In earlier years of our country, the call to serve the country often was given to groups of men in various locations.  Thus, it was not uncommon for neighbors and even family members to serve together.  In this case, two brothers served in the same company.   The Brothers It was September 9, 1861 when William M. Matteer and his younger brother Francis Marien Matteer, brothers of my great-great grandmother Louisiana (Matteer) McCracken, enlisted in

It isn’t unusual for a grandfather to be absent from their grandchildren’s lives.  But, it is rare for a special man to step into his shoes and be adored by his step-grandchildren.   Special Memories After Andrew Johnson McCracken died at age 53 of a heart attack, Andrew and Rosa (Ellis) McCracken’s grandchildren were left without a grandfather.  Although Andrew and Rosa’s youngest child, Ray Eugene McCracken, was only 10 years old, they already had

I never went to a one room school, but I did attend grade school at a very small town school.  Here is a look at some of the one-room schools in southern Bourbon County and northern Crawford County, Kansas.  The schools included were somehow connected to my family. In addition to the one-room schools, I included a couple of bonus schools with two classrooms instead of one. Arlington School Arlington School, located in Walnut Township,

  So, what do you do when the guys are haying and they request homemade cookies, but you are out of chocolate chips, nuts, cocoa, and several other cookie making staples?   Hot Summer Day   One hot summer day sometime around 1976 or 1977, Dad, his brother Dewey, and Dewey’s son-in-law Dennis were putting up hay.  At some point, Dad said that they would need some cookies for a snack later in the afternoon

  Image: Public domain; Source New York State Archives   Sometime people who were strong believers in God had a hard time practicing their faith even in the land of “freedom of religion.”  Mary and John Tilton, my 9th great grandparents, constantly fought to practice their religion.   Salem, Massachusetts The Tilton family’s first religious conflict in the Colonies occurred in 1642 when John Tilton, born about 1613 in England, and his wife Mary were