Keziah (Gould) Purdy, 1823-1845

Once upon a time, about 1840,

There was a young girl named Keziah,

Who fell in love with a young man named Daniel.

They got married.

Within a year they had a daughter, Aurelia.

Twenty months later they had another daughter, little Adelaide.

Two years later, Keziah died of consumption.

Daniel and his little daughters moved 

In order to live near relatives that could help them,

Or perhaps because the grief was just too present where they lived.

A little over a year later,

Daniel remarried to a woman named Susan.

They had several children, 

Who they raised along with Aurelia and Adelaide.

Adelaide married in 1859, at age 16 to Wes.

Three days later, her father, stepmother, sister and step-siblings moved overland from upstate New York on to Wisconsin.

After the Civil War, Adelaide and Wes followed them in 1872.

None of them ever returned to New York.

Keziah's name became a memory in a family Bible.

Her birth and death dates recorded but fading.

Daniel died in 1881.

The information he knew about Keziah seemed to have died with him.

Who were her parents, her siblings?

Where was she born?

Where did she die?

And where was she buried?

No one knew the answers anymore.

For years after I started family history research, my family had only the birth and death dates and a name for my 3rd-Great-Grandmother. And the name that was "remembered" was Hezekiah Gould.  The name and dates had supposedly come from an old family Bible, but like so many things once owned and cherished, the Bible was long gone, and no one knew where it had gone to.

The name Hezekiah never felt right to me, historically it has been a man's name but like the dates that we had, I took them as good hints and kept looking. To not confuse the issue, at this point I will say that eventually I was able to prove that her name was Keziah.

According to the information that had been shared with me, Keziah was born 28 Jan 1825 and died on 20 Jun 1845 at age 20. She married Daniel Crane Purdy on 11 March 1841. The locations are not known for where Keziah was born or where she married Daniel.  

Two daughters were born to Keziah and Daniel. Aurelia A. Purdy was born 19 Nov 1841 in Wyoming County, New York. Her sister, Adelaide Fredora Purdy, was born 20 July 1843 in Allegany County, New York, possibly in the Town of Allen. According to family lore, Keziah died of "Consumption", known today as Tuberculosis, just two years later.

While also looking for information on Keziah, I noted that her mother-in-law, Daniel's mother, Abagail (Crane) Purdy died just a few months after Keziah on 1 October 1845 in Allegany County, New York. I found information on alleganyhistory.org that said that Abagail was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, Town of Hume in Allegany County. I contacted the Town Historian, Rondus Miller, and she was kind enough to send me copies of the Cemetery Sexton's Plot book and another page that listed graves that had been "removed" from other cemeteries to Pine Grove Cemetery.  

It showed on the "Removed" list:

Abigal Wife of James Purdy Jr. Died Oct 1st 1845, Age 53y 

removed on May 13, 1887 and buried in Lot #139.

and to my great excitement:

Keziah wife of Daniel C. Purdy, Died Jun 20 1845, Age 22y

Removed    May 13, 1887 and buried in Lot #139.

 

Pine Grove Cemetery Sexton's Book, p.10

Filmore, Town of Hume, Allegany County, New York

Removals from other cemeteries reburied in Pine Grove Cemetery.

Note:  Click on the photos to look at full size images.

The name or location of the cemetery that Keziah and Abagail were originally buried in is not known. Rondus speculated that they may have been moved from the Mills' Mills Cemetery which had been located near a school, or possibly from a private grave on family property, but no record so far has been found that clarifies this.  Pine Grove Cemetery was established in 1860 and Keziah and Abagail's graves were moved on 13 May 1887.  By 1887, Keziah's husband, Daniel, was deceased.  It is unknown who had the graves moved.

This record from the Sexton's book also documents the marriages of Abagail to James Purdy, Jr., and that of Keziah to Daniel C. Purdy. It lists Keziah's age at death as 22 years old which would indicate she may have born in 1823 instead of 1825. While family lore says that Keziah's maiden name is Gould, no documentation has yet been found to support that.

Keziah and Abagail are buried in Lot #139 in Pine Grove Cemetery with seven other graves. There is no grave marker for Keziah, but there is a grave marker for Abagail. 

