Person:Emma Austin (3)

BY EMMA JANE AUSTIN ENDSLEY July 6, 1935 Some of my childe hood memorys. I was born on a farm near Hamburg, Erie Co. New York, June 8, 1862. As I remember it, to me it was the garden spot of the world. We lived 12 miles from Buffalo, and 8 miles from Lake Erie, 35 miles from Niagery Falls. All kindes of vegatables and most fruits wer plenty. Father had a 55 acer farm and 10 acers of timber, that up in the hills. Father was a carpenter, a contracter, he and another man put in 100 miles of plank road or had it done. This road went by our house and to the city of Buffalo. Theire they had a tole gate. Father hired most of the farm work, the boys helped with the work. Mother kept a girl. We had a large nice house and large barn and good outbuildings. Schoolhouse not far away. In winter we had lots of snow, always used slays and cutters in winter. Oh, the mud in the spring, but it was a good part of the state but Father thought free land was a wonderful thing. Brother Perry married and went to Waukegan, Ill to live. Lafayette married and went to Michigan to live 5 years later. Father sold our farm and he and Delos and Cassius came to Kans came through Bull City July 3rd 1872. James Smith my cousin lived on big Medacine Creek, but as the mail came only once a week James Smith did not know when they wer comeing. He was away buffalo hunting. A man took them theire, as he was gone they went to this mans home staid all night. Dan Reno was the mans name. He took them back to Bull City the next day that being the 4th of July 1872. July 4th, 1872 was Bull Citys first celebration. They had quite a celebration that day General Bull being the main speaker and he never mised being one of the main speakers on that day while he lived. Father came here intending to take land and go in cattle business as they said cattle could be raised here with almost no fead, live on bufalo grass, no shelter in winter. As the next winter was a bad winter, lots of snow, cattle died by the hundreds, so it was very lucky they did not take land and buy cattle. Father decided to stay in Bull City and he built the stone hotel. At that time Cassius was just past 16 from December until July. Delos would be 19 the comeing August. They lived whair the Stephason Store now stands. Lyman Earl had started a building theire had a stone wall up about 8 ft high did not have money to go any farther. Father put a roof on that, some windows and doors in it and Cassius did the cooking for the hands and they lived theire. (Insert here some that was forgotten and written upside down on another page) I was lonely as a childe as Cassius was 6½ years older than I, and a worker so he was kept buisy. The girl was always German and she generly was buisy. Grandfather Austin lived with us. He was theire before I was born. He was blined and layed abed all the time so if the girl went Mother staid home, if Mother went the girl was home so I seldome went only to school or to a neighbor. The near neighbors wer Germans so I seldome went. Grandfather dieing was the cause of us coming to Kansas, as while he was alive Father never thought of leaveing N.Y. Lafy did not go to Michigan until after we left New York. We used cook stoves had oil lamps but used candles as long ago as I can remember, and I wore every thread wool clothing in winter except big aprons of calico or gingham. Mother knit all our stockings and the men’s socks both cotton and wool. I wore evry bit wool when I came to Kansas but after that was wore out I never had any more wool; could not aford it. I had good shoes that would be got large and wore for good until outgrown and wore heavy shoes with coper toes. The men wore cowhide boots. Mother was rather stilish lady had nice clothes and hired them made in N.Y. after wairing out what we brought with us we wore what we could get. Mrs. Van Sickle did our sewing and it was nicely done, eaven calico. Pails and tubs were made of wood. I can not remember when I first saw screans. We had blinds at all our windows in N.Y. Theire for me to go town was a treat. I loved horses. My only pet was a cat. Sallie Smith taught the school in summer and hur sister Ida was my real chum as long as we lived theire and we corasponded for years. A man taught school in winter. (End of insert) Mother and I left New York Nov. 11, if I remember right, 1872. Father met us at Russel with a team. Mother had shipped some things. She had dried all the fruit she could that summer, dried it with sugar. We had rooms and staid on the farm until fall so she could dry fruits, it was with many tears Mother left that good home and most of the relation. That fall Mother and I went to hur sister Julia Clough, later Race. She was a fine hand at sewing she made us lots of clothes, as we knew it would be some time before we would get clothes made. I had clothes made so they could be let out and I would not nead anything for a long time. Well, I did not get much for a long time either. My first dress being calico and most of them from then on calico. In Dec. 72 we moved in the stone hotel that only partly finished at that time. The 21st of Feb. 73 they had a big dance theire and I doubt if theire has ever been a better supper served in this town up to this day. The 22nd of Feb. would be Saturday and they danced all night in those days and they would dance into Sunday; so the 21st and they did dance all night and until broad daylight. People came from all the towns around and came from many miles. Mrs. Bull helped with some of the cook or had it done she overseeing it, and we got all extras from Russel, if I remember right Russel was called Fosil Station at that time. After the supper General and Mrs. Bull went home. They lived in a large dugout just east of town on the creek. They found their dugout roof had fell in while they wer away. No doubt being at our house saved their lives. They had a bed in the store they went to bed theire and did not tell of the roof falling until next morning. The weather at that time was cold. From then on until the school house was buil in 74 our house was headquarters for all gatherings, shows, dances, elections, church and Sunday Schools. The fiew young people would gather theire and spend eavenings singing and playing games, also at the Bull home. It was always open for our pleasure and we wer always made welcome theire. At the mill several young people worked most of the young people could sing. The boys at the mill wer good musitians. Fiddle, Banjo, Mandolin, and Will Culver rattled the bones and one of the most popular songs was the Home on the Range, the Whitney Brothers wer hard to beat singing that. I am getting ahead of my story. The first school was taught upstairs in the Hotel (1873) later it was finished in a log building. One year from the day Mother and I got here my Father died makeing it much more lonely for us. By that time theire money was spent. Hotel business did not amount to much. Theire