Bertha Williams was born to Nancy Getty and Henry W. Williams on December 12, 1878. Little is known of Henry Williams other than that he was born in England. No records have been found to give any clues as to where he lived, where or when he and Nancy were married, how old he was, what he looked like, what his occupation was, or where he went after he left this area.

Nancy had been quite surprised to find she was pregnant again. After all, she was forty three years old, and hadn't expected to have any more children, but nevertheless she took it in stride. Her baby girl, Bertha, was born two weeks before Christmas in the little log cabin on the west side of County Line. What a wonderful Christmas present. She was a pretty baby, and she was very good natured, a consolation after Nancy's difficult pregnancy. The fact that she was such a delightful child makes it all the harder to understand how her father could leave the family the way he did. According to hearsay, Henry couldn't see eye to eye with Charlie and Lon, Nancy's two oldest old, he left for parts unknown, and were sons, so before Bertha was two years never heard from again.

In 1881 Nancy married Andrew Lafler, and the family lived for a short time in Dundee Township. They were married only two or three years, and then divorced. Life was extremely unpleasant with Lafler for a stepfather, and apparently Bertha erased that part of her life from her memory. She never once mentioned him to her children, nor spoke of him to anyone else, for that matter. After the divorce, Nancy and the children moved back to the log cabin on the County Line.

One of Bertha's earliest recollections was when she was five or six years old, of having to run across the field at night in the dark to get Charlie because Lon was very sick. She was terrified, but there was no one else to go. Exactly where Charlie was living, I'm not sure. It could have been when he was working the Jeff Pilbeam farm a quarter of a mile or so south, shortly after he and Estella were married.

The Getty School wasn't built until in 1889, so where Bertha attended school her first three years is not known. On October), 1887, Charlie and Lon bought a small house in Britton for their mother and Bertha. It was on the south side of Wells St., a block south of M.50. As is so often the case when a child is born to an older woman, Bertha was the light of her mother's life. She was a bright, sweet natured, talented youngster with a pleasant singing voice, and was often called upon to perform in Sunday School programs.

Bertha stayed with her cousin, Phena Exelby, a good share of the time while she attended school in Britton, working for her room and board. She was studious and well behaved what a pity that she had to quit school when she was only twelve years old to hire out as a house maid for a family in Tecumseh. From then on she earned her own living, doing housework, working in a restaurant, and she even worked at the Britton Hotel for a short time.

Bertha soon showed signs of possessing the petite Irish beauty of her grandmother, Matilda. She had the same raven colored hair and hazel eyes.

When she was about twenty years old she met Maurice Adams. Maurice was the youngest of nine children, born in Wales on August 23, 1878, to Thomas and Mary Evans Adams. They had come to the United states in 1879. On December 14, 1898, Bertha and Maurice were married. Their first child, David, was born April 12, 1900, while the couple lived with his parents on the Adams homestead, the first farm house on the County Line north of M5J, on the east side of the road.

On August 19, 1904, they had a baby boy, Percy, who died in infancy. Shortly after Percy's death, they moved near Cone where Maurice worked on a dairy farm for a Mr. Wilson. In years to come, David remembered that his Grandma Nancy would ride the train from Britton to Cone. He would see her get off the train and walk out to visit them. On May 17, 1905, Nancy died of a stroke. She was found dead in her home. On August 5, 1905, Charlie Downing sold the little house on Wells St. to Benjamin Beasley.

Mr. Wilson's daughter was a doctor. On September 8, 1905, she delivered Bertha's first daughter, who they named Pauline after the doctor. A year or so later the family moved into Britton where Maurice ran a hay baler during the summer months for the local fanners. It was during their stay in Britton that Evelyn was born, April 30, 1908.

Their next home was in Tecumseh on the comer of Logan and Maumee. This was where they were living at the time their two youngest children were born Christine on November 21, 1910, and Martha on January 27, 1912. While living in Tecumseh, Bertha and the children occasionally took the train to Britton to visit relatives. They maintained a close relationship with all their kinfolk, especially Phena and Edgar Exelby. And, of course, the children always looked forward to spending a few days at the home of Uncle Elick and Aunt Eunice Titsworth. It was such a fun place.

