Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace - Mar 1997

Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

Mar 1997

This series of posts on each Friday during 2015 continues the stories of “The Homeplace Saga” series of family saga, historical fiction families in the area of Oak Springs following the novel “Christmas at the Homeplace.” Here is a peek at ‘Life in Oak Springs,’ and the surrounding valley, in March of 1997.

Matt Winslow, President and CEO of Bevins and Winslow ISP, Inc., announced that effective April 1, 1997, the company name would be changed to Ozarks Communications, Inc. (OCI) due to the growth of the company, the area served, and the new services being offered. OCI now offered cable television services as well as Internet access services. The company was also positioned to provide telephone services to communities, as well.

Karen Winslow, Chair of The Bevins Trust, announced the formation of a Central Office for The Bevins Trust and affiliated companies, effective April 1, to be headed by Susan Winslow, Vice-President of Administrative Services. This action was a next step of the ongoing reorganization announced in February. The Central Office will consolidate all accounting, finance, human resources, benefits administration and risk management activities of the units and companies served. Susan Winslow was quoted as saying this centralized office will bring more efficiency to the operations as well as allow continued improvements in the effectiveness of each of the administrative services provided to the work force in each affiliated company. The Central Office will be located in The Bevins Trust building, next door to City Hall, which also houses the Ozarks Communications, Inc., offices and shops.

The Oak Springs Historical and Genealogical Society published a notice in the Oak Springs Enterprise reminding community members that they still seek information, documents, photographs, and other artifacts from the early days of the settlement of the valley we now know as Oak Creek Township. Items from the early 20th Century should also be considered. If you have materials, of any kind, that you think might be of interest, please contact Judy Winslow at the City Library. A hard-working volunteer committee will evaluate the material for you. The Society is not looking for the materials to be donated, unless you want to. They only want to inspect, perhaps copy, and record the information, materials or artifacts as part of their study of the early days of this fine community. Your help and serious consideration are appreciated.

Locals:

The Annual Alumni Basketball Exhibition Game, featuring an Oak Springs Alumni Basketball team versus the Oak Springs High School Boys Team, which represents the end of the current season, will be held on Saturday night, March 29, at the Oak Springs High School Gymnasium. Proceeds from the game benefit the High School Athletic Equipment Fund. This is always a fun game for everyone in the community.

Paul Gates, General Manager, announced that the Oak Creek Mill and Mill Market would resume a full seven-day a week schedule for the season beginning on Monday, March 24. Hours will be 10 am to 6 pm daily. The admission price for the Mill tour will stay the same as last year; admission to the Mill Market is free. Gates also announced that for the first full week, from March 24 to 30, as an Area Appreciation promotion, admission to the Mill Tour would be half-price and many other activities would have special pricing as well. He added they were hoping for good weather so that many people from the community would be able to participate.

Social Notes:

The Annual St. Patrick’s Day Party at the Oak Springs Country Club was well attended as usual. Harry and Sarah Flanders chaired the arrangements committee this year and were able to have an authentic Irish Pipe Band from Houston provide the featured entertainment for the event.

"May everyone have a homeplace, if only in your mind."




Dr. Bill  ;-)

The rest of the story... Levi Weston stories, at Weston Wagons West

The rest of the story... 

Levi Weston stories, 

at Weston Wagons West

In case you missed it:

I have a "separate" set of family saga, historical fiction set of stories that includes additional information that is also part of "The Homeplace Saga" stories.

These are, specifically, the 20 episodes in the Lx series, related to Levi Weston, starting here:

http://drbill-wml-smith.hubpages.com/hub/Weston-Wagons-West-Jacob-Weston-moves-his-family-to-St-Louis-Missouri-in-1823

There is a direct link from this episode, episode L1, through to episode L20.

As you know from The Founding stories, Jacob and Levi Weston first introduced there.

These Weston Wagons West stories, however, chronicle Levi's birth and his life in St. Louis and Jefferson City before he moved to Oak Springs... as well as the years he was back in Jefferson City during the Civil War... and into 1874.

