BIRTH-PARENTAGE-MARRIAGE-ISSUE-DEATH-BURIAL: Family records of Laura (Bell) Backus, September 1973, Altoona, Iowa.
BIRTH-PARENTAGE: POLK COUNTY, IOWA BIRTH RECORDS VOL. 10, 1920-1921. Birth record No. 7,351, filing date June 21, 1920, BACKOUS, first name blank, female, born June 19, 1920, Mitchellville, Iowa, residence blank, mother - Laura E. Bell, father - Walter Backous, attending physician A. H. Leonard Phys., Mitchellville, Iowa.
BIRTH-PARENTAGE-MARRIAGE-ISSUE-DEATH-BURIAL: Family records of Nancy Jo Backus Mills and Bonnie Jean Henning Backus, December 2001 and January 2002. Per Nancy, "Kathryn, Diane and Linda were on their way up to Clear Lake for vacation when a car load of men, who had been fishing in Minnesota and had been drinking, hit them head on. Kathryn and Diane died at the scene instantly. Linda lived several hours."
BIRTH-PARENTAGE-SPOUSE-ISSUE-DEATH-BURIAL: THE ALTOONA HERALD, Altoona, Iowa, Thursday, July 16, 1953, page 1, pictures and text, columns 2-6. Picture caption - Wreckage of car in which Mrs. Ward Gillam and her two daughters Diane and Linda were killed Sunday when it collided head on with another car near Garner. "AUTO CRASH TAKES LIVES OF LOCAL MOTHER AND CHILDREN - Six Polk county residents, including Mrs. Ward Gillam and her two young daughters of Altoona, were killed and a seventh injured Sunday afternoon in a head-on collision 3 miles south of Garner on Highway 69. The dead are: Mrs. Ward Gillam, 33, Altoona. Diane, 11, and Linda, 9, daughters of Mrs. Gillam. Jack Robert Burns, 35, 224 Guthrie ave., Des Moines. Walter Hodge, 48, 307 E. Jackson ave., Des Moines. Arthur Wagner, 73, 3109 Cornell st., Des Moines. The injured man, Robert Dorris, 48, 439 E. Livingston ave., was taken t a Mason City hospital. He was reported in fair condition, suffering from shock and head lacerations. Five of the victims were killed outright in the crash shortly after 1 p.m. and the sixth, Linda Gillam, died a few hours later in a Mason City hospital. The car in which the three dead men were riding caught fie after the crash, but the men had been thrown from the auto by the impact. The Garner fire department was called to extinguish the blaze. The car's occupants were returning from a Minnesota fishing trip at the time of the crash. A cooler full of fish was found in the car. Hancock County Coroner Kenneth Boughton, who described the crash as the worst he'd ever seen. Mrs. Gillam and her two daughters were traveling to Clear Lake, where her husband had rented a cottage and was waiting for them to join him. Mrs. Gillam, who was employed at the Hilltop grocery, 2820 Avenue Frederick M. Humbell, had just started a 2-week vacation. Her husband is in the refrigeration business in Charles City. Besides her husband, Mrs. Gillam is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Backus, Altoona; a brother Marvin Backus, of Des Moines and a sister, Nancy of Altoona. Services for Mrs. Gillam and her daughters Diane, 11, and Linda, 9, were held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Hamilton funeral home with burial in Highland Memory Gardens." Additional article on page 5, MITCHELLVILLE NEWS SECTION. "Car Collisions Cause Much Sadness Here - ………MRS. WARD GILLAM - …..Funeral services were held at….Hamilton funeral home in Des Moines. Mrs. Gillam was the former Kathryn Backus, formerly a resident of Mitchellville and a student in the school here." Additional article/information from THE DES MOINES REGISTER, Des Moines, Iowa, Monday Morning, July 13, 1953, page one headlines: HEAD-ON CRASH TAKES 6 LIVES - ….. "Hancock County Coroner Kenneth Boughton, ….said he did not know as yet whether an inquest will be held. There must have been a high rate of speed., Broughton said."