Abagail (Crane) Purdy, 1791-1845

Pine Grove Cemetery

Filmore, Town of Hume, Allegany County, New York

Others buried in Lot #139 with Keziah and Abagail are shown in the burial recording section of the Sexton's plot book, below.  Margarette Purdy and Sara A. Purdy (daughter of William Slagel) are relatives of the Purdy family. Other than Abagail Purdy, none of the others have grave markers listed in the current cemetery survey.  

Pine Grove Cemetery Sexton's Book, Lot #139

Filmore, Town of Hume, Allegany County, New York

Abagail Crane was married twice, first to Gideon W. Sowle about 1808. They are shown in the 1810 census in Camillus, Onondaga County, New York. They had two children, the only one who survived to adulthood was Aaron C. Soule. Gideon died in 1813. 

From 1813 - 1823, Rev James D. Purdy Sr, father of James Purdy Jr and grandfather of Daniel Crane Purdy, served the Scipio Circuit of the Methodist Genesee Conference. 

Rev. James D. Purdy Sr., lived in Camillus at the time of the 1820 census and possibly the entire time he was serving the Scipio Circuit from 1813-1823.

Abagail remarried in 1813 to James D. Purdy Jr. in Camillus, Onondaga County and they had six children, one of which was Daniel Crane Purdy.  

James Purdy, Jr. died in 1830 in Elbridge, Onondaga county when Daniel was 9 years old. The only adult male in the family at James Purdy's death was Aaron Soule and it appears that Abagail lived with Aaron and his family from then until her death.  

By 1840 Aaron Soule was living in Warsaw, Genesee County, New York with eight people in his household with ages appropriate to his mother, Abagail, and his half-brothers, Augustus, and Daniel C. Purdy.

It is unconfirmed where Keziah and Daniel were married. The date from the missing bible says they were married 11 Mar 1841 and locations that they lived in indicate strongly that it could have been in Genesee County. 

Their oldest daughter, Aurelia, was born in (then) Wyoming County, New York on 19 Nov 1841. Wyoming County was formed from Genesee County on May 19, 1841. Wyoming and Genesee counties are adjacent to each other with Genesee county to the north, so it is likely that Keziah was living in early Genesee County when Daniel met her, possibly near Warsaw where he was likely living with his mother and older half-brother.

Adelaide was born on 20 Jul 1843 in Allen, Allegany County which was directly south of Wyoming County indicating that Daniel and Keziah had moved between Nov 1841 and early 1843.

Aaron Sowle was living in the Town of Caneadea, Allegany County at the 1850 census, but given that Abagail is buried in the Town of Hume, Allegany County it is likely his family moved there prior to her death on 1 Oct 1845. 

Pine Grove Cemetery in the village of Filmore, Town of Hume, Allegany County is where Keziah and Abagail are buried. It is less than 10 miles from Allen, making it likely that Abagail and Keziah died in 1845 in the immediate area of the adjacent Towns of Caneadea and Hume. 

Nothing more has been found about Keziah. Still to be confirmed is her maiden name, who her parents were, and where she was born.

My line of descent from Keziah, my 3rd-Great-Grandmother:

Keziah (Gould) Purdy, mother of 

Adelaide (Purdy) Kenyon, mother of

Louis Avery Kenyon, father of

Charles Martin Kenyon, father of

Kathleen (Kenyon) Von Fumetti, mother of

Karla (Von Fumetti) Staudt

© Karla Von Fumetti Staudt

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored on a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without prior permission of the copyright owner and publisher.

Heirlooms: Charles M. Kenyon's Violin and Phebe (Hunt) Vandervort's Piano

Photo Note:  Click on any image to view the full size photo.

My mother, Kathleen Kenyon, and her siblings grew up in post-Depression poverty in rural, Monroe County, Wisconsin. There was no indoor plumbing. No electricity. What heat there was in -30 Wisconsin winters came from a single wood burning stove in their living area, and a wood fueled cast iron range in the kitchen.

The house had been built almost 70 years before in 1872. It was run down, unpainted, and absolutely worn on every surface. But the family was happy to be there. After moving from house to house, after WWI, each of the children born in different homes as their parents worked hard to stay ahead of the rent payments, my grandfather had finally been able to purchase back what was the old Kenyon homestead farm on a land contract which we would call today, rent to own. The farm, which my grandfather had grown up on, had been sold out of the family over 20 years earlier by his father.

