Success! You Can Run but You Can't Hide

Sometimes -- just sometimes, there is a reward for obsessive behavior.  And victory is sweet.

For the past couple of years, I have dilly dallied with old childhood memories.  There are two of them that are so brilliant, I felt I owed it to myself to at least make an attempt to see what they were about.  This is what I've been working on:

1. I remember visiting a farm with my dad.  I remember walking behind him in a field of grass that reached up to my waist.  I do not remember any of my brothers being with us -- which is crazy, because my dad usually hauled us kids every where.
2. My dad called the man we were with "Uncle Howard."
3. After the funeral of my grandfather, Don Dee Drake (he died after MY dad), we went to a farm.  At this farm there were horses, and I met a cousin named Marti (also my name) Manigold, and we road ponies all day.   I knew she was connected -- somehow -- to "Uncle Howard."
4. The farm couldn't be too far from my grandparents in Union City, Michigan as we didn't have a chance to get bored on the drive over.
5. My dad had a favorite cousin named Majorie.

Can I tell you how many hundreds of hours I've spent looking for a Howard Drake or a Howard Scoville?

In 1975, I was listening to the radio and there was a news report that a small plane had crashed over by Niles, Michigan.  The pilot and three passengers were killed.  One of the passengers was a Marti Manigold who was a year younger than myself. Years later, I wonder why we never followed up on that, why we didn't go to a funeral or something.  Then I remembered that it was right around this time (January 8) that my mom was diagnosed with cancer and we probably weren't thinking about anything else.

In the last couple of years I've done some random sporadic research and have found absolutely nothing.   Then, I found a tribute to my cousin Marti Manigold -- also known as Martha Ellen Manigold -- that's right -- same first and middle name and our birthdays are 1 day and one year apart.  She writer and classmate of Marti, wrote lovingly about her, but there wasn't any details that I could track down.  I even tried to track the writer down but no such luck.  Back on the back burner.

Then one day, I randomly started googling small plane crashes around the Chicago area and I found two articles.  Unfortunately, the article had been read and transcribed by a computer.  It was hard to decipher, but at least I learned where and when the crash had occurred.  What I was looking for was surviving family, but, alas, the article was only partial.  Still, not to be daunted, I emailed the public library in Berrien Springs, Michigan, to see if they had back issues of the local newspaper.  A research librarian emailed me back that they, indeed, had microfilm for the dates I was inquiring about.  Well, it wasn't ideal, but I was going to be going to Michigan in the winter and I thought I could take a day and make a run down there. I emailed the librarian and asked her what their hours were going to be over Christmas.  She emailed me back and said that if I could provide her with the dates I was looking at, she would try and look it up for me.  WHAT???? Really????

And so I did.

A week later I received another email from that lovely librarian in which she informed me that she had found a couple of articles concerning the plane crash.  She wanted my address so she could mail them to me.  Are you kidding me?  I asked her how much I owed her for copies and postage and time and she said NOTHING. Consider it a random act of genealogical kindness.

And at the end of one of the articles was a list of the survivors which included Mr. and Mrs. Howard E. Berry, Union City.

Okay.  This means I wasn't crazy.  Now what?

Back through the family tree again.  There was NO Berry family to be found.  Then I went through all the women I could find to see if someone -- anyone -- had married a Berry, or had a daughter that married a Berry.  No freaking luck.

So I've been mulling this over.  And over.  And over.

Then, I went to FamilySearch.org and found a marriage record for Howard Herbert Berry and Anna Elmira Dickey.  Married in 1918.  Howard Herbert Berry was born in 1898, two years after my Grandpa Don Dee Drake.  Howard was born in Barry, County -- not too terribly far away.  Then I thought maybe I was looking at this wrong.  Fall back  and regroup.  Again.

Today, I found another marriage record for Howard Herbert Berry.  In the 1930 United States Census, there is a Howard H Berry living in Union, Branch, Michigan.  His wife's name was Noldine and they had a daughter, Majorie Ellen.  Bingo!  And there the name Ellen was cropping up again.

So, I started looking into Noldine.  And I found another marriage license with the bride being a Noldine Fitzgerald.  Fitzgerald was the last name of my Grandpa Don Dee Drake's second wife.  I knew HER to be Ellen Fitzgerald and when she married my grandfather she had a son named David.  I have always ASSUMED (and you know what that means) that her married name was Fitzgerald.  I ASSUMED she was a widow. Anyhoo, I found a United State Census from 1910 with Noldine Fitzgerald listed as the 12 year old daughter of Guy E. and Etta Fitzgerald.  There was also a a son -- Markham -- and a little baby girl named Elizabeth.  Who was 0 years old.  The year was right for my step grandmother's birth, but her name was Ellen.  Not Elizabeth.

A little backtracking through Censuses and I found Guy Fitzgerald.  His mother's name was Ellen.  So my next question -- and I didn't expect much -- was Elizabeth's middle name Ellen?  And did she go by Ellen?  My family is a great one for calling each other by their middle names.  My dad was Donald Duane Drake.  All his friends and coaches called him "Dobbie" -- which is another long story.  All the family called him Duane.  Only my mom called him Don.

So then I went to Ancestry.com and did a search on public family trees and there I found my step grandmother Elizabeth Ellen Fitzgerald.  Correct birthday, and it shows her marrying a Don Dee Drake.  Apparently my family isn't as important to them as it is to me.

This is great news.  I can safely say that Howard Berry was not actually an uncle, but a step uncle with his wife Noldine and my step gran being sisters.

You would think this is the end of it but it's not.  I now have a whole bunch of unanswered questions.  I don't think actually pursuing them would do me any good, as these involve family members that are not blood.  How hard do you pursue something like that?  I only have so much time.

I will eventually transcribe the newspaper articles concerning my cousin Marti Manigold's death.

Family Reunions

I used to really love the family reunions that we used to have at my grandfather's house on Bedford Road, in Urbandale, Michigan.  Actually, I think there was only one, but it was pretty great.  All my cousins were there:  Charlene, Dee and Kay.  That's right.  Three measly cousins.  Charlene was way older than us, Kay and my little brother Mike Drake were practically babies and worthless.  So that left me, Dee and Dob.  And Dob didn't have much use for us and went off to hang out with my dad and Uncle Jack.  Dee or Deeter as we called him, laid in the hammock and talked about how much we hated Dob.  There was always a ton of great food, no naps unless we accidentally fell asleep.  And this set the stage on how family reunions were supposed to be. 

