While it is still fresh in my mind, I'd like to record some of the stories Uncle Earl told me. (If you read this, Earl, and I'm wrong, don't hesitate to correct me.)

He told me that my Grandfather, Fenton Stonebraker, injured his hand while working at a garage, I'm going to assume it was the Patterson Brother's garage in Ellsworth. The hand became infected, and Earl said that he could have died from the infection. The town doctor, whose name Earl said, but I don't remember, went to the local Army doctors and basically begged them for the new Sulfa drugs they were developing in order to counter the infection. Otherwise, my Grandfather would have died.

My grandfather was "crazy" about cars, and he built one. The first one was just a frame and the seat was a crate. But my grandmother wouldn't have anything to do with that car, so my grandfather tore it apart and built another car, so he could "court" her. He said my grandfather was very skilled at all the work he put himself to - including sharpening plows for the farmers during harvest. My grandmother was born in 1904, and my grandfather in 1901. My grandmother was the about 5 years older than her siblings, and she was in charge of the younger kids. As a consequence, she didn't go farther in school then the 9th grade. My grandfather only had one sister, but he didn't go past the 9th grade, either. But both my grandmother and grandfather were smart, they were needed on the farm and to help out the family. All of my uncles (there were 8) graduated from high school, and Uncle Earl and Uncle Bill had college degrees. If I'm not mistaken, Earl has a PhD.

This weekend has made a deep impression on me. My grandmother was my rock and a wonderful woman. She gave me love and acceptance, and it was very moving to see where they lived, and hear about all their struggles.

Earl said that when he was a child in the dust bowl, at night, my grandmother would cover him with a cloth soaked with water, and then cover his mouth with a cloth soaked with water, and get up every hour to change the cloth, the dust was that bad. They never had store bought meat, it was rabbits and fish from the river. That when she went to the store, all she had money for was the rotten produce. That the only time they had oranges was at Christmas, when the local charity would bring apples, oranges and ribbon hard candy in little bags for all the kids.

Uncle Earl said that after they moved from Westfall to Ellsworth, they would go back to visit the his grandparents - both the Adam and Rose Stonebraker and David and Hattie McClure lived in Westfall. They had a car that was made before fuel pumps, with a gravity fed fuel, and on the hills, the car would stall out and overheat. He said there was a particular point where they would stop and cool off the car, and the oldest (at that point, it was Uncle Skip) would have to get out and fill a water pouch to cool the car off. He said it would take a couple of hours to travel what it took us 15 minutes to travel.

As I remember more, I'll write. I am so grateful to Uncle Earl for showing me the homes, and telling me the stories!

I guess I want to make one final note to all the people who want to have their ashes scattered somewhere. Fine. But you see how interesting it was for us to find my great-great grandparent's graves, and how it opens up history for us. Just food for thought. In my case, I want to be poked into the ground in a wooden coffin with a grave marker.