Today, a Wiggin Memorial Library and the Historical Society Museum are featuring much of the Wiggin history. It was said that George's father Andrew had a hot temper. They say he was so mean he could take honey from bees and never get stung. Andrew was a small man of stature, only 5 feet, 7 inches, but mighty in temper!
Unfortunately, this same temperament carried on to George, because he raised his kids with a rod arm and a long belt. However, this same temperament began generations before Andrew Jackson Wiggin. During a visit with Wiggin descendants in and around Stratham, NH, they related this trait was evident in their forefathers. In some cases, so much so that father and son would develop into fist fights. Others shared the memories of the harshness and cruelty of their fathers, though they were highly respected in the community. One described this type of personality as a "street Angel and house Devil."
George Hayes Wiggin was married to Emmaline E. Phillips, Hannah Smith and Lela Williams. He had 16 children and helped raise many others.
The year George was born, in 1876, our country was celebrating the first 100 years as a UNITED nation. A centennial year! Ulysses S. Grant was President. In June of the same year was Custer's Last Stand at the Battle of the Little Big Horn in Montana.
Although George was not a predominate character in history, he influenced the lives of many people because of his most compassionate nature, particularly for those down and out. However, he had an extremely harsh nature, full of anger that he portrayed toward his own children and wives.
George had a difficult beginning. When he was two years old his mother deserted him as she placed him over the fence into his father's backyard where his six year old sister Martha found him. The mother, Cynthia, had not been living at home with the family. She had taken her youngest child, George, with her when the couple separated. She had walked out on the family before, but had always come back. Except this last time when her husband told her she could not come back again. Andrew later remarried. However, have not been able to locate any information on it.
A motherless child, George was raised by older sisters and his father. He was very much on his own at this early age, and was primarily left to shift for himself. Consequently he started chewing tobacco at the age of five, and running with a rather tough gang in general. However, in later years, George began to abhor the use of tobacco, of any kind.
It is interesting to observe that George's time of life was not that different from today's lifestyle. He quit school after the sixth grade. George grew up during hard times, times of high unemployment, took part in demonstrations, and also toured the country in search of himself. He was a runaway. Perhaps because his father treated him so badly, George ran away from home when he was 12 years old. Because he felt he was too big for a little town, he bummed his way into a large city. There he joined a group of young men. He slept in doorways, when cops didn't run him out, got something to eat either by begging or stealing. And of course, the devil always has a large crowd, so when the going got too hot for them, George, country-like, would go back to a small town. There he found employment, with meager or no pay, but at least had his board. He eventually went to live on a farm with an elderly couple, the Emroys, a minister and his wife, whom he claims were so good to care for him--clothed him and taught him, etc., and he thought a lot of them for it. He stayed with them until well into his teen years. George was young and quite venturesome. He became a street person, a demonstrator and a wanderer! He rode the rails with his knapsack. His growing up years were around the Des Moines, Iowa vicinity. He worked for farmers, and later running a steamer through harvest over northern Iowa.
George soon heard about a wealthy man by the name of Jacob S. Coxey. Coxey was also concerned about unemployment and was promoting employment programs and supporting legislation to create jobs. He was urging Congress to support a huge road improvement program to create employment. To gain recognition, and support, he organized a group of unemployed men.
This group was known as the "Coxey's Army." Its purpose was to attract national attention and to march on Washington DC. The march began out of Ohio, in 1894, with 100 men. It was at this point George joined the group after he hiked from Charles City, Iowa. He was 18 years old when the march took place. George felt that by taking part in this demonstration in a small way he would be helping the poor and the unemployed. The army of men was led by a six piece band, a color bearer and 40 reporters. So they did indeed receive national coverage.
Coxey expected 100,000 men to join the ranks by the time they marched in DC., but less than 500 men were in line when they paraded in Washington. However, before Coxey was allowed time to speak before Congress, or before groups, he was arrested by the police for walking on the Capitol lawn. The "Army" collapsed after that.