In another direction -- and stay with me -- when tracing your family tree, we sometimes forget that we are not all descending from only child homes.  That most generations had more than one child and when you get back past the turn of the century (the 1900s not the 2000s) there were many, many children and many children that died and are long buried. 

When I get stuck, I will sometimes take a couple and list all their siblings, like I was getting ready to send out invites for a family reunion.  I recently did that with my great grand parents Allison Royce Drake and Jane Myers Drake.  For as much as I know about them, I certainly don't know very much about them.  And this kills me because I knew people that knew them, that could have told me a lot, I'm sure, if I had only been so inclined to ask.  But I wasn't into family trees at that time.  The only thing I was interested in about families is how to get away from mine.

So here's what I discovered and you can see the glaring gaps:

Allison Royce Drake had 9 siblings:

1. James Amos Drake
2. Ann Drake
3. Sidney Drake
4. Mary Cerenus Drake
5. Alfred Bird Drake
6. Jane Drake
7. Lucy Drake
8. John C Drake

 I might note here that there are some people that will claim that there were 10 Drake kids in all, but I believe that Alfred Bird Drake and Bird A Drake are the same person in spite of the 1820 US Federal Census that lists them both, 2 years apart.  And I will prove that before I die.

Jane Myers Drake had 7 siblings:

1. Eveline Myers
2. Huldah Myers
3. Stephan Myers
4. Mary Myers
5. John H Myers
6. Joshua Myers
7. Mattie Bell Myers

So you'd think that if they all got together that it would be a helluva a family reunion, right?

So far, this is what my quick research has discovered.  And I haven't run down every single lead, with every single piece of information at Ancestry and the Internet.  This might not be 100% accurate, which is why I'm putting it here, until I can verify.

Here we go:

1. Allison Royce Drake married Jane Myers and had 4 children -- Hattie, Don Dee, Allison Royce and Lucia
2. James Amos Drake married Mary A Wright and had 4 children -- Ethie, Hiram, Carrie and John Haight.
3. Eugene Emery Drake married a gal named Amelia and had 5 children:  Minie F, Issa May, Clarance, Lloyd B and Eva.
4. Ann Drake never married.
5. Sidney Drake married Sarrah and had one daughter: Lucredia
6. Mary Cerenus Drake -- I have no record of her marrying or having a child.
7. Alfred Bird Drake married Eugenia Priestly.  Eugenia may have been nicknamed Mattie.  I have no record of them having any children.
8. Jane Drake married George Priestly.  George and Eugenia were brother and sister.  They had three children:  Earl, Katie and Fern.
9. Lucy Drake, died at 23 years old of consumption.  I have no record of her marrying or having children.
10. John C Drake was born and died in 1871 and is buried with his mom, Lucia Cahoon Drake.  There still seems to be controversy over the spelling of Cahoon.  I am wondering if the C initial in John's name would be her maiden name.  I should order the birth certificate.

For all the Drake siblings, there are a total of 17 cousins.  For the time and the number of people that were involved, that wasn't very many.

On to Jane Myers siblings:

1. Eveline Myers married David Cope and had 5 children:  Clarence Earl, Edgar Floyd, Albert Roy, Harriet L, Iva B.
2. Huldah Myers married Elisha M. McElhenie and had two sons:  Walter Scott and Charles Edgar.
3. Stephan Myers I believe died in 1874 at 12 years old with no wife or issue.
4. Mary Myers -- I can find no records at all.
5. John H Myers -- no record.
6. Joshua Myers -- no record.
7. Mattie Belle Myers married Edward Collins Schwartzwaller.  She was 42 when they got married and I find no record of there being any children. 

For all the Myers siblings, there are a total of 11 cousins.

So, what did all this rigmarole do for me?  I noticed that John C Drake has the middle initial "C."  I've seen the grave with my own eye.  The boy and Lucia share the same side of ol' John Stout Drake's tombstone.  I don't know why, but for many years, I just assumed the C stood for Converse, another side of the family.  So that is a lead to pursue.  It also shows me how much I don't know.

Catherine Whaley Drake -- Who Your Daddy?

So if Catherine Whaley and Amos Stout Drake did not live in the same community, how did they hook up?

It's important that we remind ourselves how different things were back in 1820.  There were no cars and no trains.  If you wanted to go anywhere, you walked.  The average man walked 3 mph.  During a 10 hour day, maximum mileage would have been 30 miles.  I think it would be safer to figure 20 miles.  These people weren't walking on track, sidewalk or road.

If you were a farmer, you might have access to a horse.  The average horse walks around 4 mph, but the trot around 8 mph and canter at 10-17 mph.  There's a good chance that a rider would trot and canter the horse periodically, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to think that someone could travel 30-40 miles in a 10 hour day.  But would a person travel all that way on horseback just to court?  Maybe someone was taking a wagon full of wheat to be milled or hides to trade.  A horse pulling a wagon is good for 15-25 miles a day.

So what was in Cato or Spafford or Marcellus that wasn't available in Lyons?  I haven't tangled with that part of the research yet.  I'm hoping there will be a clue.

So I've already gone of the whys and wherefores concerning John P Whaley and why I'm ruling him out as a potential father for Catherine Whaley?  Just a reminder, in 1820 he's living in an 8 person household with 3 boys under 10 and 3 girls under 10.  I am betting that the mom -- the female in the right age bracket is the mom and Katherine wouldn't have been old enough to have all those kids.  She was about 21 in 1820.

I'm getting frustrated.  Maybe Catherine isn't even real.  But wait, my information from a county history of Hillsdale, Michigan, tell of Amos Stout Drake and his wife, Catherine... she was real.  But who was she?  Back to the drawing board.

There is a Charles Whaley who is living in Spafford, Onondaga, New York at the right time.  I've tracked him down in other family trees and he has a Thankful Whaley as a daughter -- who is in my Mallison Line, but no Catherine.

In the 1820 United States Federal Census, I've found a gentleman named Joseph Whaley.  Actually he's listed as Joseph Wherry of Marcellus, Onondaga, New York.  Going all the way in to review the actual document, I find that "Wherry" is actually "Whaley."  There was a serious problem with transcribing it, I guess.  Let that be a lesson and a reminder -- don't always take the "printer friendly" or the transcription determine where your research goes.  Further research shows that Joseph (Wherry) Whaley and a female living in the house who would be of the right age, with 2 people being old enough to be her parents.  Marcellus, New York is 42.86 miles from Lyons.

Something else to consider, the 1830 US Census has Amos Stout Drake living with a wife and family in Rose, New York.  Rose is 12.5 miles from Lyons.  I need to see how Amos's neighbors were.  Could they have settled nearer her family?  There was one son and one daughter in the household as well, both under 10 in 1820.  Even ten years later, a young teenage boy and teenage girl probably wouldn't have bee much help on a farm.

