Willing Family

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The Wedding Day of Marie Willing and Harry Atwell

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Sometimes when researching genealogy I get so engrossed in the deep past I neglect to write about more current events, like my own paternal grandparents, Marie and Harry who were married February 1, 1930 in Racine, Wisconsin. One day while searching Newspapers.com, I came across two enjoyable articles from The Journal Times pertaining to their wedding celebrations; a detailed announce of the ceremony and another of a bridal shower for Marie.

The finer points of the veil and gown are detailed nicely as well as the bouquet. Especially the description of the veil, “caught with orange blossoms”! Of course, after reading this, I immediately pulled out my copy of their wedding photo. My grandparent’s wedding photo is very familiar however it was really hard to visualize the beauty of the grown with a black and white photo. So, I decided to use Ancestry.com’s new photo “colorizing” feature and see what would happen and then cleaned it up a bit on My Heritage’s Photo Enhance Feature as well. Wow, look at the color version of the same photo! It’s surprising to see all the dimension added to Grandma’s gown that can’t be seen in the black and white photo.

I am trying to locate a photo of the wedding party to colorize as well, however after speaking with my Aunt Marlene today she is not sure one exists. How lovely does Hildegard’s dress sound though-“a pale green georgette with uneven hemming, trimmed with green velvet”? In fact, this dress was probably made by my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Thielen Willing, who was a wonderful seamstress.

After reading a wedding shower announcement in the newspaper from January 18, 1930, one would think it was a slow day at the The Journal Times however it was common place to write about such events. In fact, journalists from that era would often push a pencil if a past resident came back to town for a visit.

And I had no idea Bunco was popular in the 1930’s. According to Wikipedia, in the 19th century England, Bunco was “a confidence game similar to three card monte” and since it’s resurgence in 2006 it’s sometimes known as “the housewife’s drinking game”!!!! Sounds like a great evening in honor of my grandmother along with the “midnight luncheon”.

Gosh, this is as close as I will ever come to being at my grandparent’s wedding 92 years ago!!

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My Heritage™ Deep Nostalgia™ Feature for Animated Photos

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In late February 2021, My Heritage™ released a new, amazing, feature on their website called Deep Nostalgia™ for animating family photos. Upload a photo-my experience is that a portrait-style works best-and within seconds the photo becomes an animated mp4 file. In just one short week after release 10 million photos were animated. Of course, I had to give it a try and the first photo I chose was of my grandma Anne Penne Hiller when she was about 20 years old.

This is the still photo I used for the Deep Heritage™animation and below is the animation.

This is the still photo I used for the Deep Heritage™animation and below is the animation.

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Kind of freaky right? I didn’t stop here though! Below you’ll see my other three grandparents as well as my two times great-grandfather Christian Hiller. Since I was lucky enough to remember three of my grandparents, except for Marie Atwell who died when I was four, using photos from their younger days was enjoyable.

My grandpa Don Hiller, maybe about 7 or 8 years.

My grandpa Don Hiller, maybe about 7 or 8 years.

My paternal grandmother, Marie Willing Atwell. Doesn’t she look adorable in that hat?

My paternal grandmother, Marie Willing Atwell. Doesn’t she look adorable in that hat?

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Harry Atwell, my paternal grandpa.

Harry Atwell, my paternal grandpa.

Christian Hiller’s Civil War era tin-type photo, circa 1864-1865.

Christian Hiller’s Civil War era tin-type photo, circa 1864-1865.

Try it for yourself at My Heritage™! They offer five free animations before you need to choose a membership level. I really love this new tool and of course will add the animations to my genealogy photo files and, yes, I now have a membership to My Heritage™!

PS-All the videos offered after the animations are from my own YouTube videos on genealogy. So now is your time to catch up if you missed any.

Johann Thielen Family Update

This post is a bit of an update with additions to a previous feature on Johann Thielen from October 2017. At the time of the original post I only had one photo of Johann and his wife. Since then a distant cousin placed another online of the whole family! Another reason why collaborative genealogy and working both your direct ancestor lines and collateral lines as well is advantageous. By this I’m referring to not just a family tree with your parents, grandparents, great grandparents and so on but including their siblings and siblings children. Andrew is my fourth cousin, we share third great-grandparents, Wilhelm and Johanna (Verhaaren) Thielen. Since Johann died on 2 December 1929 and a daughter, Catherine died in 1907, I’ll call this circa 1907-1929.