George was working at Mason City, Iowa at a girls industrial (reform) school as a maintenance man--he was to keep the furnaces going--when he met Emmaline Phillips. She was also working there. He married Emma Phillips in 1900 in Des Moines, Iowa, but later this marriage ended in a divorce. Emma had a son from a previous marriage, Clifford. George and Emma had three children, Ola, Kenneth and Cloyd. Emma's sister lived with them part of the time. It was common in those days for the husband to go away to find work which George did, and this might have partially contributed to the separation. George was working and earning $5.00 a day. Emma received custody of the children. Later George attempted to get custody and may have for a while. Ola shared years later, that because of his harsh treatment, she asked to go live with her mother.
During his marriage with Emma, George had a $3,000 life insurance policy and apparently Emma was trying to have him killed for it. Emma was paying a boy friend to kill George. One night George had been drinking in a tavern and got in a fight with another man. They went into an alley when the man pulled out a gun and shot George in the chest. The doctor said the bullet was in the lining of the heart, and he had to leave it in. That bullet remained in his heart to his death many years later. A few years later George ran into the same man and he told him it was his ex-wife (Emma) who set him up to kill George. He never carried life insurance again. George may have been about 30 years old at the time.
During his marriage to Emma, George was working for Cotch's machine shop, where he helped build one of the first "horseless carriages." This successful venture delighted his mechanic's heart. On 18 Aug 1902, George received the Minnesota State Inspector's Certificate of Engineers, qualifying him as a Stationary Engineer, licensed as a 2nd Class Engineer. Other records indicate that in 1906 he was working for the Hart-Parr Co that manufactured Oil Cooled Gasoline Engines, in Charles City, Iowa. Another record shows that in 1916 George was raising cattle in Torrington, Wyoming. Later he was shop foreman at the Great Western Sugar Beet Factory in Bayard.
At one period of time in George's life after he and Emma divorced he roamed the country hitching rides in box cars. He considered himself a hobo rather than a tramp, explaining the difference thusly: A "hobo" is one who works for his food, whereas a "tramp" is one who begs for his food.
A few years after his divorce, George moved to Omaha, Nebraska, serving as a machinist in the Union Pacific yards until 1913 when called to Lusk, Wyo by the death of his brother, Norris. Orrin had shot and killed his brother Norris. It seems that Norris had befriended his brother Orrin in their time of need. Norris had a huge cattle ranch. He felt sorry for Orrin and his family who were in dire need suffering from the depression years and wanted to help them. So he invited Orrin and his family to leave Omaha, NE, to live with them on his cattle ranch in Lusk, Wyoming. Orrin moved his family to the ranch, but it wasn't long before he became dissatisfied with the little he and his family had. He wanted more! Fancy boots, beautiful home with luxurious furnishing became his desires. Resentment began to build between the brothers. Because of Orrin's ambitious expectations, which his brother was unwilling to meet, Norris asked him to leave. Orrin refused and went after the sheriff to help settle their dispute. During the process, Orrin took out his gun and shot and killed his brother Norris. The aftermath of this incident was that Orrin belonged to the Masonic Lodge who upheld him and later was later exonerated of any crime. When Orrin died he was buried in Lusk, Wy.
George was appointed administrator of his brother Norris' estate, which prolonged his stay in that section of the country. He fell in love with this area and filed on a homestead northeast of Torrington, Wyo.
It was in Torrington, WY that George met lots of girls, one of them was Hannah Smith. George married Hannah. They had one daughter, Edith. After he married he learned Hannah had been in the reform school where he had worked. He found out because she got a letter (don't know from whom) with $500 in it, which in those days was a small fortune. If he had known she had been in the reform school, said he would not have married her. He could not tolerate dishonesty, and felt she had been more than dishonest with him about her past. They lived on a ranch and needed the money to put in a water well, but she ran off with the money. One day he went in the house and she was gone, the neighbor said he saw her going down the road with a suitcase. She would go on spending binges, probably tired of living out so far in the country. Eventually the money was wasted and none was left. Later she wanted to come back, George said only if she would pay for the well. But she ran off again taking Edith with her. They went to live with Kenneth, her step-son.
George went to court to get Edith. When they went before the judge, the judge asked Edith "where do you sleep?" She replied that she was sleeping on the side of the bed next to Kenneth and her mother, implying her mother and Kenneth were having an affair. The judge awarded custody to George.