More later.  Right now I'm managing to confuse myself.

Catherine Whaley Drake -- Where the Hell are You?

I think I'm losing my damn mind.

Today I woke up determined to prove one way or the other, which Catherine Whaley is mine, which you probably know is hard to do since she was born in 1799 and they didn't name children and other family members in the US Federal Census until 1840.  But I was loaded with theories and two other questions.  First question:  There is a David Whaley, born in 1903 and died in Hillsdale County, Michigan.  He was married to Hannah Bean.  Could he be a brother of Catherine Whaley?  Question Two:  Way way way over on the Mallison side of the family is a Thankful Whaley, also from New York, born around the same time.  Could she possible be a sister or relative of Catherine Whaley.

First things first:  In the 1850, 1860 and 1870 United States Federal Census, it is recorded that Amos Stout Drake was born in New Jersey and Catherine was born in New York.  Catherine and Amos are older and no longer have a houseful of children.  I bet it was probably Catherine who answered the door when the Census Enumerator came knocking.  I am inclined to believe that Catherine knew where she was born.  So far, so good.

There is a US Federal Census Mortality Schedule for Catherine Drake who has died at age 80 from diphtheria.  Her husband Amos preceded her.  I believe that I have seen a death certificate that names Mary P Drake as the reporter of her death, but that information is not listed in the Schedule.  The schedule does say the she was born in Rhode Island and that her dad was born in New Jersey and her mother in New York.  I need to see if there were any Whaleys living around the Piscataway, New Jersey area, which is where all the Drakes are from.  My point is that Mary P Drake was John Stout Drake's third wife and I don't think the family liked her very much.  There are more than a few things that she messed up on the census.  I believe that Catherine Whaley knew best about where she was born. So I am picking NY state.

The 1820 United State Federal Census shows 388 Whaleys in the entire census.  Out of those 388, there are 50 in the State of New York that I felt had potential.  Why 1820?  Because Catherine was born in NY State in 1799 and was married to Amos Stout Drake in New York, and Amos Stout Drake was supposedly born in NY although there is a little evidence that he may have been born in NJ.  Be that as it may, I searched through all 50 of the Whaleys looking for a free female living in the place of the head of household. I had to make sure that the 21 year old female was NOT the wife of the head of the house.  That left me with 16 options.

Back in 1820, how much does distance come into play?  Where did young people go to meet and marry?  Did they do a lot of traveling and socializing?  Maybe if you lived in a town, but the Drake boys were usually farmers.  How far is too far?  Why would they be traveling away from there town.  If Amos and Catherine weren't from the same town -- which i don't think they were -- why would Amos travel to Catherine's town or why did Catherine travel to his?  Trading post?  Weddings?  Church?  But before I get into all that, I need to double check and make sure that Amos Stout Drake was living where he should be.

Amos Stout Drake's pa is William Drake.  There is a William Drake living in Ontario, Ontario, New York but he seems to be a young married with a wife, 3 sons under 10 and 3 daughters under 10.  But there is also a William Drake in Lyons, Ontario, New York that have one so the right age and themselves.  I'm pretty sure this is My Family.  Amos was the last son and it makes sense that he would still be living with his folks.

There is a Whaley family in Cato, New York that has a daughter the right age for Catherine.  Cato is approximately 30 miles from Lyons.  Other towns with free females the right age;  Spafford (51 miles away), Marcellus (43 miles away), Fabius (78 miles away), Camden (92 miles away) and Verona (85 miles away).  Right now I'm not looking as far as Queens, New York.

Amos Stout Drake in the Book The Bean Creek Valley ...

First:  I wish I could buy every book I ever wanted regarding my Family Tree as well as all the states and places the lived, as well as books about events that happened in their lifetimes.  Now, the library is  mighty good at providing many of the history books, and the Fort Myers main library, has a pretty awesome genealogical section.  However,  it doesn't have the book The Bean Creek Valley: Incidents of Its Early Settlement: Collected from the Memories of Its Earliest Settlers, Now Living and Verified by Reference to Official Documents by James J Hogaboam.

And since I'm not a multimillion area, I wish it was possible to print that one page from a book that mentions my ancestor  from Google books.  I still haven't figured that out and if there is, indeed, a way, then someone please email me.  Instead, determined to have the information, I will right it down long hand.

Here is an excerpt from the above mentioned book by James J Hogaboam.

Page 129:

"Only the eastern part of the township comes within the scope of our undertaking.  Amos S. Drake settled in town nine South, two west, in December, 1838, but the town settled quite rapidly.

"In February, 1839, Sarah N. Drake died; her funeral sermon was preached by Elder Stout, who, at the time, lived in the vicinity of Bird Lake.  It was the first sermon preached in that town.

"In December, the same year, Samuel Carl and Jane Drake were married by Mr. Fowler, of Camden."

"When Rowland was organized, town nine south was attached, and shared in all the mutations that township endured.

"In 1850, all that part of towns nine south, ranges two and three west, lying within the state of Michigan, and one tier of sections off the south side of town eight south, ranges two and three west, were organized into a new township and called Amboy.  Nearly all the improvements have been made since that time.

"The grist mill owned by Waldron & Hall, was built about thirty years ago, but there was a saw-mill there several years earlier.  Besides this, there is the Higby & Osborn Mill, the Manly or Lewis Mill, and the Bryan Mill.  There has been a Chilson Mill, but it has ceased to work.

"There are two churches, the Baptist and the Methodist, and both have neat and commodious houses.

"The first township meeting was held on 23rd day of April 1850, at the house of Amos Drake.  John King was moderator, and Gideon G King, clerk.  Amos S Drake and John P Corey were inspectors of the election.  Officers elected:  Nathan Dewey, Supervisor: Gideon G King, Clerk; Charles Clark, treasurer.  Nathan Edlinger, John King and Charles S Baker, justices of the peace; Henry Prestage, John Goforth and Gideon F. King, commissioners of highways; Charles Farley and William Drake, school inspectors; Amos S Drake and John King, directors of the poor, and Joseph Philbrick, Charles H Barton and Paden Marshall, constables.

 This book is also for sale at Amazon.com in various forms.  It's on my wish list!

Dennis E Austin Writes Home Toledo June 21st 93

Dennis E Austin wrote home every once in a while, which says something about a grown ass man living far from his family.  It also says a lot about his family who has saved these letters for over a hundred years.  It's not like he was famous or anything like that, just a well loved son.

