Adelbert Decolia (Dell) Bingham

1860 - 1935  (75 years)

• Name	Adelbert Decolia (Dell) Bingham
  Birth	30 Jun 1860	Pottersville, Minnesota
  Gender	Male
  Death	8 Jul 1935	Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington
  Notes	The Binghams Hezekiah Bingham was born 13 DEC 1765 in England. He married Eunice Kellum in Michigan. Together they had at least one child: 1.John Kellum Bingham Born 29 SEPT 1802 Married Emaline Kimball 17 MAR 1824 Had children Hezekiah II, Benjiman, Eliza Ann, Eunice J., Elizabeth K., Moses, Sarah, Mary, Ruth, Amenzo Preston and Charles Edgar John Kellum Bingham was born 29 SEPT 1802. He married Emaline Kimball 17 MAR 1824 in Plainwell, Michigan. Together they had eleven children: 1.Hezekiah Bingham II Born 12 JAN 1825 Died 12 JAN 1841 2.Benjiman Bingham 28 FEB 1827 in Scio, Michigan Married Sarah Melissa Carr 14 MAR 1852 in Freedom, Michigan Had children Edgar Eugene, Florian Abner, William Henry, Adelbert Decolia, Dora Emaline, James Kingsley and Adarina Gertrude Died 21 APR 1866 3.Eliza Ann Bingham Born 17 JAN 1829 Died 13 SEPT 1903 4.Eunice J. Bingham Born 8 JUL 1831 5.Elizabeth K. Bingham Born 25 MAR 1834 Died 22 JUN 1921 6.Moses Bingham Born 3 SEPT 1836 7.Sarah Bingham 7 DEC 1838 Died 19 APR 1907 8.Mary Bingham Born 9 FEB 1841 Died 7 JUL 1926 9.Ruth Bingham Born 28 DEC 1844 Died 29 JAN 1845 10.Amenzo Preston Bingham Born 19 AUG 1846 Died 21 AUG 1848 11. Charles Edgar Bingham Born 28 NOV 1848 John Kellum Bingham died 23 APR 1860. Benjiman Bingham was born in Scio, Michigan on 28 FEB 1827. He married Sarah Melissa Carr on 14 March 1852 in Freedom, Michigan, Together they had seven children: 1.Edgar Eugene Bingham Born 24 DEC 1852 in Meridian, Michigan Married Laura Johnston Died 29 MAY 1923 2.Florian Abner Bingham Born 31 AUG 1855 in Lansing, Michigan Married Lula Winkley 12 NOV 1896 in Blaine, Washington Died 21 APR 1921 3.William Henry Bingham Born 26 MAR 1858 Married Mary Anna Neharry 7 JUN 1892 in Jamestown, North Dakota Had children Benjamin W. Mary Alida, Bessie Viola, Carl Adelbert, Don Eugene and Grant Archibald Died 17 AUG 1947 4.Adelbert Decolia Bingham Born 30 JUN 1860 Married Elizabeth Bertha Fritschie 25 FEB 1899 in Bellingham, WA. Had children Lawrence Frederick, Clyde Henry, Clarence Miles, Elmer Lee, Rebecca Fern and Rachel May Died 8 JUL 1935 5.Dora Emaline Bingham Born 28 )CT 1861 Married J.L. Wilder 21 SEPT 1881 in Benton, Michigan 6.James Kingsley Bingham Born 20 MAR 1867 Married Mary Harshman 9 MAY 1889 in Jamestown, North Dakota 7.Adarina Gertrude Bingham Born 16 SEPT 1870 in Benton, Michigan Married C.H. Betz 2 SEPT 1892 Benjiman Bingham died 21 APR 1866 in Stutsman County, Dakota Territory. Adelbert Decolia Bingham was born 30 JUN 1860 in Pottersville, Michigan. He married Elizabeth Bertha Fritschie 25 FEB 1899 in Bellingham, Washington. Together they had six children: 1.Lawrence Frederick Bingham Born 1 DEC 1899 in Whatcon, Washington Married Ione Buferton Richey 30 SEPT 1927 Had children Donald Lee and Doris Veryl Died 9 MAR 1986 2.Clyde Henry (Adelbert William) Bingham Born 1 OCT 1990 in Whatcom, Washington Died 1 NOV 1918 3.Clarence Miles Bingham Born 1 JAN 1902 in Whatcom, Washington Died 8 MAR 1902 in Whatcom, Washington 4.Elmer Lee Bingham Born 5 DEC 1905 in Bellingham, Washington Married Ruth Amelia Evans 16 JUN 1928 in San Francisco, California Had children David Lee and Wesley Evans Died 23 JUL 1991 5.Rebecca Fern Grinstead Born 14 OCT 1907 in Jamestown, North Dakota Married Perry Cannon Anderson Had children Robert Lee, Harold, Norman Arnold, Lee Armond, Esther Lorraine and Darlene May Died 18 OCT 1994 in Portland, Oregon 6.Rachel May Bingham Born 7 APR 1909 in Spearfish, South Dakota Married John (Ellis Baker) Grinstead Had children: Charmie Fern, John David, James Richard, Robert Lawrence, Raymond Charles, WilliamAdelbert, Virginia Lea and Donald Edward Died 18 AUG 1994 in Bellingham, Washington Adelbert Decolia Bingham died 8 JUL 1935 in Bellingham, Washington. Information about Adelbert Decolia Bingham is interspersed throughout "An Era of Good Feelings", which was written by his son, Elmer Lee Bingham, and is set forth several pages below. Hi Mike; A little information on Mom's five siblings. They were all born to Adelbert Decolia Bingham "Dell" and Elizabeth Bertha Fritschie Bingham who were married 2/25/1899 in Whatcom (what is now Bellingham), Washington by Reverend Crockett of the Christian Church. I will start with Lawrence, the oldest, and finish with Rachel (Mom), the youngest. Bellingham in the late 1800's and early 1900's went through a number of name changes, ie; Whatcom, New Whatcom, Sehome and Bellingham which at one time were separate towns. LAWRENCE FREDERICK BINGHAM was born 12/1/1899 in Whatcom, Washington. Lawrence married Ione Bufertine Richey 9/30/1927 in San Francisco, California. They had two children: Donald Lee and Doris Veryl. Lawrence was a top notch machinist and a very intelligent and talented person. He designed and built scale models of a steam engine that was operational and a sailboat that was approximetely four feet long with full sails and much detail. Both of the items are in The Museum of History and Industry in Seattle,Washington near the University of Washington. Lawrence traveled a lot as a teen riding the freight trains and later as a young man on ships while in the Merchant Marines. Lawrence and Ione were at the Cedar River near Renton, Washington with Nita and I one day and Lawrence was fishing when his fishing lure hooked on to the tail of a large salmon heading up the river to spawn. Lawrence was trying to pull the fish out of the water backwards but the fish had other ideas as he flipped his tail and sent the lure back to Lawrence and it ended up with the hook in Lawrence's face just below the eye. The barb was through the skin and into the flesh so he couldn't back the hook out so Nita took over and cut the fishing line from the hook and with needle nose pliers slowly worked the hook and barb out of the skin so I could get to it with my dykes (wire cutters) then I snipped off the barb and Nita backed out the hook. Lawrence was very calm and relaxed during the entire "operation". Both he and Ione were very dear to Nita and I. They treated us like we were part of their family. After Lawrence retired Ione had a bad stroke and could not walk or talk except to repeat what someone said to her and Lawrence took care of her himself most of the time until she died 11/23/1974. Lawrence developed Alzheimer's disease a number of years before he died and was in a nursing home when he died 3/9/1986. Lawrence is buried in the Washington Memorial Cemetery in Seattle, Washington. CLYDE HENRY (ADELBERT WILLIAM) BINGHAM was born 10/1/1900 in Whatcom, Washington. Depending on which story you want to believe, Adelbert or his mother changed his name to Clyde Henry. Clyde never married and died as a young man of 18. When he was about 17 and living in Leavenworth, Washington where he was working in a saw mill he lost his right hand in an accident at the mill. After the accident Clyde either wore a plastic hand or a hook in place of the missing hand or made do without it. Clyde was studying to be an engineer when died of the flu during one of the worst global epidemics of influenza occurring in 1918 and 1919 when about 20 million people died, including more than 500,000 Americans. Both Mom and Becky have talked about Clyde being such a wonderful and caring person. He was a big brother who really cared about his younger sisters. Clyde died 11/1/1918 and was buried in Bellingham, Washington. CLARENCE MILES BINGHAM was born 1/1/1902 in New Whatcom, Washington and died there two months later on 3/8/1902. Clarence was buried at ? ELMER LEE BINGHAM was born in Bellingham, Washington 