was a fiew traveling men we called them drummer. At first no regular boarders so when they came it was hurry up to get necasarys at the store most all kindes of caned fruit, oisters, meats wer kept also bacon but no fresh meat. At first theire was plenty of buffalo meat but not always on hands when neaded also antelope wer quite plenty, quail, pararie chicken, grouse, plover, and so on, some wilde turkeys. Some of the traveling men would bring wilde game to be cooked….ahead of my story again…Mrs. Ira Stockbrige taught our first school and walked from their home in the country their team at that time was a yoke of cattle. Each Xmas for the first 3 or 4 years and I guess 5 or 6 years theire was a tree and no one forgot. Mr & Mrs Bull always donating liberly, also a lap supper and no one went away hungry, also a program. Mrs. Stockbrige always a leader in that and she was fine. In winter theire was the Lyceum, always fun, as well as debateing. Charley Guthery and Josh Schooler often taking part of colored men sure could make us laugh. In debateing Nelson Cook, George Nicalus, Bill Erington, Josh Schooler, Charley Guthery, Nate Holmes, Pat Campbell, and Joe Campbell, Brother Delos, Cassius some time. Charley Cook was among our best early but died before his father Nelse Cook got here. General Bull, Ira Stockbrige, also Mr. McCulley, S.S. VanSickle many others I do not think of now. We saw hard times. Most people could have a fat hog, we had mills so it helped in that way as I was 10 years old in June before we came here in Nov. I did most of the running after things. I would often go 2½ miles to the Haws place after butter. They had a fine spring house and no better butter was ever maid than Mrs. Haws made sometimes I could stay all night and go horse back rideing. Nothing I love better than ride a horse, then I could go home in the morning. Sometimes I had to go in a hurry. For a while Charley Guthery lived in a big dugout on the creek I liked to stop theire and rest. Mrs. Guttery was a jolly woman, one day I stopped thiere and thiere was a new baby girl theire. Theire wer fiew babies here then and I thought was so nice. They called hur Clary. Today thiere is steaks of gray in Clara’s hair but she is a dear good woman. Harry ust to go with me when I went to the neighbors when he got a little biger. I think he was about 3 years older than Clara he and Jessie Vansickle liked to be with me. When the McCuley’s came they had a girl a little older than I did, we were great friends. When she got to be a young lady brother Delos married hur. As children we were generly together. Then Mr. Cook that built the mill that burnt down had a very pretty girl we wer great friends but they did not live here long. George Witeman worked for General Bull, he was in the Bullocks Indian Raid. Loty Boltinghouse worked for Mrs. Bull when we came here and until she married Liew Korb not long before I married. The Korbs lived west of town. I am 73 and she 72 and we are still the best of friends and good looks doesn’t worry me now this is 1935. Etta House and Ella Moser were among my friends. While times wer very hard theire never was a time that we had nothing to eat. Sometimes we could had more and liked it. My first bakeing of bread I made more than we had flour for and I had to use some corn meal a man came to dinner and I ran half a mile to the mill, got flour so Mother could make biscuits for dinner and I ran back. I never forgot that. At first Indians ust to come through, while Father was alive I felt safe but after he died I was afraid. One day an Indian brushed my hair said "Heap pretty papoose" it liked to scairt me to death but we had several Indian scairs that we realy expected they mite come at any time and kill us. (Reportedly one Indian wanted to trade a pony for her. DH) In those days we had the best of people, some bad, some followed up the frontier took land, sell it for what they could get and go on. Most people like ourselves thought getting land for nothing was a great chance, some went back whaire they came from others went stil farther on. Those that staid some of them could not get away had nothing to go on but those that held out most of them made good for years, but since crops has failed so much, fiew has much left. Going back to the early days, it took little for clothes and I never felt more dressed up in my life than in a calico dress I wore to Stockton to a 4th of July celebration. Mr. and Mrs. Bull gave me the dress. General Bull was one of the main speakers they went in theire lumber wagon, mule team, Cassius drove the team. Eva McCuley, Nettie Korb, and I rode up thiere with the older young folks they drove a 4 horse team, carried a big flag. They staid at night but we wer to young Nettie 13, I 14, Eva 15 we came home with General and Mrs. Bull. People were very friendly in those days helping each other. Cassius had a sod barn held 16 teams they hauled their goods from Russel to Kerwin and along the north fork men made a living freighting. Cassius had barn and hay they would cook in the house on our stove after we did our cooking and had their beds sleep on the floor this from fall until spring. In warm weather they camped out but this helped us too. Cassius tended some land, changed works, (I think she means he traded work with others) got his work done. He worked so hard and just a boy. Mother had always kept a girl in New York and never worked hard, but she worked hard here for several years; but she had life easy for a number of years she loved to read and she had that chance. Hur and Cassius lived happy on the farm for a good many years. In an early day wilde plums grew all along the river and some on the creek, lots of currents and chokecherries. Land new, gardens did fine, mellons oh so large and good but it was a long time before we had much tame fruit. The potato bug was here for the potato. Grasshoppers has taken everything green, no screans, came in the house ate holes in our window curtans and so on. This in August 1874. Hot winds and lack of rain as well as other troubles. Oh such winds we knew nothing about in New York. Pararie fires twice a year what times fighting fires. Sod houses and dugouts wer very comfratable both summer and winter also log houses. The first winter we wer here officers came through with some cattle theaves, staid with us all night. In the morning they went to water the horses, had the men with them one man, werst one, kept slaping a fine sorrel horse with a roap as quick as a flash he jumped on that horse and went south. They shot at him two or three times but could not get him. He droped or lay on the side of the horse when they shot. They followed him but he had the best horse and they never got near him. We heard a man stoped and had a bad hand dressed west of hear thought that mite be the man but never knew. I was at the well at the time by Father it didn’t scair me. At one time an English Lord’s son, Peaters was