Mom’s Records and a Lifetime of Devotion

Mom and Dad loved to dance in the early years of their marriage. When Daddy was single and first came to Moline, he joined the Turner’s Club so he could work out in their gym. He became a tumbler and was in a Minstrel show held there. He also joined because they held dances there, and it was a good place to meet girls. He took Mom to many dances there over the years. MOM

Mom was born Ethel Kathrine Williams on January 28, 1911, to Edward and Agnes Williams in Newburg, (north of Minot) North Dakota. Mom never had a copy of her birth certificate and the official records were burned in a fire. So when she needed a passport to go to Germany and visit me, she went on a search for her baptismal records. She located the church where she was baptized and that record stated that her middle name was spelled Kathrine. I have seen several variations through the years, but my birth certificate spells it Kathryn. Her father’s first name was listed as Edwin (not Edward as we have always believed). Since Grandpa Williams changed his complete name as a young man, there is no way to know which name he actually gave himself. Her birth-date was actually 1911, not 1909 as she always believed. Her grave marker was engraved with her statistics at the time of Daddy’s death, before she knew of this error. It will forever be incorrect, but Mom was happy to know she was two years younger than she thought. Mom was what we would call today a “stay-at-home” mom. She never held an outside job after she had her first baby and she never learned to drive. She had boundless energy, was devoted to her family, and worked as hard as was necessary every day to provide for us. She nurtured us, supported us, and guided us. She did it all!