There simply was no money for any type of extravagance.

My grandfather, Charles M. Kenyon, and his father, Lou, played violin, guitar, piano, and other instruments totally by ear. They were widely respected for their talent and often played at barn dances and at the community hall.  The fiddle Charlie played was a "Stradivarius" model and had been ordered from the Sears catalog ca.1895-1900 when my grandfather was a boy and the used guitar had been picked up sometime after that. The family did not own a piano. 

Charles Kenyon with his fiddle, ca 1945-50.

Inherited by Charles' grandson, Rodney Kenyon in 1963.

Singing around the guitar and dancing around the fiddle at home in the evenings was a big part of my mother's family's entertainment in the little free time they had from working the farm.

From that point in my story, I will let my Uncle Jim Kenyon's voice take over in a story he shared in his book, "A Record of my Yester-Years"… 

Great Grandma passed away on a Monday in July 1932. Before that time, she gave a wonderful gift to our family. She purchased a brand new Brunswick piano. She wanted (my sister) Doris to take piano lessons, which she did. 

She knew that Dad and Grandpa both played the piano. She also knew that it would bring a lot of good times, singing around the piano, for the family; and it did. That was our entertainment center when company came.

There sure was quite a contrast in our old house, between the old gray wooden benches, unvarnished tables, potbellied stove, bare wood floors, and this beautiful new piano.

Thank-you, Grandma. We had a lot of happy times singing and dancing around your beautiful piano. You brought us many years of happiness in a not so happy era. You brought us many stories to brighten up our dull days; and you made us laugh. You gave us love and continuity with our generations long since passed. 

I remember you, with your frail body and stooped shoulders. I remember you, with your smiling face and the love you delivered to our family.

That piano was known as Phebe's Piano after Phebe (Hunt) Vandervort and was inherited by her grandson, Glen (Shookman) Kenyon and had a place of honor in his family's home until 2014 when my aunt died and it passed out of the family.

Phebe (Hunt) Vandervort, 1851-1932.

ca.1925

© Karla Von Fumetti Staudt

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored on a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without prior permission of the copyright owner and publisher.

Walking Where Others Walked

They say, "you can't go home again". It may be true. But sometimes the places and the people come together to give you that moment in time that brings it all near in our hearts again. My sisters and I made a whirlwind pilgrimage trip to the area where my Mom was raised, and where she is buried. Dad, who loved Mom's huge family, and my Mom, the youngest of eight children, always made sure we got back to Tomah on a regular basis when we were growing up: teaching us the importance of family and place. 

There have been casual reunions among the "Kenyon Clan" all through my lifetime. Many weekend visits where we would farm ourselves out to stay with our various cousins, sometimes meeting at a campground or on the side of the road where we would swap siblings for cousins or swap them back again. Others were slightly more organized family picnics and semi-reunions over the years. But we came together. We not only knew who each other were, we knew each other. Mother and her siblings were born over a 16-year period from 1916-1932, and their children were born spread out from 1937 through 1966. There are thirty-one first cousins in my generation, and thanks be, twenty-nine of us are still living although our parents have all gone home to their eternal reward.

As the years passed, we grew up, and we brought families in tow for those picnics and reunions, when we could. And we did make it happen when we could. Later picnics, the photo albums would come out and the stories would be told to many listening ears. 

This photo is of the last time my Mom and her siblings were all together at a family get together. They all cherished their time with each other; holding an empty chair each time they were together in memory of their sister, Doris, who had died in 1965. 

Glen, Jeanette, Helen Joy

Doris' chair, Kyle, Veva

Jim and Katie

"The Kenyon Kids"

NOTE:  Click on any of the photos in the blog to view in a larger size.

I made the decision this spring to make a quick trip back to the Midwest.  I always do my best to make the trip up the country highways from Dubuque to Tomah to visit Mom's grave and any cousins that might be around.  This time I gave them all a little notice and they turned out big time just to get the chance to see each other for one meal, one evening to spend together.  We represented several cities and towns in Wisconsin, California, Oregon, Alaska and South Carolina, all with a family toe hold in Monroe County, Wisconsin.