BIRTH-DEATH: CERTIFICATE OF DEATH, Hancock County, Iowa, July 20, 1953, Book 3, page 197. "Name of Deceased - Kathryn B. Gillam, Sex - female, Date of Death - July 12, 1953, Place of Death - Garner, Ell Twp, 2 1/2 miles south of highway 69, Date of Birth - June 19, 1920, Cause of Death - ...head on automobile collision on highway 69."
BIRTH-PARENTAGE-SPOUSE-DEATH-BURIAL: RECORD OF FUNERAL, Hamilton's Funeral Home, Des Moines, Iowa, July 12, 1953, page 444, #34. "Name of Deceased - Kathryn Aleta Gillam, white, married, residence - Altonna, Iowa, Husband - Ward, Date of Death - July 12, 1953, 1:10 p.m., Date of Birth - 19 June 1920, Age - 33 years, 0 months, 23 days, Cause of Death - Auto accident, Name of Father - W. E. Backus, His Birthplace - England, Maiden Name of Mother - Laura Bell, Her Birthplace - Maxwell, Iowa, Date of Funeral - July 15, 1953, Wednesday, 10:00 A.M., Cemetery - Highalnd Memory Gardens, lot 63, grave no. - 1, 2, 3, 4, Section no. - 5, Block No. - Garden of Reverence."
1925 IOWA POPULATION CENSUS: Iowa Historical Library, Des Moines, Iowa. Story County, Iowa, Indian Creek Township, BACKOUS, Kathryn A., relationship to head of household - daughter, sex - female, color - white, age - 4, single, years in the U. S. - 4, years in Iowa - 4, highest grade level - __, born - Iowa, father - BACKOUS, Walter, birthplace - England, age - 27, mother - BELL, Laura E., birthplace - Iowa, age - 23, place where parents married - Iowa, religious affiliation - none.
1930 FEDERAL CENSUS: Michigan, Oakland County, Orion Township, Lake Orion Village, Sheet 13B, April 15, 1930. Lake Street, Dwelling #336, family #366, BACKOUS, Kathryn, relationship to head - daughter, sex - female, color - white, age - 9, single, school - yes, read - no, write - no, place of birth - Iowa, father's place of birth - England, mother's place of birth - Iowa, Profession -none.
BIRTH-PARENTAGE: POLK COUNTY, IOWA BIRTH RECORDS VOL. 10, 1920-1921. Birth record No. 7,351, filing date June 21, 1920, BACKOUS, first name blank, female, born June 19, 1920, Mitchellville, Iowa, residence blank, mother - Laura E. Bell, father - Walter Backous, attending physician A. H. Leonard Phys., Mitchellville, Iowa.
BIRTH-PARENTAGE-MARRIAGE-ISSUE-DEATH-BURIAL: Family records of Nancy Jo Backus Mills and Bonnie Jean Henning Backus, December 2001 and January 2002. Per Nancy, "Kathryn, Diane and Linda were on their way up to Clear Lake for vacation when a car load of men, who had been fishing in Minnesota and had been drinking, hit them head on. Kathryn and Diane died at the scene instantly. Linda lived several hours."