Still, though funds may have been short, he built a lovely town home with beautiful furnishings. George built the Corner Stone garage in Torrington. He also, with another man, ran a threshing outfit for several years, running the steam engine. Later George and Hannah divorced, Edith was about 5 years old. He and Hannah had been married about nine years. George then moved to Mitchell, Nebr to work as a machinist in the Great Western Sugar Co. shops. Eventually, he was called to Bayard to work as the shop foreman with the Great Western Sugar Co.
It was more than likely, during this time that George played in a Bayard Orchestra. It was in the early 1920s, that the Bayard's Sugar Tramp Orchestra was as popular as any group around. This was a group of 13, with only one woman who played the piano. George was one of the trumpeters.
George not only experienced the depression of the 1890's, but also witnessed the hardship on people because of the 1929 depression. George was a machinist by trade, did carpenter work, and was also into cattle ranching and farming. By 1927, he had married and divorced a couple of times and now wanted to get on with his life. In Scottsbluff, NE, he met and married a young girl, Lela Williams. Lela was only 15 years old. George was 51. George first saw Lela when she and a young friend of hers would come down to the street where he was playing with the Samaritan Army--a missionary group. When he saw Lela and her friend, he thought it would be good to have them work with the group. So the girls would pass around the collection plate. Lela remembered seeing George and his daughter Edith at the church services at the Pentecostal church in Bayard, where she lived. George played in the church orchestra. After a few weeks, when they became better acquainted, George would take them home after the meetings. George always had his daughter Edith with him. He had a fancy car, a wire-wheel dodge, which impressed the girls. George began to frequently visit the family. Lela's mother, a seamstress, would make clothes for Edith. For Christmas that year, George bought Lela a beautiful black dress, and a black coat which she needed desperately, because her family was very poor. Lela's father didn't care much for George, and told her to give it back, but her mother persuaded him to let her keep it.
In spite of the age difference, Lela thought "My wouldn't people look at him and think he was a good catch!" A handsome gentleman at 51 years. They eloped and drove to Fayetteville, Arkansas and were married on August 23, 1927. In Fayetteville, a person could get married without his parent's consent. Edith went along with the couple to their wedding. On the way there, they stopped at George's sister Carrie, in Iowa, to tell her about them getting married. They didn't honeymoon, money was getting short, so returned back to Scottsbluff, NE. George and Lela had twelve children.
George's daughter Edith was about 10 years old when he and Lela married, and lived with them during her young years. However, she dealt them a hard time. When she was about 15 years old she was put in reform school by the welfare, and was in there about three years. Edith, at age 8, supposedly told her father how to run away, which she consistently did. After she came home from reform school, she married Bill Wise, who was a known thief. He stole George's tools. George found them in Bill's trunk. These had the initials GW for Great Western. After Edith and Bill's first son Everett was born, Edith heard from her mother. She went there for awhile, then came back to live near her father. Bill was in prison for thievery.
The 1929 depression created a hardship on many families. Times continued to be difficult for many years. George had quit his job in the fall of 1929 and branched out into the dairy business. At the time of George and Lela's marriage, he was Shop Foreman at the Great Western Sugar Co. in Bayard, Nebr. After their marriage within a couple of years, he retired from the company and for the next six years ran Bayard's leading dairy. Five of their 12 children were born in Bayard while living at the dairies. From one dairy to another the family moved to the edge of town and continued in the dairy business. There the family owned and operated the Pioneer Dairy south of Bayard, NE, the leading dairy in this area for several years. It was hard to find help for the diary, so they moved to a ranch near Bridgeport, Ne. leaving their modern conveniences of town for a run down two-room house. Their home south of Bayard stood for years, and in 1995 it was demolished, some 60 years later.
By the mid 1930's, George's family had increased to six children. During those days it was not unusual to read newspaper accounts of abandoned children. One touching story was about a day old baby found in a shoe box-left at the garbage dump. So sad!
Again George asked himself the questions, "what can I do, and how can I help?" George's heart continued to reach out to needy people. He opened his home and on many occasions would take in a child, a wayward teenager, a family in need. Fortunately his family lived on a huge cattle ranch. raised most of their crops so were better able to cope with these situations.
