My great grandpa William Jenkins is a storied man, but it's hard to say how many are true. Still, colorful men are usually so for a reason, so I'm working on reconstructing his life a bit.
I don't know for sure yet when his Welsh family came to the U.S. Further, I can't yet pin his exact year of birth, as his draft cards for World War I and II contradict one another (1891-1892), while the censuses vary too. His death certificate claims 1892. In the meantime, the birth year above is taken from a census where his parents answered for him, saying he was born September 1892. The exact date and the month is from the draft cards, because the date stays the same even when the year did not.
His family is so twisted, that the fact should be stated early in his story: Once he left his first marriage with Lillian, he took up with Lena, who supposedly was the widow of his brother John. I can't peg John's age for sure but it seems to be almost 20 years older than William, I have difficulty believing they were brothers. In fact, if John were born when he seems to be, William's parents would have been too young to have had John. So I'm a bit stuck here and what's left of the family is not the most forthcoming. All I'm feeling is shame or anger or a sense of abandonment from them.
But here's how the story seems to unwind: John was married to Elizabeth. I have zero idea what happened to her. Then John took up with Lena (doing the pregnancy math, before his time with Elizabeth was over) and they had a daughter also named Lena. Then John died, leaving Lena with the kids from his first marriage plus the one they had together. William's marriage was faltering or over, and he moved in with Lena, raising her daughter Lena and a bunch of kids from John's first marriage... and then William and Lena had Gerald and Ida. While William raising his possible brother's kids may seem noble, William's own kids very much felt left behind. At the same time, the kids of John and Elizabeth felt rather left behind too. And you have poor Lena in the middle.
William was the much-beloved father of my maternal grandmother, and requires much more research. He first married Lillian Garner with whom he had a number of children, some of whom died young, four surviving to adulthood. At the time of his draft registration for WWI, two of those kids were living, and more were to come.
He next married, or actually cohabited with Lena, who had been married before. There are a number of children in their household and it's taken time to confirm which children are whose.
Together (based on the childrens' ages) it seems William and Lena had Gerald and possibly Ida. (Living distant family has confirmed my guess.)
Lena had one child (Lena Jr) from her first marriage to John, as well as children that were left to her by her deceased first husband's first marriage to Elizabeth, so it seems they were Margaret, Edgar, Theophilus (a boy, inexplicably called Yahkee or Yockey, according to my uncle's cousin), and Clarissa. (I have heard from living family that Clara was one of William's siblings' kids, but that William raised her. and this jives with other data.)
William's surviving children from his first marriage are known to have been Lillian, William, Dorothy, and Alice. He also had a son Eddie who died young. The 1930 census counts some of William's children twice - apparently they moved around enough for them to be counted at each place, his and their mother's.
As a result, whatever else might be true of Lena, she had a hand in raising children of her first husband's first marriage, a child she had with him, children her second husband brought to stay with them from time to time, and two children she had with her second partner, William. That's about 11 children. In the meantime, William worked to support them all.
William delighted in the outdoors, loving both plants and animals greatly, and passed this love onto his daughter, my grandmother. I'm told he was a trapper as well, and something of an outdoorsman. One of his grandchildren remembers his last hunt with his grandad, probably in the year prior to his death when his health was not good.
In addition to being a fireman, during his life he was a painter too. It's remembered he did murals in various public places, including supposedly the Elks Club in Norristown.
He also did house painting, and once worked at the home of a family who had a daughter named Joan, and would report to his family on Joan's doings. Eventually his daughter Dorothy co-opted the name for herself, and he complied and called her by it. Years later, his daughter Dorothy named her own daughter "Dorothy Joan" and called her "Joan" daily. That daughter, my birthmother, would go on to have a daughter (my half sister) to whom she would also give the middle name Joan.
Later in his career during World War II, he worked at the Valley Forge Military Academy. At this time his capacity there is unknown but it seems he reported to the 1928 founder, Superintendent (and later, General) Col. Milton G. Baker.
