Did you miss me? I retuned from a week of working on genealogy at the Salt Lake City Family History library, and immediately got sick. Then there was Christmas to get ready for and my sister and genealogy research partner has been here. I’m now so behind that there is little hope of catching up, but will try.

My husband’s namesake and grandfather is my feature ancestor this week. To enlarge any picture just click on the picture.

Roy was born 20 March 1897 to Fredrick and Laura (Tabler) Kornmeyer in Kansas. He had two brothers and three sisters.

1900 US Census finds Roy (3) in Russell county Kansas at home with Fred Kornmeyer (30) a farmer, born in New York his wife Laura (30) born in Missouri, Roy’s older brother Clarence (5) and younger brother Howard, just 6 months old.

In the 1910 US Census Roy is now 13. And the family now shows two sisters Wilma who is 6 and Alma who is 16 mos. old. Clarence is now 15 and Howard is 10. Alma’s twin Ida died 5 February 1909 at about 1 1/2 months.

In 1919 Roy was working as a handyman electrician. One day while working in the attic at a one room school he fell through the ceiling into the classroom were Ina Mae Case was teaching.

They were married  11 June 1920 in Russell Kansas. The census that year was taken early on 6 January 1920 and shows Roy Kornmeyer (22) a boarder in the home of an Alice Cade. Roy is shown as single and working as a machinist at a garage.

Their one and only child was born 19 May 1922 in Luray, Kansas.

The 1930 census finds the Roy Kornmeyer family living in Salina, Kansas. Roy(33) a mechanic in a garage, Ina(29) his wife, and their son Roy Jr. (7). The census in 1930 asked if the family owns a radio. They did not. This census also asks the value of the home, and if they own or rent. The value they placed on their home was $2853 and they indicated they owned their home. Roy Jr. is indicated to have attended school in the past year.

Here are two city directories for Salina Kansas that shows Roy working as a mechanic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the 1940 US Census was taken Roy(43) is shown indexed incorrectly as Ray O Rahmeyer, Ina  (39) and Roy O. Jr. (17).

When WWII was going Roy and Ina were working in Wichita Kansas for Boeing and then moved out to LA in California and they both at Lockheed in Burbank. After the war they moved back to Wichita and they went back to working for Boeing. After the war about 1947 the family moved to Yuba City California where Roy worked as a mechanic for  Frank Morgan in Marysville, where they sold Tucker and Studebaker. Later he went to work for a company that sold Nash cars as a mechanic.

Then in 1956 the family moved to Placerville, California and for a time Roy and Ina lived in Pollock Pines.

About 1960 Roy retired. He had been a mechanic and machinist all his adult life. When he retired they moved to Project City near Lake Shasta in northern California. Another move saw them to Apache Junction, Arizona and that was too hot for them so they relocated for the cooler climes of Kingman Arizona. In 1968 their son and his family joined them in Kingman.

Roy was always interested in cars, but kept the old 1956 Studebaker his Uncle had given him until about 1989. He son while also loving cars seemed to change cars as often as he changed socks. Roy taught his grandsons the ins and outs of cars and they developed a true appreciation for cars. His grandson said that  “he was a true mechanic, he would fix anything that was broken instead of buying a replacement. Like the time he riveted a new head on a broken ignition key for me. ”

The following is a quote from his son.

.. He was of course, a mechanic ever since he got married an left home. He loved to ride motorcycles when he was young. All old timers that are no longer made. Used to take me hunting and fishing all the time, when I was young. I once saw him put his arm down the cylinder of the engine block, lift it out and set it up on his bench, so he was  stouter than all get out. He was a good Dad, but didn’t hesitate to fan my drawers, if he thought I needed it (and I probably did). Don’t know what else to tell you. He was a good Dad.

Roy Kornmeyer died 30 January 1991 in Kingman Arizona. He is buried in Waldo Kansas.