April 1, 2013 - Continuation of David's Story

I am sharing with you a manuscript that Uncle David Russel Daugherty wrote in an unknown year about his life in the 1940's in Eastern South Dakota.  This was a new writing for me to see and I'm thrilled that cousin Gwyn sent it to me.  There's a lesson here...remember those forgotten letters, papers, pictures that are sitting in some dark box and share them with family members.   The house in Bonilla is one that I remember, though I was very small.  I remember David's room upstairs and all the wonderful books and comic books that he had.  "Uncle Wriggley" was especially fascinating. 

If I add any comments they will be in bold/italics.

"In 1948, we sold our farm animals and equipment and moved into Bonilla.  Our family bought the old bank building.  I think they paid $1200, which was most of what they had.  My mother later sold the house for a few hundred dollars.  It was offered to me once for $75 and you could probably get it for next to nothing now.  Around this time George got married.  Mom (Irene Carrington Daugherty) set up the one room with equipment to test the butterfat content of cream and she bought cream and eggs from the farmers for Swift and Company of Huron.  We also sold fireworks, shoes or anything else that we could make a few dollars.  Ocassionally Dad (Fred I. Daugherty) and I would have to go out to someone's farm and pick up chickens.  Dad was so sick with asthma that he would sit up all night and gasp for air.  He took it pretty well but Mom took the doctor's advise and moved him to Colorado.

In 1950, while in the 7th grade, we packed everthing up and moved in our 1935 Chevrolet to Colorado Springs, Colorado.  I seem to remember taking someone else with us also (a Hamilton girl with her child.)  I was the only child to move to Colorado.  My parents were very brave to move without the knowledge of what was at the other end.  It took at least two days and my mother got a job as a cook at the YWCA as soon as we arrived.  We then found an apartment on Weber St.  It had two rooms, a bedroom/living room where my parents slept and a bedroom/kitchen where I slept.  We shared a bathroom with another apartment.  It was quite an adjustment to come from an area where we had to carry our water and go to the outhouse to one where we had all the indoor facilities.

School was different, 400 in a class rather than 6.  While in Colorado Springs, we moved almost every year: Weber Street, Tejon Street (1 room apartment for the 3 of us), Nevada Ave., Brown Hotel on Pikes Peak Ave., back to Nevada Ave., Bijou Street (we lived here when Dad died in July of 1955), Platte Ave., another street near the Deaf and Blind School.  Then I started college at the University of Colorado in Boulder.  Mom moved into the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind where she was a salad person.  She remained there until she retired in the 1960's.  We lived somewhat austerily but so did my friends, so it didn't seem at the time that we had problems. 

Dad was sick most of the time, occasionally he worked at the Cadillac garage.  All the kids had fond memories of Dad.  He was kind of a rough character at first sight; short, skinny, usually unshaven, wore bib overalls and work shoes with flannel shirt, smoked roll-your-own Bull Durham tobacco, chewed spark plug tobacco in the field or when talking in town (cigarettes werre useless in the field because of the wind so farmers usually chewed tobacco).

There is enough of the manuscript left for one more posting.  Which I'll do tomorrow.  There is so much that I've learned from David's writing.  He's gone now...and I hope he somehow knows how much I appreciate him jotting down his thoughts and memories.

The Daugherty Family in front of the old bank building.  I'm the little girl on the left.  David is on the right.  There's grandpa Fred, Grandma Irene, my mother Helen, Uncle Ken, Aunt Beulah, Aunt Delores, Uncle George.  Only Uncle Ken and Mom remain.  Wonderful memories!

March 31, 2013 - More of David Daugherty's Family Story

I've lost count on ennumerating these segments of Uncle David Daugherty's Family Story.  These comments take place in the Wessington, SD area in the 1940's.  Very fascinating reading.  

David Daugherty

"We would occasionally go to Wessington which was where we originally called home.  We would visit aunts and uncles on the way.  We would stop at Uncle Charley and Aunt Millie Daugherty's farm.  He would always take his eye out for us and role it around his mouth.  Then we would stop at Aunt Mabel and Uncle Jack McGirr's farm.  Aunt Mabel would always have cookies and something to drink.  Uncle Jack always had a smile.  It seemed like it was part of his face.  We would then go to Wessington and visit Uncle Frank
and Aunt Laura Daugherty for the rest of the day.  I had a friend in town, Gord? forgot his name.  Sometimes my cousin Marjorie would entertain me.