BIRTH-PARENTAGE-SPOUSE-ISSUE-DEATH-BURIAL: THE ALTOONA HERALD, Altoona, Iowa, Thursday, July 16, 1953, page 1, pictures and text, columns 2-6. Picture caption - Wreckage of car in which Mrs. Ward Gillam and her two daughters Diane and Linda were killed Sunday when it collided head on with another car near Garner. "AUTO CRASH TAKES LIVES OF LOCAL MOTHER AND CHILDREN - Six Polk county residents, including Mrs. Ward Gillam and her two young daughters of Altoona, were killed and a seventh injured Sunday afternoon in a head-on collision 3 miles south of Garner on Highway 69. The dead are: Mrs. Ward Gillam, 33, Altoona. Diane, 11, and Linda, 9, daughters of Mrs. Gillam. Jack Robert Burns, 35, 224 Guthrie ave., Des Moines. Walter Hodge, 48, 307 E. Jackson ave., Des Moines. Arthur Wagner, 73, 3109 Cornell st., Des Moines. The injured man, Robert Dorris, 48, 439 E. Livingston ave., was taken t a Mason City hospital. He was reported in fair condition, suffering from shock and head lacerations. Five of the victims were killed outright in the crash shortly after 1 p.m. and the sixth, Linda Gillam, died a few hours later in a Mason City hospital. The car in which the three dead men were riding caught fie after the crash, but the men had been thrown from the auto by the impact. The Garner fire department was called to extinguish the blaze. The car's occupants were returning from a Minnesota fishing trip at the time of the crash. A cooler full of fish was found in the car. Hancock County Coroner Kenneth Boughton, who described the crash as the worst he'd ever seen. Mrs. Gillam and her two daughters were traveling to Clear Lake, where her husband had rented a cottage and was waiting for them to join him. Mrs. Gillam, who was employed at the Hilltop grocery, 2820 Avenue Frederick M. Humbell, had just started a 2-week vacation. Her husband is in the refrigeration business in Charles City. Besides her husband, Mrs. Gillam is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Backus, Altoona; a brother Marvin Backus, of Des Moines and a sister, Nancy of Altoona. Services for Mrs. Gillam and her daughters Diane, 11, and Linda, 9, were held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Hamilton funeral home with burial in Highland Memory Gardens." Additional article on page 5, MITCHELLVILLE NEWS SECTION. "Car Collisions Cause Much Sadness Here - ………MRS. WARD GILLAM - …..Funeral services were held at….Hamilton funeral home in Des Moines. Mrs. Gillam was the former Kathryn Backus, formerly a resident of Mitchellville and a student in the school here." Additional article/information from THE DES MOINES REGISTER, Des Moines, Iowa, Monday Morning, July 13, 1953, page one headlines: HEAD-ON CRASH TAKES 6 LIVES - ….. "Hancock County Coroner Kenneth Boughton, ….said he did not know as yet whether an inquest will be held. There must have been a high rate of speed., Broughton said."
BIRTH-DEATH: CERTIFICATE OF DEATH, Hancock County, Iowa, July 20, 1953, Book 3, page 197. "Name of Deceased - Kathryn B. Gillam, Sex - female, Date of Death - July 12, 1953, Place of Death - Garner, Ell Twp, 2 1/2 miles south of highway 69, Date of Birth - June 19, 1920, Cause of Death - ...head on automobile collision on highway 69."
BIRTH-PARENTAGE-SPOUSE-DEATH-BURIAL: RECORD OF FUNERAL, Hamilton's Funeral Home, Des Moines, Iowa, July 12, 1953, page 444, #34. "Name of Deceased - Kathryn Aleta Gillam, white, married, residence - Altonna, Iowa, Husband - Ward, Date of Death - July 12, 1953, 1:10 p.m., Date of Birth - 19 June 1920, Age - 33 years, 0 months, 23 days, Cause of Death - Auto accident, Name of Father - W. E. Backus, His Birthplace - England, Maiden Name of Mother - Laura Bell, Her Birthplace - Maxwell, Iowa, Date of Funeral - July 15, 1953, Wednesday, 10:00 A.M., Cemetery - Highalnd Memory Gardens, lot 63, grave no. - 1, 2, 3, 4, Section no. - 5, Block No. - Garden of Reverence."
1925 IOWA POPULATION CENSUS: Iowa Historical Library, Des Moines, Iowa. Story County, Iowa, Indian Creek Township, BACKOUS, Kathryn A., relationship to head of household - daughter, sex - female, color - white, age - 4, single, years in the U. S. - 4, years in Iowa - 4, highest grade level - __, born - Iowa, father - BACKOUS, Walter, birthplace - England, age - 27, mother - BELL, Laura E., birthplace - Iowa, age - 23, place where parents married - Iowa, religious affiliation - none.
1930 FEDERAL CENSUS: Michigan, Oakland County, Orion Township, Lake Orion Village, Sheet 13B, April 15, 1930. Lake Street, Dwelling #336, family #366, BACKOUS, Kathryn, relationship to head - daughter, sex - female, color - white, age - 9, single, school - yes, read - no, write - no, place of birth - Iowa, father's place of birth - England, mother's place of birth - Iowa, Profession -none.
