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(H. C. Sutherland)

Biographical Note:

Henry Clay Sutherland was born November 3, 1853 to Asa and Mary R. (nee Harlan) Sutherland. On November 3, 1872 he was united in marriage to Terese Lewis, daughter of William and Mary (nee Gaddy) Lewis. Terese was born October 30, 1851. The following children were born to this union: Charles (b. Sept. 1873); Ida M. (b. Mar. 1875); Hattie (b. Nov. 1876); Evelyn (b. Aug 1880); Irvin (b. Aug. 1882); Cicero (b. Oct. 1884); Georgia Ann (. Apr. 1887); Henry Clay (b. Apr 1891). Henry died April 2, 1935. Terese died October 10, 1922 and she is buried in the Fairlawn Cemetery, Decatur, Macon County, Illinois.

Editor’s Note:

Henry is a brother to Joseph R. Sutherland who wrote a letter in 1917 and to P. W. Sutherland a popular writer mentioned through out these letters.

(Myrtle Wagner)

Biographical Note:

Emma Myrtle Mushrush was born May 30, 1875 to Lewis and Grace (nee Greer) Mushrush. On April 15, 1897 she married David Emerson Wagner, son of Jacob and Mary (nee Haines) Wagner. To this union four children were born: Virgil L. (b. abt.1898); Mabel J. (b. abt. 1903); Ralph E. (b. abt. 1908); Grace P. (b. abt. 1916). David died February 4, 1969 and Myrtle on July 30, 1962. They are buried in the Omak Memorial Cemetery in Washington.

Omak, Washington

February 3, 1919

Dear Editor and Friends:

I see in the press that you have called for letters again from former residents of Lawrence County. I am a wanderer from old Lawrence County and from the southwest side of Crawford County. I was born in Crawford and I am the second daughter of Lewis and Grace Mushrush. My childhood days were spent in Crawford County, where I attended school and also taught for a couple of years. My mind often goes back to those good old days. The first days of school I attended were in an old log schoolhouse with long benches were seats, which were all carved up by the boys’ pocketknives. Later a new frame building replaced the old one and here was where I spent the rest of my school days. I wonder where the rest of those boys and girls are who attended that country school. They are all scattered here, there, and yonder. I hope to see some letters in the non-resident issue from them.

In my 22nd year, April 15, 1897, I was married to D. E. Wagner, of Lawrence County. We moved to our little home in Petty Township, near the town hall. Here we were surrounded by many kind and loving neighbors, such as William Westall’s and Albert Hutchinson’s and a number of others.

In September, 1909, my husband and brother-in-law, E. S. Petty made a trip to Okanogan, Washington, where he had two brothers living. He was pretty much taken up with the country (not so with E. S.) and when he came back we talked it over and decided to move to Washington. We sold our personal property and in March, 1910, we bid our old friends and relatives goodbye and started on our journey, accompanied by Otto Irvin and family.

We were just six days on the way, first on the railroad train, then on the boat, and lastly on the stagecoach but the old stage route has been abandoned and the train takes the place of it now.

Very soon after our arrival we bought us a lot and pitched our tent, where we live that summer. We also bought an orchard tract 4 1/2 miles from Okanogan and a mile and one half from Omak, Washington. This we set to trees at once. During the summer we built a nice little bungalow on our lot in Okanogan, where we lived for five years.

In June, 1915, we decided to move on our ranch near Omak, a nice little country town, with a high school and a nice Presbyterian Church, where we attend church and Sunday school most of the time.

After our removal we decided before settling down to real ranch work we would make a visit to our old home. We found many changes and many of the faces we knew and loved were gone. Among them my dear brother, who had bidden goodbye to this earthly sanctuary and gone to heaven, where we all hope to meet some day. We spent two pleasant months with our friends and relatives, but the time came when we must say goodbye again. We arrived home safe and sound and settled down to real ranch life, where we have been ever since.

We have a family of four children, two boys and two girls-Virgil);, Mabel and Ralph, born in the Sucker state, while Grace Pauline is a little Evergreen girl. Virgil will be 21 in March. He works on the ranch during the summer months and during the autumn he works at the Omak fruit growers’ packing and storage plant, where the big red Apple is handled. The winter time he spends in doing various jobs. Mabel is 15 and a sophomore this year. Along with her schoolwork, she is taking music lessons. She also worked at the packing house this fall, where she made a neat, little sum of money. Ralph is 10 years old and in the fifth grade at school. In the summer time he and his pony herd the cows, take care of the rabbits and do various chores. Grace Pauline is four now and she helps me keep house for the rest of the family.

While we are barred from saying much about our country, I must say this is a fine climate in which to live. We have had a very pleasant winter so far, but quite a good deal of snow now and some rain, but the Fords run the year around.

Well, how thankful we are that this great war is ended and victory won for the allies, while every true American has done their bit by buying Liberty Bonds, supporting the Red Cross, the Y.M. C.A. and a number of other organizations which were for the care and protection of our boys, we feel that we haven't done very much, when we see the boys coming home maimed and crippled for life. And then we think of some who will never come back, but have given their lives that we might live. We also think of suffering and sorrow that has come from that awful epidemic, the influenza.

