It Started With These Two

It Started With These Two (p.1)

Ault family--Genealogy
Main family--Genealogy

It Started with These Two is an autobiography written by Rosella Ault that includes her family history, childhood memories, education, marriage and children.

Rosella Main Tibbits Buchanan Ault

1998

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

Book

English

Still Image
Text

31114110

It Started With These Two (p.2)

[corresponds to inside cover of It Started with These Two]


[bookplate]
Community Library
Sunbury, Ohio
[bookplate]

It Started With These Two (p.3)

[corresponds to unnumbered page 1 of It Started with These Two]

It Started with these Two

Josie and Wilbur Main

By Rosella Main Tibbits Buchanan Ault

Community Library
Sunbury, Ohio
April 1998

[photo: Josie and Wilbur Main]

It Started With These Two (p.4)

[corresponds to page 2 of It Started with These Two]

To anyone who may read this it suddenly dawned on me that I need an

introduction.

Some of my friends and family, Polly Horn, the Director of the Sunbury

Community Library, and suggestions in Bob Greene's book To Our Children's Children's

Children provided the encouragement and suggestions as how to proceed.

Since this work was started in April of 1996 and not finished up until

September or October, of 1997, there may be some repetitions. If so, please forgive

me.

My life started with the union of these two, Mother and Dad. They are the

reason for my being. So for the title of this endeavor,


IT STARTED WITH THESE TWO

They were very good parents. They were the exception rather then the rule.

[photo: Wilbur and Josie Main August 29, 1909]

It Started With These Two (p.5)

[ corresponds to page 3 of It Started with These Two]

This work is for our daughter Mary, and her husband Tom, our granddaughter

Melody, and her husband Dennis, and their children, Brittny, Zak, and Brandon, but

most of all for my husband Harold.

My name is Rosella Jane Main Tibbitts Buchanan Ault. I'll explain as the

story of my life progresses.

Our present address is 14150 Centerburg Road, Sunbury, Ohio 43074 during

the spring, summer and fall. Box 312.

Our winter address is 1604 Illinois Street, Bradenton, Florida, a mobile home

park, Trailer Estates, 34281. P.O. box 5736.

I was born on a farm on Horseshoe Road in Delaware county Ohio, zip now 43015 at

home on the election of Warren G. Harding while Dad was at the polls. This makes me

75 years old, and my birthday is November 2, 1920. I'll soon be 76.


[photo: Rosella was born here in 1920 but brought to 521]


My parents were

Josie Bishop Main and Wilbur John Main. They were married on August 29, 1909;

and according to the Delaware Gazette, it was the social event of the season.


Dad used to say if you don't like a situation, change it. We are the person

responsible to make those changes. I believe that much of my characteristics I

inherited from Dad. Mother never was one to rock the boat. Long ago I learned that

prayer is the glue that holds us together, and that people who have Bibles falling

apart are generally owned by people who are not. Dad always believed in doing

things first class as it only cost a little more. I guess I made lots of changes in my life

and remembered what Dad believed. It's true.


In high school, I took Latin, and I remember all Gaul was divided into 3 parts.

In college, I took both French and German; but unfortunately, I only speak English.


Last December the 10th, I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease. I have a

hearing loss, ringing in the ear, vertigo, and an imbalance problem. Harold tells

everyone it's hardening of the arteries. Having a November birthday, my astrological

sign is Scorpio which is often associated with persons who have strong and right

opinions.

It Started With These Two (p.6)

[corresponds to page 4 of It Started with These Two]

[top left photo: Rodney, Mrs. Carpenter, Rosella, 1 year old ]

[top right photo: Rosella at 3]

[bottom left photo: Rosella - Winter of 1923]

[bottom right photo: Poppa Bishop, Momma Bishop, Robert and Rosella]

It Started With These Two (p.7)

[corresponds to unnumbered page 5 of It Started with These Two]

46 F Bradenton Trlr Park

P.O. B etc - Florida

Dear Aults, Dec. 1970

Feeling that it was time

to do this, I am at it

Every day is lovely here

so there is no use to say-

"Isn't this a nice day- be-

cause all days are alike

Sunshine is so plentiful

here I wonder how they can

sell it so high. Everything

here comes from somewhere

else, including a marvel-

ous numbers of Michi-

ganders who escaped from

ice, and are found here.

I am getting ashamed of

myself for being here seem-

ing hereextend an ex-

sistence- apparently useless

to the despair of heirs who

might otherwise enjoy

better cars, and other things

more wished for than act-

ually needed. So just

come down here, we en-

joy visitors even if re-

latives as relatives are

thrust upon us fortunate-

ly we can choose our

friends. I am counting

the days now until I have

a chance to see a little ice.

That old Buick runs like

a kitten and I will buy gas.

Love- Dad

It Started With These Two (p.8)

[corresponds to page 6 of It Started with These Two]

On the news today on channel 4 they were talking of interpreting one's

dreams. And speaking of Dad not to long ago I dreamed that dad and I were riding

a motorcycle home from Florida. It was so real. Dad was riding in behind me and

he had a 10 quart bucket in his right hand. Every so often we would stop and pick

up rocks and yet it never got to be fuller than 1/4 full.


In another dream, Mary Hervey and I were pushing Mom and Dad up along

flight of steps in wheelchairs and yet it wasn't difficult at all.


I'm 5' 5" tall and weigh 150 lbs. and have dark brown eyes and hair. My

beautician told one of her other clients who inquired about my thick hair it was

all mine and had never been dyed. When she cut my hair, she even displayed the

long braid as proof.


Our daughter Mary works for Sunoptics in Palmetto and makes my corrective

bi-focal glasses. Dr. Welkinson tells me she is great at her profession.


My social security number is [redacted] getting it in 1936 when I went to

work part-time at the local Woolworth store on McMillian Street in Cincinnati,

Ohio.


My maiden name was Rosella Jane Main, but at the present time I'm married

to Harold J. Ault, formerly of Marshallsville in Wayne County Ohio. We were

married at the old Sunbury United Methodist Church on North Columbus Street on

March 22, 1959 in Sunbury, Ohio.


We have one daughter Mary, married to Tom Hickson. and they live at [redacted]. We talk

each Sunday morning,


Tom and Mary had 1 daughter Melody Sue Hickson who is married to Dennis

Hughes, and they have 3 children - our great-grandchildren, beautiful Brittny 6 years

old and the twins Brandon and Zachary, lively 3 year olds.


For 30 years I was an elementary teacher, in the summer I taught severely

retarded children whose IQ's were below 50. For 14 years I was a second grade

teacher, and the last 16 years I was in Westerville as the primary educational teacher

of handicapped children. My last year of teaching I was honored by the Westerville

Teacher's Association as the primary teacher of the year, and I am listed in the 1976

National Teacher of the Year book.


Josie and Wilbur Main were blessed with 7 children: John Wesley, born

January 10, 1911; George, born on January 6, 1913; Robert, born April 9, 1915;

Rodney, born January 22, 1917; James, stillborn in 1919; my birth on November 2,

1920; and a sister Verona, born February 18, 1923.


Even though my parents were Baptist, I belong to the Methodist

It Started With These Two (p.9)

[corresponds to page 7 of It Started with These Two]

denomination and the Sunbury United Methodist Church. I am a lay delegate for 3

years to the East Ohio Annual Conference. when I presented the annual report. I

mentioned that 44 years ago, I was also a delegate for West Ohio when Mary was

just 2 months old.


I am a staunch and ardent Republican following in my parents' footsteps.


I started out living in the country, then lived in Cincinnati and the small

town of Sunbury, and now Harold and I are back on a small acreage, living in

a little brown house that we built in 1988 on Centerburg Road. We have

lots of evergreens around the house, walnut trees, weeping willows, maples,

buckeye, oak, peach, tulip, and others. Geese roam the woods and enjoy a

pond and creek. We see a deer occasionally. It's just 4 miles from

Sunbury and 6 miles from Centerburg. We vote at a

little town 3 miles from our house called Olive Green.


Recently, we had 2 Dalmatian dogs, Bo and

Little Girl. However, they are both dead now; and we

miss them. I remember them well.


[top left photo: Entrance to 14150 Centerburg Road]

[side right photo: Harold with Little Girl and Beau - 1990]

[bottom left photo: Rocks from the creek]

[bottom right photo: Large rock brought in from the field by Ray Facemeyer]

It Started With These Two (p.10)

[corresponds to page 8 of It Started with These Two]

While I was writing this on Saturday evening, August 17, 1996, Harold came

in and said you may not want to hear this, but our neighbor doing a good deed for

another neighbor left the gate unlocked and the big black huskie dog was in the

geese pen and was hurting some of them as she pulled the dog off. Harold just

happened to be looking out the back deck windows and saw what was happening. He

ran out to help.


This Sunday morning, August 18th, I went out to feed and water

them with fear as to what I would find. They were all 5 still

alive. Hopefully they all will live.


Our 5 guineas were better protected with chicken wire covering their whole

pen so that they couldn't fly away until they had grown some and become used to the

feeding area so they would stay around, however wild animals killed all of them.


My grandparents on Mother's side were Addie Rosella Jacoby Bishop and

Wesley Bishop. they are buried at Marlboro, Delaware County, Ohio.


My grandmother on my father's side was Christina Schaub Main, who was

born in Anweil, Switzerland and came to America when she was 5. She had a maiden

sister, Rosina who was in a wheelchair and used to hold me. They are buried at Oak

Grove in Delaware, Ohio. Alonza Eleezar Main, a doctor, who was high up in the

Masons and who is buried in Ringgold, Georgia, died before I was born in August

1916. He was my grandfather.


Addie and Wesley bishop lived on Price Road near a little place called

Waterhill. I remember we had to call them Mama and Papa Bishop. They were

embarrassed by our large family. Mama Bishop was an artist and painted pictures in

oil, and Papa Bishop raised registered Merino sheep and Percheron horses. Papa

Bishop called Addie "Pet". They lost their home because he tried to please her by

building a three story house, one like her cousin down in Clintonville, now a suburb

of Columbus. It even had an elevator. Brother John said he lived as a child after

coming from Cleveland after Dad resigned his Chief Yeoman rank in the Navy at our

grandparents' tenant house. One of their registered Percheron horses was World

Grand Champion at St. Louis and sold to a Japanese for $10,000. His name was

Clemenso. His valuable stable of horses were found floundered in a wet clover field

one morning. Dad tried to save the farm but was not successful.


They had a son, Harley, who died after a a trip west to buy Merino breeding

[photo: Deer and Game in the side yard]

It Started With These Two (p.11)

[corresponds to page 9 of It Started with These Two]

stock. He contracted Typhoid Fever. They also had our mother Josie, a son Archie,

a school teacher, and Violet Townley.


Dad had a brother Dr. E. F. Main, a horse doctor. His wife was Ora White

Main. they had 4 children, Francis, Edna, Nina, and Harold. Only Harold is

still living in Cardington, Ohio and Florida.

In 1920 after Dad was elected County Auditor, we moved into

Delaware and lived at 408 West William Street. I went to

kindergarten and 1st grade there. My first grade teacher was Effie

Weaver. In 1927 we moved back to the farm on Horseshoe Road,

and we attended the upper Horseshoe one room school. It is still

standing among weeds. Helen Hardin Allen was my 2nd grade teacher,

and we were friends until she died in 1989. She was my inspiration as

well as my mother who would keep saying "get a good education; it's

the only thing that can't be taken from you". Miss Dukes, the 3rd grade

teacher, made us learn a Bible verse every time we were late for school.

Again, Helen Allen was my my 4th grade teacher at the Conger School,

then known as the East School. They are the only teachers I remember by

name. In 1930 the school was closed, and we were transported by bus to

Delaware. I played clarinet in the grade school band.

Not much happened between then and 1936 when Dad was sent to

Cincinnati, Ohio as a state examiner for Joseph Tracey. I was a junior

and sister, Verona, a freshman at Hughes High School on Ludwig

Avenue and West McMillian Street on the hilltop in Cincinnati.

There were 770 in our graduating class as we marched 7 abreast to

the tune "Pomp and Circumstance" down the large main aisle of the

Cincinnati Music Hall, on June 17, 1938 for our diplomas. During 1939

working part-time at Sears, I attended MillerBusiness school. It was

to learn typing which was a big help, also shorthand; and I still know

how to

[top photo: Horseshoe Road School 1927-1928, 2nd and 3rd Grades]

[bottom photo: Helen Allen - 2nd and 4th grade Teacher 1988]

It Started With These Two (p.12)

[corresponds to page 10 of It Started with These Two]

write and understand it. Starting to the University of Cincinnati

wasn't a big change from high school as it too was just a block

away from our home at 148 West McMillian Street. Tuition

in the early 1940's was $45.00 a semester. In January of 1943 my

friend Tom Tibbits left for March Field in California as

a radio man and gunner, and I went to work at Wright Patterson

airplane factory in Lockland. In November, Tom

got a leave and on November 6th of that year we were

married in the Christ Episcopal Church on 4th Street

in Cincinnati. In early 1944 Tom was stationed in

Medford, Oregon and before he was to go to the

Aleutian Islands I made a trip west. Before I returned

I was happy to know that I was pregnant. I went back

to work at Wright Patterson before Thomas Palmer

Tibbits, Jr. was born on November 20, 1944. the little

boy was born with a congenital club foot. His foot was

in a cast 3 times before he died at 2 years, 3 months

and 9 days old on January 29, 1947 at Children's

Hospital in Cincinnati from a fall from his crib.


After getting home from the service, Tom had

a drinking problem and went home to live with his

parents, George and Bessie Tibbits, two wonderful


[top photo: 5th Grade Elementary School Band- about 1931. Rosella at the end of second row]

[middle photo: Hughes High School - Cincinnati - 1938]

[bottom photo: Rosella's Graduation, Hughes High School-1938]

It Started With These Two (p.13)

[corresponds to page 11 of It Started with These Two]

people, in Rochester, New York. On October 30, 1946 I

received a divorce on grounds of incompatibility.

[top left photo: Tom Tibbetts - 1944]

[top right photo: Elizabeth, Tommy and Tom Tibbitts, January 1945]

[bottom left photo: Rosella and Tommy - Spring 1945]

[photo: Dad and Tommy, September 1946]

It Started With These Two (p.14)

[corresponds to page 12 of It Started with These Two]

At the time of my son's death, I was working two jobs,

morning and evening at the Clifton Pantry as a waitress

and during the day at the Jergens Soap and Cosmetic

Plant as a supervisor in quality control. One night a week

I attended the University of Cincinnati night school taking

courses under Dr. Falau on building your vocabulary. One

evening after class on my way home walking with a

friend Alberta Peet, not knowing the professor was

behind us, we were discussing how intelligent he

was and it would be terrible living with such a smart

individual. At our next class he started out by saying,

for the 2 young ladies he had overheard the week before,

living with him wasn't a prerequisite for passing his course.

Were we two embarrassed?


Grandpa Bishop loved horses as did George.

One of the good things I remember about our Aunt

Ora and Uncle Ernest was that they came to Waverly

and stayed with me a month after Mary was born and

until school was out. Also hewent with me to a sale of


[top right photo: Dad and Tommy, September 1946 Chapel Road and the horse, "Old Dolly"]

[bottom left photo: Old Dolly and Rosella - 1952]

[bottom right photo: Old Dolly - 1952 ]

It Started With These Two (p.15)

[corresponds to page 13 of It Started with These Two]

thoroughbreds in Columbus and picked Dolly for me. She had a bad tooth and the

auctioneer warned people that she was dangerous. After Uncle Ernest pulled the

tooth, she became a gentle spirited, but not a dangerous, horse. She had a foal

"Princess" who later got a fistula and had to be put to sleep by the Ohio State

Veterinary Clinic. Mary and I used to visit her, and the young medical students said

she only whinnied when we were walking in the stable door.