his name, with him wer two or three wealthy Englishmen. Peaters had a fine horse & believed was being follow by thieves he gave Cassius $5 to stay in the manger and watch the horse one night. These men had a sheep ranch at what then was called Victoria. They had a fine ram with them here one time that was shipped from England. They had fine horses and wer great on chaseing rabits. They wer always gentlemen but great for fun and free with their money I do not know what became of them at least they did not last long on the ranch. Both horses and cattle stealing was common in those days. No one lived on the high land and they could take cattle quite a ways in a night and horses wer easy getting away with. I once saw a buffalo rite whaire the grade school house now stands. I also saw a buffalo chase a man on a horse, chase a man down this big hill or bluff whair the road now is going south just west of the bridge. All that saved the man was getting in the timber at the river. We often saw buffalo clost to town but I never saw a large heard. I have seen quite a bunch of antelope togather. Charley Gutheries first wife died and he went to Colo for a short time and worked when he came home he brought a female elk for General Bull. A man came to town horseback leading a fine young mail elk. He picketed his horse near the stone house on Bert Miller’s, I just don’t think now who owned that place at that time but I think a man by the name of Whitney - possably Charley Cook owned it. He had the elk tied to his saddle horne. He ate dinner at our house and General and Mrs. Bull and all of us went to see the elk it was as gentle as a kitten and very pretty. General Bull bought that elk and it was the one that killed him later. That day grasshoppers flew over so thick they made the sun dim but they did not lite here. One day I was at Mrs. Bulls and went or started to the spring for water. The spring was inside their park the elk was in the path I came back and told them I was afraid to pass the elk. General Bull laughed at me said "Emma he is as gentle as your kitten at home." I went back got the water but he had got a little ways out of the path. They had a nice park with deer, antelope, buffalo and elk in it. They wer tame no one thought of hurting anyone. Mrs. Bull had a nice little rat tarier (dog) Dot. Mrs Stockbrige made pretty hooked rugs she made one with a dog looked as near like this dog as could be made sain (saying) over it. "I am Mrs. Bulls dog" under it "whos (whose) dog are you". Mrs. Bull had white mice, too white rats, and birds, a squirl in a cage I think at that time theire was no squiarls here. If a Doctor was wanted they went to Osborne horseback for them but theire was little sickness. A lady by the name of Car doctored for a while hur nursing did as much good as the medacine. Old ladies did all they could, later we had docters. In sickness and death neighbors did all they could they could not do much for one in nead and its so today they have did so much for us in sickness and cairing for our crops and so on. Bull City and later Alton could not do to much for their neighbors I would like to name each one but to many to name, but they are not forgotten may God bless each one. The lodge also, yes those comforting words from our ministers. Going back to the time I was married our first home was a small log house with one window and one door and a dirt roof but it had a floor. We had a drygoods box nailed to the wall for my dishes. Cassius put shelves in it and a door I papered it with newspapers that was fine. I had dishes enough to set the table for six. I had another dry goods box I nailed legs on and spread a cloth over it it was my clothe closet and stand. I had six chairs a droop leaf table a no. seven cook stove with lots of cooking utensils we got with it, but it did cook all I could get to cook. We had a bed stead one straw tick and one feather tick. When company came I set chairs on the table and out doors and made beds on the floor. We had two old trunks they went under the bed but I had quite a good rocking chair and quite a good mirror that was my fine furnature. We lived here one year Henry had a claim with a dugout on it but we just staid theire one night. I would lived thiere but Henry would not he traided that for one horse and a set of harness and a wagon possably worth $150, but I think nearer $100. I had a cow so that was our start. I am sure $50 yes $30 worth of household goods was more than we had. Henry had one good horse now he had a team. He was constable a good many years and in those days theire was plenty to do. He did lots of colecting as well as other work and farmed to, seldom made anything at that. We run the stone hotel for a while. He run harness shop for years, built a frame house north of the track we lived theire a number of years. The house we built was torn(?) down June 1938. He got a spoted colt we raised and she raised the whole famaly, died at 22. We saw hard times and good times never was hungry. Generly lived well, I think. After the railroad was built things generly was as good as they are now we could get evrything shiped in and I do not call it bad from then on we had all necasarys and good Doctors lots of hard time but none compaired to now. People wer not in debt, tax low if you got a dollar it was yours. No car or fone, but those ponies sure did go. In New York maple sirup was the sirup used we had some maple trees. Our sugar for common use was brown we used for table what we called Coffee C it was a soft sugar, nearly white. Mother always had granulated sugar she used when she had company also fine white sugar for frosting. Our syrup here was sorghum it was sometime after we came here before white sugar was used for cooking and we thought it not so sweet as brown sugar. We roasted our coffee and for sometime after coming here browned corn and used for coffey. If we were by ourselves added coffee extract I do not know it changed the taste much, but colored it but we did not use that for long as we had trancients so had coffee generly. Had pie mellons used some, well it was just a filler an excuse for pie, did not use much of that. Father bought a load that first winter thought he was getting something, well theire was sevral things all one got out of it was experiance. I have ate vinegar pies that wer quite good, also custard pies made all of water, no milk, they beat nothing; also molases cakes that wer fairly good - not just like an angel food. Bob Bates stepmother also Mrs. John Haws could make bread that never could be beat. Mrs Haws made butter that could not be beat. That bread and butter and a cup of their coffee was good enough for a king and such smoked ham with eggs never was anything better. In many ways those wer good old days but I never wished to live them over. Cassius has told me later how he usto wish he was in N.Y. how happy he would be but he never complained in those days. Mother never