Not a lot is known about my great-great grandfather Joseph Lewis Ellis’ brother Stephen.  However, his life and the life of those around him must have been very challenging.   Stephen’s Illness Stephen E. Ellis (Elless) was born August 5, 1841 in Ripley County, Indiana.  He was the fourth child and third son of David and Lucy Ann (Storms) Ellis.  David and Lucy Ann would go on to have 4 more children after Stephen was

My Grandma Nellie (Peelle) McCracken’s cousin Charley D. Farmer disappeared in the late 1890s.  Where did he go?  And, what kept him from coming home? It is a story with a twist that begs even more questions.   Who is Charley Farmer? Charles D. “Charley” Farmer was born in Winchester, Indiana about 1877 to John A. and Evaline (Peelle) Farmer.  He joined sister Indianola “Nola,” who had been born two years prior.   Trego County

Three Generations In 1906, three generations of the Peelle family moved to the Fish farm southeast of Hiatville, Kansas.  The two-story house was nestled amongst elm, pear, maple, and catalpa trees atop a hill a mile north of the Bourbon-Crawford county line.  The 190-acre property included a garden, an orchard, fields, a root cellar, an outhouse, and some out buildings.   Early Photo of the home place. It is clear that one of the early

  I don’t know if my Thomas ancestors lived near the most relatives of any of my family lines or not.  However, according to reports my 3g-grandfather Henry Thomas  (shown above) claimed the family left North Carolina because they were related to too many people there! History It is believed that our Thomas family line descended from Josiah and Ruth (Mitchell) Thomas, although this is not 100% proven.  Henry identified some of his siblings in

  Some recipes call for one egg, some for two, sometimes one instead of two will do.  But, sometimes, one will not do if it calls for one or two. And, trouble can arise when one person thinks one will do instead of two. Helping Out When she was a teenager, my Aunt Ester Lucille (McCracken) Fisher helped out at the Harnett household while Nora Hartnett, my Grandma Nellie (Peelle) McCracken’s cousin, was ill.  Nora