Back row:  

Craig Storkel, Dennis Hart, Jason Hart, Viki Von Fumetti, Jim Storkel, Gregg Evans, 

Lisa Von Fumetti, and Mike Kelley

Middle row:

Xena Kenyon, Thom Kelley, Helen Kenyon, John Kenyon, Jean Kelley, Kelley (Evans) Stiles, Sally (Mauer) Kelley and Jenn Kozelka

Forward Row:

Liliana Kenyon, Chas. Kenyon, Kelly Kenyon, Kathy (Kenyon) Kulick

Front:

Della (Yarbrough) Koenig, Donna Faye (Kelley) Evans, and Steve Adams

Several of us were able to spend the night in a local hotel, met up for breakfast the next morning and some much-needed coffee after the late night. Then we got into our cars and went to say hello to our parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and several ancestors. 

Mom's family and ancestors have deep roots in Wisconsin going back to the 1844 Wisconsin Territory, and Daniel Crane Purdy was the first of our line to settle in the valley that would go on to carry his name, Purdy Valley, in 1859. There are two cemeteries nearby, La Grange and Greenwood Cemeteries. 

Walking to the top of the hill in La Grange Cemetery and looking to the west you can see the hills that roll into what was once Purdy Valley. The oldest graves top the hill and the markers of the descendants of those first burials trail down the hill, many almost by family lines.

We started at the lower side of the cemetery to visit Mom and her family first. Mom wanted to be buried "back home" and we did everything we could do to make that happen with special help from our cousin, Chas. Kenyon, who had his parents, Kyle and Xena, moved to rest one over the other, to make room for Mom. Kyle and Mom were especially close, and I know she is content to be near him in death.

Kathleen Karyl (Kenyon) Von Fumetti was born in 1932 in a small log cabin in Purdy Valley.

"I Loved You So, 'Twas Heaven Here With You"

Mom loved irises and reading. The marker honors those memories.

L to R: Lisa Von Fumetti, Karla (Von Fumetti) Staudt, Viki Von Fumetti

Four of the children of Charles Martin and Harriet (Shookman) Kenyon lie in a row along the lower edge of the family plot. Buried here (in order) are Jim and Bernice (Barrett) Kenyon; Veva (Kenyon) Von der Ohe Stillwell Kenyon; Kathleen (Kenyon) Von Fumetti; and Kyle and Xena (Cade) Kenyon.

Kenyon Siblings & wives

On the upper side of the family plot lie our grandparents, Charles M. and Harriet (Shookman) Kenyon and our great-grandparents, Louis and Gertrude (Vandervort) Kenyon

Left to right:

My grandparents:

Charles Martin Kenyon, born in Purdy Valley in 1889.

Harriet (Shookman) Kenyon born 1895 and moved to Monroe County as a child about 1903.

My great-grandparents and Charles' parents:

Louis Avery Kenyon was born 1866 in Orleans County, New York and came 

with his parents in 1872 to Purdy Valley.

Gertrude Inez (Vandervort) Kenyon was born 1872 in Purdy Valley.

From there, we started climbing up the hill towards our Vandervort ancestors who are buried in a family line going up the slope in the cemetery.

My 2nd great-grandfather and Gertrude (Vandervort) Kenyon's father:

Martin Luther Vandervort born 1844 in Oneida County, New York, joined his parents 

in Purdy Valley following the Civil War.

My 2nd great-grandmother and Gertrude's mother:

Phebe Jeanette "Nettie" (Hunt) Vandervort, born 1851 in Valparaiso, Indiana, moving to Wisconsin about 1857, marrying Martin in Milwaukee, then moving to Purdy Valley about 1870.

Continuing on up the hill to say hello next to our 3rd great-grandparents:

Jacob Vandervoort was born 1820 in Schoharie County, New York.  Jacob and his wife, Louisa, moved to Wisconsin at the end of the Civil War and were living in Purdy Valley before 1875.

Louisa (Eastman) Vandervort was born 1819 in upstate New York and accompanied her husband, Jacob to Wisconsin, living out the end of a long life in Purdy Valley.

The last grouping of Vandervoort graves at the top of the hill include my 4th great-grandfather, James Robert Vandervoort and his second wife, Mary (Baker) Vandervoort, as well as those of Jacob's half-brothers, Cornelius, Isaac and James Vandervort and members of their families.