Toledo, Jun 21st 93

My Dear Parents Bro& Sister

I rec'd the postal asking where I was at.  Well I am ashamed of it but it is work and sleep.  I am afraid I sleep too much, but it is so hot the sleep I get don't do me much good. Still I am just as fat as ever.  I wish you could see my new fishing rig it is a beauty.  I shall be over in August to Try it.  It hardly seems as if I could wait until then, but I suppose I will be obliged to.

What nice growing weather this is.  How are all the crops looking?  I just feel as if I could lay under an apple tree for about three days with out sleep or eating.  Well suppose you are all just as jaded only you have good sleep and 8 or 9 hours at one time.  How did Claud enjoy himself when he was down.  Griff is down the week.  we have some new curtains.  I got Min a nice guitar.  And next week she will have an organ for her birthday present.  Well I am getting along quite well for a greenhorn.  I had a little bad luck last saturday night.  I was nearly into Marshall it was very Foggy I felt a little jar.  we ran into and Extra that had Broken tow and that not sending a man back far enough puts all the blame on them  I was sorry too for it smashed my engine and their caboose very badly.  no one was hurt I was very glad of that.  My head man and the eng & fireboy all jumped 

I shall not wait so long before writing again, I think I shall go to a lake sunday well I will close for this time Hoping you hear good letters full of everything coming our way I am as ever

Your Son & Bro

D Austin

American Popular Culture Through History

I tell you, for someone that loves history, I sure didn't like history.  At least not the way that it was taught at South Junior High and Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  It was just dates.  The only thing I really remember was how painfully bored I was. I hold Miss Anna Bodine who taught -- droned -- through a year of US History at Norrix responsible.  I know that there are some excellent history teachers out there, my brother Dob Drake being one of them.  But maybe, if the substandard teachers were held accountable, they might have tried a little harder. 

When I am working on my family tree, I really like to submerse myself and try to figure out where they all fit in time.  I want to be able to see it.  For example, my Drakes moved from Piscataway, New Jersey to upstate New York in 1800.  Not the 1800s, but the year 1800.  I have no idea what it must have felt like to push inland, leaving family and friends.  Sad yes, but we were capitalizing on the opportunity brought on by the distribution of the war lands.  What were they wearing back in those days, eating, dating customs?  I know that the Drakes lived with the Stouts, that they traveled from NJ to NY and then on to Michigan.  There are many many Drakes in the Stout family trees and vice versa.

One way I get a taste, something that pulls me closer to my ancestors -- those long ago and also my mom and dad who have been dead for many many years is to read random history books.  I recently stumbled on a series called:   American Popular Culture Through History. The series contains books entitled:

• The 1900s
• The 1910s
• The 1920s
• The 1930s
• The 1940s
• The 1950s
• The 1960s
• The 1970s
• The 1980s
• The 1990s
• The 2000s
• The Revolutionary War Era
• The New Nation 1783 - 1810
• The Antebellum Period
• The Civil War and Reconstruction
• The Gilded Age

At the moment I am reading The 1920s:

Ive also gone ahead and ordered the 1900s.  They aren't cheap, but you should try to get them from your library.  Inside American Popular Culture Through History: 1920s you'll find chapters like Life and Youth during the 1920s, advertising, architecture and Design, Fashion, food and drink, leisure activities, literature, music, performing arts, travel and recreation, visual arts, the costs of products in the 1920s.  Twelve bars of Ivory Soap could be had for 49 cents.  And you'll note that I had to write out "cents" because the computer keyboard doesn't have a cent sign.  I wonder if the kids today, even knows what a cent sign looks like.  A Steinway grand piano cost $1425, a Rolls Royce $10,900.  Pork chops were 36 cents a pound, bread was 12 cents a loaf. 

Of course this may mean nothing to you, but myself and my friends were all children of children who lived through the depression.  Practically every one's dad had gone to war.  Our moms worked outside the home until they were married.  They still worked, but only until the first baby came along.  Then they stayed at home until the youngest started kindergarten and they went back to work, but only during school hours.  I remember 19 cent gas and 25 cent cigarettes.  Hell, I actually remember BUYING Marlboros for my dad when I was 7 years old.  Of course, he'd written a note to the gas station attendant that it was okay for me to buy them. 

Studying these different eras help me understand my roots a little better.

A side note:  on the cover of 1920s are some flapper girls flirting with the camera.  On the cover of the 1980s is Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs.  Some of you will remember Miami Vice like it was yesterday.  Some of you will wonder who they were.  It's all relative.

Don Dee Drake of Michigan 1896 - 1967

Don Dee Drake was born 22 Jun 1896 in Springport, Michigan and died 14 Jun 1967, about one month after my dad (his son died).  He was the son of Allison Royce Drake and Jane Meyers Drake.  He was one of 4 children: Hattie, Lucia and Royce Allison were his other siblings.  He had 4 children:  Martha Jane, Donald Duane (my dad) and Jack Scovill with his first wife, Ruth Henrietta Scovill Drake.  When she died, he remarried Ellen Fitzgerald.  She had a son, Dave, and then another son with Don Dee, named Richard.

I wasn't a fan of Ellen Fitgerald AT ALL.  My dad never spoke ill of her, but he had a pretty miserable childhood on account of her.  And I didn't care much for me Grandpa Drake either.  Come to think of it, we called my mom's dad, Cleo Mallison Hughes Grandpa and the other one Grandpa Drake.  Hmmmm.  I wonder if that's significant?

It seemed like he was always questioning us about why we weren't as smart, athletic, popular etc. as "The Cousins."  He and Ellen Fitzgerald used to give expensive gifts, but it was always something that they thought you should have, not something that you actually wanted.  In 1967 all I wanted was a baseball mitt.  Instead I got a pink and white linen gingham dress that had about 4 yards of fabric in the skirt, with a big sash and pink heart buttons up the front of the bodice.  Can you imagine how awful that would look on a skinny girl with stork legs, scabby knees, 30 pounds of hair AND cordovan colored high top corrective shoes?  Please.

But as I learn more about the family, I'm thinking that maybe Don Dee Drake did the best he could with what he knew.  I had a relative tell me that Allison Royce Drake liked to drink.  Seems to be a trait that all us Drakes have.  But Allison was a mean drunk.  A mean drunk usually translates to "knocking your family around" or saying terrible things.  That's just my experience.

The 1910 United States Census has the last of the Drake Family spread across three locations.  Lucia had married Frank Converse and Hattie had married Dana Fuller.  My Grandpa Drake is 13 years old and Royce is 6.  They are living in a boarding house in Charlotte Ward 4, Eaton, Michigan.  Their dad is living in Woodstock, Lenawee, Michigan in a boarding house, doing odd jobs.  He's 51 and "single."  Remember that.