12/5/1904. Lee married Ruth Amelia Evans 6/16/1928 in San Francisco, California. They had two boys: David Lee and Wesley Evans. Lee went by his middle name and I never knew his first name was Elmer until I started working on our family history in 1960. Lee was a train engineer for many years. Before that he worked at various jobs and sometimes in machine shops for his brother Lawrence. He was also a locomotive fireman prior to becoming an engineer. Lee was very outgoing and loved to talk and tell stories. Lee and Ruth lived in San Francisco most of their married life. They bought and apartment house at 1496 Noe and lived there all the time that I remember them. Nita and I invited them to come stay with us for a month while we were living in Germany. Before they came over they bought tickets on the fastest train (TGV) in the world at that time Lee told us. He was told that you could be served fancy dinners like they did years ago on the USA trains so he wanted to experienced it again. As luck would have it all the food service people were on strike when we rode the train! Lee was very disappointed. Lee and Ruth were both 78 when they visited us and had their 54 th wedding anniversary while there. We all went to an old salt mine in Berchtesgaden, Germany and Lee and Ruth both slid down the slide that the workers used to use to get to the lower levels of the mine. They had the leather aprons on their backsides of course. Lee, like Mom and Becky, tried but failed to locate the sculpture of "The Last Supper" which was done by their great-grandfather Anthony August Maurer. Lee and Ruth loved to travel and enjoyed life very much. They were very nice people. Lee died 7/23/1991 and is buried in San Francisco, California. The above excerpt was written by Dave Grinstead April, 1999 Ginny Grinstead Armstrong wrote the following e-mail to Michael A. McKenzie on December 30, 1999 and shared some of her memories of the Binghams and their spouses from her childhood. I would like to share a few more family stories. I liked the way Dave shared his and so I will use his format. I told you some about Auntie when I last wrote, so I will share what I remember about Mom's other siblings. Uncle Lawrence: Uncle Lawrence was one of the smartest men I have ever met. He was a true Renascence man. He was a very talented inventor. He invented a type of roller chain that is used all over the world to propel machinery. The shipyard where he worked got the patent and Uncle Lawrence got a $100 bonus. That was a lot of money in the twenties, but Rol says the chain has been worth millions. He built a scale model of a steam ship engine (1/4 inch to one foot) and ran it with a compressor that he had in his basement. When our Steve was about 4 or 5 (about 1971) we went to visit Uncle Lawrence and Aunt Ione. He helped Steve make a lighthouse from a clock. He was wonderful with Steve, never talking down to him, treating him with great respect. Uncle Lawrence also made violins and was the best pinochle player I have ever seen. Our family were big pinochle players and we all learned when we were very young. He was such a kind man and he and Aunt Ione were so in love. Their marriage never lost its passion and he lived to please her. It was so sad when he lost his wit, he was a very funny man. Just before he died we went to visit him at his son Donny's house. He couldn't remember who we all were (He couldn't keep names straight even when he was younger, calling all women either Rachel or Doris!) and he asked me who mom was (she was in her late 70's then) I told him that she was Rachel. He was very indignant and told me "That's not Rachel. That's some old woman." Mom was not pleased to say the least! I remember so well Uncle Lee after that visit told me, with tears in his eyes, I have lost my brother. It was so sad. Uncle Lawrence was so much like Grandma in intelligence and wit, it was regrettable to see them both suffer from dementia in the end. Aunt Ione: Aunt Ione was one of the most moral and kind women I have ever met. Mom used to say "I have never heard Aunt Ione say a bad thing about anyone." She never gossiped and she gave you her whole attention when she talked to you. I stayed with them for a week one summer, I think I was about 14, and she taught me how to swim. They lived about a block off of Alkai beach in Seattle. It was a wonderful place to go in the summer. She never drove, but took me all over Seattle on the busses. She taught me all about the big city and took me into the swankiest stores. I remember looking at a black dress that was $100. An astounding amount of money in the late 50's. She taught me a lot about good manners and how to behave in restaurants and on social occasions. I believe Uncle Lawrence and Aunt Ione took me to the first restaurant I had ever been to with real cloth napkins and several courses of food. I was a wide-eyed kid from the sticks! They had two children and eleven grandchildren. She loved her grandchildren and had them a lot. I really enjoyed that, as I have always been a "kid person". I used to spend time in the summers staying with them and baby sitting her grandchildren. We never thought of being paid for baby sitting relatives back then. It was part of being a family. Aunt Ione suffered a stroke in about 1963. She could never talk again. She lived several more years and when Uncle Lawrence retired he took total care of her. He never left her side and saw to all of her needs. She was in a wheel chair and they traveled to California and back several times. Our Steve used to climb on her lap and chatter away to her. They always seemed to understand each other. I wish all of you could have known her. Uncle Lee: Uncle Lee was an engineer for the railroad in San Francisco. We saw them about once a year. Because they were farther away we didn't spend the time with them that we spent with Uncle Lawrence and Aunt Ione or Auntie's family. Uncle Lee was a real tease. He like to play practical jokes on people and tease them. He was pretty opinionated and set in his ways. I used to argue with him (no surprise to the family, I argued with everyone!) and he told me you are just like my "Ma". and believe me that was no compliment. Uncle Lee was a great story teller and we would not have some of the great family stories if he had not taken the time to write them down. I sent you his stories and letters, mom and Auntie disagreed with a lot of his recollections, but we are lucky he took the time to write them down. Aunt Ruth: Aunt Ruth was from San Francisco and a very sophisticated lady in my eyes. She shared with me her love of books and was still writing me and sharing some of her favorite authors (Anne Tyler was one) until she was well into her eighties. She was a twin and that was so interesting to me. She and her sister Pearl were identical. They lived a very different lifestyle and I was very impressed with their "big city ways". She was a very literate person and educated me about history, literature, and art. Her home was always open to us. As young adults we would travel to San Francisco and they always welcomed us. She was very funny and had a great sense of humor. Mom also had a brother Clarence that died as a child and a brother Clyde who she adored. He died during the flu epidemic in about 1918. I know this is a very long E-mail. Please edit it as you please. Also please remember these are my memories and my brothers and Charmie probably remember things quite differently. I hope they will all share their stories so we can share some memories. Love, Aunt Ginny Lee Bingham wrote a wonderful story about various recollections during his life. A verbatim transcription follows: 1895 AN ERA OF GOOD FEELINGS Beginning in the city of Stillwater, Min , a beautiful rich