NOT A THING BESIDES HER NAME. ANDY ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bear den" <bearden5@usachoice.net> To: <PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2003 3:40 PM Subject: Re: [PAARMSTR-L] Jonathan Wiles & family > WHat info do you have on Elizabeth KING? > > Michelle > > -----Original Message----- > From: ANDY ROWE <andyrowe@foothill.net> > To: PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com <PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com> > Date: Saturday, December 13, 2003 2:23 AM > Subject: Re: [PAARMSTR-L] Jonathan Wiles & family > > > >ADAM MYERS AND ELIZABETH FENNEL. INFO FROM NANCY TYERS AND JOHN CALDWELL. > > ANDY ROWE > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: "Jim" <jgw@direcway.com> > >To: <PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com> > >Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 8:32 PM > >Subject: Re: [PAARMSTR-L] Jonathan Wiles & family > > > > > >> > >> --Boundary_(ID_/d3sSJA1VOXsnpYTuIgHnQ) > >> Content-type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-27C37282; > charset=us-ascii; > >> format=flowed > >> Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT > >> > >> At 08:08 PM 12/12/2003, you wrote: > >> >Looking for info on Jonathan Wiles and family. Think his wife might be > >Mary > >> >Myers He definately had a daughter - Elizabeth. Elizabeth was born in > >> >Armstrong County in 1844(?) > >> > >> Hi Michelle, > >> > >> I don't have much on Jonathan and his family but his parents were John > >> WILES and Elizabeth KING. I have more on these two and John parents if > you > >> are interested. > >> > >> Do you know who Mary MYERS parents were? > >> > >> Jim > >> > >> --Boundary_(ID_/d3sSJA1VOXsnpYTuIgHnQ)-- > >> > >> > >> ==== PAARMSTR Mailing List ==== > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > > > >==== PAARMSTR Mailing List ==== > > > > > > > > > ==== PAARMSTR Mailing List ==== > > > >

After the strenuous rigors of summer work, the farmers and their families prepared for the gathering in and storing of the fruits, vegetables, corn and pumpkins for the winter months. Corn was to be husked and cribbed, fodder to be stored in the mows, coal to be hauled and wood cut and hauled from the woods. Every farm had their own orchard, as it was no trouble then to raise fruit unblemished and without being worm-eaten. Apples then had more flavor than apples of today. There was an orchard on the hill above our home, known as the Frantz orchard. In the summer on Sunday afternoons, we boys would gather to feast on these apples, as the Townsends, who owned the orchard, didn't care about the fruit as they had orchards nearer home. First would come the little red Early Harvest, then the Maidenblush, then the Greasy Pippin. As fall came on, we had the Rambo, Northern Spy, Baldwin and others. More than once my father and I would take the wagon up and pick our winter apples. It was an art to care for and store them. Some were placed in the cellar and the rest buried in the garden. This was done by first leveling the ground off for the pile of apples, and then the process of covering them for winter. The apples were made into as small pile as possible in a cone shape and then covered with straw. Then you started at the ground level and covered the straw with earth, forming it into a cone. The ground was made several inches deep and then covered with a shock of corn fodder. Along about the last of January, the apples from the cellar were eaten and you were ready for the ones in the garden, which always seemed to have attained a special flavor. In winter the farmers would nearly every night have a pan of apples to eat before going to bed. You opened the apple hole by digging into the side and removing the straw that covered the apples. You could take out enough for the night, wash and dry them, and, Oh Boy, did they taste good. Cabbage and turnips were buried in the same way. The apples that had fallen under the tree were picked up and washed, then taken to a cider mill to be made into cider. This was a delicious drink for a few days, then some vinegar "mother" was added from the old supply, and the entire barrel aged until is was good vinegar. We never needed to buy any at the store.