 Wessington was bigger than Bonilla and still surviving.  It has a very wide main street and everyone would come to town.  The women would shop and talk, the men would drink beer, shoot pool and sit outside and talk and the kids would play and go to the movie.  The movie was only shown one night a week, two showings.  They also had a popcorn machine.  We also visited my Dad's brother, Rob Daugherty, his Uncle Fred Daugherty and his Aunt Hattie Place.  We would also visit my mother's Aunt Pearl Cavenee.  Memorial Day was always a big day at the Wessington Cemetery.  We also had many family reunions for my mother's family (Wilsons).

Holidays on the farm were different.  Everyone would try to get home for Christmas.  We would always have a tree (no lights), trimmed with balls, tinsel and fresh popcorn.  Mom would always make popcorn balls.  And my brothers and sisters would bring fruit and candy.  The main event was the school's Christmas program with Santa and all the plays.  We would exchange presents at home.  I would probably get some clothes and a few toys.

In 1946, while in 3rd grade, we moved to my great uncle Bill's (William Daugherty) near Tulare (actually near Spotswood, a one elevator town.)  We took care of Uncle Bill.  George and I were the only kids home.  I was always impressed by that farm.  Uncle Bill had a living room with a fancy stove, a leather chair and a library with a rug which were all fancy as far as we were concerned.  He had a garage whose attic was filled with old National Geographics which dated back to the original issues.  He had an orchard where our previous place did not have any trees.  It was hard to change schools for such a short time.  We also changed churches.  Our famous old cow died on that farm because she ate poison.  My parents had a bedroom, and Uncle Bill had a bed in his living room.  George and I slept on the porch.  George and I also enjoyed the remains of some old antique cars that we would pretend to be operational (a Willys Knight and a Model T Ford.)

We stayed about one year and moved back (1947) to a place called the Brown's place.  I had my own house, the lower floor was used as a grainary and I had a room upstairs for my comic books and desk, a kind of a hideaway.  Dad bought bees from the Sears catalogue, many were dead when they arrived at the post office so they did not survive the next winter.  Dad taught us how to pet the bees without getting stung but we would end up seeing if the bees would sting the cat, which they did."

March 30, 2013 - More of David Daugherty's Family Story

I'm thoroughly enjoying this family story that Uncle David Daugherty wrote and that cousin Gwyn sent me.  The date of the writing is unknown.  David is gone now, so these words are even more precious.  He was the youngest sibling of my mother and the son of Fred I. Daugherty and Irene Carrington Daugherty.  This is "part three".  The time period is the early 1940's. The bold italics are my additions.

"Sometime during this era, we as a family picked potatoes several miles from home.  I don't remember too much about it except that we stayed in a quanset hut with several other families and picked potatoes during the day.  I was friendly with the guy who drove the truck to pick up the potatoes.  I don't know how long we were there, probably a week.  My mother and I also visited my sister Helen in Minneapolis.  They (Helen and Dale) were going to school and Judy was quite young (I was 8 when she was born.)  Anyway we rode the streetcars and the escalaters and it was my first experience in the big city.

School was always an unpleasant experience.  Bonilla school was small, averaging 5 or 6 kids per grade.  Grades 1,2, and 3 were together and 4,5, and 6 were together.  7 and 8 were together and then highschool.  I moved to Colorado after the start of 1st grade.  There were 6 kids in my class, 5 boys and 1 girl.  I was the smartest boy but sort of tied with the only girl, Eleanor French.  We were all good friends when together by twos, but as a group, somebody would end up fighting, just like boys.  My better friends were Lowell Funk who lived in town and Darrel Shamp who lived near town, but they had 1 cow for milk.  Both their fathers worked on the railroad.  We always had hot lunch at school.  We got all our shots and physical exams there too.  I'm not sure of the accuracy of David moving to Colorado at such a young age.  I remember he and his parents in Bonilla, SD when he was older than that.  I need to check on the years that they were in Colorado.  He may have meant 11th grade. 