[photocopy of Rosella's Ohio teaching certificate 08/31/87 ]

[bottom photo: Harrison Street School 2nd Grade School Teacher Here for 8 Years]

It Started With These Two (p.16)

[corresponds to page 14 of It Started with These Two]

[top photo: The Public Opinion - Westerville, Ohio - May 8, 1974 - Page 3

Teachers of the Year --Honored as "Teacher of the Year" by the Westerville

Education Assn. were (left to right) Tom Crane, high school; Alice Gremshaw, Central

College; Rosella Ault, Whittier; Terri Hokansan, Annehurst; Dorothy Deibel, Blendon;

Dave Liggitt, Blendon; Jim Gould, Hanby; and Rick Ball, high school. (Photo by Robbie

Miller)]



[bottom photo: 1974 class of E.M.R. Debbie Shaw Died]

It Started With These Two (p.17)

[corresponds to page 15 of It Started with These Two]

[photo]
Appreciation Day- Whittier PTA presented a corsage to each staff member at Whittier

Elementary School to express their appreciation for a job well done. Mrs. Magilla, president

of PTA, center, pins a corsage onto Mrs. Linda Thompson, left who is straightening a corsage

on Mrs. Rosella Ault. A total of 40 corsages were given.


[photo]
This is to certify that Rosella Main Ault

has been selected as an Outstanding Elementary Teacher

of America for 1974 in recognition of contributions to the

advancement of elementary education

and service to community

V. Gilbert Beers, PhD., Director

[top: newspaper photo: Whittier PTA honors staff members ]

[bottom: photocopy: Outstanding Elementary Teachers
of America ]

It Started With These Two (p.18)

[corresponds to page 16 of It Started with These Two]

At one time after buying 14150 Centerburg Road, we had 5 horses and "Trina"

was Mary's 4-H project. The judge asked her how she got her horse so shiny; and

without hesitating she said, "Dad rubbed her down with fly spray." He didn't take any

points off because it didn't dawn on her to lie. I told Harold before I die I hope to

have 1 or 2 horses for the great-grandchildren.


There is an expression "You can fly your cares away on the back of a horse."

How true!


Uncle Archie, Mother's brother, was a school teacher at Harpster and Moral

most recently. His first wife, Aunt Flossie, died suddenly as did a 5 year old son

Owen Archie. They had 2 other children, Wesley and Jane. I can still hear Aunt

Flossie saying "You can do a lot with a little arranging". She was very attractive. His

second wife was Esther and I never related as well with her as with Aunt Flossie.


There was Violet, Mother's sister, who was 20 years younger and is still living

at 93 years old. She and Cecil had a son Marshall killed by a log truck across from

the feed store on Granville Street and two other sons, Dr. Norman Townley and

Marshton Townley.


When we lived on Horseshoe Road, we attended the Hard Shell Baptist Church.

Sunday dinners were potluck and all day services. We went to Sunday School at

the Delaware Reformed Church on the corner of Franklin and West Central Avenue

in Delaware, Ohio.


During Dad's years as a County Auditor, Veley Main was the County Sheriff.

Each Christmas the Courthouse employees had an oyster supper. Veley's son Vern

later owned a drug store on the east side of the square in Sunbury. When Verona

[photo: Reformed Church at Franklin and West Central in Delaware
Sunday School from 1922-1936 ]

It Started With These Two (p.19)

[corresponds to page 17 of It Started with These Two]

was about 4 and I was 6, Vern and my brother George locked

us between 2 doors in the jail. The prisoners could not reach us to

physically harm us, but they shouted at us through the bars. We were

petrified.


When I asked Mother why we never had pictures when we were growing

up, she told me that Violet had taken their expensive camera on a date

and it was stolen. She never thought of replacing it. Maybe that is why I

take so many pictures of my friends, family and small livestock, geese today.


You would say we were a very caring and religious family. Dad once told me

he didn't care how late I stayed out on Saturday night, but I better be ready

for Sunday School and church on Sunday. My best friend Virginia Wenger

Weisgerber was Catholic, and I went with her to 12:00 p.m. Mass Saturday night.


Tommy Tibbits, Jr. was buried on Saturday morning January 29, 1947, and we

were in church on Sunday morning. I went back to work at Andrew Jergens

2 weeks after he was buried.


In Cincinnati, I belonged to the Christ Episcopal Church on 4th Street and later

the Methodist Church on Ludwig Avenue.

[top left photo: Old County Jail - December 1929]

[bottom right photo: Tommy Tibbitts and Bobby Miller
December 1946]

It Started With These Two (p.20)

[corresponds to page 18 of It Started with These Two]

Mom and Dad were now living back on Horseshoe Road and on a weekend

back in Delaware, my car slipped on the ice into a telephone pole and killed the

nerve in one of my front teeth. Dr. Virgil Turner in Cincinnati capped it, and it's

always been whiter than the others much to my embarrassment.


Dad graduated from Ohio Wesleyan in Business Administration. Dad started

out his adult work as a school teacher at Thompson Township one room school in

western Delaware County. He then worked for O. M. Scott, a seed company in

Marysville before he joined the United States Navy as a Chief Yeoman as a recruiter

in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1908 he went around the world with Teddy Roosevelt. Mother

and he were married when he was stationed in Cleveland, and they lived there until

my brother John Wesley was born on January 10, 1911.


Mother worked in a millinery shop designing hats in Cleveland and after that

they lived on Main Road off U.S. 23 north before spending a year in Papa Bishop's

tenant house.


Dad Goes to Sea

According to a historical paper it says "Bill

Main goes to sea."


Wilbur Main had just graduated from Ohio Wesleyan Business College

in May of 1905 and was thinking about what to do with his future. He was

almost 24 years old, born in Bryan, Ohio, in Williams County a far north

western county in Ohio, on June 16th, 1881. Wilbur was a handsome young

single man standing 5'8" tall and weighed 135 lbs.


He had been raised on the good farm land near central Ohio. He had taught

school in Thompson Township and worked for O. M. Scott in Marysville,

Ohio, but the lure of going to sea and to see the world intrigued him.


One day Wilbur traveled to Sandusky, Ohio to

talk to a Navy recruiter. On May 19th he was

appointed a Yeoman to be assigned to sea duty. (Yeoman is a Navy term for a

recorder of bookkeeper). On the 20th he traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, for his

physical and was one of two men out of 8 that passed the exam.


In a letter to his friend (who later became my mother) Josie Bishop, Wilbur

described how he traveled from Cleveland through Pittsburgh to Washington, D. C.

by first class rail. He saw the White House, the Capital and other interesting sites.

On the following day, it was on to Norfolk, Virginia, where they arrived at the

Receiving Ship the "Franklin". After several days he was reassigned to the gunboat,

[photo: Dad in Navy Uniform 1907]

It Started With These Two (p.21)

[corresponds to page 19 of It Started with These Two]

the "Hancock," which was docked at the Brooklyn

Navy Yards in New York. It was here he was

examined, vaccinated, and outfitted with uniforms.


In a letter to Mother in July dad described life

on the "Hancock". For breakfast he had bread,

butter, 3 hard boiled eggs; for lunch he had mashed

potatoes, gravy, roast pork and succotash. For desert,

there was cake unheard of and pie then unknown.

Dad was one of the five petty officers on the ship.


On August 30th, this same year, Dad was

transferred to the U.S.S. "Franklin" which was docked

at the Norfolk Navy yard in Virginia. He stated in his

letter in November that "My present pay is $35.00 a

month but it is all clear of any expenses.


He also stated that he missed the good home

cooking and in his opinion he would farm in Ohio in

their future. In a letter to mother written in January

of 1906 Dad said he could sleep in his office on shore

but that he would rather "swing" in his hammock on

the Franklin. At 8:00 P.M. the Boatswain blows taps

and sings out "Turn in your Hammocks". At 5:30 A. M.

the Boatswain says "Rise and shine.


In his next letter to Mother in February, he

described hunting, horse back riding and touring

through Virginia. He also stated that he had not been

"seasick, homesick or lovesick".


In May Dad was transferred to the battleship,

the U. S. S. Virginia. It was stationed in Norfolk.

During the summer, the Virginia steamed up and

down the Atlantic coast. It dropped anchor at

Newport, Rhode Island, Rockland Maine, and Havana, Cuba. He stated in a letter

in November that "I am satisfied to leave the ill-smelling harbor of Havana and these

childish, troublesome Cubans".


The remainder of 1906 and through 1907, Dad steamed in and out with the

U.S.S. Virginia. during this time he was promoted to Yeoman 1st Class in October

1906 and to Chief Yeoman in November 1907.


In November of 1907 Wilbur was to finally embark on his big adventure.

President Teddy Roosevelt made a typical bold Roosevelt decision. To assure the

world understood that he and the United States carried a "Big Stick" Roosevelt

[photo: Dad in Navy Uniform Australia - 1908]

It Started With These Two (p.22)

[corresponds to page 20 of It Started with These Two]

decided to send a large fleet of battle ships with their support ships around the

world. The Atlantic fleet was selected for the mission. Dad's battleship, the U.S. S.

Virginia, was one of the sixteen battleships, six torpedo boats and six auxiliary

ships to perform this mission. The following tells of the fourteen month trip around

the world:


The U. S. S. Virginia stopped at the following ports, Port O'Spain, Trinidad:

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, (here Dad met a young man from Delaware. The young man

hugged Dad and said "My God, it's Main". What a small world we live in. Puntas,

Chile; Callae, Peru; San Diego, California; San Francisco, California; Puget Sound,

Washington; Honolulu, Hawaii; Auckland, New Zealand; Sydney, Australia;

Melbourne, Australia; Albany, Australia; Manilia, Philippines; Yokohama, Japan;

Amoy, China; Colombo, Ceylon; Suez, Egypt; Port Said, Egypt; Beirut, Syria;

Smyrna, Turkey; Gibraltar and then home Hampton Roads, Virginia. The trip

started on December 16th, 1907 and was completed on February the 22nd, 1909.

During these fourteen months, the fleet covered more the 43,643 miles.


When Dad's ship docked at Suez, Wilbur and several buddies were given

shore leave. During this three week period, they went to Cairo and saw the

Pyramids, the Sphinx, and other sites. During this time the ship had moved up

through the Suez Canal and they rejoined it at Port Said, Egypt.


At most ports Dad sent home many pictures and postcards.


At this time Wilbur volunteered for Recruiting Duty

in Ohio and May 18th, 1909 was appointed to the Navy Recruiting office in

Cleveland, Ohio. Here he was close to Mother, his future wife, and they were

married on August the 29th, 1909. According to an article in the Delaware Gazette,

it was the social event of the season.


Mother and Dad got an apartment in Cleveland and he recruited Navy men

and she worked in a millinery house making fancy hats. Dad's mind had been made

up. He now wanted to have a family, to farm, and to return to Delaware, Ohio. The

days of going to sea and to see the world were now history.


Mother and Dad didn't have a spectacular meeting as youth as their parents'

farms were close to each other at a little place called "Waterhill" just over the bridge

at the north end of Horseshoe Road. Dad said even though he was only a year and

a half older than Mother, he remembered thinking what a beautiful girl she was but

it wasn't until she was 28 and Dad, 29, that they married.


Dad was supporting his mother and his maiden aunt Rosina when they tried

to tell him there would be children, expenses, and he told them that he hoped there

would be.


What wonderful parents they were. Always encouraging one to get a good

education and to do only what was right.

It Started With These Two (p.23)

[corresponds to page 21 of It Started with These Two]


[photo: Robert, Rodney, and George Main on the Farm 1930 ]

[photo: Brothers John and George in 1922]

[photo: Brothers Rodney, George and Robert on Welsh Pony]

It Started With These Two (p.24)

[corresponds to page 22 of It Started with These Two]

I have visited Grandfather Main's grave several times on our way to Florida

and saw where he had his doctor's office. Grandmother Main lived on U.S. 23 north

at Main road. It was sold to the U. S. government for the Delaware Dam. Brother

John walked cross country from U.S. 23 north at Inskeeps Corner and visited the

sight of the remains of the Wesley Bishop property on Price Road. John is able to

help with times and locations. Papa and Mama Bishop were very loving. I have

ridden with him to Ashley in a buggy with his horse, Pet. They were living on

Horseshoe Road across from the Bob Barret home at on time.


We have always had family reunions, Main and Jacoby, and since marrying

Harold, the Ault and Shisher reunion.


In 1920 Dad was elected the Delaware County Auditor and was for 2 terms.

After not running for a third term, he took a civil service exam and became a state

examiner with Joseph Tracy and worked at Kenton, Findlay, Chardon, and Columbus

and retired form the Hamilton County Courthouse in Cincinnati in 1946. He then

returned to the farm on Horseshoe Road in Delaware County.

I was named Rosella after Mama Bishop, Addie Rosella Bishop, and Aunt

Jane Jacoby Fisk. there was no pressure or influence because of having them as my

namesake.


I remember eating oatmeal cooked all night long in a double boiler on a large

wood cook stove at the Bishops'.


The 6 Main children lived average teenage lives with no special problems. We

were not to play on Sunday. One time we were playing baseball, and Rodney slid

into third base and broke his ankle. We were in real trouble. We rode bikes; and the

boys, motorcycles.


We were considered average on finances but above average in the

encouragement for reading, studying and getting an education. College was to be

expected.


As for Dad's handwriting, here is sample birthday card that I received from

my parents. Birthdays and all anniversaries were very special. I remember we didn't

have a telephone, radio, or newspaper; but we were taken to the library often in

place of these. We never felt abused or poor or neglected - just a fortunate and

loving family, I believe because of the religious and Christian upbringing.


One summer day, Rodney took Verona and me to the Olentangy River at

upper Horseshoe. He told mother he wasn't bringing us home until we both had

learned to swim and dive from the bank.


In the fall of 1935, George rode a bus home from Ohio University with the

mumps. Mother caught them, she was very sick. Dr. Davis told us how she was

very sick and she might die. It was on Christmas Eve, and we always had oyster stew.

It Started With These Two (p.25)

[corresponds to page 23 of It Started with These Two]

I'll never forget that night.


In the summer of 1936, we moved to Cincinnati. I started my junior year at

Hughes High School on west McMillan Street. Since I had worked hard on the farm

milking cows, helping to plow and make hay, I had lots of strength in my right hand.

In gym class, I broke the gripper to measure strength. I again was embarrassed.


On June 17, 1938, I graduated from Hughes High School with honors. C. M.

Merry was the principal that signed the award. There were 770 in the graduation

class.


The Senior Class took a boat to Coney Island. My date that night was Eddie

Becker. He was a friend of Virginia Dwenger's date. He was a Jewish boy and

worked where they made Panama suits. We never dated again until after my divorce

from Tom Tibbitts. He was providing for his widowed mother, and she didn't

encourage him to date a divorcee and the mother of a little boy. I never really

considered our relationship seriously.


While I was working at the Clifton Pantry before and after working at Andrew

Jergens during the day, I met John Buchanan. I remember his telling me "Young

lady, I didn't order this" when I had brought him a dish of corn. Eventually we

started to date and married in April, 1947 in Magnolia, Mississippi. We bought a 73

acre farm at Waverly on Cline Chapel Read, and I joined the Grange so I could

attend with Mom and Dad when I came to Sunbury. We built a 40 X 80 dairy barn

with a milking parlor after Ohio State University had sent us the plans. We had

registered Holsteins and sent the milk to Borden's in Portsmouth. Fred Wallin was

the farm hand. We had 100 breeding Shropshire ewes and also Leghorn chickens. We

also raised a big garden.


I got a job teaching the 2nd grade in Bainbridge, Ohio. J. Mason Jones was

the principal. That winter was really cold, and we had lots of snow. When I tried to

drive over Pots Hill to our place on Cline Chapel Road, the pickup truck stopped

half way up the hill. It was then I rode to the top of the hill on a road scraper. At

Nipgen, I got in an Omar bread truck and rode to Summit Hill. Our milk man, Fred

Wallin, came and took me the rest of the way home. We had 18 inches of snow and

29 degrees below zero weather.


