McCracken
Joseph Andrew
1893 -1960
Joseph Andrew McCracken was the second oldest of Andrew and Rosa’s children and the son from which we descend. He was born near Farlington, Kansas and learned at an early age to succeed in school and farm work.
Courtship & Marriage
Joe and Nellie Peelle, daughter of William J. and Matilda (Jury) Peelle, began courting. In March 1914, Joe and Nellie married. Over the next few years, they lived at various farms along the Bourbon-Crawford County line finally settling in at the farm that Nellie’s parents and grandparents had purchased when Nellie was growing up.
Working, Working, Working
Joe farmed to feed and clothe their ever growing family. As the kids grew older and could do more of the chores on the farm, Joe began working for the state maintaining highways. In those days, highways were not paved and his job involved using a road grader to keep the rock roads passable.
Unlike today, his job working on the roads was politically affiliated. Thus, his work on the roads was interrupted in the 1930s when the state government changed political parties. He was able to return to his position as soon as the political leadership of the state changed again.
Electricity Isn’t Far Away
In 1947, Joe and Nellie moved about a mile west to a farm that they had purchased a few years earlier. The home had a great advantage over what became known as “The Home Place;” it had electricity! Electricity had reached the west side of Highway 7, but not the east side. So, a mile made all the difference.
With Joe ailing, they moved to Fort Scott in the late 1950’s. Joe died in 1960 and Nellie remained in town until late in life when she returned to the home where she had raised her children to live with her oldest son and his wife.
The Children
During these years Nellie gave birth to eleven children.
O’Ella Louise
O’Ella taught school in the country schools for 10 years, including teaching at Rocky Vale where she had attended school. During this time, her pupils included her younger siblings. Then, in 1943, she moved to Wichita, Kansas where she went to work for Boeing. After marrying Everett Ross, she left Boeing. After having her children, she returned to work at Boeing retiring in 1977. Several years later, she moved to Fort Scott where she spent a majority of her retirement years.
Ester Lucille
After attending Rocky Vale, Ester worked at Morrison’s store in Pawnee. That was the beginning of a long career working in grocery retail. However, she did have some other ventures, including working in a bakery. In 1916, Ester married. However, both of them became unwell and they decided to dissolve their marriage. She later married Weldon Fisher. Ester and Weldon lived in Fort Scott for most of their married life.
Dewey Stanton
After Dewey finished attending Rocky Vale, he took on more duties around the family farm. Like his father had in his younger years, he also traveled to other states to work the harvest. When WWII came knocking, Dewey became a member of the Army Airforce. After the service, he returned to farming . He married Jacqueline “Jackie” Corfman Mills.
William (Howard)
After attending Rocky Vale, Howard joined Dewey working on the farm and traveling for the harvest. Howard also went to a school at the American Aeronautical Institute in Kansas City, where he learned various techniques for building planes. This led him to work for Solar Aircraft in San Diego during the early part of World War II. He eventually was called to serve and spent time fighting in Italy until he went MIA on April 17, 1945. Read more . . .
Beth Arlene
Beth was never well from birth. She died after only one month.
Ruby Faye
Ruby followed her time at Rocky Vale with high school at Uniontown, Kansas. She lived with a family, cared for their children, and attended school. During World War II, she lived in Wichita. After the war, she married Glen Niemeir and they lived in the Hammond, Kansas area.
Nellie (Dee)
Dee attended Rocky Vale and Girard High School. Afterward, she taught school, but only for a short time. One of the reasons was that she was allergic to chalk and the other is that she thought it was a career for old maids. She moved to Wichita at the same time Oella moved. She first worked at Cowie Electric. Later, she spent many years working for Marsh & McLennan Insurance. After she retired, she moved to Fort Scott, Kansas. She married Lester Burnam.
Ruthe Joan
Ruthe attended Rocky Vale and Girard High School. She worked in Fort Scott for a time, but spent most of her time living in Wichita. For many years, she worked at a school for handicapped. In her later years, she returned to live in Fort Scott.
Joseph Edward “Ed”
Ed had his high school years interrupted by World War II. He was attending Girard High School when it became apparent that Dewey would be drafted soon. Ed left high school to run the family farm. After the war, he completed high school in Fort Scott. Although he lived in Wichita for a time, he returned to run the family farm as his father’s health was failing. Ed later worked for the State of Kansas and farmed part time. Ed married Elma Pellett. Read more . . .
Kenneth Donald “Don”
Don followed in his older siblings’ footsteps becoming the third member of the family to teach at Rocky Vale. Don went on to get his Phd and become a professor at the University of Tennessee at Martin. He took a brief time away from academia to serve in Korea. Don married Janice Houghton.
Carol Lee “Kay”
Kay, who got her name because as a youngster Don couldn’t pronounce “Carol,” followed her siblings to Rocky Vale. After high school, she married Don Davis at the Pawnee Methodist Church. They lived near Hiattville for most of their married life. Kay worked for the Western Insurance Company in Fort Scott for many years.