There was one family facing extremely hard times who had twins, and were just not financially able to care for them. Two more mouths to feed! George took the twins into his heart and home, later adopted them. The family now increased to eight children.
Shortly thereafter again he reached out and took a pregnant- divorced mother and her child into his home. After the baby was born the mother took her daughter and left leaving the baby boy behind--unable to care for him. George adopted this one also, now a family of nine children. Soon another child was born to them, a baby girl. A family of ten children!
It was during the year 1935 that the family moved to live on a 2400 acre cattle ranch in the sand hills near Bridgeport, Nebr. They owned about 1900 acres and leased the rest. They had bought the ranch which had a small shack and a few other buildings, and planned to move from Bayard in the spring when the weather was more mild.
While waiting for spring before the move, one day a man and woman with several children and a new baby drove up in their model-T Ford to see if they could live in the shack for the winter. George gave them permission to stay where the children would be warm. A neighbor, Mr. Turvey, and the man had a fight. Mr Turvey gave them static saying he had rented this land. One day they were getting ready to leave when Mr. Turvey told the man he was on his property. Both went to the Judge, explaining it was only an oral agreement between George and the man for them to rent the house. These two men continued to fight, were always fighting mostly over fences. Finally, Mr. Turvey told the man to leave, he wouldn't so Mr. Turvey shot and killed him. Then he got on his horse and went to a neighbor to use his phone telling them that he just shot a man. Ultimately, Mr. Turvey was acquitted of any wrong doing.
This ranch was located in the sand hills where sagebrush and rattlesnakes resided. The ranch had a two-room house with a lean-to. In short time, with his carpenter skills, George and Lela had enlarged and fixed the house to become a nice home for the growing family. George had added to the small structure another house which made a cozy place to live, with modern conveniences. After the move, they planted trees, dug wells, built barns and sheds, etc, raised their own vegetables and lived in much happiness and contentment. He built a fence around the homestead by using the frame from an old car body as a gate. That frame stood on the place for over 60 years. Lela planted a tree near the house to provide lasting shade. It was a beautiful tree, when the wind blew the leaves would show silver on one side. That tree remained a sentinel to the ranch years after the family moved away. In later years the tree died, but remained standing. In December of 1995, Lela died. That same year the long-standing tree broke from it roots and laid to rest!
One incident shared by a family member, was that while George was working on the house to get it liveable, the family would take a lunch basket, planning to have a picnic out in the open range. They spent time around the area, picking choke cherries for making jam, with the children playing in the sand hills. Upon their return to the pickup for the lunch basket, the food was all gone. George figured the children must have gotten hungry and eaten the food, however, when he asked them if they had sneaked away the picnic stuff, they denied it. The next day the family made the same excursion. Again the food disappeared. This time George began to question around and learned the food had been taken by pack rats.
Although the land was infested with rattlesnakes, none of the family were ever bitten, although our dog Lady was. Fortunately George had an antidote that he applied and the dog survived. We were fortunate to have a praying Mother. One incident that happened on the farm is long remembered by one of the girls. Helen was taking Marie for a ride in the little red wagon. It toppled over into a huge red ant hill. Marie hardly cried as Helen quickly wiped off the ants and comforted her. This may have been the time when Lela, in later years, was recalling to Marie a time when she had been outside and came in almost comotose. It was scary, because Marie didn't seem responsive, Lela thought she was going to die. In a short while, though she was fine. It could be she was allergic to the ant bites.
Along with the remodeled ranch house, there were two barns, and several other farm buildings for the animals. On the ranch were horses, over 200 head of stock cattle, pigs, turkeys, geese and ducks. Riding the horses was the most favorite pastime. Even the young children were riding and herding the cattle. One fond memory is of a time sons George and Verne came riding in with a new-born calf across one saddle. It had got lost from its mother in the cattle round-up. One old mare was available for the smaller children to ride. At times, four of the small children would pile on her back at one time. The halter was made of twine. Another pastime for the children was hunting for arrowheads in the sand hills. They had quite a collection, even won blue ribbons for their displays at the county fairs. One activity on the ranch that kept the children occupied was killing rattlesnakes. The place was infested with them and lots of sagebrush for them to hide. After killing a rattlesnake they always cut off the rattles. The summer the family moved from Nebraska, the older boys went out hunting rattlers and killed over 40. Their collie dog though bitten several times by a rattler, and George continued to apply medication that drew out the poison and the dog was not affected by the bites. Fortunately, though all this time not one of the children were bitten by the snakes. Late spring, as soon as the weather warmed, the children removed their shoes and walked barefoot all summer. The bottoms of their feet were like solid steel, they had become so calloused.