Johann Thielen Family-Front row, L-R: Johanna, Catherine & Johann, Elizabeth (my great-grandmother). Back row, L-R: ?, Gertrude, ?, Theodore, Clara, ? (the questions marks could be either George, William or John). Can anyone can help me identif…

Johann Thielen Family-Front row, L-R: Johanna, Catherine & Johann, Elizabeth (my great-grandmother). Back row, L-R: ?, Gertrude, ?, Theodore, Clara, ? (the questions marks could be either George, William or John). Can anyone can help me identify George, William and John?

Another item I want to share is Johann’s baptismal record from Germany, once again, thanks Andrew and a website called Matricula Online. The text is hard to decipher and it’s written in a Latinized form of German which I am not familiar. The record is from the Catholic parish of St. Lambertus in Appeldorn, Germany which explains the inclusion of Latin.

Johann’s baptismal record in full (line 720) and a cropped version below.

Johann’s baptismal record in full (line 720) and a cropped version below.

The first line reads “22 November” and not sure after that. Second line is “Joannes, filius (son), legitimus (legitimate), Wilhelmus Thielen and Johanna Hedrina Verhaaren”. I can’t read the third and fourth lines, maybe godparents?

The first line reads “22 November” and not sure after that. Second line is “Joannes, filius (son), legitimus (legitimate), Wilhelmus Thielen and Johanna Hedrina Verhaaren”. I can’t read the third and fourth lines, maybe godparents?

Both of these are great additions to the Thielen Family story. Using this Matricula Online website, which contains thousands of records for free, I hope to find Wilhelm and Johanna’s baptismal records. Andrew has already found their marriage record but will save that for a future feature. Thanks for reading!

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Vintage Christmas Photographs

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic and thought it would be fun to make a gallery of all the Christmas-inspired photographs I’ve collected through the years. These are a mish mash of the Atwell, Hiller, Willing and Penne families, some of which are on previous posts but I do like that they are all in one spot now. I hope you enjoy reminiscing as much as I did while gathering these photos. We can’t turn back the clock but we sure can add to this collection of photo memories so feel free to add your own. Merry Christmas. Vesel božič. Fröhliche Weinnachten.

My Great Grandparents Anton and Johanna Penne

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My Collection of Family Prayer Cards

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I received the first four prayer cards at each of my grandparents’ funerals. The fifth is my uncle and the remainder are all either great grandparents or great aunts and uncles. These cards have all been given to me by family members. Click a card to see a larger image.

For anyone not familiar, prayer cards also known as holy cards are about the size of a playing card and contain a religious scene or saint on one side and a prayer on the other. In the case of “In Memoriam Cards” given at Catholic funerals, the type of prayer cards I have, there is also information about the deceased person such as date of birth, death, sometimes burial date and place as well as serve as a keepsake and reminder of the loved one. Because of their compactness, the cards are handy to transport in a wallet, prayer book or bible and are used as personal devotionals. As a child, I remember my aunt’s prayer book stuffed with prayer cards bound by a rubber band, resembling a stack of baseball cards, and thinking, “that’s a lot of dead people”. Before mass she would take them out of her prayer book and look through them while praying.

However, for purposes of genealogy, funeral cards contain important information especially if you have no obituary or death certificate. Using the dates of death, funeral home or church name will help you obtain the above items. For example, if the date of death or location of an ancestor is unknown but you have the funeral card, use “Google” to find the location of the funeral home/church. Then check the local library in that city and using the microfilm you are able to narrow your obituary search using the date of death from the prayer card. The reference desk at most libraries will do obituary searches if you are unable to travel there but you must have the date of death. Just phone or email them. Likewise, with the exact date of death it will be much easier to obtain the death certificate from the county clerk, which always contains interesting information as well.

In closing, if any of my extended family have additional prayer cards that are not shown here I would love to add them just send me a scanned photo of the front and back. Thanks!

Johann Thielen

Johan was born in Appeldorn, Rheinland, Prussia in 1843 to Wilhelm and Johanna (Verhaaren) Thielen. Today, Appeldorn is located on the western border of Germany near The Netherlands.  The family's 2½ month journey to America began near the first of October 1854 aboard the ship Florence in Rotterdam.  Twenty days into the voyage, Johan's sister Elisabeth, age 5, died.

My only photo of John and his wife Catherine, date unknown.

