Barber County Kansas
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Barber County Kansas |
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Harvey Pelton was born near Sharon, Kansas, on a farm, to Jesse and Cynthia Pelton. He attended Enon rural school about 3 1/2 miles east of Sharon. Six of his eight grandchildren later attended this same school. At the age of 17 he taught in rural schools near Medicine Lodge.Two of his teachers he mentioned were Fred Wadsworth and Frank Shell. At recess his ambition was to outrun Mr. Wadsworth, but he never did. He felt Mr. Shell was one of his best friends and both were outstanding teachers.
Bertha Ritchie was born in Mexico, Missouri, in 1882. She came to Medicine Lodge at age 16 to stay with her father's sister, Mrs. Sadie Clay. Later she worked for Carry Nation and for a Baptist minister's family - J.J. Griffin. In 1903 she and Harvey Pelton were married; had sons, Ralph and Orville, and lived at Sharon on the farm until 1908, when they moved to Medicine Lodge. In 1909, their daughter, Opal was born.
Harvey had been carrying mail on a Star Route for 4 years. He later carried the mail on a rural route. On the mail route he first drove a horse and two-wheeled cart, later changing to auto transportation. The boys' job was to care for the horses - later, to keep the car in repair.
About 1916 Mrs. Pelton went to work at the laundry and worked there for many years. When Bertha was eight years old, her mother, Mrs. Ollie Ritchie, who had been severely burned in a fire, had ordered a bolt of calico, but being unable to use it, had put it upstairs. Bertha found it, and needing a new dress, found a picture of one she liked. She cut out the dress from the picture, sewed it, and wore it downstairs to show her mother. She became a very popular seemstress and sewed for many young ladies.
Harvey belonged to the I.O.O.F. and they both belonged to the Workman Lodge. In 1917 they bought their home on South Cherry. They wre members of the Christian Church. He was on the Church Board. She was head of the Home Department. She took Sunday School literature and word of activities to the older women, who could not attend church. She rememberd them with cakes and parties on their birthdays. She couldn't drive a car, so she walked everywhere. She taught Orville and Opal to knit scarves, sox, and sweaters during WWI. Harvey was a member of the Home Guard. She made 150 pairs of overalls for the Red Cross.
In the fall of 1947 Bertha Pelton died from burns she received when her clothing caught fire while burning trash. Harvey retired from carrying mail in 1952. Later, he became seriously ill, and Ralph and Marjorie cared for him til his death in 1961 at Beloit, Kansas.
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