charlesandalpha

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	Alpha Mildred Williams Ferris 11/9/1890--5/20/1978. She was the daughter of Mary Jane Stalker and William Ruzy Williams. Her siblings were Ethel (Ferris), Daisy Ruth (Cox), Winona Belle (Hickman), Darwin, Charles (married Florence Waxters), Ernest. She rode horse back to school. After completing the 8th grade, she took a county exam and then taught in a one room rural school. She had some students older than she was.
		L. to R. Mary Jane Williams Lillian Ferris Alpha Ferris Ethel Ferris Daisy Cox
Alpha was active in church work, taught Sunday school for many years. She belonged to the Presbyterian Woman Federation of Womens Club Home Extension Group. She contributed articles for the county fair. Her rye bread won ribbons. She enjoyed bridge and other card games and scrabble. She did quilting, embroidery, crocheting. When younger she did ice skating, horse back riding. She loved music.

William Ruzy Williams (10/13/1860-11/2/1927) married Mary Jane Stalker on March 9, 1887 in Kingsley (renamed Jamaica later) Ill. William was born in West Liberty, Kentucky. His mother's name was Nancy Chambers Adams and his father was William Williams. William Ruzy Williams's siblings were Sarah, Fanny, James, Kirby, Jennie, Frank, Alice, Lee, and Margaret. The children of William Ruzy Williams and Mary Jane were Ethel, Alpha Mildred, Daisy Ruth, Winona Belle, Darwin, Charles and Ernest. The photo was taken on July 9, 1913. The occasion was the wedding of Charles Ferris to Alpha Williams. Standing from left to right are Floyd Cox, Daisy Cox, Francis Marion Ferris, Addie Watt Ferris, Charles Ferris, Alpha, Mary Jane Stalker Williams, William Ruzy Williams, three people we're not sure about, and then Marion Raymond Ferris. In the first row, from left to right, are Ernest Williams, next person holding the derby is unknown to us, Adelaide Ferris Hooton, Winona Williams Hickman, Ethel Williams Ferris, and just above Ethel, to the viewer's left is Fred Hickman, and finally Charles Williams. The babies may be Marion Cox and Winnie Ferris

CLICK HERE FOR A PHOTO OF DAISY, ALPHA, AND ETHEL

From left to right: Ethel Williams Ferris, Molly Ferris, Marion Cox, Marion Ferris,

Lillian Ferris, Winnie Ferris, William Hickman, Alpha Williams Ferris

Charles, Alan, Alpha, Jean

	Charles Francis Ferris, 11/27/1887--7/5/1982. On July 9 1913 he married Alpha Mildred Williams. His brother Marion Francis Ferris married Ethel Elizabeth Williams, the sister of Alpha. The children of Alpha and Charles are Lillian May who married Edwin Morrison and Elizabeth Louise who married Clyde Rushford. Charles earned a B. S. in chemical engineering at the University of Illinois and earned a M. S. in agriculture at Ames, Iowa.
	Charles farmed near Middle Inlet, Wisconsin. He cleared the land, built a house and barn. He had work horses, dairy cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, etc. He raised alfalfa, vegetables, fruit trees. In 1930 he gave up farming due to the depression. In 1930 Charles gave up farming and moved to Kingsford, Michigan. He worked in a Ford plant in different jobs. He became manager of the chemical plant. When Ford moved out the Kingsford Chemical Company hired him and he retired from there. After Alpha died he sold the home and divided his time between Ishpeming and Waupaca until his death.
	In high school (in Danville, Ill) he played varsity football. He won the championship in tennis his senior year. He won a scholarship to the University of Illinois and there he was elected to the honorary society Sigma Xi. His hobbies included stamp collecting, chess, fishing, hunting, gardening, reading, and traveling. When he was a child he had a pet crow that talked. While working at Ford he developed a process of laminating wood for the wooden station wagon bodies using the strongest most durable glue which cured quickly by using electronic equipment.

