Fifth Generation

92. Rose Margaret ACKLEY appeared in the census 1910 & 1920 in Kansas. She was born on 29 May 1903 in Valley Falls, Jefferson, Kansas.^28,42,50,95 On 15 Jan 1920 she was Sales Lady, Dry Goods at Dodge City, Ford , Kansas.⁵⁰ [NEED TO DEFINE SENTENCE: autobiography] THIS IS MY LIFE

by Rose Ackley Harris, Age 80
May of 1903 there was a flood around Valley Falls, Kansas. Rivers and creeks were all out of their banks. On May 29, 1903, a doctor went across thewater in a boat. He was taken by horse and buggy five miles northwest of Valley Falls to a rock house on a farm, the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Ackley and small daughter Ella. With a great help of the mother, the doctor brought into the world a black-haired, brown-eyed baby girl. She was given the name of Rose. This was my start in life on earth. About two years later a brother came into the family. His name was Arthur (Jack). There was a sister stillborn who is buried at Valley Falls.
My folks took us three small children and moved to a farm five miles southeast of Cimarron, Kansas. The trip was by tra1n to Lewis, Kansas, then mover wagons to Cimarron, Uncle Tom driving one. This country was quite a change for our mother and dad. Neighbors lived further apart but they were good people. Later a sister, Gladys, and a brother Fred Harold (Billie) were added to the family.
Our school was three miles from home. My first teacher's name was Alice Routen. She rode a horse to school. We walked until we were old enough to ride a donkey, then a horse and finally drove a team of mules to a spring wagon and picked up neighbor kids. We had a teacher, Olive Cocky, who took us and her brothers and sister to school in a horse­drawn sled when it snowed. At one time we had a teacher, John Gay, who lived one mile from school. My last teacher was the best of all, William McFarland. He wrote songs of his own creation.
I loved living on the farm; riding horses was my pleasure. I was an outdoor person so my chores were bringing in the cows and helping milk and other chores.
We had wonderful neighbors, Sunday school at the schoolhouse, Christmas programs, a big tree to decorate and box suppers. In the homes there were oyster suppers and neighbors had picnics. At school we had girls basketball teams. We played other schools. Our school was “Fight­ing Forty.' There were family barn dances; everyone brought their children with them..
My dad raised some great wheat crops. My mother raised a garden of most everything. We had all the watermelons we could eat. There was work for all.
After so many years it all came to an end. We lived in a dugout house for a year. School was not quite out and my folks moved to Cawley Egbert ranch up north close to Kalvesta and Ravena. I stayed with the Unger family and Ella stayed with the Lucas family until school was out. We went in to Cimarron to take exams. Then Cawley Egbert, who owned the grocery store in Cimarron, took us up to the ranch by horse and buggy. It seemed like a long trip, but we were home again. I spent the summer riding horses with my brother Jack. Our family went fishing quite often.
Then Ella and I went to Valley Falls to stay with Mr. and Mrs. Charley Wood, the people that raised my dad. We went to school. My Uncle Tom got real sick and brought his wife who was expecting a baby.
So my dad and mother then came back to Valley Falls and stayed until Uncle Tom passed away. My dad took Uncle Tom's wife, Grace, out west to her dad's home. Then he went on to Dalhart, Texas, and got a job with the city. Then we joined him.
I was very happy there, the people were great. We went to the Baptist Church. There seemed to be no difference of rich and poor. All were one together. The war was on when we were there. Then a flu epidemic. Our family was among the first to suffer from it. A wonderful woman came in and helped us. We were very ill. Then when we were well we went to other homes and helped them. I will never forget going in to a home where a mother and small child were sick and the cabinet was piled with dirty dishes. The dad was trying to work and take care of them. Then I went to work at a laundry running a shirt sleever. Lots of young people worked there so it was really fun for a young strong girl that I was.
Then there came a time that my dad decided to take a job with the city of Dodge City, Kansas. I did not want to leave Dalhart. I had many friends and was so happy. Our family was a close family so it never entered my mind of not going with them. Things were hard for me to adjust. Ella went to work at Eckles Clothing Store. One day she got sick with diphtheria. She was engaged to Ed Redman at that time. She passed away. We were always together so I was heartbroken. So I went back to Valley Falls to stay for a while. Then my mother called me to come home to help her. She gave birth to a baby girl, her name was Letha Loretta (Dottie). I guess I had a hand in spoiling her.
