Grayce Walter Hartman  

Feb 22, 1900 - Aug 7, 1996

Nancy’s Aunt  /  Gma Ogden’s Sister-in-law

Nancy’s Aunt Grayce was a remarkable woman whom we visited for the first time after our young family moved to Jacksonville, Illinois. She and Uncle Ira lived on a farm outside of Rochelle, Illinois in flat country that was typical of most of the midwest.

One of our earliest memories happened the morning after we arrived, when we were awakened from a comfortable sleep in a feather bed by the sweet aroma of an apple kuchen baking in Aunt Grayce’s kitchen. What a delightful way to get awake!

Undoubtedly, Aunt Grayce is responsible for our interest in genealogy. She kept meticulous records of the Hartman and Walter families, and she did all her research without the benefit of a computer.  

Though Aunt Grayce had many other interests and important positions in her community, she is probably best remembered  for her interest in plants On several occasions, she shipped plants to us from her garden, then at an advanced age, she came to visit them in our garden at Thrushole. She knew most plants by their Latin name.

Aunt Grayce was not a blood relative on the Ogden/Hartman side of the family, but she is a role model for each of us and a joy entry in our memory banks.

Bruce