One of the sports in summer was gigging fish. It was against the law, but the boys did it anyway. We would start down about a mile and travel up to the breast of the dam. We passed the squire's (great uncle John Wherry, Esq.) house, but if he knew it he turned his head from the window. You prepared by wrapping a bundle of rags in a ball, wrapping it with wire, fastening it to a long pole and soaking the rags with kerosene oil. We always carried a gallon with us for replenishment. We waded in to the deeper holes and the fish would swim for the riffles. Then the fun would begin. One carried a sack hung over his shoulders and collected all the fish. What a sound they made on the riffle. It sounded more like a hog wallowing than fish. The giggers went to work in earnest and the torch bearer had to be everywhere. Lots of slips and falls, but that went into the sport. Below the dam we divided our loot, and wet and hungry took off for our homes and a good night's sleep. I remember my father telling about Uncle Tom and Uncle Jim setting a net, which was against the law, and showing Grandfather the wonderful catch they had made by gigging, which was still lawful at the time. But he looked and said, "Where are the gig marks?" Both netting and gigging became unlawful, but years later coal companies turned sulphur water into the creek and killed fish by the thousands. The banks of the stream stunk with the decaying of the dead fish. To this day no fish, crabs, mussels or turtles can be found. After a heavy rain and the water was raised, the fish (while we still had fish) would come up from the deep places and over the riffles to the dam, and there they were stopped. Once an old fellow from Kittanning by the name of Chambers Orr, who was quite excitable, was at the dam when the fish came upstream. He heard this awful splashing, grabbed a stick and ran into the water, hit a fish, and came back to shore, took off one shoe and back in again. He didn't want to get his shoes wet. Mr. Orr would take us along to fish and we would walk two or three miles, and then he would make us sit like mummies and we dared not talk for fear of scaring the fish away. The dam had a wonderful waterfall of about fifteen feet, and here is where we farmer boys had our summer baths. We would gather here after a hot day in the fields to bathe and cool off for the day. (This is also one of my favorite passages, and most sad. I love the Twain-like descriptions of fishing and playing on Crooked Creek, but what a tragedy that it was destroyed by pollution. Has there been any improvement of those waters since this was written in 1964?)

YES. ADAM: 1788-1865 ELIZABETH: 1791-1874 THEY WERE MARRIED IN 1812. THEY HAD 8 CHILDREN. MY CONNECTION IS VERY DISTANT. WOULD BE INTERESTED IN WHAT YOU HAVE. ANDY ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bear den" <bearden5@usachoice.net> To: <PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2003 4:50 AM Subject: Re: [PAARMSTR-L] Jonathan Wiles & family > So Mary Myers' parents are Adam Myers & Elizabeth Fennel , right? Do you > have any dates/locations/places of burial? Are you related? > > > thanks, > Michelle > > -----Original Message----- > From: ANDY ROWE <andyrowe@foothill.net> > To: PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com <PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com> > Date: Saturday, December 13, 2003 2:23 AM > Subject: Re: [PAARMSTR-L] Jonathan Wiles & family > > > >ADAM MYERS AND ELIZABETH FENNEL. INFO FROM NANCY TYERS AND JOHN CALDWELL. > > ANDY ROWE > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: "Jim" <jgw@direcway.com> > >To: <PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com> > >Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 8:32 PM > >Subject: Re: [PAARMSTR-L] Jonathan Wiles & family > > > > > >> > >> --Boundary_(ID_/d3sSJA1VOXsnpYTuIgHnQ) > >> Content-type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-27C37282; > charset=us-ascii; > >> format=flowed > >> Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT > >> > >> At 08:08 PM 12/12/2003, you wrote: > >> >Looking for info on Jonathan Wiles and family. Think his wife might be > >Mary > >> >Myers He definately had a daughter - Elizabeth. Elizabeth was born in > >> >Armstrong County in 1844(?) > >> > >> Hi Michelle, > >> > >> I don't have much on Jonathan and his family but his parents were John > >> WILES and Elizabeth KING. I have more on these two and John parents if > you > >> are interested. > >> > >> Do you know who Mary MYERS parents were? > >> > >> Jim > >> > >> --Boundary_(ID_/d3sSJA1VOXsnpYTuIgHnQ)-- > >> > >> > >> ==== PAARMSTR Mailing List ==== > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > > > >==== PAARMSTR Mailing List ==== > > > > > > > > > ==== PAARMSTR Mailing List ==== > > > >