We feel that we have been a great deal more fortunate here in the Western states than they have been in the east. While we have had a number of deaths here from it, it has not been so bad here as elsewhere.

I must leave room in this issue for more letters, so I will close. This leaves us all well. My family and myself send our best wishes to all our friends and Press readers.

Sincerely yours,

Mrs. Myrtle Wagner

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(Myrtle Wagner)

Biographical Note:

(continued)

Editor’s Note:

The official state slogan for Illinois since 1955 has been “Land of Lincoln”, and before that it was often known as the Prairie State. However in the 19^th century it was referred to as the Sucker State. There are three explanations for the origin of this term. One involves a practice that was fairly common among travelers and inhabitants of the prairie. When water was needed, long, hollow reeds were thrust down into crawfish holes, and the water was literally sucked up, as through a straw, thus the term suckers.

Another explanation derives from the fact that many of the pioneers in the central and southern part of the state came from tobacco-growing states such as Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. The sprouts around the main stem of a tobacco plant are commonly referred to as "suckers’ and are are regularly stripped off and discarded. Since most of these settlers were poor, society looked down upon them as eventually a burden that would sap the economy. They were therefore derisively called "suckers," and the term came to refer to the entire region of Southern Illinois, which at the time held most of the state's population.

The most popular explanation involves the state's first lead mine, which was opened in 1824 near Galena. As word of the mine spread, thousands of men descended on Galena in search of work. Most of the job-seekers, from Missouri and southern Illinois, would come to Galena in the spring and work through the fall, then return home. Because the workers traveled up and down the Mississippi, their migration pattern was the same as certain fish known as "suckers" that migrate upstream each spring, hence the name.

(Ulysus Grant Williams)

Biographical Note:

Grant Williams was born July 16, 1870 to William and Martha (nee Kidwell) Williams. On March 20, 1895 he married Anna Pearl Hart daughter of Christian and Emaline Hart. Six children were listed in the 1910 census: Nina (b. abt. 1895); Jessie (b. abt. 1899); Charlie H. (b. abt. 1901); Arthur D. (b. abt. 1902); Harry C. (b. abt. 1905) Ronald L. (b. abt. 1907); Earl (b. abt. 1914) was listed in the 1920 census. Grant died January 26, 1931 and Anna in 1962. They are buried in the Sumner City Cemetery.

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(Alfa Tina Worstell)

Biographical Note:
Editor’s Note:

Alpha also wrote a letter to the Press in 1916. See her biographic notes in that section.

Deniphan, Missouri

January 17, 1919

L. M. Wood and Sons:

As you requested all former resident of Lawrence County to write a letter for the Pink Press, thought I would comply with your request.

I was born in Knox County, Indiana near Vincennes. Moved to Lawrence County about 26 years ago, where I met and married Anna Hart. We moved to Sumner and lived there for 16 years.

We left Sumner last March, so you see we still speak of that place as home.

We are situated in Ripley County, southeast of Doniphan, on a farm of 1043 acres and like the country fine.

The family is well and always look forward to Friday, when we receive the Press. We live within a half-mile of church. It is a live little country church. All the children attend Sunday School and Epworth League. The three younger boys, Harry, Ronald and Earl, go to school every day, Charlie, Arthur and I run the farm. Charlie is in St. Louis now, but will be home for the spring work. Mrs. Williams is kept busy with her poultry and housework. The girls both have government positions, so are not with us very much.

Will close, hoping to see lots of letters in the Pink Press.

Yours truly,

Grant Williams

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St. Louis, Missouri

January 7, 1919

Editors and Old Friends:

Although I have not wandered as far from the old home as some, I hate being gone a long time and thought perhaps some of the friends would like to hear from me. I feel very thankful to the editor for this privilege of writing to be fifth edition of the "Pink Press" and hope to see many letters from other wanderers. I enjoyed reading the interesting letters in the other editions and hope enough will write to make this the best Pink Press ever published. Now, to tell you a little about myself and family: I was born on the Richland and Lawrence County line, just 4 1/2 miles southwest of Sumner, where my father, John Perrott and brother Asa, still reside. I was out to visit father during the holidays and found him in the best of health, although nearly a century young. Dear mother left us some nine years ago this month but we have sweet memories of her and hope to meet her in the great beyond. I called old Lawrence County my home until the year 1901, when, with my husband (William Worstell) and children moved to St. Louis, Missouri. We have lived in this city the most of the time since. At present we are located in the southwest part of St. Louis, living in a pretty little five room bungalow which we own. Husband is a contractor and carpenter here. Our oldest child has been in Uncle Sam service for the past five months. First taking training at Camp Funston, Kansas and then being transferred to Camp Mills, New York, where he is now stationed as one of the world war engineers. Our second child, a daughter, is now at College View, Nebraska, a small town in the suburbs of Lincoln, preparing herself for a missionary. Johnny, our youngest, is still at home with us.

As I do not wish to take up space that would be filled with letters more interesting than this, I will close now, wishing all a happy and prosperous new year.

Mrs. William Worstell

4951 Blow Street