My grandmother’s brother was Leland or Leonard – depending on who you ask. . .  And, no, the answer isn’t all that simple. Leland (center) in Mexico. Appears to have been during his early military service as he appears very young. The Early Years Leland was born Leland William Thomas January 17, 1908 to James William “Will” and Sadie Ella (Ashby) Thomas in Vernon County, Missouri.  He joined three older siblings.  His mother would give

  “I looked at your picture today, you know I have four besides the one in my locket, and it made me feel home-sick or love sick or something like that.”   The Letters The words in the quote were written upside down on the top of a letter from Nellie Peelle to Joe McCracken in August of 1913. Joe, who was 20 years of age, had gone out of state to work in the

When a woman immigrates to America and marries within the month in the interior of the country, it begs many questions.   Rate of Travel in 1857. Source: Paullin, Charles Oscar, 1868 or 1869-1944, John Kirtland Wright, American Geographical Society of New York, and Carnegie Institution of Washington. Division of Historical Research. Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States. Washington, D. C.: Pub. jointly by Carnegie institution of Washington and the American geographical

My Great Aunt Lydia Peelle was one of  a small number of women in the early 1900s who moved to the city, went to business school, and pursued a career forsaking the traditional marriage path.    Grocery Clerk Although Lydia may have held a job prior to her 20th birthday, the first record of her working is in 1913 when she was clerking in Morrison’s store in Pawnee (Anna), KS.  It seems that she helped

As our country was being settled and the population grew across America, many opportunities for influencing the country, community, their families, and other arose.  One of those opportunities that you don’t typically find today was to influence the community by starting a town.   Flooded Farm – View From Old Gristmill. Unknown if this is the oldest mill or if this is actually from a later one.  If the earliest, it would be the Johnson