James R. Vandervoort born 1789 in Fishkill, New York, married first to Rebecca McIntyre about 1812. Rebecca was the mother of Jacob, John, William, and Abigail.  Rebecca died about 1831 in Schoharie County, New York. James remarried to Mary (Baker) Moon, a widow, about 1832. Together they brought their family to the Wisconsin Territory in 1844. They moved to Purdy Valley in 1868.

Mary (Baker) Moon Vandervoort was born 1804 in New York

From this vantage point just at the crest of the hill, Purdy Valley, the home of all the ancestors above, was to the west about a mile.  The U.S. Government took Purdy Valley by eminent domain for the expansion of Camp McCoy in 1941 and the community of Purdy Valley was destroyed in that process.

Looking over the cemetery from the top of the hill you can see about eight hundred graves. It would not be an exaggeration to say that most of the people buried there are related in some way to the Kenyon, Vandervort and Purdy families, and most probably did live in, or near, Purdy Valley during their lifetimes.

On our walk back down the hill, we stopped to visit Uncle Royal and Aunt Doris, my mother's oldest sister and daughter of Charles and Harriet (Shookman) Kenyon.

Doris (Kenyon) Hart was born in Purdy Valley in 1916.  

She married Royal Hart in 1937 and they lived in Tomah and later moved to the Milwaukee area.

L-R: Lisa Von Fumetti, Craig Storkel, Kelley (Evans) Stiles, Karla (Von Fumetti) Staudt

Photo taken by Kathy (Kenyon) Kulick.

Relaxing before heading to Greenfield Cemetery.

Purdy Valley sits to the west side of LaGrange Cemetery on the corner of Highway M and Elgin Avenue. Greenfield Cemetery sits to the south, near the mouth of the valley along Hwy 21. More of our Kenyon and Purdy ancestors are buried there and we headed there next.

Most of our ancestors in this cemetery are buried along the furthest west entrance drive to the cemetery.

The original Kenyon family to move to Purdy Valley were Charles and Adelaide (Purdy) Kenyon, my 2nd great-grandparents.  They are the parents of Louis Avery Kenyon who was buried in LaGrange Cemetery.

Charles Wesley Kenyon was born in 1837 in Yates, Orleans County, New York.

Charles and Adelaide moved with their family to Purdy Valley in 1867 after the Civil War.

Adelaide (Purdy) Kenyon was born in 1843 in Allen, Allegany, New York.

She is the daughter of Daniel Crane Purdy and his first wife, Keziah Gould.

Daniel Crane Purdy was born 1820 in Onondaga County, New York.

His second wife, Susan (Savage) Purdy was born in Madison County, New York.

They moved to Wisconsin in 1859 with six of their children.

Purdy Valley was named after Daniel and his family.

Daniel "Avery" Purdy was born in 1859 in Yates, Orleans County, New York.

A babe in arms when the family headed overland to Wisconsin, he died in 1862.

Click the link below for a video of some of us enjoying our time together at Greenfield Cemetery.

Cousins at Greenfield Cemetery

Compiled by Kelley (Evans) Stiles

Back: Pat (Froekle) Hart, Karla (Von Fumetti) Staudt, Dennis Hart, Lisa Von Fumetti, 

Craig Storkel, Helen Kenyon, Viki Von Fumetti

Middle:  Kathy (Kenyon) Kulick, Kelley (Evans) Stiles, Jean Kelley.

Front: Jason Hart

Two cemeteries are on the South side of Tomah, and we headed there before heading back to Iowa.  Oak Grove and St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery sit side by side on Superior Avenue (Highway 131).

Entrance to Oak Grove Cemetery

Frank Storkel was born in 1912 in Tomah, Wisconsin.

Jeanette (Kenyon) Storkel born 1926 in Millston, Wisconsin, is my mother's sister.

Frank and Jeanette's son, my cousin, David Storkel was born 1955 in Tomah.

Entrance to the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery 

Frederick "Fritz" Kelley was born 1910 in Tomah, Wisconsin.

Helen Joy (Kenyon) Kelley was born 1928 in Pleasant Valley, Wisconsin.

Helen is one of my mother's sisters.

