Edward Williams

known as Gramps, Grandpa, Manny, Grampa

also written Grandpa Williams, Gramps, Edwin, Ed, Emanuel Lehman, Emanuel (Manny) Lehman, Emanuel, Manny, Grandpa, Grampa, Lehman, Williams, Ed Williams, Grampa Williams, Edward in the book

Biography

Mom’s father. Raised Mom and Lloyd alone after his wife died. Suffered a serious lye burn at work, treated with ACTH and Cortisone. Daddy argued with him about his drinking but valued his help to the family. Gave Daddy two thousand dollars from savings for a house addition, helped with gardening, canning and childcare, and gave Mom money for false teeth and dresses. Introduced with Agnes as Ethel's parents. The family believed his first name was Edward, but Ethel's baptismal record listed Edwin. He changed his complete name as a young man; Carol says there is no way to know which name he actually gave himself. Had rheumatism, sometimes called lumbago, that acted up in damp weather. Referred to it as 'rheumatiz' when predicting rain. His personal name is not given. Called Grandpa Williams; Bernie's maternal grandfather. Birth date also recorded as “1882” (History of the Guild Family). Occupation also recorded as “Co-owner of The Sunshine Store; wheat-farm farmhand; lumberyard manager and subsequently accountant.” (History of the Guild Family). Born Emanuel (Manny) Lehman; changed his name to Edward Williams sometime between 1905 and 1910. Raised in a Church of the Brethren (Dunkers) family. Described as handsome and strong, with straight jet-black hair and fair skin; retained his black hair apart from white at the sideburns until death. Married an unnamed woman in Astoria at age 17. Ethel reportedly related the account of his discovery of his bride's infidelity, assault on her lover, alleged burning of the house, and flight. The passage speculates about reasons for his name change, including fear of prosecution or a bigamy charge when marrying Agnes Tomitum; it states that correspondence with Harvey established that the lover had survived and the first wife had disappeared. Occupation also recorded as “Co-owner of The Sunshine Store; wheat farmhand; lumberyard manager; subsequently accountant” (History of the Guild Family). Born with the name Emanuel (Manny) Lehman. His parents were Pennsylvania Dutch (German-Americans) and Church of the Brethren members. Described as handsome and strong, with straight jet-black hair that remained black except for white at the sideburns until his death. Married an unnamed woman in Astoria at age 17. The account of violence, an alleged house fire, and flight after discovering her with another man was reported by his daughter Ethel long after his death. Correspondence with Harvey reportedly established that the other man survived and the first wife disappeared. Changed his name sometime between 1905 and 1910; the proposed motives of avoiding a killing trial or a bigamy charge are explicitly speculative. death date recorded both as “February 22, 1953” and as “1953” in the book; kept as written. occupation also recorded as “Held several unspecified jobs; later worked at the Herman Nelson Corporation.”, “Worked nights at a foundry; reportedly assumed the duties of judge, postman and coroner during a Swine Flu epidemic.”, “Accountant; managed a diner and a dance hall attached to the lumberyard” in the book. Identified as Grampa. Roundish, medium height and complexion, with largish ears, jet-black fine hair and eyebrows, and a soft body. Sometimes unshaven, stoic and sometimes dour, with an intelligent-sounding voice and slow, deliberate movement. Had only a touch of gray at his sideburns to the day he died; no death date or place is given. Severely depressed after Ethel's mother's death and increasingly difficult because of drinking. Opposed college for Ethel. Lived intermittently with Ethel and Floyd, then permanently from about 1934 until death. Helped with children, housework, gardening, and canning. Contributed earnings and savings, including $2,000 from Postal Savings, toward two bedrooms and a bath. Burned his leg in metal stripping acid at work; treated with Tryptar and two skin grafts, then