My husband’s grandmother was Ina Mae Case born 14 May 1900, to George and Myrtus (Rudy) Case in Osborn County Kansas.

In the 1905 Kansas State Census the George Case Family is located in  Liberty, Kansas(remember to click on images to enlarge).

The family continues to grow and by the 1910 US Census we see Ina’s mother has had nine children with eight still living, you would think that was enough.

But by the 1920 US Census, Myrtus has two more children the last being Anna who was born in 1914. Myrtus died in 1916 when Ina was just 16.

Ina and her older siblings take over mothering the baby Anna. I do think that Myrtus probably died in childbirth after so many children.

When  Ina graduates high school and finds herself still unattached she goes to work as a teacher, which was typical of the time. This is where Roy O. Kornmeyer literally falls into her life. They are married 11 June 1920 in Russell, Kansas. 19 May 1922 their son is born and they name him after his father. Ina does not have any other children but continues to lend a hand taking care of her baby sister. Roy junior and Anna grow up only eight years apart in age.

Times were definitely changing for families in middle America. Families were starting to get smaller. Women were working outside the home.

And children were moving off the farms and working in town. Ina and Roy were an example. They moved to Salina where Roy worked as an Auto Mechanic. When World War II came along they both worked in the airplane factory working on the planes being built to fight in the war. Ina was quite proud of the work she did. For a time after the war Ina continued working outside the home, she worked in a dress shop when they lived in Yuba City and also at the exchange on Beale Airforce Base, this was in the 1950’s.

Wherever their son moved to, Roy and Ina followed. They were a constant in their grandchildren’s lives. When Roy and Ina decided that Roy should retired they tried living several different places and about 1964 settled in Kingman, Arizona. Four years later they talked their son, and his wife, into moving there. Ina’s  sister Anna even moved to Kingman in the 1980’s until after her husband Lester died, then she moved back to Kansas near her brothers.

Ina continued having an impact in her grandchildrens lives. Ina died just one month short of her 101 birthday on 26 April 2001.