George taught his older children to ride horses to help in rounding up the cattle. He would take the four oldest ones out with him. He would drive the pickup, the children on horseback and head across the range to check the livestock, round them up in small herds to the windmill-based water tanks.
While living on the ranch near Bridgeport, the Wiggin children attended a one-room schoolhouse, and were the only pupils. The schoolhouse was located a mile from the ranch. The harsh blizzard winters were devastating to the small children trudging a mile to school. They were taught that if they got lost in the storm to try to find a fence to follow. Even this was not always secure as the snow drifted above the fences. One time as the children were on their way home from school, they were soon met by George. He had brought several sheets of wood-shingles, one for each child to place beside their faces to hold off the blowing snow and as a buffer to the howling wind. George later moved the structure closer to the home to eliminate the long trek to school made by the children.
Their ranch comprised the entire local school district with George and Lela the school board members. To help augment their income, the family would work at the sugar beet farms. Also Lela did some freelance writing. In 1943, a feature article, written by Lela, on sugar beets was accepted by the Denver Post. "Sore Knees and Sugar Beets." In this article, Lela told the story of she and the older children crawling down endless rows of sugar beets thinning out the small plants--this was referred to as blocking the beets, years later to be accomplished by machines. Lela had always wanted to be a writer but had quit school when she married George. However, Lela continued to write and at the age of 69, she finally fulfilled her dream and finished her first book. The book was published, a story of her younger years, called "Papa's Razor Strop."
While living near Bridgeport, during the years 1938-1942, Lela carried mail on a star mail route, to help out some toward expenses caused by two years of drought and grasshoppers. This was done along with writing, raising the family, reaching out to others, etc. The star route covered an area of a 62-mile round trip, six days a week--for four years. This route was known as the Bridgeport-Redington route. George would substitute as a carrier during the stormy winter weather. Sometimes the only contact some of these ranchers had with the outside community was through the mail carriers. The carriers were asked to bring groceries, to contact the doctor, to be a friend and a good listener. Often the grocery sacks would contain a small bag of candy, compliments of the grocer.
The family lived on the ranch until 1943 when they relocated to Arkansas in the Ozarks where two more girls were born to the family. A family of 12 children along with others living with them on a temporary basis, it was often quite a household. Again in a small way he was helping those in need.
George and Lela had married in Fayetteville, AR. George recalled the beautiful countryside there and decided the winters were too cold and too long in western Nebraska. He remembered the warm mild weather of the Ozarks, which eventually would become their home. When George sold the farm to Mr. Turvey, our long-time neighbor, he also sold the mineral rights with it. Forty years later several members of the family returned to the old ranch to discover it was dotted with pumping oil wells. Mrs. Turvey stated that "Yes, we should have kept the mineral rights, because she was living very comfortably on half of their earnings." The family sold the ranch, their livestock, cows and horses, and some of their belongings, loaded the household furniture and the remainder on the train to be transported to Arkansas. The move to the Ozarks took place during the World War II rationing. Rationing of sugar, gasoline, rubber tires, etc. was in effect. The speed limit was 45 miles an hour. One incident that happened along the way is worth sharing. The family had fixed the big truck to provide bunk beds and other sleeping accommodations. They had loaded it, the pickup and the 1928 Buick touring-car with the belongings that had not been shipped by train to Arkansas. The family had travelled several miles when one vehicle had a flat tire. It was then discovered that the extra tires had been left behind. George took one of the older boys and drove the pickup back to the ranch to get the tires. The rest of the family waited in the shaded park-like area.
