HARD TIMES

The summer of 1898 made quite a change in our family life. Typhoid fever was to be dreaded in those days, with no antiseptics or miracle drugs to fight diseases. And four of the family had it at the same time; three of the boys and May, twenty-three, the oldest girl at home. The youngest brother, Turner, fifteen years old died September 6, 1898.

On November 27, 1898 Willie, twenty-seven years old, was married to Chess Cline. That left only four of we children at home. In August of 1900, Tom married Ula Jones of Johnson County and in October of 1901, Porter, the last boy left at home, was married to Mary Thomas of Napton, Missouri. Katie was thirteen years old and I was eight. We were all the children left of the family.