Frank Sullivan & Clara Ida Noe

Ina Moellendick's Childhood

Of all the Moellendick children of Bill and Ella, and outside of Ella, herself, Ina Moellendick Price Weber was the closest to Clara and her daughter, Lorene. She felt close to her Aunt Clara. Though she was Lorene's first cousin, her birthdate fell "between generations" for Clara and Lorene. Mother Ella, born in 1883, was 7 years older than sister, Clara, and Ina, born in 1904, was 9 years older than Lorene.

One of the treasures in the old scrapbook of Clara's photographs was this postcard-photo of Ina. Apparently, in those days, it was popular to have photographs made into postcards. The first one shows Ina and her two brothers (Carl is standing and Arthur is next to Ina) sitting on a tree stump beside the mailbox. Assuming birthdates found at the Tim Moellendick website, if Arthur is about 2 or 3, Carl is a small 8 or 9, and Ina is about 11 or 12. In the closeup, you can see that Arthur has a winsome smile, as he did in most of the pictures of his youth. Carl is hanging back and very sober. Ina is clutching her cat for dear life. On the back of the postcard she has written this note to her "grandma," Eva Noe, who is also my mother's grandma:

Dear Grandma. This is for you. How are you? and how is your hand? When are you coming down. Carl has been very poorly. Arthur is real well just as good as he can be. Ina

The other postcard is of Ina feeding the chickens on the Moellendick farm. The picture is marked "about 1920," so Ina would have been in her mid-teens. In the closeup, you can see that Ina is turning out to be very pretty, indeed.

This picture of Ina and Carl Moellendick is important because it seems to be one of only two pictures we have of Carl as a boy. You can see all of the Moellendick children in the picture that is on the Moellendick page except for Carl, and except for Lowell, who died as an infant.

Ina Moellendick: Dating in the 1920's

I asked Lorene to tell me about the relationship between Ina, Clara and she in the 1920s. She told me that grandma Eva, her mom, Clara and she had moved into a 6 room flat at 119 N. Fourth Street. She said that each room had a dresser and a bed in it. I think this would have been some time in 1922, since her father, Frank, had died at the age of 39 on April 25, 1921. Clara and Lorene had moved in with Eva's brother Jacob Noe and wife, Mary for about nine months before they arrived on S. Fourth. Some time after that, Ina moved into a room at 119.

Ina had got a job at the Safe Cabinet Company. I have previously researched and wrote a small article on that company, because grandfather, Frank had worked there from 1917 to 1920. It apparently was a big, prosperous company then, and several of the people living at 119 S. Fourth were working there. That was true of Gale Noe, whom Ina dated for a while. He appears in the first picture on the left below. According to mom, he was Jacob Noe's son, but I'm not sure that checks out. You can also see that Ina was quite popular with the guys.

Also, if you look really close at the picture on the left and the right, you can see Ina's younger brother, Elvin, in the background. Sister, Evelyn, is also in the picture on the right.

Ina, Gale Noe, and Clara	Brady Ashcroft and Ina	1922 suitor and Ina

Ina's Married Life

Mom says that after dating a series of guys, Ina finally met Walter Joseph Weber, who also was working at the Safe Cabinet Co., and they began serious dating. They got along very well. However, Ina's mother, Ella, found out about this and made her move back to Washington Bottom.

There, she got a job at the bank and soon met Jim Pryce. They were married August 22, 1929. They raised two children. Mary Jean was born on January 23, 1932, and Robert Arthur was born on October 10, 1933. Jim Pryce died of cancer on October 6, 1949.

Ina and Walter got married after a time, and lived happily until Walter died on May 28, 1971. The two of them came to visit us at 317 Greene Street, mom says about every six weeks. By then, they were in their fifties (in the '50s) and I was a teenager. Walter had a nephew, Bob Weber, and Bob was an excellent organ player. Since I played the piano, we got together and "jammed" with an eye to making some spending money.

Ina died December 19, 1988.

Ina's Children

Mary Jean Pryce married Bruce Dale Sheppard. They raised three children, James, Cynthia and Carla, who are living as of this writing, and all of whom have children. Bruce died in 1975 and Mary Jean died in 1984.

Robert Arthur Pryce married Betty Jo Lucas. They raised three children also, Mark, Matthew and Lance. All are married as of this writing, and and Mark and Matthew have children. Robert died in 2001.