Thanx Mickey. K Mickey Cendrowski wrote: > > Kerm, > > Armstrong County Historical Museum and Genealogical Society > 300 North McKean Street > P. O. Box 735 > Kittanning, Pennsylvania 16201 > > 724-548-5707 > > Mickey > 74bug@nauticom.net > > Mickey's Roll Call Mania Web Page > http://www.pa-roots.com/~rollcall > > Mickey's Pennsylvania Genealogy Help Page > http://www.mickey.150m.com > > Mickey's Genealogy Web Page > http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/3027 > > ==== PAARMSTR Mailing List ====

The valley was a beehive of activity during the summer months. Crooked Creek was known as the best bass stream in Western Pennsylvania. People came from as far as Latrobe, Jeanette, Leechburg and Apollo to camp or stay at homes in the valley. It was like a summer resort and gave lots of entertainment for the country boys and girls. I can remember as high as forty in one camp from Apollo. Our home was always full and I wonder where we all slept. There was good swimming and boating as South Bend had a dam that backed the water up for two miles. A millrace brought the water to the flourmill. It was quite a letdown when fall came and the vacationers left for their homes. The boys that came to our house for the summer were sons of merchants my father sold to in Pittsburgh. They were always wanting to develop their muscles and get tough. Once they asked a neighbor if they could cut down some dead trees and he gave them permission. They worked like beavers, chopping energetically, and before they were through they had their hands so sore and blistered they could hardly use them, but they said that was what was needed to make them tough. They wanted to ride horses, so we gave them the horses without any saddles and told them they had to develop gristles to be a good rider. They ended up so sore they couldn't sit down. But every fall I went home with them for a week, and they gave a country kid the works. But those were happy days. No one had much money, but money doesn't make for happiness. One of the things we looked forward to was the washing of sheep in the spring. A pen was built by the bridge and the farmers would drive their flocks there to wash them before clipping. The boys were always on hand to help and the farmer was glad to oblige. We led the sheep into the creek and washed the wool. Sometimes the sheep went under and sometimes the boy, with much laughter from the farmer. Picture driving a herd of cattle, sheep or hogs along the road today, but that was the only way to get them to market in those days. Many a trip I took with Mr. Townsend with cattle or hogs, driving them twenty-five of thirty miles. They kept ponies, and two of us rode the ponies and Mr. Townsend drove the buggy with our lunch. When dinner time came, he would find a grove and then we would all enjoy a good lunch. Mr. Thomas was a drover and passed our house many times with droves of sheep, hogs or cattle. A well-trained dog did the herding and he sat in the buggy giving orders to the dog.

Kerm, I forgot to add that the Mildred Lankerd-Thomas Genealogical Library (Armstrong County Genealogical Society's Library) is now closed for the winter season and will not reopen again till about April, so one cannot go to this library until then to do research, however, the club does continue to do research their for a fee by mail during this time. I just didn't want you to drive all the way there now, to find out that the genealogy research library is closed. Mickey 74bug@nauticom.net Mickey's Roll Call Mania Web Page http://www.pa-roots.com/~rollcall Mickey's Pennsylvania Genealogy Help Page http://www.mickey.150m.com Mickey's Genealogy Web Page http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/3027

Kerm, Armstrong County Historical Museum and Genealogical Society 300 North McKean Street P. O. Box 735 Kittanning, Pennsylvania 16201 724-548-5707 Mickey 74bug@nauticom.net Mickey's Roll Call Mania Web Page http://www.pa-roots.com/~rollcall Mickey's Pennsylvania Genealogy Help Page http://www.mickey.150m.com Mickey's Genealogy Web Page http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/3027