After Tom Adams died in 1906, Mary rented the farm to John Cowans and prepared to move into Britton. On October 4, 1907, she bought from Ben Beasley the same little house on Wells St. where Nancy Williams had lived.

Sometimes Bertha and the kids would spend the day with Grandma Adams. At suppertime Maurice would come and pick them up. One of the babies was often uneasy and cried a lot. Grandma Adams, who still had a strong Welsh accent, would say, "Canna ya do somethin' to that youngin'? Give her some paregoric."

In 1912, when Martha was a baby, they moved back onto the Adams homestead. In 1918, Maurice's sister, Martha Packard, urged them to move closer to her. So they sold the farm and moved onto a farm near Tecumseh.

Bertha had been laid up with a serious illness for several months after the birth of her first child. She was just beginning to get back on her feet when she became pregnant again. Little Percy was born in 1904 but lived only a few days, and his death left Bertha very despondent. She had four more children in rapid succession.

Being a rather frail person, Bertha never had a chance to gain back her strength. Her earlier illness was taking its toll, and she developed pernicious anemia. This, plus their frequent moving from place to place, kept Bertha in a rundown, exhausted state all during the years that her children were growing up. Even though the children were taken care of a good share of the time by hired girls, they remember their mother as being a good mother and an excellent companion. She sang to them many of the old Irish lyrics which she had learned from her mother. She often gathered them around her and told them stories which had been handed down through the generations. She was an excellent cook and a good neighbor with a host of friends. She was a member of the Rebekah Lodge, and she attended the Christian Union Church in Britton. An entry in the Dorcas Bible Class minutes reads: "Mrs. Bertha Adams invited the Dorcas Class for an all day meeting with a potluck dinner on May 22, 1919. A good time was had by all." A January 17, 1924, entry reads: "A basket of eats (was sent) to the Adams family during quarantine. Words of appreciation (were received) for remembrances from Mrs. Bertha Adams."

After her childbearing years, with the help of a kind and understanding doctor, her health improved. However, her marriage had deteriorated over the years, so in 1924, she filed for divorce.

In 1926, in Britton, Maurice married Clara Myers. Clara was born on October 25, 1881, in Cheboygan, Wisconsin, to Robert and Caroline Millyard Francis. Al though all the children were on their own by this time, Clara proved to be a good stepmother and a true friend to each of them. Maurice died in February of 1956 and Clara died February 22, 1975.

Bertha married her son-in-law 's father, Frank Barnhart, in 1934. Frank was not only a loving and considerate husband, but was also kind and friendly to Bertha's children and grandchildren. They lived in Adrian until Frank's death in 1955. Bertha died February), 1958.

Bertha's children. David married AdelIa Labert and had four children:

Dorothy, Kenneth, Gloria and Calvin. Pauline married Edwin Clark and had three children: Lois, Vivian and Lee. Evelyn married Forrest Earl Harper and had two children: Barbara and Nikki. Christine married Leo Barnhart and had three children: Shirley, Nancy and Larry. Martha married Michael Dunny and had three children•: Jack, Gale and Sandra.

James Getty would be proud to know that another of his descendants has chosen the clergy as her vocation. His great great granddaughter, Sandra Sue Dunny Benes, was ordained an Episcopal priest on June 22, 1984. James' grandson, William John Getty, Jr., was an Episcopal priest during the first half of this century. The following is an excerpt from a local newspaper:

by Harriet Fields

"Sandy Benes will be ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church Friday, June 22, 1984, at 7:30 P.M. in Christ Episcopal Church, 720 Riverside Avenue. There have been years of preparation in which Mrs. Benes worked as a deaconess in the team ministry with Christ Church rector, the Rev. Jack Warner.

"After her ordination, Mrs. Benes will be rector of St. Michael's and All Angels Episcopal Church at Cambridge Junction in a nonstipendiary capacity. The 140 year old church has a small congregation, but it is an important link in the development of the Episcopal Church in this area.

"Sandy Benes, the former Sandy Dunny, grew up in Christ Church parish. Even though she will be rector at St. Michael's Church there will be work for her to do in her home church. She will continue as director of the aging program as well as other activities in the church.

"In addition to her concentrated study for the priesthood, she has maintained a busy schedule as the wife of Michael Benes, principal of Alexander School, and the mother of four children."