The farm in the Ozarks was in Arkansas, between Southwest City, MO and Gravette, AR. It was a large farm of 420 acres, much of it tillable land. A creek ran the full length of the farm where the family spend many leisurely hours. The family enjoyed the lovely mild climate of the Ozarks after enduring the harsh cold winters of Nebraska. Here the family raised a huge garden to help supplement their income from the small dairy. The move to Arkansas was prior to the time of the REA which brought in electricity to the families in rural areas. George, being the resourceful person he was, made his own saw mill out of the motors of junk cars. He also made his own generator so the family could have electricity in their huge two-story farm house.
George continued to reach out to meet needs of others, even while living in the Ozarks. He read about the many displaced families in concentration camps and responded to the call for sponsors for these families. With a sponsor a displaced family could come to America and begin their life anew. George had the pleasure of bringing to this country a displaced family from a DP camp in Germany. A Polish family who had resided in the little village of Ziwka, Poland before the Russians took over their country and they lost everything. The family arrived at the Wiggin home early on the morning of September 8, 1949. They had left behind a war-torn country to embark across the seas to a totally foreign way of life. A land of freedom and opportunity that would be a refuge from heartache and tragedy, from cruelty and inhumane punishment. The family consisted of Hilary Brzozowski, 44, an able-bodied hard working man who fathered his group with just the right amount of firmness, while Jozefa,39, his wife, mothered her brood with a loving hand. Zbigniew (pronounced Zbignuff), a lad of 15 years had a sunny smile that would take him far in life. Waclaw (Waslaw), large for his 13 years was a willing boy whose unsmiling face tells the tragic story of his short life. Tadeusz (Tadose) 11 years old, a boy anyone could be proud to claim. His fun-loving nature, his love for animals and his willingness to help made him a joy to have around. Everything was amusing to 8 year old Marrianna (Monusha), unlike that of her quiet little 6 year old sister, Wieslawa, (Visha).
George, the man who sponsored this family to America, was a stern man, yet most considerate in the way he provided for the family. The family moved into a small two-room log cabin on the farm. The log cabin had one large room upstairs and a small living room downstairs with a tiny kitchen. The family settled in and began to help on the farm. They were hard working people and a great help to George on this large farm. The family lived on the Wiggin farm for over six months then moved on to work on another farm. The families lost contact until 45 years later in 1995, they once again reunited. It was quite a reunion. The parents and one son had died, and the children grown. The adult children still showed their gratitude to the family for the kindness of George to sponsor them to America.
Music has always been a vital part in George's life. When he was a child he recalled running ardently after the Civil War Veterans' Drum Corp as they marched in the Memorial Day Parade. He wanted to get a glimpse of his father marching in the parade. George was still running with a gang, but somehow the music bug had bit someone and by mooching around they managed to rake together a few discarded instruments and, believe it or not, he played, for the first time, in a Brass band. It puffed him up so and raised his morale to such a standard that he knew he just couldn't be as bad as he felt. He really was somebody and had to live up to it. Since then music had become George's one ambition, mainly to have a band of his very own.
George would use anything he could find and pretend to play it like a horn. He was a child when a 90 year-old man gave him an old cornet. It was an old type "string style valve" cornet. That cornet is still in the family with his son Verne. George taught himself to play it and for several years played in the Samaritan Band. He played his trumpet in the church band. and later joined the Samaritan Army band. So proudly did he wear his uniform and how he could play that horn! Unfortunately, the Samaritan Band did not have a desirable reputation, so discontinued playing with them
George learned to play many musical instruments. Although still a "tough" young man perhaps his lifestyle changed somewhat when he became converted. It was at a Billy Sunday meeting that George accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior. He played and directed for Billy Sunday during his religious crusades in those days held in Iowa. How he loved those old hymns played and sung at the evangelistic meetings. He later united with the Presbyterian church.
When George was in his early twenties, he played a cornet with the Mitchellville, Iowa band. Later George moved to Lingle, Wyoming and helped organize a small town band of which he was a member and played lead. The year was 1895. He helped get a band going in about every place he lived from then on. After seeing what music had done for him, all of his children had music training of one kind or another under his supervision. George loved music, especially John Phillip Susa's marches, and gospel songs.