I remember one child, Jimmy Duffield, that kept punching his clay. He said

"This is my Dad; see me punch him like he punches my mother." After moving to

Sunbury many years later, I read in the Columbus Dispatch that he was shot and

killed after a card game in Bainbridge, and he was accused of cheating.


During the 3 years I taught at Bainbridge, each spring I would take my second

grade class for a train ride on the D T & I (Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton). After

getting back one time, a little boy named Manuel patted me on my backside and

said, "Teacher, that was more fun than recess."

It Started With These Two (p.26)

[corresponds to page 24 of It Started with These Two]

At Christmas Jack Bartrom was the science teacher and a Methodist Sunday

School teacher. His wife was Jehovah Witness. He asked if their 7 year old girl Pam

could help me take down the tree. His wife sent me a very nice gift, not a Christmas

one she reminded me but an appreciation for making Pam feel so special.


Also, all of the children who didn't miss a day of school were brought to

Columbus to visit the old Historical Society on North High Street and the zoo. The

janitor's 2 boys got on the bus barefooted. The 6 teachers and the bus driver

wondered if we should buy them shoes but voted against it since he made more than

each of us.


About 30 family friends and those who worked at the IGA came to the farm

at Waverly for the 4th of July get-together. John Warner said birds carried knapsacks

when they flew over Pike County. He was sure surprised when he saw the 40 X 80

dairy barn, 2 ponds, a diversion ditch half way up the hillside, alfalfa growing in one

field and fescue on the hillside. There was a walled cemetery at the top of hill

for a family of Gladstones who had died during a typhoid epidemic. The kitchen was

modern, with a dishwasher and nice bathroom. As you may know, I like to cook

and use dishes, not paper products, so sent them all home to Delaware County and

was left with lot of dirty dishes. With all the toilet flushing, the well went dry and

I had to go to the creek to get water to heat on the stove and do the dishes by hand.

I still enjoyed the day very much.


One Christmas 3 of the children's fathers were in prison for small things, like

cheating on welfare, disorderly conduct, and obscene behavior. Ross County sent

them to Orient up in Franklin County. This also occurred in the other 5 classes and

the teachers, instead of exchanging gifts or having a faculty party went together and

provided a Christmas for each child. Gregg's Drug Store helped with special

discounts and extra toys.


Across the street was a barber shop run by an African-American, and his

grandson, Michael Gage, was the only black child in the school and in my second

grade class.


Across the street, too, from the drug store was a restaurant that had

wonderful pork tenderloin sandwiches. They were so good.


It was 18 miles across country to Bainbridge from our place on Cline Chapel.

A little boy up the road saw me riding by one day in a fancy English outfit and

motioned for me to stop. I was riding old Dolly, and he said, "My, you hold your age

well". I don't know how old he thought I was. He was in a wheelchair from having

had polio.


I have always worried about young children carrying babies. The Alexanders

who couldn't have their own children adopted a beautiful baby girl. Mrs. Genevieve

Alexander's 12 year old sister dropped the baby, and she too was in a wheel chair like

the Cline boy.

It Started With These Two (p.27)

[corresponds to page 25 of It Started with These Two]

In the fall of 1951, a Mrs. Barta came to the Bainbridge school with a sheriff's

deputy and took one of my children to the Children's Home in Chillicothe. When I

was trying to comfort him, he said, "But teacher, I love my mom." He brought

sandwiches made of biscuits with fried potatoes as filling. Their cat had eaten the

vittles from the kitchen table.


In talking with the welfare department in Chillicothe, I told of my desire to

adopt a baby since I was not able to have anymore. So Mrs. Barta kept me in mind;

and on April 29, being at a P.T.A. meeting the night Mary Martha was born on the

28th, I received the happy news that a beautiful little girl had been born and that I

could bring her home on the 30th from the old Chillicothe Hospital. She came a

month early but still weighed 8 lbs and was 21 " long. When I went after school, I had

to stop at the department store, for a clothes basket and baby clothes, since I had

ordered these items from the Sears mail order catalog. She grabbed hold of my little

finger, and I was hooked for life. She is our pride and joy.


I told you earlier why Aunt Ora and Uncle Ernest were so dear to me.


In the spring of 1953 when Mary was 1 year old, Josephine Sturgill came to

live with us and stay with Mary during the day. On a Monday night while going to

a P.T.A. meeting, I had driven most of the way; but at Nipgen, I turned around and

went back home as I felt something was wrong. Josephine was sitting out with her

boy friend, Jr. Clifford. When I went in the house, the chair and carpet outside of

Mary's bedroom was burning, Josephine was not supposed to have smoked in the

house; but after I left, she had called Jr. to come. Her cigarette had fallen into the

chair. The two of them helped put out the fire. They seemed really sorry. They were

our neighbors.


We had another bad and snowy winter.


A large family just down the road from us had a 14 year old boy who went

forward to the altar on the World Day of Prayer at the little Cline Chapel Methodist

Church. He asked if he could come live with us, and he did for over a year until I

moved to Sunbury. I often wonder where he is and how he is doing. His name was

Charles Johnson, and his aunt and uncle were Hadd and Nettie Osborn. On August

16, 1956, when I got my degree from Ohio University, they went with us to Athens.

They belonged to the Grange and Cline Chapel Church, too. I received a B.S. in

education.


When I taught 2nd grade Bainbridge, I had between 46 and 54 children.

Today they feel put upon if they have 25 students. I realize children were then easier

to reach and teach.


In the summer of 1953, we traveled to North Carolina to visit John's sister,

Mary and Claude Leavitte. John's sister Mary cut our Mary Martha's pretty curls and

said just imagine a man of 72 years old adopting a baby. I was in shock. He had said

when we married that 1947 he was 46, and I had no reason to doubt his word. He

It Started With These Two (p.28)

[corresponds to page 26 of It Started with These Two]

acted and dressed such. We flew home to Waverly from Southern Pines, North

Carolina, and I started a second grade position. I was hired by Marvin Miller, and

Gladys and I became good friends and had remained so until her death last year.


On March 6, 1956, I took the state real estate board exams at the old Virginia

Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. I received word that I had passed March 16, 1956. I

have been licensed with Richard Day, Forest Day, Glen Hoover, and presently with

Ted Foreman. I have been a licensed sales person for over 40 years.


[photocopy-left]

Honored Realtors

(Licensed Twenty-five Years or More)


Timothy W. Ackley

Rosella Ault

Lorna Davis

Rodney Disbennett

Ted Foreman

Martha Lobdell

Leroy N. Randolph

Harley E. Rouda


[photocopy-right]

ENTERTAINMENT

COCKTAIL HOUR

Bills Bells of William Church

Duet by Dr. Nancy M. Gomso
and Dr. Camaron Bennett


DINNER MUSIC

Olentangy High School "Key Notes"
Nancy Notes, Director

LATE SHOW

Comedian Rodney Russ of "Class Acts"

EVENING DANCING

DJ Ty Higgins


Throughout the evening there will be drawing

for Door Prizes and also a Realtor Prize and

an Affiliate Prize. GOOD LUCK!!

It Started With These Two (p.29)

[corresponds to page 27 of It Started with These Two]

I bought Jessie Sims', Betty Jo Guidotti's mother, furniture and took over her

apartment on the east side of the square above the gift wrapping store and lived

there until March of 1956.


So that Mary would have a yard, Dad bought the duplex at 174 Harrison Street

for us. John and Evelyn Warner kept Mary during school day, Mary called

them "More Mommy" and "More Daddy". They were just great people, and we

became close friends.



I kept my legal residence in Pike County even though I might have been just a minority as to my

politics. People actually paid to teach in Pike County so rather than do this I taught

at Bainbridge in Ross County. A. E. Grover was the Ross County Superintendent,

and J. Mason Jones was my principal. They were two very nice men as well as their

families.


We lived at 174 Harrison Street, and I walked up Otis to Rainbow to drop off

Mary at the Warners. Evelyn also cared for Linda and Becky Breece and their two

girls, Marileee (Meme) and Shelia (Sheshe) according to Mary. I then walked across

the playground to a room on the 2nd floor of what is now known as the Harrison

Street School. Harold Tippet was the principal.


When Mary was 7, I transferred to the Galena School for 3 years before

securing a position in Westerville teaching the Primary E.M.R. children at the high

school for a year (no playground or equipment, and the children had to be watched

carefully as students were coming and going in their cars). I joined charter ARC 24.

In April of 1961, I got up the nerve to tell Carrol Biggs, the superintendent, formerly

of Ashley, that I was resigning the 1962 school year unless we could be in an

elementary building. In September our classroom was in the new addition to Whitter

School. There I met many wonderful teachers that I still get together with the first

Tuesday of each month.


Most of the teachers that I taught with in Galena are now dead, Pat Wilson,

Helen Kohberger, and Lousie Cooley for sure and the other 2 I don't have their

addresses - Zenabell Cross Philips lives in Brooksville, Florida. She had 3 sons and

lived across from the old Methodist Church. As teenagers they gave her lots of grief,

but all three graduated from college and have responsible positions. One is a

Wesleyan Methodist minister. I see her once a year when we go up to Brooksville to

take visiting friends in Florida to see Roberts Christmas Tree Houses. These are 7


[top photo: House at 174 Harrison Street in Sunbury
Moved here August 4, 1956]

It Started With These Two (p.30)

[corresponds to page 28 of It Started with These Two]

little houses joined by walkways, and they are open every day in the year except

Christmas. Their gifts are exceptional and expensive.


On the 7th of August, 1957, I received a divorce from John Buchanan on the

grounds he was unfaithful and had lied about his age.


During the fall, I dated Rev. George Pringle who was the minister of our old

church at 100 North Columbus Street. It was never very serious, but I understand

some of the members were upset that he was dating a twice divorcee. He had very

bad eyesight, and he loved cats which I don't. He got in trouble with the neighbors,

the Brakes, when his cat killed their pet squirrel.


Later I dated Burton Richardson who had a 155 acre farm father out on

Centerburg Road east of Condit. He had a brother Malcom, and they were very nice

to both Mary and me. Burton was a Mason and a Knight of the York Cross of

Honor. He graduated from Penn State. It was Burton that Mary asked, "Man

why don't you shave?" She was always along. Once coming back from Mount

Vernon since we didn't have to be in a hurry, he was stopped by the highway patrol

for driving too slow. When he explained who we were, showed a valid driver's license,

and with Mary asleep on the back seat the patrolman just waved us along.


But it wasn't until Zelma Young persuaded Harold Ault to join the Pythians

and I was the one to escort him around the hall above the Fling Hardware store in

the fall of 1958 that I knew he would be just a good loving farm boy. He was one of

6 children of Ruth and Stanley Ault of Marshallville. I too, was from a farm family of

6 children. Before it had been a Rochester city boy, a Southern person from

Southern Pines, North Carolina, and we had nothing in common.


One day after my 38th birthday, Mary told Luretta Day ( Forest was my real

estate broker) that one of mother's boyfriends gave her a hair dryer for her

birthday. It made me think seriously about Mary's and my future. We attended

church and Sunday School, but I thought I was a real Christian. I didn't lie or cheat

or sleep without being married to the man. But one evening, on November 14, I

got down on my knees and prayed. "God, I've made such a mess of my life and

now I have this beautiful little


[bottom photo: Harold, Mary and Rosella - February 1959]

It Started With These Two (p.31)

[corresponds to page 29 of It Started with These Two]

6 year old girl to instill a good life in; please help me and take over from here on", and He has.

Harold and Mary and I went on our first date to a fish fry on the 3rd floor of the town hall put

on by the Stars and Masons. George and Earl Duston were going to a sale of champions later at

The Delaware County Fair, and they persuaded Harold to go along.



In February, 1959 Harold took Mary and me to their farm at Marshallsville

to meet his family. I don't think they were too impressed, but Harold had always said

he was going to marry a school teacher, and he did. We were married March 22,

1959.

[top-right photo: Harold's Family - March 22, 1959
Harold, Melvin, Lloyd, Stanley, June, Pearl, Pat, Ruth]

[bottom photo: Ault Family on February 6, 1994
Harold, Melvin, Lloyd, June Pearl, Pat]

It Started With These Two (p.32)

[corresponds to page 30 of It Started with These Two]

Harold and Rosella
March 22, 1959

[top photo: Stanley and Ruth Ault, Harold, Rosella and Mary
Josie and Wilbur Main]

[bottom left photo: Harold, Mary, Rosella]

[bottom right photo: Harold, Rev. Pringle, Rosella]

It Started With These Two (p.33)

[corresponds to page 31 of It Started with These Two]

Youth Fellowship Pictured Below at the Wedding Reception March 22, 1959


[top photo: Bobby Miller, Lloyd Ault, Melvin Ault, Verona Miller, Mary, Harold and Rosella]


[ bottom photo: Back Row; Hayes, Miller, Sparks, Garee, Millls, Warner
Front Row: Sparks, Metzger, Phillips, Hayes Hayes, Warner, Reece]

It Started With These Two (p.34)

[corresponds to page 32 of It Started with These Two]

In 1960 Harold joined Sparrow Lodge F. & A. M. #400. By then they had moved

into their new building on Morning Street. He also joined the Eastern Star in 1962 after

Cathryn Wilson had been elected to go through Grand Chapter and would be the W. G. Matron in 1966.


Some of Cathryn's pages in 1966 were the past Matrons of Columbia Chapter

#33 here in Sunbury, I believe only Joan Farris, Maxine Buckingham, Mary

Satterfield, and I are still living. That was 30 years ago. We still meet the 3rd Sunday

in July at the Olde Summit Towne Inn Restaurant in Summit Station far out on East

Broad Street.

Etta Main would be the President in 1998 and I in 1999 if God is willing. I

reminded Catherine that I would be 79 years old, and she reminded me that each

one of us has a birthday each year.


[top photo: Masonic Temple 87 N. Morning Street in Sunbury]

[bottom left photo: 1965 Installation Harold and Rosella ]

[bottom right photo: Eastern Star Reception in Ostrander - 1965
Harold, Mary, and Rosella]

It Started With These Two (p.35)

[corresponds to page 33 of It Started with These Two]

This was not to be as Etta died on the 15th of June 1997, and I was elected to be president in 1998.


On September 26, 1959 shortly after we were married, Harold's father

was killed in front of the Chapel of the Cross at North Lawrence, Ohio by 2 kids drag racing.

He had been working on the church bulletin board. Ruth was in the basement

preparing to take food down to the Otterbein Home when she came out

and found his body. It must have been an awful shock. He and Ruth are both

buried in the cemetery behind the church.


That same year, on October 19, Verona's son Bobby Miller was killed after being thrown from

a car on Hartford Road. It was unfortunate, too, that Bob Miller, working for the

undertaker Bill Slack, was sent to pick him up. This has really influenced the life of his brother,

Rick, who was 5 at the time.


[top right photo: 1990 Installation]

[bottom left photo; Harold and Rosella Plant Eastern Stars Tree on Square - 1991]

[bottom right photo:The Three of Us - 1965 Rosella, Mary, Harold ]

It Started With These Two (p.36)

[corresponds to page 34 of It Started with These Two]

Harold's mother died on February 5, a day after Pearl's birthday in 1994. She was at a

nursing home in Orrville. We were called home from Florida and got within about 10

miles of Orrville when something went wrong with the transmission, and we coasted in

with the emergency lights flashing at about 20 miles an hour. Gladys Ault brought us

back to Sunbury to pick up our van.


I don't subscribe to many magazines but I do get Billy Graham's "Decision", "Air

Fare- WOSU", and "Life Study Fellowship". This little magazine has a Bible verse in it for each day and

3 prayers, morning, noon, and night, to be united with others all over the world.


"Prayer changes things."


Most of my time is spent reading: Peck's books, Anne Edwards about

President's wives and books that are up-lifting. I skip novels with a lot of 4 letter

words. Knitting for the family is enjoyable. Sweaters for each of the great-

grandchildren for Christmas are hanging in the closet. They are precious. We have

never kept the twins all night at our mobile home, but Brittny loves to come and go

to church with us and play at the organ.


