William Curtis Grant (111.1)
Born: 10/13/1887 Dubois County, Indiana
Died: 11/1963 Long Point Township, Livingston County, Illinois
Parents: Allen D. Grant and Hannah Nee. Longest
Spouse: Cora Merle Hanselman (
Children: Edwin G. Grant Sr. 1910-1999 / William B. Grant 1919-pre1920 / Muriel Myrl Grant 1922-1993
Bio:
In 1910, William is 22 years old and living in Sterling, Crawford County, IN in a family-owned farmhouse with his 17-year-old wife Cora. The highest grade he will have completed is 3rd. The house is owned by Cora’s dad John, and Cora’s other sisters and older brothers are also living in the house. Cora’s siblings are between the age of 14 and 7 months, and all school age kids go to school. All other heads of households are in the farm industry other than Mike G. Real, who is a retail Merchant at the grocery store. All neighbors can read and write and all are white.
It appears that at some point in 1916, William registered for the draft for WW1. He is listed as having two dependents, a son and wife, and working on a farm. What is interesting is that it seems his given date of birth is roughly a year before his real birthday. This would make him 30 rather than 29 at the time of draft. While this may not seem important, it can be noted that men aged up to 37 years old could be drafted at the time. Also, when we look at age range for Irish soldiers killed in action during WW1, we can see that men aged 25+ represented a massive portion of those killed (28Yr. -903 killed, 31Yr.-492 killed).
By 1920, William is 33, farming grain, and living in Long Point, Livingston County, IL. He and 26 year old Cora are renting a house and raising 9 year old Ed and 1 year old William. Both parents can read and write while Ed attends school. Every head of household is a farmer and there are many first generation workers from Germany and a few from England and Ireland in the census. Everyone can read and write.
At some point between 1920 and 1930, William and his family moved to Reading, Livingston County, IL. All that I can find about William between 1930 and 1940 indicated that he and Cora were living the typical, middle-american farmer life, although they had moved back to rural Long Point. Most of their neighbors are farmers, although some are ditch diggers, maids, and mechanics.
At some point in 1944, Curtis would register for the draft at age 54. He is self-employed and would not fight in the war.
By 1950, William, going by “Curtis”, his middle name, is living in Urbana, Champaign County, IL with a full house, and not on a farm and is unemployed. He lives alongside his wife Cora, his grown daughter Muriel. Muriel’s husband Orville Millspaugh and his sister, Williams daughter-in-law also live at the house. Orville is 2 years older than his wife at age 29 and his sister is 30. Orville is a linotype operator for the daily newspaper working 16 hours a week. William’s grandkids also live with him, assumingly Muriel’s kids, two boys Ronald and William aged 6 and 3. There are two more people also in the house. These two men are name Giles Farmer and Richard Stevens, both aged 22. They are waiters and work 16 hours a week. Neither are married.
William’s Draft Card for WW1
William elected to be and was successfully deferred from the draft. He had a wife and one kid and was employed as a farm hand for R.L. Talbot of Long Point. Medium height and build, light brown hair, and dark blue eyes. Not missing any extremities, and is not bald.