A personal introduction
I discovered Wilhelmina Duckett while investigating public life’s quieter side. Her name arrived in a current file like an antique snapshot. It was basic, secure, and full of family-bonding tiny certainties. Following those lines, I’ll introduce her surroundings and create a slow river of dates and options in this piece. Because of my discoveries and their visuals, I write in the first person.
Who was Wilhelmina Duckett
Wilhelmina Duckett was born on January 5, 1916 in Los Angeles, California. She lived through 74 years that spanned two world wars, social transformations, and the rise of Los Angeles as a metropolis. She died on October 27, 1990 in Los Angeles. To me her life reads as a backbone for later generations; she is the quiet root that allowed louder branches to rise.
Family origins and early context
Wilhelmina was the daughter of Thomas James Jehoshaphat Duckett, born in 1893, and Mattie Lee Battle, born in 1891. Those two names tell a 19th century story that flows into the 20th century. Mattie Lee Battle passed away in 1932. Thomas lived through 1967. From those dates I imagine households shaped by resilience, by patchwork economics, and by the daily labor of keeping a family afloat in early Los Angeles.
Marriage and household: DeWitt Talmadge Bass
Wilhelmina married DeWitt Talmadge Bass, Jr., born August 1, 1920 in Scurry, Kaufman County, Texas, who died in California in the early 2000s. DeWitt was a letter carrier. At least four children came from their household. Routines, Saturday breakfasts, and simple gestures that leave a legacy are familial ties.
Children and their introductions
I present the children here as individuals and as carriers of Wilhelmina’s legacy.
David Herod Bass
Born December 25, 1946 in Los Angeles County. A child born on Christmas invites a private joke in the family and perhaps an extra layer of celebration each year. I do not find a public life attached to his name in the records I reviewed, but his birth date anchors him in the generation that came of age in the 1960s.
Keith Talmadge Bass
Born September 19, 1950 in Los Angeles County. Keith is another sibling who stands in the same family constellation. Again, public records show dates and placement but not a public biography, which only amplifies the sense that Wilhelmina’s household produced people rooted more in private life than in public renown.
Karen Ruth Bass
Born October 3, 1953. Karen is the child whose life led her into public service, activism, and political leadership. I pause on her because through Karen I see the outward echo of Wilhelmina’s private life. Karen’s history is widely known; what I kept with me was the simple fact that her mother was Wilhelmina Duckett. That maternal connection is a persistent thread in understanding how a public figure carries private inheritance.
Kevin M. Bass
Born January 25, 1960 in Los Angeles County. Kevin appears on family charts and completes the visible roster of children attributed to DeWitt and Wilhelmina. These four births span 1946 to 1960, a 14 year arc that covers postwar adjustment and the baby boom era.
Other sibling names
Some family records also list a Kenneth Darrel Bass among the siblings. Family trees compiled by relatives sometimes vary in spelling and inclusion. What matters is the pattern: several children born across the 1940s and 1950s, a household rooted in Los Angeles, and kinship ties that reach forward into public life.
Grandchildren and extended family
Emilia is a family grandchild. Emilia Bass or Emilia Bass Lechuga appears in records, and she married Wright. Her life and family were affected by tragedy. She and her partner Michael Wright were covered in 2006 deadly accident news. I sensed in those brief remarks that family arcs feature unexpected breaks that resonate back to parents and grandparents.
In the family history, Karen and Emilia’s companion or spouse was Jesus Lechuga. These names show the family tree’s steady and lost relationships.
Timeline table
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1891 | Birth of Mattie Lee Battle, Wilhelmina’s mother |
| 1893 | Birth of Thomas James Jehoshaphat Duckett, Wilhelmina’s father |
| 1916 | January 5. Birth of Wilhelmina Duckett in Los Angeles |
| 1932 | Death of Mattie Lee Battle |
| 1946 | December 25. Birth of David Herod Bass |
| 1950 | August 1. Birth of DeWitt Talmadge Bass Jr. (spouse) |
| 1950 | September 19. Birth of Keith Talmadge Bass |
| 1953 | October 3. Birth of Karen Ruth Bass |
| 1960 | January 25. Birth of Kevin M. Bass |
| 1990 | October 27. Death of Wilhelmina Duckett |
| 2006 | Tragic death of grandchild Emilia and her partner Michael Wright |
Numbers and dates anchor a life. They allow me to place Wilhelmina in the century she lived through. They also make visible the succession of generations.
Career and public profile
I found no evidence that Wilhelmina pursued a public career with recorded achievements or public office. Her role appears to be primarily that of mother and household anchor. That absence of official record does not mean absence of influence. On the contrary, I sense influence concentrated in the ordinary: raising children, managing a home, holding a family together. Those are achievements invisible to formal listings but visible in the lives that followed.
Private finances and public silence
There is no public financial disclosure under Wilhelmina’s name. No corporate filings, no public tax statements. This silence is itself telling. It suggests a life lived away from public business and inside neighborhoods and routines. I imagine ledgers kept in a drawer, rent paid on the first, bills met with care. The archive of a private life is less often digitized.
Recent mentions and memory
In recent decades mentions of Wilhelmina appear mostly in family genealogies and in biographies of her daughter Karen. The name surfaces when writers trace lineage or when family trees are reconstructed. I think of these mentions as candles in a church window. Small lights. They do not illuminate the full room, but they indicate presence.
FAQ
Who were Wilhelmina Duckett’s parents
Wilhelmina was the daughter of Thomas James Jehoshaphat Duckett born in 1893 and Mattie Lee Battle born in 1891. Mattie passed away in 1932. Thomas lived until 1967.
When was Wilhelmina Duckett born and when did she die
She was born January 5, 1916 and she died October 27, 1990. She lived 74 years.
Who was Wilhelmina married to
She was married to DeWitt Talmadge Bass Jr. He was born August 1, 1920 in Texas and later lived and died in California.
How many children did Wilhelmina have
The family records I examined list at least four children: David Herod Bass born December 25, 1946; Keith Talmadge Bass born September 19, 1950; Karen Ruth Bass born October 3, 1953; and Kevin M. Bass born January 25, 1960. Some records also include Kenneth Darrel Bass.
Did Wilhelmina have a public career
There is no record of a public career. Her public footprint is largely familial.
Are there notable events in the extended family
Yes. One of the starkest events in the extended family was the death of a granddaughter, Emilia, and her partner Michael Wright in 2006. That event reverberated through the family and is part of the recent record.
Where did the family live
The family is rooted in Los Angeles County across these dates. Many births and life events for the family occurred in Los Angeles.