complained but she must wished for the old home, I sure did. Father bought an 80. The depo stands on some of that ground now. It was deaded so for those days. Tax on that land and on the Hotel was high and Mother was always puting away money to pay the tax and it was paid when due. Cassius walked to Osborne once to pay the tax. And I can remember looking and wondering if it would ever rain. Then when it did rain it didn’t take much to rais the river as the sod shed the water like a roof. Cassius was in a dugout on his claim, it is now part of the Hardman farm, he heard the water hit the door he grabbed his pants as he had a rool of money in them, and a blanket and just could get out of the door he ran for high land. He could see by lightning whair to go, he staid on a ridge all night. He could hear hollering up crick he knew they wer being drowned out. That was the worst flood on the creek I think June 1880 if I remember righ. We had not had rain up to then but they raised good corn that year. I remember Elmer and Lester Schoolers first day at school they went home at noon. Mrs Schooler asked them why they came home they said "she didn’t learn us anything". They could sing well fer little boys and sang at our Liceums. Captain R.S. Osborne preached my Father’s funeral sermon. Nettie his daughter taught our school, taught sevral terms. Hur and I wer great friends, she died with cancer. Mr. Antone Korb prayed with my Father before Fathers death and later when my secont childe passed away he conducted the funeral services. I was sick in bed, snow very deep and very cold then. Nettie Korb my old school chum is my very best friend today. The Korb boys brought in herds of Texas ponies and sold them. That was quite a business at that time as near as I can remember they sold from $15 to $35 a piece. Ocasienly theire was Oregon horses brought in some of them wer good size. The man that homesteaded the farm Cassius now owns, Herb Curtis, had a fine team of Oregon horses. Theire was lots of nice Texas ponies, some fair size. The Texas cattle had very long horns. We never crowded them, they looked better quite a ways off. Delos worked out (away from home) quite a little. He has walked to Fort Hays, went alone carried a blanket to sleep on and what was necasary to eat, had a revolver slept on the pararie at night. Theire was the soldiers theire with lots of horses so theire would be quite a lot of work puting up hay, also cuting wood so he got quite a little work theire. Lots of people burnt buffalo chips, we always had wood. General Bull bought buffalo hides they would stake them out to dry that brought lots of fleas in summer. We had to be very tired if we slept all night. We would get up in the night and hunt fleas. Bed bugs wer plenty so we wer kept prety buisy night and day. I do not think flyes wer bad as they are now, maybe I have forgotten. Ministers in those days got little pay and some went quite a ways to preach and Doctors had a hard time and wer poorly paid. Cassius has worked for 50 cts a day 75 was good wages, begin early work late. I never had a better girl work for me than I got for $1.50 a week later they got $2 and $3 a week. The first winter we wer here Cassius rode over on north fork to see a man. He did not know just whair he lived, night came he found a big old dugout he took his horse in and they staid all night in the dugout next morning he found the place he was looking for it was not far from whair he staid all night. Back to N.Y. Mother did not have very good health in N.Y. but she worked in the yard quite a little we had a large and beautiful yard very, nice trees and many kinds of shrubery. 17 kinds of roses it was good for Mother working in the yard. She always had a good girl. One girl worked for hur when I was born worked for hur until she married I can remember hur. I think she worked for hur 8 years so Mother seldome worked hard until she came to Kans. Here she worked hard several years but she had better health here and injoyed life. After she went to the farm she did not have much necasary work she lived their alone 3 or 4 years never was afraid, loved to read and spent much of hur time reading. Then Cassius got a deed to his claim and lived with hur from then on until she fel and hurt hurself Thanksgiving night Nov. 1906. From then on she staid with us until Feb.3rd 1907 she passed away, only confined to hur bed one day. She was up and down as she liked from the time she came to our house but was not able to work. She red hur Bible and sang so much on Friday night before she passed away Sunday morning she sang and fixed hur nightcap - she always wore night caps at night. She seamed well but not strong but walked around the house came to the table to hur meals only suppers our supper was at 6 she ate about 4 so we took that to hur. Mother never said one word against anyone seldome said anything against anyone in hur younger days. The horse distimper had started in the east before we left thiere. It was something new lots of horses died. Street cars wer run with horses. Lafy went to Buffalo with us. Theire I rode on my first street car, when we got to Chicago we had to walk quite a ways saw just one horse in Chicago it was sick. Men wer drawing heavy loads. Chicago burnt either fall of 71 or spring of 72, I think 71, many buildings wer stil standing not rebuilt when we came through. I remember a lady that sat with us on the train told us she could remember when Chicago was just a little traiding point told many interesting things that happened theire in early days. Mother was a schoolteacher. When a girl she had five sisters, two passed away young, the three all wer good school teachers. I saw my first dugout at Bunker Hill I beleive I told that once. When the pararie was green it was beautifull here and we lived better than most people. We had our fat and lean spels at times theire would be quite a little business then we had plenty. Then theire would quite a spell with almost no traid then our lean streaks - corn bread and molases and so on. Ground was new and rich and if we got rain things grew fine Potato bugs wer here but most other kinds had not found us yet. Chickens wer easy raised if shut up at night. No pastures here at first a corel to shut stock in at night and either heard or picket out. I cannot rember when I first saw barb wire but it was some time – quite a while after we came here. Stock got cut on it much more than now. I think Charley Gutery built the first dwelling house other than logs he built quite a large but one room house with good basement of stone theire was one frame building here when we came now owned by the Campbells. McCuley once kept store in it lived upstairs later McCuley built the stone building and kept store theire. It’s now owned by Mrs. Eliot. Charley Stilman run store in this frame building. Sol Nethercut run store theire for some time, they lived upstairs. I think Sol built the frame building on