Jane Myers Drake is living in Charlotte Ward 4, Eaton, Michigan.  She is a roomer at another house.  Maybe she was a housekeeper.  She is "M1" which I believe means "Married Once."  I wondered what the hell happened in this family?  When I pulled up a map, I discovered that while they might not be living together, Jane Myers Drake lived right around the corner from her two boys.  Allison was a substantial distance away.

Years later, after his wife Ruth Scovill Drake died, all three of his children -- Martha Jane, my dad Donald Duane Drake and brother Jack Scovill, were sent to live with Ruth's folks.  And they were pretty old.  They had a boarding house -- geez, what is it with this family and boarding houses?  But it couldn't have been too bad as my dad learned to speak German and polish which would help him in his Army years, and he had some real funny stories about that time in his life.

But still -- I could never, NEVER farm my kids out.  Who would do something like that to his children.  Especially when you've got your other kid and step son living with you.  And your newer younger wife isn't working.  It just set wrong with me.

So this morning, I ran a google map to see where Grandpa Drake was living in 1940.  324 W. Forest, Ypsilanti, Michigan.  Pretty nice house, right?

 

It's apartments now, and for all I know it could have been apartments back in 1940.  And right around the corner, practically was where my dad and his siblings were living.  It would have to be difficult to live that close to your dead wife's parents with your new young wife and kids, don't you think?  

But here's the picture that kind of changed my mind about my Grandpa Drake:

 

On the bottom of the picture it's written:  Don and Royce and Brownie.
On the back:  Don Drake Age 10
                     Bill Drake Age 3
                 To be Duane's

Duane is the name that everybody in the family called my dad.  Except my mom.  She called him Don.  All his friends and fellow coaches called him Dobbie.  Which is also what they called my Grandpa Drake -- which another story for another post.  And Bill was what everybody called Allison Royce Drake.  When referring to him, we all say Uncle Bill.  Bill was the nickname that Lucia's husband, Frank Converse gave him. 

But here's the deal -- this is what I gather from this pix:  Don is definitely not starving, but his weight could mean that he is eating a diet of starches.  Or he could be a stress eater.  It doesn't look like he's in a suit suit, but a jacket and pants.  And really could the faces on these boys be any sadder?

So, while Grandpa Drake wasn't the best dad in town, he probably did the best he could do with what he knew.

 

A Drake By Any Other Name:

So here's a bit of info from Ancestry.com:

"English: from the Old English by name Draca, meaning ‘snake’ or ‘dragon’, Middle English Drake, or sometimes from the Old Norse cognate Draki. Both are common surnames and, less frequently, personal names. Both the Old English and the Old Norse forms are from Latin draco ‘snake’, ‘monster’ (see Dragon).  As in Draco Mallfoy.

That seems to be the general consensus.

But then it gets a little crazy:  i have found some definitions that say that if someone had the nickname of Drake, that person would be "formidable and fierce in battle."

And I've found several locations that state that Drake came from the word Draker  which is a standard bearer.  In other words the guy that holds the flag.  Not a desirable position to be in during battle, I would think.

And then there is Draco which supposedly means dragon and a drake that is a male mallard duck.  I think our Drake men would prefer that they are named for fearless, ferocious dragons, rather than for a duck.  Because we waddle like ducks?  Because we are constantly quacking.  Or maybe it's a compliment, that we have nice tail feathers!

Other ways I have seen Drake spelled:  Drak (like Quack), Draike, Draik and Drayke.

There are a lot of Drake Family Crests, but all of them pretty much have a dragon on them.  This is my favorite:

A Family Treasure

I have in my possession a little book called:  Select Remains of the Rev. John Mason, M.A. It is very old.  Its cover is embossed linen? and the pages are yellowed and stained and has been nibbled on more critters that I care to think about.  I never paid much attention to it until recently.

I have learned some very important facts and have made some educated guesses.  Such as, I always wondered if the Moores were Catholic.  Mom and Dad came from Ireland.  However this is not a Catholic text and obviously it was very important to the family, so I'm thinking that the Moores were just a big farming family and not Catholic.

On the inside of the book, Libbie Moore has written her name everywhere:  Miss Libbie Moore's Book, Michigan.  And Miss Libbie Moore's book, Brooklyn, Michigan.  And at the top of that first page, Miss Libbie Moore, Born Sept 12/47.  So what have we learned?  I now have Miss Libbie Moore's birth date as well as where she lived.  At the bottom of the page in pencil, it is written:  From Mother to Claude my Dear Boy 1922.

On the fly leaf it is written:  Miss Libbie Moore's Book, Brooklyn, Norvelle, Mich and below that is the date 1857 which doesn't seem to be connected to anything.  At the bottom of the page is written:  To Illda from Gramma.

We then come to another page that says:  Miss Libbie Moore's Book, Brooklyn, Michigan  from her father James Moore born Dec 11/1800.  Hello!

Then comes my favorite page.  I looks like my great grandfather was learning to print his name.  He has written D - E - N - N - I - S, all in capitals, with both Ns and the S backwards.  I wonder if his ma gave him hell for writing in her book, although apparently it's okay.

So far, I have found no hiding writing in the book itself, but I'll admit that I haven't turned every page.  On one of the pages in the back this is written:  Aunt Susan English died Oct. 13th, 1861 on Sunday at 3 1/2 oclock.  I wrote this one week from her death and I was there when she died.  Oct 20th, 1861.  Libbie L. Moore, Libbie Moore.

Neva C Austin

Things I really hate:

Finding the right person, with the right dates, with the right locations with the wrong parents.

Take Neva C Austin.  I have postcards from Neva to her granny Elizabeth Moore Austin.  I have her living in Cambridge, Lenawee, Michigan and Jackson, Michigan.  She died in Brooklyn, Michigan.  Neva would have been my granny Illda Martha Austin Hughes' cousin.  And she married Leland Brighton.

Her dad is Claude Austin, aka Claud Austin, aka Claudie Austin.  And her ma is Katherine Austin.  I'm still doing research, but I believe Katherine's maiden name was Wallace.  I also have Katherine spelled with a C in a few federal census.  I've got Neva all over the place, but none with the correct info for both parents.  Neva had a sister named June who has vanished without a trace.  The last time a relative did that I eventually found him living in Utah with 3 wives.

Here's a pix of Neva with her dog, Jack.  It was sent to her granny Libbie Moore.