Church was a big part of our life.  In Bonilla, the Presbyterian church had Sunday school at 9:30 and church at 11.  I am sure I have absorbed many values from our time there.  There were many church suppers where the whole community would gather for pot luck dinner and a few activities.  Our churches these days cannot seem to bring back the community that we had then.  Everone is too busy doing their own thing.  The congregation is so large that each time we go to an activity, there seems to be a whole new set of people.

The South Dakota country roads had ditches which became our wading hole in the spring and summer.  We also had a pond near the barn.  We would catch frogs.  My Aunt Bertha (Parmely) gave me a ewe that I called "Tootsie".  This ewe had lambs each year and I would get the money for the lambs and Tootsie's wool (about $8 for the wool) which would be my spending money for the year.

David Russel Daugherty

 

 Dad would always buy us a candy bar (a nickel) and a bottle of pop (nickel) when we went into town.  Going into town was always a great time.  Our closest town was Bonilla (4 or 5 miles).  We would go in for incidentals.  The women would gather at Winegar's Cafe (cafe, grocery store, beer joint, ice cream, etc.).  The men would gather at the service station and sit around a stove, chew tobacco and talk.  The kids would listen at one place or another or go out and play street games.  Ocassionally there would be Saturday night dances in the community hall.  We would make our spending money by getting up early the next day, collect beer and pop bottles and collect the deposit from Winegars Cafe.  There was also another grocery store in tow
n...Peterson's.  The owner also made the school lunches.  We had a blacksmith, Jimmy Winnegar's father.  The blacksmith was always a fascinating place with a large coal hearth and all the welding equipment.  He did everything from shoeing horses to fixing farm implements.  We would always need our scythes sharpened from the binder and mowers."

March 29, 2013 - Continuation of David Daugherty's Story

Uncle David Russel Daugherty's Family Story is so interesting and really adds to our knowledge of the daily life in the South Dakota Prairies in the 1940's.  Again, I must add that I don't know the date of this writing.  This is the second 'episode' of a piece that my cousin Gwyn sent me.  This is the first time I've seen this particular writing, though I do have another substantial one that David sent me many years ago. 

"We had no running water, electricity, telephone, indoor plumbing, central heat or central air.  Our radio ran from a car battery which we would have to charge periodically.  Our water was obtained from the well which was close to the house.  We all drank from a common cup next to the bucket in the kitchen and washed from a common pan.  The pan's water was thrown out when it got too grimy.  Our garbage went into a 'slop bucket' next to the cook stove and was periodically fed to the pigs.  We would 'slop' the hogs.  We had a cook stove in the kitchen which burned coal and corn cobs.  We had no wood.  My mother made fresh bread almost daily.  There was always bread dough left out for rising. 

We also had a coal stove in the living room which was our main source of heat in the winter.  Dad would put oil cloth on the windows (instead of storm windows) in the winter.  The ice would accumulate on the window in the winter and make all sorts of interesting shapes.  The snow would blow in the winter and occasionally a drift would reach the eaves of the roof.  We would take a bath in the living room near the stove in the winter (once a week whether we needed it or not.)  We would wear long winter underwear (thermal) during the day and to bed at night.  The stove would go out at night so in the middle of the night there would be no heat.  Dad would get up very early and light the stove.  We would get up, do the chores and come into a hot breakfast of eggs, potatoes and toast or pancakes.  We would then catch the school bus to school (number 2, I think).  If a storm was expected, they sent us home early.  They did not take any chances with the South Dakota storm to avoid anyone getting stranded on a school bus."

I hadn't thought about the fuel that Gram and Grandpa had to keep themselves warm.  We burn wood at our house, along with electric heat, and we always are able to get piles of wood for the winter.  Sometimes that wood comes from our own gleaning of our land and other times we order it by the semi load.  It's usually long burning oak. 

Fred and Irene Daugherty, Circa 1940s

I  must admit, I've never made a loaf of bread.  Doing this is on my list of things I'd like to do, or at least try.  It's hard to imagine that for Gram Irene Carrington Daugherty this was something she had to do.  I also wonder what it would be like washing clothes in the winter...and making sure there was always hot water for baths and cleaning. 

This account of the taking baths is very pertinent, as we're re-doing our bathrooms and in the near future there will be a couple of days where bathtub use will be nil.  We'll have to have old fashioned sponge baths.  We're semi-dreading this, yet it is only an inconvenience for a short period of time. 