Still grieving, Johann, his parents and siblings-Heinrich, Theodor, Wilhelm, Gertrude arrived in New York City on 15 December 1854 and simply walked off the ship; the first immigrant processing center in New York City, Castle Garden, would not open until August 1, 1855.  Various piers though out the city were used for passenger arrivals before this time. To protect future immigrants, Congress passed two acts in 1855; one to protect passenger health and welfare on ships and another creating an immigrant processing center to safeguard passenger from fraud as well as other services.

Wilhelm Thielen naturalization record.

An 1855 naturalization record filed in Racine by Wilhelm is evidence that the family quickly relocated to Wisconsin after arriving in the United States and by 1860 the US Federal Census shows the family living and farming in Caledonia, a small village in Racine County.

At the age of 18, on November 16, 1862 Johann enlisted in the 34th Wisconsin Regiment Infantry and was assigned to Company D.  The regiment organized at Camp Washburn in Milwaukee and mustered in on December 31, 1862.  Thirty days later they left Wisconsin and arrived at Fort Halleck in Columbus, Kentucky where the regiment performed camp and guard duty.  Johan's service in the Civil War ended on April 16, 1863 when he was discharged due to disability (Currently investigating exactly what type of disability).

One of the sample shoes Johann used to show customers, handed down through the years.  Currently, in the safekeeping of my cousin Kathy.

Johann married his beautiful bride, Catherine Kramer, on June 1, 1869 and made their home in the City of Racine, the southwest corner of Buchanan and St. Patrick Streets) sharing a home with his mother and father.  Johann Thielen was a shoemaker by trade, his business located just three blocks from his home on Kewaunee and Wisconsin Streets.  His granddaughter, Genevieve, wrote her remembrances of her grandparents and their home and offers valuable insight:

"Being only a short block from St. Joseph’s Church and school, I used to stop to see them either with my mother after Sunday Vespers or on my way home from school.  The first thing you saw was a big white house and a chain fence surrounding it, there were lilac bushes and to the left a large flower garden with every kind of flowers you can think of.  Some of my favorites were Snapdragons, carnations and bleeding hearts.  Next to the house was a shed where food was kept in the winter months and a cistern (well) where rainwater was stored.  At the back edge of the lot was the “out house” with three different sized holes and an old catalog across a long board where one could perform their “duty”.  I didn’t care to use this too often, especially when it was cold out.  In the back of the house was a large vegetable garden, an apple, plum and mulberry tree and grape vine.

Most of our visiting time was spent in the kitchen and sometimes I’d watch my Grandpa repair a shoe on a machine that stood in the corner.

Someone would always get me a drink of water by using the hand pump on the sink.

My mother took me upstairs once to show me the bedroom she used to sleep in.

There were two more and three downstairs.

The living room was closed off most of the time except when used during a wake for a deceased family member or when Grandpa, who played a violin beautifully, and my mother did likewise on the piano that stood along one wall of the rather small room.

Grandpa seemed kind of short and cute with his well-kept pointed beard and

John Thielen's naturalization petition, page 1.

Grandma a bit pudgy but always smiling and offering cookies and a bit of homemade wine.

We children sat quietly on chairs while the elders talked and no roaming around the house.

Although I was in eighth grade when Grandpa died on December 2, 1929 at 86 years of age and a sophomore in high school when Grandma died on May 5, 1931 at 79 years of age, I can’t remember their cause of death or funeral mass."

Naturalization petition, page 2

While researching Johann, or John as he would become known after immigrating, I found an interesting fact- he didn't apply for United States citizenship until 1927, that's 73 years after he arrived in the United States and two years before he died!  And after reading over his Petition for Naturalization I found out why; he thought he was already a citizen.  Here's the story:  Approximately 1917 he served as a witness for another individual who was applying for citizenship and told he was NOT a citizen himself.  Although he had resided in the United States for 63 years at that time and served in the Civil War he still wasn't considered a citizen.  Yet, here's the irony of the situation, he was already a citizen through his father's application in 1855 (shown above) and because of the surname misspelling and the fact that

Naturalization petition, page 3.

before 1906 names of wives and children were not included on the naturalization application would have made it difficult if not impossible to prove his citizenship.  Clearly citizenship was important to him and he did eventually become a citizen on April 17, 1928.  My great-great grandfather was a United States Citizen for a total of 19 months and 15 days!  John died on December 2, 1929 of chronic endocarditis (inflammation of the inner layer of the heart) and is buried in Racine, Wisconsin at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery.