the north to live in and a smaller one south he had a harness shop. Both Ike Pennington and Ed Trien worked theire and I believe this the first harness shop, but am not sure. They did quite a business later John Taylor run the store in the main part and the family lived upstairs Sadie was born upstairs in this building. Later they bought the hotel from Mother rebuilt it and it’s stil the Taylor building I believe it was Taylor and Loomis run the first store theire, later Beal and Taylor. Later Taylor alone he carried the largist stock of dry goods ever carried in the town, also a large stock of groceries, also kept a milaner had a good stock of milaner goods and a good stock of hardwair. He kept the largist stock of goods and groceries ever kept in the town. Charley Guthery bought out someone when he came to Bull City to blacksmith. It couldn’t been much. He was the blacksmith when he came here. I think his first wife died about 74 but I am not sure of that its to long ago for me to keep corect dates in my head. Then Charley got a man and wife to cair for Harry and Clary she was stil a baby he went to the mountains for a while other than that he was in blacksmith until he retired to his farm whair his secont wife now lives with a son. His secont wife was very prety and nice girl, Victoria Doak, they had three sons on passed away when a baby. Victoria stepfather Parry Doak was the man that made Henry and I man and wife. Grant Gutery has been our handyman for years running a variety store and repair shop. If I don’t stop and see him when I go to town, well I have just left out something. I haven’t a son that treats me more kindly than he does, also his wife. And after Henry and I wer married we lived in the basement of the Bull building, now Bert Miller building, later in a log house lived three years on what is now called the Lewis place. Our next home we built north of track. We moved into it in April 1885. Niles, Jessie and Austin wer born theire. Railroad was built on to Stockton while we lived theire. Before it was built on theire was what they called a turn table theire to turn the engine around. Pay trains came about the 20th of each month to pay off the section men and some the oficials often came along to look over things about those time theire was business here. Go to a store and you mite wait some time to be waited on. Sometimes I just did not have time to wait and go to another store. Stores bought butter it was all put in a barrel and shipped they bought eggs to, no candeling and never much price. I have got 10 yds Calico or gingham for a dress, maybe have enough for an aperon. All evry day dresses wer lined. I would try to line the under side of my sleevs and front of wair with the same thru when a hole wore in I would tuck that under and whip it around and it was mended. Going back again to the early seventies…We wer out of salt I crawled under the bed in the front room and found a dime the broom had missed I ran as fast to General Bulls store and got 10 cts worth of salt as children generly go for candy. But all in all we did not live near as hard as many did as it was not very long at a time but theire would be some business. We never went without comfratable close. Some did. But how I did wish I was back to the old home, Cassius did to, but Mother never said she wished she was back home, but if she did she would never let us children know it. It was such a change. But Mrs Bull never complained they had been rich she never had did house work or cooked she told me she had never sewed on a button until she came here. The General gave up just as much but he was always cheerfull. Flour was $6 a hundred when we came to Bull City. The flour came from Marysville. I think they ground corn here then, we ate mostly corn bread when we wer alone. I never wanted corn bread since. The long log building on the main street was built but not finished by Lyman Earl. When Mr. Korb and family came they put their tent over part of it until they could put the roof on it. They staid theire a while then Mr. Korb built a good sized log house just west of the one he lived in. That has a small upper story so it was used to sleep in. This was in 1871. It was used for a hotel when Father and the boys came they boarded theire until they got fixed to batch. This is the one General and Mrs. Bull lived in until their house was built after their dugout fel in and the school that started in our Hotel was finished in this building. Our seats wer boards with dry goods boxes at the ends later that fall we had the stone school house the seats there wer wood but wer built right with good desks. This schoolhouse was built the summer of 1873 by Captain Osborne. Bed steds wer nearly all home mad with an ocasional bed bug, flees - no end to them. For chairs, benches and dry goods boxes. Most people came from the east knew what good things wer but did not expect those things here and made the best of what they had and got all the injoyment out of life they could and life was worth while. When I came to Bull City the building now owned by the Campbells was the only frame building in town. The three log buildings and General Bulls store, the wall whair the Stephason store is that Father and the boys had fixed to live in Mother and I staid theire about a month before the Hotel was finished enough we could live in it. That and Charley Gutery had a black smith shop. I think that was all of Bull City. Charley lived in a dugout just west of town, if I am not mistaken. Later Charley G built a small but good stone house and blacksmith shop. Whair the farmers produce & store is theire was a large basement dug and left. Father and the boys cut poles made mangers and put a roof on this and used it to keep horses in that winter. The next winter they built a sod barn I have told you of. Theire maybe some mistakes in this but it will be 63 years in November since we came here. Layfyett came from Michigan I think about 85 with his family he lived here a good many years I think Perry visited us 3 times. Henry’s folks lived here a good many years except John, he never came here to live. Our mill burnt 3 times the first man Nelson Cook it broke him up he had no insurance. I think that was in 73. My Father built the first bridge acros the creek east of town whair the bridge now is, south of the Arthur Stephens house. At that time that was the George Nickles farm he was one of the men killed by the elk when General Bull was killed. Our first bed steds I can remember wer post beds they wer quite high bed, higher than now and what we called cord beds a small rope like our rope clothes lines wer run across the bottoms making a very comfratable bed then straw ticks they wer filled once a year. When first filled one must neaded a ladder to get up to bed they were comfratable to. Most people had feather beds. A little later slats wer used I cannot remember just when we first had matresses and springs. We used iron