Here's a  picture of Illda Martha Austin.  I believe it is post 1912 and pre 1915.  I think the two girls look alike considering Neva is about 6 and Illda is probably around 16 or 17.

A Name is a Name is a Name

One of the things I have struggled with was why in the hell did my family only use about 10 different names for generation after generation after generation.  Were we really that unoriginal?  It's really difficult to keep my people straight in my head.  So I did a little research on surnames and naming patterns. I am not talking about surnames -- the last name that identifies us to a family group, but our first names or given names, the names given to us at birth.  I can understand a little now of how the names came into my immediate family.

My brother is Donald Duane Drake Jr.  My dad's name, of course, was Donald Duane Drake -- and everybody in the family, but my mother called him Duane.  My dad's dad's name was Donald Dee Drake.  My brother being named after my Dad and hence his dad -- the Donald was already taken when the second male grandchild came around.  He was named Dee or our grandfather's middle name.

My name is Martha Ellen.  My mom's mom was Illda Martha, her mom Minnie Martha and HER Mom was Martha.  But also, my dad's sister was Martha Jane and he loved her more than anyone on the planet.  I'm pretty sure I was named Martha to honor her and it was just luck that Martha was also my mom's mom's middle name.  I still don't know about the Ellen part of my name.  My dad's step mother's name was Ellen and I don't think he cared much for her at all.  Maybe Ellen just sounded good with Martha.

Anyways -- I've done a little research on naming practices and I came across "The Old Jones Naming Pattern."  According to Charlotte West Dade on her blog here:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/31-X-60-James-Thompson-Duck-Canvas-Cloth-Fabric-BROWN-NUTMEG-100-Cotton-/171020477861?pt=US_Fabric&hash=item27d19d65a5 The Old Jones Naming Pattern is also referred to as an American Naming Pattern.  It goes as follows:

THE BOYS:

The first son is named after the father's father

The second son is named after the mother's father.

The third son is named after the father himself.

The fourth through to the last son is named after a favorite brother or a friend (usually of the father). 

THE GIRLS:

The first daughter is named after the mother's mother.

The second daughter is named after the father's mother.

The third daughter is named after the mother herself.

The fourth through the last daughter is named after a favorite sister or friend (usually of the mother's).

And my own children?  My husband came home from the service and said that he loved the name Jessica and that he would name his first Jessica.  After making sure there were no ex-girlfriends named Jessica I agreed, even though I wanted a Maggie or a Courtney.  Jessica Margaret just never sounded right, but the more I said Jessica Courtney the more I liked it.  Nicole was named after my best friend.  Nicki is a cute name but I thought about "Nicki" for a 70 year old dowager and went with Nicole instead.  Lea (pronounced Lee-ah) fit well with it and while she's never been Nicki in this house, she has been NicoLea and Cole.  And sometimes Colby.  One time a boy soccer player asked me why I named my daughter after cheese.  John Jacob?  John for his dad and granddad (the bastard).  Jacob was a friend of the family.  My younger brother married his daughter.  Jacob was a good man to my family after my mom died.  We did it to honor him.  Before we settled on Jacob I double checked with Mike Drake if he wanted to use Jacob as a name if he ever had a son.  Apparently Jake Drake was never an option.

Illda Martha Austin Hughes and the Rhubarb Bars

My granny Illda Austin Hughes was a good cook, a plain cook, but a good cook.  But there were two things she made better than anyone.

First:  that girl could fry some fish.  When we would go fishing at Moose Lake or Bond Fall Flowage, we'd come home with a tub of fish.  Mostly Blue Gill, perch and sunfish.  The men/boys would take them out to the picnic table in the backyard and clean them.  Some of them were still moving.  And we skin fish in this family.  We do not take the lazy way out and scale them.  Perfect white pieces of fish from very cold lakes.

Illda would stand at the stove with two big cast iron pans and a little oil and cook fish as fast as we could eat them.  I never paid much attention to what she was doing or how she did it, but I think she battered them.  Light, perfectly golden triangles of blistering hot fish.  Usually there was a plate of bread in case some one choked, but I don't remember anything else for a meal.

After all the fish was devoured, and the plates stacked in the sink, and the bowls of fish bones out to the trash, Illda would bring out the pan of Rhubarb Bars.  My dad would groan and loosen his belt.

The Rhubarb bars were the other item Illda owned.  I thought maybe it was just my dad, but the first time my boyfriend tried them he went crazy as well and nobody else hardly got a bite.

I recently found my copy of the recipe that Illda gave me when I got married.  I married that boy who had gone crazy over her Rhubarb Bars.  Illda and Cleo never threw anything away as evident that the recipe is written on a page of a calender from 1975.

Translation:

Rhubarb Bars

• 3 cups cut rhurbarb
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix cornstarch and sugar and add to rest of ingredients and cook until thick.

Bars:

• 1 1/2 cup fine oatmeal
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup shortening, 1/2 butter
• 1/2 cup walnuts finely cut
• 1 teaspoon soda (I am presuming baking soda)

Mix together until crumbly.  Pat 3/4 mix into a 1 x 13 pan.  Pour on cooked rhubarb and cover with remaining mixture.

Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes.

For Love

I finally have all the documents in order to draw my conclusion to the Cleo Mallison Hughes and Illda Martha Austin debacle.

A baby girl was born to Dennis E Austin and Minnie (maiden name Daniels) Austin on 15 Mar 1895.  They had not named the baby yet.  Dennis and Minnie only had one baby which they eventually named Illda Martha Austin.  The Illda came from a Russian novel that Minnie was reading at the time and I'm pretty sure the Martha was Minnie's mom.  The baby was born in Toledo, Ohio.  Illda was born in Toledo, Ohio.  Granny Illda's birthday was 15th of March.  I feel it is safe to say that Illda, my grandmother was that unnamed child of Dennis and Minnie Austin.

I have in my possession 2 birth certificates or record of birth for my grandfather Cleo Mallison Hughes.  The record number is 181 on page 158in the County of Branch Michigan.  Earl Linn, the Clerk of Branch County, Michigan says that Cleo Mallison Hughes was born or 28 March, 1903.  His parents were Alfred J. Hughes of Coldwater City, Michigan, and Ella E Hughes of 1st Ward.  Alfred J Hughes was born in New York and was a carpenter by trade.  Ella was born in Michigan.  The date of record is May 14, 1904.

Now here comes the fun.

I have here in front of me the marriage license:

Up in the right hand corner, you can see the date is 1920.

Now here's a close up of the pertinent information:

Cleo claims that at the time of this license he is 21 years old.