Although I didn't know him, his perseverance to become a citizen of this great country is inspiring, especially at a time when so many natural born citizens are grumbling.  Here's a man who immigrated, worked hard to start his own business, paid his taxes, fought in a war and was disabled in that war and after 63 years was told he still was not considered a citizen. Not disheartened, he took up the task and applied for citizenship in the last years of his life. That's what I call determination and grit.

John Thielen Family memorial stone, Holy Cross Cemetery, Racine, Wisconsin.

References

Genealogy Naturalization Information

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Grandfathers Who Served

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Today is Memorial Day and I thought it timely to recognize my grandfathers who have served our country.  I'm sure this list is not complete as there is ALWAYS ongoing research. Their sacrifice leaves me with lasting gratitude.

Civil War (1861-1865)

John Thielen, circa 1869.

Civil War (1861-1865) 

John Thielen (1843-1929)

 Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, 34th Regiment, Company D.  Enlisted November, 1862 at age 19 and discharged April 16, 1863 due to disability (no details).  John  immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1854 and had only been in this country for 8½ years before his enlistment.

Christian G. Hiller (1844-1918) 

Michigan 9th Infantry Regiment, Company H.  Enlisted February 10, 1864 and discharged September 28, 1865 in Jackson, Michigan.  Christian was a Germany immigrant as well, arriving in the United States at the age of 13 in 1857.  Seven years later, age 20, he would be a Union soldier.

Revolutionary War (1775-1783)

Timothy Barton (1732-1791) 

 Massachusetts Militia.  Private in Captain David Chadwick's Company marching to Bennington on alarm.  Service 5 days, discharged September 23, 1777.

Oliver Burton (1740-1813) 

Connecticut 16th Regiment.  Enlisted and served 3 months.

Samuel Kenyon (1720-1801) Noyes' Regiment, 

Rhode Island Militia, service date 26 August 1778.

John Clarke (1740-1836) 

Lieutenant and captain with Rhode Island troops.  Enlisted in Richmond, RI and served as a Lieutenant, May 1776-May1778 and Captain under Colonels Dyer and Maxon, May 1778-May1883.

Solomon Fuller (1757-1847) 

Private and sergeant with Vermont Militia.  Served as a private in Captain William Dyre's Company, October-November 1780 and sergeant in Captain Bigelow Lawrence's Company, Colonel Walbridge's Regiment.  Four days service, July 1781 and ten days service with the same company October 1781.

Elijah Fuller, father of Solomon (1724-1799)  

Vermont Militia. Private in Green Mountain Boys, Captain Brownson's Company, Colonel Warner's Regiment.

Edward Preston (1733-1823) 

Massachusetts Militia.

William Brown, Jr. (1740-?)

Massachusetts Militia, 17 April 1776.  Private in James Patch's Company of Minute Men who marched on alarm from Ipswich to Mystic.  Four days service.

Bernard A. and Johanna H. (Sievering) Willing

Bernard (Barney) and Johanna were German immigrants, Bernard from Vreden near the Dutch border and Johanna from a town I can't even find on the map (so most likely I have an incorrect town name or the name has been changed) who made Chicago their home for a short time.  And that's all I know about either of their lives before they married.

Subsequently, I will begin on July 21, 1874 at St. Michael's Church in Chicago, Illinois.  On this date, my great-great grandparents Bernard Willing and Johanna Sievering were married.  St. Michael's in Old Town was built on land donated by a prosperous immigrant brewer and served German immigrants beginning in 1852.  This wooden structure was replaced in 1869 with a brick building and steeple that was once the tallest structure in Chicago.  However, just two years later in 1871, St. Michael's Church was ravaged by the Great Chicago Fire.  On October 12, 1873 the church was re-dedicated becoming one of the first after the Great Fire to do so and just nine months before my grandparent's wedding day the next year.

Bernard and Johanna's first child, Mary, was born in May 1875 in Chicago followed by Annie in 1876.  By the time of my great grand father John's birth in April 1878 the family had relocated north to Racine, Wisconsin.  Four more children would followed-Louise, Bernard, Leonard and Catherine-all born in Racine as well.  Bernard and Johanna would reside in Racine the remainder of their lives.

Bernard Willing (beard) with my great grandfather John, holding his granddaughter Mary Jane, and his daughter Hildegard Bowman.  Circa 1937. (Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of Johanna.)