In the spring of 1963 we bought 33 acres of Ben Dever's at 14191 Centerburg

Road just across from our home that we built in the fall of 1987 and the spring of

1988. (We moved in on the 4th of July, 1988.) Ned foreman was the general

contractor. We had the land surveyed into 4 parcels, one on Fredericks Road one

on the north side to the east, and a 3 acre parcel across the creek at the end of

Fredericks Road, and our remaining 20 acres. We have a pond, creek, and lots of trees,

evergreens up close to the house and along the drive and oak, tulip, and maple farther

from the house so we don't have to rake the leaves.


Harold had earlier built a 42' X 45" shed to the rear.


[top right photo: Pearl Ault]

[bottom left photo: Ted Forman and Harold Planning
Where the House Would Be]

It Started With These Two (p.37)

[corresponds to page 35 of It Started with These Two]

14150 Centerburg Road Sunbury, Ohio

In 1973 we bought a mobile home at 1803 Ohio Avenue, Trailer Estates

in Bradenton, Florida that Mother, Don and Verona stayed in.


Our present winter quarters are at 1604 Illinois, Trailer Estates,

Bradenton, and it is next door to Verona and Carl Bell at 1606

Illinois. We spent lots of evenings eating together.


During the years that I taught in Westerville, I enrolled at Ohio

State University in graduate school and on September 6, 1966

received my Master's Degree in Exceptional Children.


We always had a unit on the food groups, time and money. Each year

Mary helped me take the girls one evening and the boys one evening to

eat at the MCL. They knew they could each buy 4 items plus their drink.

We were always so proud of their behavior and good judgement in

choosing their food. The reason we divided them by gender was so there

would be no hard feelings if a girl or boy were chosen to eat with the early

or later group.


We didn't have teacher aids or playground help, and we ate lunch with

our children.


[top left photo: Spring of 1988]

[top right photo: Harold and the New Shed Extension]

[middle photo: Present House in 1977]

[bottom photo: Rosella Ault - Sept. 7, 1966 Master's Picture]

It Started With These Two (p.38)

[corresponds to page 36 of It Started with These Two]

Mary once asked how do you take these children day after day and on an 8 week

summer program. I reminded her that I had them for just 7 hours a day, and the

parents the other 17 hours. These children in most instances tried very hard to

please. I retired when Columbus took in 800 Westerville students and a younger

special ed teacher would have lost her job.


Recently in our paper, it told of Maria Spangler's death. Mary took piano

lessons from Marian Whitney and organ lessons from Maria for 8 years. In 1956 I

joined the Pythian Sisters and was an officer until we disbanded because of the steps.


In 1958 I joined the Columbia Chapter #33 Ohio Order of Eastern Stars and

began a move to be the Worthy Matron and Harold the Worthy Patron in 1965.

Cathryn Wilson was to be the Worthy Grand Matron in 1966. On November 6, 1965,

we had reception at the old high school.


Our officers were George and Etta Main, Dorothy Buell, Maxine Buckingham,

Mardell Shultz, Virginia Buell, Joan Farris, Mary Hervey, Mary Satterfield, Mona

Lee Arthur, Judith Morris, Hattie Sparks, Helen Farris, Deana Searles, Joann

Adkins, and Larry Buell. The pages were Melissa Ogden, Hallie Day, Mabel Strider

Florence Olinger, Janet Lake, Vera Paul, Wilma Ward, and Minnie Linnabary. Our

officers' lace dresses were pale green, and the pages' were pale blue and cost just

$23.00. Mrs. Conrad came down from Loudenville to fit each one. She owned a

bridal shop there.


It was a busy and exiting year with a 13 year old daughter who got hurt on

a ski trip, teaching and working on my master's degree at Ohio State. I was often

going to bed exhausted but never was I discouraged. Everyone worked together to

make it a very enjoyable year.


Tonight, September the 9th around 6:45 I received a call from Venice, Florida

from the Sparks family that my very best friend, Hattie Sparks, had just died. As I

had mentioned she was a very good neighbor for 17 years and a faithful

Eastern Star member and officer for Harold and I in 1965 and again in 1991.

We will again be giving a donation to the First Baptist Church building fund as we

had done for her husband, Theodore, who died on May 13, 1995.

Her daughter is Vonda Clark and her husband is Robert and their son

is Rondall Sparks whose wife is Margaret. They live in Radnor. I will

miss Hattie very much.


[photo: Good Friends- Theodore and Hattie Sparks]

It Started With These Two (p.39)

[corresponds to page 37 of It Started with These Two]

Aults and Sparks

The only one person that I asked to be an officer that refused was a

relative. To soothe my feelings, my dad who was a very astute gentleman

told me that we can choose our friends but our relatives were thrust upon us.


It was my dad, too, that I called upon for moral support. He would go with me down

to the Ohio State Arps


[top left photo: Rosella and Hattie Warner - Winter of 1995]

[top right photo: Hattie and Rosella - March 1997]

[middle photo: Theodore, Hattie, Rosella, Harold Leaving for Florida]

[bottom photo: Harold and Theodore Kentucky Colonel Award - July 4th, 1994]

It Started With These Two (p.40)

[corresponds to page 38 of It Started with These Two]

Hall library and read while I got the reference materials I needed.

He died on November 12, 1971 after I told him in the morning that Mother

had said he was a very good and loving husband and a wonderful father to us. He

only said, "Do you really think so?" I assured him I did.


On March 22, 1976, our wedding anniversary, Mary Hervey a good friend

died. I played the organ for her funeral. She wanted especially for me to play "He's

Got the Whole World in His Hands" and "I Want to Teach the World to Sing". Mary

in a quiet way did so much good for those in need. She didn't brag about her

generosity. I still miss her. She could relate to the young people very well, especially

our Mary and her husband Tom. She always dressed with class and looked nice.


After my school retirement I went to help out Paula Shade in her restaurant

out at the halfway house between Sunbury and Delaware. I was also the director for

3 years of the Delaware County Retarded Citizens. I was one of 5 area workers

(Powell, Ostrander, Delaware, Ashley and Sunbury) employed by Supportive Services

to take senior citizens for doctor's appointments, grocery shopping, and other

essential places. It was phased out because of the 146 pages of paperwork to receive

the grant funding money. I also drove a bus for Hickory Knoll and Leads Head Start.


Since we spend 4 months each winter in Florida where the family lives year

round, sister, husband and her family. I have given up gainful employment and

settled down to just enjoying our house, the garden, geese. I spend lots of time

knitting and making gifts for friends and family and cooking for Harold.


Mother died at the Sarah Moore home on December 5, 1985, five days past

her 103rd birthday. She was a real sweet lady, and I was holding her hand when she

died. I have never told this to anyone: but when I felt her slipping, I heard her say,

"Jesus, please take my hand."


In 1986 I wrote a book on the 66 books of the Holy Bible and dedicated it to

my brother George who died also November 12, but 15 years later than Dad, I

also dedicated it to our granddaughter Melody Hickson Hughes.


[top photo: November 13th, 1971 - Day After Dad Died]

It Started With These Two (p.41)

[corresponds to page 39 of It Started with These Two]

On March 9, 1993 brother Rodney died on his way back to Sunbury. His son

Mark was driving and his wife Ruth and Harold were with him. The 911 medics

pronounced him dead at Wendy's parking lot just west of the I-71 freeway.


The same year on May 19th, Harold had a heart attack. It was Grange night

at Bill and Mary Louise Sheets, and 911 called and said Harold was on his way to

Grady. Our minister, Rev. Gene Taylor, and Shirley came over soon after I arrived.

We really appreciate their friendship. We are watching his diet to help keep his

cholesterol level down. He is on Cardisone C.M.


Last year in 1995, Lockie Norman died in March, Bea Tharp in July, and

Gladys Miller in October. They were a part of the Saturday morning Sunbury

women's friends breakfast group. We all miss them.


On July 15, Carl Bell and sister Verona were married in her Whitfield

Presbyterian Church in Bradenton, Florida. On July 22, Harold and I had a reception

for them at Carl's Sunbury Church of Christ.


From June 17 to June 21, Margaret Garee and I were at Lakeside for the East

Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church. Rev. Gene and Shirley were

returned to our church. Life is so precious but uncertain. Who knows what tomorrow

may bring. So let's make the most of each day.


Verona and I often wonder how Mother found the time to memorize all of

the many Bible verses, "A soft answer turneth away wrath", etc. and she said in her

long lifetime, she never had a headache. Maybe the answer was she confined herself

to being Wilbur's wife and the mother of her children. She knew she was secure in

her faith and the love of her family. I Never realized how short she was until I look

at a big 24 X 36 picture of Mom and Dad taken in our dining room at 174 Harrison

Street in Sunbury on his 90th birthday party. The modern day woman is torn in many

directions, children to dance classes, boys and girls to band, soccer, basketball,

football, track, 4H and other activities. She said she and Dad were the happiest at

church, Grange, Historical Society and the Farm Bureau Council. They got season

tickets to the events at Ohio Wesleyan.


One evening Lockie Norman and I took Mother to Gray Chapel to hear

Norman Vincent Peale. She was 100, and she took notes on his lecture.

Mother and Dad were at Gray Chapel the evening Frank B. Willis was

stricken with a heart attack. It might have changed the history of our nation and

Delaware County in particular if he could have run for President and been elected.


Yesterday (August 27, 1996) it took four 100 foot hoses to reach the most

It Started With These Two (p.42)

[corresponds to page 40 in It Started with These Two]

recently planted evergreens along our drive. So much spring rain and now at one

time this summer, we went for 27 days without it.


In a week or so Harold will be going to Grady for an upper GI, whatever the

initials stand for. He seems to be having problems swallowing some foods.


If Dad were alive today, he would say I liked to plan, make definite decisions

and was a good former teacher, Grange member, a devoted family member, an

ardent Christian and full of energy that was until I got thrown a curve last December.

It was then that a Grange member asked if I had been drinking because when as

lecturer, I was slurring my words and was unsteady on my feet. It was Meniere's

disease.


[middle photo: Grange Get-together - 1996]

[bottom left photo: Grange Booth - September 1995 Delaware County Fair]

[bottom right photo: Delaware County Fair - September 1992]

It Started With These Two (p.43)

[corresponds to page 41 in It Started with These Two]

I was especially proud of the Pomona Grange Booth that received a grade of

100 that I designed and carried out the 50th Jug theme.


In April 1985 we bought 15 baby ducks from Griffith's feed store in

Centerburg and raised them in the shed until they were almost grown and then out

into a 24 X 24 pen with a white male goose who took over as mother. This same

white goose stood guard around the geese pen again this year of 1996 and 1997.


Our Kingston Grange disbanded in the end of 1995 due to the lack and age

of its members. Mother and Father used to say it hurt to see their contemporaries

dying and now I know exactly what they meant.


On August 28, Verona and I attended grave side services for a former

Horseshoe Road neighbor and friend that attended the one room schoolhouse and

then rode the bus when it closed.


Electricity only came along Horseshoe Road in the early 1940's


On July 8, Kelley, Jessica (my niece Nancy and Rod Harkinson's 2 girls),

Harold and I went to Lane, Ohio, to the Ridgeway Hatchery and bought 5 baby

guineas and 6 baby geese. We fed them 20 lbs of turkey feed and then put them on

chick starter and cracked corn. Our pens were just makeshift with chicken wire to

protect them. The guineas were very skittish from the start. After the neighbor's dog

got in the pen, there were 3 geese.


On August 28 in the evening, Harold pulled the wire fence away; and the 5

guineas came out but stayed close to the feed and water pans as we watched before

dark. Harold suggested that I do the same thing this afternoon, August 29, to let the

geese run fee. The large geese make a bee line for the far end of the pond several

times a day. The geese like to walk up onto the decks so it is necessary to keep 10"

boards across the bottom steps and a large painted screen door at the cellar way.


Each year we have to replace at least 10 evergreens. Harold tells me they

should be planted in the fall, instead of the spring. it takes four 100' hoses to reach

those down at the road.


When I was little we lived on a 48 acre farm on Horseshoe Road. Our house

had 4 bedrooms - no bath or electric- a cook stove, living room, large kitchen, and

dining room. Brother Rodney tied me to a ladder at the barn as it was being built.

It was large. We had a pond and raised ducks and chickens. There was a bulk head

where we took corn down to feed the ducks. We rode a white farm horse, old Bill

who was blind.


We had lots of company on Sundays. Instead of a playpen, we used a large

brown packing box. Brother George would, according to Mother, keep saying, "Now

Rosella".

It Started With These Two (p.44)

[corresponds to page 42 in It Started with These Two]

We had a large coal and wood heater in the dining room and a player piano

in the front room. It was always kept clean and picked up.


We always had a large garden raising potatoes, corn, beans, peas, tomatoes,

etc. Our yard was also large, and I mowed it by a narrow push mower.


We lived here before going to 408 West William Street and again after I was

7 years old. We went down the road to a one room brick schoolhouse. We rode a bus

into Delaware. Neil Olds was the driver. We took our lunches in brown bags. They

took us to the East School on East William Street. It is now known at Conger

Elementary School. It has just been rebuilt and the first day of school was Tuesday,

August 18, 1996.


I remember weeding in the garden when the neighbor children would be going

into town for holidays and parades and fireworks, but then I would equate our

Sundays with Sunday School and church and Sunday School picnics.


We raised sheep, too, but never hogs. We had milk cows. One year Verona

and I took our registered twin Jersey calves to the Ohio State Fair. They were called

Fair Play Augusts and Augusts Fair Play. She got a 13th award, and I only got a 26

ribbon. There were lots of entries in the class.


When we left Cincinnati, I weighed about what I weigh today. School days

because of my weight weren't always too pleasant.


They let me drive before licenses were necessary. We had a 1928 Pontiac. Dad

evidently thought since the boys and I had driven a Fordson tractor, we knew all

about driving. On my 14th birthday, Dad let me drive into Delaware to pick up

brother John. I drove down Horseshoe, Lake Street, East Central and made a left

turn at Central and Sandusky and before I pulled into a parking spot, drove right up

on the sidewalk. John was watching, and Dad kept shouting, "My God, stop this

thing". It was right in front of Graff's Shoe store. John drove us home.


When I was 5 years old I was in the Grady Hospital, then on the corner of

Franklin and West Winter Streets.


Our neighbors were the 4 Ufferman children, James, Albert, Gale and Betty.

the Lenbergers lived on one side, Jane, Harold and Rosemary. A nice couple close

by were the Werlines. Then the Smothers daughter, Shirley and the Milligan

children, Gladys and Harold. We had lots of company and friends in.


We had a collie dog, Patsy, and Rodney really loved her, but she got into our

flock of sheep and had to be put to sleep. It was a bad day for us all.


On Halloween we upset shocks of corn, nothing dangerous or illegal.


When they had Mother's sale, I was in Riverside Hospital with a sinus

It Started With These Two (p.45)

[corresponds to page 43 in It Started with These Two]

operation, and Mary Hervey bid on the two kerosene lamps and her tea cart for me.

Other family members had other preferences.


It was in 1975 when Mother came to live with us. Dad had died in 1971. She

was 93 then. She stayed in Florida with Verona during the winter months and came

back to 174 Harrison Street in the spring for summer and fall.


Before coming to Sunbury we had lived at the 73 acre farm on Cline Chapel

Road. The house had 7 large maple trees around the yard, and it was called Maple

Knoll. It was 6 miles from Waverly, 18 miles from Bainbridge, about 20 miles from

Chillicothe, and 86 miles from Athens. I drove it for 4 summers before graduating

from Ohio University on August 7, 1956. By then I had already been teaching at the

Harrison Street school for 3 years.


At home on Horseshoe Road, we had lots of chicken dinners, but I remember

the donuts that Mother and George made were really good. During the depression,

Mother would trade a dozen eggs 9 cents for a loaf of bread from a breadman that

came once a week.


In April, 1978, Mother went to live at the Sarah Moore Home on East

William Street in Delaware and lived until December 5, 1985. she loved to have me

take her out in the wheelchair to see the house that she lived in on Michaels Street

in Delaware, just off of South Union, where she and her brother Hartley had rooms

when she went to high school. Then we would go to Buns for pie and coffee. She

would always say, "This is the place your Dad loved to eat best."