brunet, Elizabeth Fritschie, decided to go out West to visit her brother Rudolph. He lived in Bellingham, Washington. She loved the Pacific Northwest, the sights and sounds -- the aroma of the new cut lumber and cedar shingles. After the invention of the ten block shingle machine Washington practically roofed the world. The ten block saw could cut twenty shingles in a second as apposed to the one block which would saw only twenty per minute. In 1896 Elizabeth was introduced to Dell Bingham, a tugboat captain, a tall, handsome, robust flat on his ass bachelor and she married him in February 1898. His job was towing booms of logs to various mills in Puget Sound and the Straits of Georgia. My Dad got a little weary of being away so much towing booms of logs around the sound so he quit the captain job and took a job as a resawyer in a lumber mill in Bellingham. At that time, December 1, 1899, Lawrence Frederick was born to Mr. And Mrs. Dell Bingham. That was a tough way to earn money after being a tugboat captain for ten years. And two years later, 1902, Clyde Henry was born. He died in 1918 of Spanish influenza. I was born in 1904. Dad was still running the resaw. Dad bought an acre of land near Larson Station and built a house on it. Larson Station was on the electric line between Bellingham and Lake Whatcom. Larson was the owner of a huge mill -- thus the name Larson Station. Just about the time our house was completed we got a letter from our grandmother, also named Elizabeth Fritschie, inviting us to come to Stillwater, Min. Dad just dropped the hammer. We went to Bellingham and got the train that went to Stillwater. It seems she didn't know there were three kids. I think Grandma had a short fuse, so we didn't stay in her house very long. And Dad rented a house down the street from Grandma. She came to visit us quite often, bringing us goodies. Dad worked at the school. I don't know but, somehow Dad got hold of a team of horses and a wagon. We left Stillwater in the latter part of June 1907. 300 miles away they stopped at Fargo where my father's brother was the chief of police, James K. Bingham. I don't think Jim enjoyed Ma and Pa with three kids driving up unannounced, and after a day or two we left. Next stop 100 miles away to Jamestown, North Dakota. It was very necessary stop as Rebecca Fern Bingham was born on Oct. 14, 1907. Dad Must have gone to work around there as we stayed a year and a half. And I remember Becky's milk bottle which was fastened on her bedstead and a long tube, about two feet long, with a nipple on the end. That is all I remember of Jamestown. It was spring when we arrived in Spearfish, South Dakota, about 300 miles away. South and west of Jamestown. It was spring when we arrived in Spearfish. We lived in a tent and Lawrence went to school. April 7th, 1909 Rachel was born. I think we only stayed in the tent that summer. In Spearfish my Dad opened a bakery. Made all kinds of French pastry. I remember especially jelly rolls. Then Dad worked for a logging company by the name of Clark and Dacy. How do I remember? I was four years old. We left Spearfish and we stayed at Deadwood, a few miles away for a short time. We lived in a yellow house on Spearfish Creek and my dad worked at the gas plant. Deadwood, South Dakota that is. They had a terrible flood down Spearfish creek. The railroad was washed out, the bridge was washed out. Pigs and chickens were going down in torrents. There was a flour mill close. When Ruth and I went back there we found the old mill stone broken in half. There was an old cemetery and a statue of a Civil War veteran with a small iron fence. They said Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hichook was buried there, but in later years we found out they didn't even know each other. We forded the Belle Fourch River before we got to Dead Wood. I remember fording the Belle Fourch River with horses and wagon. I remember leaving Dead Wood by train because the train had red cushions. From dead Wood, through Wyoming, through Idaho, to Seattle where we waited for Dad. Then to Friday harbor. Lawrence remembers Dad driving the team of horses to Bellingham. I can only remember we went to Friday Harbor, but not how we got there. Next we were living in a house in Friday Harbor with electric lights. Lawrence, Clyde, me Rebecca and Rachel. It was great for us kids. We fished and dug clambs, had crabs and cockles and a clambake every night. After six month we went back to Bellingham. That is Alki, 6 miles north of Bellingham. I first went to the Albineto School at Alki. The school had a pump in the front yard for drinking water. 2 room school house. Grades one to four and five to eight. Clyde was in the 4th grade and Lawrence the 7th. We lived in a small house up a little hill across the Guide Meridian, from the Richy and Shelton Lumber mill where Dad worked. [In 1910 the Guide Meridian was the main highway Between Bellingham and Vancouver B.C. about 20 miles] On that side of the highway was a planing mill and a dry kiln and, of course, a shingle mill. The other side of the Guide Meridian were homes, a boarding house, school, etc. Once in a while Dad, Lawrence and Clyde and I would walk to Bellingham to see the Barnam and Bailey Circus when the circus was in town ( or the Sells Flota Circus. ) We would get up at 4 a.m. walk to town to the RR to watch the elephants push the cases off the flat cars - the tent cars and the cook's car and the steam calliop. Then we would have a donut and a glass of milk and stand on the curb and watch the parade. Our Dad was the greatest. Becky and Rachel were too little to go. Our Dad was poor in worldly possessions but rich in charm and humor and trust in God. We were his boys. Later years I saw the inside of a tent. We carried water to the elephants between shows to get in free. The circus in the tent was not that great. Not as interesting as unloading at the R.R. yard. We would walk the six miles back home - a day to remember. 1912 we moved back to Bellingham because as surely as the sun came up, in 1914 the world was coming to an end (Ma said so.) And us kids did not want to be stuck on this farm. They were happy years in our lives. The Boy Scouts trampled all the hay down. Dad let a Boy Scout Troup sleep in the hayloft. A horse fell in a deep ditch and we had a horrible time getting him out. We burned a house down that Dad has rented, and not moved in yet. We filled the airtight heater half full of pine knots, then lit it on fire. When we were a little closer we saw the flames shooting out of all the windows. But it wasn't our fault. We wasn't there when it caught on fire. The owner didn't like it much. He lived close by. He, like my Grandmother, had very little humor and a very short fuse. A year later we moved back to Bellingham. Dad found a house in Bellingham at 1409 Iowa St.. It was a green house on about a half acre. Where we put in a garden, and Whatcom Creek was two block away. After hoeing the garden we could always go swimming. The owner didn't tell my Mom and Dad that in flood state Whatcon Creek filled our yard chuck-a-block and we needed a row boat to get to land. We couldn't move in the winter as we had no room for our possessions in a rowboat. The river went down a little and we moved to higher ground overlooking Bellingham Bay. This new place had a copper bath tub. No doubt it leaked, but we were on the ground floor. That was across town from Iowa Street. In winter we could slide all the way down the hill on our home-made sled. This place was terrible. Ma refused to live in it. In 1917 we moved to 2221 James St. A beautiful big house with lawn in front. Woodshed in the back and an ally for tradesmen. Dad, Lawrence and Clyde were working and Mom loved it for a year. Then later Lawrence decided