stopped working and used a cane. Delores and Bob were his favorites among seven grandchildren. Died of a heart attack at 71; buried without a headstone in Riverside Cemetery, Moline, Illinois. A separate statement places a surgery that prevented Lloyd attending his father's funeral in 1965; the contradiction is unresolved. Did most of the family garden work while alive; deceased by the time of narration. Carol's maternal grandfather. Lived with the family until his death. Helped plant and harvest the garden and helped with canning. Shelled peas and snapped beans with young Carol under the elm tree. Shared the second bedroom with the boys. Bought Mom a mangle one year to help with ironing. Raised rabbits when the family first moved to 39th Street. Spent evenings picking gathered nuts out of their shells. Described as Mom's biggest helper during canning season. Ate cold pork sausage and sage patties directly from the grease in which they were preserved. Spent afternoons cracking gathered nuts at the basement workbench with an old metal shoe last and picking out the nut meats. Recited long, entertaining limericks from memory around the kitchen table after supper. Did not get along well with the narrator's dad; there was much sharp talk between them. Other references to 'Grandpa' are not explicitly identified as Grandpa Williams. Shared the other bedroom with Bob and Bernie when the house had two bedrooms. Nicknamed the narrator Pudge. Remembered as very comfortable and loving. Narrator's grandfather and her mother's father. His unnamed wife died of tuberculosis when their daughter was eleven, and he raised the daughter alone. A serious lye burn left a scar; the narrator was unsure whether his cane use resulted from that accident. The narrator explicitly doubts her childhood recollection of an affair, a house burning, and the timing of his move to Moline and surname change from Lehman to Williams. Grew ingredients for homemade horseradish and kept whiskey hidden in basement cement blocks. Died immediately after a massive heart attack in the hallway on a Sunday. Lived with the family. Remembered planting the first garden and helping Daddy dig the basement and raise the house. Smelled of minted snuff, gave pony rides on his knee, sang songs, and recited limericks. Shelled peas or snapped beans beneath the elm in summer. The subsequent berry-picking recollection calls the accompanying grandfather simply Grampa; he knew wild berry patches and sold surplus blackberries house to house in Villa Park. Listened to baseball broadcasts on an old Philco radio at the kitchen table. Kept pencil-written records of games and every player on cardboard separators from Shredded Wheat boxes and saved every score card. The narrator also mentions his accident and his dying in the narrator's arms, without dating or describing the accident. The Church Recorder incorrectly formalized Ed's name as Edwin instead of Edward in Ethel's birth record. His parents and siblings had a different surname from him. Moved the family into a boarding house after Agnes' death; later drank heavily. Occupation also recorded as “Accountant; managed a diner and a dance hall attached to the lumberyard; later worked at the Herman Nelson Corporation.” (History of the Guild Family). Edwin was a reporter’s error in Ethel’s birth announcement. Moved the family into a boarding house after Agnes died. Drank heavily while grieving, leaving Ethel with caregiving responsibilities. Lived intermittently with Ethel and Floyd, then permanently from about 1934 until death. Helped raise seven grandchildren, did housework, gardening and canning, and contributed earnings and savings, including $2,000 for a house addition. Burned his leg in metal stripping acid at work; recovered with Tryptar and two skin grafts, then stopped working and used a cane. Died of a heart attack at seventy-one and is buried without a headstone in Riverside Cemetery, Moline, Illinois. The passage also places his funeral in 1965 in Lloyd’s account; this conflicts with the stated 1953 death. Named in Bernie's vague memory of being bounced on his knee. Name preserved as printed.