For my 75th birthday my sister Verona and Carl had a surprise party

for me with family, neighbors and card playing friends. There was cake, ice

cream and gifts.


On Harold's birthday, our anniversary or my birthday, we eat at the

Branding Iron, a steak place on Stratford Road in Delaware.


Generally, the family is not available in November as they are in Arizona and Florida.

When we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, we had 2 real nice

parties, one with friends at the Branding Iron and one in a restaurant near

Marshallsville with Harold's family.


[bottom right photo: 75th Birthday Party - November 2, 1995]

It Started With These Two (p.46)

[corresponds to page 44 in It Started with These Two]

In our real estate transactions, we have been very fortunate, first in buying a

house at 307 W. Central, after the Centerburg house and land. Dad always said to

buy north, and in most cases we have. Then we bought 121 W Central and 80 North

Liberty Street in Delaware. Harold tore off the 3rd apartment, an old frame house

close to the corner, to provide parking for the 2 houses on the corner of Liberty and

W. Central. We also bought a house at 29 N. Liberty Street. We bought a mobile

home, 1803 Ohio Avenue, Trailer Estates, Bradenton, Florida, for our use and one

for Tom, Mary, and Melody at 6547 Kansas in the same park. In April, 1988, we

purchased the mobile home at 1604 Illinois, next door to my sister Verona. Several

years later, we bought a duplex or twin single at 1211 3rd Avenue, E. for Melody,

Dennis, Brittany and the twins to rent. We own a lot in Port Charlotte at the corner

of Madelyn and McArthur.


In 1976 Verona sold 5 acres of our 33 acres to Carl and Emogene Bell. They

built a brick home at 4760 Fredericks Rd. Emogene died on May 5, 1994


We sold the little house and barn with about 4 1/2 acres to George and Gail

Guenter. They moved to Cincinnati, and they sold it to Tim and Julie Scott. They

have 2 little girls, Kelly and Courtney. Tim was in a very serious accident on his

motorcycle up on a hillside when he came head on with his friend riding a 3 wheeler.

I saw Julie across the street and took a knitted baby blanket for the new baby and

a pair of knitted slippers to Kelley. Sunday, September 8, I took pictures of Tim at

home.


After Harold adopted Mary, we had our lawyer, make provisions for part of

our estate to go to Harold's former church, the Chapel of the Cross at North

Lawrence, Ohio, and to our present Sunbury United Methodist Church.


Harold has also been active in community affairs. In 1996 he was treasurer of

the Sesquicentennial Committee. He was on both the Delaware County and Joint

Vocational School Boards for 12 years. He was President of the Lions Club in 1970.

That year, Lillie Kempton, Mary Hervey, Etta Main and I prepared 200 lbs of potato

salad for the ox roast using 15 stalks of celery, 5 lbs of onions, 30 dozen eggs, salt,

3 gal. of mayonnaise, and 1 gal. of mustard. It must have been good. It sold out in

a hurry. We also baked 36 pumpkin and fruit pies. These days, they buy the potato

salad and 100 pies, and the wives of Lions are to furnish 3 pies.


Things change. School starts in August now. Just this morning, August 26, the

bus stopped across the street for Kelley Scott.


The geese are really growing. We think when this last bag of cracked corn is

gone, they will be big enough to let out of the pens.


On July 3, 1996, Verona fell on the basement steps and broke her left hip. Dr.

O. Shoban set it on July 4. Nancy, Rod and the girls were here on vacation.


Our great-granddaughter, Brittany Hughes, started back to school in the first

It Started With These Two (p.47)

[corresponds to page 45 in It Started with These Two]

grade at the new school in Oneco, Florida. It is close to Dennis and Melody's home

in East Bradenton. Since she is the first on in her wheelchair, the handicap bus

would be picking her up 6:15 a.m., so Melody drives her to school, She was born

with cerebral palsy. Fortunately, only her legs are affected, not her intelligence. Her

grandfather asked how Brittny started, and she said, "Ba-Be B." He said, "I think its

Z" and she said. "I think you are confused.


Our Mary was always saying things to get me into trouble. One morning in

going up the old post office steps where Ed Saver has his antique shop, she asked an

old maid school teacher, "Lady, do you smoke cigarettes?" The woman turned around

and very sternly asked, "And why do you ask?"


Two Eastern Star ladies who were going to serve refreshments at the Temple

in June of 1965 met Mary and me to see how it was done. When we got home that

night, I didn't know Mary was listening and told Harold that I didn't think they even

knew how to boil water. Later, Mary asked us in church if those were the 2 ladies

that didn't know how to boil water.


When I went out to list some properties, we stopped at Burton Richardson's

and she said, "Man why don't you shave?" I helped him study for a R.E. License,

and he and Forest Day opened up the Heart of Ohio R.E. office in Centerburg. He died

out in the barnyard from a heart attack and Mary, Harold and I went to his funeral

calling hours at Moreland in Centerburg.


Once after a family reunion at Pike Lake, Mary came home and hugged me

and said, "I'm so glad you adopted me or I would have become one of those dumb

southern Ohio hillbillies.


It was strange that her mother Dorothy and sister Vickie had lived over in

Delaware on Curtis Street and had a hard time financially, George and Dutch

Strosnider saw them in Delaware after Mary and Tom moved to Florida. Mary's

father had died in a car accident before Mary was born. She was the youngest of 2

boys and 5 girls.
S
In the fall of 1980, Vickie Frey, Mary's sister who was just 10 months older

than Mary, called about 6:00 p.m. and asked if she could be Mary's sister and if she

could get in touch with Mary. I had a church meeting that night and took her

number and said after talking with Harold, Mary and the pastor, I would have Mary

contact her if she wished to do so. She did.


Tom and Mary were just 16 and 18 when they were married by a Methodist

minister in Clintwood, Virginia on February 26, 1968. They arrived home on a

Monday evening. Harold was at the church for a Lions club, and Mary Hervey and

I were having dinner out at Walter Borchers' L. K. Restaurant at the freeway. They

had 3 cents between them and they were starved as they had been eating so called

junk food for 3 days.

It Started With These Two (p.48)

[corresponds to page 46 in It Started with These Two]

They have made a good marriage. Tom's parents are Virgil and Nellie

Hickson, and they are always so supportive of the two. I bless Nellie every time I see

her for being so good to our daughter. Many older marriages, Mary reminds me,

have not been so fortunate. Melody and Dennis were married on July the 30th, 1988

at the Palmetto United Methodist Church.


I bless Melody and Dennis, too. They dated in high school, and Dennis was

in the Air force being sent to Hawaii when Melody graduated. Melody was one of

16 out of 3300 Manatee County graduates to receive the Golden Herald Award

presented by the Bradenton Herald Newspaper. It was based on academic

achievement and citizenship and personality. When twin girls were born prematurely

on December 11, 1989, at 1 1/2 lbs. each, only Brittnny survived. Stephanie died 2 days

later. They now have 3 year old twin boys, Zachary and Brandon. Melody and Dennis

are wonderful loving young parents.


Each and every day, I count my blessings. Harold and I are so fortunate.

There have been many times of sadness, but I am firmly convinced that God doesn't

permit one to handle more than their shoulders can bear. But, occasionally one

wonders why God thinks one has such broad shoulders.


This morning, August 30, 1996, Harold had an upper GI test. His throat,

according to the tests, is crooked and that causes food to lodge before it reaches his

stomach. Next Thursday, September 2, he is to have X-rays and barium tests.


Harold picked up the keys from Mansfield Plumbing as they had just put in

a new furnace at 80 North Liberty. Mark and Donna Ensign and their 7 year old

daughter may be the new tenants.


According to Paul Baller, Jr. in "Presidential Wives", Marion President Warren

G. Harding was born on November 2, 1865 and won the election on November 2,

1920. Until I read about his life style, being born on his birthday seemed to be great

but no longer.


In 1992 Lockie Norman, Bea Tharp, Etta Main and I ate in Blands in Mount

Vernon and bought the original 4 grown geese. We now have 9 adult geese and the

5 baby geese that we purchased from Ridgeway Hatchery.


Helen Hardin Allen, who was born in 1906 and died in 1989, was about 20

when she come to teach at Upper Horseshoe one room school. She didn't drive so

her brother Buss Hardin brought her and came after her. Her folks had the Hardin

Hotel on South Sandusky. Sometimes she would take Gladys Shirley Poole and me

home with her for the weekends. It was such a treat.


Also, Helen Allen saw that we had hot lunches. We had lots of milk and the

children all brought potatoes, tomatoes and vegetables, and she would fix soup for

us each day on the pot bellied stove in the center of the room. She was born to be

a good caring teacher.

It Started With These Two (p.49)

[corresponds to page 47 in It Started with These Two]

The teacher that followed was as different in the lack of caring as Helen was

in caring.


The county schools had spelling and writing contests. This is what we practiced

to have judged on this special day: "True worth is being, not seeming to be doing

each day that goes by some little good not in dreaming of some great thing by and by."


I had mentioned that most of the time we were fortunate in our renters. At

29 North Liberty, one time this was not so. It was a 4 bedroom and 2 baths house

with 2 large living rooms, a large kitchen, back porch and and a back yard with a chain

link fence. They got behind $2100 in their rent; and our lawyer sent them eviction

notices, and a court date was set. The wife, when she had to be out in 3 days, feigned

a heart attack. Emergency 911 was called. We had to go down through the judge's

chambers to keep from stepping over her. It was a fake according to Grady. When

we finally got possession, they had chopped the bathroom fixtures, and they had to

be replaced.


At 121 West Central we had to have a family evicted. It took 3 exterminator

visits to get rid of the roaches. There were 55 trash bags of junk in the basement. I

remember Harold and I one Thanksgiving were working trying to clean it up, and

Betty Mackley came and got us for a very delicious dinner at her house. Betty was

born in 1912 and died in October, 1989. She was in George's class, and he sat behind

her in high school. She thought he was an only child. Our folks always saw that we

had sufficient clean clothing even though they certainly weren't rich.


Two ladies that I still am in touch with occasionally are Jean Wickham and

Nancy Frankenburg. They are both loving and caring and efficient women. We

worked in different capacities and offices at 38 South Franklin street in Delaware.


Harold and I have been able to travel extensively. We went on a 23 day trip

to Alaska, Tokyo, Hong Kong, China and Hawaii for the Lions Club International

meeting with Mr. Bryant from Dalton, Ohio. There were 800 from Ohio. It was in

the summer of 1969. Our granddaughter Melody was born when we were in Tokyo.


We also went on a Lions Club tour to Europe, Germany, Austria, Italy and

Switzerland. We also went to Mexico on a Lions Club tour. Dutch Strosnider and

Glenn Evans were there, too. Harold got Montezuma's complaint and was gone so

long from the Ohio luncheon that I asked a friend to go and check on him. We also

went to San Francisco with George and Etta Main and Donna and Glenn Evans for

the California Lions Club annual meeting. Lorraine and Kenny Crowl, George and

Etta and Harold and I were on the trip east to Atlantic City. We came back through

Lancaster , Pennsylvania.


I am proud of Harold for all of his community activities. In addition to being

a past president of the Sunbury Lions Club and member of the Delaware County

and the JVS boards for 12 years, he was a former Masonic Worshipful Master and

It Started With These Two (p.50)

[corresponds to page 48 in It Started with These Two]

a past patron of Columbus Chapter 4 times, a member of the Scottish Rite, Valley

of Columbus, and a treasurer for several years of the Delaware County Shrine Club.


Harold can do most everything. He likes to be outside on his John Deere

tractor or cutting up trees or moving around our place. I really appreciate him. He

is a good, loving, caring family man.


We didn't get to see much of our only granddaughter, Melody, when she was

growing up as Tom an Mary lived in Florida and we were still working in Ohio.

However, we do see Melody and Dennis' 3 children. We grandparents have agreed

to not buy them any more toys, but clothes. We spend 4 months in Florida now.


Brittny has cerebral palsy, but she's not retarded. One night when she was

sleeping in the big double bed between us, we had a terrible storm. Eventually she

patted my cheeks and said, "Grandmother, is it safe to go to sleep now?"


Today, Virgil and Nellie Hickson came to spend Labor Day with us. Harold

was working cleaning off tables on the shady east side of the Lions Club food tent.

As always the ox sandwiches were tender and delicious. They spent the night with us

and left after breakfast.


Maybe I'll never become a Grandma Moses, but I'd like to learn a little about painting.


For the third time since the first August sweat bees or yellow jackets have

gotten into the attic and chewed down through the hall and 2 bedroom ceilings. Raid

spray kills them, but the odor in the house is overpowering, and we took our

afternoon naps in the downstairs bedroom. This happened to us 3 years ago. Harold

has tried to seal up the holes on the outside of the house. It is too warm for him to

get up into the attic. The clean up left me slipping down the 7 steps on my backside

yesterday. No permanent damage. We are enjoying seeing all of the 14 geese moving

around the yard. Not a joy is seeing ground hogs carrying off tomatoes form the

garden.


When I met the retired teachers at Westerville at the Ponderosa, I went on

down to the Christian Armory. They didn't have any of Bob Ross's "Joy of Painting"

but suggested Michael's Gift and Craft Store just down the mall. I really shot my wad

by buying a 14 X 24 canvas, paint cleaner, easel, 8 paints, sponge knife and several

different kinds of brushes recommended by Ross and a palette. Now I'm scared to

get started. He is on Channel 34 at 1:00 p. m. weekdays. He died last year at 55 of

cancer, but he has more than 30 different books out with 14 explained paintings in

each and videos are still available.


I just read the Scorpio's words for Thursday, September 6 and quote, "Your

indecision may be the only thing standing between you and rousing success. The time

has come for you to fish or cut bait."

It Started With These Two (p.51)

[corresponds to page 49 in It Started with These Two]

Harold and I don't have cable. We watch Channel 34 to hear the "Frugal

Gourmet", "Wild America", Billy Graham, food shows like Justin Wilson's Louisiana

Cooking", Channel 10 for "Wheel of Fortune", their news at 6 and 11, "Chicago

Hope", "Murder, She Wrote", "Diagnosis Murder", and "E.R." We take the "Delaware

Gazette", "Ohio Farmer" and "Buckeye Farm News". We do like the library.


I walk daily with Jesus. Mary, Tom, Harold, Melody, Dennis and the 3

children and other family and friends know that I pray sincerely for them each day.

I, too, know that some day I'll see Mother and Dad, little Tommy, Bobbie, brothers

George and Rodney and my relatives and friends. I hope to see Lockie, Bea and

Gladys Miller too, because I've asked God through Jesus to forgive my sins. I trust

in the Lord with all my heart, and He is my personal Savior. I have turned around

and repented all of my sins.


Mother and Dad didn't have a spectacular meeting as their parents' farms, at

a little place called Waterhill, were close. Dad says even though he was only a year

and a half older than Mother, he remembers sitting on the living room floor and

playing with her and thinking what a beautiful girl she was. But, it wasn't until they

were 28 and 29 years old that they became serious. Dad was supporting his mother

and his Aunt Rosina. When they tried to tell him there would be children and

expenses, he hoped there would be.


Tom's parents were George and Bessie Tibbitts. George worked for the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as the secretary of the president. Bessie was a worker

at the Rochester Library. Tom was their only child. He came to the University of

Cincinnati to study to be an electrical engineer, but he was called up by the draft in

January, 1943. He looked just like the actor Van Johnson. He was a radio man and

a gunner and won the purple heart. After the divorce, we remained good friends,

even after Tommy, Jr. died. After we adopted Mary, they were too happy to see

Mary and me and were generous in their love and gifts. Maybe, I've always been a

little too independent because I was able to support myself and I wanted things to be definite.


