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Hattie May Ellis Blessing (1888-1968) became the first female embalmer in the state of Texas in May 1935. Hattie and her husband, Thomas Ernest Blessing, were both issued funeral director licenses in September 1935. In 1944, the Blessings traded houses with Dr. William Burney and Sarah McKnight. The Blessings moved into the large home at 401 East Elm Street. The house was built in 1870 as the girls dormitory for the Mansfield Male and Female College and later as the home of the college president, John Collier. The home now serves as Blessing Funeral Home.
To learn more about Mansfield history, check out the Mansfield Historical Museum, 102 N. Main St., open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free. For more info, call 817-473-4250, email museum@mansfieldtexas.gov or go to mansfieldhistory.org.
Photo courtesy of the Mansfield Historical Society.
Mansfield, Texas, is a booming city, nestled between Fort Worth and Dallas, but with a personality all its own. The city’s 76,247 citizens enjoy an award-winning school district, vibrant economy, historic downtown, prize-winning park system and community focus spread across 37 square miles. The Mansfield Record is dedicated to reporting city and school news, community happenings, police and fire news, business, food and restaurants, parks and recreation, library, historical archives and special events. The city’s only online newspaper launched in September 2020 and will offer introductory advertising rates for the first three months at three different rates.
The Mansfield Record is the only local newspaper serving Mansfield, Texas. Established in 2020, the Mansfield Record is bringing the focus back where it should be.
