Person:Rose Young (4)

From a letter Written by Rose Hansbrough to her children, Dec. 8, 1956 referring to the Nov. 29; Dec. 6; & Dec. 13 issues of the Palmyra, (MO) Spectator, a weekly newspaper:

"Don't let this upset you, there is nothing wrong, just something I forgot to mention to you in my letter last week. It was about the pictured farm in Spectator. I mentioned to Ruby, I was sure it was the picture of my grandfather Baxter's place, (now owned by Harry Bross, who as the paper stated, has gone a long way with it.) I'm sorry I never got around to taking you children there to see it, as there are a number of things that stand out in my memory, as I knew them from the time I was old enough to remember anything, until the day my grandfather died, when you, Dorothy, were a baby, just a year old. How well I remember taking you and Horace there at that time, he 2 & 1/2 and you just a year. I never saw much of it, --only from the highway, or when we just went driving around past the Lucke and Wesz places, --probably on the way to the 'Lewis' -now Chas. Carroll- place,-after that. Grandmother Baxter, tho' not my real grandmother, was the only 'grandmother' I ever knew, or had, soon moved to town, (to the house now occupied by Jas. Tate & wife) where she died several years later. The brick part you can see in picture, -and which I know was built by my grandfather, J.W. Baxter, -a son of the Elijah mentioned in the description, was the usual type brick, -with four rooms, large hall straight through with stairway, (like Carrolls, Chas. Keller's and the "Quinn" home where Aunt Gladys lived,) When grandfather died, rather when he Lived there and I went there, and remember it so well, there were two old rooms at the end, where you now see the one., and the one (of the two) at the fartherest end was the kitchen, both it and the other old one had 'lofts' in them, and they told me my grandfather was born in the loft over the kitchen, (in 1832), so-o-o he was born, lived all his years, and died on the same farm (practically the same house, different rooms) where he was born, at the age of eighty (80) years, (and the little old loft where he was born, was still there and usable as a store room, with steps up to it still safe to walk on).-- There was a bed in every room in the house except the 'parlor' (at extreme right) and it had parlor furniture in it--the what not in my dining room [in 1996, in Dorothy Flanagan's Dining room] and a 'stand-table' that I remember so well, too. (There were 2 beds in each of those 2 big brick rooms up-stairs, but the thing that always impressed me was the ones in the dining room and 'kitchen' as we walked thru' the train-like house. I say 'train-like' because those back rooms went out of the living --in those days, 'sitting-room' -- as if you went out a door in the west end of 'Keller's or Aunt Gladys' 'parlor' into the dining room, straight thru' and into the kitchen, etc, --the etc, I'll tell you about if you ever care to hear more. There are two more things I want to tell you tho' One of the first things I can remember about my Grandfather, he made and drank a 'toddy' before each meal, I can see him yet, going to an old chest, raising the lid, getting his whiskey bottle, pouring out about 2 tablesp. ful, putting some sugar and hot water in it, then going back to the kitchen and sitting down by the fire-place-in kitchen- and while he was stirring it, Ruby (Aunt) on one side, I on the other, both with our elbows resting on his knee, and faces in our hands (chins rather) waiting for him to taste it, to see if it was too hot for us, then giving us a taste, (even tho' some of it had been strained thru' his mustache. One other thing-- you will see a little white building, all by itself down to the left, (apparently under a tree, only it isn't) that little building houses the spring the 'write-up' mentions. How well, I remember that spring, --can you imagine not having any water closer to the house than that? There was a back yard fence and a gate hinged to a post, that was set at about the end of the first white streak, (front yard fence, I think in picture) that we had to go thru' to get to the spring house, the gate did not have a little hook and steeple to fasten it but had a heavy chain attached to gate and post. On this chain, hung a heavy, solid iron wheel, to pull the gate shut, of course when it was opened. I feel sure I spent hours sometimes trying to get that gate open by backing up against it, with both hands full of buckets, one with milk, another with cream, still another with a plate of butter, sometimes other things; we would put them if they were heavy enough, in a trenched fixed to hold the water, sometimes having heavy earthen jars to put things in, that might float away, -then there was a flat rock space where could set things just to keep cool. But that had to be when we were sure it wouldn't rain and the branch and spring get up. I've seen them all floating around -side ways, upside down- etc, more than once. Even so it was great fun going to 'Grandpa's' to stay a week, where we would wash dishes in 'soft-soap' the blackest slickest stuff, but it made nice suds and so far as I remember we didn't scald them in those days either. And then after I began growing up, it was still fun, because the Lucke boys lived next door, just across the road, there were only four of them, but they weren't all there at once, and we did have fun, especially at threshing time. If they hadn't torn a little back porch down, you might still be able to read some little verses or sayings Mr. Jake and I wrote once, -during a rain storm, --when he couldn't work, I guess. (We wrote them on the 'weather-boards' that was in the very early 1900's.) Perhaps you should put this in your scrap book or somewhere in safe keeping with the picture in Nov. 29th paper, and the description (that is really something about the things, (slaves, etc,) Mary owned) in Dec.6 paper. Who knows, some of my grandchildren might need it for a thesis sometime. Better have some of them take 'Journalism'."

Palmyra Spectator, September 19, 1974 -- p. 6

Rose Hansbrough Funeral services for Mrs. Rose Hansbrough 86 of Route 1, Palmyra were held on Monday September 16, at 2 p.m. in Lewis Brothers Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Kenneth Moore officiating. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery. Casketbearers were Jack Ellis, Jerry Ellis, James Ellis, Pat Flanagn, Mike Flanagan, Randy Gregoire, richard Gregoire and Dennis Hansbrough. Mrs. Hansbrough died at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, September 15, at Maple Lawn Rest Home. A daughter of Thomas M. and Ella Virginia Baxter Young, she was born on October 29, 1887 in Marion County. She was married to Frank L. Hansbrough on December 24, 1907 at Keokuk, Iowa. He died in December 1952. Mrs. Hansbrough was a member of the Bethel Baptist Church, W.M.S., the Extension Club and a 50 year member of the Order of Eastern Star and a past Worthy Matron. Survivors include two sons, Horace Hansbrough of Kansas City and Frank Hansbrough of St. Charles, three daughters, Mrs. Dorothy Flanagan of Canton, Mrs. Leslie Ellis of Mexico and Miss Ruby Gladys Hansbrough of Palmyra, 11 grandchildren and 11 greatgrandchildren.