Born in 1920 and raised in on a farm in Michigan, my Mother's early life was not accessible to the digital record that we all enjoy(?) today. Determined that her life story should not be lost, but avoiding the inaccuracy of family lore, the author reconstructed details of from a myriad details found in local archives. Knitting these together with the issues and values of those past times, the author discovers the source of his Mothers values and the foundations of her strength of character.