BIRTH-PARENTAGE-MARRIAGE-ISSUE-DEATH-BURIAL: Family records of Laura (Bell) Backus, September 1973, Altoona, Iowa.
BIRTH-PARENTAGE: POLK COUNTY, IOWA BIRTH RECORDS VOL. 10, 1920-1921. Birth record No. 7,351, filing date June 21, 1920, BACKOUS, first name blank, female, born June 19, 1920, Mitchellville, Iowa, residence blank, mother - Laura E. Bell, father - Walter Backous, attending physician A. H. Leonard Phys., Mitchellville, Iowa.
BIRTH-PARENTAGE-MARRIAGE-ISSUE-DEATH-BURIAL: Family records of Nancy Jo Backus Mills and Bonnie Jean Henning Backus, December 2001 and January 2002. Per Nancy, "Kathryn, Diane and Linda were on their way up to Clear Lake for vacation when a car load of men, who had been fishing in Minnesota and had been drinking, hit them head on. Kathryn and Diane died at the scene instantly. Linda lived several hours."
BIRTH-PARENTAGE-SPOUSE-ISSUE-DEATH-BURIAL: THE ALTOONA HERALD, Altoona, Iowa, Thursday, July 16, 1953, page 1, pictures and text, columns 2-6. Picture caption - Wreckage of car in which Mrs. Ward Gillam and her two daughters Diane and Linda were killed Sunday when it collided head on with another car near Garner. "AUTO CRASH TAKES LIVES OF LOCAL MOTHER AND CHILDREN - Six Polk county residents, including Mrs. Ward Gillam and her two young daughters of Altoona, were killed and a seventh injured Sunday afternoon in a head-on collision 3 miles south of Garner on Highway 69. The dead are: Mrs. Ward Gillam, 33, Altoona. Diane, 11, and Linda, 9, daughters of Mrs. Gillam. Jack Robert Burns, 35, 224 Guthrie ave., Des Moines. Walter Hodge, 48, 307 E. Jackson ave., Des Moines. Arthur Wagner, 73, 3109 Cornell st., Des Moines. The injured man, Robert Dorris, 48, 439 E. Livingston ave., was taken t a Mason City hospital. He was reported in fair condition, suffering from shock and head lacerations. Five of the victims were killed outright in the crash shortly after 1 p.m. and the sixth, Linda Gillam, died a few hours later in a Mason City hospital. The car in which the three dead men were riding caught fie after the crash, but the men had been thrown from the auto by the impact. The Garner fire department was called to extinguish the blaze. The car's occupants were returning from a Minnesota fishing trip at the time of the crash. A cooler full of fish was found in the car. Hancock County Coroner Kenneth Boughton, who described the crash as the worst he'd ever seen. Mrs. Gillam and her two daughters were traveling to Clear Lake, where her husband had rented a cottage and was waiting for them to join him. Mrs. Gillam, who was employed at the Hilltop grocery, 2820 Avenue Frederick M. Humbell, had just started a 2-week vacation. Her husband is in the refrigeration business in Charles City. Besides her husband, Mrs. Gillam is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Backus, Altoona; a brother Marvin Backus, of Des Moines and a sister, Nancy of Altoona. Services for Mrs. Gillam and her daughters Diane, 11, and Linda, 9, were held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Hamilton funeral home with burial in Highland Memory Gardens." Additional article on page 5, MITCHELLVILLE NEWS SECTION. "Car Collisions Cause Much Sadness Here - ………MRS. WARD GILLAM - …..Funeral services were held at….Hamilton funeral home in Des Moines. Mrs. Gillam was the former Kathryn Backus, formerly a resident of Mitchellville and a student in the school here." Additional article/information from THE DES MOINES REGISTER, Des Moines, Iowa, Monday Morning, July 13, 1953, page one headlines: HEAD-ON CRASH TAKES 6 LIVES - ….. "Hancock County Coroner Kenneth Boughton, ….said he did not know as yet whether an inquest will be held. There must have been a high rate of speed., Broughton said."
