At left: Martha (Parcel) ClarkMrs. Martha (Grandma) Clark of this city is entitled to distinction in more ways than one. She is one of the oldest surviving settlers in Comanche-co., and, also she was born in the same county in Ohio and not many miles away from the birthplace of the late Warren G. Harding. At the age of 84 she retains reasonably good health, and until recently, went about her daily work with as much "pep" as is commonly shown by many people 20 or 30 years younger. It was on December 10, 1839, near Caledonia, Marion-co., Ohio, that Mrs. Clark was born. Her parents moved from Ohio to Jasper-co., Indiana, in the year 1851 when Martha was just but 11 years of age. Some of her mother's relatives had gone to Iowa in 1856 the family moved from Indiana to that state, but they stayed there only four months, when they moved to Iroquois-co., Ill., where the parents continued to make their home.
It was in Iroquois-co., Ill., that Miss Martha Parcel spent over 30 years of her life. As a young lady she performed well her part in helping the family to provide the necessities of life, and that meant no small task in those days when there were so many adverse circumstances and conditions with which to contend. As an illustration, the fact may be cited that Mrs. Clark, while yet a young lady of 20 years, taught the district school, and for her services received the sum of $8 per month. The school house in which she taught of the prevailing type in those days - small, built of either logs or native lumber and supplied with very little in the way of furniture, blackboards and other conveniences. Two or three panes of glass on either side of the building furnished light and the old fashioned wood stove was used. Notwithstanding these handicaps, Mrs. Clark succeeded in obtaining a good education, for what she learned she learned well.
On July 29, 1860, Miss Parcel was united in marriage with Henry Clark. The couple continued to live in Iroquois-co., until the fall of 1888, when they yielded to the temptation to come west and become a part of that great band of earnest and preserving people who settled Southwestern Kansas. They landed in Comanche-co. on September 7, 1888, and were soon settled on a claim 9 miles southwest of Coldwater, and there the family continued to make their home for a number of years. They were undaunted by partial crop failures or hard times and still stayed with Comanche-co. when nearly half of the population went to the new country of Oklahoma. Mrs. Clark says that she recalls many a time when she came to town with no more than $1 or $1.50 with which to buy provisions for the following week. Yet by industry and economy they managed to get along reasonably well. Several good crops of corn, also of fruit (peaches, especially) were raised on the farm. Mrs. Clark was adept at raising strawberries, and usually sold each year between $15 and $20 worth, the usual price received being 10 cents per quart. The family were well acquainted with all the experiences of hot winds, short crops and low prices. They first built a comfortable dugout, but later erected and lived in a more modern home. Mrs. Clark knows what it means to have to depend upon "surface coal" for fuel, and to get along on small rations when times were unusually hard. Yet she declares that these days had their pleasures, their joys and their comforts.
Mr. Clark died on April 12, 1906. A few years later Mrs. Clark moved to Coldwater, but still retains the ownership of her farm. She has made her home for some time with her son, W. A. Clark, and family. Our city contains no more highly respected citizen than Grandma Clark. On December 10 of this year, she will celebrate her 84th birthday. The long span of years when it has seen her privilege to live has been an eventful period in the history of this country, and few people have been more faithful to every trust as a home builder in a new country than has Grandma Clark. May she live to enjoy many more happy years.
Bertha Annetta (Clark) Elzea, daughter of Martha Parcel Clark.
Francis Lee Elzea, husband of Bertha Annetta (Clark) Elzea.
Lena Annetta (Elzea) Day, daughter of Bertha Annetta (Clark) Elzea; grand-daughter of Martha Parcel Clark.
Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and contributing the above news article to this web site!