My grandfather, Ernest Ellsworth Harris, (but will go back further soon enough :)), who was born September 12, 1896 in Massena, IA.  He was a Marine who served in WWI. 

Ernest Ellsworth Harris was the son of Thomas Henry Harris and Luella May Hemphill Harris.  Ernest's grandfather was William Thomas Henry Harris, who died in Civil War times; unfortunately by his own hand.  (He accidentally shot himself.)    William T.H. Harris's wife (Ernest's grandmother) was Sarah Elizabeth McNeil.  Thanks to Cindi Smith, I have some letters written by William T.H. Harris that I hope to transcribe and put on the links page.

Ethel Gertrude Holaday was born August 13, 1904 in Massena Township, IA.   

Ethel Gertrude was the daughter of Roy William Holaday and Minnie Marie Follman Holaday.

(The Holaday line is actually *very* interesting. :)  Roy's father was Samuel, a rather prominent man in Iowa history -- and hisfather George was quite an extreme character!  Colorful George's wife was Lydia Hollingsworth, yet another veryinteresting person.  Lydia came from  the Hollingsworth line of Valentine Hollingsworth, the man who brought the Hollingsworths here from England in 1682.  (More on Lydia)  He was one of the signers of William Penn's Great Charter and influential in the Quaker faith -- a faith the Hollingsworths followed for many, many generations.   Valentine Hollingsworth is my 9th great grandfather, so anyone reading this is likely a great grandchild as well!!  <<More info on our Hollingsworths migration to the Midwest>>  

Marjorie, a daughter of Roy & Minnie, and a sister to Ethel, wrote a beautiful memoir in which she said Roy was said to be a fair, kind, conservative Republican man who loved dogs.  :)    Her memoirs are truly beautiful and I hope to get it all scanned at some point.

Ernest and Ethel had 5 biological children; two of which died in infancy.  Their three living children were:  Roland Dean, Roy Duane and Rita Kathleen.   They adopted Garald Arthur in 1928.  The two children who perished were a daughter, Yula Ilene and a son, Lauren E Harris.