to go back to Seattle. A year or so later Clyde went East of the mountains to Levenworth, Wn. We moved to Exenia St. After living there a year or so, the 1918 war was on. We moved this time to Everson, Wa. And I went through the eighth grade in the Roader School. An engineer on the CM and stP got me a job as a locomotive fireman in 1923 and that lasted about six months. Lawrence came home from Seattle and said "let's go to San Francisco.". And I said "Let's go." We arrived in San Francisco on New Years Day and We each got a room in a private house. We went out looking for a job. Us two guys were not cloistered. I applied at the Southern Pacific for a job as a locomotive fireman in 1926. A few days later I found a job as a tool sharpener for the Vermont Marble Company. I didn't know how to temper tools so I asked my brother Lawrence. I went to work on the job and and did fine and dandy for two years. I got paid a $20.00 gold piece every week. I used to go to the Southern Pacific office every few weeks to see if my name was still on file. Finally they called me in July of that year, 1927, and I was working from then on until. I had already met Ruth in 1926, a beautiful, well educated blue-eyed blond you ever did see. We were married June 16, 1928, which was the smartest thing I ever did in my life. She was the Chief Clerk in the San Francisco branch of the P.G. & E. I quit the Marble Co. to go to work on the Southern Pacific Co. And here come 1929 and the bottom fell out. Hundreds of thousands across the U.S. were out of a job and I was one of them. Lawrence got me a job at the Livermore Shop for the Hetch Hetchy. Real easy job, I had to bore out mining car wheels to 10-1,000 under three inches. Then the guy on the next lathe turned the axle down to exactly 3 in. Then they pressed the wheels on the axle and then the little cars were used for taking the dirt and the rock out of the Hetch Hetchy tunnel. So now Ruth and I were doing all right again even though there were still tens of thousands of people out of work. On March 18, 1931 the first greatest joy of our lives was when David arrived healthy and happy. I worked at Hetch Hetchy until 1936 or until the R.R. called me back to work. And, or course, my brother being the supervisor of the Hetch Hetchy shops helped a little. Lawrence and I used to commute to San Francisco Saturday afternoon from Livermore. Lawrence had a 1929 Hudson Super Six and I had a 1924 four cylinder Chev. Coupe. He said he would give me a 10 minute head start and bet me a dollar he could beat me to San Francisco. And he used to win every time, except once. One Saturday afternoon I left Livermore headed to S.F. I had the old boiler right in the whistling slot. I saw a state police at the cross road of Dublin Canyon. I came to a screeching halt. I said, "officer, will you do me a favor." "Yeh," he said. I said to him, there will be a 1929 Hudson Super Six barreling through here about a 100 miles per hour. Will you slow him down a wee bit. I told him what was up. He grinned and said, "I will take care of it." So I won that time and Lawrence does not know why. Lawrence's Hudson was beautiful until his son, Don's dog tore up the seat. Now I was back on the R.R. and we decided to rent our flat out and go to San Luis Obispo where it was easy living. One picnic after another on Avila Beach. And, you know what, on November 21, 1937 Wesley showed up, healthy and happy. And David was so happy to have a little brother. And Wesley, only two or three days old, would grab on David's little finger and hold on until Ruth would come to his aid. Now there are four of us. Christmas we took Wesley and David back to San Francisco for the holidays. A year later we moved back to San Francisco. The kids were happy and healthy under thew guidance of a lovely mother. They went to Kate Kennedy school and to Pinecrest every summer. Roy first told us about Pinecrest. Ruth and Pearl took turns staying with the kids, al the kids in the two families. Ruthie and David were budy-budy. The years go by then Wes and Charmie were also budy-budy. I remember going to Bellingham with Ruth, David and Wesley many times. END OF AN ERA David was in the Airforce and doing well. He was in Victorville, Cheyeene, and many other camps. Then Korea, the City of Seoul. He was in communications the whole four years. Mom, Wes and I went to Grand Canyon by auto. Wesley was 15 years old. He was needling me and bugging me all the way. As we were approaching Lancaster, the Southern Pacific train from Los Angeles to San Francisco was just coming into the station. I said "hey Wes, why don't you get on that train and go to Auntie Pearl and Uncle Roy's house." Wes was delighted. From then on Ruth and I went alone and for every year thereafter. Wesley graduated from Lincoln High School. Then entered University of California for one year at which time he received a fellowship to Davis University of $200.00 a month for a year. Then, as he had decided to follow a teaching career, he enrolled at San Francisco State University and graduated after majoring in biology and botany. He went to Europe for the summer and came home to teach in Napa. David came home from the service and enrolled at San Francisco City college and received his A.B. degree, and then went to work for the P.T.&T. and stayed to climb the corporate ladder. In 1970 I retired at the age of 66. David and Arlene had two kids, Don and Chris, about 6 and 8. Wes and Janet had two kids, Aaron and Meredith. Ruth and I have been married 57 years. I am not her Lord and Master, I am just her husband. I loved her every mile of the way. We have had, and are having, a beautiful life. As I remember. Lee The following story was sent to Michael McKenzie by David Grinstead on March 7, 2000: Subject: Uncle Lee's story: Our Fabulous Trip to Europe June 1982 This trip was beyond our wildest dreams, until David Grinstead and his lovely wife Nita, legally Juanita, wrote to us and said "come to Europe." David is my sister Rachel's son. Now you know who's who. We were so delighted, we mortgaged the homestead and went to Lufthansa Airline and bought tickets, so we could not change our mind. Wow!! What went flying through our heads - Munich, Geneva, Basel, Paris. At our age, it was a dream. We also bought tickets on the world's fastest train (TGV) from Geneva to Paris, and Paris to Lyons, as the tickets had to be bought in the United States. Then Nita took over and she had quite a time. David and Nita decided to drive their car from Munich to Basel. Leave the car there and buy tickets on a regular train from Basel to Geneva and another return fare from Lyon to Basel, to pick up the car. When Boeing announced they wanted a representative to go to Germany they said, we want a man who can speak German, who has a beautiful and social wife. So David told them, "I can't speak German, but I have a beautiful and social wife." So they sent them with the promise they would learn German. To buy all those railroad tickets over the phone, she must be doing a good job with her German. So we are off June 3rd. David Bingham took us to the plane 2 pm San Francisco, airborne 3:15 pm. Next stop Frankfort, Germany. But being stuffed in the window seat where there are three seats between window and aisle, is no fun . Getting in and out is exasperating and excruciating. To get out one must grab on the top of the backrest and pull. After catching a few strands of the lady's hair ahead of us, I became more careful. As I promised Ruth, I would not create a scene, I still promise myself never to go in such close quarters again for such a long ride. We flew over Moosejaw and Saskatoon where the Duke of Windsor danced with a commoner. It didn't do the commoner any good, but it put Saskatoon on the map. We