[top photo: Retired Teachers and Friends at Royal American Golf Club]

It Started With These Two (p.52)

[corresponds to page 50 in It Started with These Two]

Tommy fell out of his bed when we were living in an apartment owned by

John and Mary Morrison in Clifton Heights close to the University of Cincinnati. I

was working 2 jobs. Early morning, I worked at the Clifton Pantry for Dorothy

Kassens. During the day I worked at Andrew Jergens as a quality control supervisor.

After day work, I went back to the Clifton Pantry. Two nights a week I went to the

University working the first 2 years which eventually led to a B.S. at Ohio University

in 1956. Tommy was buried January 31, 1947 in the old cemetery and later moved

in June, to the present Marlboro Cemetery.



After our marriage on March 22, 1959, Harold and I bought a house at 174

Harrison Street. It was a duplex that Harold turned into an 11 room, 2 and 1/2 baths

home. We remodeled it in 1968 and built a 2 car garage, and a beautiful corner

stone fireplace. We used it when we had the blizzard in 1978. Mother was living with

us then after Dad had died on November 12, 1971. We bought 33 acres, 4 miles out

on Centerburg Road in the summer of 1963. We sold 5 acres to Carl Bell on 4760

Frederick Road and 4 acres with the house and barn to George and Gail Genthner.

Before this in the early 1960's Mary had up 5 horses. One young horse, Dawn,

would sit down whenever anyone got on her back. She was sold to a man from

Portsmouth who said he would train her out of doing this. In the middle 1950's

Verona lived on Route 605 and kept ponies and our horse, Dolly. She ran under a

tree with Bobbie on her back, and he fell off and broke his leg. Bobbie died in a car

accident on Hartford Road on October 19, 1959.


Harold' father had died on September 29, also as a result of a car running

off the road on a Saturday afternoon as he was working on the bulletin board in

front of the Chapel of the Cross at North Lawrence, Ohio.


In September, 1987, Ned foreman, general contractor, started our house out

on Centerburg Road. In the spring of 1988, we started moving things into Harold's

new 42 X 45 tool shed and then in the summer moved furniture into the house. We

moved everything - beds, organ, living room and dining room furniture - on a little

pickup truck. We spent our first night, after it had been blessed by Rev. Gary

Klempenaur, on July 4, 1988.


On May 19, 1993, Harold had a heart attack. The Family, Tom, Mary, Dennis

Melody and their 3 children, Brittny, Brandon and Zachary, came from Florida for

2 weeks.


On December 11, 1989, Melody and Dennis were living in Hawaii. I had kept

the baby basket that we brought Mary home from the Chillicothe Hospital on April

30, 1952. I made a new mattress and decorated the sided with lace. Ken Crowl took

it across the counter on a Saturday morning. It cost $26.00 to mail it. Melody picked

it up the following Monday afternoon in Honolulu. She was called the million dollar

baby as she was a cerebral palsy 1 and 1/2 lb. baby girl. She was still on oxygen until

they came back to the States in July, 1990.


From 1991 to 1994, Harold and I were active with the Lions Club, Grange,

It Started With These Two (p.53)

[corresponds to page 51 in It Started with These Two]

church, Masons and Eastern Stars. The Worthy Grand Matron appointed me as our

district 11 Heart Representative to tell the 15 chapters in the 4 counties, Logan

Union, Marion and Delaware, about Heart and to raise money for research.


During this same time I was president of Big Walnut Area Church women

United - 7 local churches joined to help the local Friends Who Share. We have 3

meetings a year, the first Friday in March, May and November to celebrate.


In November 1993, I attended the 127th National Grange Convention in

Cleveland, Ohio and received the Sixth and Seventh Grange Degrees.


In September, 1995, I designed the 50th Anniversary Brown Jug and Pomona

Delaware County Fair Grange Booth. Kingston and Ashley were responsible

for its being in place.


As the lecturer of Kingston Grange and Delaware County Pomona Grange,

it was my job to provide entertaining as well as instructional programs, such as the

3 crosses, old Blue Church, History of the Grange and holiday games and music.

Kingston Grange disbanded in December, 1995. Such good grangers as Frank Dailey,

Cliff Boyd, Orville Tuller, Joseph Bartok, Mom and Dad had died and other

members were not able to get out for the meetings.


In the downstairs apartment Ned foreman, our general contractor, has built

7 shelf book cases along the north and east walls for our library. Books that I enjoyed

reading many times over in the past and present are:

The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck.

The New Road Less Traveled (Forget his latest As in Heaven as on Earth

Peck's whole attitude and language has changed.)

Your God is Too Small by J. B. Phillips

Who Moved the Stone by Frank Morrison

The Call to Glory by Jeanne Dixon

I Came to Love You Too late, His Stubborn Love, Irregular People, and
12

other books by Joyce Landorf. They are easily read inspirational books.

A Rustle of Angels by Marilyn and William Webber

Billy Graham and Robert Schuller books that I give away

He Still Moves Stones - No Wonder They Call Him Savior by Max Lucado

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

Daily Devotions

We also have a large number of tapes and videos.


Harold says he doesn't remember the Sunday evening when Rita Miller Young

and our daughter Mary had ridden the 2 quarter horses over to Edward's at Kilbourne

for an afternoon horse show. It began to get dark, and they hadn't returned to our

place on Centerburg Road; so we got in the truck and found the 2 girls on the west

side of the I-71 bridge on State Route 521. The horses refused to cross over, so

Harold put a burlap bag over their heads and led them across. We followed the girls

on horses home.

It Started With These Two (p.54)

[corresponds to page 52 in It Started with These Two]

We had some neighbor boys who were very cruel and called Mary

"illegitimate" and adopted. She'd come and sit on Harold's lap and cry. We'd reassure

her that it was true that she was chosen but not illegitimate. She was the youngest

of 7 children, 5 girls and 2 boys. She was loved from the very minute she grabbed

hold of my little finger and held on for dear life. On a Father's Day, she bought

Harold a plaque with an antique car on it that said "You're everything a Dad should

be". What a testimony!


Each summer our family had a large garden and animals to feed and cows to

milk. We took just 2 one day trips - one Lakeside and a visit with Aunt Jane

Jacoby Fisk, and one to the Ohio State Fair with Dad, Mother and all 6 of us

children. For days afterwards, Mother would count 6. She was so afraid one of us

would get lost.


Harold's family came farther from Marshallsville and spent the week at the

Fair and vacations in Michigan at the Havener's.


I can remember my brother Rodney riding me on his bicycle down West

William Street in Delaware to the Kindergarten and 1st grade at West School. We

got in trouble as he raced a neighbor in a car down the hill.


We also had a big convertible touring car that was an embarrassment to my

brother John who was in high school. He is today dealing with the fact he

encouraged Dad to move us back to the country on Horseshoe Road, and he feels

we didn't have the same opportunities for education if we had remained at 408 W.

William Street in Delaware. Maybe sister Verona didn't at the one room school and

starting at 5 and 1/2 years old. Personally, it was great for me.


When I was in high school, I used to baby sit for Duke Moffets and Roger

Manthey who lived in the same apartment building at 145 West McMillan Street in

Cincinnati.


My best friends in high school were Virginia Dwenger and Esther Bartling,

We came back to our apartment and studied. Math and physics were my hard

subjects. I remember getting a 38 on a final in physics, but because of the daily

lessons turned in correctly, passed the course.


My first 2 years of college were at the University of Cincinnati. After marrying

John Buchanan and buying the farm at Waverly, I attended the Ohio University

branch at Chillicothe. After the 3 summers at the University in Athens, I received my

B.S. degree in 1956. When Mr. Lane at the graduate school was interviewing me,

Mary was sitting on my lap. He said, "You're a damn maverick. You've been to every

college in Ohio." Mary hugged me and said, "Is the man mad at you, Mommy?" After

the University of Cincinnati, Ohio University, Otterbein, Ashland and Ohio

Wesleyan, I received a Masters at Ohio State in 1966.


My father was a Chief Yeoman in the Navy before he and Mother married

It Started With These Two (p.55)

[corresponds to page 53 in It Started with These Two]

in 1909. My brother John was in the Navy, George in the Cavalry, Robert a doctor

in the Navy, and Rodney a pilot in the Aleutian islands. They all returned safely

home from the war zones without a scratch. Mother always believed her daily prayers

saved them.


The year I retired the Westerville teachers went on strike. They, according to

the police, were more vicious than the students on the Ohio State campus 10 years

earlier, like putting nails on the road to cause flats. At the same time Harold was on

the Delaware County Board, and I firmly believed it was wrong, and the

Westerville Board was treating the teachers fairly. So I was glad not to be involved.


Taking courses by correspondence can be frustrating and detrimental to your

mental health.


In the fall of 1954 I signed up for a course that I had to have for graduation

from O.U. It was called "Physical World". All I remember about it is Uranium 235.

Norman Townley secured me a Capital University graduate to tutor me and explain

the 36 lessons. Joanne Hoover, Mary and I met the young man every Wednesday

after school at the library in Marion. We spent an hour going over the questions and

then on the way home stopped for dinner. We made it a party instead of going off

and leaving her at home with a baby sitter. Now you know why she would ask,

"Momma, do you have to study tonight?" I don't remember the young man's name.

It was important for me to get the 36 lessons sent to O.U. to pass the final.


So that I could graduate in the summer of 1956, in the fall of 1955, I took a

correspondence course in "Teaching Physical Education". That year there were 20

boys and 10 girls in the classroom. Batons must have been cheap for each girl

received a baton to cheer on her red or blue team. The boys team were decided by

picking their names out of a basket so that no boy would be left to be picked last for

their playing skill. A boy who was self-conscious because of his eyesight was made a

catcher for one of the teams. On a trip to a sports store, we bought a catcher's mask.

His mother thanked me for his being able to be a catcher and improve his self-

confidence. All went well. The children loved baseball as well as the special attention.

The final examination was sent to Harold Tippett, and when I sat down, all of the

questions were foreign to me. One I remember was "What is Williams platform?" I

handed the exam back Mr. Tippett and said, "I don't know the answer to any of

these question." Can you imagine how frustrated and confused I was? It was

returned to O.U., and they had made a mistake and sent the wrong examination.

After receiving the proper one for the course, Harold and I had a good many laughs

when he said I looked completely devastated when I handed it back to him and said,

"I don't know any of these answers."


No wonder Mary would say I don't want to be a teacher. I just want to be a

Mom.


Maybe at least one thing good is Mary really likes to read. When she's home

as was the case in the summer of 1995 with Brittny, they read books from our library

It Started With These Two (p.56)

[corresponds to page 54 in It Started with These Two]

that Harold and I had read to her.


It wasn't easy - 2 years in high school in Delaware and then my junior and

senior years Hughes High School was easy, but college was a different matter. Dad

and Mother had 3 boys at O.U. when I started at U. of Cin., George, Robert and

Rodney. I worked part time Mabley Carew, Penney's and Sears. Then they had

special $1.00 days. Umbrellas and purses were just $1.00, and they brought in a lot

of college girls for these sales. After 2 years at the U. of Cin., I transferred to the

branch at O.U. With 2 years training I secured a 2nd grade teaching job at

Bainbridge. J. Mason Jones was the principal, and A.E. Gower was county school

superintendent. At that time, I had 100 breeding Shropshire ewes. J. Mason said he

was happy to hire me after seeing how well I cared for my sheep. During the week

on Wednesday night, a neighbor and teacher took classes at the O.U. branch at

Chillicothe. After her dog got into our flock of sheep and the sheriff destroyed their

dog, it spoiled our friendship.


Each of 3 summers I drove the 86 miles in 90 minutes from the farm to O.U.

Sister Verona kept Mary, and her 2 older children went with me to pre-school and

kindergarten at the college.


One summer we lived in a Quonset hut. It was so hot and the flies were

terrible, so the other 3 drove back and forth from Waverly across county.

August 7, 1956 was a happy day when I received my B.S. from Ohio U.


After Harold had his heart attack on May 19, 1993, I bought him a 2000

piece country scene puzzle. We put all the leaves in the dining room table,

and he worked on it there. Tom's Uncle Roy Hickson made him a glass and frame.

For our last wall hanging, Harold made a pretty antique frame.


Marvin Miller, then the superintendent, had hired me on the condition of

securing the degree. He was married to Gladys and the father of Lee Ellen,

Pat and Matthew. The 2 girls are both teachers.


[bottom right photo: Rosella and Mary at Ohio University Graduation B.S. in Education - 1956]

It Started With These Two (p.57)

[corresponds to page 55 in It Started with These Two]

Something that I did with my hands is my little rocking chair. I put a cane seat

on it. Verona was living in Delaware, and we went to the Parks and Recreation

Canning program. Verona put the seat in a large rocker. When we were little, we sat

in it backwards and rocked all over the dining room. It was lots of fun. Then we

made our own entertainment.


One of the questions the Bob Greene's book asked if you ever did a

remodeling job. Did we ever? Harold, one February, started knocking out a wall

between the two sides of the duplex. We took out a kitchen, added a new furnace,

fireplace, lowered the ceiling, added a new 12' x 30' upstairs bedroom and a half bath

for Mary to use for having her overnight friends in. The house was torn up and dusty

until the fall of 1968. Our first entertainment was our Thanksgiving Dinner for the

family.


The building of our home here on Centerburg Road was a joy. We have

pictures all the steps of the way. Ned Foreman, the general contractor, and we are still

very good friends.


Some people when they retire move to town , but we have the best of both

worlds. We are just 4 miles from Sunbury and 6 from Centerburg, and I can go out

to feed the geese in my pajamas.


It is quiet and peaceful. It gives Harold work with his John Deere, the Toro

riding mower, and a small garden. We've especially enjoyed the tomatoes, zucchini,

acorn squash and beets and are looking forward to the pumpkin patch.

Life is good.


We shop at Buehler's in Delaware and enjoy their dining room and its

reasonable prices. We also shop at Atzingers in Centerburg as we like their Reiters

buttermilk and milk and their meat and produce. The Intown Restaurant in

Centerburg also has good food at reasonable prices.


We spend about $75.00 a week for groceries. We eat well, not much junk food

or soft drinks.


Although we have credit cards for Lazarus, Penneys, Kohl's, Sears, B.P., Citgo

Master Card and Visa, we both are thrifty people. We like to make sure we have the

finances to go or do or buy what we want.


All of the family are very special. In the winter the Christmas Eve dinner at

Virgil and Nellie Hickson's with Tom, Mary, Dennis, Melody, the children, Harold

and I have a warm and friendly relationship. Christmas Day is at Dennis and

Melody's with the Hicksons, Dennis' family, and us Aults. The food is plentiful, and

the gifts well thought out. Now instead of the toys the children get clothing from the

adults and the toys from Santa Claus.

It Started With These Two (p.58)

[corresponds to page 56 in It Started with These Two]

New Year's Day is at our house. All of the family and Verona's family and the

Hyatts from Columbus are there. We have both beef and pork, 2 kinds of pie,

sauerkraut, black eyed peas, 2 kinds of potatoes, salad and lots of punch and coffee,

but no alcoholic beverages. The new year needs a good beginning.


The night before we've written out resolutions, Mary and Harold used to sign

them upside down. I have finally realized it was to let me know life isn't or shouldn't

be too serious.


Life is Good when the family is happy and love one another.


Yes, I read the Bible daily and the Fellowship verse for each day and the

morning, noon, and evening prayers. Mary and Melody know they can count on the

prayers. I certainly make lists for meeting times and dates, grocery lists and ideas for

shopping trips. I get teased about being so organized, but I tell them that those who

fail to plan, plan to fail. I check the calendar to see what meeting are scheduled for

each day.


When Mary was 6 in 1958, we took a little boy from the Children's Home in

Delaware. His name was Jeffry Blair. His mother had been scalded to death by the

father. The father was in prison. He came to Delaware from a northern county. He

was in kindergarten at Smith School in Delaware and Verda Borders was his teacher

and Albert Hogue was the principal. He liked to tease Mary and called her "Mary

Oink." His IQ was about 75. He was so cute when he called me "Momme" but they

convinced us he would be better off in an only child farm family. They said

"Momme" is cute now but what about when he is 18. We heard he was adopted by

a farm family over in Union County.


