Dear George, My grandfather was born on a farm outside Dickey, La Moure county, ND. He was abit of a skirt chases or "a ladies man" as he said it. He also burned his father's bible and papers to keep the "snoops" out. My father grew up on a farm near Fargo, Cass county, ND and his mother was the teacher of a one room school house. During those long very cold Dakota winters there wasn't much to do after chores but sitting around the old stove talking and reading. Stories of following a rope strung from the house to the barn during winter storms when you couldn't see five feet always amazed me. I had a chance to spend one winter there in the 1960s. Sure enough they used a rope when a storm came up. I was very happy for it when I lead the way to the barn one morning. I found out why I was given the "honor" of being first. The large icicles bruised my legs and I found the barn with my head. The thunk annouced our arrival! My father went on to be a welder and the beginning of World War Two and later had a carrer as a soldier. Before retiring as a Major (he was a "mustang" - an enlisted man who became an officer) he had two BS degrees and a Masters. He then served a second career with the County of San Diego. Family stories gathered now are priceless later! John R. Carpenter La Mesa, CA The Carpenters wrote: > > John, > > Much of my original information about my ancestors (all lines) comes from > my father. Born in 1914, as a youngster he had no radio or television or > movies for entertainment, but he had grandfathers who loved to tell him > about "the olden times." He says that after supper, they would gather > around the stove on a South Dakota winter night, and Pop would say, "Grampa > and Gramma, tell us about the olden times." The two "old folks" would > chuckle, and Grandpa would launch into it with gusto. Pop has remembered > an amazing amount of the material from those evenings, and I have proved a > lot, and not disproved a thing so far. You mention sharing the stories > with younger folk, and I think this is really important for us to do *on > purpose* for our kids and grandkids. Not surprisingly, I have inherited my > Pop's love for the stories of the olden times, and have a degree in history > and a stack of family stories to show for it. > > George > --- > George R. Carpenter > Pinckney, Michigan > carpgl@ismi.net > > ---------- > > We all should all beware of our history and make sure the young know it > > also. > > > > John R. Carpenter > > La Mesa, CA