Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

Parke, who was born 17 years after his parents‘
marriage.
Alvin died at the age of 54. His son, who went by the
name of Parke, returned to the farm after attending
Grinnell College. He married Pearl L. Umbenhauer.
whom he had met at college.
Parke and Lucille were the parents of two daughters.
Constance and Elizabeth.
Constance (Connie) married Ralph Howell, of
Mancos. Colo. They are the parents of two children,
Jeanne Howell Cox, and Ralph H. Howell. Ill.
Elizabeth (Bettie) married John A. Miller of Anamosa.
They are the parents of five children, Dan, Rebecca.
Leland. Amy, and Timothy.
Dan is married to Deborah Jean Brain and they are
the parents of Jonathan and Benjamin. The family is
presently living in Aachen, West Germany.
Rebecca is married to Kim Beardsley of Cedar Rapids.
Their children are Heather and Chad.
Leland is maried to Terri Gay.
Amy Sue is married to Dan Schirm of Anamosa, and
they are the parents of Matthew and Andrew.
Timothy lives in Arvada, Colo.
Samuel C. 8: Rachel Mayberry
Samuel Cairy Mayberry. born in Pennsylvania in
1854, moved to Jackson County with his parents,
Alexander and Jane Walker Mayberry. In 1874 Samuel
married Rachel Barkley. Two years later they settled in
Cass township two miles west of Langworthy. Samuel
and Rachel had seven children. Elmer, Henry Jay.
Luella, Matilda, John, Leona. and Ernest.
Samuel died at age 38. leaving the widowed mother
to rear her family on the homestead. She did so. and
proved to be an excellent mother and left a wholesome
influence on the lives of her children.
Of the seven children, only one stayed in Cass
township. He was Henry Jay. Jay, as he was known.
married Frances Uhr. In 1919 they moved to the farm
north of Anamosa.
The home of Jay and Frances was an old stone
structure, which was thought to have been built about
1857, with stones hauled from Stone City. The stone
structure, with walls nearly two ft. thick, cost $75 to
build.
The Mayberrys had two children, Ruth and Everett.
Frances Mayberry died in 1930. Jay later married Millie
Brokens and moved to Anamosa. His death occurred in
1947.
Jay enjoyed playing the violin for house dances, and
hoped to interest his son. Everett, in this pastime. He
spent $5 for lessons, but as Everett did not respond too
well, he allowed him to quit. The violin, now unplayed,
hangs on the wall of Everett's home. He lives with his
wife. Ann Orcutt. in the old. stone family home.
Everett and Ann are the parents of three married
daughters, Sharon, Jann, and Tracy.
Sam Mayberry was Cass road supervisor: Jay served
as county supervisor, as did Everett, from 1959-1979.
Guilford
submitted by Wilma Cox
Charles Guilford was born on Christmas in 1866 near
Monticello, and died Jan. 19. 1955, at age 88. He was
the son of Mr. and Mrs. Lyman Guilford.
Charlie married Minnie Batchelder and they were the
parents of six children, Helen (Edwards), Verne, Glen,
Ruth (Mettlin), Irene (Oltmanns) and Clifford.
Some reflections on Charlie, by Galen Brainard, of
Cass are related in the following:
“Charlie had a threshing machine powered by a
steam engine and he ran several neighborhood
threshing rings, with 10-14 farms per run. The steam
engine was powered by burning coal, so before the
threshing season, each farmer went into town and
brought home a wagon load.
"Charlie's son, Glen, went along as a helper. One
man operated the steamer, and one the separator. The
separator removed the grain from the straw, which was
stacked by two or more men. This straw would then be
used for livestock bedding.
"When the grain heads ripened, the farmers would
cut, bind and shock the oats before the thresher came.
In order to keep, the oats needed to go through a
‘sweat’.
"In late July and August, about 4:30 a.m.. the
countryside would hear the whistle of the steamer. and
would say to one another, “Charlie's getting up a head
of steam."
“The farmers had to wait their turn for the machine.
and sometimes it was early fall before everyone had
flnished.
1 0
"They were charged by the threshed bushels of grain
— usually 2-3 cents per bushel. You might get 40-50
bushels per acre. In those days, there was little grain
sold, as it was fed to the livestock.
“When the threshing machine came to the farm.
water was hauled from the creek. or well, for the steam
engine. There were six to eight wagons going to the
fleld for the bundles of shocked oats for the machine to
thesh.
“There was always a waterboy with a crockery jug —
a corn cob serving as a cork — full of cold water. The
boy carried the jug to the men who all drank out of the
same jug. The boy received a quarter.
"At mealtime. the men came to the shade of a tree in
the house yard, and washed. The wash basins, clean
towels, cold water and soap, were ready on the wash
benches.
”There was much joking, teasing, and laughter
among the men, after which they were served meat,
potatoes, gravy, a vegetable. homemade bread. butter
and pie. The women of the farm house, along with the
neighboring farm wives. would combine their cooking
abilities. and aid with serving the ‘men-folks’, with all
of the cooking and baking done on wood-burning
stoves.
“It was a welcome relief to hear the steam whistle
toot its farewell as it left your farm, and to know that
your grain was in the bins for another year.
“With the advent of the farmer-owned combine and
baler, came the end of an era.