Mom had one other sibling, Glen Kenyon, born 1920 in Tunnel City, Wisconsin who along with his wife, Dolores (Siekert) Kenyon are buried in St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery in Sparta, Wisconsin.

Today we walked where others walked

On a lonely, windswept hill;

Today we talked where others cried

For Loved Ones whose lives are stilled.

Today our hearts were touched

By graves of tiny babies;

Snatched from the arms of loving kin,

In the heartbreak of the ages.

Today we saw where the grandparents lay

In the last sleep of their time;

Lying under the trees and clouds -

Their beds kissed by the sun and wind.

Today we wondered about an unmarked spot;

Who lies beneath this hallowed ground?

Was it a babe, child, young or old?

No indication could be found.

Today we saw where Mom and Dad lay.

We had been here once before

On a day we'd all like to forget,

But will remember forever more.

Today we recorded for kith and kin

The graves of ancestors past;

To be preserved for generations hence,

A record we hope will last.

Cherish it, my friend; preserve it, my friend,

For stones sometimes crumble to dust

And generations of folks yet to come

Will be grateful for your trust.

"The Recording of a Cemetery"

by Thelma Greene Reagan

© Karla Von Fumetti Staudt

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored on a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without prior permission of the copyright owner and publisher.

Romance and Marriage: Kathleen Kenyon and Cyril Von Fumetti, 1949-1955

Cyril and Kathleen Von Fumetti

November 19, 1955

Cyril "Cy" Von Fumetti grew up in Dubuque, Iowa.  Kathleen "Katie" Kenyon grew up in Monroe County, Wisconsin.  Their paths might never have crossed except for Camp McCoy, an Army training base, in Monroe County, between Tomah and Sparta.  

Click here for History of Camp McCoy, now Fort McCoy

Click photos to view full size

Cy graduated from high school in 1948 and went to the University of Iowa in Iowa City that fall as a mechanical engineering major.  Needing a way to earn and pay for college expenses he joined the Army ROTC program at the university.  Part of the commitment to the Army included an obligation to participate in summer training. That training took Cy to Camp McCoy the summer of 1949, and the following summers again the next 3 years.  

Cyril met Katie sometime over the summer of 1949 when she was between her Junior and Senior year of high school.  We would not know about that early meeting except that one of her friends made a comment about "Si" in Katie's senior yearbook. 

It was likely a slow to develop friendship or romance because Cyril was not in Monroe County on a regular basis other than during the summers.  Katie had several boyfriends over the same years and moved around enough that no grass grew under her shoes.  

She graduated from Tomah High School in May 1950 and spent the summer at home in Tomah, working at the local A&W.  Although neither Cyril nor Katie ever talked much about their dating life, it is likely they resumed their friendship that summer. At the end of summer training, Cyril returned to the University of Iowa and Katie started at the University of Wisconsin in Madison that fall majoring in Chemistry.  

Katie's College Womens' Dorm 

"The Badger Club"

The Badger Club Residents

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Fall 1950

Katie, age 18, is in the front row, 2nd from the right

Katie was awarded a one-year tuition scholarship to the University of Wisconsin and a monetary science award from Bausch & Lomb.  Her brother Kyle Kenyon gave her a significant gift of money on her graduation from high school which she used to help pay housing and expenses.  In addition, Katie found a job as a part time clerk-typist job in the Sociology Department at the UW.  Despite everything she did not have enough funds to continue after the first semester and had to step away from the university.  

Katie went to work for Cutler and Hamer Engineering Services as a full-time editorial-clerk in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a little over a year from March 1951 through June of 1952 along with doubling up as a nanny for a local family.  Cyril was back in Camp McCoy the summer of 1951 when Katie was working in Milwaukee.  We do not know if they saw each other much, if at all, that summer.  

Katie, center

Milwaukee Club ca. 1951-1953

When Katie left Milwaukee and returned to Tomah the summer of 1952, she was employed at Camp McCoy as a clerk typist and continued there through September 1953.  She and Cyril may have dated the first summer in 1952, but he was officially sworn in as a second Lieutenant in the Army in February 1953 and was in France and Germany the summer of 1953.

