52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 40: Longevity

Mom and her cat Bella 2023

My mom, Peggy Kathryn Williams Scott, likes to tell me that she's the longest living Williams. At 91, Mom is in good physical health but her memory skills are growing weak. So I decided to look beyond the family that Mom remembers and to see what her family longevity really was. I started out by mapping out her direct line ancestors with the number of years they had lived and--when available--with their cause of death since I thought it would be interesting to see if there were patterns there.

In Mom's direct line of ancestors for whom I can verify birth and death dates, she does win the prize for longevity. The closest competitor was her great-grandfather, Daniel William Williams, who died two months before his 90th birthday. Honorable mention goes to Mom's 2x great-grandmother, Melssina Grizzle (I love that name!), for living 85 years and to both her 2x great-grandmother, Elizabeth Cavendar, and her grandfather, Owen Williams, for living 83 years.

The most frequently occurring causes of death seen were heart disease and strokes, which caused the four of the deaths. There was one death from bronchitis/emphysema, two from cancers, one from kidney disease, one with a contributing factor of diabetes, and another with a contributing factor of hypothyroidism. With so few of the earlier ancestors having death certificates available, there's no way of knowing what caused their deaths. The two youngest deaths were Mom's great-grandmother, Madora Mikesell, at 33 years and her 2x great-grandmother, Melinda Johnson, at a heartbreaking 23 years. Because they were both so young, these women probably died either of a contagious disease or in childbirth.

The average number of years lived for the fifteen ancestors seen here in Mom's paternal line of was 67.5 years. The average number of years lived for the eleven ancestors in her maternal line with available birth and death dates was 58.5 years.

With the benefits of assisted living, nutritious meals, and loving care by her relatives and cat, Mom should be able to live many more years.

Mom was born on 20 Jun 1932 in the little town of Roann, Indiana, the first child of Irene Eldora Cartwright Williams and Lester Eldon Williams. After six years of marriage they had about given up on having a baby and had started looking into a private adoption before being happily surprised by the pregnancy. Mom remembers being told that there was a terrible thunderstorm that night following her afternoon birth so her mom and dad kept her safe between them in their bed that night.

Sixteen months later, Mom became a big sister to Walter Owen Williams, who was always called Joe. In 1938 she had another little brother born, who was named Leo Eldon Williams. Three years later a third little brother, Robert Lee Williams, joined the family. It had to have been rough being the only girl in the family. In the early days when the kids were bathed in a metal tub in the kitchen Mom can remember being the last of the four kids to get their turn, after three dirty little boys went first. It was she who had to cook dinner for the family when her parents were working long days. She can also remember asking if she could go on a date and being told, "Only if Joe goes along with you."

Mom started dating my dad when she was a senior at Nappanee High School. He was five years older, already having served in the Merchant Marines. They were married on 27 Aug 1950, a few months after her graduation. For the next two years Mom worked as an assistant to Dr. Douglas Price, a general practitioner in Nappanee, taking phone calls, greeting patients, holding babies during procedures, and doing anything else that needed to be done. Two years later it was Dr. Price who delivered me when I was born.

Being a good planner, Mom had her second baby three years and three days later and her third came three years and 33 days after that. We were all neatly given names that started with the letter J: Jo Ann, Jerry, and Janet. She always took good care of us, cooking dinner every night, keeping the house cleaned, and just letting us be kids free to roam and play. Whether it was organizing a kindergarten when the school district didn't offer one, working in the high school cafeteria. making sandwiches for the family business. crocheting doilies. or learning to dance or clog, Mom was always a hard worker and perfectionist.

Now, after 91 years, Mom's life is much slower. She doesn't cook or clean any more and rarely crochets. She walks slowly and tentatively and can't remember what happened an hour ago. But she'll tell you, "I'm fine, I'm fine" or "Everything is hunky dory here" when asked. She lives in a small assisted living apartment where the staff and my sister take good care of her. We know she's safe and well fed now after nine lonely years of living alone after my dad passed away. It's Mom's turn to be taken care of now.