Now Cleo was born in 1903.  Hmmmm.  According to my math, in 1920 Cleo would have been 17 years old.  I do believe 17 was too young to get married without your parents permission.

Illda claims to be 22 -- only one year older than her intended.  Illda was born in 1895.  In 1920 she would have been 25 years old.

I'm pretty sure that Cleo might not have known how old Illda was, but you can sure as hell bet that Illda knew that Cleo wasn't 21.

I wonder what old Ella Mallison Hughes thought when her baby boy brought home a 25 year old bride?  Of course, Ella made some questionable decisons herself.

Here is a picture of Cleo Mallison Hughes.  There is no date on it but I reckon he's around 15 or 16.

I think I look like him.  I grew up thinking that I was his favorite grandchild.  Maybe it's because we shared a face.

And here's a trio of shots of Illda Martha Austin.  I can't get it any lighter.  I'm guess she is around 11 as there is now date.

Every Once in a While It All Comes Together

So let me tell you what I've been struggling with:

It all started with a letter, this letter.  Again, I transcribed it exactly as it is written, which is with no punctuation and bad spelling

Brooklyn Mich

Jan 3 1932

Dear Illdah

I am going to write you a few lines and tell you about Grandma as I carried your letter and box to her tonight.  I knew from the sound of your letter you do not no the conditions Grandma has been failing all summer she was taken with a bad cold about a month ago which finely ended in bronchitis and she was taken down in bed about two weeks before Xmas and was very sick she is better of that but is in a very weakened condition and her mind is is weakening planely saying I don't think she will ever get over this unless there is a change for the better soon I don't think she will last over 2 or 3 weeks.  I maybe mistaken she has a strong constitution but she is an old lady and I could see she had failed since I was over there a few days ago.  Uncle Claude goes to work at 12 and works until 11 at night before he getts home.  Aunt Kate works in Jackson all the time but Grandma has a wonderful nurse and has the best of care night and day this lived with me 11 mo and helped me care for my sick folks and I no she is wonderful.  Grandma tried to taste of your fruit but it was hard work I don't mean to frighten you I am only telling you my opinion of her and that is I don't think she will ever get well and she is determined that she isn't going to and that don't help matters any I was glad you wrote her for she was anxious to hear from you well I guess this is all for this time

Yours Truly

Jennie A M???s

So while I'm trying to extract data, this is my reasoning:  first Illda is spelled wrong.  I'm thinking that by 1932 most of the kids in America have gotten a little education, but even with a limited amount of learning, one usually gets the spelling of family names correct.  Right?  Then she says, "...tell you about Grandma..."  not YOUR grandma.  But grandma, like that is how she thinks of Elizabeth Moore.  Then she refers to Elizabeth Moore's son as Uncle Kate.  Since Elizabeth Moore and Leman Austin had three children, that would make Jennie a daughter of Dennis and Minnie (which she's not as they only had Illda) or Wilbur and ????

Jennie who wrote this letter had handwriting that looks mature to me, perhaps late 20's or early '30s.

Claud and Kate had 2 daughters: Neva and June.  But they wouldn't refer to Claud as uncle.

So this is a new mystery for me to obsess about.  

Illda Martha Austin

I haven't started working on this old gal yet.  I'm still trying to track down Dennis Austin's brothers, Wilbur and Claudie. Besides, there is only so much writing that you can do when you don't know anything.  Besides Wilbur and Claudie, I will be doing a little research on Fred Smith, who was an evangelist.  Dennis Austin became pretty serious about religion due to this guy. 

But today I'm laying down information on Illda Martha Austin.

This is what I know:

Illda Martha Austin was born on 15 March 1895 in Toledo, Ohio.  She died 14 November 1985 in N Fort Myers Florida. 

She was the only child of Dennis Austin and Minnie Daniels Austin.  They had been married quite a few years when Illda came along.  She was the only child. 

She once told me that she only went to school for one day and that it tramatized her so badly, her mom didn't make her go back.  When she decided to go to nursing school, they nursing board informed her that she had to have at least an 8th grade education.  So she went back to school and got her certificate in about 6 months. 

Before the nursing, she trained under her mother as a milliner. 

I remember my grandmother.  She actually lived with me for about a year after Cleo died.  She loved to hunt but most of all, she loved to fish.  She was a decent cook, could fry fish like nobody's business and had a knack for sweets.  She always had a horned toad as a pet -- even as a granny.  I guess it reminded her of her years spent in Texas.  She was a gardener of flowers and vegetables and ran Hughes Market with Cleo for 40 years.  She liked to play cards and play games.

From now on, when I remember a story that she told me I'm going to put it down here.  She told me that she was a nurse at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  I need to do some research and find out if that was a Catholic hospital.  Anyways, while she was there, a woman gave birth to a 14 pound baby boy and then the women died.  Illda told me that they nurses hid that baby in and around the hospital until the child was 6 years old.  I thought that sounded pretty terrible and she said that that child had 14 mothers who loved and adored him.  She never said what happened to him.

Here is my transcription of a letter that Illda wrote to her Grandmother Elizabeth Austin and Grandfather Leman Austin.  The spelling and punctuation is exactly as written, but I did take the liberty of breaking it into paragraphs.

Denver Colo.,

          Saturday night

          My dear grandparents:

Both your letter and card rec'd today.  And I thank you so much for the rembrances.  But Grandma why did you do it?  You had already given me my birthday gift.  But never mind I will put it with my fund. 

I have something to tell you. Guess.  I told you the undertakers were after me.  So I gave them Mr. Wood's address + told them to try him just once more.  + if they couldn't get any satisfaction to let me know + I would take care of it.  So yesterday didn't Opal my step sister, call me up and say she had just rec'd a letter from her father, saying to tell me not to pay one cent as he was coming + would settle as soon as it gets warm.  Well between you + I dears it can't get hot any too quick to suit me.  I surely hop he (paper torn) But it's almost the same old story over every time. 

So here are my plans as I have made them.  Save every cent I can.  Stay here till he does something.  If he fails I can just hand them over the money and come.  If he pays it I can use the money to come on.  A girl has no show against a man of that kind.  And I haven't seen him for most a year + a half.  We never know where he is. (Page torn) Denver is headquarters for him.  He has plenty of money to travel all over the globe. But not enough for this. 

Did I tell you Edna Kelly was very ill + is still.  Organic Heart Trouble.  They don't expect her to live.  And she wanted me to come so badly.  Now she is better + so I've promised to stop over a couple of days on my way home to you.  My only real home now. 