George's life ambition to have a band of his own, and at the age of 67 realized his dream with the organization of his own family band. It was because of his love for music that his dream came true. His dream was to teach his children to play and have a family band. He felt music was one way to hold a family together in harmony, and at the same time offer entertainment. George included band music on the school curriculum where each child would learn to read music, and thus providing the funds to purchase the music instruments. On many Saturday nights the family would pile into a homemade bandstand-trailer and go to town to give a concert to the local farmers. This was a great outing for the older children. After their concert, each child was given a nickel and allowed to roam the streets shopping for just the "right" candy.
As each child became old enough, George would teach the child to play an instrument and to read music. Before long he had several children showing rather remarkable musical talent. He then organized the family band. It wasn't long until they were playing third grade music, some of the better pieces such as Washington Post, Chicago Police Band, etc, and were complimented very highly on their playing. This band became quite well known throughout the country, both in Western Nebraska, and the Ozarks where the family moved in the summer of 1943. The band was known as the "UNIQUE WIGGIN FAMILY BAND." Papa George played the bass drum, mother Lela played the tuba, with the children on various other instruments. This band created quite a sensation! The youngest maybe about 18 months, with miniature cymbals or tambourine--to the oldest about 12 years old, on the trumpet, almost as good as his Pa. George's son Verne still has the trumpet that he learned to play, it was given to him when George died. Most of the other instruments were loaned to the Gravette High school band and were lost in a fire when the music room burned. George's daughter Gay still has the cymbals she played as a little girl.
While the public enjoyed this young family-band entertainment, the behind-the-scene practice time was not always enjoyable. Sometimes George would go into one of his screaming fits when the children made too many mistakes. One of his methods of discipline during practice time was to tap on the top of the head with the handle of a table knife-not too pleasant! Even so, the band was George's pride and joy!
The family band received lots of news coverage, starting first while they lived in Nebraska and followed them into the Ozarks. Their first appearance was a picture in Capper's Weekly and local papers. This photo also won a $2.50 price in a Photo contest sponsored by the Omaha-World-Herald. The family was also featured in the American Magazine, March 1943 issue in the Interesting People Section, which had national circulation.
They entered parades and entertained on many occasions. On one occasion they had been asked to play for a four-day entertainment. This was called Oregon-Trail Days, held in Gering, Nebraska. They were to be given $25.00. This wouldn't have gone far if they had to stay at a hotel, so they very conservatedly fixed up their truck. They put the stock racks on and piled beds in double decker. This served nicely for their sleeping quarters. Their food was bought and cooked outdoors. Just take a bunch of country kids to town and try to get them to be quiet, much less sleep after their usual 5 o'clock arising period. To make matters worse, they had parked their stock truck along side a swanky trailer house. George and Lela did their best to keep order and quiet until the town was at least astir. A head poked out of the trailer house and asked if they couldn't quiet down and let a fellow sleep. This helped for a while but not for long. The next time the lady came to the door and asked very unpolitely, why we didn't go back to the farm where we belonged.
One time the family was asked to perform at a town quite some distance from their home. Putting it to a vote on how they preferred traveling, some wanted to go by plane and some by train. Although, they have ridden in neither, except for a short plane ride for the 5 older ones, George said if they came in by plane and were playing (they'd be playing as they always play when they can get anyone to listen to them) they would think Gabriel was blowing his horn! Don't remember the final outcome of this outing.
Another such occasion was a celebration for Mr. Kraft, in Arkansas. Mr. Kraft was the founder of Kraft products. George's youngest daughter Gay was held by Mr. Kraft and photographed. The next day the picture was on the front page of the local newspaper. Mr. Kraft was an old man and was quite moved that the family played some of his favorite pieces. This old man made an effort to greet each one of the players, from the youngest to the oldest. It was quite an experience for everyone! Most of the family would agree that the highlight of all news coverage was the appearance in the American Magazine. The reporters came to the ranch and spent a day with the family, snapping candid shots and family poises. The accomplishment of the Unique Wiggin Family Band was indeed the highlight of George's life.