	Lillian May Ferris, daughter of Charles Francis Ferris and Alpha Mildred Williams Ferris. Lillian went to Shanebrook Rural School for 8 grades, entered Kingsford High School in Kingsford, Michigan at age 12, graduated third in a class of 50 at age 16. She also took 2 years at Junior College, courses at Northern and also took courses in management and bookkeeping. She lived at the Middle Inlet farm for 12 years. She lived with uncle Francis and Aunt Grace in Kingsford for four years while in high school. In high school she helped with illustrations in the year book. She played piano with the school orchestra and accompanied the Girls Glee Club. Then her mother and father moved to Kingsford. She lived with them in a duplex downstairs till she married Edwin Harry Morrison, then lived upstairs. She moved to Ishpeming December 7, 1941 (Pearl Harbor Day) and lived in an upstairs apartment for 8 years.
	Her work experience includes jobs at Kresge's, Penney's, an optometrist's office, school offices, and seven years at a bookkeeper at Iron Mountain General Hospital. Organizations joined include Order of the Eastern Star, Westminster Circle in Iron Mt., Womens Association Presbyterian Church in Ishpeming World Service. She was treasurer for several years, president for 5 years, then treasurer again. Her hobbies include square dancing, bridge, knitting, sewing, crossword puzzles, walking, berry picking, and picnics.
	Edwin Harry Morrison, born February 3 1910 in Crystal Falls, Michigan. Son of Harry G. Morrison and Caroline Rebecca Extrum. He married Lillian August 17, 1938 in Iron Mountain, Michigan. They celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in Hawaii and Alameda, California as a gift from their children Alan and Jean and Maurine and Alice (sisters of Edwin). He graduated from the Ferris Institute as a registered pharmacist. He first worked at Sims Drug Store while in high school. Then Cudlip's, City, and Sims stores in Iron Mountain. He worked for Johnson Drug Store from 1941 until 1956 in Ishpeming. He then bought Mirach Drug Store. He sold it to Charles Dix in 1972. He worked part time until 1981 at which time he retired. In 1938 he was Master of Blue Lodge in Iron Mt., the youngest in the state of Michigan. He was honored for 60 years of service in the Masons in 1991. He was president of Kiwanis in Ishpeming, lieutenant of the division twice, achievement committee chairman for ten years. His hobbies included fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, touring the upper peninsula, square dancing, reading, and traveling to Kiwanis district and international meetings in Canada and Europe.

Marion, Charles, and Francis Ferris

Click on group photo or caption below for bigger picture

Clyde, Betty, Lillian, Charles, Kenneth, Alpha, Edwin. CLICK HERE FOR LARGER PHOTO AND PHOTOS OF THE FAMILY OF BETTY AND CLYDE

Clyde, Betty, Lillian, Edwin, Kenneth, Jean, Charles, Alpha, Charles, Alan

Patrick, Jean, Marcis, Julie, Edwin, Michael, Alan, Catherine, Daniel, Lillian, Scott

Ferris Farm, Middle Inlet, Wisconsin

More photos after the letters

[The following letter is from Nancy Underwood.]

February 10, 1998

Dear Byron,

The enclosed picture was somehow omitted from those I sent you yesterday. Thought I should send it off before it was misplaced again. You are no doubt wondering why I would send you a picture of an old farmhouse.

This was on the farm that Grandfather bought as what he thought would be a good investment and something he could leave his children. But it turned out to be rather unproductive. The soil was not that great. Uncle Charlie worked it for awhile and finally gave up and moved to Iron Mountain. Uncle Bud took over but after many years of hard work finally threw in the towel and moved to Indianapolis. My brother Dan spent a couple of summers there in his early teens hoeing beans alongside cousin Bobby.

In the summer of 1927 (June, I believe) it was decided those of the family that could make it would all congregate and have a few weeks together there. Forgot to say the farm was in Middle Inlet, Wis. Anyway, as near as I can remember the adults were Grandfather, Uncle Marion, Uncle Charlie, Aunt Alpha, Aunt Grace and my mother.

There were ten of us children ranging in age from Lillian, the oldest at 13, all the way down to my brother Dan and Gracie (Uncle Francis' daughter) who were both just a year old. I was only 3 1/2. Mother said she must have been out of her mind to take two little children into the wilds of Wisconsin!

We drove up there from Danville in Grandfather's Reo touring car. A huge sedan with a convertible top which had isinglass windows. Too racy for words! Grandfather wore a really natty driving cap and looked very sporty indeed! .... It was probably a 500-mile trip. No super highways, or freeways back then. No rest stations, etc. Two lanes all the way.

The farm had no running water, no indoor "facilities" either. The water had to be drawn from a well. At night the mosquitoes were so fierce nobody could venture outside to get it. So the girls would save the rinse water from the dishes to reheat and use again. No facilities meant having to cross a field full of sheep ... which absolutely terrified me. Someone always had to take me as I was too frightened to go alone. I remember at night after being put to bed, lying there in the dark hearing the whip-poor-wills ... so mournful and spooky-sounding.

Grandfather whittled rifles out of wood for all of us and the boys ran around playing war all day. I have a great picture of us all lined up with our rifles on our shoulders. Starting with Betty (Lillian's sister), then your uncles Fran, Ray and Jim, and Jon and Dick (Uncle Frances' two boys), and me bringing up the rear as the littlest one. Sorry I can't copy it for you as it is pasted in an old album and can't be removed.

I remember Mother trying to learn to do the Charleston which was all the rage then. She couldn't make her left foot do what it was supposed to and she would hang on to this old Victorola in order to accomplish it. Too funny. Also remember Uncle Marion trying to get me to eat the white of my egg at breakfast. I only liked the yellow and he said it was wasteful not to eat it!