Bernard's granddaughter, Genevieve (I often refer to her as "Aunt Gen" in this blog and use her memoir quite often as reference) described him:

"Grandpa was a farmer and also dabbled in real estate in his later years.  I only remember him as having snow-white hair and full beard and carrying a cane.  I always like to watch him pull on two chains that would wind the cuckoo clock that hung on the dining room wall.  What fun it was to watch the little cuckoo bird come out on the half or full hour".  In his later years, Grandpa seemed to cough a lot and had difficulty breathing, no doubt from smoking a corncob pip for years".  

And describing Johanna:  

"I only recall Grandma as being rather plump and watching her grind coffee beans, churning milk for butter or lifting the coffee pot off the big iron stove and taking a drink from it.  She was injured in the cyclone that ripped through the north side and also killed Annie".  

New York Times, May 19, 1883.

Undoubtedly, the most significant event in their lives occurred during the evening of May 18, 1883.  The warm day had brought afternoon thunderstorms followed by large dark clouds and hot, still air.  A tornado formed and swept through Racine killing little Anna (Annie) who was six.  On May 19, The New York Times reported "The little daughter of Barney Willing was blow fully 50 rods from where the house stood and against a wall, and killed instantly".   The same news article states "A son of Barney Willing is missing".   This could have been either my great grandfather John, 5, or his brother Benny who was one year old at the time.  Since the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern reported on May 19, 1883 that "Barney Willing, eight months old was killed in his mother's arms" I am inclined to conclude that Benny/Barney was the child missing.  Regardless, both John or Benny were found and lived well into adulthood.  All members of the Willing Family were seriously injured that day, some permanently.  Two years after the tornado Barney and Johanna were blessed with a baby daughter they named Anna in memory of the daughter they lost.

Barney and Johanna made their home at 1838 LaSalle Street for a number of happy years in the same neighborhood as their children and grandchildren.  Johanna died in 1923 and when Barney died in 1939 their house was purchased by their granddaughter and her husband, Hildegard and Gil Bowman.    When I was about 10 years old I visited "Aunt" Hildegard at the home never realizing, until just a few years ago,  the circumstances and sadness the devastating tornado had on my great, great grandparent's lives.

Resources:

http://www.st-mikes.org/15

American Bank & Trust Robbed in Racine, Wisconsin

Imaging finding out that Public Enemy Number 1 just robbed a bank in your city.  was a reality for my great grandparents John and Elizabeth Willing along with other members of their extended family.  (My grandmother, Marie Willing Atwell, was married and living in Manitowoc at the time, however).   John Dillinger was a life-long troublemaker who began a streak of robberies and murders across across the Midwest that eventually landed him at the American Bank & Trust on November 20, 1933.  The crime spree ended when he was killed outside the Biograph Theatre in Chicago by FBI agents as depicted in the 2009 movie "Public Enemies".  While researching this event, I was surprised to learn that the home state of so many of my relatives became a notorious hideout for many famous gangsters.  (More information can be found here regarding Wisconsin gangster haunts).  Interestingly, my aunt currently lives in the vicinity of a number of the northern Wisconsin locations.

My curiosity about this event was peaked when I not only read Genevieve's mention in her memoir but also when Ancestry.com entered it as a "Lifestory" event on John Willing's timeline.  Gen writes "The bank that is located on the corner next to it (referring to the Bijou Theatre) was robbed by

American Bank & Trust Company in downtown Racine.

 and accomplices.  I was in St. Mary's Hospital, which was located on Grand Avenue at the time, after giving birth to Laurana.  There was quite a a commotion at the hospital and also around town as he escaped.  I was never a customer of the bank but I knew several people who worked there, one being Fran Hahn.  It is still a busy place these days."  Not wanting to immediately dismiss her claim that she was in the hospital during this event,  I conducted my own research and found that she was not in the hospital delivering a baby and in fact she may have been teaching in Milwaukee on that day.  Family stories and memoirs are nice to have however, it's not a substitution for conducting your own research.

This website by the Weyland Family provides a thorough and interesting, account of the robbery including information on one of the hostages, bank president Grover Weyland.  This incident is part of their family history and rather than write the story myself, I prefer referring you to their website.

Looking at the map here you can see the close vicinity of the Willing home and my great

grandfather's place of employment to the robbery site.  I wonder how quickly news spread throughout the city without the benefit of social media  Did my grandfather telephone home to check on his family? Come home from work early?  Were relatives, friends and neighbors called?  My guess is that as local and national newspapers hit the news stands, the citizens of Racine had plenty of stories to recount that night and for weeks regarding the day a group of gangsters came to their town.