William might have cut a nice figure; his WWII draft card tells us he was 6 foot 1, 200 pounds, with a dark complexion. It's a bit at odds with the card from WWI- please view them for more details. One of William's grandchildren says he was maybe 5'10". The draft card also says (in the section asking for any distinguishing physical characteristics) that he had a scar on a thumb, and wore glasses. It does not tell of one of William's distinguishing marks. On his right arm, he had a tattoo of a nude woman, and his adult kids told him to cover it up when they brought his grandchildren to visit. Supposedly he later had a dress tattooed on the lady as well.
These people are of my birthfamily, whom I worked very hard to find so that I might know my own original name, among other things. Names in general, and knowing my own original name was of great import to me. It strikes me as quite funny that a capriciously borrowed name from a client became a family line name of three generations.
Colorful family stories swirl around William about his possibly being an extra in Tom Mix movies shot in the early studios in the Palisades in New Jersey (Fort Lee). While these may never be verifiable, the raw portrait of William in a rough-hewn hat does little to refute them.
He may have had stomach cancer as living family recalled, but his death certificate tells us he had metasticized sigmoid colon cancer (adenocarcinoma) and gives us the date of his passing. It also finally told us where he rests.
Both my uncle and his cousin recall William passing in the mid 1950's. The cousin also remembers his grandpa William spending the last months of his life on a cot, looking at the ceiling, his weight loss making him a skeleton under the sheets. It was a tough memory for a child indeed, and a tough ending for William as well.
_____________________________________
1910 Census, Montgomery County, Upper Merion Twp, Pennsylvania, on Valley Forge Road (no house number) - William lives at home with his parents and siblings. His father William is 46, mother Rachel age 38. They have been married 22 years, Rachel has had 6 children of whom 4 are reported alive. Both parents were born in Pennsylvania to parents born in Wales. Father William is a train conductor. The children at home are Eddison E (age 20), William F (17), Raymond H (6), and Eleanor R (9 months). [Based on this William the son born about 1893.]
1920 Census, Bucks County, New Hope, Pennsylvania, on Ferry Street, no house number - William (a railroad fireman) is 26, wife Lillian is 23, with them are children William F (age 6), Lillian (4), and Dorothy (2). [Based on this William born about 1894.]
1930 Census, Norristown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania - William is age 39, new spouse Lena age 36. The couple is raising a tribe of children: Margaret 17, Lillian 15, Edgar 14, Theopaline (sic - should be Theophilus) 13, Clarissa and Alice (both 9), Lena 8, Ida 3, and Gerald 2. [Based on this William born about 1891.]
1940 Census, Lower Providence Township, Montgomery, Pennsylvania on Lauman Avenue (no house number) in Trooper- William is 46 and wife Lena 39, he works as a house painter/contractor. Left in the home are their (probably joint) children Ida 17 and Gerald 13. [Based on this William born about 1895.]
Right now I have little knowledge of the children, especially these two youngest, but am told by my uncle's cousin that Ida was a pretty girl, and later worked in a beauty parlor.
I don't know for sure yet when his Welsh family came to the U.S. Further, I can't yet pin his exact year of birth, as his draft cards for World War I and II contradict one another (1891-1892), while the censuses vary too. His death certificate claims 1892. In the meantime, the birth year above is taken from a census where his parents answered for him, saying he was born September 1892. The exact date and the month is from the draft cards, because the date stays the same even when the year did not.
His family is so twisted, that the fact should be stated early in his story: Once he left his first marriage with Lillian, he took up with Lena, who supposedly was the widow of his brother John. I can't peg John's age for sure but it seems to be almost 20 years older than William, I have difficulty believing they were brothers. In fact, if John were born when he seems to be, William's parents would have been too young to have had John. So I'm a bit stuck here and what's left of the family is not the most forthcoming. All I'm feeling is shame or anger or a sense of abandonment from them.