Timeline

May 19, 1881
Birth of Edward Williams
Carol's Chapter
1882
Birth of Emanuel (Manny) Lehman
Later known as Edward Williams.
History of the Guild Family
1882
Birth of Emanuel (Manny) Lehman
Edward Williams was born with the name Emanuel (Manny) Lehman.
History of the Guild Family
Sometime between 1905 and 1910
Manny becomes Edward Williams
Motives offered for the name change are speculative: evading trial for a presumed killing or avoiding a bigamy charge.
History of the Guild Family
Sometime between 1905 and 1910
Emanuel becomes Edward Williams
Changed his name; the passage offers speculative reasons involving fear of prosecution or a bigamy charge.
History of the Guild Family
1907
Edward Williams marries Agnes Tomitum
Carol's Chapter
1909
Lloyd’s birth
Listed before Ethel despite the opening description of her as firstborn.
History of the Guild Family
1911
Birth of Edward and Agnes’s daughter
The narrator’s Mom was born to them in 1911.
Carol's Chapter
January 28, 1911; previously believed to be 1909
Birth of Ethel Kathrine Williams
Carol gives Ethel's birth date as January 28, 1911. Ethel had believed she was born in 1909, and her grave marker was engraved before the error was discovered.
Carol's Chapter
January 28, 1911
Ethel Katherine Williams is born
The birth announcement incorrectly named her father Edwin.
History of the Guild Family
January 28, 1911
Birth of Ethel Katherine Williams
Firstborn of three children; her father's name was mistakenly recorded as Edwin.
History of the Guild Family
1912
Birth of Lloyd
History of the Guild Family
1914
Ralph’s birth
History of the Guild Family
1914
Birth of Ralph
History of the Guild Family
1922
Eleven-year-old Ethel takes on family care
Her father’s heavy drinking left her largely caring for herself, Lloyd and eventually Ed.
History of the Guild Family
1922, after Agnes’ death
Ed and the children move into a boarding house
Mrs. Howe helped Ed raise the children. As he drank heavily, eleven-year-old Ethel increasingly cared for the family.
History of the Guild Family
1925
Grandpa Williams and family move to Moline
Grandpa Williams, Mom and Lloyd moved to Moline.
Carol's Chapter
1925
Ethel, Ed and Lloyd move to Moline
Ethel was fourteen.
History of the Guild Family
1926
Ethel moves to Moline with her father and brother
Ethel was 15.
History of the Guild Family
about 1934
Ed joins Ethel and Floyd permanently
Stopped working, possibly from severe depression; remained with them until death.
History of the Guild Family
About 1934
Ed joins Ethel and Floyd's household permanently
Previously lived with them on and off. Remained until death and helped raise the children.
History of the Guild Family
1953
Death of Grandpa Williams
Lived with Carol's family until his death in 1953.
Carol's Chapter
February 22, 1953
Ed Williams dies of a heart attack
Died at seventy-one; buried without a headstone in Riverside Cemetery, Moline, Illinois. Conflicts with the separate reference to his funeral in 1965.
History of the Guild Family
February 22, 1953
Death of Ed Williams
Died of a heart attack at 71; buried without a headstone at Riverside Cemetery in Moline, Illinois.
History of the Guild Family
1965
Lloyd's lung surgery and missed funeral
One of two surgeries for a collapsed lung. Passage says it prevented attendance at his father's funeral, upsetting Ethel, despite separately dating Ed's death to 1953.
History of the Guild Family
1965
Lloyd’s surgery prevents attendance at his father’s funeral
One of two collapsed-lung surgeries. This funeral reference conflicts with Ed’s stated 1953 death.
History of the Guild Family
date not given
Serious lye burn at the foundry
Fell into a vat of lye and burned his leg while working nights at the foundry. A one-page newspaper article reported a successful new treatment; the injury left an awful scar.
Dee's Chapter
During a Swine Flu epidemic
Emergency service during a Swine Flu epidemic
According to the narrator's mother, Grampa assumed the duties of judge, postman and coroner in their hometown, working days and nights while many people died. He was apparently immune.
Dee's Chapter
When my Mom was eleven years old
Grampa's wife dies of tuberculosis
His unnamed wife died of tuberculosis, after which he raised the narrator's mother alone.
Dee's Chapter
date not given
Recalled move to Moline and surname change
The narrator recalls Grampa moving himself and her mother to Moline and changing his name from Lehman to Williams. She tentatively connects this with rumors of an affair and a house burning, explicitly warning that her recollections may be wrong.
Dee's Chapter
Years later, after he had died, during the holidays
Grandchildren discover hidden whiskey
At a family holiday gathering, grandchildren discovered Grampa's stash of whiskey bottles in cement blocks at the bottom of the basement stairway.
Dee's Chapter
Sunday
Grampa's sudden heart attack
Grampa collapsed in the hallway from a massive heart attack and died immediately. Delores was at home and watched in panic as the ambulance took him away.
Dee's Chapter
One year
Grandpa Williams buys a mangle
Grandpa Williams bought Mom a cylindrical ironing machine to help with the large amount of ironing. The children thought it was a great invention and fought over whose turn it was to help.
Carol's Chapter
date not given
Gathering and preparing black walnuts and hickory nuts
Regular family outings into the woods supplied nuts that were dried on the garage roof, shelled by Grandpa Williams, and baked by Mom with butter and salt.
Carol's Chapter
late Forties or early Fifties
Grandpa Williams works at Herman Nelson
Worked as a fireman at the industrial plant.
Carol's Chapter
late Forties or early Fifties
Lye injury and experimental drug treatment
Accidentally stepped into a vat of lye. Doctors treated his severely injured leg with ACTH and Cortisone. An article appeared in the Dispatch.
Carol's Chapter
date not given
Gramps funds more room for the children
Gave Daddy two thousand dollars from his savings account to build an addition onto the house because the children needed more room.
Carol's Chapter
When she needed a passport to visit Carol in Germany
