01 February 2010

Part 2--Mrs Charles Kempf

There, I feel better now after my rant yesterday. Now, not to the elusive Mrs Charles Kempf.

One fact is that in the same house she and her family lived in, my husband and I were crowded with just our 2 boys. Where in our house would they have put that big a family? This is a drafty farmhouse, and the upstairs, although it does have 3 rooms, is unfinished—not to mention not well insulated and unheated. Brrrrrrrrr.

But the thing that really kept bothering me about Mrs. Kempf is the lack of her own identity. I poked and researched around and finally on the 1920 census found out that her name was Flora. They also lived with his parents during 1910 census. I also found her in the Holton Cemetery records. Listed as Flo Kempf in a grave purchased by Fred Kempf who was Charles’s father.
Charles later moved his family to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan by the time of the 1930 census, along with his mother. That explains why I couldn’t find him or his children in the area.
I was so moved by this story of this young farm woman that I have decided to tell her story for our next cemetery walk. One of the almost nameless woman who helped make our country grow.
Unsung, but if I can help it, not forgotten.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.