There are also stories, primarily in Jefferson City, during the war, of other folks from the Oak Springs valley (and The Founding Stories), about their activities there before, during, and after the Civil War. These include Jake and Kate Patton, the McDonalds, the Truesdales, the Baldridges, and more.

If you haven't read these stories, you are missing very interesting information.

Check them out, and enjoy the reading! ;-)

Founding and Growth of Oak Springs

Founding and Growth of Oak Springs

Draft

Founding and Growth of Oak Springs - Patton Land Donation

This is an American Centennial Project by xxx xxxx. For this project, I talked with several of the older members of the founding families of the first settlements in this valley. This is a summary of what they told me.

As soon as Jake Patton and the other founding families had their land claims confirmed with the county government, Jake had been planning for and working toward formal establishment of a village or town in the valley. He wanted to have it be centered around his spring, blacksmith shop and the General Store. Toward this end, he first sought in 1841 and eventually, in March 1842, received authorization to open an official U. S. Post Office in the General Store. When he found the name “Oak Creek” was already spoken for, elsewhere in the state, he settled for “Oak Springs” which also seemed appropriate, as well. Jake Patton was named Postmaster, and Kate Patton was named Assistant Postmaster. The name “Oak Creek” had been given to the township when it was established in 1841.

From an early date, Jake had sketched out a town site, four blocks wide and six blocks long, north and south, split in half by a main street running between his original blacksmith shop and the original General Store. When the town site plat for Oak Springs was finally approved, in 1848, it followed those guidelines very closely. 

By having the vision for the town already in mind, and having it on land he owned, when new buildings were planned and built, they were built with this grid in mind. For example, the first hotel was just north of the General Store location, followed by a livery stable just to the north of that. What became “Central Avenue” ran north and south right in front, on the west, of those buildings. 

What became known as Patton Spring and Patton Run (now a part of Patton Park, of course) were in the southwest corner of that initial town site plat. Patton Run was the creek running from the pool at Patton Spring into Center Creek a relatively short distance to the southwest. 

Hand-drawn Draft of Town Plot - Oak Springs

[Click to see Enlarged View]

Oak Springs Town Plat and subsequent transactions

The initial Town Plat consisted of 26 blocks of 2 1/2 acres each. Each block was designated with a letter. Each block consisted of 4 numbered lots.

Central Avenue split the town plat north and south; two block to the east, divided by 1st Ave. E. and two blocks to the west, divided by 1st Ave. W. The eastern and western boundaries were therefore 2nd Ave E. and 2nd Ave W.

Patton Street ran east and west just north of the General Store. This left two blocks to the south, divided by First Street, South. The southern boundary of the town plat was designated Second Street, South. To the north, separating each set of blocks, were: First Street, Second Street, etc. This made the northern boundary Fourth Street.

Jake Patton retained ownership of Blocks K, O, S, R, and Q.

Owen Olson retained ownership of Block Z

Sale of lots:

1. Sep 1848 - Robert Baldridge - Block N, Lots 3 & 4.
2. Sep 1848 - Jake Patton - Block W, Lot 1, and Block T, Lot 1
3. Sep 1848 - Owen Olson - Block Y, Lot 2 and Lot 4
4. Sep 1848 - Victor Campbell - Block W, Lot 3 and Lot 4
5. Sep 1848 - Hugh Truesdale - Block W, Lot 2, and Block L, Lot 1 and Lot 3
6. Jun 1850 - Percival Jones - Block N, Lot 2
7. Jul 1850 - Jonathan Ames - Block X, Lot 1 and Lot 3
8. Jul 1850 - Wesley Mathison - Block X, Lot 2 and Lot 4
9. Nov 1850 - Ames & Mathison RE - Block J, Lot 4
10. Feb 1851 - Percival Jones - Block N, Lot 1 and Block M Lot 2
11. Feb 1851 - Ames & Mathison RE - Block J, Lot 2
12. May 1851 - Gideon Inman - Block J, Lot 1
13. Jan 1851 - Oak Springs Bank - Block G, Lot 3
14. Jun 1857 - Levi Weston - Block L, Lot 2 and Lot 4
15. Mar 1860 - Jerry Potts - Block J, Lot 3

The Founding of the Homeplace - Summer 1843, Progress Report, Part 4 of 4

The Founding of the Homeplace

Summer 1843, Progress Report

Part 4 of 4

"The Founding of the Homeplace" stories will continue here on every other Friday during August and September. This is a serial presentation of the story, beginning in 1833, when four families decided to settle the land, the valley, that would become the setting of the first two books in the The Homeplace Saga: "Back to the Homeplace" and "The Homeplace Revisited" and subsequent series stories, set in 1987 and 1996, to date. The underlying premise of this series is the desire of the family matriarch to retain the family farm in the southern Missouri Ozarks in whole and in the family. 

