Thomas James and Lovina had seven children: Rose, Ina, Lela, Millie, Alva, Roland and Guy.
LELA LOVINA was born April 8, 1879 in Butler Co. Iowa, and died in 1960 at Bayard, Morrill Co. Iowa of cancer. Lela married Ed Gatch. Their children were: Elsie, Esther, Verle, Corie Mae, Neil, Roy, and Rex.
There were four girls in the T.J. Williams family--each of them married pioneer boys and lived on this frontier in Nebraska. Lela Williams was no exception. She tells her own story.
"On April 8, 1897, I was married to Charles Edgar Gatch at my parents home north of Bayard, Nebraska. I was 18 and Ed was 28 years old. April the 8th was a very special day to us as it was both Ed's and my birthday and our wedding anniversary. After paying the Minister we had less than $25.00, two cows, a saddle horse and a team of horses.
After we were married we moved one half mile north of Minatare where Ed rode ditch on horse back during the summer. That fall we moved to Ed's homestead east of Minatare and lived there that winter. Then we moved to a timber claim one mile south of Melbeta where our seven children were born and which was our home for the next 44 years with the exception of three summers spent on a Kinkaid ranch eight and a half miles north of what is now Northport, Nebraska, on Brattons Creek,"
It could be said of Lela that she almost enjoyed the hardships of pioneer days. She recalls her parents and others planting crops only to see them burn up. Sometimes people from the east would send clothing and flour for the needy but her father would never accept donations saying "others need it worse than we." She also relates "I have forded the river when the water ran in the buggy or if on horse back when you had to hold your feet up to keep them from getting wet." She told of herding the cattle on the range, of picking up cow chips or crossing the river and going to the hills for wood but ended by saying, "concerning the cattle, how we did enjoy riding after them." About going after wood she said "some of my happiest times were when father took me with him to get wood from the hills."
Lela explains how they made a living. "Ed freighted staple items from Sidney taking four days to make the trip--we cut and hauled wood from the hills, pumped and carried water, washed on a board, ironed with a flat iron and churned butter, molded it into pounds and selling what we didn't use. But with all our hard work and lean years were enjoyed some mighty good times."
Lela tells of a rather unusual economical policy. She and her neighbor, Mrs. Crabill, had a high chair together. Their children came just right, so one could use it and be through in time for the other family arrival. Lela said "I had the last child so ended up with the high chair."
Ed's hobby and special enjoyment was found in hunting coyotes with a pack of hounds and Lela enjoyed outdoor life and wild animals, raising flowers and collecting rocks.
Two of the boys are substantial farmers living in this area. Neil M. Gatch and V. E. Gatch. Roy married Laura, they live in Paradise, CA. Neil married Maxine. They live in Gering, Nebraska.
Web page by DeCas Web Design
Email suggestions to jayme@decas.com
Get a free page at GeoCities