Monday, November 20, 1933, 2:20 p.m.

In general, most of my posts refer to a specific person, an ancestor.  Last month, that was John Willing, my great grandfather.  I've decided, this month, to expand on John's life and write about an event that took place during his residence in Racine, Wisconsin.  In past posts I have mentioned Genevieve's Memoir and the informative role it has had in helping me to create accurate historical and genealogical information.  In this one case, however, Genevieve's memory was imprecise.  While recounting her stay at St. Mary's Hospital after the birth of her daughter, Genevieve states that  "the bank that is located on the corner next to it (Bijou Theatre) was robbed by Dillinger and accomplices".  John Dillinger did burglarize the American Bank and Trust Company on November 20, 1933, however, Gen didn't marry until October, 1944 and her daughter was not born until after her marriage.  Perhaps she is just confusing the episode with another hospital stay.  Regardless,  I found it thought-provoking that this event occurred one-and-a-half miles from so many of my father's ancestor's homes (grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins) and wondered how this incident affected their lives.   Although I have no written documentation regarding their personal experiences during the manhunt, I'm guessing there was plenty to talk about at dinner that night! Find the story on the Willing Family page.

John N. Willing: "A Wonderful Papa"

Double wedding of John & Elizabeth (Thielen) Willing (center right) and Edward & Gertrude (Thielen) Michna (center left) with attendants Theodore Thielen and Anna Willing (right) and Frank Michna and Katherine Thielen (left).

John Nicolas Willing was a lifelong resident of Racine, Wisconsin; born (1870), married (1904), lived and died (1947) in this city.  Both his parents, Bernard and Johanna (Sievering) Willing, were German immigrants and he was one of seven children; Mary, Annie, Louise (Netti), Bernard (Ben), Leonard and Catherine (Kate).

Very little is known about John's childhood in Racine, however, an event occurred on May 18, 1883 that certainly would have left an impact on such a young boy.  A tornado swept through his neighborhood devastating the area and taking the life of his sister Annie.  A New York Times newspaper account on May 19 also mentions "a son of Barney Willing is missing". The only two possibile "sons" were John or his brother Ben who would have been 5 1/2 months old at the time.  My research is ongoing regarding the tornado and hopefully more details will emerge in a later post.

New York Times article regarding Racine tornado.

According to the 1900 United States Census, John worked as a servant in the home of the Keitchert Family two houses away William Thielen, his future brother-in-law.  Could  this be how he met his wife Elizabeth?

As well as farming and servant,  Great Grandpa had various other occupations- salesman at a meat market owned by his brother-in-law, Sylvester "Slippery" (because he was never around when needed) Mostek and shipping clerk at Hartmann Trunk Company and maintenance man at the Knights of Columbus hall.   The Great Depression devastated many businesses and families and Hartmann Trunk was no exception.  Grandpa eventually became unemployed sometime after 1940 and although he tried to stay busy, eventually fell into a depression himself for a few years.  Mysteriously, while in the hospital for a broken hip the depression left him and he was his old, cheerful self again.  He loved to talk and joke with his children about his younger days, often with them sitting around the pot belly stove in the dining room.

John on the right with his son-in-laws, Harry Atwell (center) and Gil Bowman, date unknown.

 John never drove a car or had a vacation, was a firm believer in refraining from manual labor on the Lord's Day and was intolerant of insurance salesman.  When he died at the age of 68, after a short illness, the doctor diagnosed an enlarged heart. "That may be the medical term but to me that meant the many years of love and hard work to support his family and also helping neighbors in need.  He really was a wonderful Papa"1.

Clockwise from left:  John's daughter Marie Atwell holding Billy (my Dad), wife Elizabeth, John, daughter Hildegard Bowman holding Mary Jane, in front of Hildegard is Marlene Atwell and taller girl in middle is Joan Atwell. Circa 1937

1.  Quote from Memoir of Genevieve.  Genevieve Willing Dunham Gorski, 1993.

Additional information regarding the Racine tornado can be found here:

Summarized Proceedings and a Directory of Members, Volume 32

By American Association for the Advancement of Science

https://books.google.com/books?id=wwpLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA142&lpg=PA142&dq=1883,+tornado,+Kenosha,+Racine,+Wisconsin&source=bl&ots=YpkUrnotfh&sig=Z4tIUOZAEnhqYOXCla4XOMRMz24&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBmoVChMIrs6Ytc_zxgIVQ5INCh0FSAT_#v=onepage&q=1883%2C%20tornado%2C%20Kenosha%2C%20Racine%2C%20Wisconsin&f=false

Great Grandpa Willing

The "Racine" Family, circa 1942.

