The Ford Family

Nickname	Grandpa Joe
Born	February 14, 1891 Independence, OH
Died	1961 Lakewood, OH
Father	Joseph Grane, Senior

Spouse	Vera Grane
Children	Rosemary Pratt Margaret Mary Ford Mary Jo Colling

Bio
Joe was the dear father of Margaret Grane Ford - grandfather to Bill, Susie, Kathleen, and Beth.

He grew up on a farm in Independence with his two brothers and 4 sisters. His mother's parents both came to America from Germany and settled near the quarry in Independence with many other German immigrants. His mother, "Maggie", was working and living as a "servant" in the Blessing Family Farm where his father Joe also lived. Joe Sr. was adopted by the Blessings who took in many immigrant families. Although records are sketchy, the story is that Joe had two older sisters and their mother died in childbirth on the ship over from Germany. Many immigrants found themselves desperate upon arrival with no means of support. Somehow Joe was taken in by the Blessings and we do not know what happened to the rest of the family.

While young Joe's brothers stayed on the family farm, he and his sisters moved to the big city of Cleveland and got jobs. They all rented an apartment and lived together. Census records show Joe as "Head of House". He gets a job working at Ferro Corp. Vera Sweeny, a young Irish girl, has a brother who also works at Ferro Corp. It must have been this older brother who introduced the Irish City girl to her handsome farm boy!

Joe marries Vera, with his brother as best man and her sister Norah as Maid of Honor. The young couple settles in Lakewood and eventually have three girls: Rosemary, Margaret, and Mary Joe. Margaret described her father as warm and loving. He died when he was 70, of esophageal cancer.