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

  Above Image: Xavier and George Wittmer   What do ice elevators, recording devices for fluid meters, gas meters, and a device for turning bolts and screws have in common?   The Simple Answer   All of these devices were either invented by or had novel enhancements made by the Wittmer family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The inventor listed on the patents for these devices were the brothers and nephews of Rod’s 3rd great-grandmother, Elizabeth (Wittmer)

Many members of my family accomplished numerous things throughout their life.  In some cases, they simply kept their families fed and alive which often was no small feat.  For others it was business success.  However, one man in particular comes to mind when I think of “achievement.”  And, as I researched him, I found that he achieved in even more ways that I previously knew.   The Early Years Stanton Judkins Peelle was born on