didn't really fly over the North Pole. These big ships have a gyro pilot, which keeps then on course and the correct altitude. However, they must latch on a star such as the North Star. After we fly over the top of the earth, we start coming down over the Shetland Islands, and between the east coast of Scotland and southern tip of Norway, over Amsterdan, and the captain calls Frankfort, and we must crawl out of the seats again. Frankfort Airport. We came to a nice smooth stop. No one applauded, as in Russia. There it is considered a victory. We walk into the building. We are strangers in a strange land. Now I have a little idea of what an emigrant to the United States must have felt. We had an hour to wait for the flight to Munich. First we found the correct gate for our Munich (Munchen) trip. Then we had breakfast. Boy! German menu. We managed to get coffee and a roll. I paid with a $20.00 bill and my change was in marks, 2.48 to one dollar. Finally they announced something in German or course. Then in English we were told to go to gate 5 and get on a bus. Then we were given a bag lunch and driven to another airport for a plane to Munich, as they don't serve lunch for short trips. We landed in Munich without incidence. Went to the carousel and got our bags and to a desk with passport in hand. They just waved us through and here were Dave and Nita. Boy, were we glad to see them. Dave got a luggage cart and put all our bags on. No Red Caps. Here we are in Munchen, or in English, Munich, Bavaria. Bavaria now the lartgest state in Germany. Bavaria was founded in the 15th century, B.C. A peaceful naation. But down through the years they have been taken over by this country and conquered by that country - added to and taken away from. At the moment West Germany is the boss. Well, we got all the bags in David's car and drove to Dave and Nita's house. Beautiful home on the flat, lawn in back and lawn in front. Common garage for 11 homes. Ultra modern kitchen. The basement the best job of plumbing I have ever seen. Steam heat boiler. All automatic water heater controlled by time and temperature. Three bedrooms, three baths. The living room one wall with solid bookcases of walnut, built to order to fit exactly the length of the room. Very beautiful. We had a real good and much needed sleep that first night. The next day, Nita and David took us downtown via S-Bahn, or commute train, partly underground. One buys a ticket on the station platform. No one collects them at the end of the trip. You throw them away. No turnstile. They use the honor system. There may be an inspector on the train and maybe not. But if he or she wants to see your ticket, you had better have one, or 40 mark fine. 10:30 AM we are sitting under a beach umbrella with about 500 other tourists, and other yokels, waiting for the Glockenspiel to perform. At 11 AM the clock strikes the hour and the music, a minuet, starts. Lifesize danders in red coats and brass buttons, and white pants and black boots come out and dance a thirty foot semi-circle, and each dancer turns a pierrot twice in the half revolution. The dancing lasts three minutes. There are 15 breweries in Munich all going full blast. They consider beer food. Next day, David had to work, so Nita took us to King Ludwig 11 castle. (Neuschwanstein 1869-1886) Just say stump when you come to the name of the castle. It is the same castle that inspired Walt Disney to build Disney Land. We went to the base of the mountains with car then to the castle steps by two horse surrey. A guided tour throughout. The ballroom, you remember the story, the king dancing all night with Lola Montez while the queen counted the money. The stair's treads were worn betraying the knights chasing the ladies up the stairs. Some fun. I was born one hundred years too late. Bavaria is loaded with castles, as Russia also is. Every time a relative was born, they built a new castle. One day we visited the Memorial Site Concentration Camp Dachau. Citizens from almost every nation were imprisoned in Dachau. Some Americans. but mostly Jews. The persecution of the Jews is shown in a special section. A very sobering place. June 13th, as our railroad ticket had been purchased, we must get to Geneva. As I said, Nita had it all under control. We were on the highspeed train in Geneva, 175 miles per hour. Got off in Paris about 10:30 pm. We hailed a cab at the depot and went to the hotel at 16 Rue Cambaceres, taxie fare 185 French francs. We liked our hotel room. We had our room on the 6th floor, Dave and Nita on the 8th. We toured Paris by sightseeing bus and saw quite a bit in two days. The tour guide spoke French, but we heard it in English on tape with earphones. Visited the Louvre, of course, to see the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, etc. To have lunch in the Eiffel Tower was impossible. The Line-up was 100 feet long, four abreast. We saw the Triumphal Arch, Notre Dame Cathedral, and toured the famous street Champs-Elysees. I swear I begged Ma to buy a Paris gown. She said she would settle for a cuckoo clock. That evening we had dinner at the Astor Hotel, very nice and Frenchie. Next morning we again boarded the TGV at Paris to Lyon. The end of our 175 mile an hour train ride. Stayed all night in Lyon, then on slow train from Lyon to Basel (only 90 miles per hour.) Back in Basel, we stayed at the same place Chateau De Solitude. Next morning we crossed the Rhine in a gondola. Visited the church my grandmother attended before she and her husband, Rudolph Fritschie, came to Stillwater, Minn., USA about 1866. While in Basel we went through an ancient paper mill, powered by water wheel on the edge of the Rhine River. Wooden pegs on the side of the water wheel lifted the iron hammers on the end of a 20 ft long 4 x 4 and drops them on white rags which are in an iron pot with water. Then the rags are smashed into a pulp. A man holds the hammer up and puts a block under so the other end does not contact the pegs on the water wheel. The pounding action is stopped until he fills the rag pot again. He knocks out the clocks and here we go again. Bang-bang-bang, while he is rolling out the pulp into paper. And on it goes, since the 14th century. We enjoyed so much the stay at the Chateau de Solitude. The dining room window looked out on the Rhine River. And here David and Nita put a "Happy 54th Anniversary" tag on our door on June 16th and honored us with a lovely and delicious dinner that evening. Now we are off to the Black Forest, in the southwest corner of Germany. Soomething like driving through the Santa Cruz Mountains, but denser. A horse couldn't go through and a dog couldn't run through. However, the trees are so small, six inches average. I saw no stumps of big timber that would indicate it had been logged off. These small trees must have been second growth. We stopped here and there to v isit the curio shops, many cuckoo clocks and more cuckoo clocks. Yes, Ma bought a cuckoo clock and other souvenirs. Had lunch in a quaint little place along the way. We are now following the Danube River which flows from the Black Forest to the Black Sea. Yes. we slept in a castle on this trip, and it was build by a Hohenzoller in the 9th century. Oh Boy!! Haunted tower, ghosts, spooks! If the creaking doors and walls of the round tower could talk, what a wild story they could tell. How can we sleep! Those kings of old had to be guarded every minute of the day all their lives. Looking out the window one could see an eerie light at the base of the watchtower. The hugh old stove, creaking stairs, the pot under the bed, would sometimes be used as a weapon. The king petrified with fear, couldn't know when death would strike. Those were the days when kings lead the warriors into battle and they all