kittles to cook in, also skillets wer iron and some iron boilers I had one and I used some. Pans wer used for milk and the dash churn they wer of wood. Both salt and sugar came in barrels to the store. In New York we always got our flour in barrels. Hay rakes wer of wood. As we lived 12 miles from Buffalo and that was an old city we had and knew of all improvements of that time. Mother spun the wool that is a spread I have now. It was made in 1843. I never saw a spining wheal, only one used in a play. The memory of our life in N.Y. always was and I guess is yet like a pleasant dream. I am sure they had their troubles but I was not old enough to know much about it. In school, books never changed I used the boys books. I am sure I had no new books theire and did not for some time after we came here. Back to N.Y. Milford Fish, Father’s cousin, run the largist store in Hamburg and back of his store was long sheads to drive teams in in bad weather. Back of most business places and at churches they had large sheds for the acomodation of the public. Now in 1938 A little more about our living in my own home we had hot buscuits almost evry morning of the year. Always had a good cow, always had cows butter. Today I hardly know what that is. Always had milk and cream, eggs, if we did not have, was cheap. In the early 80ties a jug of sorghum was one of the nesasarys. Later we used a very good syrup that did not cost much more. Old fashioned dried apples wer very cheap. Meat never high, gardens grew. Theire never was one day of my married life that I had to live on corn meal. Cake not to plenty, pie as well. By 90ies I concider things wer as plenty as now, most of 80 not bad. The Gregorys came in 73 soon after we did, and wer fine people some of the older ones stil here. I wish I could remember all main names in the early seventies. DW Campbell and his wife Nancy wer here when we came. No better people ever lived. Pat Campbell and wife Mary wer among the first Mary was the daughter of D.W. and Nancy Campbell. Their daughter Nellie being the first white childe born here. Stockbrige, Schoolers, Haws, Guteries, Korbs, Curtis, Farnum, S. Vansicles, C.Cook he killed himself and baby I think about 74 his father, 2 daughters 1 son came about that time, it was his mill that burnt. The Whitney Boys and Al Green was his nephews. The Bollinghouses wer here when we came. Joe Hart came about 71. Elders, Clevengers, Hues, Jacocks, Babcocks, Wairs, Adams, George Nickels took the land now owned by Mrs. Arthur Stephens, he was killed by the elk he had a wife and baby both passed away before he died (his wife died before he died, baby later.) Cars, his wife both doctored and nursed. Paxtons, Whites, Alens, Gearings, Phelps, Ives, Gorrels, Lyman Earl was among the first and not to be forgotten the Earls and Dr. Hill his son in law. Penningtons a little later Fishers and Hill, Mosiers, Roses, Markleys. Hamilton Post, Chamberlain, Bushs, Bill Gorrel?. Vails, Danners, Evrington, Gorrel, McCuley, Bates, Peach, Lebricks, Iralano, Simpson, B. Garrison, Tustin he had a store here, Butler run it. Whitney, Spealman, Dokes, and Cook. Osborne, Dibbles, Predies, Pierce, Holms. Tom Shorts wife she was the first one buried in the north graveyard the baby born there now an old lady lives in Okla. Thomas, Storers, later Posts, Smiths Andersons, Cal, Henry Mosiers. Names I remember and I think none later that in (1876) Rose Painter, Woolfords Here are the names of the Gregory children that came to Bull City with their parents Oct. 1873. Mar, Obediah, Betsey, Elisha, Angelina, Jesse, Ziba, Edward, Elvira, Anna, Gilbert, Joseph. By 1874 river claims all taken that wer good creek taken to. Good people how we remembered them, have kept the same kinde today. Henry generly run harness shop built a new house on the north side of the track we moved 1900 we called it blue front, yes the big maple stood theire now dead and gone. Then we bought what we called the Hill house lived theire until 1907 Mother died there then we lived on the farm a number of years Henry passed way Feb. 10th, 1922. I staid theire part of 2 years now at most 77 I don’t know what to do, wish I had staid rite theire. Then at the back of the book we find this…. 1938 Cassius hand was hurt the morning of Aug 11. He dove his team to town. Feb. 25. Aug 19, 1938 don’t forget, yes, its forgot... First fone (phone) from Dr Whitnels house to office, next from Taylor Store to house. Fred Hill says it was 1883 or 84 once more I want to say the people of 1872 wer just as good as people of 1939 they wer educated and refined they had came from the east some came like ourselves. 160 land for nothing looked big to those in the east some had lost property this looked like the place whair they could, and many did. Some followed the frontier to hunt buffalo and so on. Eaven some of them wer not bad, as a rule they wer not the best. Most of those along that time knew about what they wer comeing to and made the best of it and it was not all bad. We had wonderful people then and we have today. Brother Perry was in the war, went when I was a we baby, he went as soon as he was 18. In the south he got aquainted with a French family he visited them whenever he could. He spoke French so well they thought him French and when he came home they sent me a gold ring and coral beads. He spoke German well. His last work was making speaches at scools. He was one of Lincoln’s Body guards I have his pictures in a number of Waukegan papers one piece and picture of him wrapped in a flag. He had been dead 20 years but a large front page of him and telling about him. Brother Lafayette could speak German but not to good. He was the last one we saw in New York. I knew Herman Delos was my next brother about 19 when he got to Bull City. Cassius Parley 16 in December before they got to Bull City July 1872. Cassius had the first feed stable in Bull City. Theire was a large basement whair the Farmers Union now stands. They dug a large door to the west set posts covered with poles and grass I am not sure about sod they put up hay made mangers of poles, that was fall of 72 and 73. The next winter they made a large sod barn that held 16 teams I think that was used 2 winters it was warm. Charley Gutery got here in 1870. Oct 1873 Mr and Mrs Omar Gregory and 12 children got to Bull City. Ed was 10, I wish I had the names of all. Captain Osborne and family got here in August he was a minister and preached the secont sermon in Bull City. He was a stone mason and he worked on the Hotel it was the best building in town. Father also bought an 80 joined the town later part of it was Crestins addition. Later Cassius built a frame barn. Office in it, and stove. Freighters cooked their meals theire and slept in the hay. Theire was lots of freighting until we had the railroad. Delos was a carpenter lived on a small farm later moved to town built both houses on the north side of the track at the depo later