In December 1903, I was married to John Chrisman, of Ingraham, Illinois, at which place we've always made our home, with the exception of one year in Douglas County.
We have two children, Winnie age 12 and a Gilvie age 8 years. They both go to school everyday, as we live right by the school house.
I always enjoy reading the letters from those I used to know and also those that I've never knew.
And I know that I will enjoy this issue, for I am hoping more of the wanderers from Pleasant Hill neighborhood will write this year.
I've taken the Press for about 16 years and would be sure lonesome without it.
I will close, wishing you, one and all, a Prosperous and Happy New Year.
Lena (Angle) Chrisman
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Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
January 14, 1917
Editor Press:
In accepting your kind invitation to write for the Pink Press, I will endeavor to tell you something of our wonderful city, believing that it will be of interest to some of our old friends who still reside in and near Sumner, also to those, like ourselves, have removed to other states.
We, myself, wife and daughter left our old home near Beulah Church, in November 1898, for Tupelo, Mississippi, where we lived for two years, having going south for our daughter's health. We left Tupelo in January 1901, arrived in the city January 9, 1901, which place has since been our home. We bought near our present home in the spring of 1905 and were lucky in getting located close to the business center, as at that time the population was only 10,000, and our census taken a short time ago gives us something over 92,000, a wonderful development.
Our city is a beautiful little city and the buildings are comparatively new, since it will only be 28 years April since this country was open to settlement. Most of the business houses are fireproof, being built of brick, stone and reinforced concrete ranging in height from 3 to 10, 12 and 14 story buildings-quite a number of the higher ones. Our streets are paved with asphalt and kept swept and washed day and night. We have one of the best terminal stations (or street railways) in the west, into which every car, both city and interurban runs. Our interurban lines extend some 30 miles north, south and west. The auto is in great use here, both as private and public conveyances. Horses are an exception as means of travel. This being Sunday, I was just looking in our church directory and if you were here you could worship at any one of 42 different places of worship. Some of our churches are very grand costing more than $100,000 with pipe organs as much as $10,000. Our school facilities are also fine. Looking in the telephone directory, I see 38 different schools and colleges listed. A public high school building, erected a few years ago, at a cost of half million dollars is inadequate as there is something like two thousand pupils enrolled at the present, our school board has just decided to call an election to vote for $650,000 to build for junior highs, to relieve the overflow.
Of our 14 banks, I noticed the oldest established one had on deposit at the close of the year 1916 over $8 million.
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(Lena Chrisman)
Biographical Note:
Rebecca Evalena Angle was born July 20, 1879 to Jacob P. and Sarah E. (nee Bailey) Angle. She was united in marriage to John Franklin Chrisman, son of Benjamin and Laura Chrisman. John was born November 9, 1867. To this union the following children were born: Winnie Opal (b. abt. 1905); Gilvie Monroe (b. abt. 1908). Lena died on July 27, 1955 and John died on December 13, 1925.
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