Person:Ethyl Foster (1)

Letter from Ethel, wife of Frank Andrews Webb City, Mo. Feb. 29, 1966 Dear Mary Ellen,

  Bless you.  You have a chore to do all this.  I will try to give you what I know which is little.
  Amos and Emaline Andrews came from Lineville, PA to Salem Ill.  Frank was born Oct. 14, 1976.  Died at Howard, Kansas, March 27, 1937, Age 61 years, 5 months and 13 days.  The parents separated when Frank was nine years old.  The boys worked on the railroad as flag boys to support the mother.  She died in 1893, don't know what month.  I do not know why they separated as the children never talked about it.  The older boy went with the father to Washington after selling all the farm animals and what farming equipment they had, which was in money $600.  That is what Aunt Alta told me.  I did not know the father as he was a very peculiar man and did not speak unless he wanted something.  He lived with your parents and it might be that Emaline would know something about him.
  Frank Elmer Andrews born in Salem Illinois in 1876, October 14.  They came to Kansas when he was a year old.  Worked on the railroad as flag boy a few years and on the bridges when he was a little older.  Then his father returned to Howard and he was an apprentice carpenter under him for some time.  The first house he built with his father is still there.  I could tell or show it to you if I was there.  It is a story and half house down on north Main St.  On corner east side on S.W. corner.  About two blocks down.  He built many barns all over Elk County.  Also houses.  Worked at Pratt a few years.  Went to Loveland, CO in 1910-1911 and built cabins for tourists camps.
  Was married to Ethel Mae Foster in Sept. 4, 1912 at Carthage, MO.  We resided in Howard until his death in 1937.  Frank was a good husband and father.  Very industrious.  Good tempered, and quite a comic.  He had a gift of memory even if he only completed the 4th grade.  He used the gift and memorized poems, such as the Village Blacksmith, Night before Xmas, and a lot of others and lots of folk lore poems.

All in all he was a delightful person. He had a great love of family and all relatives.

  Born to us one daughter, Alene Leota Andrews, Dec. 29, 1913.  She graduated in 1931 from Howard High School with a Norman Training Diploma and taught one term of school.  Married Donald Bennitt in 1933.  Now I will have to get the rest of the information of births from Alene as I cannot exactly tell the dates of all the births.  Will send them to you as soon as she sends them.
  Ethel Mae Foster was born in Medoc, MO, Feb. 2, 1893.  Reared on a farm, completed a high school course in Jerome, AZ in 1909-10-11.  Worked as nurse for Dr. Depew, Harner, Grimmell and Costello for ten years.  Also a nurse two years in hospital in Masonic Home in Wichita - - 1937-38.  Then as house mother for children in the same home until 1944.  Worked in the Beech Air Craft plant two years 1945-46, in the Blue Print Dept.  When the war closed I went to Chillothe, MO Training School for Girls.  Was officer 1947-57.  When I retired and came to Webb City.
  I am in pretty good shape for an old lady and sure do enjoy my retirement.  I quilt for people and have a little garden.
  Clone Cogle is the daugher of Addie, or Adelaidel, she married George Thompson.  They had two children, Clone and Fred.  Clone has two girls-- Alma and Eunice. She was married to Arlie Cogle.
  The people you spoke of from Chicago was Emma Jane.  Of them all she was an outstanding character.  She got some education and learned Telegraphy.  Her father was a cooper, traveled from sawmill to sawmill, you know he made barrel staves.  There was a big demand for that product then as they shipped everything in barrels.  She would hide around the railroad stations and listen to the operator on the telegraph until she learned the code.  Them some kind operator taught her to do same.  She went to the City of Chicago and she got a job in a big hotel as a telegraph operator.  She made lots of money from her work and heavy tips.  Of course being poor, she used this money very carefully.  Saved, invested and had at her death an estate of about 100 thousand dollars.  She in the meantime married a Jew.  He was never accepted in the family, but on some trip he was killed in a train wreck.  She met many years after a man by the name of Adolph Oleson from Sweden and married him.  He was very poor and could not speak English so she sent him to school and through college.  He became a school superintendent of Fargo, South Dakota school system and they lived there many years.  When they retired they went to San Diego, CA where they retired with a small neighborhood store.  He died in a few years.  She lived at least 20 years after his death.  She died about two years ago.
  Yes, I could tell you many stories about the girls at the school.  Some very sad.  Some funny.

T hey were very dear to me and I loved to work with them. If you would come over, we could have a good visit and if interested, I could tell you enough to make a good book, and might be good reading.

  Will get the information from Alene and send it soon.  Tell the other girls I love them, too.  And am so glad that Bernadine is getting so she can get around and know she will walk if it is possible.  Will write to her one of these days.  My brother has been with me this winter.  He is a bachelor and was sick in the hospital.  He has no place to live only in some home for the aged.  I will keep him as long as I am able.  If he wants to stay.  If you want anymore information and I can give it just write.  This is not much but these people did not talk too much.

Love to you and family, Aunt Ethel

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   Obituary -- Howard
   ETHYL MAE ANDREWS
   Ethyl Mae Andrews, 91, died Sunday, March 11, 1984, at the Cedar Vale Regional Hospital in Cedar Vale, Kansas.
   She was born on Feb. 2, 1893, at Medoc, Missouri, to Mr. and Mrs. James Foster.
   On September 4, 1912, she united in marriage with Frank Elmer Andrews at Carthage, Missouri. They made their home in Howard until he died on March 27, 1937.
   Ethyl moved to Wichita where she was employed by the Kansas Masonic Home for many years, during the period when orphans were cared for at the Masonic Home. She moved to Chillicothe, MO and was employed at a woman's reformatory there until her retirement in 1958. Ethyl lived in Webb City, Missouri, for many years before moving to Sedan, Kansas to be close to her daughter, Alene.
   She was a member of the United Methodist Church at Webb City, MO and Columbia Chapter #142, O.E.S.
   She is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Alene Bennitt of Sedan; three grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
   Graveside services were held at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, 1984 at Grace Lawn Cemetery in Howard with Rev. Paul Lynn of the Howard United Methodist Church officiating. Columbia Chapter #142, O.E.S. of Howard.
   The funeral arrangements were made with the Zimmerman Funeral Home, Howard, Kansas.