My father was 10 when his grandfather died.  Although visiting his Mom's family (grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins) in Racine often and seeing photos of him standing beside his grandfather he "doesn't remember him, even when he died".  He describes his grandparent's home as an "almost farm-like white house with a painted red foundation" and "at the end of the side driveway sat a small, one car detached garage adjacent to a rather large vegetable garden".  Some of the Racine relatives standing in front of the Bowman Home (former home of John's parents) are shown in this photo.  That's Great Grandpa Willing at the top left wearing a hat and his wife Elizabeth on the step below.  Clockwise, Gil Bowman and Harry Atwell (my grandpa)  John's son-in-laws, middle-Hildegard and Marie (my grandma) John's daughters.  John's grandchildren starting just below Harry are Marlene Atwell, Mary Jane Bowman, Billy Atwell (my Dad), Judy Bowman and Donald Atwell and Joan Atwell (above Donald).

"The Racine neighborhood was very different from ours.  There were no alleys, local businesses or delivery trucks.  It was very quiet, like the country".  In 1940 the population of Racine was about 67,000 and very different from my father's home in Milwaukee at 587,000.  It turns out Dad's childhood memories were right on.   "Farm-like" and "country" certainly described John.   He had at least two things in common with his own father, a corn cob pipe and farming, providing for his family during the Great Depression by growing/raising most of their food including carrots, onions, beets, lettuce, beans, tomatoes, peas, strawberries, raspberries currants, grapes, chickens and eggs.  Despite not remembering his grandpa, I think my Dad captured the spirit of the man.   It's possible my Dad might have remembered his grandfather better than he thought after all.

John's biography can be found on the Willing Page.  As with his wife Elizabeth's post, I will be relying heavily on material from the memoirs of his daughter Genevieve (Willing) (Dunham) Gorski.

Notes:

Quotations taken from Remember the Good Times,  2004, Chapter titled "Travel and Vacations" a self published book written by my Dad, William H. Atwell.

Great Grandma Willing

Wedding day of John Willing and Elizabeth Thielen Willing.

My great grandmother, Elizabeth G. Thielen, was born on September 16, 1879 lived most of her life in one house located at 1828 LaSalle Street in Racine, Wisconsin.  When she was young, her family made overnight trips by horse and buggy to Waterford visiting her maternal grandparents and family.  During cold weather her father would place heated bricks under blankets at their feet to keep warm while making the journey. Before she married, Lizzie, as she was know, worked at Miller's Shoe Factory "which was downtown and walked each way in her long dresses and high-buttoned shoe".1

  Interestingly, her father, Johan Thielen, was a shoemaker in Racine at the same time.

Racine Daily Journal, June 29, 1904

"There used to be a park with a bandstand and pavilion on the corner of Douglas Avenue and High Street, northwest, and that is where she met Papa".1

 John Nicholas Willing and Lizzie were married on June 20, 1904 in a double wedding ceremony with her sister Gertrude and her husband, Edward Michna.  A talented seamstress, Elizabeth made her own wedding gown and veil and throughout her life First Communion dresses and clothing for her children and bridesmaid dresses for 3 of their weddings.  After the honeymoon, John and Lizzie made their home at 1828 Palica Avenue which was later renamed LaSalle Street.

Lizzie had six children, at home, with the help of a midwife Bernard, Hildegard, Marie (my grandmother), Raymond, Edmund and Genevieve.  She was a hard worker and "her hands were busy day and night with some household task".1  

Elizabeth with her daughters Marie, left and Hildegard, date unknown.

In the Willing house, meals were cooked on a large, black iron wood and coal-burning oven/stove and Lizzie baked bread, cookies and kuchens (German word for cake) once or twice a week.  She also canned vegetables and fruit from their garden and were able to enjoy beans, tomatoes, pickles, beets, sauerkraut, various jams and jellies throughout the winter.  When she worked in the garden, Mamma (as the children called her, wore a big straw hat, old cotton stockings over her arms and a cover-up apron.  Since there was no running hot water, before doing the weekly wash, water had to be heated in a large copper tub and then separated into two wooden washtubs-one for washing the other for rinsing. Clothes were then put through a hand-turned wringer to squeeze out the excess water before being hung to dry outside or in the attic.