died young. They finally got smart and followed far behind - after starting the war. If we had it like that now, there would be very few wars. However, in spite of the creaking doors, eerie whine of the wind and the confounded feather bed, I went to sleep. It didn't bother Ma one bit. She slept like sleeping beauty. I was rather glad when morning came and we came back to the 20th century. Next morning we stopped at the quaint town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber and bought Hummels for June and Clara. Dave and I went to the Prisoners' Museum. Man has invented the most atrocious instruments of punishment. Such as iron mask with red tongue hanging out eight inches, locked on the head of a talkative woman. The iron maiden is an iron barrel with a hole in the top for your neck for bakers who cheated. Whence came the bakers' dozen (13). A long horn locked on the face of a bad musician. These offenders had to walk around town for days. And many more tortuous inventions. That evening Dave found a beautiful little Hansel and Gretel farm where they rented rooms. Dave drove in the yard. Yes, they had two rooms. It sure was fun. Hartstein cattle were grazing. The children brought out their pet goats. The little red-headed girl carried her pet kid from the barn. We had Dutch-lunch that evening and took many pictures of the family and animals. Nice rooms, feather beds - pulled it up high and my feet were out. In the morning we had a continental breakfast. After breakfast we left for Nita and Davids house in Munich. There were little old towns along the Danube with red tile roofs. Many acres of grain, many dairy farms. We arrived at home at 5 pm and went out to dinner that night. In the morning we took off for Austria and the Salt Mine at Bertschesgaden. The Salt Mine was four levels deep. We sat on the salt mine train, straddle a 12 inch plank, about 20 people, and down in the salt mine we went, through a mining shaft 4' side and 5' high, to the second level. Then slid down to another like kids in a playground. After the lecture, slid down another slide to the third level and walked to the fourth, and the most beautiful little lake. Then onto a boat to the other side and the train was waiting to take us to the surface. We stopped at a beer garden and five men were sitting in a flower-covered shed in liederhosen. feathers in their hats, having a beer, while their wives were in church, so they said. I took a picture - they were happy. Another day visited Schrobenhausen, porcelain factory, where I bought a porcelain mantel clock. Please don't try to pronounce the name of the town. We watched them make a French Provincial clock. They baked it, painted it and fired it and put the works in and I bought it. Yes, we went through the Mercedes-Benz plant, 27 acres of plant. It would take a ream of paper to tell all so I will just say they make a 4 cyl. gasoline, 5 cyl, diesel, 6 cyl gas and 8 cyl gas. The plant is at least 9/10 robot and a car comes off the assembly line every 4 seconds, 15 a minute. On the 28th day, before leaving for home, we took Strassenbahn (bus) then S-Bahn (train) then tram (street car) to the Duetsches Museum, in Munich. The largest industrial museum in the world. We enjoyed the old car exhibit, Railroad exhibit, sailing ships and airplanes. The next day we pack our clock, (shipped the cuckoo clock) and say our goodbys to the nicest people. They take us to the airport and we are off on the 30th to Frankfort and back over the top of the earth and home, to the city of wealth, beauty and fashion. It is always nice to get home. Original Written by Lee, Edited by Ruth REBECCA FERN BINGHAM was born 10/14/1907 in Jamestown, North Dakota while the family was in the process of relocating by covered wagon back to Bellingham, Washington from Stillwater, Minnesota, where her grandmother Elizabeth Maurer Fritschie lived. Becky married Perry Cannon Anderson 2/21/1927. They had six children; Robert Lee (a breech birth and a "blue baby" who died at birth), Harold (nmn), Norman Arnold, Lee Armond, Esther Lorraine and Darlene May. Becky or "Aunty" as all of us kids called her, was like a second mother to me. Her door was always open to me any hour of the day or night. Her son Harold and I were more like brothers than cousins. A lot of the information I am sending you about Becky's family came from her youngest daughter, Darlene who has helped me update my genealogy records on the Anderson side of the family. Becky like Mom loved horses and her favorite one was named "Biscuit" who was blind in one eye. When Mom and/or Becky would ride him across the railroad tracks or bridges he would walk sideways across so he could see better. Becky was a strict Jehovah Witness and really enjoyed the "meetings". When Mom and Becky were visiting us in Germany (Nita flew home to fly over with them as they were nervous about landing in a foreign country.) they had the opportunity to go to a couple of the Jehovah Witnesses meetings there and Becky gave a report on their visit to her local meeting place in Portland, Oregon. Becky loved it in Europe. She went wading in the North Sea sans shoes as rumor has it if you get your feet wet there you will return there someday. A number of times as we were driving around Europe Becky would yell "ouch"! The first time she did that Nita asked what was wrong. She replied that she wanted to make sure that she just wasn't dreaming being there and pinched herself to be sure! Nita and I both loved her very much and still miss visiting her. Becky died 10/18/1994, exactly two months after Mom died. They were very close. Becky is buried in Portland, Oregon. RACHEL MAY BINGHAM "Mom" was born 4/7/1909 in Spearfish, South Dakota on the way to Bellingham, Washington from Stillwater, Minnesota. She married John (Ellis Baker) Grinstead 10/22/1926 and they had eight children. It goes without saying, but I will say it anyway. Nita and I loved Mom very much and really miss stopping by her place to yak and /or having her over for dinner. See previous write up on Mom, which follows:. John David Grinstead (b. 19 MAR 1929) wrote the following biography about his Mother, Rachel May Bingham, in May, 1999: Hi Mike, Just a little info on Mom for your Family History document. Rachel May Bingham Grinstead, the youngest of six children born to AdelbertDecolia "Dell" Bingham and Elizabeth Bertha Fritschie Bingham, was born in a covered wagon in Spearfish, South Dakota on the 7th of April in 1909 while the family was on a four year trek going from Jamestown, North Dakota to the State of Washington. She died the 18th of August 1994 in Bellingham, Washington a few weeks after the heart attack that took her to the hospital. Her last days were at home where she wanted to be rather than in the hospital or a convalescent home. Mom was a strict Jehovah Witness and would not have blood transfusions which prevented any operation that may have extended her life some or ended it on the operation table. Also, she was 85 and ready to meet her maker. Mom was convinced she had all her ducks in order so dying did not scare her. In fact, I got the feeling that she decided it was time to go and did nothing to fight it. She knew she was going to heaven to meet her god and dying came easier for her than most people. She was a gutsy and strong woman. Mom is buried in Green Acres cemetery, which is north of Bellingham at the N.E. corner of Northwest and Axton roads. A copy of her Certificate of Death is included in the family history. Mom had a lot of good memories of her childhood so we have to assume that it was a pretty good one. When she talked to me about her childhood it normally included one or members of her family. She had one sister Rebecca Fern Bingham Anderson (who was auntie to all us