We didn't have gas or electricity on those days, so each day the lamps had to be filled, the globes polished and the wicks trimmed for the next night. What a contrast to pushing a button and getting light! However, there were some advantages in living in the country for a boy or girl. As soon as they were old enough they were given chores to do. The girls helped in the house and the boys on the farm. You could take the cows to pasture and get them in the evening. After 1895 when my uncle sold grandfather's old home farm, my father farmed twenty-one acres belonging to Aunt Sarah. Those fields were separated from ours by a large field or two, so if the horses weren't busy we got to ride for the cows. I can remember going for the cows on a frosty fall morning in my bare feet. At night the cows were always turned into a field across from the barn, containing an elevation we called the "Knob." They invariably went to the highest point. I would make them get up and stand and warm my feet where they had lain. What a contrast in keeping and feeding of chickens as of that time and today. No one expected to get eggs in the winter. It was a rare occasion if you found a fresh egg and mostly it was frozen and was saved for someone that was sick and off their feet. Mostly the chickens stood around in the wagon shed on one foot and then on the other. Combs frosted and looked like they wouldn't survive the winter. One winter my mother allowed me to warm up the pig pen with straw and gave me a dozen hens. I fed them carefully and we had eggs that winter, and I was a proud boy. While the eggs were still plenty in the summer my mother packed some in crocks in salt, with the small end down and not touching, and these kept good enough for cooking, or rather baking, in the winter. Every season brought its work and activities. In the spring the farmers prepared for their spring work. The harness was washed, greased, the plows put in shape for service. The horses were divested of their long coat of hair by lots of grooming and gradually working them. Then the work would start in earnest as soon as the ground had dried sufficiently. When one followed a plow or harrow all day he didn't need to take a walk in the evening for exercise, or take a sleeping tablet to make him sleep. Then up in the morning at six, breakfast with eggs and bacon and often fried potatoes or buckwheat cakes. What a contrast from today with our cereals and orange juice. Then came the summer and harvest time. The cradling of wheat and oats and cutting of hay. The wheat and oats were raked into sheaves and tied by hand. The hay in early times was cut by scythe. Then came the mower and rake. This was made of long wooden teeth that ran close to the ground and was hauled by a horse. When the load was large enough the teeth were lifted up by a handle that caused them to catch the ground and dump the load in windrows. Then came the wheat and oats reaper that cut the grain and kicked it off in sheaves that had to be tied by hand. Then came the binder that both cut and tied the sheaves, and now we have the combine that threshes as well.

Can someone out there send me details on how to contact the Armstrong County Genealogical a/or Historical Society? Thanx. Kerm in Berks

I have often wondered how our parents made as good a living as they did for themselves and seven children on thirteen acres of ground, but we always had enough to eat and as our mother was a good sewer and knitter we looked as good as our companions. As President Eisenhower said, "We were poor, but we didn't know it." Now everyone is underprivileged if they don't have a bathroom and electricity, but it was 1902 before we even got a pitcher pump in the kitchen. This we regarded as quite a luxury. The telephone line was built about the same time and then we had the entertainment of the "party line." Our family was a great family to read and read all the books we could get hold of in the community. I can remember Clara reading to Helen and me in the kitchen near the old coal stove on winter nights by an oil lamp. Our favorite was the Leather Stocking Tales, by J. Fenimore Cooper. We say with mouths open at the Indian tales. My father when I was rather young thought I should get more interested in reading, so he brought home Alice in Wonderland as a start, and when that was finished he got the history of the French Revolution. Quite a change of diet! But they were ambitious for us to broaden our horizon as much as possible and gave us all some education in the academies of that day. (Oscar attended Elderton Academy.) Soon after the "turn of the century" my father was again the victim of the changing times. After the big packing houses were established in Chicago and better methods of transportation developed, the huckstering business ceased to be profitable, so he quit that and bought another threshing outfit, consisting of a steam traction engine, a separator, clover huller, hay baler, and a water tank. This required a crew of four, an engineer, two to feed the grain into the separator, and a water boy. This was some life, hard and dusty work. He would start out after wheat harvest in July and finish up with hay baling in December. I would go along in the fall until school teaching time, to fatten up for the winter. I can see those tables after sixty years. One woman would try to outdo the other. Sometimes there would be two or three kinds of meat. Often there were thirteen or fourteen at the table. They would often try to feed us pie for breakfast. We were usually gone from Monday morning until Saturday evening. Some of the homes were log, and hot in the fall. We often took blankets and slept in the haymow. During these years father was also secretary of a local mutual fire insurance company, then tax collector. I remember one day Amos King came along and asked for his taxes to be added up as he was going to the next farm and would be back past. I prepared his receipts and soon he came back and paid them. In a few minutes there was a rap at the door and there was Amos. He exclaimed in bewilderment, "I understand this school and county and road taxes, but this last amount is for "total taxes" and I don't have any total. I explained to him that the total was the sum of his taxes and he left happy. Once a year the directors of the insurance company met to elect officers. That meant a turkey dinner for the twelve and some of their wives, for the grand sum of five dollars. We would come home from school to view a well-picked carcass of a turkey with no meat remaining. What a disgusting sight for school children!

