Artie Washington

Personal and Family Information

Artie was born on 5 MAY 1896 in Burlingame, Osage County, Kansas, the daughter of James Washington and Harriet Jane Wilkinson.

She died on 17 FEB 1973 in DavOsteopathicHs, Davenport, Scott County, Iowa.

She had two marriages/partners. Her first husband was Francis Marion Kilgore, who she married on 3 APR 1915 in Burlingame, Osage County, Kansas. Their only known child was Theodore A. (1916-1980).

Her second husband was Fred Carl Gimm, who she married on 23 SEP 1931 in Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa. They had no known children.

Pedigree Chart (3 generations)

Events

Multimedia

Artie Kilgor...

Notes

Note 1

!Notes: The twelfth child and the youngest of two twins, Artie was born at her parent's home, which was comprised of forty acres of land with a coal mine, one mile south and one mile west of the downtown Burlingame intersection of Main Street and Auborn Road. Artie attended school in Burlingame from September 1902 to spring of 1920 when she graduated.

!P: As a young girl, Artie was stricken by a disease of the bones or spine, which left one leg shorter than the other. It seems that the disease may have been a type of cancer of the bone. Little hope was held out for her life. She was taken out of school. The doctor who cared for her felt that, if he could operate on her, he could save her life and her leg. At any rate, the family could not afford to place her in a hospital to have the operation. So, times being what they were, the doctor operated on the family's kitchen table. Nellie Washington was chosen, as the staughtest hearted, to serve as an assistant, and give the anesthetic. The bone was scraped, and a portion removed. Apparently, all went well. Artie lived and her leg healed. When observed very closely, she walked with a slight limp.

!P: However, Artie was always a good natured, kind, and gentle person, who held the esteem of all the people who became aquanted with her. She enjoyed helping people in any manner she could. She learned how to barber, and would oblige almost anyone who wanted a haircut. She learned to play the piano and organ by ear at a very young age. During holidays and on Sundays, when her parents, Harriet and James Washington, were entertaining company, Artie would play the organ accompanied by James Washington, who played the Concertaina, also by ear.

!P: Artie spent a great deal of time assisting her father James Washington in preparing and maintaining the bookeeping that was required to complete the payroll for the coal miners, who were paid on a daily basis, according to the weight of coal they mined and the number of hours they worked.

!P: Artie also assisted her mother, Harriet Washington, in her baking, cooking, cleaning, preparing meals, canning fruits from the orchard, berries from the berry patches, and vegetables from the garden, that surrounded the home of James Washington. All of this was planted and maintained by James Washington, in addition to his other work, on the farm and in the mine.

!P: By the time Artie was 18 years of age, she had developed into a fine looking young lady, and met Francis Kilgore, a young man who was involved in coal mining at a young age, but later worked at various other trades. They were married on 3 May 1915 at Burlingame, Osage County, Kansas, where they made their home, although at times Francis worked in Topeka. Their only son, Theodore, was born a year later on 16 May 1916, in Burlingame. Later, they moved to Topeka, and then back to Burlingame, where they stayed, for a time, with Artie's parents.

!P: Theodore started school in the fall of 1923 in Burlingame, where he was in the same grade as Virgene Hotchkiss, and Cleo Washington. That same year Artie and Francis were separated, and later divorced.

!P: In 1926 her mother passed away. During the following summer, in 1927, Artie and her son Theodore, who was in fifth grade, moved to Davenport, Iowa, where Theodore completed his education.

!P: While in Burlingame, Artie had known Fred Gimm, who was born in Davenport, Iowa. Fred and his brother James had lived in Burlingame. Fred had returned to Davenport from Burlingame in about 1925. Fred Gimm and Artie were married in Iowa City in 1931 and made their home at 210 Valley Drive, Pleasant Valley, Iowa, where they both lived for the remainder of their lives.

!P: Theodore married Gladys G. Dittmann on 4 Apr 1937, and they made their home two doors down the road at 208 Valley Drive, Pleasant Valley, Iowa. They had two children, Barbara Jean, and Sandra Lee. Then Gladys Dittmann Kilgore passed away unexpectedly at the early age of 31, leaving a four year old and a one year old child. During this time Artie and Fred Gimm provided care for the two children, to whom they became very attached.

!P: Around 1948, Theodore met Francis Antwerp. They were married on 7 Sep 1948 and lived at 208 Valley Drive. The two children had access to both homes. They lived with their grandparents for a time, and then moved back in with their father and his new wife, who was a kind, good hearted, and understanding lady with lots of tolerance, which enabled her to win the effection and esteem of the two girls, and succeeded in making a good home for the family.

!P: During 1968, Fred C. Gimms was stricken by an illness from which he died. During 1973, Artie underwent an operation at the Osteopathic Hospital in Davenport, Iowa. She never fully recovered and passed away on 14 Feb 1973, at the age of 76. Alice Hotchkiss was visiting her, in the hospital, at the time, and noticing that all was not well, called the doctors for assistance. Both Artie and Fred Gimms were burried at Pleasant Valley Cemetery. At this time Artie was survived by two of her siblings, her brother Arthur Washington, and her sister Nellie Washington Hotchkiss.

!P: Her son Theodore passed away a few short years later on 24 Apr 1980.