It's strange how very best friends lose touch with one another. In 1949 a

wonderful couple, Bill and Mabel Houston, came from Dayton and brought acreage

just down the Cline Chapel Road from our 73 acres, built a 5000 broiler plant and

a large brick house. One time the broilers all got coccidos and they had to be

destroyed. The litter they brought from North Carolina. The house was a large long

brick house. Bill was a brick mason. Visitors who lived back in Dayton with a little

girl, asked Mabel if she should use the near bathroom or the far bathroom. Sad to

say they lost all their property because of the chicken loss and went back to an

apartment in Dayton. We went to the same little country Methodist Church. Bill

played the guitar and sang hymns beautifully.


The summer of 1968 we took Helen Allen, my second and fourth grade

teacher, and Harold's mother, Ruth, to Tucson Arizona. Helen had no biological

children but lots of school children. Like Luretta Day, she was a born teacher.

Helen had enrolled in the University and we came out to visit Harold's brother,

Lloyd and his family. We got to see Yellowstone, Salt Lake City and some famous

landmarks in Colorado and other western states. We also visited Harold's sister, Pat,

and her husband, Dick, in Parker, Colorado, and Pikes Peak, and Colorado
Springs.

It Started With These Two (p.59)

[corresponds to page 57 in It Started with These Two]

Helen's brother Buss, who I dated for awhile, worked at the Deshler Wallack

Hotel as desk clerk and we attended dances at the hotel. It was exciting. The last

week of summer school, Helen wasn't able to get him on the phone so she got

permission to take finals early and she came home and she found he had died

of a heart attack.


Life is uncertain.


Every once in a while, especially in the middle of the night when I can't sleep

because of the ringing in my ears, I have some thought about what it really means

to be a Christian. I came up with this reasoning. To be a religious it means more than

being a human trying to do good. It means the effort toward perfecting our

humanity without being prideful or self righteous about it. I realize how brief is our

earthly life and yet how we are called upon to make some momentous decisions.


Life is good!


One wonders how different would my life have been if I had joined the Navy

during world War II. If Tommy had lived? If I had gone to Palmer, Alaska to

teach? If Harold and I had children? If my sister and parents hadn't gone to

Florida?


What if? and then you come to the stark realization that what is in the past and

we should let those thoughts be gone and get on with the present.


It is here we meet our real selves as we were cast upon our own resources in

the overall scheme of things and if we truly believe in God's providence. We seem to

learn over a long period of time you cannot have a free will and not use it, it

leaves a debris of aging promises of what might have been.


In the late 60s after getting my masters in September of 1966, I took up

knitting the first major project was a black dress. Helen Allen, this same

wonderful lady had a yarn shop on the second floor above Mills Restaurant

on North High Street in Columbus. I think this might have cemented the

[bottom photo: Green Dress I knitted Took 20 Minutes To Go Around the Bottom Row]

It Started With These Two (p.60)

[corresponds to page 58 in It Started with These Two]

friendship closer. The second project is the 3 piece light green outfit that I am

wearing in the picture. With a blouse this is perfect for Florida winter temperatures.

Imagine - I'm wearing it 30 years later - and it took 20 minutes to go around the bottom rows of the skirt. While Harold watched TV or came out to Centerburg

Road in the evenings, I knitted.


There are 4 little size 5 and 6 sweaters hanging in our downstairs closet for

Rick's little boy, Matthew, and for Brittny and the twins Zachary and Brandon. Also

on the floor 24 toilet tissue covers for friends Christmas party favors.


Some of my friends and sister Verona like to play cards. Bridge is beyond my

scope of intelligence. Euchre is too fast. Mother used to say, "Solitaire is such a

waste of time. Do something constructive." She like to read and so did Dad.


She also liked yard work and hated weeds and dandelions. When we were

growing up we had the cleanest fields and lawn. Dad paid us a penny a dandelion

or thistle that we dug up. Today Harold has a yard sprayer that he pulls behind the

Toro yard Tractor and if I see on or two strays, I stoop down and pick them and say,

"Mother, this is for you."


Mother and Dad were such loveable parents, so full of encouragement and

love.


Right after high school, Verona and I both worked at Crosley Radio. We met

the nurse, Alberta Peet Kaufman, and have remained good fiends. she lives in a

Cincinnati suburb of Westwood.


A good friend from the days that I worked at Andrew Jergens was Dorothy

Kennedy.


I have driven a lot of places in my life time and believe there must be a

guardian angel looking after me. On one trip, Nancy Lindsey and I were on I-71 on

the way to Dorothy Kennedy's installation as an officer of Eastern Star in the

Westwood Chapter. The car stopped and Dale McClain, formerly of Sunbury and

lived just down the street from us on Harrison, came by in his truck and fixed it. We

attended the meeting and at about 11 P.M. in a little suburb of Blue Ash we had a

flat tire. This time a perfect stranger stopped and changed the tire and we arrived

safely in Sunbury.


I have good memories of Cincinnati, Ohio.


Brother George had a way with Dad -


Mother and Dad always attended lectures at the Netherland Plaza Hotel. Dad

never liked to spend money on himself and George told Dad the people at the hotel

probably thought he came in to get out of the cold. Dad and Mother went the next

day and got him a new overcoat.

It Started With These Two (p.61)

[corresponds to page 59 in It Started with These Two]

After Pearl Harbor started me thinking about the war so I started to work as

a machinist at Wrights Lockland, Ohio making bushing for the airplane industry.

I worked on a big lathe cutting out the centers. We used calipers to get the exact

dimensions. Working with a lot of men was a rude awakening. Their language was

something not to be desired. I never did pick up the habit of using foul language or

drink or smoke. Dad and Mother were both mild mannered individuals and good

language was also spoken in our home.


Sister Verona and Carl Bell were married at the Whitefield Presbyterian

Church in Bradenton, Florida on Saturday, July 15th, 1995. They came

back to Carl's home on Frederick Road for the Spring and Summer and fall

months. Patty, Verona's daughter who lives in Tallahassee, Florida, is coming

soon and Wilma Jean, Carl's daughter, will be seeing each other after many years.


Mother had so many sayings, such as "rain before 7, quit before 11"

and if you notice it generally does. It was just that way today (Monday

morning) even though our local weather channels tell us it should rain all day

even into Tuesday morning. Also, if it "rains on Monday, it will rain 3 days in this week".


[middle left photo: Carl and Verona Bell's Wedding July 15th. 1995]

[bottom left and right photos: Carl and Verona - 1997]

It Started With These Two (p.62)

Family Memories

[corresponds to page 60 in It Started with These Two]

[top left photo: Brother John and Velma - Summer 1997]

[top right photo: Brother Dr. Bob and Wife Bernie - 1997]

[middle left photo: Harold, Ruth and Rod Main At Masonic Home in Springfield]

[middle right photo: George and Etta -1966]

[bottom right photo: Etta, Brandon and Zachary - January 1995]

It Started With These Two (p.63)

[corresponds to page 61 in It Started with These Two]

[top photo: Mom and Dad's 50th Anniversary - August 29, 1959 George, Rosella, Robert, Dad , Mother, John Verona, Rodney]

[bottom photo: Rhonda Main, Linda Main Clark, Marsha Main Jones, Debbie Main Smith, Patti Miller Chapin, Penny Main Bradfield, Tom Main, Bobby Miller, David Main, John Main, Mark Main, Bill Main, Rick Miller, Theresa Main, Mary Ault Hickson, and Nancy Miller]

It Started With These Two (p.64)

[corresponds to page 62 in It Started with These Two]

[top photo: Mother and Dad's 60th Anniversary, August 29th, 1969, in the old Grange Hall
Front Row: Velma, Ruth, Mother, Dad, Bernie, Verona, Rosella
Back Row: John, Rodney, George, Etta, Robert, and Harold]

[bottom left photo: Main Reunion of the 6 of Us
Robert, Verona, George, Rosella, John, and Rodney]

[bottom right photo: 1990 Reunion Rod and Ruth Main]

It Started With These Two (p.65)

[corresponds to page 63 in It Started with These Two]

[top photo: Main Reunion 1991]

[middle photo: Dr. Bob, Verona and John at Brother Rodney's Funeral, March 13th, 1993]

[bottom photo: Reunion 1996 Velma, Krissy, and John Main]

It Started With These Two (p.66)

[corresponds to page 64 in It Started with These Two]

Dad was so proud of Mother. She was little and pretty. In 1959, they

celebrated their 50th anniversary at the house on 521. their 60th Anniversary was at

the old Grange Hall on North Galena Road. Neither Dad or Mother never had a

headache, and they had few illnesses. Dad did have a prostate operation, and Mother

for a a blood clot. Mother always wore pretty hats to church. I think I mentioned

earlier that after Mom and Dad were married, Mother worked in a millinery store

making fancy hats in Cleveland.


[top photo: Mother's 100th Birthday - November 29th, 1982 Verona, George, Mother, John, Rosella, and Rodney]

[bottom photo; Grandchildren and Great-Grand Children
Mother's 100th Birthday At the Holiday Inn in Delaware, Ohio]

It Started With These Two (p.67)

[corresponds to page 65 in It Started with These Two]

in the summer of 1939, Rod came home from O.U. and got a summer job

working at the downtown Kroger store, 5th Street or Government Square. I worked

at Sears. On Sundays, we went to church, ate lunch at Mills Cafeteria on 4th Street,

and with a Sunday street car pass, rode west almost to the Indiana and Ohio borders

and north and east as far as the tracks took us. One Sunday, Rod and I were just

visiting parks and we ended up in Ault park, way before I knew an Ault.


As we walked along the edge of the fountain, I drug my foot in the water and

laughingly said I was cleansing my soul (sole). Rodney pushed me in. He didn't seem

to think it was very funny. I got all wet and had to go home and change clothes

before we went to Youth Fellowship. After devotions and refreshments, we danced

the Big Apple and the Lambeth Walk.


As for the other members of the family, John had married Velma in

Columbus. Bob and Bernie , who were married in 1936, now had a a boy they

named Robbie. They lived in Athens. George was still looking for Etta.

Rodney was still at Ohio University and dating Ruth. Verona was

still in Hughes High School. She graduated in June, 1940.


I was going to Miller's Business College. I really didn't want to be a secretary,

but shorthand and typing helped me later in my office jobs at Crosleys and Andre

Jergens.


Tom came in September, 1941 for the start of the fall semester. We had just

met a few weeks before Pearl harbor. I was a freshman, too, at the University of

Cincinnati.


Until I was listening to a program on WOSU, channel 34, talking about how

special education teachers and regular teachers cooperate to help special students

achieve success in the classroom, did it really dawn on me that it had been 20 years

since I was a special education teacher. At my last Easter Break in 1976, a

grandmother and uncle came in an accused me of beating their little granddaughter

and niece with a razor strap. Of course, I had never touched the child in a harmful

way, only to give her an encouraging hug. My Easter break in Florida was ruined.

They threatened to sue the principal and me. I never received an apology, but they

called the secretary and confessed it was the child's father.


[middle right photo: 6 of Us - 1943-1944 George and Rodney in the Service]

It Started With These Two (p.68)

[corresponds to page 66 in It Started with These Two]

Today, September 18, 1996, I made a start at painting. The sky and clouds

look real professional but the bridge, rocks and trees need lots of improvement.

After attending a church finance committee meeting, I agree with the

statement I just read, "Most churches seem to have more in common with big

business that they do with Jesus and His disciples." How true!


Patty Chapin, sister Verona's daughter, who lives in Tallahassee is coming to

visit the family. I had Patty in the second grade, and I had to walk on eggs to show

no preference. After Tommy died, Verona let me take Patty with me to Chicago for

6 weeks as we were living in a high rise hotel in North Lawrence. The doorman

called her princess. She's like a second daughter. Another time I had taken Patty

with me to join Virginia Dwenger Weisgirber and her little boy for lunch at Mills.

The waitress as she was pouring their milk spilled it on the table. Patty looked up at

me and said, "Mommies spill milk sometimes, too, don't they, Aunt Rosella?"


Some interesting things, I have recently read about Jesus, the Last Supper and

the Crucifixion. It was John Mark's - the writer of the second Gospel - that they

held the Last Supper, the upper room as we know it. John Mark was the son of

Mary. He and Peter ended up in Rome. He also wrote Revelations. Many feel that

his Gospel is the most accurate. The shrine of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome is one

of the most beautiful in the world. Next there was Matthew, a tax collector, who

wrote the first Gospel. It is thought that he was put to death in Persia about 20 years

after the Crucifixion. Andrew, Peter's brother, was martyred in 17 A. D. in Patrae.

James was executed by Herod Agrippa. He is the Patron Saint of Spain. Phillip and

Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew) are in the story of nothing good coming out

of Nazareth and the loaves and the fishes. They were put to death in Arabia. Thomas

was known as the skeptical one. He was supposed to have been martyred at

Mylapore. James the Less became a Bishop and was thrown from the roof of the

Temple. Jude was a carpenter and was killed. Simon, the Zealot, was killed in Persia.

Judas Iscariot came from Kerioth and was the treasurer and is the one who took 30

pieces of silver for betraying Jesus, and he was supposed to have hung himself.


All 12 disciples were so very different and with Jesus have changed the world

with peoples of every age and race. I may be wrong in what happened to the 12. Life

is such a mystery. When one is flying in a big 747 jet, one wonders what is keeping

it up, and the simple answer is, it is the resistance of air that raises the wing.


Sometimes with the ringing in my left ear it is difficult to get to sleep and I

remember some things that happened many years ago. Mary was 4 years old and the

IGA store was on Harrison Street. The Rev. Richard Burns was the pastor, and

Hallie Jo was his wife. They lived in the Methodist parsonage at 100 North Columbus

Street. It was the Rev. Burns first charge. He had been painting the parsonage and

ran over to the store for milk when Mary spotted him and in her childish voice said,

"Momma, there goes the God man." Twenty years later, her daughter Melody saw

Rev. Don Newland and made the same comment, only it was "Grandmother, there

goes the God man." When the Chapel of the Cross (the church Harold attended

It Started With These Two (p.69)

[corresponds to page 67 in It Started with These Two]

when he was at his home in Marshallville) in the Canton district was having a

mortgage burning celebration, Rev. Burns was their district superintendent. He

reminded us of the incident 30 years before.



Tonight on the 22nd, I covered up the bridge and rocks of the first painting

I started on the 18th. Harold said the bridge looked like it was falling down, and I

realized I had gotten carried away with too many big rocks in the creek. The white

paint will have to dry before I can make some changes. Maybe, a hill and a small

cottage will be next.


In January, 1983, I wrote a poem I titled "Dear Lord, I Just Want to Thank

You".


Dear Lord< I just want to thank you

For this satisfying life of mine,

And for this house I call my home

For the memories in it are so fine.


From the moment in the morning

When I rise up from my bed,

I'll trust you, Lord, to guide me,

And by You, my Savior, I'll be led.


Please watch over my friends and family,

All who are a source of pride and pleasure to me,

Keep them safe and free from harm,

For everyone is a real treasure, You see.


Thank You, too, for my parents so dear

As they taught me right from wrong,

For as they grew more precious with each new year

As they helped me to grow in love and how to be brave and strong,


So let me offer service and comfort to my fellow man,

As I travel along Your Highway, let it be my plan.

For by my own faith and by Your grace

May I reach Your kingdom some day and be able to thank you face to

face.


Before Madelyn Murray O'Hare outlawed prayer in school, the children in my classes

had 2 prayers each - their teacher 3 - at school:


Help us, Lord to be kind today,

Very kind in all our play.

Make us helpful, make us strong,

Show us what is right and wrong,

These things, Lord, we ask of Thee,

So that a better world there will be.

It Started With These Two (p.70)

[corresponds to page 68 in It Started with These Two]

God is great; God is good.

And we thank Him for our food.

By His Goodness we all are fed.

We thank the Lord for our daily bread.