But here's how the story seems to unwind: John was married to Elizabeth. I have zero idea what happened to her. Then John took up with Lena (doing the pregnancy math, before his time with Elizabeth was over) and they had a daughter also named Lena. Then John died, leaving Lena with the kids from his first marriage plus the one they had together. William's marriage was faltering or over, and he moved in with Lena, raising her daughter Lena and a bunch of kids from John's first marriage... and then William and Lena had Gerald and Ida. While William raising his possible brother's kids may seem noble, William's own kids very much felt left behind. At the same time, the kids of John and Elizabeth felt rather left behind too. And you have poor Lena in the middle.
William was the much-beloved father of my maternal grandmother, and requires much more research. He first married Lillian Garner with whom he had a number of children, some of whom died young, four surviving to adulthood. At the time of his draft registration for WWI, two of those kids were living, and more were to come.
He next married, or actually cohabited with Lena, who had been married before. There are a number of children in their household and it's taken time to confirm which children are whose.
Together (based on the childrens' ages) it seems William and Lena had Gerald and possibly Ida. (Living distant family has confirmed my guess.)
Lena had one child (Lena Jr) from her first marriage to John, as well as children that were left to her by her deceased first husband's first marriage to Elizabeth, so it seems they were Margaret, Edgar, Theophilus (a boy, inexplicably called Yahkee or Yockey, according to my uncle's cousin), and Clarissa. (I have heard from living family that Clara was one of William's siblings' kids, but that William raised her. and this jives with other data.)
William's surviving children from his first marriage are known to have been Lillian, William, Dorothy, and Alice. He also had a son Eddie who died young. The 1930 census counts some of William's children twice - apparently they moved around enough for them to be counted at each place, his and their mother's.
As a result, whatever else might be true of Lena, she had a hand in raising children of her first husband's first marriage, a child she had with him, children her second husband brought to stay with them from time to time, and two children she had with her second partner, William. That's about 11 children. In the meantime, William worked to support them all.
William delighted in the outdoors, loving both plants and animals greatly, and passed this love onto his daughter, my grandmother. I'm told he was a trapper as well, and something of an outdoorsman. One of his grandchildren remembers his last hunt with his grandad, probably in the year prior to his death when his health was not good.
In addition to being a fireman, during his life he was a painter too. It's remembered he did murals in various public places, including supposedly the Elks Club in Norristown.
He also did house painting, and once worked at the home of a family who had a daughter named Joan, and would report to his family on Joan's doings. Eventually his daughter Dorothy co-opted the name for herself, and he complied and called her by it. Years later, his daughter Dorothy named her own daughter "Dorothy Joan" and called her "Joan" daily. That daughter, my birthmother, would go on to have a daughter (my half sister) to whom she would also give the middle name Joan.
Later in his career during World War II, he worked at the Valley Forge Military Academy. At this time his capacity there is unknown but it seems he reported to the 1928 founder, Superintendent (and later, General) Col. Milton G. Baker.
William might have cut a nice figure; his WWII draft card tells us he was 6 foot 1, 200 pounds, with a dark complexion. It's a bit at odds with the card from WWI- please view them for more details. One of William's grandchildren says he was maybe 5'10". The draft card also says (in the section asking for any distinguishing physical characteristics) that he had a scar on a thumb, and wore glasses. It does not tell of one of William's distinguishing marks. On his right arm, he had a tattoo of a nude woman, and his adult kids told him to cover it up when they brought his grandchildren to visit. Supposedly he later had a dress tattooed on the lady as well.
These people are of my birthfamily, whom I worked very hard to find so that I might know my own original name, among other things. Names in general, and knowing my own original name was of great import to me. It strikes me as quite funny that a capriciously borrowed name from a client became a family line name of three generations.
Colorful family stories swirl around William about his possibly being an extra in Tom Mix movies shot in the early studios in the Palisades in New Jersey (Fort Lee). While these may never be verifiable, the raw portrait of William in a rough-hewn hat does little to refute them.
