This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: marybradshaw1961 Surnames: Allen, Thornmark Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.michigan.counties.wexford/1671/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Hello, I am searching for information on an event that happened almost a hundred years ago at Rose Lake in Osceola county, Michigan. On August 3, 1911 the families of; Ed Allen, Joe Allen, Will Allen, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Wenzel and Alice Thornmark (of Chicago) all joined together for a family picnic at Rose Lake. After eating, several of the young woman; Mary Allen, Lottie Allen, Caroline "Carrie" Allen and Alice Thornmark went for a swim. At some point while in the water the girls fell off a raft. Mary Allen, a good swimmer, was able to save the lives of Lottie Allen and Alice Thornmark, but Caroline drowned. On October 30, 1914 Mary Allen was awarded the Carnegie Medal of Honor for her heroic actions that afternoon. My reason for searching into this event is that Mary Allen was my Great-Grandmother and I am wishing to gather information about this event and the families who were involved. Below is a description of that afternoon as it appears on the Carnegie Hero Fund web! site: MARY ALLEN Leroy, Michigan Mary Allen, 19, saved Alice Thornmark, 20, and Charlotte Allen, 17, from drowning, Leroy, Michigan, August 3, 1911. Miss Allen, her cousin Charlotte, and Miss Thornmark were on a raft on Rose Lake. Another girl on the raft dived from it, and it tilted. Charlotte and Miss Thornmark were thrown into water over six feet deep, coming up about 10 feet from the raft. The raft was 150 feet from shore. Charlotte and Miss Thornmark, who could not swim, clung to each other. Miss Allen, who was a fair swimmer, jumped from the raft and swam to them. The girl who had dived was a short distance from the others, and she soon sank and was drowned. Charlotte grabbed Miss Allen around the neck, and Miss Allen grasped Miss Thornmark with one hand. All went beneath the surface. Miss Allen released her hold on Miss Thornmark and struggled strenuously to reach the surface, then she renewed her hold on Miss Thornmark. Charlotte tightened her hold on Miss Allen's neck. Miss Allen trod water and kep! t all at the surface. Her movements carried them toward the raft, and Miss Thornmark grasped it. Three times Miss Allen broke Charlotte's hold on her and told Charlotte to hold to the raft, but each time Charlotte renewed her hold on Miss Allen. When Miss Allen succeeded in freeing herself, she got up on the raft to look for the girl who was drowned. Miss Thornmark could just touch bottom with her toes. She left the raft and waded to the bank . Miss Allen re-entered the water and waded to the bank, pulling Charlotte after her. I currently have the new paper articles of that day on Rose Lake from the Tustin Times, Reed City Herald News and the old Grand Rapids Press. I am looking for any additional news paper articles of the day the event happened or of the day Mary Allen was awarded her medal. I would also like to know the background of the families involved; where they lived, worked, are buried etc. In the end I would like to create a some sort of journal detailing the events of August 3, 1911 and be able to included some family history to those who were involved. About me- My name is Mary Bradshaw and I live in the Grand Rapids area. My father is Arthur Hiller and he grew up in McBain. My Great-Grandmother, Mary Allen went on to marry Arthur Duddles and also lived in McBain. I love family history and would appreciate any leads on where I should go to search for additional information regarding this event. My email address: [email protected] Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.