Lilias H Defoe (1894 - 1989)

Lilias H Defoe’s biography is built and maintained by people like you. Create an online profile of Lilias so that her life is remembered forever. If any factual information is incorrect, please edit Lilias’s biography.

Pictures really do say a thousand words. Add photos of Lilias during various points of her life.

1894 - In the year that Lilias H Defoe was born, on April 21st, a coal miners' strike closed mines throughout the central United States. The Panic of 1893, and the resulting depression, hit coal miners hard and the miners only struck for 8 weeks - they couldn't afford to live without their wages any longer.

1897 - At the age of only 3 years old, Lilias was alive when on September 21st, editor and publisher Francis P. Church responded to a letter to the editor from Virginia O'Hanlon, 8 years old. Virginia's father had told her that "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." So she wrote to the Sun, asking if there was a Santa Claus. Church responded with the now famous editorial "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus".

1916 - She was 22 years old when the U.S. National Park Service - part of the Department of the Interior - was created by an act of Congress in August. The Park Service was charged with the dual role of "preserving the ecological and historical integrity of the places entrusted to its management while also making them available and accessible for public use and enjoyment". The resources managed by the National Park Service have often been referred to as the "crown jewels" of the United States.

1953 - At the age of 59 years old, Lilias was alive when on July 27th, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. The Armistice was to last until "a final peaceful settlement is achieved". No peaceful settlement has ever been agreed upon.

1989 - In the year of Lilias H Defoe's passing, on November 9th, the Berlin Wall fell. The Wall was built by the East Germans to keep East Berliners from escaping into West Berlin, separating families and friends. When the head of the East German Communist Party announced that day that East Berliners could cross whenever they pleased, happy crowds surged across the border. People brought tools and took parts of the hated wall.

Who was Lilias’s parents? Did she get married and did they have children? Share Lilias’s family tree to share her legacy and genealogy pedigree.

What do you remember about Lilias H Defoe? Share your memories of special moments and stories you have heard about her. Or just leave a comment to show the world that Lilias is remembered.