Chloe Ellen Cooper was born...
... in a tiny negro shack in Indianapolis September 10, 1892. Her mother Ellen (Nelle or Helen) and her nanny Miss Phebe hid her from the beginning. Her father was William H. Bruning but she wouldn't know him for anything but her "uncle" for many years although they were very close. Her real Uncle and Aunt W.M. and Clara Copeland had tried to kill her father over the inheritance of money. Nelle feared for her illegitimate child so much that she didn't even tell her lover William until many years later, although they took her with them in the summers as they traveled all over the nation and even abroad.
In 1904...
... another disaster struck. Twelve year old Chloe and her "Aunt Nelle" were in Brooklyn for summer vacation, and scheduled to go on the annual steamship picnic of their local church. At the last moment, Nelle had a headache and they gave their tickets to the maid's children. Less than an hour later both children were dead in the horrible burning of the General Slocum in which more than 1030 people were burned, drowned or trampled. William's cousin John Henry Bruning and his wife and daughter were also killed leaving their last daughter maimed. The middle ad in the picture right is from the church picnic and shows Bruning's Ice Cream store.
Chloe and Nelle both suffered survivor's guilt for many years. In fact both were so crippled emotionally that neither could function well in society. Nelle put off her wedding to William once more and Merbrink was boarded up as soon as she was finished. Chloe spent time in an institution. During this time the persistent Aunt Clara found out about Chloe and her last hopes for inheritance from her brother's death came to a head.
The Lost Chloe is the story of what happened and how the Bruning's finally solved their family crisis.
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