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.