Characters in this series become actively involved in the study of their family history and snippets of that research appear, from time to time through the series (one example). This serial presentation begins to share that ‘research’ in Story Form, and, some of the Stories represent 'writings of the family' that were ‘discovered’ in the process of that research. Each Story is an essay or report of the activities of the initial four families and their descendants that settled the Homeplace – the farm and the surrounding valley.

Summer 1843, Progress Report

In this episode, we share "Part 4 of 4"

           Jake Patton applied for a Post Office shortly after the Oak Creek Township was organized. In October of 1842, a post office was approved, with the name “Oak Springs” – Oak Creek was already taken. The new post office would be located at the Patton General Store, with Jake Patton as Postmaster, and Kate Patton as Assistant. It actually began operation in March of 1843.  Henry McDonald earned the first mail contract from the Big Piney lumber camps to Oak Springs on a weekly schedule, which he would carry out along with his regular freight runs.  By the summer of 1843, Jake Patton, seeing the success of Donagan’s Tavern, also began construction of a two-story hotel immediately to the north of the Tavern. The north-south path between the Blacksmith Shop and the General Store was taking the form of a street, as he had hoped, and the hotel was built on the east side of the street making three buildings in a row, facing across the street to his Blacksmith Shop, and cabin, set back from the ‘street.’

In other social news of the community, Harry McDonald and Sarah Baldridge had married in June the previous year and were expecting their first child come August, to become the sixth McDonald in the household. As the wedding was being planned, the McDonald family had made the decision to add on to their house rather than build a new one.  Harry McDonald’s younger brother, Daniel, was now an active 5 year-old.

Hugh and Victoria Truesdale were parents a second time, a year ago, a son, Lewis, to join sister, Jane, now 6.            

In the spring of 1843, Frances and Elizabeth Holt, a young newly wed couple down from the north, purchased 160 acres and settled into their new house just west of Center Creek and on the north side of the East-West road. About a month after the Holt’s arrival, Jacob and Patsy Pryor bought the 160 acre farm just east of the Holt’s and built their house on the east side of Center Creek.

            Following the formation of Oak Creek Township and the election of the three trustees, in 1842, upon their recommendation, the County Commissioners appointed George King as Justice of the Peace. He was responsible to the Circuit Court Judge who came to hear any cases that might arise early in the first month of each calendar quarter. The county paid for use of the community building on a daily basis to be used as the courtroom.  There was little activity in those first couple of years.

[...to be continued... on Dec 6, 2013, with Part 1 of Summer 1848 Progress Report]

Wiki Wednesday - Who is Sheila?

Wiki Wednesday

Who is Sheila?

Last week's Wiki Wednesday introduced you to a business from the Oak Springs Directory in the 1996 novel in the series. Today, we look at a Character File at the Wiki.

On Hometown Monday this week, we shared an excerpt from early in the "Back to the Homeplace" novel that was dated in February, 1987. In the excerpt you met Sheila, Melanie, Donnie and Christopher.

Today, I'm sending you to the Wiki Character File information on "Sheila"  - a central if not major family character in "The Homeplace Series" family saga. Here you learn a little more of her background.

I encourage you to 'read the book' to see what her 'central role' is in this series of family stores.

Is her "little Honda" a good symbol for Sheila?

*****

"May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds."

Bill ;-)

[Image credit: http://www.hemmings.com]

Hometown Monday - Sheila first meets Donnie and Christopher

Hometown Monday

Sheila first meets Donnie and Christopher

[Sheila drove a convertible like this up from Mississippi]

This is the second of an expected irregular series of posts of excerpts from the novels, novellas, and short stories of "The Homeplace Series" Family Saga story-telling, to provide an insight into the story lines that may not be clear from other promotional pieces about "The Homeplace Series." These will also be coordinated with the content of the developmental Wiki, "Beyond the Books" - to expand the information available there, as well.