He may have had stomach cancer as living family recalled, but his death certificate tells us he had metasticized sigmoid colon cancer (adenocarcinoma) and gives us the date of his passing. It also finally told us where he rests.
Both my uncle and his cousin recall William passing in the mid 1950's. The cousin also remembers his grandpa William spending the last months of his life on a cot, looking at the ceiling, his weight loss making him a skeleton under the sheets. It was a tough memory for a child indeed, and a tough ending for William as well.
_____________________________________
1910 Census, Montgomery County, Upper Merion Twp, Pennsylvania, on Valley Forge Road (no house number) - William lives at home with his parents and siblings. His father William is 46, mother Rachel age 38. They have been married 22 years, Rachel has had 6 children of whom 4 are reported alive. Both parents were born in Pennsylvania to parents born in Wales. Father William is a train conductor. The children at home are Eddison E (age 20), William F (17), Raymond H (6), and Eleanor R (9 months). [Based on this William the son born about 1893.]
1920 Census, Bucks County, New Hope, Pennsylvania, on Ferry Street, no house number - William (a railroad fireman) is 26, wife Lillian is 23, with them are children William F (age 6), Lillian (4), and Dorothy (2). [Based on this William born about 1894.]
1930 Census, Norristown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania - William is age 39, new spouse Lena age 36. The couple is raising a tribe of children: Margaret 17, Lillian 15, Edgar 14, Theopaline (sic - should be Theophilus) 13, Clarissa and Alice (both 9), Lena 8, Ida 3, and Gerald 2. [Based on this William born about 1891.]
1940 Census, Lower Providence Township, Montgomery, Pennsylvania on Lauman Avenue (no house number) in Trooper- William is 46 and wife Lena 39, he works as a house painter/contractor. Left in the home are their (probably joint) children Ida 17 and Gerald 13. [Based on this William born about 1895.]
Right now I have little knowledge of the children, especially these two youngest, but am told by my uncle's cousin that Ida was a pretty girl, and later worked in a beauty parlor.
My great grandpa William Jenkins is a storied man, but it's hard to say how many are true. Still, colorful men are usually so for a reason, so I'm working on reconstructing his life a bit.
I don't know for sure yet when his Welsh family came to the U.S. Further, I can't yet pin his exact year of birth, as his draft cards for World War I and II contradict one another (1891-1892), while the censuses vary too. His death certificate claims 1892. In the meantime, the birth year above is taken from a census where his parents answered for him, saying he was born September 1892. The exact date and the month is from the draft cards, because the date stays the same even when the year did not.
His family is so twisted, that the fact should be stated early in his story: Once he left his first marriage with Lillian, he took up with Lena, who supposedly was the widow of his brother John. I can't peg John's age for sure but it seems to be almost 20 years older than William, I have difficulty believing they were brothers. In fact, if John were born when he seems to be, William's parents would have been too young to have had John. So I'm a bit stuck here and what's left of the family is not the most forthcoming. All I'm feeling is shame or anger or a sense of abandonment from them.
But here's how the story seems to unwind: John was married to Elizabeth. I have zero idea what happened to her. Then John took up with Lena (doing the pregnancy math, before his time with Elizabeth was over) and they had a daughter also named Lena. Then John died, leaving Lena with the kids from his first marriage plus the one they had together. William's marriage was faltering or over, and he moved in with Lena, raising her daughter Lena and a bunch of kids from John's first marriage... and then William and Lena had Gerald and Ida. While William raising his possible brother's kids may seem noble, William's own kids very much felt left behind. At the same time, the kids of John and Elizabeth felt rather left behind too. And you have poor Lena in the middle.
William was the much-beloved father of my maternal grandmother, and requires much more research. He first married Lillian Garner with whom he had a number of children, some of whom died young, four surviving to adulthood. At the time of his draft registration for WWI, two of those kids were living, and more were to come.
He next married, or actually cohabited with Lena, who had been married before. There are a number of children in their household and it's taken time to confirm which children are whose.