BIRTH-DEATH: CERTIFICATE OF DEATH, Hancock County, Iowa, July 20, 1953, Book 3, page 197. "Name of Deceased - Kathryn B. Gillam, Sex - female, Date of Death - July 12, 1953, Place of Death - Garner, Ell Twp, 2 1/2 miles south of highway 69, Date of Birth - June 19, 1920, Cause of Death - ...head on automobile collision on highway 69."
BIRTH-PARENTAGE-SPOUSE-DEATH-BURIAL: RECORD OF FUNERAL, Hamilton's Funeral Home, Des Moines, Iowa, July 12, 1953, page 444, #34. "Name of Deceased - Kathryn Aleta Gillam, white, married, residence - Altonna, Iowa, Husband - Ward, Date of Death - July 12, 1953, 1:10 p.m., Date of Birth - 19 June 1920, Age - 33 years, 0 months, 23 days, Cause of Death - Auto accident, Name of Father - W. E. Backus, His Birthplace - England, Maiden Name of Mother - Laura Bell, Her Birthplace - Maxwell, Iowa, Date of Funeral - July 15, 1953, Wednesday, 10:00 A.M., Cemetery - Highalnd Memory Gardens, lot 63, grave no. - 1, 2, 3, 4, Section no. - 5, Block No. - Garden of Reverence."
1925 IOWA POPULATION CENSUS: Iowa Historical Library, Des Moines, Iowa. Story County, Iowa, Indian Creek Township, BACKOUS, Kathryn A., relationship to head of household - daughter, sex - female, color - white, age - 4, single, years in the U. S. - 4, years in Iowa - 4, highest grade level - __, born - Iowa, father - BACKOUS, Walter, birthplace - England, age - 27, mother - BELL, Laura E., birthplace - Iowa, age - 23, place where parents married - Iowa, religious affiliation - none.
1930 FEDERAL CENSUS: Michigan, Oakland County, Orion Township, Lake Orion Village, Sheet 13B, April 15, 1930. Lake Street, Dwelling #336, family #366, BACKOUS, Kathryn, relationship to head - daughter, sex - female, color - white, age - 9, single, school - yes, read - no, write - no, place of birth - Iowa, father's place of birth - England, mother's place of birth - Iowa, Profession -none.
BIRTH-PARENTAGE: POLK COUNTY, IOWA BIRTH RECORDS VOL. 10, 1920-1921. Birth record No. 7,351, filing date June 21, 1920, BACKOUS, first name blank, female, born June 19, 1920, Mitchellville, Iowa, residence blank, mother - Laura E. Bell, father - Walter Backous, attending physician A. H. Leonard Phys., Mitchellville, Iowa.
BIRTH-PARENTAGE-MARRIAGE-ISSUE-DEATH-BURIAL: Family records of Nancy Jo Backus Mills and Bonnie Jean Henning Backus, December 2001 and January 2002. Per Nancy, "Kathryn, Diane and Linda were on their way up to Clear Lake for vacation when a car load of men, who had been fishing in Minnesota and had been drinking, hit them head on. Kathryn and Diane died at the scene instantly. Linda lived several hours."