The following excerpt from "Back to the Homeplace" is from Tuesday, February 17, 1987:

            "I was really surprised when someone said there is a McDonald's in Oak Springs. I thought this would really be the “sticks”… with a McDonalds here, I may survive!"

            "The town has changed a lot recently. I hear Daddy talk about the industrial park and the college. New people are showing up all the time now."

            Sheila waited for the car coming out of the drive to clear then turned into the McDonalds's parking lot. "Here we are."

            "We're right on time," Melanie checked her wristwatch as they got out of the car, "Donnie should be here any minute. His last class at O.C.C. gets out at four. It's about a twenty minute drive."

            "What's O.C.C. stand for?"

            "Ozark Community College. It's out west of town. The campus is built on a farm that was donated several years ago. Daddy was involved with it somehow. A lot of people wondered if it would work having a college out in the middle of the country."

            Sheila walked up to the counter, and to the clerk said, "One large diet coke and a regular fry. What about you, Melanie?" She glanced at the taller, honey-blond haired girl standing next to her.

            "Just a small coke, I'll pay for it." Melanie was digging in her purse.

            "I've got it this time, Melanie. I still owe you one for steering me to Carla's Beauty Salon.  It felt almost like home in there."

"That's probably because Carla came up here from Mississippi about three years ago."  They took their food to a booth facing the street. "Mom wasn't too happy when I started going there, but it has worked out just fine. My mother still thinks old Eva Hobson out on the east edge of town is the only person who can do hair right. Her place looks like an antique store to me. I'll take the modern look at Carla's."

            "Is that Donnie in the black pickup? Someone is with him." Sheila had shifted her attention out the window. She watched two young men get out of the truck and stride toward the door. Maybe this visit will be more worthwhile than I thought, Sheila mused. Donnie is a hunk and this blond friend of his may be even more delicious.

            "That is just my brother, Christopher. He and Donnie seem like two peas in a pod, sometimes. They hunt together, they play sports together; they even watch sports together. Since Donnie has been at O.C.C. it has gotten even harder for me to find time with him." Melanie waved to let the guys know where they were sitting. Donnie waved back and proceeded to the counter.

            As they stood at the counter with their backs to the girls, Sheila noticed how similar the two young men were built. They could easily pass for brothers.  Donnie had darker brown hair and appeared to be a little older. Their broad shoulders and slim hips brought to mind a pair of halfbacks lined up ready to take a football hand-off from the quarterback. I look forward to experiencing some of their moves, Sheila pondered. 

*****

For 'the rest of the story' read the book:

"May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds."

Bill  ;-)

[Image credit: http://www.hemmings.com]

Surname Saturday - Bevins Family Line

Surname Saturday

Bevins Family Line

[This blogging exercise is part of the 'reverse research' for the major, and minor, characters in the forthcoming books in The Homeplace Series]

I began this Surname Saturday exercise on April 17, 2010, with BEVINS 1 and and next six posts were all related to taking the McDONALD family line, the maternal line, back to the earliest settlement in the Oak Creek valley in 1833.

In the meantime, in creating the history of the valley, from the four founding families and other early arrivals, much more has been learned of their inter-relationships and how these developed, through the Civil War period. I have recently, to provide context for Jennifer BEVINS' family history searches, in "Christmas at the Homeplace," currently, and "The Homeplace Threatened" in the future, as well as building the content of the developmental Wiki, expanded the connection of the 'past with the present' on a family level for The Homeplace Series, as a whole. In coming weeks in this series, more of the family surnames, and relationships, will be shared.

Frank and Mildred (McDONALD) BEVINS were the subjects of BEVINS 1 along with their four children, the primary characters in "Back to the Homeplace" with the unusual video will left by Mildred on her passing in last 1986. Subsequent McDONALD posts followed her line back to Henry and Laura McDONALD of the founding families. Although not as direct by surname, Frank's ancestry goes back to the founding families, as well, as will be recorded, briefly, below.