Apparently your grandmother Ethel, your mother and aunt Molly were not there with us as they don't appear in any of the pictures. Probably very wisely chose to stay home!

Thought you might enjoy this bit of a Ferris family story.

[The following is from a letter from Dodo (Edith) Raynor, April, 2000]

Dear Byron and Val,

........

One thing--Under the Charles Ferris Family, I saw the picture of the farm in Middle Inlet where I grew up, that Nancy Underwood sent you and in reading her letter of February 10, 1998, saw where she said that after many years of hard work "Uncle Bud" (my father) threw in the towel and moved to Indianapolis.

In truth, the farm was a good one and the soil was great and in the 14 years of hard work (true) it became quite a successful farm. There was no "throwing in the towel" at all--the reasons we sold the farm were many. First of all my grandmother, mother's mother, was ill and needed mother in Indianapolis. Second, Bob had joined the Navy in World War II--and Dad couldn't get help, and third, I was graduating and would be leaving to work in the city. Also, when Bob got back from the Navy, he would be going to college--the farm was just too much for one person since it was a dairy farm. We all treasured our life there and wept when we had to leave.

Just wanted to get this little piece of history straight. Nancy's experience on the farm was little--by the time we left, we had electricity, running water, etc. My grandparents (mother's parents) and her brother and sister spent every summer vacation there. So, our experiences were quite different, therefore the different view!!!

Also Uncle Charlie, Aunt Alpha, Betty and Lillian, Uncle France and his whole family were only 50 miles north in Iron Mountain and were frequent visitors. Uncle France and Aunt Grace had a cabin on the farm, so we saw a lot of our cousins. Nancy's brother, Dan Hooten, spent a couple of summers with us and we did all work hard--picking beans, making hay, etc. besides morning and evening chores. Don't remember Nancy ever visiting all those years--we saw her when we went to Danville to see Grandpa Ferris and Mother Frances. And, although Jim, Ray and Fran Ferris spent time with us on the farm, we saw Uncle Marion and Aunt Ethel when we went to LaGrange.

Thought you would be interested in the view from here. Think it is all very interesting.

[The following is excerpted from a letter from Lillian Morrison and Jean]

Dear Byron,

Good to hear from you.

To answer your question, yes Alpha and Ethel were sisters. My mom remembers that her grandpa Ferris had bought 600 acres of farmland near Middle Inlet WI. Charlie and Alpha lived on the farm and Francis and Grace did too. They both farmed the land, and all the aunts and uncles and cousins used to come for visits in the summertime. Lots of kids! The farm had chickens, pigs, sheep, work horses, cows, and they grew alfalfa, which brought a good price. They also sold the wool from the sheep. Uncle Bud lived there for a year, he was about 14,and his mother had just died.

An interesting story about my grandfather: when he was in college, he spent the summers riding the rails across the US. When he and his friends ran out of money, they would get jobs, for a short time, and then pick up and set off again. One year he climbed Pike's Peak. One summer he and another boy went fishing for pearls in the Wabash River in Indiana. Several were nice enough to make into rings, including the one my grandmother's ring was made from.

________________________

Pamela Cohen and Jean Morrison ca 1955

Patrick Lee Paquin, son-in-law of Lillian Morrison, husband of Jean. He is a mechanical engineer and a specialist in nuclear engineering and chemical-nuclear systems. He played sports in high school including baseball, football, and wrestling, and was the Upper Michigan Heavyweight Champion in 1968. Hobbies include golf, computers, music.
	Julie Anne Paquin. (Later) she earned her B. A. in English at Virginia Polytech Institute and State University. Her hobbies include tap dancing, ballet, writing, and classical guitar.
	Julie Anne married Jeryas Hanna (Jay) Bazuzi in 1966. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Patrick Price, and the homily was delivered by Jay's maternal grandfather Rev. Reginald Fuller. They now live in Seattle.
	Daniel Patrick Paquin. He has had gainful employment at the movie theatre and also he taught clarinet in high school. Organizations he has joined include the Boy Scouts, the Irmo Middle School Band, the Irmo High School Band, the Region Band, the All-State Band, and the S.C. Youth Symphony Orchestra. Hobbies include basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, and band (clarinet). In 1996 and 1997 he attended the Sewanee summer Music Fest at the University of the South.
	Daniel also earned a Black Belt in Karate at Earwood's Karate School.
	Catherine Dyan Paquin. Organizations joined include the Girl Scouts, Irmo Middle School Band, Irmo High School Band, Lagniappe Staff (School Literary Magazine) and marching band. Her hobbies include gymnastics, dancing (ballet, jazz), and band (clarinet).
	In the summer of 1997 Catherine traveled to France, Germany, England, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland with a school group.

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