kids ) and four brothers: Lawrence Frederick ; Clyde Henry ; Clarence Miles and Elmer Lee. I had heard that Clyde's real name "Adelbert William" was given to him by grandpa, but grandma did not like that name so she changed it to Clyde. Legal change? I don't know. Aunt Becky said in one of her letters that Clyde didn't like it and changed it himself. Take your choice I guess. Clyde died as a result of the flu that killed thousands in 1918 just a month after his 18th birthday. Clarence died as an infant. Lived only a little over two months. One of Mom's passions as a youngster was horses. She often talked about living on the farm near Everson and riding horses with her older sister Becky. She would jump over fences and ride bare back. She used to drive the horse and buggy (surrey) for fun and in races as a teenager. The family had one horse she dearly loved. Her name was Nellie and she was very gentle and would take Mom and Becky bare back any place they wanted to go. If the girls slipped off Nellie would stop and wait till they got back on before she would start up again. When Mom's parents decided to live apart Mom went to live with her dad in Lyman, Washington where he worked at the sawmill there while Becky stayed with her mother. Living in a cabin, cooking and cleaning for your father could not have been a teenager's dream. However she got to know and love her father very much and whenever she spoke of him to me it was always with pleasant memories. Lyman was and is a very small town southeast of Bellingham and I think Mom knew everyone there. Nita and I would take her there once in awhile to look over the area and talk about her teenage life there. She was pointing out who lived where and showed where the bootlegger lived. I said, "Mom, how come you know where he lived?" She hesitated for only a moment and let me know that it was a small town and EVERYBODY in town knew where he lived. Mom had another passion; Dancing. When or where she learned I don't know but she sure was a good dancer and loved going to the MWA dance hall downtown. She offered to help some of us kids learn to dance when we were young. Ed and Bill took advantage of her help. I didn't, but wish I had of. Don't know about the others. In later years when the doctor told her it was bad for her heart to dance she stopped dancing. Still we would see her foot tapping in rhythm to a tune and you knew how much she must have missed it. Not long after Mom and Dad were married, Grandma (Mom's mother) came to live with them. Except for a short time in an apartment, a few months in San Francisco at her son Lee's and some time with daughter Becky, grandma lived with Mom and Dad until a short time before her death in 1955. When Mom was about 16 and once again living with her mother, she saw Johnny Grinstead as she looked out the window of their apartment and said; " That's the man that I am going to marry" and of course she later did. Mom's lineage is rather interesting. Her great grandmother, Sarah Hawkins was the first white child born in what is now Pennsylvania. Her great grandfather Jacob Fritschie, was a wealthy Silk manufacturer in Switzerland and her other great grandfather, Auugust Maurer, was a sculptor in Basel, Switzerland and one of his major sculptors was of the "Last Supper" . At one time it was kept in the Munster church in Basel. However, when Nita and I were living in Germany and Mom and Becky were visiting us we went to Basel and did not find it in the Munster. Some people there said it was removed during WW ll and taken to a safe place so it wouldn't get stolen or destroyed. But they did not know where that place was. Mom really enjoyed visiting Basel and seeing the place that her mother, as a teenager, lived while studying piano in Basel. I can remember Mom washing clothes with an old green wringer washer that was broken more than it was running. She would get part way through a washing and it would breakdown. She would then have to wait for Dad to come home to fix it or finish the washing by hand. It must of broke down a lot because that is one of the main things that I remember about problems with the "H" street house. One of the other problems she put up with along with the rest of us was the lack of hot water at the only bathtub in the house at "H" street in the winter if/when the pipes froze. The only bathroom was on the second floor and when the water pipes froze or broke and were not fixed we would have to carry hot water up from the kitchen. I normally had a very shallow bath during those times. Mom normally called Dad at work when things like that happened and asked him to come home during the day to fix them. If she waited till he got home after work, they might not get fixed as Dad didn't always keep 'regular' hours. Another “glimpse” of Rachel May Bingham was provided to the author by Jennifer Herald Grinstead, wife of William Adelbert “Bill” Grinstead. The following is “Jenny’s Eulogy for Mom” that was delivered on August 22, 1994. When I first met Rachel Grinstead, I had no idea of the wonderful past and future examples of quiet strength and dignity that would unfold before my eyes in the next eighteen years. From the first day that I rented an apartment next door to her from Bill, one of her sons, and started going out with him I never knew her name as anything other than “Mom” for a long time. Although Bill and I married later that year, I wasn’t too sure about living next door to my mother-in-law. She was kind and quiet though and I thought it might be OK. Mom was a woman of stories and a tough lady. Born in a covered wagon in Spearfish, South Dakota, while crossing the country with her family, she was the youngest of 6 children. What a perfect setting for Mom’s life to begin. While it would seem that a “soon departed place of birth” would not determine a person’s character, South Dakota’s no nonsense, practical solidness seems to have imbued Mom with characteristics reflective of the unpretentious beauty of the land. Life wasn’t easy. One brother died in infancy. When Mom was about nine years old, Her 18 year old brother, Clyde, died from influenza. She often talked about living on the farm near Everson and riding horses with her older sister, Becky. She’d jump over fences and ride bare-back and you knew how much she must have loved it. When her parents lived apart, she went with her Dad to cook and take care of him in Lyman in a sawmill while Becky stayed with her mother. Living in a cabin with your father could not have been a teenager’s dream. However, Mom found something rich in it and a closeness grew between her and her father that was very special. At about 16 and living again with her mother, she saw Johnny Grinstead out of the window of their apartment and said “that’s the man I’m going to marry”, which, of course, she later did. Very shortly after that, her mother came to live with them – for the next 25 years of their marriage. She accepted life for what it was, she accepted life’s circumstances. She didn’t complain but used what she experienced to enrich her relationships with the ones she loved. Because of that, she was a joy and an example to me. And she was fun. She loved to talk and visit. Bill tells me about the H Street house, and how Mom and Dad struggled to make ends meet. Yet he remembers lots of nights after the kids were supposed to be in bed but instead they would lie near the vent upstairs listening to laughter and conversation from the grown-ups down in the kitchen. Mom still loved to laugh, even in her last days in the hospital. She told about how she used to love to go dancing at the “MWA” downtown on Saturday nights. She went with her sister, Becky, and friends before she was married, and she even went with her daughter, Charmie after she was married. In