From Former Sons and Daughters of

Harley Oris Malone was born in Lawrence County July 21, 1892 to William and Florence (nee Shaw) Malone. He was united in marriage to Stella Mae Richey, daughter of Stephen Joseph and Dora Mae (nee Sanders) Richey. Stella was born March 10, 1891. To this union the following children were born: Charlotte (b. abt. 1919); Mervin (b. abt. 1921); Stephen W. (b. abt.1927). Harley was a Private in the U. S. Army during World War I.

Stella died August 29, 1969, Harley died January 29, 1974. They are buried in the Sumner cemetery.

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(George Martin)

George Martin was born January 29, 1843 to John A and Elizabeth (nee Gaunty) Martin. In 1876 he was united in marriage to Ursula Fite, daughter of Josephus and Malinda Fite.

George Martin wrote two other letters, one in 1915 which is published in that section and one in 1916, in which he describes he and his wife’s health problems. He is 74 and not feeling well but up and around. His wife is so weak that she had not been able to turn herself over in bed, and hadn’t been out of the house since the previous summer. She has heart trouble and Bright’s disease. He said that her her feet and limbs swell, and she had to take some “awful bad medicine.”

January 3, 1917

Dear Editor:

Although I am not an old timer, I wish to write a line or two, if only to wish you the best of success with the Pink Edition, which I consider a highly commendable effort.I was born on what is known as the Malone farm, in Christy Township, 3 1/2 mile southeast of Sumner. At that time belonged to my father, William Malone.

One time when I was a little boy, “dad ”said to me,” Shut the door," I said, "That's no door, that's a gate, ain’t you got no gumption?” I guess he laughed. But in a few years I started to school at Clark in a new school house with my father as teacher. I had a dog named Gip. He pulled me in a little wagon. My oldest brother Clem, now of Chicago, would lead him, and I was happy and safe as Bud Piper in his big car.It was in the year of 1909 I bade my old school days and classmates goodbye and went to Bellflower, Illinois, to work on a large farm.How time does fly. Two leap years have passed and now I am located in the northwest part of Iowa and I look forward to the Press as a letter from home, bringing me the news. I have seen many home papers but I haven't seen any that issued a non-resident Pink Press, so I am glad to take off my hat for our editor.

Since I came to Storm Lake, Iowa I have been employed on the Storm Lake Dairy Farm. I had an invitation to a dinner in the city and the farm boy found that Mrs. Miller and daughter, Miss Emma, could get up some meal in the city, Harley ate almost as much as he does after the Lukinite scribe gets through at a birthday dinner in old Christy. But I say the Mt. Zion women are some cooks as well, as Mr. Sutherland says.My heart always has a warm spot for Lawrence County and friends and companions there.

Wishing the Sumner Press continuing success.

I am,

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McLeansboro, Illinois

January 18, 1917

I thought someone younger than I ought to do the writing this time. This is the third time that I have tried to write to you. I was born in Brown County, Ohio January 29, 1842, so you see I am close to 75 years old. My parents moved to Illinois in 1853, and settled five miles south of Sumner, and one mile west, in old Lukin Township. We came to Lawrenceville. It was not much of a town then, although an old place. Came to Bridgeport, there was one store in it. Uncle Sam Thorn kept it. That was before the trains run on the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. They ran in 1854. Wiley Edmondson kept a store where P. W. Sutherland now lives, also kept post office.

I was married to Ursula Fite In 1876. Left there in 1881. There were me and my wife and my brother Jackson, his wife and two children. We went out to Missouri, and went through some fine country, the land was higher there than back in Illinois. Came back to Hamilton, County, Illinois. There were some folks living down there formerly from Sumner Jackson lost his wife in 1910. We live about 10 miles apart. My wife took down in the spring of 1913 with heart and kidney troubles. She was under doctors care about 30 months. On September 2, 1916, her spirit took flight to God who gave it. She was a good woman and the best to me there was in the world. I feel very sad and lonesome. No place feels like home to me. I have a family living with me. They are very good to me, still they don't make it feel like home.

I had the rheumatism all last summer. Feel stiff and sore yet, and still can't get around very well.

George W. Martin

RFD No. 8

January 26, 1917

Editor Press:

I lived in Lawrence County, Lukin Township, until I was married. My name was Emma Shick. I was married to G. G. McGuire June 2, 1872. To this union were born seven children. Four died in infancy, and three living, as follows: P. G. McGuire lives at Clifton Illinois and is section foreman; Stella Osborne lives in Lawrenceville, and Tine Maguire lives on a farm.

Very truly,

Mrs. G. G. McGuire

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Hunter, Arkansas

February 5, 1917

To Our Old Home Friends:

We are glad of this opportunity of talking to all of you at one time through this most interesting addition of the home paper. It is certainly interesting to us to read the letters from our old acquaintances, scattered all over this big country of ours, the more so in that this yearly letter is the only word we hear of many of them.

This leaves us all well as usual with Bessie teaching school three miles out in the country, Ola and Buster going to school in Hunter, and Carl helping his mother keep house for the rest of us. We are gradually building up a good lumber and warehouse business here and at Wiener. There are many Illinois people settled in this state. Among them are Bliss Waggoner and family, located at Stuttgart, from which point Bliss travels for a large machinery company. The Petty brothers are keeping bachelor’s house in their nice farm near Hunter. R. E. Lieb and William Hockman are also keeping bachelor's house in their new home recently built on Bob's land, north of town. Old Bill Earnst and sons, George and James, who will be remembered by the people around Chauncey, are located in this vicinity. Bill don't look any older to me now than as I remember him 20 years ago. Frank Walters owns and lives on a good rice farm just at the edge of town. Sam Walters also lives near town.

Albert Leach and family are located on a fine rice farm just north of Wiener. Albert and his wife, together with Mrs. Mushrush and myself drove through to the Jonesboro fair, one day last fall, where we kept a close watch out, hoping to meet up with Morris Ritchey and wife, but did not get to see them. We only recently and accidentally learned that John Mathias is located about 15 miles north of us. We have been past his place, but did not know it was owned by an old acquaintance, at the time.

Link Mushrush has been here all winter, and we understand that his family is coming down in the spring. There is a great development of this country under way now; more building and improvement being done this winter, than in the four years previous. This is due to the prices been received by the farmers for cotton, corn and livestock. For the first time in years, they have made a surplus, and they are pretty generally putting a goodly portion of it into betterments, both for comforts and better equipment for farming. We have great need of the energetic farmer from the north, to settle and develop this big state of ours. The same opportunities are open here today that were taken advantage of by the pioneer men and women who settled Lawrence and adjoining counties, to found the substantial family fortunes now existing in your community. Our state name has been a subject for joking and ridicule; it sometimes makes us grit our teeth to have to listen to the stale jokes on Arkansas, but we just “grin and bear it ”consoling ourselves with the thought that the day is not far off when there will be a different story to tell in which the laugh will be the other way around. With best wishes to all, we will close, awaiting with interest the letters from the other “Suckers" that have wandered away from their native state, we remain,

Respectfully yours,

M. Mushrush and family