Grover Kenneth McDougall - grandfather

      Clara Janet was Grover Kenneth McDougall's older sister, born two years before him. Grover was my paternal grandfather. Clara married Leslie C. Davis, from Illinois, and they eventually moved to Oregon. They had a daughter. This daughter had two children and her son, Don, got in touch with me. He had heard about me through his sister's daughter. I can't remember how I initially connected with her, but I think it was through my website - www.relativesintheattic.com.

     Don has been going through family pictures and came across a young looking Grover. It appears to be a high school graduation picture. I have never seen a picture of a young Grover except in a larger family group where you really couldn't see his face clearly. I think he looks like a young Jimmy Stewart. What a treasure this is for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren to have this picture. Thank you so much, Don.

 

     Grover Kenneth McDougall was born in Superior Township, Ypsilanti, Michigan, in Washtenaw County, on November 12, 1888. He was the ninth child of eleven eventually born to John A. McDougall and his wife, Delphine E. Fowler. They lived on a large farm. His grandparents, George S. and Mary (Muir) McDougall lived across the road and Delphine's parents, George W. and Hester (Halstead) Fowler were nearby.

     Grover married, Bessie Mamie Court, on October 18, 1911, in Ypsilanti. Bessie was the daughter of John Madison and Mary E. (Klopp) Court. Bessie was born in Ypsilanti, on June 10, 1892. Grover and Bessie would eventually raise five children. My father, G. Kenneth, Jr. was the oldest and was born on July 15, 1912, nine months exactly after his parents' wedding.

     Bessie died when she was 42 years of age on March 20, 1935. She had diabetes and there was no insulin in those days, but according to her third son, John A. she fell and broke her hip one morning getting ready to drive the school bus, as she did during the school year. The death certificate says "Diabetic Acedosis" and "Acute Nephsitis." No mention is made of a broken hip. Grover was left with five children, the three oldest (boys) included my father (23), who was married. Court and John were 20 and 18 at the time. But he had two daughters, Phyllis (14) and Mildred (11). He raised them himself, never marrying again.

     Grover died in 1972, on December 27, at the age of 84. He was a kind man, gentle and quiet. My dad watched over him the last few years of his life. Grover would occasionally babysit my younger sister and me when we were younger. He would take us to the drive-in movie. In those days, you would go to the move, buy food, play on the playground equipment until it got dark and then go back to the car and watch the movie.

     My Aunt Mildred has provided stories and memories over the years, I have gotten some wonderful stories from her and I am most grateful. One memory was that Grover (her dad) loved to dance. When she and Phyllis were little, they would stand on his shoes and he would "dance" them around the room. Mildred said: "Sometimes if a neat song came on the radio he would clog or tap dance to it. What fun! When we were teenagers we went to a lot of square dances with him. I was pretty young when mother died, so I don't remember whether she and Dad went to dances."  Mildred mentioned to me one time that because she and Phyllis were quite young with their mother died, it would have been easy for Grover to walk away and leave their upbringing to someone else. He didn't, he was there for them. She always appreciated him for that.

     I asked Mildred for some comments when writing this column. She sent me the following:

"When I was really little – and before I was born - they lived on a big farm on the edge of Ypsilanti. I understand that later (Henry) Ford bought it for the first plant in Ypsi.  Dad had a farmers market stall in Detroit and took vegetables in a couple of times a week to sell.  Later they bought a farm out near Whittaker and still later, (have no idea what years) bought a farm from Jay Talladay, a couple of miles down the road from the first one. They had a mortgage on both farms to purchase the second one….so the story goes.  Then the depression hit and they lost both farms, but continued to live on the Talladay farm.  About a year after mother died, Dad rented the converted school house on Bemis Road. We lived there until I graduated  in 1942. John was still home when we first moved there. I think Court lived with Grandpa and Bannie Court (James and Mary E.) and they helped him go to college.  Eventually, Court went into the Army and John, the Coast Guard.

     I don’t really remember a lot about the Depression, but I heard them tell about not being able to sell the vegetables in Detroit and so on the way back through Ypsilanti they would drop off the excess vegetables on a street corner there. About the time the Depression was going full swing, someone recommended Dad for the job as head of the vegetable gardens at the Ypsilanti State Hospital. I’m sure there was a lot of celebrating at our house when that happened! Mother also got a job driving a school bus. That must have been something…most women couldn’t drive a car, say nothing of a bus!!

     Dad was great at that job….he not only knew how to grow vegetables, but he was very good with the patients. The patients wanted to come out on “work parties” for Dad. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they laid under a shade tree!! One old patient had been a “mule skinner” and missed working with mules. The State bought a mule and let him come out in the sunshine and “do his thing."  I doubt that would happen these days…..that wouldn’t be permitted to “make” those poor patients work!!"

      What wonderful stories and memories come to the surface from one picture. Thank you again, cousin Don.