I remember the slop buckets from Uncle Al's farm.  Those pigs enthusiastically ate just about everything.  When little, I was a bit leary of not having a fence between them and me.  You never know, they might want a taste of me, too.  In yesterday's posting, David mentioned feeding the skim milk to the pigs and keeping the cream for the family.  I remember Aunt Beulah and her beautiful cream that she sold to the dairy in Delmont, SD. 

March 28, 2013 - David Daugherty's Story

I want to share this Daugherty Story, by my uncle David Daugherty, born 1938.   David passed away a couple of years ago...I don't have his death date on my genealogy program.  I'm not sure why.  He died far too young and he wasn't able to travel and visit family in his last few years.  I'll quote his writing and add any details of my own in bold and italics.  The date of this writing is unknown.  I had not seen this particular history piece from David...so my thanks go out to my dear cousin Gwyn, who sent me her family material. 

"Daugherty story by David Daugherty (This is just a start.  It will probably take a long time to make this story complete and correct, but I will give you an interim copy for information.  Others in the family should expand on it or correct it as applicable.  A lot of my information is probably incorrect.

The earliest I can remember was when I was 4 or 5 and we lived in a house in rural Bonilla (SD), all I can remember is that it was two stories.  I think this is when Helen taught the primary grades at Bonilla Consolidated School.  We later moved to a house called the Breilly Place?  Helen and Ken had gone into the service during WWII and Beulah (graduated HS in 1943) was in nursing school (graduated 1947) or maybe she was teaching.  Delores, George and I were home.  Dolores must have graduated HS in 1946 and George in 1949.  We were probably on the Breilly place from 1943 to 1946. This place is still standing and I have pictures of it.  It is in bad shape now but it was not in very good shape then.  Dad was a 'share cropper'.  We did not own the land but the owner provided the seed and he would get a share of the crop, thus the term 'share cropper'.  He (Fred I. Daugherty) had lost his farm (the Wilson homestead) during the depression.  The family had spent some time in Arkansas before I was born.  My father also worked on the roads for the WPA running a boiler.  I was born in Wessington (SD) in town.  I am not sure when we moved from Wessington, probably 1942.

Our farm was small, a house with 2 or 3 bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and porch.  We had a small barn and another animal shed and, of course, an outhouse.  We also had a windmill with tank and a cover or root cellar.  The caves (a hole in the ground with roof, shelves and stairway) was used for two purposes, one to store the canned vegetables and potatoes and the second for a storm shelter.  Every time a bad storm would come, Mom (Irene Carrington Daugherty) would take us down into the cellar.  I remember it always smelled musty, had lizards and spiders and was damp. 

We had 10 cows which we milked by hand morning and night and seperated into cream and skim milk.  The skim milk was fed to the pigs and the cream was sold.  Occasionally mom would make butter from the sour cream.  We had a few pigs, a few sheep, many chickens, a team of horses, and George's riding horse.  George rode a horse to the country school before I went into first grade.  When I went into first grade, we both took the bus to the consolidated school in Bonilla.  One time we hooked George's riding horse up to a harrow or rake and he took off pulling it all over the farm.  I think he didn't want to be a work horse.

David Russel Daugherty b. 1938

 

Our farm equipement included a 1928 Model A. Ford with a torn cloth top, a Model T truck, a 'home made' tractor with a Model A Ford engine (my father called it a T-man), a Farmall 'A' tractor, various wagon
s, rakes, harrows, plows, cultivators, etc.  During WWII gas, rubber and food were rationed.  The tractors were used for the heavy work such as plowing, binding, hauling grain into town, etc.  The horses were used for light work such as planting, cultivating, corn picking, hauling shocked grain, etc.  I remember sitting on my father's lap, driving the horses while cultivating corn.  Cussing up a storm.  My father let me drive the Farmall A at a younge age.  He would tie the steering wheel so that it would go in a circle while George and he shocked grain.  Mom would bring water and lunch out to the field.  Dad, George and I would have a great time working together.  One year we grew popcorn.