Together (based on the childrens' ages) it seems William and Lena had Gerald and possibly Ida. (Living distant family has confirmed my guess.)
Lena had one child (Lena Jr) from her first marriage to John, as well as children that were left to her by her deceased first husband's first marriage to Elizabeth, so it seems they were Margaret, Edgar, Theophilus (a boy, inexplicably called Yahkee or Yockey, according to my uncle's cousin), and Clarissa. (I have heard from living family that Clara was one of William's siblings' kids, but that William raised her. and this jives with other data.)
William's surviving children from his first marriage are known to have been Lillian, William, Dorothy, and Alice. He also had a son Eddie who died young. The 1930 census counts some of William's children twice - apparently they moved around enough for them to be counted at each place, his and their mother's.
As a result, whatever else might be true of Lena, she had a hand in raising children of her first husband's first marriage, a child she had with him, children her second husband brought to stay with them from time to time, and two children she had with her second partner, William. That's about 11 children. In the meantime, William worked to support them all.
William delighted in the outdoors, loving both plants and animals greatly, and passed this love onto his daughter, my grandmother. I'm told he was a trapper as well, and something of an outdoorsman. One of his grandchildren remembers his last hunt with his grandad, probably in the year prior to his death when his health was not good.
In addition to being a fireman, during his life he was a painter too. It's remembered he did murals in various public places, including supposedly the Elks Club in Norristown.
He also did house painting, and once worked at the home of a family who had a daughter named Joan, and would report to his family on Joan's doings. Eventually his daughter Dorothy co-opted the name for herself, and he complied and called her by it. Years later, his daughter Dorothy named her own daughter "Dorothy Joan" and called her "Joan" daily. That daughter, my birthmother, would go on to have a daughter (my half sister) to whom she would also give the middle name Joan.
Later in his career during World War II, he worked at the Valley Forge Military Academy. At this time his capacity there is unknown but it seems he reported to the 1928 founder, Superintendent (and later, General) Col. Milton G. Baker.
William might have cut a nice figure; his WWII draft card tells us he was 6 foot 1, 200 pounds, with a dark complexion. It's a bit at odds with the card from WWI- please view them for more details. One of William's grandchildren says he was maybe 5'10". The draft card also says (in the section asking for any distinguishing physical characteristics) that he had a scar on a thumb, and wore glasses. It does not tell of one of William's distinguishing marks. On his right arm, he had a tattoo of a nude woman, and his adult kids told him to cover it up when they brought his grandchildren to visit. Supposedly he later had a dress tattooed on the lady as well.
These people are of my birthfamily, whom I worked very hard to find so that I might know my own original name, among other things. Names in general, and knowing my own original name was of great import to me. It strikes me as quite funny that a capriciously borrowed name from a client became a family line name of three generations.
Colorful family stories swirl around William about his possibly being an extra in Tom Mix movies shot in the early studios in the Palisades in New Jersey (Fort Lee). While these may never be verifiable, the raw portrait of William in a rough-hewn hat does little to refute them.
He may have had stomach cancer as living family recalled, but his death certificate tells us he had metasticized sigmoid colon cancer (adenocarcinoma) and gives us the date of his passing. It also finally told us where he rests.
Both my uncle and his cousin recall William passing in the mid 1950's. The cousin also remembers his grandpa William spending the last months of his life on a cot, looking at the ceiling, his weight loss making him a skeleton under the sheets. It was a tough memory for a child indeed, and a tough ending for William as well.
_____________________________________
1910 Census, Montgomery County, Upper Merion Twp, Pennsylvania, on Valley Forge Road (no house number) - William lives at home with his parents and siblings. His father William is 46, mother Rachel age 38. They have been married 22 years, Rachel has had 6 children of whom 4 are reported alive. Both parents were born in Pennsylvania to parents born in Wales. Father William is a train conductor. The children at home are Eddison E (age 20), William F (17), Raymond H (6), and Eleanor R (9 months). [Based on this William the son born about 1893.]
