Notes

Note N120 Index

In the Bryant Family Bible, there is a Mrs L. L. Franks listed as dying on November 8, 1936. Who is she? Kathleen's mother? The date of April 21, 1947 for Mrs. William Bryant also comes from that family bible.

Mrs. William Bryant was working at Eaton's as a clerk according to the 1929 Henderson City Directory.

Notes

Note N121 Index

He was called Buster because he was so big that he "bust her" when he was born. He was going to be called Laverne. He was a photographer in Calgary,.

Notes

Note N122 Index

William met his second wife Beth through his son Clarence (Buster), who had married Beth's daughter Anne.

Notes

Note N124 Index

When I first started my genealogical research, the whereabouts of William and family were a complete mystery. I could not find him in any census in any country. Ditto for his wife and children.

Then I found a William & Jennie Timms in the 1930 US census for Kansas City Missouri. He was born in New York and his parents were born in New York and Ohio respectively That fitted John Timms and Mary Trevor. Jennie's parents were both born in Kentucky. William was 67 and she was 64. That was three years off as per William in the 1871 Ontario census but I kept checking. Were John Timms and Mary Trevor in Kentucky in the 1880's? They were living at 2918 Euclid Avenue in Kansas City. They were 29 and 17 years old when they were married. That does not make sense given their ages?

I also found them in the 1920 census for Kansas City. He and Jenny were living at 1001 Bellfountain Ave. Or is this them? Her name may be Amy?

OK, I found them there as well in 1910. William was 47; Jennie was 44. There were three children living with them. It is hard to read but looks like Walter E., William J. and Helen. They are 24, 21 and 18. They were all born in Kansas. William senior was a pipe fitter and the 2 boys were salesmen in clothing stores. William and Jennie had been married 25 years, that is, they were married about 1885. Where were they in 1920? Ditto for 1900 when they should be in Kansas.

In the 1900 census, he and Jennie were living with his mother in law, Margerete Drew. There is a child James, born in December 1885 there. I have never been able to find out what happened to James. He may have died between 1900 and 1910. William is noted as working as a RR labourer. He and Jennie were shown as being married for 20 years. The entry for the number of children born to Jennie say "5, with only "4" alive. That rather says that James died after 1900 but that another child was born bewteen 1887 and 1900.

In 1940 he was living alone with his daughter Helen at 1906 East 43rd Street. They seemed to have been sharing the house with another family.

I have found them in the 1885 Kansas State census for Leavenworth. Walter is recorded as four months old. William is a teamster. They are likewise in the 1895 Kansas State census for Leavenworth. William was a laborer. The most interesting fact in that census is that he is noted as coming from Canada to Kansas. So it must have been before 1985. Where were he and his parents in 1881? He is there again in 1905 with Jennie and all of the kids. So it was after that he went to Kansas City. As well, in 1885, there was a 9 year old female by the name of Julia Wells living with them. Who was she?

As more and more information became available, I knew for certain that he was my William.

Here is his obituary:
The Kansas City Times, Tuesday, December 18, 1945, p. 12
"William Timms, 85, 4716 Jarboe, died yesterday at the home. He is survived by a daughter, Miss Helen Timms of the home; two sons, Walter E. Timms 2745 Monroe, and William J. Timms, 4033 Olive, and a sister, Mrs. Jean Gardiner, Detroit."

In the Kansas City Times of the next day, there was a notice re his funeral. It was to be held at 2 P.M., Thursday at the Chapel on the Paseo at Bush Creek Blvd. Internment Memorial Park Cemetery. D.W. Newcomber's Sons.

I have obtained a copy of his death certificate. He died at home at 4716 Jarboe. He had lived in Kansas City for 39 years i.e. since 1910. There is something quite odd however - he is shown as born July 18, 1886. That clearly in very wrong as his son Walter was born in 1885

I added the "M." as a result of the entries in various KC directories which show that. Who knows?

My operating theory is that William M. Timms somehow ended up in the Leavenworth area, where Jennie lived with her parents, around 1885. He met Jennie, they married and then they moved to Kansas City after the children were born. The death certificate for their son William says that he was born in Leavenworth which certainly leads credence to my theory. The same can be said for the entries for a William Timms in the Leavenworth directories from 1885. He was living near to Edward Augustus Timms' at the corner of 15th and Spruce. Like Edward, he was a teamster. In 1886, both men appear again. Edward is a teamster residing at the north west corner of 15th and Spruce. William is a teamster residing at the south east corner of 15th and Olive. By 1887, only Edward is there. Starting in 1889, Edward's children show up. Then in 1893, a William Timms appears again. He is a driver for Kentor, residing at the north west corner of 14th. Then there are no Williams until 1895, when one appears who is a farmer living at 1401 Spruce. 1896 was missing. A William Timms was there again in 1898 as a farmer at 1401 Spruce. In 1899, there was a William Timms who was a labourer residing at 118 Spruce. It is possible that all these William entries are for the same person and that he is my William who married Jennie.

I have found the WWI draft registration cards for the sons.