Ora B. and Sarah Jane (WATERS) BEVINS had one child, possibly others:

1. Franklin (Frank) Leonard BEVINS, born 9 Aug 1917, in Oak Springs, MO

Howard and Myrtle (TRUESDALE) BEVINS had one child, possibly others:

1. Ora B. BEVINS, born 1891, Oak Springs, MO

Lewis and Caroline (McDONALD) TRUESDALE had two children, possibly others:

1. James (Jimmie) TRUESDALE, born 5 Feb 1866, Oak Springs, MO

2. Myrtle TRUESDALE, born 1868, Oak Springs, MO

Lewis TRUESDALE was the son of Hugh and Victoria (PATTON) TRUESDALE, each of whom was an original settler in the Oak Creek Valley, the first couple to be married in the valley.

Caroline McDONALD was the oldest daughter of Harry and Sarah (BALDRIDGE) McDONALD, each of whom was also an original settler, as young children, in the Oak Creek Valley [See McDONALD 3, 4, and 5]

"May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds."

Bill  ;-)

The Founding of the Homeplace - Story 2, First Plantings, Part 2

The Founding of the Homeplace

Story 2, The First Plantings, Part 2

"The Founding of the Homeplace" saga will continue here on the first and third Friday of each month, going forward. See Story 1 (Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4) and Story 2 Part 1 earlier. This is a serial presentation of the story, beginning in 1833, when four families decided to settle the land, the valley, that would become the setting of the first two books in the The Homeplace Series: "Back to the Homeplace" and "The Homeplace Revisited" as well as the forthcoming third book in the series, "The Homeplace Forever." These three books are set in the years 1987, 1996, and 2006, respectively. The underlying premise of this trilogy is the desire of the family matriarch to retain the family farm in the southern Missouri Ozarks in whole and in the family. 

[Source: Currier & Ives, "Falling Spring, c 1868"; Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov: accessed 25 Jan 2013)]

Characters in the trilogy become actively involved in the study of their family history and snippets of that research appear, from time to time through the trilogy (one example). This serial presentation begins to share that ‘research’ in Story Form, and, some of the Stories represent 'writings of the family' that were ‘discovered’ in the process of that research. Each Story is an essay or report of the activities of the initial four families and their descendants that settled the Homeplace – the farm and the surrounding valley.

Story 2, First Plantings

In this episode, we share "Part 2 of 4"

This settlement group was especially prepared for this venture because they had a variety of well-developed skill sets in addition to having accumulated the necessary funds and credit to purchase their lands prior to their arrival. Each adult had also developed and established the habit of keeping a journal of their activities along with the usual weather, crop and animal details.

New settlers were entitled to purchase up to 640 acres, a full section, if they had the cash or credit available. In this first group to this valley, the Baldridges, the McDonalds and the Pattons each intended to stake out the full 640 acres in the beginning. Young Hugh Truesdale only had funds for 160 acres. However, since Jake and Kate Patton did not intend to be full-time farmers, they had agreed to lease out 320 acres of their land to Truesdale, when he felt ready to handle it. Only a small portion of these lands would be tilled in the first few years, of course, but planning for the future was a part of the process for these folks.

The Baldridge land laid out included a segment of the major stream, which they had come to refer to as Oak Creek, running inside the east edge of their property, with the falls and the pond at the bottom in the far southeast corner. The section also included a large open pasture on the ridge, with forest to the north and along the front face of the ridge, and perhaps forty acres of tillable land along the south border.

Henry and Laura McDonald had selected the 640-acre section diagonal to the southeast from the Baldridge section. This included the stream of Oak Creek below the pond running along the north edge of their property, with the bend of the river (where they were now camped and called Cardinal Corner) in the northeast corner of the property. The rest of the section, which sat relatively flat, six to ten feet above the level of Oak Creek, appeared to be excellent farming soil with few trees or major rocks to impede agricultural pursuits. Timber was readily available directly to the north of this property, across Oak Creek, where Hugh Truesdale had already begun to harvest it.

