Kit Carson County, Colorado
Photographs |
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Kit Carson County Pioneers:
Ira W. and Mary Isa (Teel) Reed , 6 South 44 West
In 1885 Seward County, Nebraska, Charles Frederick Reed, 39 is a carpenter, Melissa (Cox) Reed 30, with Lottie 13, Carl H. 7, Bertram R. 10, and Ira W. 2.
They're farming in Sheridan County, Kansas in 1900, C.F. born Nov 1845 in Pennsylvania, M.E. Sept 1854 Iowa, C.H. Sept 1877, I.W. August 1882, M.E. daughter March 1887 Kansas, and son F.M. May 1890 Kansas.
, C.F. son Feb 1893 Kansas, and daughter R. L. April 1895 Kansas.
In 1910 Kit Carson County, Ira is 27, born in Nebraska, farming, living alone.
In 1910 Sheridan County, Kansas, Mary I. Teel is a school teacher, 26, born in Missouri, with Enoch 49 and Sarah 61. Borher Louis is 22, sister Etta F. 19.
Ira cash-claimed 80 acres in 21 6S 44W in 1912, and proved up two quarters in 1913.
1914 Colby Kansas "Married at the probate judges office in Colby on June 1, Mr. L. A. Teel and Miss Annie Shoemaker, both of Lucerne, Kansas. The groom wore a suit of deep blue serge. The bride's dress was a dream of cream messline and draperies of real shadow lace with a silver headed design finishing the bodice and brides roses at the girdle. The bride is the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Shoemaker of the Lucerne Stock Farm. She has grown to womanhood at Lucerne and has a wide circle of friends who love her for her kind, sweet, womanly ways. Mr. Teel is the son of Mr. and Mrs. E. F. Teel of Sunny Slope Ranch and is one of Sheridan county's propserous young farmers. Mrs. Ira Reed, a sister of the groom and her husband accompanied them and witnessed the ceremony. The happy couple will begin housekeeping at Sunny Slope Ranch in Sheridan county. The well wishes of their friends accompany them. A Friend. (The Colby Free Press, Thursday, June 4, 1914, transcribed by Jim Laird)"
Ira Weatherbee Reed registered for WWI in Selden, Sheridan County, Kansas, born August 27, 1882, farming, with Mary Isa Reed.
In 1920 Sheridan County, Kansas, Ira W. is 37, with Ida M. 35 Missouri. THey hae Twilla V. 2, born in Kansas.
In 1930 Ira is managing a grain elevator in Sheridan County, with Isa M. 46, Twila E. 12, and Nyla F. 10.
They're farming in Sheridan County in 1940, with Nyla F. 20.
One descendant wrote " I had two great-grandparents, Mary Isa Teel Reed or Ira W. Reed. These were my mother's grandparents. Isa, as she preferred to be called, was one of the first women in Kansas to have a driver's license. She was a teacher and into genealogy research. She died young - one of the few members of my family to die young but not accidentally. She died of breast cancer when my mother was six.
Through other research, I found out she was always the leader. Isa's mother used to send her to parties her father would attend to keep an eye on him in the presence of other women. Most of the photos I've seen of Isa show her teaching, or driving a car, or a tractor. Ira outlived her by decades, also remarrying. My mother's final phone call with him was a congratulation on her expecting her first child - me. I missed him by two moths. He'd won a hog calling contest just a few years earlier in his mid 80s and it had made the local newspapers (a clipping we were sent by a second cousin just the week before the package arrived). I believe I was Ira's first great-grandchild (I'm not certain, as my mother does not have contact with her two cousins on that side of the family - one never had children and the other has at least one son and I'm fairly certain I am quite a bit older than he). I wonder if one of those thoughts he had before dying was being sad that he'd never meet his great-grandchildren. He and his wife were in their thirties by the time they had children."
Amazingly, Ira and Isa were very financially successful, especially by rural Kansas standards. One of the items we received was a scrapbook of photos and postcards. There were postcards from nearly every state. My mother remembered a story of Ira coming to visit her daughter (my grandmother) who lived in Arkansas at the time and my mother, her parents and Ira taking a drive through the deep south because "he hadn't been in all the southern states yet". There are pictures of my grandmother as a young girl with her sister at Niagara Falls, sometime in the early 1930s or late 1920s. They've even been to Connecticut and had a photo of Woolsey Hall on the Yale campus where I once played cello in a regional youth symphony orchestra.
From the handwriting of documents, there are some that are written by Nyla (my grandmother), some by Isa and some by Ira... even a few by Grandpa Paul.
"This is me on the jeep I never get to ride," said one of the photos of my grandfather in his days as a Marine.
Ira saved all the cards he received from his family. The greetings cards were much bigger then- some containing small prayers or even more commonly short stories. One had a poem singing the praises of living in Kansas. One card was signed by the parents of one of those second cousins we've connected with through genealogy research. There was one with a small note from my grandmother to Ira.
"With my special love to you and a very special thanks for the million nice and good things you have done for me. Your daughter, Nyla. June 1971"
Sam Srader, age 67, married Alma L. Cook, age 46, n Clay County Missouri June 29 1948.
Ira W. Reed, of Sheridan County, Kansas, married Alma Srader of Jackson COunty, Missouri, in Kansas City July 20, 1952.
"Ira W. Reed, 93, of 1900 S. Pearl, Independence, died Tuesday, December 1975,
at the Independence Sanitarium. He was born in Beaver Crossing, Neb., and had lived in this area 23 years. Mr. Reed owned a grain elevator in Selden, Kan., 20 years and was a farmer most of his life before he retired in 1952.
He was a United Methodist. He leaves his wife, Mrs. Alma L. Reed of the home;
two daughters, Mrs. Twila Lummer, Davenport, Iowa, and Mrs. Nyla Smith, Columbus, Ohio;
a stepson, H. Hartley Edwards, Arlington, Tex., and three grandchildren.
Services and burial in Selden. "
BUT Ira Reed 1882-1975, per # 49134271, is buried in Norton County.
Alma Leona Reed born June 6, 1902, died February 16, 1995, last residences in Tarrant County Texas.
Claire J. Edwards was an independent executor.
Isa Reed 1883-1951 is buried in Norton County, Kansas # 49134272. BUT an index for Union Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio has Ira W. Reed, Isa Teel, and Nyla Reed Smith.
Nyla (Reed) Smith 1920-1998 # 95822952.
This page is maintained by href="mailto:stephen.z.stein@gmail.com">Steve Stein.