As one of the final projects of the year, 7th graders at Erie Middle School were challenged to pick an ancestor, or someone else that they could research and learn more about, in order to write a story telling about their life. Students conducted interviews with family members, and some were able to gather additional resources and pictures to help tell their story. While there were many great stories written, not all will be published.
This project was a collaborative effort between students’ history classes, with Mrs. Kruthoff and Mr. Armstrong, English class, with Mrs. Wolf, and their families. It was inspired by the original project that long-time English teacher, Mrs. Wiersema, made a tradition in her 8th grade class.
Students enjoyed getting to know more about their families, and many were surprised to learn how interesting their families were. We hope you all will enjoy their stories, too!
David Todd Franks
- Hailey Eyrich
- 5A English
- Ms. Shabani
- 5/2/24
Through many struggles, my grandpa never gave up. My maternal grandfather’s childhood was very busy because he had seven siblings and sixty three horses and ponies. In his adult life, he had a good job, and became the father of three kids. In his later life, he enjoys spending time outside and with his family. David Todd Franks is amazing because he comes from a huge, loving family, went through the hardship of losing his first child, and had many health struggles. And through all that, he continues to spend quality time with his family.
My grandpa was born on April 28th,1956 in Moline, Illinois. Darrell Franks and Artith Franks are his parents. He had a very busy childhood because he grew up with seven siblings, two brothers and five sisters. David’s siblings are Larry, Darrelyn, Karen, Lori, Candi, Debbie, and Bruce. Unfortunately, his brother, Larry, passed away later in life. In addition, one of my grandpa’s favorite childhood memories is playing with cowboys and Indians with his best friend and neighbor. My grandfather was raised in the country, on a farm, between Erie and Springhill. That house had no indoor bathrooms. He attended a small school where grades shared a classroom. In high school, my grandpa played football. David also had many chores to do during his childhood. They owned sixty three horses and ponies. He had to feed the horses and ponies, mow the yard, clean the barn, and help his dad with the farming and his excavation business.
To add to all the business, David and his siblings would spend their summers at the local fairs with their pony ring. They also participated in the Milwaukee parade in Wisconsin. In the parade, they pulled a circus wagon that is now on display at the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
After his childhood, the craziness didn’t stop. My grandpa got married to Carol Heun at age twenty three, on July 28th, 1979. They went on to have four children, but unfortunately his first daughter, Melissa, passed away at birth. Due to complications, my grandmother was close to passing away as well. Despite that, they went on to have two sons and a daughter, Clint, Todd, and Alicia. Throughout his life he has had four jobs, but his primary one was CF Industries. My grandpa was not active in the military. However, he lived through the Vietnam war. He had a draft card number of fifty, which means that if America did not pull out of the war, my grandpa would have been drafted into the military. Some of his hobbies are camping, going on vacation to the mountains, and spending time outside and with his family.
His favorite memories are the birth of his children and grandchildren. He enjoys attending events for his grandkids and time with his family. He enjoys spending his free time going on vacation with his friends and family and working around his house. He had two very rare tumors that he had to have removed through surgery.
Later on in his life, he moved from the house he raised his kids in, to a house near Fenton, Illinois. His greatest accomplishments in life are being married for forty-five years and having three kids and six grandchildren. He has had many great friends throughout his life. Some of the hardships in his life are the death of his daughter and almost his wife. His advice for others is that you need to always remember that family comes before work. My grandpa is now retired but continues to work for his son, Clint at his lawn and landscaping company.
He enjoys going on vacations or short trips with his friends and family. One of his favorite things to do is to spend time outside. His favorite bible verse is First Thessalonians 4:11 “Make it your goal in life to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands.”
Throughout my life my grandpa has told me many great stories. One of my favorites though is the story of when he went hiking, in the mountains, with his brother in law. As they were going down the mountain, his brother in law said that he wanted to bring home some pine cones, and was putting them in my grandpa’s backpack. My grandpa noticed that his backpack just kept getting heavier, then he finally discovered that they were putting rocks in his backpack instead of pine cones.
I learned that my grandpa is a very hard worker who loves spending time with his family. After doing this project I have realized how truly incredible my grandpa is. I feel closer to him now that I have taken time to realize that through everything my grandpa has been through, he will always value family time. A life lesson I have learned from my ancestor research is that no matter how hard life gets, it will get better. I think this is a great project because it helps you to appreciate your family more and you also get to learn more about your history.
Throughout this project I learned that my grandpa is a very hard worker. It also helped me realize how much my grandpa has been through. I can now see even more how much he cares about his family and how much he values family time. My grandpa is always willing to help with anything and everything that he can help with. I can tell how much my grandpa enjoys spending time with friends and family.
In conclusion, David Todd Franks is a great grandpa because he had many siblings growing up. He struggled with the loss of his first child, had many health struggles. And through everything, he continues to spend lots of time with his family. He had a very busy childhood. My grandpa is very hard working and is proud of his children and marriage. He enjoys spending time with his family and outside. He had many hardships but he never gave up. My grandpa is a truly inspirational person who will always prioritize God and his family.