the large house farther east and north of the track.. Later he built the large house on the east side of the road from the M. E. Church each of these he built for a home and passed away in the last one. Lafy went from N.Y. to Michigan. They kept a bording house for some time, later hotel the Mears House. Charley and Frank wer born in N.Y. Dottie in Mich. Later they came to Bull City built a dwelling house and we built one south of it we lived theire sevral years. Later we sold our home bought a building whair Cordels Produce Hous now is. Henry run a harness shop, later we moved to the N.W. part of town just out side the incorparation then the Hill house 10 acers a small barn granery and bugy shed & hen house all good, a good sized house lots of fruit trees. Mother passed away in this house she was only in bed one day and night. Bronkitus & weak heart she was 83 in 1907. SECOND BOOK Beginning in New York at or near Hamburg, Erie County New York. As I remember New York, everything was fine. If I had been older I would likely found bad as well as good. We lived on a farm 1¼ or 1½ miles from Hamburg, a nice town, in a large house on the farm. My Mother always kept a hierd girl German girl. One girl that worked for Mother before I was born stil worked for hur when I was old enough that I remember hur, then she married. Fathers business first was a country store on the farm, next he had a saw mill that they run day and night they lived near the mill got supper at midnight. Next he had a brickyard 2 men lost their lives theire by gases in the well. Later father raised hops. He had 50 hops pickers at one time. He paid income tax then, hop pickers boarded themselves then. I believe they do now. Later he had a cider mill and a building for making vinegar in, this they sold in Buffalo. Father was a contractor and a good carpenter. Theire was 100 miles of plank road it went by our house and to Buffalo. My Father and another man had the contract for most of that. We always lived on a farm but Father was not a farmer he hierd a German man or boy and I had 4 brothers so they soon wer able to help. We knew nothing of the early day hardships my mother spun the wool that I have a bedspread made in 1842, when she was a girl. Cassius first memory they had the cook stove and oil lamps. Candles wer used when I can remember, but oil lamps mostly. Cassius was 83 Dec. 1938. Woolen mills wer near us so no spining wheals in my time. Mother knit all our stockings for both winter and summer also mitens. We wore wool clothing in winter and lots of it. Theire was all kindes of fruits that could be raised in that part of the country. Berries of all kindes, nuts, gardens - one raised what they planted. One could hear loads of everything in vegatable and fruits in their time and all other things taken to Buffalo markets. One could hear them on our plank road they wer trying to get on the early market going by later part of the night. Brother Lafy married when I was 5 years old. As we had a large house they lived at our place sevral diferant times. Josaphine Hathaway was his wifes name. Josie took me to evrything I went to in N.Y. If Mother went she left me with the hierd girl if the girl went I stayed with Mother. Our neighbors with children wer Germans spoke with a broge. I did not cair for them. We had other neighbors but no children. I loved cats, do yet and always loved horses, do yet. If I could just ride in a jig of a trot I was very happy. We had a fine team, at times I was the only one that could catch them and today I do love a horse. The railroad went through our farm after we left theire. Memorys of New York dear ones, many we never saw again. Fruits vegatables, berries as I would think after we wer here, everything was oh so good and everybody. As I have said Father, Delos, and Cassius came here to stay July 4. Mother and I staid until Nov. Mother dried all kindes of fruit and the neighbors gave Mother to. Then we went to town whair all the clothes I could wair or be fixed to wair wer made and Mother had all she could want so we wer well suplied. Lafy worked in a cheese factory Mother brought a number of cheese. Before we left N.Y. we staid at one of Father’s cousin’s. Milford and Hana Fishe he had and owned the largest general store in Hamburg. They had a lovely home and they built an observatory for their oldist son. I can still remember we staid up until midnight to get the best view of Saturn and the other stars and the moon. Then I was much pleased now its dim. Mother shed many tears. I was going whair Father and two brothers wer I felt sad at leaving but so anxious to see father and the boys and the land of promis. I expected any one that passed us in the night would cut Mothers clothes open and take hur money. A Mister More that at that time was the More in the firm that some may still remember Boline, More and Emery, Kansas City, Mo he had a business in Buffalo N.Y. he staid whaire we did the night before we left N.Y. and he told so many robery stories so I could only think if Mother was asleep and I staid awake until I was most sick. Back to N.Y. in our basement in New York father built a tank that held near 50 Barrels of vinegar and in winter it was kept theire and sold in the spring. As Herman Delos, we always called him Delos, and Cassius and Father went first we will begin theire they started in June but visited brother Perry in Waukegan Il. then came by train to Watterville and by stage to Bull City ariveing at Bull City July 3 a man by the name of Dan Reno from Lowell near the Medacine . We had a cousin James Smith lived theire. The man took them theire, but James Smith was out on a buffalo hunt so this man took them to his house for the night. The next day being the 4th of July and Bull City had a big day for the little burg. General Bull the main speaker and I know for on the 4th he would sing "Marching Through Georgia". Father liked the people and the place so decided to stay and in a day or two he started to get ready and build the stone hotel whair the Taylor building now stands. Lyman T. Earl had started a large building whair Ned Stephason’s store now stands the front part of the building was high enough for windows and doors and a one way roof. They got the necesarys for batching. Cassius was a good cook and he cooked for the men, 9 in all, I think. Cassius said they would get a quarter of buffalo meat, role it up and put it under the bed and it would keep until it was all used. Buffalo hunters said the same, meat would not spoil in their wagens. Plenty of buffalo, antelope, and elk and deer, wilde turkeys, parara chickens, grouse, quail and plover so no lack of meat. In November they thought we mite come, hotel not quite ready so we left the dear old home. They were having Epaseutic (?) in horses when we left Buffalo and when we got to Chicago we saw just one horse being led on the street, no street cars as they wer horse drawn. We walked from one depo to