Since Hugh Truesdale could only purchase a 160 acre plot at the beginning, he was allowed to choose that quarter section between the Baldridge and McDonald land that had a small portion of Oak Creek coming out of the Baldridge pond from the north and curving to the east along the north edge of the McDonald land. In essence, it was a westward extension of the McDonald property. The comparable quarter section immediately to the west would be his next purchase, when he could handle it. The two quarter section portions immediately to the south of the quarter section Truesdale selected were purchased by Jake and Kate Patton to lease to Truesdale. As before, this land was effectively a westward extension of the same quality of land as selected by the McDonalds.

[...to be continued... on March 1, 2013, with Part 3 of Story 2]

Note: Story 2, by William Leverne Smith, was originally published as a Short Story, "First Plantings" in the anthology: Echoes of the Ozarks, Volume VIII, 2012, published by the Ozarks Writers League.

The Founding of the Homeplace - Story 1, The Trek, Part 4

The Founding of the Homeplace

Story 1, The Trek, Part 4

"The Founding of the Homeplace" saga will continue here on the first and third Friday of each month, going forward. See Part 1 and Part 2 earlier. This is a serial presentation of the story, beginning in 1833, when four families decided to settle the land, the valley, that would become the setting of the first two books in the The Homeplace Series: "Back to the Homeplace" and "The Homeplace Revisited" as well as the forthcoming third book in the series, "The Homeplace Forever." These three books are set in the years 1987, 1996, and 2006, respectively. The underlying premise of this trilogy is the desire of the family matriarch to retain the family farm in the southern Missouri Ozarks in whole and in the family. 

[Source: Currier & Ives, “Home in the wilderness,” c1870; Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov : accessed 31 Dec 2012)]

Characters in the trilogy become actively involved in the study of their family history and snippets of that research appear, from time to time through the trilogy (one example). This serial presentation begins to share that ‘research’ in Story Form, and, some of the Stories represent 'writings of the family' that were ‘discovered’ in the process of that research. Each Story is an essay or report of the activities of the initial four families and their descendants that settled the Homeplace – the farm and the surrounding valley.

Story 1, The Trek to the Homeplace

In this episode, we share "Part 4 of 4"

The weather continued to hold, cool and breezy, on day two so they got another early start. A few dark clouds could be seen in the west, but they were not threatening as the little caravan moved up, down and around the hills through day two. They all followed their same routine through the evening of day two, except they were careful where they made their campfire and got out the canvas tents to sleep under because it appeared they would have rain before morning. And they did. The storm arrived around four am and was filled with thunder, lightning, wind and heavy rain that lasted into mid-morning. They did not attempt to break camp but stayed hunkered down with regular inspections of all their equipment, and the animals, to be sure nothing was being damaged by the storm. 

As they were familiar with Ozarks storms, they were not surprised when the sun came out as soon as the storm had passed. Henry walked ahead on the path a ways to be sure it appeared passable as the others broke camp and prepared to move out, shortly before noontime. This would be a short travel day, but that was expected as they had planned the trip. They were pleased they only had to make one stop during the afternoon to repair a washout of their path. They stopped early at the next spring location and spent some additional time checking their loads and being sure the storm had not caused any damage they had not discovered in the morning.

Day three followed the same routine and as they made camp for the evening, they felt comfortable that they would arrive at their destination in the afternoon of the fourth day, if all went well. With that prospect in mind, everyone was anxious to get their chores done and get to bed so that day four could begin early.

When they stopped for noontime on day four, Robert was pleased to announce that this was the spring that fed the middle of the three streams in ‘their valley’ and they should arrive there in two to three more hours. Perhaps in an hour and a half or so, they would be on the ridge where they could look down into ‘their valley.’ Each person was diligent in their noontime activities, but the tension in the air could be felt by each person as the minutes ticked away.

Most of the following hour was driven through a forest of oak and hickory trees, followed by a half hour or so of mostly white oak trees. As they passed by one especially impressive giant white oak, the valley opened up before them. Henry, still on the lead cart, shouted out: “This is the place. There is our new Homeplace. Welcome home.”