 I remember during the winter, Dad had to drain the car radiator because there was no antifreeze.  It would be so cold that Dad would have to light a fire under the oil pan in order to get the oil to lubricate.  These days they have thinner oil (10W) and plug in dip sticks.  I remember also having m tongue or hand stick to the pipe on the well because of the cold.  20 below zero was not uncommon.  I we had a flat tire, we would run on the rim.

I'll continue David's fascinating story in the next posting.  I think that even if you're not family members, this story will give you some idea of what life was like in the Prairies.  I want to include these words in Prairie Roots, my family newspaper. 

March 28, 2013 - D. Daugherty's Family History, Emily Daugherty Ralston

As in most genealogical writings, we are now back to the children of William Henry Daugherty and Martha Pepper Daugherty.  This is the research of my uncle David, without electronic assistance.  The date of his paper is unknown.  If I feel that comments are necessary, I add them with Bold and Italics.  We've already included John William Daugherty, Hattie Daugherty Place, and George Henry Daugherty. 

Now we have Emily Daugherty Ralston..."married Ephram Ralson (Dr John?).  I'm not sure why David included this last question.  I've not heard of Dr. John. 
      Edward Ralston lives in Iowa
      Harlan Ralston lives in Washington, DC
      Dora Ralston

Again, I'd love to find some Ralston family contacts. 

Jane Daugherty Logan...married James Logan, four boys in or near Denver, Colorado.
     Adah Logan, an elocutionist
     John Logan
     Fred Logan

George Daugherty married, had three children living near Pendleton, Oregon.
     Hattie Daugherty Stickler married to Earl?
     George Daugherty
     Lee Daugherty

James Daugherty had a large family in Illinois.
     Daughter married a Vandeventer (4 boys and 2 girls living in Missouri, Nodaway Co.)"

This ends this portion of David Daugherty's research.  Next I want to include "Daugherty Story" by David Daugherty.   

March 27, 2013 - David's Daugherty History - Helen Daugherty

I'm still with Uncle David's Daugherty's Family History, unknown date of writing and without the use of computerized fact checking and sharing.  Again I will italicize any words that I add.  The other comments belong to David.  The children of George Henry Daugherty are being listed.  Helen was the youngest of George and Catherine Elizabeth (DeLong)'s children.

I wish I had someone from the Emma Brady family to connect with. 

Helen Elizabeth Daugherty DeHaven

Helen Daugherty DeHaven was the aunt of my mothers's.  From everything related of her, she must have been an extraordinary woman.  She was born in 1899 and died in 1929 when her four children were very little.  A sad story.

"Helen Daugherty (DeHaven) married Tom DeHaven
    Helen Elizabeth DeHaven  (Eva Elizabeth DeHaven)
    Genevieve Dehaven
    Albert Dehaven
    Jean Dehaven

David includes John Henninger and his sister Vera Henninger as the children of George Henry.  These are the children of George's third wife, Emma.  Their father, Thomas Henninger died in 1901.  No information concerning these two children is included in David's writing.  Mom remembers them...in fact Vera was in Mom's graduating class. 

    John Henninger

    Vera Henninger (Peterson)

     Dorothy Daugherty (Franklin) (b. 1914) married to Ben Franklin in 1931.  This is the daughter that George and Emma (Henninger) had together.  George and Emma were married in 1911.

Now continuing on with the children of William Henry and Martha (Pepper) Daugherty....We've listed John William Daugherty, Hattie Daugherty and George Henry Daugherty in previous posts, to this one.   

Frank Daugherty (died in infancy) (born 1873)

Edward Daugherty (b. 1869) married Louella Wycoff

Fred Daugherty (b. 1871), married Ona Huddleson.  My great uncle Fred lived in Wessington and my father and I would visit him often.
     Howard William Daugherty
     Edna Martha (b. 7/4/1924), Edna is my father's cousin but one of my favorites.
     John Fredrich Daugherty (b. 1930).  John was my brother George's playmate as a youngster.

Emma J. Daugherty Brady (b. 1876 or (b. 1973), married Charles Brady
     Mildren Marion Brady
     Edward Smith Brady
     Vera Gladys Brady
     Donald Dean Brady

Richard Daugherty (b. 1879 or 1878), married Xoa Marsh
    Lee Marjorie Daugherty (Tibbets) (b. 1913)

I need to add another child: James Robert Daugherty, who was born and died in 1867.  He lived only a few months.