Notes by Claude's daughter Dorothy
Dear Harold Lee
Alan printed out your e-mail for me. The problem with your flood year was it was in 1913 Mar 26. I have two original photos of it labeled then. I expect there have been many floods. Frank and Aunt Lissa Bye shop and home were untaxed because the wat4er frequently came up in it.
The house Grandma and Granpa lived in was just a little west of the bridge exit, I am told. It had a low stone wall with a nice flat top on it; I sat on many times. George, Oris and Reba Tower lived in it during my school days.
Just across the street from the mill and the little gas station used to be there. On main street east side was a Boltz big house on corner a cafe, Pats (Patrick) barbaer shop, drug store, bank, Byes Barber ship, school teachers house and another home on the west side was 2 homes, Howerton Grocery, Watson Grocery and general merchandise, Atz Hardware Store, a one-room building (trustee), Atz big home, 2 or 3 more homes, and a store on the corner (Jay C). Across the street was Dr. Johnson who delivered Pug for $15. and Milltown Bakery.
Dr. Johnson came by buggy to the little log cabin on the home place to deliver me. Mu mother soon got sick (TB of bowel, they said?) and died 4 months later. Daddy took her home to her mother to die. She wanted Aunt Lissa to take me, but she was already pregnant with Darrel and said I belonged with him anyway. He took me back home to his mom and dad who were already aged. Aunt Lissa told me that my Mom said, "Claude don't let anyone mistreat my baby" and he sure didn't. He was a wonderful Dad in lots of ways.
Grandma and Grandpa got $30 a month pension from the Civil War. This we lived on plus garden, chickens, pigs, etc. We always had a cow and one of the calves was mine. I made a pet out of it and it turned on me. She chased me under the corn crib as far in as I could get. After that I carried a club when I went in there. We sold her for $30 and started my bank account.
On summer nights we sat on the porch 'til the house cooled off. I still remember the feel of the overall suspender buttons on my face. Daddy had to do the wash. He got a wooden wash machine that you rocked the handle back and forth to get the things clean and the copper bottom wash boileron the stove.
We got a bath once a week and put on clean underwear (long Johns). If I wet them we put them over a chair to dry and wore them anyway.
I started to school at Liberty View about 5 miles away. a one room school. there were about 30 kids in all 8 grades. There were 12 in ours. At graduation time, me and one other girl (Olive Denton) were the only two that made it. Next year the teacher said it was not worthwhile to make a class for just 2 kids so we all took the 1st grade over again. His name was Claude Fancher. My first was Chester Boss.
Claude was the 10th child of Fancis Marion and Lavinia Ferguson Eddleman
born 1886
died 1962 Nov on the 2nd as I recall
Claude married but his wife died of TB a couple months after the daughter, Dorothy, was born. Claude was running the farm, caring for his parents and daughter.
829D - Notes written by Dorothy, Claude's daughter
more later.
This URL gives more info about Claude and his second family.