The caravan descended the ridge and moved toward the larger spring fed stream on the eastern end of the valley. This stream came off the ridge in about a fifteen-foot waterfall into a pond that then extended east and south. Hugh Truesdale walked toward them from the edge of the forest where he was working, as they approached. “Welcome to Oak Springs!” he said as he greeted them. “This spot is everything we were looking for, and more. Let me show you a good place to make camp for the night, and I can share what I have learned since you left me a while back.”

They proceeded perhaps three quarters of a mile southeast where they came upon a bend in the river with oak and hickory trees abundant. “We can make our camp here in this protected area a bit upstream from the bend and put the animals downstream from us, still in protection of the trees.” As he spoke, two bright red cardinals flew by and took up residence on a nearby hickory limb to watch as the camp was being set up. “Cardinal corner,” young Sarah exclaimed.

As soon as he could, without looking too obvious, young Hugh Truesdale found his way over to Miss Victoria and, taking her hand said, “I sure have missed seeing you, Miss Victoria. I hope you had a good trip to our new home.”

She looked him straight in the eye, squeezed his hand just a bit, and said, ”I missed you, too. Let’s get to work on our new home.” And they did. 

[...to be continued... on February 1, 2013, with Part 1 of Story 2]

Note: Story 1, by William Leverne Smith, was originally published as a Short Story, "The Trek to the Homeplace" in the anthology: Echoes of the Ozarks, Volume VII, 2011, published by the Ozarks Writers League (pp. 55-64).

The Founding of the Homeplace - Story 1, The Trek, Part 3

The Founding of the Homeplace

Story 1, The Trek, Part 3

"The Founding of the Homeplace" saga will continue here on the first and third Friday of each month, going forward. See Part 1 and Part 2 earlier. This is a serial presentation of the story, beginning in 1833, when four families decided to settle the land, the valley, that would become the setting of the first two books in the The Homeplace Series: "Back to the Homeplace" and "The Homeplace Revisited" as well as the forthcoming third book in the series, "The Homeplace Forever." These three books are set in the years 1987, 1996, and 2006, respectively. The underlying premise of this trilogy is the desire of the family matriarch to retain the family farm in the southern Missouri Ozarks in whole and in the family. 

[Source: Currier & Ives, “Home in the wilderness,” c1870; Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov : accessed 31 Dec 2012)]

Characters in the trilogy become actively involved in the study of their family history and snippets of that research appear, from time to time through the trilogy (one example). This serial presentation begins to share that ‘research’ in Story Form, and, some of the Stories represent 'writings of the family' that were ‘discovered’ in the process of that research. Each Story is an essay or report of the activities of the initial four families and their descendants that settled the Homeplace – the farm and the surrounding valley.

Story 1, The Trek to the Homeplace

In this episode, we share "Part 3 of 4"

For the trek to the new ‘Homeplace,’ there were six adults, all in their early thirties in age and each experienced with the animals and able to backup each other as needed. There were four youngsters: the fifteen-year-old Victoria, eleven-year-old Harry and Sarah, and eight-year-old David. Each took on designated daily responsibilities and each was expected to carry them out each and every day. 

The caravan started up the path early on the morning of travel day one. Henry, walking along with the lead cart, shouted, “Get up!” to the ox named Blue pulling the first cart with the two bulls tethered to the back corners following along. Laura was actually in the lead, carrying a rifle, and walking about 20 years ahead of the first ox and cart. Harry followed with the second cart pulled by the ox named Buddie trailing two of the milk cows. Susannah, also carrying a rifle, trailed the second cart, and was available to assist in any way needed, including driving a cart, if necessary. 

Miss Victoria drove the third cart, pulled by the ox named Laddie, trailing the other two milk cows. Jake drove the fourth and last cart, pulled by the ox named Topper, loaded down with the blacksmithing gear and topped off by the chicken coops, strapped over the top and carefully braced to remain relatively level. Razorback pigs didn’t like leashes, but they were on two leather strings of five each, with Sarah and David each in charge of one string. Kate followed along behind, wielding a mean bullwhip that ‘encouraged’ the pigs to follow along appropriately. Kate also kept an eye on the trail behind and to the sides for unexpected ‘wildlife,’ whether two-legged or four legged.