1920 Census, Bucks County, New Hope, Pennsylvania, on Ferry Street, no house number - William (a railroad fireman) is 26, wife Lillian is 23, with them are children William F (age 6), Lillian (4), and Dorothy (2). [Based on this William born about 1894.]
1930 Census, Norristown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania - William is age 39, new spouse Lena age 36. The couple is raising a tribe of children: Margaret 17, Lillian 15, Edgar 14, Theopaline (sic - should be Theophilus) 13, Clarissa and Alice (both 9), Lena 8, Ida 3, and Gerald 2. [Based on this William born about 1891.]
1940 Census, Lower Providence Township, Montgomery, Pennsylvania on Lauman Avenue (no house number) in Trooper- William is 46 and wife Lena 39, he works as a house painter/contractor. Left in the home are their (probably joint) children Ida 17 and Gerald 13. [Based on this William born about 1895.]
Right now I have little knowledge of the children, especially these two youngest, but am told by my uncle's cousin that Ida was a pretty girl, and later worked in a beauty parlor.
I don't know for sure yet when his Welsh family came to the U.S. Further, I can't yet pin his exact year of birth, as his draft cards for World War I and II contradict one another (1891-1892), while the censuses vary too. His death certificate claims 1892. In the meantime, the birth year above is taken from a census where his parents answered for him, saying he was born September 1892. The exact date and the month is from the draft cards, because the date stays the same even when the year did not.
His family is so twisted, that the fact should be stated early in his story: Once he left his first marriage with Lillian, he took up with Lena, who supposedly was the widow of his brother John. I can't peg John's age for sure but it seems to be almost 20 years older than William, I have difficulty believing they were brothers. In fact, if John were born when he seems to be, William's parents would have been too young to have had John. So I'm a bit stuck here and what's left of the family is not the most forthcoming. All I'm feeling is shame or anger or a sense of abandonment from them.
But here's how the story seems to unwind: John was married to Elizabeth. I have zero idea what happened to her. Then John took up with Lena (doing the pregnancy math, before his time with Elizabeth was over) and they had a daughter also named Lena. Then John died, leaving Lena with the kids from his first marriage plus the one they had together. William's marriage was faltering or over, and he moved in with Lena, raising her daughter Lena and a bunch of kids from John's first marriage... and then William and Lena had Gerald and Ida. While William raising his possible brother's kids may seem noble, William's own kids very much felt left behind. At the same time, the kids of John and Elizabeth felt rather left behind too. And you have poor Lena in the middle.
William was the much-beloved father of my maternal grandmother, and requires much more research. He first married Lillian Garner with whom he had a number of children, some of whom died young, four surviving to adulthood. At the time of his draft registration for WWI, two of those kids were living, and more were to come.
He next married, or actually cohabited with Lena, who had been married before. There are a number of children in their household and it's taken time to confirm which children are whose.
Together (based on the childrens' ages) it seems William and Lena had Gerald and possibly Ida. (Living distant family has confirmed my guess.)
Lena had one child (Lena Jr) from her first marriage to John, as well as children that were left to her by her deceased first husband's first marriage to Elizabeth, so it seems they were Margaret, Edgar, Theophilus (a boy, inexplicably called Yahkee or Yockey, according to my uncle's cousin), and Clarissa. (I have heard from living family that Clara was one of William's siblings' kids, but that William raised her. and this jives with other data.)
William's surviving children from his first marriage are known to have been Lillian, William, Dorothy, and Alice. He also had a son Eddie who died young. The 1930 census counts some of William's children twice - apparently they moved around enough for them to be counted at each place, his and their mother's.
As a result, whatever else might be true of Lena, she had a hand in raising children of her first husband's first marriage, a child she had with him, children her second husband brought to stay with them from time to time, and two children she had with her second partner, William. That's about 11 children. In the meantime, William worked to support them all.
