Esther Anne Bates was born in Wisconsin on July 22, 1889, the daughter of Franklin and Anna Bates. She lived in Omro, Wisconsin, and Ripon, Wisconsin, during World War I. Fred W. Moldenhauer was born near Randolph, Wisconsin, on September 9, 1890, the son of William and Johanna Moldenhauer. Before his deployment to France, Fred W. Moldenhauer served with the 331st Field Artillery, Battery B, at Camp Grant, Illinois (September 1917-June 1918); Camp Robinson, Wisconsin (June 1918-September 1918); and Camp Mills, New York (September 1918). He returned to the United States in February 1919. Esther A. Bates and Fred W. Moldenhauer married on June 16, 1920, and had one son, Randall. They lived in Beaver Dam, Oshkosh, and Fisk, Wisconsin. Fred W. Moldenhauer died on January 6, 1935, and Esther Bates Moldenhauer died on May 8, 1984.
From the guide to the Esther A. Bates collection, Bates, Esther A. collection, 1917-1919, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
