G-44 Willard Adolph Home
Willard Adolph - Anna Hoffman
House built about 1884
272 Gower Road Union City, MI
G-4.4 Willard Charles Adolph (1834-1926) The fourth child of Anna Gruner Adolph,
built this house about 1884 after purchasing this farm. They had lived in a log cabin
in Batavia Township following their marriage in 1869 and where their children were
born. They sold the Batavia Township land and bought this 80 acres. They had 3
children: Anna (Olney) who died childless; Willard II and Edward Clarence.
Anna Hoffman Adolph was a niece of Anton Gruner's wife Caroline, died
in 1920 and the funeral was held in this house. Willard continued to live there until
he died in 1926. Ownership then passed to his son Edward C. who already had a
fine home nearby on Union City Road so this house was rented until 1941 when
Edward's son, Derwerd married Bernadine Carpenter. In the spring of 2004 Charles
Gruner interviewed Bernadine and Derwerd, age 90, in preparation for this page.
Derwerd passed away since then.
Derwerd remembered his Grandparents speaking German to each other. She
often called him "Willibald" pronounced like "Villabot". The house had neither
running water nor electricity until after WWII. Heat was from a coal burning
stove. There was a "backroom" connected to the house underneath the
windmill so they did not have to go outside for water, still had to work the
pump handle and carry in the pail. The house was laid out like most houses
of the era, with 2 bedrooms upstairs and 1 bedroom down. There was a big
wild cherry tree near the backdoor. It attracted what Bernadine called June
Bugs. The land was stony and wet and they stuck it out for 10 years before
moving to a job in town where they lived in a nice older home on High
Street in Union City. .
 Music Playing - Just For You
©copyright NCG/MSZ 2003-05
|
|
|
|
|