Ethel searches for her baptismal record
With no birth certificate and official records destroyed by fire, Ethel located her baptismal record. It spelled her middle name Kathrine, listed her father's first name as Edwin rather than Edward, and established 1911 rather than her believed 1909 birth year.
Carol's Chapter
As a young man
Grandpa Williams changes his complete name
Carol reports that Grandpa Williams changed his complete name and says it is impossible to know which name he actually gave himself.
Carol's Chapter
Almost immediately after the purchase and over the years
Making the small house into a lasting home
Dad raised the house and built a basement, chimney, and water system, then enlarged the kitchen and added bedrooms and indoor plumbing. Bob and the narrator helped a little with the bedrooms; Grampa is remembered helping with the early garden and basement work. Later came green asphalt siding, a new garage, and a work shed. The chicken coop became a playhouse. By the telling, the home was Dee’s and had white siding again with forest-green shutters.
Bernie's Chapter
One year
A blackberry harvest large enough to sell
After an especially abundant wild blackberry harvest, Grampa sold berries house to house to rich people in Villa Park.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Grampa Williams's accident
Mentioned as a vivid memory; no circumstances or date are given.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Grampa Williams dies in Bernard's arms
Bernard recalls Grampa dying in his arms and holding a mirror to his mouth to see whether he was still breathing.
Bernie's Chapter
date not given
Family evenings with toasted nuts and Grandpa's limericks
A recurring family memory: Grandpa cracked nuts gathered in the fall, Mom toasted the nut meats after supper, and the family ate them while Grandpa recited limericks around the kitchen table.
Iris's Chapter
date not given
Agnes marries Edward
History of the Guild Family
As a teen; the next day
Manny punished for attending a dance
His father banished him to hard farm labor after he danced in defiance of religious rules.
History of the Guild Family
date not given
Brothers own The Sunshine Store
Successful combination hardware and grocery store.
History of the Guild Family
At age 17
Manny's first marriage
Married an unnamed woman about whom the family knew little.
History of the Guild Family
about six months after they were betrothed
Reported assault and alleged house fire
Ethel later reported that Manny beat his wife's lover and left him for dead, then allegedly ordered his wife outside and burned the house. Later correspondence established that the man survived.
History of the Guild Family
date not given
Manny flees to Newburg
Took half the store cash and bank savings, left Harvey a note, and departed by train.
History of the Guild Family
date not given
Farm and lumberyard work in Newburg
Worked on a wheat farm, later managed a lumberyard with a restaurant and dance hall, and subsequently became its accountant and prospered.
History of the Guild Family
date not given
Marriage to Agnes Tomitum
History of the Guild Family
after Agnes’ death
Ed moves his children to a boarding house
Mrs. Howe helped Ed raise the children.
History of the Guild Family
after Iris’ birth in 1930
Mary tells Ethel the bigamy story
Ethel did not tell her children until adulthood. The story’s details are not supplied.
History of the Guild Family
date not given
Ed funds room for seven teenagers
Contributed $2,000 from postal savings toward two bedrooms and a bath.
History of the Guild Family
date not given
Ed is badly burned at work
Slipped from a catwalk into metal stripping acid. Tryptar and two skin grafts healed his leg; he stopped working and used a cane.
History of the Guild Family
date not given
Agnes and Edward marry
History of the Guild Family
As a teen
A dance followed by hard labor
After Emanuel attended a forbidden dance, his father banished him to a farm for intensely hard labor.
History of the Guild Family
date not given
Brothers own The Sunshine Store
Manny and Harvey owned a very successful combination hardware and grocery store.
History of the Guild Family
At age 17
Manny's first marriage
Married an unnamed woman about whom the family knew little.
History of the Guild Family
about six months after they were betrothed
Reported assault and alleged house fire
Ethel reportedly said that Manny found his bride with another man and beat him, leaving him for dead. He allegedly ordered his wife outside and burned the house. Later correspondence with Harvey established that the man survived.
History of the Guild Family
After the reported assault and alleged fire
Manny leaves Astoria for Newburg
Took half the store cash and half their bank savings, left Harvey a note, and fled by train to Newburg.
History of the Guild Family
After settling in Newburg
Farm work and lumberyard prosperity
Worked as a wheat-farm farmhand, later managed a lumberyard with an attached restaurant and dance hall, and subsequently became its accountant.
History of the Guild Family
date not given
Marriage to Agnes Tomitum
Mentioned in discussion of a possible reason for Edward's name change.
History of the Guild Family
after Iris’ birth in 1930
Mary tells Ethel the “bigamy” story
The story itself is not given. Ethel waited until her own children were adults to tell them.
History of the Guild Family
date not given
Ed helps enlarge the family home
Contributed earnings and savings, including $2,000 from Postal Savings, for two bedrooms and a bath, saying the little house could not hold seven teenagers.
History of the Guild Family
Quite late in life
Ed suffers an acid burn at work
Fell from a catwalk into metal stripping acid, burning his leg from ankle to knee. Tryptar and two skin grafts enabled complete healing; he stopped working and used a cane.
History of the Guild Family

Stories mentioning Edward

Referenced in

Family corrections

Notes sent in by the family and approved on review. They sit alongside the original record — the book's wording is never changed.

No corrections on file for this record yet.

Suggest a correction