Jewells of Thought

This is your life. Born July 13, 1906 in Greene Co.. Not a farmer’s daughter. Professional medical care was by Dr. Jackson, Pleasantville, Ind. at 25 cents per visit.

Some of your education was in one and two room schools. You went to school in a wagon pulled by two horses. During this time your dad worked at White Rabbit and White Rose mines. You, your brother Clarence, and little sister Lois, were learning to read and “cipher” at White Rose school and Smedly school. You were helped along by “tough” Pete Sexton and of course your dad and mom.

Occasionally your mother Leva would hitch up to the buggy and take all of you to Linton with some butter and eggs to exchange for some muslin or gingham. You would stop at Griffiths Store (out west) or Gwin’s Store of west Linton. Once in a while you would go across the railroad tracks to Main Street and go in the big stores, Wolfords, Ben Bachor, or Scotts Department Store.

You and your parents moved to the Bethlehem Community and there you became a farmers daughter but you didn’t have any luck milking so you had to cook supper, etc. while your mom, Clarence and Lois went to the barn to milk.

Here you attended “Pig Tail” school until completing 8th grade. You attended and graduated from Freelandville High School. However, while at “Pig Tail” and an 8th grader, one of the subjects you studied was history and you hunted arrow heads to impress the teacher Bob Lucas. He later persuaded Arla Lester (his good friend) to write a letter to you. The correspondence led to a close relationship. You wanted to take nurse’s training after graduation but instead you and Arla were later married on April 18, 1925 by Rev. George Peel at Plainville, Indiana.

You and your husband bought a 40 acre farm south of Pleasantville from grandfather John Lester. You had 2 horses, 1 cow, and a few chickens.

Little did you know what the future had in store for you and Arla. After 1¹/₂ yrs., not one baby but two-twins arrived who you named Bobby and Betty. You were very much unprepared for twins. About 15 yrs. later another surprise for then Gene was born, and Kathy after another 2 yr. 9mo. They were your second family.

All your life you attended church regularly and now belong to the Pleasantville United Methodist Church. You raised your family and later sold the farm and moved to the most wonderful community in Ind. known as Lone Tree Community, where you now live.

Here the most sophisticated and rich women had a Home Ec. club and by the way one of the members was an old woman you knew from childhood. This woman asked you to join our club. We accepted you into our club. You soon become as sophisticated as the rest of us and we have enjoyed you. 50 yes is a long time and I’m sure you have had lots of happiness, some sorrow and sadness but you have made it through it all. We know God will continue to bless you as he already has. So speaking for myself and the others here we are happy to be your friend and we wish you the best of happiness now and always. If you hadn’t had Arla and your children we couldn’t have had the story of “This is Your Life”.

Knowing Edith Hiatt when a child you felt pretty much at home with Edith a close neighbor again. She is responsible for getting you to join our club and bringing you to these meetings all of which your family thinks you enjoy very much.

This is just a tiny fraction though of her family and these are new pictures I am seeing thanks to Aunt Martha’s ability to siphon through our family pictures recently. My expressions were not rehearsed I can’t believe I stuck my tongue out even. Jared and James look like saints next to the crazy older sister that day! Then in the 3 generations picture I don’t know what’s wrong with me I look uncomfortable in my skin, but I have both of my Grandma’s and plenty of desserts right in of us with the customary cut up carrots and vegetables in those yellow containers in the corner. Grandma Betty always had those available at all times.

Great-Grandpa Arla worked on this for Great-Grandma Doris Marie (Swaby) Lester. Just think today she could have been 117 years old, I wonder what she looks like up in heaven for this age.

Anyway why should I even try to mess with his precious typewritten and handwritten notes written around the corners of the copy I took the last time I got to peruse his papers a few years ago. I did have to write in the word cents from the first paragraph since I don’t have that image on my computer. I am thankful to Grandpa Arla for making this and keeping it for future generations to see including mine.

Tell me do you know or have heard of some of these long gone stores? Grandpa Arla had a paper with a list of all the one-room school houses within the Greene County area 10 to maybe 15 of them. Grandma Betty has it now. The names are somewhat funny.