1860 census: (Richwood Twp) Prior Blize also has his family
Prior L. Blize married Lizzy Ann Kanatzer, 3/26/1857.
Prior L. Blize age 24 (Mo)
Eliza A. age 18 (Mo)
Martha E. age 1 (Mo)
1870 census: (Richwood Twp)
Prior L. Blize age 34
Eliza A. (Lizzie) age 27
Martha E. age 12
Mary A. age 9
Amanda E. age 6
William J. age 4
Lorenzo D. age 1

1880 census: (Richwood Twp)
Prior L. Blize age 44
Eliza A. age 37
Mary A. age 19
Amanda E. age 16
William J. age 14
Lorenzo D. age 1
Ida B. age 8
Elizabeth Kanatzer age 65 (Mother-in-law)

1870 census: (Richwood Twp)
William Blize age 71
Caroline age 41
John age 6
Susan age 2

1880 census: (Richwood Twp)
John F. Blize age17 was living with William & Ellen Phillips.

John F. Blize married Emma R. Hendricks, 6/30/1887.

1900 census: (Richwood Twp)
John F. Blize age 39 (Mo)
Emma R. age 29 (Mo)
Evie C. age 10
Sadie M. age 9
William P. age 5
Samuel P. age 3
Ralph R. age (baby)

William J. Blize married Izora Belle Thompson, 6/9/1885.

1900 census: (Richwood Twp)
William Blize age 33 (Mo)
Isora age 31 (Mo)
Harvey age 14
Arta M. age 11
Hallack age 8
Evelena age 5
Bessie A. age 2

Martha Blize married Louis Bond, 8/24/1877.

Lewis (Louis) A. Bond age 21
Martha age 21
Charles age 1

Nancy J. Blize married Peter Rhoades, 7/18/1878.

Sarah A. Blize married John W. Cleveland, 10/4/1879.

Amanda E. Blize married George Meiberger, 9/27/1886.

Luella Blize married John Kinder, 8/8/1886.
1900 census: (Richwood Twp)
John Kinder age 36
Luella J. age 29
William M. age 12
Charles L. age 9
Marcus E. age 8
Ray & Ralph ages 5
Sadie age 2
Jobe age (baby)

DeVere