another and carried our satchels. We came to Atchison, then Topeka theire we had to wait on a train so we got a bed for a short time. I was wore out from watching Mothers money, no banks, she had to cary a number of hundred dollars in an inside pocket. As we went through Missouri Mrs. Abraham Lincoln was on the train and sat next seet ahead of Mother and I. She was a very pleasant woman. Also in MO there was a bunch of gamblers, they got a young man to play with them they played for small amounts and the young man won evry time then he bet all he had and lost. He was going to Colo but had not got his ticket. They put him off the train he cried hard I never forgot it or had any use for cards from then on. They maid a speech said gambling should not be alowed on the train. An old gambler said it was fair, if the young man won he would kept it. I felt very bad to see him crying and put off the train. At Bunker Hill I saw my first dugout and a little girl standing in the door I saw many after that but never lived in one. At Russel Father met us he had drove a team and wagon over. Mother had shipped a load of things from N.Y. They added a fiew things at Russel. We staid all night theire with a Mrs. Wilder the next night we staid with a family by the name of Newcoms. I think Mother and Father had a bed, I slept on the floor and I thought I never saw such a beautiful moonlite night in my life. In N.Y. the Lake caused a little fog or mist, not as clear as here. The next day we drove through a parary fire Buffalo grass it was short only made a little blaze I thought it quear, a little farther on we saw quite a heard of antelope. Next most night we wer on the hill south of the river. Father said "theire is Bull City". Almost nothing then to the river, theire was a dam on the river west of us and just a little water wheir I crossed. I jumped the river. We soon wer in Bull City. General and Mrs. Bull out to greet us, they made us welcome. I was glad to get to our journeys end. To me it was all very strainge. Jessie Van Sickle was all the girl in town she was 2 years old at that time. She was a nice childe. Mrs. Van Sickle was a smart woman, had a good sewing machine was a good seamstress. Did Mrs. Bulls sewing and most of ours, made sacks for flour after the mill started. S.S. Van Sickle was a smart man. When at home he taught singing school and did other things but buffalo hunting was his way of pasing the winter. He was nearly froze to death in a blizzard I wish I could remember more of it. Their home a small log house, 1 room, 1 door, 1 window in croswais, had floor but dirt roof. I was very glad when it was our own. Warm in winter, snakes I summer. I was frying stake, dirt began to fall it was a snake, they got the snake. Off went the dirt roof on went the board roof. When it rained not a dry spot in the house only the bed, used our oil cloth tablecloth and a litle more so bed dry and a dry spot under the bed. But I believe we did not live thiere long. Dr. Martin was in Colo – his wife hear so my husband went with Rate as we called hur to Colo. (This would have been her husband Henry’s sister, Rachel, whom they called "Rate") Tom Endsleys (Tom was Henry’s brother) steped in as we went out that was their first house keeping with our things. I staid with Mother that winter. Henry had work theire all winter in a hotel. In the spring we rented L.T. Earls farm. Tom had kept all our things. We had a good team. I cannot remember what went with the old log house. The one we moved in on the Earl farm was large enough and all cottonwoods it was a ratling good house. We wer caught one night in a hail storm shure did rattle. We went to his folks north and on the side hill when it looked like storm. Back to the Hotel: School, shows, dances and elections from 1874-5 the schoolhouse and until churches built and a larger schoolhouse that was the place. Many good times wer spent in that hotel. My Father died there, I was married in the same room. In a year or two Cassius built the frame barn then cooking done at the barn. We moved into the stone hotel in Nov.1872 the Austin House and it was the best building in Bull City for at least 4 years. The stone schoolhouse was built the summer of 1873 and school and church and Sunday School theire, after this elections and Liceums there then. McCulley came in 1873 they kept a little store in a frame building for a while I think. It stil stands. Then McCuly built the stone building now the Central Office. Charley Gutery built a stone blacksmith shop also a stone house. Later railroads wer began to be talked of. James Smith my cousin built the stone building west across the St. from the Hotel. Tom Walker built the next stone building south of the Smith building, both stil standing. Frank Clark built the building and run a Drugs Store in it for some time. My Father built the first bridge across the creek east of town. I think the older Dibbles came here about the time we did. The Stephasons a little later I do not know the date. Mrs. Bull wrote to me as long as she could write and that was nearly to the end. I never passed a birthday or Xmas without a presant from them as long as he lived, nice things to. Charley Cook built the stone house Bert Miller now has in 1873. Our man that says the stone hotel only had two windows all the others wer boarded up in 1878 is mistaken. The first school was upstairs spring of 1873 I am sure the cracks in the floor would not furnished lights for the school. Theire mite been some boarded up on the back side in 1875 possibly 1876. Don’t think so, theire was a small store in the north room for a while the winter of 1873. They could not left the doors open for lite. The north end of the basement two diferant times was rented. Families lived theire so must had windows in the basement. From the time we moved into the Hotel Nov 1872 until the school house was built that was the fall of 1873 Sunday School, meetings, election in 1872 was in the stone Hotel. Father was sick they carried him down stairs to vote he never was upstairs again. They had dances and shows upstairs – that at night. In the back of the second book: The first sermon preached in Bull City was by a Mr. Copeland and preached in General Bulls store in summer of 1872 secont serman was by Captain R. S. Osborne in the stone Hotel run by my Father Harmon Austin and Mother Elvira Austin also first Sunday School also first School upstairs in the stone Hotel. First couple married here was in stone Hotel and by General Bull. Cassius often says I liked evry one of those long ago. I, like him, can have no memory of any I did not like. Theire no doubt was some we did not like, all in all theire never was better people so ready to help in time of nead. From experience theire are no better people anywhair – church- lodge- neighbors. Some of those that worked building the hotel Joe Garrel was one, Jim Frazer and two Cassius cannot remember their names. Cassius was cook.