William delighted in the outdoors, loving both plants and animals greatly, and passed this love onto his daughter, my grandmother. I'm told he was a trapper as well, and something of an outdoorsman. One of his grandchildren remembers his last hunt with his grandad, probably in the year prior to his death when his health was not good.
In addition to being a fireman, during his life he was a painter too. It's remembered he did murals in various public places, including supposedly the Elks Club in Norristown.
He also did house painting, and once worked at the home of a family who had a daughter named Joan, and would report to his family on Joan's doings. Eventually his daughter Dorothy co-opted the name for herself, and he complied and called her by it. Years later, his daughter Dorothy named her own daughter "Dorothy Joan" and called her "Joan" daily. That daughter, my birthmother, would go on to have a daughter (my half sister) to whom she would also give the middle name Joan.
Later in his career during World War II, he worked at the Valley Forge Military Academy. At this time his capacity there is unknown but it seems he reported to the 1928 founder, Superintendent (and later, General) Col. Milton G. Baker.
William might have cut a nice figure; his WWII draft card tells us he was 6 foot 1, 200 pounds, with a dark complexion. It's a bit at odds with the card from WWI- please view them for more details. One of William's grandchildren says he was maybe 5'10". The draft card also says (in the section asking for any distinguishing physical characteristics) that he had a scar on a thumb, and wore glasses. It does not tell of one of William's distinguishing marks. On his right arm, he had a tattoo of a nude woman, and his adult kids told him to cover it up when they brought his grandchildren to visit. Supposedly he later had a dress tattooed on the lady as well.
These people are of my birthfamily, whom I worked very hard to find so that I might know my own original name, among other things. Names in general, and knowing my own original name was of great import to me. It strikes me as quite funny that a capriciously borrowed name from a client became a family line name of three generations.
Colorful family stories swirl around William about his possibly being an extra in Tom Mix movies shot in the early studios in the Palisades in New Jersey (Fort Lee). While these may never be verifiable, the raw portrait of William in a rough-hewn hat does little to refute them.
He may have had stomach cancer as living family recalled, but his death certificate tells us he had metasticized sigmoid colon cancer (adenocarcinoma) and gives us the date of his passing. It also finally told us where he rests.
Both my uncle and his cousin recall William passing in the mid 1950's. The cousin also remembers his grandpa William spending the last months of his life on a cot, looking at the ceiling, his weight loss making him a skeleton under the sheets. It was a tough memory for a child indeed, and a tough ending for William as well.
_____________________________________
1910 Census, Montgomery County, Upper Merion Twp, Pennsylvania, on Valley Forge Road (no house number) - William lives at home with his parents and siblings. His father William is 46, mother Rachel age 38. They have been married 22 years, Rachel has had 6 children of whom 4 are reported alive. Both parents were born in Pennsylvania to parents born in Wales. Father William is a train conductor. The children at home are Eddison E (age 20), William F (17), Raymond H (6), and Eleanor R (9 months). [Based on this William the son born about 1893.]
1920 Census, Bucks County, New Hope, Pennsylvania, on Ferry Street, no house number - William (a railroad fireman) is 26, wife Lillian is 23, with them are children William F (age 6), Lillian (4), and Dorothy (2). [Based on this William born about 1894.]
1930 Census, Norristown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania - William is age 39, new spouse Lena age 36. The couple is raising a tribe of children: Margaret 17, Lillian 15, Edgar 14, Theopaline (sic - should be Theophilus) 13, Clarissa and Alice (both 9), Lena 8, Ida 3, and Gerald 2. [Based on this William born about 1891.]
1940 Census, Lower Providence Township, Montgomery, Pennsylvania on Lauman Avenue (no house number) in Trooper- William is 46 and wife Lena 39, he works as a house painter/contractor. Left in the home are their (probably joint) children Ida 17 and Gerald 13. [Based on this William born about 1895.]
Right now I have little knowledge of the children, especially these two youngest, but am told by my uncle's cousin that Ida was a pretty girl, and later worked in a beauty parlor.
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