So Mary Myers' parents are Adam Myers & Elizabeth Fennel , right? Do you have any dates/locations/places of burial? Are you related? thanks, Michelle -----Original Message----- From: ANDY ROWE <andyrowe@foothill.net> To: PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com <PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Saturday, December 13, 2003 2:23 AM Subject: Re: [PAARMSTR-L] Jonathan Wiles & family >ADAM MYERS AND ELIZABETH FENNEL. INFO FROM NANCY TYERS AND JOHN CALDWELL. > ANDY ROWE >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Jim" <jgw@direcway.com> >To: <PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com> >Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 8:32 PM >Subject: Re: [PAARMSTR-L] Jonathan Wiles & family > > >> >> --Boundary_(ID_/d3sSJA1VOXsnpYTuIgHnQ) >> Content-type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-27C37282; charset=us-ascii; >> format=flowed >> Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT >> >> At 08:08 PM 12/12/2003, you wrote: >> >Looking for info on Jonathan Wiles and family. Think his wife might be >Mary >> >Myers He definately had a daughter - Elizabeth. Elizabeth was born in >> >Armstrong County in 1844(?) >> >> Hi Michelle, >> >> I don't have much on Jonathan and his family but his parents were John >> WILES and Elizabeth KING. I have more on these two and John parents if you >> are interested. >> >> Do you know who Mary MYERS parents were? >> >> Jim >> >> --Boundary_(ID_/d3sSJA1VOXsnpYTuIgHnQ)-- >> >> >> ==== PAARMSTR Mailing List ==== >> >> >> >> > > >==== PAARMSTR Mailing List ==== > > >

Donna - I have an Emma Charlotte King in my family line. She was born Dec 1861. I believe she might be the daughter of Silas King and Rebecca George King. I do not have any documentation to this though. She married William Fryor after he came to South Bend from Indiana County. She was his 2nd wife. His first wife died. I would sure like to make a definite connection. Thanks for any help you could give me. Happy Holidays - Sue ----- Original Message ----- From: <DCuillard@aol.com> To: <PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 11:41 PM Subject: Re: [PAARMSTR-L] South Bend Memories - 4 > Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. > The memories are wonderful - what a sacred reminder of those who walked this > way so long ago. > Donna > Searching in South Bend: > Kings, Georges, > > > ==== PAARMSTR Mailing List ==== > >

ADAM MYERS AND ELIZABETH FENNEL. INFO FROM NANCY TYERS AND JOHN CALDWELL. ANDY ROWE ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim" <jgw@direcway.com> To: <PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 8:32 PM Subject: Re: [PAARMSTR-L] Jonathan Wiles & family > > --Boundary_(ID_/d3sSJA1VOXsnpYTuIgHnQ) > Content-type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-27C37282; charset=us-ascii; > format=flowed > Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT > > At 08:08 PM 12/12/2003, you wrote: > >Looking for info on Jonathan Wiles and family. Think his wife might be Mary > >Myers He definately had a daughter - Elizabeth. Elizabeth was born in > >Armstrong County in 1844(?) > > Hi Michelle, > > I don't have much on Jonathan and his family but his parents were John > WILES and Elizabeth KING. I have more on these two and John parents if you > are interested. > > Do you know who Mary MYERS parents were? > > Jim > > --Boundary_(ID_/d3sSJA1VOXsnpYTuIgHnQ)-- > > > ==== PAARMSTR Mailing List ==== > > > >

Oh Yes please send me all the info you have on this family. We want to know all we can find out about this branch of the family. info , where buried etc..... Are you related? Thank you, Michelle -----Original Message----- From: Jim <jgw@direcway.com> To: PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com <PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Friday, December 12, 2003 10:36 PM Subject: Re: [PAARMSTR-L] Jonathan Wiles & family > >--Boundary_(ID_/d3sSJA1VOXsnpYTuIgHnQ) >Content-type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-27C37282; charset=us-ascii; > format=flowed >Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT > >At 08:08 PM 12/12/2003, you wrote: >>Looking for info on Jonathan Wiles and family. Think his wife might be Mary >>Myers He definately had a daughter - Elizabeth. Elizabeth was born in >>Armstrong County in 1844(?) > >Hi Michelle, > >I don't have much on Jonathan and his family but his parents were John >WILES and Elizabeth KING. I have more on these two and John parents if you >are interested. > >Do you know who Mary MYERS parents were? > >Jim > >--Boundary_(ID_/d3sSJA1VOXsnpYTuIgHnQ)-- > > >==== PAARMSTR Mailing List ==== > > >