fact, she used to dance with a handsome young man named Bud Hewett who later became her son-in-law. In later years when the doctor told her it was bad for her heart to dance or walk up hills, she just stopped dancing and walking up hills. I still would see her foot tapping in rhythm to a tune and knew how much she must have missed it. I heard stories about Johnny coming home, telling her that they would be moving that night, leaving furniture behind because they couldn’t move it and moving her family into a home she had never seen before. She just did it. During the years she delivered some of her eight children at home, a favorite story is the time when she couldn’t get a hold of Dad to tell him she was ready to have the baby. So she rode the bus to the hospital and very shortly later, her 12 pound Billy was born. She just did it. While we were looking through Mom’s photo albums this last week, we came across a newspaper clipping of a poem Mom liked. It was glued tightly to the inside cover of the Grandchildren’s album. Here is part of that poem: Oh mother, so weary, discouraged, worn out with the Stress of the day You often grow cross and impatient, complaining of the Noise and the play For the day brings so many vexations, So many things going amiss But, mothers, whatever may vex you, Send them to bed with a kiss. It wasn’t that Mom needed this poem. Mom practiced it. She knew forgiveness. She knew the value of time with her family and friends. She was solid and tough and fun and had her faith. She had a wonderful respect for others. And she was there and you knew she would be there. Even though she didn’t show affection easily, the kiss she gave us was the person she was. “Mom”, Grandma”, “Annie”, “Sister”, Friend”. So many of you knew Mom when she was younger, but her wonderful qualities were still there when I had the privilege of knowing her. We’ll all miss her. She is in our hearts and we all loved her. Jenny August 22, 1994 – Jenny’s Eulogy for Mom. Ginny Grinstead Armstrong sent an e-mail to Michael A. McKenzie on December 22, 1999. It read as follows: I have been thinking about Mom's (Rachel) relationship with her sister. We all called her Auntie, but her name was Becky. I didn't know her name until I was 9 or ten, I just thought she was Auntie. They were very close and all of us children drifted back and forth between the two homes, sometimes living with them for quite some time. When I was small Auntie lived in Portland. Her daughter Darlene and I were just 29 days apart in age and she was as close to me as a sister. We spent our summers together at one house or the other. We had wonderful times together. She called my mom Auntie and it could become very confusing. Both Moms answered to Auntie or Mom equally. They walked and moved the same and there was a sense of comfort for all of the children with either one. It felt like we were with our mother when we were with our aunt. We were totally at home in either home. Dad used to drive us to Portland at many holidays and always in the summer. That is how he spent his vacations! It was an eight hour drive back then before the interstate. He used to come home from work (or sometimes from the tavern at midnight) and load us up and drive through the night. One time we went down for Christmas in dad's 41 Cadillac, Dad, Mom, Charmie, Bud, Bill, me, Ed, Patsy, Mel, Billy and Greg all crammed in together. We spun out on an icy road on the way back and landed in a ditch. We were all okay and someone pulled us out and we continued on home. The older boys were equally close to each other and some of them still maintain a relationship to this day. Charmie also sees all of our cousins on a regular basis and we attend children and grandchildren's weddings and try to stay in touch. Mom and Auntie had a sixth sense about each other. Mom said she always knew when Auntie needed her, and then the phone would ring. Mom said when Auntie's first child was born, she knew she was in trouble, back then, pre-phone she had to wait for a letter to tell her Auntie's first child was stillborn. Mom said she knew long before the letter came. I think Mom's death effected Auntie profoundly. She died two months later to the day. I believe Auntie held on long enough to watch Darlene's daughter, Shannon, get married and then she was just too lonely without Mom. I have lots more pictures. I have pictures of Mom's Grandfather in a Union uniform, but not of Dad's. I do have a great picture of Dad's family about 1911 with Grandpa Williams in it. It is a posed professional picture I can't imagine how they scraped together the money for it. I will copy some of my really old pictures next time we are in Longview, after Christmas. Thank you for all of your hard work. I will try to send stories from time to time. Love, Aunt Ginny From Find-a-Grace: Adelbert Decolia “Albert” Bingham BIRTH30 Jun 1860 Potterville, Eaton County, Michigan, USA DEATH8 Jul 1935 (aged 75) Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington, USA BURIAL Bayview Cemetery Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington, USA PLOTSection F Lot 404 Grave 8 MEMORIAL ID7299039 · View Source
  Person ID	I00220	McKenzie Genealogy
  Last Modified	29 Oct 2021

  
  

  Father	Benjaman Bingham,   b. 28 Feb 1827, Plainwell, Allegan County, Michigan d. 21 Apr 1866, Freedom, Washtenaw County, Michigan (Age 39 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Sarah Melissa Carr,   b. 4 Oct 1825, Montpelier, Washington County, Vermont d. 8 Sep 1888, Freedom, Washtenaw County, Michigan (Age 62 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	14 Mar 1852	Freedom, Washtenaw County, Michigan
  Family ID	F00210	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Elizabeth Bertha Fritschie,   b. 19 Nov 1869, Stillwater, Minnesota d. 14 Apr 1955, Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington (Age 85 years)
  Marriage	25 Feb 1899	Bellingham, WA
  Children	1. Lawrence Frederick Bingham,   b. 1 Dec 1899, Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington d. 10 Mar 1986, Seattle, WA (Age 86 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   2. Aldelbert William (Clyde) Bingham,   b. 1 Oct 1900, Bellingham, WA d. 1 Nov 1918, Bellingham, WA (Age 18 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   3. Clarence Miles Bingham,   b. 1 Jan 1902, Bellingham, WA d. 8 Mar 1902, Bellingham, WA (Age 0 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   4. Elmer Lee Bingham,   b. 5 Dec 1904, Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington d. 23 Jul 1991, San Francisco, San Francisco County, California (Age 86 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   5. Rachel May Bingham,   b. 7 Apr 1909, Spearfish, South Dakota d. 18 Aug 1994, Bellingham, WA (Age 85 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   6. Rebecca Fern Bingham,   b. 14 Oct 1909, Jamestown, ND d. 18 Oct 1994, Portland, OR (Age 85 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F00043	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	29 Oct 2021

  
  

• Photos

  Photo of Adelbert Decolia Bingham (b. 1860) and Benjamin Bingham (1827) Adelbert Decolia Bingham was born in Potterville, Michigan. He married Elizabeth Bertha Fritschie in Bellingham, Washington, then called New Whatcomb. Benjamin Bingham, father of Adelbert Decolia, was born in Scio, Michigan. He was a member of Company D of the 7th Regiment of the Michigan Cavalry.

  
  

  Documents		An Era of Good Feelings by Elmer Lee Bingham (b. 1904)
  		Letter from Adelbert Decolia (Dell) Bingham to Ruth Evans Bingham 1929 Per Virginia Lea Grinstead, she suspects that her Grandfather, Dell, was in Alaska when this letter was written.

  
  

  Headstones

  Gravestone of Adelbert Decolia Bingham (b. 1860)