Who is my granddaddy?

(Originally written 12/31/10)

HAPPY NEW YEAR DAUGHTERS, GRANDCHILDREN AND COUSINS

Following up on the story of Granddad Elmer J.(Papa).  My thought today, what were their holidays like?  I went to a letter from Aunt Minnie to Dorothy Lee to give us a clue what Christmas was like 100 years ago in Strong City, Oklahoma, Territory.

“Papa got land and our first house, until a home could be built, was a half-dugout and half-log house with an arbor in front to shield it from the sun.  John West built our next home for us in 1901, the year Pauline was born.  Papa hauled the lumber from Canadian, Texas.  Ours was a five room frame house -“such a folly to build one so large” was the opinion expressed by some of our neighbors. The room was carpeted with rag carpets loomed in strips which were sewn together in room size.  Fresh hay was used for padding and the carpet was securely tacked around the edges.  Mama made fancy work of crochet and embroidery, hung pictures, and added house plants and cut flowers to make our home attractive.

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With four daughters Mama thought a piano was an absolute necessity, so one was ordered and shipped from New York to Elk City,  Papa hauled it from there in a wagon and what a time he had over rough country roads with such a cargo!  I am sure that you remember that upright piano which had an extra pedal; when it was depressed, we had a banjo accompaniment.

We all went to church in a farm wagon.  Papa and Mama sat on the spring seat, and we children sat in the back on quilts over clean hay. Neighbors wagons were hitched on all sides of us at the school house,which was the center of all community activities – Sunday school, church services and box and pie suppers held to raise funds for various affairs.  Here was held the CHRISTMAS programs given by the children; a huge tree lighted with candles thrilled and delighted every child”.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2011.

Jim

(Originally written on 12/16/10)

Dear Family,

For many years I have been interested in who were my grandparents and what was their life  like.  I have a two-drawer file cabinet (unorganized) with ancestory charts, census records and stories.

I can thank cousin Dorothy Lee McGregor and Uncle Curt Guernsey for much of the work done on our Guernsey geneaolgy.  In fact I get the feeling that Dorothy Lee is up in heaven now telling me to get off my rear and pass on some of these stories!  The question I have is how , without writing a book that would become your giant sleeping pill.

So, I have decided to use e-mail to pass on some short stories.  My first story is about my mothers father, Elmer James Guernsey.  Think about what life was like at Christmas in the early 1900’s, your wife passed away, left with six children to raise.  This is a story of tenacity.

Elmer and his wife Madelena Honderick made the famous Cherokee Land Run into the Oklahoma Territory in 1893.  Several years later they moved from their homestead in Manchester, OK. to Strong City Ok..  They traveled by wagon with children, furniture and livestock in a trip that took 20 days. Today I can make this same trip by automobile in 2 1/2 hours.

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I believe this picture was taken in the red earth hills around Strong City, Oklahoma Territory around 1900-3. Granddad is driving the wagon and you can see the girls peacking out of the wagon. To my knowledge granddad never learned to drive a car, a true rancher who's transportation was always by horse.

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In 1909, two years after Oklahoma statehood, grandmother Madalena died of blood poisioning.  Grandfather was left with six children and a cattle ranch to run. He never remarried.  They lived in a 5 room farmhouse without electricity, indoor plumbing or running water.  He was determined that his children have a good education. He became president of the Strong City school board, hired an architect to design an 8 room brick school building.  This allowed all of his children to graduate from high school.  This was in a period of time when sixth or seventh grade would be the typical education in rural Oklahoma.  One of his daughters, Pauline, later became one of their teachers.  My mother Alida played on the Strong City basketball team.

All four girls attended college at Weatherford, Ok., each receiving their teaching certificate.  The two boys, Mike and Curt each became engineers.  Curt tacked on a law degree also. Curt served in WW l,  Mike in WWll.  Mike worked on highway projects in South America, the Washington D.C. subway system and our  Oklahoma Turner Turnpike.

Curt developed the  C.H. Guernsey Consulting Co., that has a national reputation.  So if you ever wonder where your tenacity genes come from, think about the circumstances your Great Grandfather and the circumstances which he raised and educated his six wonderful children. I think its called stick-to-it-ness.

Love,

Jim Lee Anderson