A drive through the old homesteads

When the troops went into France during the war uncle Howard and a fellow soldier, Billy Rion were in a tank together. As they went into Paris, Billy told uncle Howard to stay with the tank and he would get them a momento. Uncle Howard said people started swarming around them and he put his hand on his gun as he was frightened. Someone in the crowd that could speak English told him not to be afraid, they were just glad to see the Americans. One woman asked him to kiss her baby's head. Shortly after Billy came back with two little gold slippers (charms). They each took one and agreed whichever one had a baby first (they were both newlyweds) that the other one had to give him their slipper. Neither one had children. Uncle Howard was keeping his slipper in his safety deposit box. He told me this morning he wanted me to see it, so we went to the bank. The slipper was gone.
Afterwards we took a drive out in the country where both my parents familes homesteaded.
This is near John Marran's homestead (my fathers father).


Jay and Ruby Marran lived near here when JayL and I were born. It is only a couple of miles from the Nebraska line.






This is all that is left of Reamsville Kansas. It is between the Marrans and Tilton/Ellis homesteads. The door is left unlocked and it perfectly clean and neat inside. There is a big dining room and kitchen in back. At one time the women of the community would fix lunch one day a week during harvest and all the men would come there to eat.


Milton and Rosa Tilton bought this land. Later Milton's sister Nan came from Iowa and bought land a couple miles down the road. Later Acie and Mae(Tilton)and children lived here. Nan built a house for Milton on her land and they moved there.


This old school is across the road from the Tiltons land. Mae Tilton and her sister attended classes there. Later when Mae and Acie lived on the Tilton place her children, Nina, Ruby,Charles and Mearld attended classes there for about a year.


This is Nan Tiltons place. Acie and Mae Ellis had a baby girl that only lived 3 days. She was buried under the big cedar tree in the middle of the picture. Mae's parents (Milton and Rosa Tilton) were living here at the time.
Their oldest son, Arthur and Uncle Howard became sick with 'the fever' when uncle Howard was a baby. The doctor told Acie and Mae that to get rid of the fever they should heat bricks and put them around Arthur. They did. He died. When Uncle Howard got sick they did not use the heated bricks, but he was very sick for a long time. He said he thought that was why he had a low IQ. He is a very smart man. I don't think 'the fever' damaged his brain.


Jimmy Wall (Jenny's father) built this hotel in the late 1800s in Riverton NE. He sold feed to the homesteaders going to Wyoming. The Republican river runs on the edge of the town and had a bridge made of logs that was used by the settlers to get the livestock and themselves across the river.