Then I went to work at Deckles. We moved to South Dodge. I started making friends with young people and enjoying life again. Then my ten-year-old brother Billie drowned in the sand pit in the river. I then realized how hard everything had been on my mother. Life must go on, so I went places with my mother. We went to the Methodist Church. We went forward to start life with God. We were sprinkled which didn't seem
quite what we expected. Later we decided to attend church at the Christian Church on Second Avenue. We heard a sermon on baptism and de­cided that was for us. We were baptized and stayed with the First Christian Church on Second Avenue. I enjoyed everything about it. So life went on and sadness lessened. I started enjoying life as a young girl again.
By then the rest of the family were Christian. Time went by being happy and making more Christian friends. I was working at Eckles Store. On a Fourth of July a friend of mine made me acquainted with a young man from Missouri. After all the boys I had dated this one impres­sed me. We got married with his Model T Ford and my $100.00.
We went to Chula, Missouri. The roads were muddy but we could count on that Model T. It got us there safely. I had never met Floyd's folks. I thought they approved of me and later I discovered they really did. I was very well pleased with them. My folks liked Floyd too. We were married in the Christian Church on October 9, 1926. Leon Myers was minister.
We rented an apartment in Dodge City. Floyd was working with poul­try on Front Street. After being exposed to married life for a while, I found myself expecting. So we moved into a three-room house on Sunny­side Street, next door to my folks. So in 1927, on December 6, a beau­tiful nine-pound boy was born. We named him Philip Ackley Harris (Phil).
Floyd's brother Herbie was living with us at that time. A while after that we bought a home in Lewis addition. Only three houses were there. We had a Model A car, some pigs that got out of the fence every so often, some chickens, a garden and a milk cow we kept a mile from home at Bill and Flossie Monroe's home. Mornings I cooked breakfast
while Floyd milked the cow. He ate breakfast while I filled the bottles with milk and capped them. He delivered them on his way to work.
Then one day in 1930, the fifteenth day of August, a precious little boy was born. We named him David Lee Harris. Everything was wonderful until one day the Model A played out. We were still making payments on our home so we sold it and moved back in to town. We rented the Guy Maloney home on Sunnyside. It had four bedrooms so we rented one to a German boy and one to Herbie; we had one and the boys had one. Floyd went to work in the chicken and cream business with Mr. Keo.
We were living at 113 Sunnyside for a time. Herbie was living with us. On January 21, 1934, a dear1ittle baby boy was born. We gave him the name of Richard (Dick) Duane Harris.
When our boys were real young we went through the 1930 dust storm. We could hardly see. One day it turned completely black, just like night. It was impossible to keep it out of a house, we tried. Children in school had to wear masks or wet handkerchiefs over their nose and mouth.
Now with three boys to raise we bought a two-story home at 401 Smith Street~ There the boys grew and went to school. I kept them in Sunday School and church, went to PTA meetings and programs. Christmas and Easter were special. Cub Scouts met with us until I had to have an operation. Elva Harris came and looked after the family while I was in the hospital. Mrs. Elder took the Cub Scouts.
At this time Floyd was working for Fairmont's and into baseball and other sports. So the boys were up to me. The first time I left them was with my mother while Floyd and I went to Toronto, Canada, for a few days. The Lions Club sent us.
As the boys grew older I joined a bowling team. I really took to that. Later on we sold our two-story home on Smith and bought a hatchery at Kinsley. The boys were in school. Phil had one more year after leaving Dodge City. Our family run the hatchery with the boys working after school.
As they graduated Phil and Dave worked full time. Dick worked at St. John depot. Phil took some time out to serve in the Navy until the war was over. I had an operation in Halstead, Kansas. I prayed many times while living in Kinsley that God would let me live for our sons. They were so precious to me. God was very good to me.
My mother and dad still lived in Dodge City. I took eggs over to both Dillon stores on Mondays, I bowled on Wardrobe Cleaners team, stayed all night with my folks and went back home the next morning. We had some time in summer months to go up into the mountains. Until we could hire more help I delivered eggs and baby chicks all over the country. I trayed eggs, boxed chicks and waited on customers when the men were out blood testing flocks in the country. As I said before, time goes on.
Phil and Opal Massey were married June 20, 1947. Dave and Roma Strate were married June 11, 1950. Richard (Dick) and Evelyn Lauber were married October 10, 1953. Our grandchildren:

Phil's: Michael Philip - October 19, 1948
Steven Massey - November 3, 1950
Daniel Floyd - November 5, 1952
Timothy Paul - August 29, 1956

Dave's: Brent Lee - 1951 David Chadd - 1956
Shelley Lyn - 1960

Dick's: Twins
Douglas Duane - December 6, 1954
Deanna Marie - December 6, 1954
Scott Dean - 1961
Mitchell Allen - l9~7

Eleven grandchildren. I sat with them whenever they needed me, and
I needed them for company. I loved them and had many happy hours with them.
My mother found that she had cancer. She had several operations, then she was bed-ridden for many weeks. I drove over from Kinsley and cared for her every other week. Gladys took the other week. Finally we took less time and Mrs. Denton worked in between. Mother was 70 years old when she passed away. My dad came to live with us in Kinsley. He liked the hatchery as long as we were there.
We moved back to Dodge City and bought a house on Robinson Street. My dad was unhappy there. His home was a few blocks from there so we finally took him home and a woman stayed with him.
I had a coronary heart attack and was very ill. I was very close to God and He helped me in many ways. I leaned on Him for strength and courage. He never let me down. I gradually got well again. A while later I had an operation for gall bladder and came out of that in good shape.
We have a great family. We enjoy the holidays with our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In 1985 we have 14 great-grandchildren:

Heather and Grant (Mike's)
Stephanie and Max (Steven's)
Nicole (Tim's)
Matthew and Ryan (Dan's)
Cassie and Carrie (Chadd's)
Metassa (Deanna's)
Julie and Marty (Doug's)
Luke and Pearce (Mitch's)
In 1985 Floyd and I live at 403 Smith Street with a poodle named Festus.
Rose is one of seven children born to Joseph William Ackley and Laura Belle Gordon Ackley. Ella-- Rose-- Jack-- Veracuse Josephine--Gladys- - Dottie-- Billy. She died on 16 Jun 1995 in Dodge City, Ford , Kansas.⁹⁵ She was buried in Maple Grove Cemetery, Dodge City, Ford , Kansas.⁶⁴ Her Social Security Number was 513-50-4470 KS. Her Obituary appeared in the ROSE M HARRIS

Rose M Harris, 92, 510 W Frontview died June 16, 1995, at Trinity Manor Nursing Home.
born May 29, 1903, in Valley Falls, the daughter of Joseph and Laura (Gordon) Ackley, she married Floyd T (Bucky) Harris on Oct 9. 1926, in Dodge City. He preceded her in death.
She moved to Cimarron as a child and attended Cimarron Schools. She later lived in Dalhart, Texas, and the Dodge City. She and her husband and their sons owned and operated Harris & Sons Hatchery and Egg business in Kinsley and Dodge City. She was also a home maker.
She was a member of the First Christian Church and Keenagers of the Church, Dodge City.
Survivors include: three sons, Phillip and David, both of Dodge City; Richard, Moscow; one sister, Gladys James, Dodge City; 11 grandchildren; and 21 great-grand-children.
The funeral will be 11 a m Monday at Swaim Funeral Home, Dodge City, with the Revs. Larry Williams and Dough Harris officiating. Burial will be at Maple Grove Cemetery, Dodge City.
Friends may call from noon to 6 p m Sunday, at Swaim Funeral Home. The family suggests memorials to Hospice of the Prairie, care of Swaim Funeral Home.

Rose Margaret ACKLEY and Floyd T "Bucky" HARRIS were married on 9 Oct 1926 in Dodge City, Ford , Kansas.⁹⁵ Floyd T "Bucky" HARRIS was born on 17 Feb 1905.⁶³ He died in Aug 1985 in Dodge City, Ford , Kansas.⁶³ His Social Security Number was 510-03-4566 KS. Rose Margaret ACKLEY and Floyd T "Bucky" HARRIS had the following children:

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