And Grandma I am so sorry about that awful indigestion.  Have you (paper torn) tried "Pape's Dapepsins"?  They are splendid.  We were never without them.  And one night last winter Mamma had an acute attack + all we could get from the drug store was "Bellans".  Well they stopped the pain + relieved her of all that awful gas.  They are a compound of charcoal + pepsin.  They help me, too.  And now do be careful + not over do it.  When I come I will do it all the (paper torn)  You and Grandpa are just to rest and give me your orders.  I just love to work + it will be such a change.  Only I must hurry and get a job, pretty soon after I get there, because when I get there I won't have a cent left.  Grandma thank you so much for those stamps.  No, I won't send anything back.  But sometimes I put stamps + on envelope + forget + send it away + that you had done so, too.

I think that's lovely of you to offer me my ticket to come + I appreciate it even if I don't act like it.  But you can see that isn't whats keeping me.  Never mind.  I've got a hunch that it won't be  much longer.

This is the end of the letter.  On the top of the last page, there was a sentence or two that was ripped through.  The only thing legible is the signature, which Illda signed as Dennie's Girl -- which is what I believe her gran called her.  

Again with the Dennis Austin

So I'm spending most of the day trying to get myself organized.  Do you know it was a lot easier keeping ones records organized before the advent of computers.

I an gradually getting the family letters transcribed.  I pour over each and every one of them trying to extract any little tidbit of information.  This one mentions "Griff" who I'm pretty sure is a first cousin.  The date is June 21 93 which would have been before Illda was born. 

Just to remind you, I did the transcribing.   I corrected no spellings or punctuations.  I only broke the letter into paragraphs for easier reading.

Toledo June 21^st  93

My dear Parents bro + sister

I rec’d the postal asking why I wasn’t well I am ashamed of it but it is work and sleep.  I am afraid two sleep too much, but it is so hot the sleep I get don’t do me very much good.  Still I am just as fat as ever.  I wish you could see my new fishing rig.  It is a beauty.  I shall be over in August to try it.  It hardly seems as if I could wait until then but I suppose I’ll be obliged to.

What nice weather this is.  How are all the crops looking?  I just feel I could lay under an apple tree for about three days without sleep or eating.  Well suppose you all are just as jaded only you have good sleep and 8 or 9 hours at one time.

How did Claud enjoy himself when he was down?  Griff is down this week.  We have some new curtains.  I got Min a nice guitar and next week she will have an organ for a birthday present. 

Well I am getting along quite well for a green horne.  I had a little bad luck last Saturday night.  I was nearly into Marshall.  It was very foggy.  I felt a little jar.  We had run into an extra that had broken tow and that not sending a man back far enough puts all the blame on them.  I was sorry too for it smashed my engine and their caboose very badly.  No one  was hurt.  I was very glad of that.  My head man and eng’r + fireboy all jumped.

I shall not wait before writing again.  I think I shall go to a lake Sunday.

Well I shall close for this time.

Hoping you hear good ______ full of everything coming your way.  I am ever your son and bro

D Austin

Dennis E Austin

Still working on my great grandfather, Dennis E Austin.  When I first started doing family tree research, all I basically had was my grandmother's name Illda Martha Austin  and a large envelop full of letters.  It was the letters and the little bits I gleaned from them that sent me on my way.  When I was trying to figure out which Dennis Austin was mine, this letter was the one that determined it.  Claudie is Dennis younger brother.  Just a brief mention, but it's there.  Again, I transcribed the letter myself and didn't correct any spelling or punctuation.  I did break it into paragraphs for easier reading.

11 am Sunday June 19-10

My Dear Parents:

We rec’d your Dear letter + was so glad to hear you were both well.  I am sorry you are feeling so blue though Mother. And for your own sakes you should try and throw it off.  For don’t you know anytime you can’t live in old Mich in comfort – you still have a home and care coming in the only Houston Tex.  Now please don’t forget that while I live you will always find me ready to make this good too. 

I expect to buy two more lots soon + if on any of the 6 vacant lots you would like to have a garden the whole year round with a cow and chickens + fruit why I guess we could find a chance to put up a nice cozy 4 room + bath cottage + you won’t need to have the blues at all for I am by myself I could make a painter out of Father I know.  With your chickens eggs + milk @ 10 cents per quart + garden I don’t believe you would ever feel but what you had plenty.  I can’t imagine what the matter can be up there for I feel that Claudie should be all that three boys would be to you located right next door as it seems to me when I feel how far away I am.  I am going to write him today although he has not answered my last letter + I don’t want to wait any longer.  I shall take it myself to talk to him just as an older Bro has a right for I know that he little appreciates the natural responsibility that is his + would be mine were I located so near you.

I have never asked you nor have you told me our your deal in the place where he lives + I cannot think he would do anything but right by you, and if it is anything of this nature you must tell me + If I cannot advise I can at least have the chance to help you.   I wish so much I could have a good visit + help you to see the bright side.  I am glad to say that I don’t have the sour stomach I used to have.  I think the climate + being busy all the time that I just work, eat + sleep + don’t think @ all.  I have been rushed some for the last two weeks, but tomorrow I put on another man + get caught up a little.   There is lots of work in sight + now that I am by myself = free to look after it I can make much more than I could with a partner.

I got up this am @ 5 + done my garden work befor the sun got up.  I tore out root and branch 8 hills of cucumbers that were bearing fine.  I bet there was a wash tub full of all sizes on them but I had to take them in ten armfuls + put them around the peach plum + fig trees in the chicken yard, then I took the sickle and went after the tomato vines + I pruned them sure so a little more sun could get in.  I have 8 tree tomatoes that stand up nice + the fruit has a chance to ripen.  All I have to do is drive a stake + tie the stalk to it.

I wish you could come to dinner today.  Roast veal new potatoes green corn sliced tomatoes sliced onions + cucumbers.  Ice tea.  But no pie or cake.

Now I happen to think when is that note due + do you want it renewed with int at 8 per.   Write and let me know in your next letter more about your business affairs  + also if your int with what you raise on the little place keep you.  I don’t know but it seems to me that when I see men with no business ability with the price of $200 lot with a $600 cottage on it + sell the whole thing for from $1500 to $1800 that there are better things than digging.  That’s why I am t???g into lots any time some one wants that particular location.  I will finish paying for them in a lump sum + negotiate a loan with the lumber Co + double my money + get 8 per cent on the bal of purchase price even if one has to hold the lots the int + taxes are not ¼ of what the regular rise in price is.  When $1 a foot is tacked on to them regularly twice a year helps some.  Well I have written a whole lot + said nothing + I must save a little room for the women folks so I will say good bye – try to cheer up.  With best love + kisses to you both I am always your Dennis