Elizabeth Thielen Willing, date unknown, but my guess would be her last birthday in September, 1970.

Elizabeth loved to play the piano and would play as "Papa" would played his violin.  She was also a religious person saying prayers before and after meals and lighting a blessed candle when there was a storm or a family member was seriously ill and praying the rosary.  After her children had left the home, she attended daily mass until she was no longer able.  Elizabeth paid cash for everything and was fond of saying "if you see something you like, but don't really need it, don't buy it".  She never drove a car or had a telephone until later in life.  Genevieve recalls "there were a lot of things she didn't do, but the only thing I remember most that she did do was to always be home when I came home from school and that was at lunchtime too."1

My Great Grandma Willing sounds like a sensible, hard-working, stay-at-home mom. What's not to like about that?

1Gorski, Genevieve Thielen (Dunham), Personal Memoir papers, never published.

Marie Willing Atwell

Marie Willing, First Communion

Marie & Harry, 1926.

Marie was born on January, 23, 1910 in Racine, Wisconsin to John and Elizabeth (Thielen) Willing along with her siblings: Bernard, Hildegard, Raymond, Edmond and Genevieve.  She attended grade school and one year of high school before leaving to attend a vocational school.  During the summer, Marie picked strawberries at a local farm until she was hired at Kressig Dimestore in downtown Racine.  Her sister, Genevieve, recalls in her memoir that "Marie loved to dance and ice skate" as a teenager and was often found on weekends at the Surf Ballroom dancing to the Wayne King Band and that "she was always full of fun and an interesting talker like Papa".

I have never heard how my grandparents met but as evidenced by the photo they were clearly dating in 1926, Marie was 16 and Harry 18.  Four years later they were married and shortly after that moved to Kenosha where my Grandfather painted "coming attraction" signs for a local movie theatre and their first child, Joan, was born.  The family made another move to Manitowoc, where they welcomed daughter Marlene before settling in Milwaukee where William and Don were born.  I have no doubt she was a wonderful mother, baking (I've posted her recipe for her famous "cheese pie" in the recipe section) sewing for her children.  When her son Don developed diabetes at the age of eight, she was diligent with his diet measuring all his food and watching him constantly.  Don died at the age of 33 from complications of diabetes and it is a blessing she did not have to witness his death.

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Harry & Marie Atwell with their children: Joan, Marlene, Billy, Don 1941 or 1942.

I remember the house on 35th Street in Milwaukee that my grandparents shared, however, I only remember my Grandpa living there.  As a child I spent the night one time and slept on one of two Jenny Lind beds, the same beds used by my aunts when they were children. I have these beds now.  My Dad was cleaning out his basement and was ready to part with them, but I wasn't.

Grandma Atwell

Grandma Atwell & Lee, circa 1961

There are few photos of me with Grandma Atwell because she died at age 55, about the age I am now.   I was 4 years old then and don't remember her at all.  When I look at her photo, however,  I see a strong resemblance to my Auntie Marlene, her daughter.  The family has even said that they were very much alike-interesting talkers and good bakers - so my idea of "knowing" my Grandma really just stems from that notion.  As a child I remember missing my Grandma and always felt family gatherings would have been more fun with her there.  When my Grandma became ill in December of 1965 she had been sewing a Santa Claus suit so my Grandpa could play Santa for the grandchildren at our Christmas Eve gathering.  She died before it was completed.  Although she said it was the hardest thing she ever did, my Auntie Marlene finished sewing that Santa suit.  I'm not sure if my Grandpa had the heart to wear it that year or not but I have told my Uncle Don was always the Santa on Christmas Eve.

Uncle Don, cousins Brian and Brad and Me and my younger sisters, 1966.

 I have no idea where the Santa suit is today, probably long gone, but I sure am glad Grandma started sewing it as it brought her grandchildren a lot of joy.  It wasn't until 2008, that my Aunt finally told me the Santa suit story.   Maybe if I had known the story as a child it would have felt like she was there at all those Christmas Eves she was missed.

Since I was never able to interview my Grandma directly, I have had to rely on family member's accounts and a memior written by her sister, Genevieve, to gain insight.  Grandma's story can be found under the "Willing" Page on this blog.