I HAVE A JONATHAN WILES MARRIED TO MARY MYERS. INFO IS FROM NANCY TYERS. I GO BACK SOME WITH HER INFO INTO MARY'S FAMILY. ANDY ROWE ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bear den" <bearden5@usachoice.net> To: <PAARMSTR-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 6:08 PM Subject: [PAARMSTR-L] Jonathan Wiles & family > Looking for info on Jonathan Wiles and family. Think his wife might be Mary > Myers He definately had a daughter - Elizabeth. Elizabeth was born in > Armstrong County in 1844(?) > > Thanks > > Michelle > - > > > ==== PAARMSTR Mailing List ==== > > > >

--Boundary_(ID_/d3sSJA1VOXsnpYTuIgHnQ) Content-type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-27C37282; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT At 08:08 PM 12/12/2003, you wrote: >Looking for info on Jonathan Wiles and family. Think his wife might be Mary >Myers He definately had a daughter - Elizabeth. Elizabeth was born in >Armstrong County in 1844(?) Hi Michelle, I don't have much on Jonathan and his family but his parents were John WILES and Elizabeth KING. I have more on these two and John parents if you are interested. Do you know who Mary MYERS parents were? Jim --Boundary_(ID_/d3sSJA1VOXsnpYTuIgHnQ)--

Looking for info on Jonathan Wiles and family. Think his wife might be Mary Myers He definately had a daughter - Elizabeth. Elizabeth was born in Armstrong County in 1844(?) Thanks Michelle -

Hello, Can anyone tell me who Mary Miller age 19 in 1850 born in PA the daughter of James Miller who was born in Ireland age 54, married? Looks like she had brothers Samuel 22, Howard 15, Charles 10 and Clark 8, a sister Emeline 17. They lived in Cowanshannock Twp Armstrong Co PA Carla

After the tanning business played out, my father went into the threshing business, with a horse-drawn small engine, going from farm to farm after the crops were cut. Later he was in the huckstering business to Pittsburgh for thirteen years. He would start out on Monday morning and travel until Tuesday evening, gathering up eggs, butter, chickens and calves. To help sustain the calves we would break up a half dozen eggs into their mouths. The wagon was built like a prairie schooner and was drawn by four horses. In the front where he sat was a box filled with coffee, sugar, spices and thread, which he traded for commodities off the farms. The next box was a butter box, then a box that he packed the eggs in a layer of oats and then a layer of eggs. Then at the back was a chicken coop with compartments that fit the back of the wagon and formed a pen for the calves. One morning when starting for Pittsburgh, the chicken coop door came open and he scattered chickens along the road before he knew it. He never got any of the chickens, but the farmers had some good chicken dinners at his expense. Once I remember one of the calves got loose and started for the creek, swam the creek, and took off on the other side. Brother Roy and I got on a horse and followed it for two miles and I can see Roy riding after the calf and lassoing it. That was the only time I ever saw him play cowboy. We had to come home and get a buggy to haul the calf home. It was a hard, exacting life, as Father left home early Wednesday morning and didn't get home until Saturday, in the afternoon if roads were good, late at night if the roads were bad. Helen and I used to climb the "Knob," as we called the highest elevation of our place, and watch for him summer afternoons. As soon as we sighted him we started to meet him, as he always had some bananas, peanuts, a ring of bologna, etc., that seemed a treat to us. He had to spend parts of Thursday and Friday dickering with the grocers and butcher shop owners to dispose of his load. If things were in good supply, this was often hard to do, but sometimes if calves and chickens were scarce the butchers would drive out with a horse and buggy to the edge of the city to meet him and get ahead of a competitor. (This is an interesting passage because I never knew before what a huckster was, although I've seen it before in census data. Also, the picture of Oscar and his sister waiting on the hill above South Bend to spot their father returning from a trip brought a tear to my eye when I first read it.)