 |
Harry Ross Gardiner Born: May 18,1887, Wheatland, Missouri Marriage: Minnie Mae
Azbill (12-7-1891 ~ 2-18-59) Children: |
Harry Ross Gardiner. . .
. . .tells his story by way of a letter, mimeographed and sent - along with
Minnie's and all their children's letters, and including photographs - as a
booklet, to each family, at Christmas, 1957.
“George Washington Gardiner was born in Tennessee in 1837. He had three brothers, Monroe, William and Jefferson, and one sister whose name was, I believe, Elizabeth. His father and mother were of Irish decent. His paternal grandfather came to America from Ireland.
Sarah Francis Costello was born in Kentucky in 1849. I don’t know where her parents were born. She had at least four brothers, Jack, Edward, Franklin and Daniel. She had one sister whose name was Nancy, I believe.
These were my father and mother. My father married a young woman in Tennessee and after about a year came with his wife and small daughter by ox teem to Missouri where he settled and raised a large family and lived and died. I think they thought my father died of Bright’s disease, but I believe he had diabetes.
My mother came with her folks to Missouri while a young girl. My father lost his first wife then they had seven children. He and my mother were married and raised nine children, of which I am the youngest. There were 12 boys and 4 girls. All lived to manhood and womanhood except one boy who died in infancy at the age of 5 or 6 months. All the children lived to be grown and have their own families until mow there are only two left, one daughter, Norma, Fairfax, Missouri, and I.
I grew up in the Ozark hills of Missouri. I lost my parents while I was in my teem age. I left the old home and went to attend business school in Springfield, Missouri, in 1908. I went from business school to Oklahoma after a year of two to attend a university and enrolled at old Epworth University in Oklahoma City, but still made my Northwestern Oklahoma around Cherokee, Jet and Nash. It was there that I met a pretty “part” Indian maiden. I never got over that. We took up together and were married August 25, 1913. Since that time I have managed to complete my college degree with some post graduate work.
Mom and I have had eight daughters and one son, which made us the richest people in all the world even though we were often almost penniless. We kept them all until at last the Lord saw fit to take the littlest one first. She was 26 years old. Barbara was a sweet and wonderful girl. I feel that we still have her and always shall. She has only gone ahead to beckon to the rest of us to come where she is.
Mom has been a truly wonderful person. Now someone has to be the sweetest person in the world, why can’t it just as well be Mom,-- it is. We have lived together now 44 years and to my knowledge she has never told a falsehood. I have never known of her to tell a falsehood. She has always been pure and sweet and very strong both spiritually and physically. She is still going strong today and can do and does do more than most women half her age. She has raised for us 8 beautiful girls and one fine boy. I have sometimes thought that if Mom should leave mo now and go on before I do she could never be totally missed because she has filled life for me so full of wonderful things that I could still be with her in memory of the many wonderful things that she has crowded into her busy life, and which have left an indelible imprint on my mind and heart. It seems like it would not be so lonesome now because she has filled memories’ hall so full of these beautiful and wonderful things. My hope is that each of our children shall have the same memory to fill all the quiet hours in their lives.
…..I thought I was through with this little autobiography, but Esther says I must tell something of my boyhood.
(To be continued).