On Christmas Eve, in 1883, the fourth child of John Peter Wourms, and Maria Ann Bany was born. They had hoped for a son… but alas…. she was their third daughter.

They named her for her grandfather.  They called her Louisa.

It was one of the coldest winters they could remember, in the small town of Zenz City, Ohio. They were a farming family. A good Catholic farming family. They helped build the church there. So on this  very cold night, they were most thankful for the birth of their little girl. She was smaller than most babies. But she had a head full of dark hair, and chocolate brown eyes.  But she had a sweet, gentle, face.   She did not cry that night. Not even once.
John and Maria were happy. Yes.. this daughter was …. a gift of Christmas.

One year later… almost to the date… Momma Maria died of Influenza.

Louisa would never really know her mother. Not one single memory.

Her Dad went on remarry. It didn’t take him long. He had known young Kathryn Staugler from St. Peter’s church. They had been friendly and kindly in passing… as neighbors are.
John asked Kathryn to marry him in the spring of 1886. By July they were married…. and during their time together… they had nine more children. Mostly girls.  I guess old John had trouble shooting Y’s.

But back to Louisa. She was a bit of an inventor. She was always tinkering around the farm. Her stepmother would caution her to get back to the laundry, or the cooking. But Louisa loved to fix things.

They raised chickens their on that farm. It was a productive business. But one of the hens…. Gerty… would peck the heck out of anyone who tried to retrieve her eggs. It was always a big long production to try and get an egg from Gerty.
One day, Louisa came out of the barn, with a long iron bar… with a large metal scoop attached at the end. She had fixed another piece on the top, which was controlled (up & down), with a wire. Louisa went to Gerty’s house, moved the scoop underneath the hen, and came out with an egg. No peck. Brilliant.

This device was patented…. some years later… and is now used in those games that you see at Walmart, and fairs…. the one where people jam tons of quarter into a machine… and attempt to extract a small stuffed animal with a claw.
I only know this story, because Louisa is my Grandmother’s stepsister. Yep, Grandma Regina’s sister Louisa.

Louisa died in 1903. That year, Ohio had lots of flooding. Louisa fell into a overflowing stream. She caught an illness… and died. She was only 19.

I only know this story… because I made most of it up. But that photo is really Louisa. She really is my Grandmother’s stepsister, and such, and such.

She just didn’t invent the Carnival Claw. At least…. not that I know of.

“I’m more interested in what I discover than what I invent” – Paul Simon