Because of George's harsh disciplinary actions, many of the older children ran away from home during their teen years. An example of his harsh discipline was related by one of the younger children after most of the older ones had left home. The incident was that one time the gate was left open by the children on their way to school and the cows got out. When the children came home from school, George lined everyone up except for the two youngest girls, he told them they were too little to know better. Then he went down the line with his belt. He had a low tolerance for anyone not assuming responsibility. The abuse from him was often so cruel that one of the older boys my have turned him into the welfare for child abuse. George e told the younger ones what to say if any of them came around--to say that they were happy there. George had such a way with people that their report was positive.
There were good times to remember, too. Every Saturday George and Lela when to town for supplies and socializing in the local bar. George always came back home happy, and with a sack of candy for all of the children to share. Another happy incident was related by one of the younger girls. One Saturday, she decided she wanted to go to town with them. She went to her papa to ask, she probably was the only one of the children who had the nerve to ask him. George said "I don't know if your mother will let you or not." So he decided to hide her under some gunny sacks in the back of the pickup. She was giggling so much that her mother heard her and gave her and George that look with a smile. Lela consented to let her go if she would change her underpants first. Lela was overly conscious of little girls underpants as she recalled an embarrassing moment. One day when the family was in concert, apparently one of the little girls had failed to change her torn panties and it was observed by a woman in the crowd. A short while later, a woman handed Lela a small parcel. In it was a brand new pair of panties!
Though the older boys, the cornet players, had left home, the family band continue to perform Saturday afternoons on the streets in Southwest City, Mo. Generally a crowd would gather for the customary Saturday afternoon drawing for prizes, and enjoyed the entertainment. The young eight-year old twin was showing remarkable talent on the trumpet, and soon became the lead player. By then several of the older ones were playing in the high school band with two in the beginner band at school. At the age of 70, George continued working with his little family band, still a delight to his heart. The group included George at 70, on the base drum, Lela at 33, on the base horn, Lela at 15, on the alto horn, Helen at 14, on the baritone, Paul at 11, on the trombone, Marie at 10, on the cornet, Bobby at 8, 1st cornet, Betty at 8, 2nd cornet, Max at 6, snare drum, Joy at 3, and Gay at 2, on cymbals.
Life in the Ozarks was busy, enjoyable and interesting. Of course, the highlight of moving to the Ozarks, at least for the children, was that they attended a small country school house at Wann, near their farm, with other children. No longer were they the only students in a school. Later they were to drive the five miles to attend junior and high school in Southwest City, Mo.
Farm life was good, too! The farm included milking cows, raising pigs, horses, plowing, planting, haying and gardening. The garden which produced the winter supply of vegetables was canned and stored in the stone-smokehouse. The month of June was considered "blackberry" month. George would take the family into the fields to pick berries, and one year they picked and sold $100 worth of the berries. Chiggers and ticks were a constant problem, but they were endured and controlled by soda baths. These "berry picking" days usually ended with a picnic on the lush green grass along side the creek. Wading in the creek was highlighted by the hunt for the elusive crawdads.
The land in the Ozarks was such a contrast to the barren sand hills of Nebraska. Here were forests and mountains and streams. Forest fires often broke out during the dry weather. One time a forest fire got started not far from the farm. Men came from all over to help put it out. They knew if they didn't get it under control their places would be in danger next. Men were running around wetting sacks, getting shovels, loading pickups and taking off for the woods where the sky wasn't dark but yellow glowing and orange. At night the light from the fires would make the hill look like a city. In the light of the early morning the men, along with George and his boys, came back, black, tired and happy the fire was out.
On May 22, 1951, at the age of 75 years, George's life on earth ended, succumbing to cancer. He had 16 children, eight grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. The pastor (Rev Berl Todd) who performed the services was the same as the one who had married George and Lela 24 years earlier in Fayetteville, AR. The funeral was held in the family front yard which filled with close neighbors and many many other friends. Because so many people came to pay their respects, it made the family feel he was a well-respected man!
George left a legacy not of money, nor of property, but of children to carry on his heritage - compassion for others with a determination to accomplish their goals, and a desire to eliminate the harshness and anger previously passed from generation to generation. Among the family are ministers of the Gospel, missionaries, school teachers, social workers, counselors, accountant, lecturers, artists and authors.
Web page by DeCas Web Design
Email suggestions to jayme@decas.com
Get a free page at GeoCities