The normal din of the pigs and the chickens was broken occasionally by a shouted “Gee” or “Haw” to move an ox to the right or to the left. They all kept a steady pace for perhaps a mile and a half when Jake shouted “Whoa!” to stop his ox and cart. Three more “Whoa!” signals could be heard coming from up the line, as the whole procession came to a halt. “I want to check the straps on the chicken coops,” Jake yelled out, as he moved around the cart to check on the several fastening points. Seeing they were all taut and balanced, he yelled to Henry in the lead cart, “Move out.” That was followed by “Get up” from Henry, then Harry, then Victoria and finally Jake… and the caravan continued forward.

They followed the marked and cleared path up to and along the first ridge, following the ridge until it gave away to a curved path down off the ridge, across a saddle and up to the top of the next ridge for a ways. This pattern repeated as three or four miles was covered. Around noontime, they approached the edge of a ‘bald’ area, an open field, with a spring on one end, among the trees, with a stream running from the spring. This was a good place to stop and rest the animals, as well as the people. They let the animals have some water and graze while the people ate their lunch, as well.

By the time an hour had passed, they were on the move, again, following the marked and cleared path. During the afternoon, they had to stop twice to do some additional clearing to allow the carts to pass cleanly. Not bad for the first day. The evening stop was at another spring and stream they had identified. This stream still ran to the north. By noontime on day two, they would be stopping at a spring and stream running to the south.

Jake and Robert got the animals around, watered and hobbled for the night near their camp where they could graze. The pigs were left leashed, but the leashes were tied to trees branches to allow them to wander a bit, in their own area, but unable to chew on the leases. The chickens were fed and watered in their coops.

Henry and Harry were assigned to hunt some squirrels, pigeon, rabbit or other small game for the evening meal. The women and other young ones each had camp responsibilities to complete. As the hunting was successful, the evening meal was complete and everyone, except the first watch person, got to bed in good time after a long day on the road. The campfire was kept going well, all night, and one of the adults stayed on watch, in shifts, throughout the night.

[...to be continued... on Januray 18, 2013, with Part 4 of Story 1]

Note: Story 1, by William Leverne Smith, was originally published as a Short Story, "The Trek to the Homeplace" in the anthology: Echoes of the Ozarks, Volume VII, 2011, published by the Ozarks Writers League (pp. 55-64).

Surname Saturday - BEVINS 1

Surname Saturday - BEVINS 1

This is a guest post by Karen BEVINS WINSLOW (a fictitious character in Back to the Homeplace). Karen is the oldest daughter of Frank and Mildred (MCDONALD) BEVINS, one of their four children. These four siblings and their families are the major characters of the novel: Back to the Homeplace. [This blogging exercise is a part of the research for the upcoming novel, "The Homeplace Revisited" by William Leverne Smith]

The Frank and Mildred (MCDONALD) BEVINS Family

Franklin (Frank) Leonard BEVINS was born on 9 Aug 1917 in Oak Springs, MO, the son of Ora B. and Sarah Jane (WATERS) BEVINS. He died 28 April 1978, in an automobile accident, of a heart attack, just north of Lebonan, MO. Frank lived his entire life in and near Oak Springs. He was a farmer.

Mildred (Mildred) Arlene MCDONALD was born 26 Jun 1917 in Oak Springs, MO, the daughter of Joseph (Joe) Palmer and Mary Elizabeth (Beth) (YOUNG) MCDONALD. She died 12 Nov 1986 in Oak Springs, MO. Mildred lived her entire life on the Homeplace farm east of Oak Springs, MO.

Frank and MIldred (MCDONALD) BEVINS were married in the First Methodist Church parsonage in Oak Springs, MO, by Rev. Alexander Forbes on 15 April 1934.

Frank and Mildred BEVINS had four children:

1. Karen Kaye BEVINS, born 9 Aug 1934 in Oak Springs, MO.

2. Beverly Jane BEVINS, born 10 May 1941, in Oak Springs, MO.

3. Bartlett (Bart) Joseph BEVINS, born 13 May 1942, in Oak Springs, MO.

4. Peter (Peter) Franklin BEVINS, born 26 Jun 1956, in Oak Springs, MO.


Families are Forever!  ;-)