I have the memoirs of Evangeline H. Wright. Wouldn't mind inputting them if anyone might be interested. I have input the text exactly as written by Lina Cook. I chose to leave the spelling exactly as written because it also sets the mood and talk of the times. Evangeline died in 1960 at 92 yrs 8 mos 18 days). Chapter One Born in the state of Iowa, May the twenty-fifth. Flowers were blooming, birds calling their mates, "Cheep, Cheep", the blackbirds holding their spring conferences in the trees. The lambs skipping and playing in the meadows. Men plowing in the fields. What a busy time for a Baby Girl to be born on one Sabbath day. The sun shining so bright, the sky so blue. So much commotion too. I grew up like all babies, my hair blond, my eyes blue. I had some bad brothers too. My sister combed and curled my hair every morning. Then my brothers slipped up behind me, got hold of a curl and gave it a jerk. They'd run and say, "I got one of Lina's curls." This made me mad and I would run and crawl under the bed, pout until I went to sleep. They would hunt for me. I, like Billie Blue, was under the bed fast asleep. It didn't help because some of them would get me by my feet and pull me out from under the bed. I became three and a half years old while we were still in Iowa. You see, some years back, my parents went home-seeking. Traveling from the state of Indiana to Iowa in a covered wagon, having heard of a new state opened for home-seekers. Passing through little Chicago at this time (this was called little Chicago, Illinois) finding many friendly people they camped at night, resting themselves and their teams --- the on until they reached Oskaloosa. There they found a settlement of Friend Quakers. As they were of the same sect they were taken care of until they could find a location and work. Father Cook being a carpenter by trade, it did not take long until he was a very busy man as this kind of work was in high demand. Many new settlers were moving in the new state which made much work. Finding a nice little forty acres of land he liked, he proceeded to take the claim. With the team his father had given him, they bought a cow. At odd times he buklt his log house, cleared his land for crops, and was ready to begin living. The people those days did not put on so much stress, but everybody lived and had all things in common. The climate seemed a little cool, land very rolling with hills and ravines. There were brown and gray wolves, bobolinks, wild cats and panthers. The panther seemed to be the most destructive animal, roaming through the country at night seeking his food, killing young calves, pigs, lambs and sheep -- sometimes the milk cows. If smaller animals were not found, his cry when traveling could be heard a long distance ringing through the woods along the streams -- the echo bounding against the hill sides, rebouding, traveling down the ravines in one long shrill cry sending a blood curdling feeling down the spinal column of the new settlers of 1860, causing them to sit up in bed, saing, "Is he coming here? Will he kill our stock?" They watched and waited with hearts in their mouts until his cry would die in the distance before they felt a relif of safety. To be continued -- :) Anita ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Anita (nee: Merlo) Gauld Anita_Gauld@Hotmail.Com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Have over 20,000 individuals in my database. Willing to do quick look-ups. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tracing surnames: Bellisario..Berardo..Blake..Bonner Carpenter..Chromie..Cucco..Cunningham..Dey..Eovaldi..Gauld Gianella..Gnoli..Loomis..Marek..Marlow..Merlo..Mitrovich.. Monelli..Newton..Ottolini..Pisoni..Puricelli..Travato ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WEB SITES: Family: http://www.GeoCities.Com/Heartland/Bluffs/1314 Reunion: http://www.GeoCities.Com/Heartland/Village/1315 Trees: http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/g/a/u/Anita-L-Gauld/index.html Surnames: http://www.mccserv.com/genealogy/gauld/gauld.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ QUERIES: Post: http://www.geocities.com/cgi-bin/geoplus_apps/ans_entry View: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/1314/geobook.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ E-Mail: Anita_Gauld@Hotmail.Com agauld@mhc.net (Munson Medical Center)Work agauld@gtii.com (please send attachments here) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contact me by web pager: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/2318786 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As long as we are Remembered we Never die A life is not lost when it is known to future generations ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com