BIRTH-PARENTAGE-SPOUSE-ISSUE-DEATH-BURIAL: THE ALTOONA HERALD, Altoona, Iowa, Thursday, July 16, 1953, page 1, pictures and text, columns 2-6. Picture caption - Wreckage of car in which Mrs. Ward Gillam and her two daughters Diane and Linda were killed Sunday when it collided head on with another car near Garner. "AUTO CRASH TAKES LIVES OF LOCAL MOTHER AND CHILDREN - Six Polk county residents, including Mrs. Ward Gillam and her two young daughters of Altoona, were killed and a seventh injured Sunday afternoon in a head-on collision 3 miles south of Garner on Highway 69. The dead are: Mrs. Ward Gillam, 33, Altoona. Diane, 11, and Linda, 9, daughters of Mrs. Gillam. Jack Robert Burns, 35, 224 Guthrie ave., Des Moines. Walter Hodge, 48, 307 E. Jackson ave., Des Moines. Arthur Wagner, 73, 3109 Cornell st., Des Moines. The injured man, Robert Dorris, 48, 439 E. Livingston ave., was taken t a Mason City hospital. He was reported in fair condition, suffering from shock and head lacerations. Five of the victims were killed outright in the crash shortly after 1 p.m. and the sixth, Linda Gillam, died a few hours later in a Mason City hospital. The car in which the three dead men were riding caught fie after the crash, but the men had been thrown from the auto by the impact. The Garner fire department was called to extinguish the blaze. The car's occupants were returning from a Minnesota fishing trip at the time of the crash. A cooler full of fish was found in the car. Hancock County Coroner Kenneth Boughton, who described the crash as the worst he'd ever seen. Mrs. Gillam and her two daughters were traveling to Clear Lake, where her husband had rented a cottage and was waiting for them to join him. Mrs. Gillam, who was employed at the Hilltop grocery, 2820 Avenue Frederick M. Humbell, had just started a 2-week vacation. Her husband is in the refrigeration business in Charles City. Besides her husband, Mrs. Gillam is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Backus, Altoona; a brother Marvin Backus, of Des Moines and a sister, Nancy of Altoona. Services for Mrs. Gillam and her daughters Diane, 11, and Linda, 9, were held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Hamilton funeral home with burial in Highland Memory Gardens." Additional article on page 5, MITCHELLVILLE NEWS SECTION. "Car Collisions Cause Much Sadness Here - ………MRS. WARD GILLAM - …..Funeral services were held at….Hamilton funeral home in Des Moines. Mrs. Gillam was the former Kathryn Backus, formerly a resident of Mitchellville and a student in the school here." Additional article/information from THE DES MOINES REGISTER, Des Moines, Iowa, Monday Morning, July 13, 1953, page one headlines: HEAD-ON CRASH TAKES 6 LIVES - ….. "Hancock County Coroner Kenneth Boughton, ….said he did not know as yet whether an inquest will be held. There must have been a high rate of speed., Broughton said."
BIRTH-DEATH: CERTIFICATE OF DEATH, Hancock County, Iowa, July 20, 1953, Book 3, page 197. "Name of Deceased - Kathryn B. Gillam, Sex - female, Date of Death - July 12, 1953, Place of Death - Garner, Ell Twp, 2 1/2 miles south of highway 69, Date of Birth - June 19, 1920, Cause of Death - ...head on automobile collision on highway 69."
BIRTH-PARENTAGE-SPOUSE-DEATH-BURIAL: RECORD OF FUNERAL, Hamilton's Funeral Home, Des Moines, Iowa, July 12, 1953, page 444, #34. "Name of Deceased - Kathryn Aleta Gillam, white, married, residence - Altonna, Iowa, Husband - Ward, Date of Death - July 12, 1953, 1:10 p.m., Date of Birth - 19 June 1920, Age - 33 years, 0 months, 23 days, Cause of Death - Auto accident, Name of Father - W. E. Backus, His Birthplace - England, Maiden Name of Mother - Laura Bell, Her Birthplace - Maxwell, Iowa, Date of Funeral - July 15, 1953, Wednesday, 10:00 A.M., Cemetery - Highalnd Memory Gardens, lot 63, grave no. - 1, 2, 3, 4, Section no. - 5, Block No. - Garden of Reverence."
1925 IOWA POPULATION CENSUS: Iowa Historical Library, Des Moines, Iowa. Story County, Iowa, Indian Creek Township, BACKOUS, Kathryn A., relationship to head of household - daughter, sex - female, color - white, age - 4, single, years in the U. S. - 4, years in Iowa - 4, highest grade level - __, born - Iowa, father - BACKOUS, Walter, birthplace - England, age - 27, mother - BELL, Laura E., birthplace - Iowa, age - 23, place where parents married - Iowa, religious affiliation - none.
1930 FEDERAL CENSUS: Michigan, Oakland County, Orion Township, Lake Orion Village, Sheet 13B, April 15, 1930. Lake Street, Dwelling #336, family #366, BACKOUS, Kathryn, relationship to head - daughter, sex - female, color - white, age - 9, single, school - yes, read - no, write - no, place of birth - Iowa, father's place of birth - England, mother's place of birth - Iowa, Profession -none.
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