From Former Sons and Daughters of

Kate Ince was born August 25, 1894 in Clay City, Illinois to W. D. and Luella (nee Staninger) Ince. At the age of seven the family moved to Hazelton, Indiana and a year later moved to Sumner. She was united in marriage to Valentine Wesley Elston on August 7, 1917, son of John W. and Margaret Ellen (nee Wheeler) Elston. Valentine was born February 14, 1888. The census indicates the following children: Wesley Eugene (b. abt. 1920); Phyllis M. (b. abt.1921); Charles W. (b. abt. 1924). Kate died May 5, 1992; Valentine died December 27, 1979, both died in Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas. They are buried at Laurel Land Memorial Park

The following passage inscribed on their tombstone: 2 Timothy 4: “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith”.

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January 22, 1918

Dear Editor:

Such an opportunity writing a letter, as a non-resident, for the old home paper, comes to me this year for the first time and I regard it as a privilege not to be lightly set aside.

I make no claim to being proficient in the art of newspaper writing, but when notice was served on me to write for this special edition I said to Mr. Elston, "now there is where we will squander a postage stamp and send our epistle in plenty of time for publication." The plans were somewhat changed by the snowstorm that blockaded all traffic for several days.

We are kept busy and consequently are happy. Our work grows in interest each week. There are no idle or unoccupied moments at the parsonage. We have two organization started that bring us in direct touch with the children and are doing our best with these. We hope for definite results.

The people are lovely to us, in fact so much so that they will soon be building a new home. With but little effort, nearly all the money now is insight and work will begin as soon as spring opens. We are trying to get back to the people for all their kindness our best efforts, weak though they may be, in any movement that promises community betterment.

In the Ketch all S. H. S. of ‘13 where my name is recorded as Kate Ince. I noticed two things that strike me as being rather singular in the items, "How we amuse ourselves," it is there said that I take great delight in letter writing. How true this is, for judge ye-this edition. Then in the "Class Prophecy" the meeting of a young minister and later living in the capacity of a pastor's wife. Strange what modern prophets there be. Well, a few years works changes and although removed from the town where I spent 15 years of my life and distant from friends whose lives have influenced me in the things worthwhile, yet I think I carry all persons on my heart and through this letter wish them happiness and satisfaction in their busy life as I have found in mine.

The arrival of the Press is always welcomed in our home and I do not recall that any item has been thoughtlessly set aside unread.

With best wishes to all,

I remain,

Mrs. V.W. Elston

January 25, 1918

Editor Press:

This is my letter to the Pink Press, to let my many friends in old Lawrence County know that we are still on time’s side of the grave. We are enjoying good health and a mild winter of Southern Mississippi. Have been here nine months and are well satisfied with our new home. Had good crops, can plant corn five months in the year and it will ripen. The summer was no warmer here than you have in Illinois. The climate is fine and the good people you meet here keep anyone from getting home sick. We have no desire to shovel snow again, but are glad we are south of the Mason-Dixon line, in the land of cotton and cane.

Yours truly,

George W. Emerick and wife

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Mortgage-lifter", the Ben Davis apple had once been called,
"Mortgage-lifter", because so many farms had been bought and paid for with
Ben Davis money. It was said that Southern Illinois had millions of Ben
Davis apple trees. Back in the old days, apples were packed in wooden
barrels, three bushels or thereabouts in every barrel. The lid of the
barrel would be screwed down hard and barrels of apples would be rolled up
planks into wagons, nine barrels to a two-horse wagon. At harvest time
these wagons laden with barrels would be sitting wheel to wheel on the
railroad sidings. From The Orchard Remembere.
Cadillac, Michigan

January 22, 1918

Editor Press:

In compliance with your request for a letter from each of the former Lawrence County people, we will drop you a few lines.

Our former home was in Denison, six miles south of Lawrenceville. The England's were among the early settlers of Denison Township. Our great-grandfather, Thomas England, came with his family to Denison in 1819, and settled three miles southwest of Billet, on the farm now owned by Perry Vanway. This farm is near the big slough, now called the England pond, getting its name from the first settler near it. My grandfather, Matthew England, and my father, Thomas England, were lifetime residents of Denison. My father, soon after his marriage to Miss Nancy Young, bought a 50 acre tract of land in the woods near his grandfather's farm and this was the beginning of the farm now known as the Thomas England farm. At present owned by L. K. Leighty, father having sold it only a few months before his death in April, 1915. We came to Michigan in August 1915, having bought a farm eight miles Northwest of Cadillac. Mrs. England, formerly Miss Grace Corrie, was born in Lukin. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Corrie, still live in Lukin. Many of Lawrence County public school teachers will remember Miss Grace Corrie, she having taught in the County several years.

Our brother, T. B. England, and family live on a farm two miles south of our home. We often talk to our friends in Lawrence County and should any of them come to northern Michigan, we shall be pleased to have them look us up. The Ann Arbor Railroad runs through our farm, with a flag station called Millersville, only a few rods from our home.

We shall be pleased to receive the non-resident issue.

H. C. England

R. F.D. No. 3

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George W. Emerick was born February 6, 1857 in Wisconsin to Warren and Annie (nee Onstine) Emerick. On February 21, 1878 he was united in marriage to Emma C. Combs, daughter of George W. and Rebecca (nee Lutz) Combs born in July 1857. Three children were listed n the 1900 census: Evan E. (b. Jan. 1885); David D.(b. Apr. 1888); Grace G. (Jan. 1891).

George wrote the Press on January 14, 1919: “While we have no desire for Illinois, we still have fond recollections of old friends and acquaintances we left there. We see by the Press that one by one, they are passing over the great divide. This leaves us both well and younger than we were in Illinois. We are enjoying the good old summertime, kids are going barefooted, have not had to feed a ton of dry feed to my teems or cattle up to this date, hogs fat on the beech nuts in River bottoms, don't have to sow grass for pasture as we did in Illinois, as carpet grass and Bermuda and Lespesa are natural production of the soil.We grow cotton, corn, oats, peanuts, rice, suite and Irish potatoes, hay, sorghum and Louisiana syrup corn. We raise last summer eight bales of cotton, plenty of corn to do S, 90 bushels of small Spanish peanuts, 35 of larger ones, rice and lots of hay, oats and cow peas and we face any of these are easier to raise than Ben Davis Apples.”

Mr. Emerick is a Democrat, a Mason, and a member of the New Light Church. He is a hardworking farmer, who understands the value of new methods, and who is making his land yield him a splendid profit. He enjoys the high esteem of his neighbors and business associates because of his many sterling traits of character.