Katie was able to go back to the University of Madison fall of 1953 as a full-time student.  She had dated a local boy from high school over the past few years and they became engaged Christmas 1953 over the winter break. The engagement was brief and was broken off because Katie wanted a large family, and he did not.  

Katie with "small gift"

Christmas 1953

By late spring 1954 Kathleen had moved on with her life and was socializing again at the university.  

"Pajama Party"

University of Wisconsin

Katie, center checked shirt.

Delta Theta Sigma Fraternity Formal

May 8, 1954

Katie is in the 2nd row, 3rd person from the left.

Katie was hired as a part-time typist by Solvit Chemical Company in Madison during the school year 1953-54 but needed a full-time job that summer to help with fall school expenses. During that summer of 1954, Katie returned to Tomah to work as a clerk-typist and stock-record clerk in the Commissary Office at Camp McCoy.  When it was time to go back to Madison for fall semester, she took on a part-time typist job with Schwarz Paper Company in Madison.  Cyril spent that entire time in France.

Always a very social young woman, Katie ran for and became a semi-finalist for the 1955 University of Wisconsin Prom Queen.

Katie permanently left school in February 1955, returning home to Tomah and went back to work in a promoted full-time position as Requisition Clerk for the Commissary Office at Camp McCoy until mid-October.  She quit her job at that point to get ready for her wedding to Cyril and prepare for a permanent move to Dubuque, Iowa.   Katie left college the first time to earn money to go back later, but it is unclear why she left college the second time as Cyril did not return from France until May 1955.  They may have been engaged already at that time and knew she would not finish before they were married.

Women Employees at Camp McCoy

September 2, 1955

Katie, center

Cyril returned from France in May 1955 and went to work as a mechanical engineer for the John Deere Tractor Works in Dubuque, Iowa.  Dubuque is 125 miles from Tomah and from photos taken he made the trip to see Katie several times that summer in his new Chevy Bel Air and used the camera he had purchased while visiting Germany.

Katie

Taken by Cyril Summer 1955

Katie and Cy

At the Beach, Summer 1955

Katie putting her hair up in her trademark pinwheels after swimming.

Summer 1955

Cyril in town for the Tomah Centennial Celebration

Katie, Fritz Kelley and Cy with Fritz's car

Summer 1955

Katie and Cy

Summer 1955

Cy and Katie's wedding was held on November 19, 1955, a cold, snowy weekend.  It was also the first day of deer hunting season in Wisconsin, a bone of contention with a brother and a couple of brothers-in-law! 

Katie and her mother, Harriet (Shookman) Kenyon 

leave the house to get ready for the wedding. 

Katie, the youngest of the 8 children was the last to get married. 

Tomah Methodist Church.

Postcard from 1956

Harriet, attaching Katie's veil shortly before the wedding.

Flower girl, Karen Greene, age 5.

Katie at the back of the church, escorted by her father, Charles Kenyon.

Wedding party photo after the ceremony.

Rev. Ernest Kistler (back)

L-R: Sandy Hart, Roxy Buxton (maid of honor), 

Katie & Cy, 

Bob Greene (best man) and Jim Link.

Karen Greene, flower girl and Danny Kenyon, ring bearer.

Marriage Record signed after the ceremony.

Receiving Line at the church.

Karen Greene, Dan Kenyon, 

Cyril, Bob Greene and Bob Von der Ohe

Off to the reception!

Bob Greene and Cy helping Katie into Cy's new car.

Exchanging bites of cake.

L-R: Sandy Hart, Cy and Katie, Roxy Buxton, Bob Greene.

Danny Kenyon is not all that interested!

Devilment is afoot!

Bob Greene, always full of fun himself, clearly sees the situation.

The Bridal Couple

Wedding Party

Sandra Hart (niece of bride), Roxy Buxton (maid of honor)

Kathleen and Cyril

Bob Greene (best man and husband of Cyril's sister, Phylis) and Jim Link, (lifelong friend of Cyril).

Wedding Announcement

Dec 8, 1955

La Crosse Tribune

Katie and Cyril spent their first months of married life at 1760 Adair Street.  This house belonged to Cyril's mother and step-father, Sadie and Maurice Bush who spent that winter in Arizona.

© Karla Von Fumetti Staudt

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored on a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without prior permission of the copyright owner and publisher.