Frances Davis

DAVISSTEARNS

Posted By: Nancy Blomgren (email)
Date: 3/13/2002 at 16:35:46

Frances Stearns was born June 26,1907 to Joseph and Lydia (Thorp) Stearns at home on a farm in Frog Hollow near the present day site of the Volga Lake Dam. Frances attended the country school located next to her parents' farm at Frog Hollow through eighth grade. This school was attended by several generations including her own parents, her brother, two sisters, and later her two sons. The three R's were emphasized and she was very good at spelling, reading, writing, and penmanship as well as other subjects. On May 20, 1928 Frances was married to Benjamin Davis. They farmed until 1967 when they moved to Fayette. Before her marriage she worked at the canning factory in Elgin and the County Farm. In the 1960's and 70's, she worked at the Hamburger Shop and Bemis' Bakery in west Union, the County Farm again, and then the Upper Iowa College Cafeteria and the Upper Iowa Library at Fayette. She retired from working at the library in 1972, but kept very busy with two large vegetable and flower gardens at her home in Fayette. Frances was a kind and caring person. She valued family, hard work, honesty, her privacy, and respected the rights of others for their personal views and religious beliefs.