And my prayer before school was "The Teacher" by Leslie Hill:


Lord, who am I to teach the way to these little children day by day,

When I am so prone myself to go astray.

Though I teach them love for all mankind

And for all of God's creatures and yet I find,

Sometimes my own love comes lagging far behind.

So, if their guide I still may be

Lord, oh let the little children see

Their teacher leaning hard on Thee.


Brother John once asked if I thought about going into the ministry. And

brother Robert said when I pray I sound like my Aunt Ora who was always very

specific. I don't think God wants a general canned prayer.


Maybe I should explain something about how children are eligible for a special

class. Those with below a 50 I.Q. are in the County program and normally attend

school the year round. For 8 summers Mary helped me teach these children in

Franklin County. For 16 years I taught those with a 50 to 75 I.Q. in the Public School

program and were mainstreamed for music and physical education. In the spring of

1974 a little 8 year old girl named Debbie Shaw contracted encephalitis and died in

Children's Hospital. The custodian Eddie Birchem helped the children accept her

death by giving a very loving talk and removing the flowers that we had placed on

her desk and removing them both.


A little boy named Jerry Wally was frightened by a dog and climbed to the top

of the slide and fell off and broke his arm. This happened at Bainbridge and another

second grade boy named Jerry Williams did the same thing on the Galena

playground. Bobby Slack fell and cut his leg wading in the creek on the last day of

school. These were the 3 most serious accidents during the 30 years that I taught.


This summer had definitely not been a good summer and fall for sister

Verona, who broke her hip on July 3rd, and her husband Carl. Yesterday when she

and I came home from breakfast, the emergency and fire trucks were in the drive.

Carl takes so much pride in the home. He was down at the creek repairing his foot

bridge when he fell into the water and hit his head. He was able to get to the house

to call 911. They kept him overnight at Grady after stitching and cleaning him up.

The kitchen was a mess when we went in later that night. We think the personnel at

Grady Hospital are very caring and loving.


Winter came in early this year. We had 32 degrees for 2 mornings and Harold

covered the tomatoes. The pumpkin vines still had blossoms on them. One time

It Started With These Two (p.71)

[corresponds to page 69 in It Started with These Two]

when Mary and Tom were home from Florida, Mary said, "Mom, you have every tree

almost but no Buckeye." Well, we remedied that. This year we bought two Buckeyes.

We do have over 100 evergreens, willows, burning bush, peach, dogwood, oak, maple,

tulip, sycamore, elm, walnut, smoke tree, Osage orange, and grape vines with the

evergreen close to the house so I don't have to worry about a tree falling on the roof

or having to rake leaves.


Dennis' firm sent Melody, the twins and Brittny with him to Ashville, North

Carolina for Dennis's job. He is a whiz at computers as well as being a good father.

For Christmas, 1989, 5 days after Brittny and a twin sister Stephanie were born, we

flew Tom and Mary to Honolulu. We missed being with them for Christmas, but we

knew Dennis and Melody needed some family support. Stephanie died Dec. 13th,

and she was cremated. They have her ashes in a little gold teddy bear. I think I've

mentioned before they are such good young loving parents.


If one notices there are so many twins being born today. My nephew William

and his wife Kathleen in January 1993 had twins, a boy and a girl. Our own

granddaughter had twins in December 1989 and again 1993. A minister laughingly

explained that in this hectic world today they were afraid to come in alone.


In the summer or 1947, Genieve Cole, Mother and Dad organized the

Delaware County Historical Society. On October 2, 1996, Brother Bob, Carl

Verona and I visited the East William Street house and museum.


When I was president of the Past Grand Appointed officers in 1991, Karen

Bartholmew and Virginia were the program. I wrote a poem for the luncheon. It is

titled "This I Pledge".


If I could give you what I'd like today,

Only happiness I would bring,

Enough to last the whole year through.

I would make it wonderful - some precious thing,

Flawless, beautiful and everlasting,

But this we mortals cannot give,

So I pledge to you instead

A perpetual friendship, one that' true,

Strong enough to span all the years that lie ahead.

I will try to make it shine and keep it wisdom-fed.


Music has been a important part of our lives. We have always had a piano

or organ in our home and every once in a while I think I'll start taking lessons again.

While waiting for Harold to finish dressing on Sunday morning for church, I'll play

2 hymns, one for Dad, "The Little Brown Church in the Wildwood" and for Mother,

"In the Sweet By and By." These were their favorites. A year after Dad died, Mother

furnished the church bulletins and said the 3 places Dad like best were Farm

Bureau Council, the Grange, and his church and that he was always a good example

and influence for his family. Mother was likewise. Her favorite expression was, "If

It Started With These Two (p.72)

[corresponds to page 70 in It Started with These Two]

you can't say something good about that person, don't say it."


We went with Melody on a visit with

Brittny to the All children's Hospital in

January, 1994, in St. Petersburg, Florida. The

doctor asked her to raise her left leg, and she

did quickly and then to raise her right leg and

she said, "I can't". Again he said to raise your

right leg, and she took her two hands and

pulled it up and the doctor laughed and said,

"Brittny, that is cheating." The doctor said she

was too frail for an operation. There is an

expression that some have a sound mind but a

weak back. Thank heavens, this is the case with

Brittny. She is so loveable and the twin are so

mischievous.


The doctor at the Trippler Army

Hospital in Hawaii called Brittny their million

dollar baby.


We continually express our appreciation,

to Melody and Dennis for being such good

young parents.


Harold reminded me that instead of 6 bags of shelled corn we need 12 since

we have 14 geese now instead of 9. We do not have good luck in raising them, as

wild animals raid their nests and eat the geese and also they kill our young ones.

We have to put boards across the bottom step to the deck to keep the geese from

coming up on the deck.


On Mother's 100th birthday (November 29, 1982) we held a celebration at the

Delaware Hotel. Ken Mackley took the pictures that turned out very well. Verona

stayed with Mother for 4 days at the hotel. Mother was in a wheelchair but really

enjoyed meeting her church and Grange friends plus being with the family. The

family and Dad were so important to her. Our Mary and Melody flew up from

Florida, and I think only 1 or 2 of the 16 grandchildren weren't able to make it.


This year Jim Thorpe plowed and got the ground ready for the garden. We

enjoyed acorn squash, tomatoes, green peppers, melons and a few pumpkins. At this

late date in the first part of October, they have lots of blossoms on the vines. We

have one quart of beets and 6 quarts of salsa and 4 quarts of tomato juice which we'll

carry to Florida. The salsa makes wonderful chili.


When I was younger and more energetic, I brought rocks from our creek in

a wheelbarrow to make a wall at the edge of the drive. When our niece Patty asked


[top right photo: Brother John - 13 years old]

It Started With These Two (p.73)

[corresponds to page 71 in It Started with These Two]

if she could do anything, her Uncle Harold said she could carry the rocks back to the

creek.


In 1991 when Harold and I were Worthy Matron and Patron of Columbia

Chapter of Eastern Stars and Sunbury was celebrating its 175th year, we were

privileged to plant a tree on the east side of the town square.


Yesterday I started painting a picture of our large rocks, house, and Harold's

66' shed. It is clear full of bicycles, a motorcycle, lawn mowers, his power tools,

tractors, flower pots and extra doors from a house he tore down. There is a pet

electric fence that Harold put inside the wire fence to keep in the 2 Dalmatians that

we used to have.


My second "Joy of Painting" was anything but a joy. It was a disaster. Even

though I took the easel out and hung it on the stepladder, the perspective was all

wrong. The house took up too much room for Harold's 66' shed. There was no way

I could show all of the evergreens along the drive and around the house on the large

deck. Next time, it will be just a nature scene.


The pictures of John on the swing and the boys with their pony and cart give

a good indication of the fun we had in growing up. We always had an old plow horse

to ride. Not a whole lot of money, but lots of love.


Four of us took off for a Florida vacation, Harold was still working. It was

Gladys Collins, Bernice Morgan, Gladys Miller and myself. We took the usual route

77 to 301 into Bradenton. After a week Gladys Miller got sick and had to fly home.

The three of us came up through Plains, Georgia, and Gladys Collins and Bernice

Morgan got to get their pictures taken with Rosalind and President Jimmy Carter.

I wasn't so lucky since I'm the camera man. We attended church services and Jimmy

taught the Sunday School class. He teaches 36 Sundays ouy of the year. Lots of time

he is with Habitat for Humanity building homes for low income families.


In the early 1980's I had read 3 books by Joyce Landorf. They were "The

Stubborn Heart", "I came to know You too Late" and "Irregular People". Dusting the

book shelves in our downstairs library, I came across them again. Her thoughts seem

so ever new as well as Max Lucado's books "He Still Moves Stones"

and "No Wonder They Call Him Savior".


Much of my reading and knitting gets done as I sit in my chair beside Harold's

in the evening as he watches the rough police shows on T.V. He especially likes "Law

and Order" and "Walker", and I like "Touched by an Angel" and any show without

so much violence. In David Roper's "A Beacon in the Darkness" there is a very

profound short statement. - "God's words spoken in quiet confidence moves heaven

and earth." Another inspiration book is "The Cry of a Passionate Heart" by David

Roper. Another thought by Roper is "Without a preoccupation with worship we have

nothing to give a cynical, unhappy, unsettled world. Only God can bring salvation to

our world."

It Started With These Two (p.74)

[corresponds to page 72 in It Started with These Two]

Verona's husband Carl was able to come home this afternoon, October 15,

1996. He realizes he can't do all the repairing, mowing and other things around the

house that he could do when he was younger. Age does seem to have a way of

catching up with us and causing us to change our life styles.


I've mentioned him before but probably called him Uncle Ernest. He was a

licensed veterinarian, and specialized in fixing horses' teeth. About 1945 he wrote

a pamphlet entitled "My 3 Score Years of Experience." It is not dated, so if he were

born in 1885, I figured it must be in the middle 40's. He mentions T.V.'s. His life was

so different than my father's. When he was in his late teens he painted the 2 gold

crosses above St. Mary' s Catholic Church in Delaware. He left his wife Ora, daughter

Nina and sons Frances and Harold at Mom and Dad's for over a year while he went

to get his degree. Can you imagine cooking for 4 extra persons plus your own 4 boys

and a husband? Dad said Mother never once complained. We still don't know how

she could memorize so many Bible verses, especially Proverbs. Maybe that is what

kept her sweet and happy with so much physical labor. Most people, they say, don't

get sick from what they eat but what's eating them. Hard work that has a purpose

doesn't seem hard. Long hours of courses taken for additional credit or degrees all

had a reason. One Wednesday evening in 1965, I was in the parking lot of Arps Hall

for a course in writing a thesis when I fell on the ice. As I lay there with no help,

I said, "God, what am I dong here? I really don't have to write that paper." The

straw that almost broke the camel's back was when about 30 of us gathered outside

a room on the 2nd floor. No professor had been assigned to teach the course. One

young student actually reached the president home and really being very angry said

the college had let him sign up for the course at 5 P.M. that same evening. You can

be sure a professor was lined up for the following Wednesday evening. As it turned

out I really didn't need the course. My advisor, Mr. Calvin, said it was too much of

an Indictment of the State Education Department and had me do a study of

mongolism.


On Father's Day about 5 years ago, I bought Harold a wooden mother pig and

a baby pig. Our brother-in-law Jake Ward gave him a front and back end of a cow,

and now they need painting. As I was finished using the black enamel paint after

putting the lid on and hammering it down, it sprayed all over my face and neck and

on the side of the blouse I was wearing. Turpentine took it off but what an oily smell.


Harold's family raised steers and hogs which they took to the Wayne County

Fair in Wooster. Our family raised sheep and Jersey cows. After high school Harold

went to work at the mill in Marshallsville. One day he decided to crack a book

instead of his back so he went to college in Wooster and graduated in accounting.

That is how he came to Sunbury and was hired by Dale Bailey, the Landmark

manager, in April, 1956. Zelma Young, who was the secretary, persuaded him to join

The Knights of Pythias, and the Pythian Sisters where we met. Earl Duston, who

worked for George, and he became good friends.


As they say "you can take a person out of the country but you can't take the

love of the country out of that person, especially boys". Harold likes almost nothing

It Started With These Two (p.75)

[corresponds to page 73 in It Started with These Two]

better than to be out on his John Deere tractor on a brisk fall or spring day. Since

so many elm trees died from a blight, there are lots of small trees to cut down and

haul to the brush pile. I like gardening, lawn mowing, making crafts for my family

and friends and trying out new recipes from the farm magazines. A new one is with

bulk sausage, onions green peppers, shredded potatoes, canned mushrooms and

mushroom soup.


About a week before Memorial Day we buy trays of flowers from Raymond

Bryant and make our way with peat moss and shovels and decorate the graves of our

friends and relatives at Condit, Sunbury, Marlboro and Oak Grove in Delaware. At

the last Memorial Day in 1996, we decorated 18 graves. We realize they are not

really there but it does so much for us to just be able to trim the evergreens that we

have planted and plant new plants each year. This afternoon we are taking a new

evergreen to Marlboro Cemetery for brother Jame's grave. For some reason it has

died.


The family seems to like Pumpkin Bread or Zucchini Bread. This recipe from

Chapel of the Cross cookbook is easy and makes 3 nice size loaves. Here are the

ingredients. 3 eggs, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup oil, 2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups of flours, 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. soda, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp.

nutmeg, 1 cup of nuts, 1 cup raisins, 2 cups pumpkin or zucchini cooked and put

through my salad shooter. All the ingredients are mixed together and put into 3

oiled loaf pans. Cook about 35 or 40 minutes at 350 degrees. I have altered it a bit by using

brown sugar instead of the their recipe of of only 2 cups of white sugar. I found it was

tastier and that is what cooking is all about to make things the best they can be.


This is the first year that Harold and I have both been retired so that we can

attend the Pumpkin Show in Circleville. The Shriners are in the 8 P.M. parade on

Friday evening. It rained continually all day so we hope to be able to go in 1997. The

Shriners do so much good with their Burn and Cripple Children's Hospital. In 1993

Melody and Dennis took our little great-granddaughter Brittny to the Tampa

Hospital and had the spastic muscles in both legs cut so she can stand flat footed

on both feet. I feel so much pain when she says, "Grandmother, I want to stand up"

and yet she still isn't able to walk and uses as she tells it her "motorized chair". She

has such a sweet disposition. We love her family dearly. Only 1 other little boy in a

wheelchair is in her regular 1st grade class at Oneco School.


Some of the things that families like to know about their parents relationship

can best be conveyed in some letters Father sent to Mother on his trip around the

world with Teddy Roosevelt's Great White Fleet. Dad, born June 16, 1881, and

Mother, born November 29, 1882, were not impulsive teenagers. They were married

on August 29, 1909. Dad would have been 18 and Mother 27.


Mother's brother Hartley had died, and Mother was still at home to help her

parents in their grieving, Grandfather or Pap Bishop felt sad because he had sent

Hartley west to buy some Merino sheep. I have always liked sheep and as I have

mentioned before had 100 breeding ewes when I lived on the farm at Waverly.

It Started With These Two (p.76)

[corresponds to page 74 in It Started with These Two]

Maybe I had inherited his love, also for horses.


Dad's mother Christina Main was living on the farm on what was then known

as the Marion Road, just north of the Main Road with his maiden sister Rosina who

was in a wheelchair following a stroke. They tried to tell him he'd have expenses and

babies and he told them he truly hoped so.


At one time there were hitching rails in front of the formerly located

Marlboro Church. Grandpa Bishop said there will always be people coming with

horses and buggies to their church. He would be so hurt since no one comes even in

cars to the wonderful Memorial Day services with little children carrying flags and

peonies to decorate the soldiers' graves. Now Memorial Day is for races and cook-

outs. Many just can't find the time or inclination to attend Memorial Services. Our

Sunbury services are such an inspiration. In 1906 Larry and Rachel Edward's son

gave a very short but impressive speech. Ed Hoke had been the leader for 25 years

and now the America Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars take turns in heading

up and preparing the program. Fewer and fewer Legion members and Lions Club

members are able to attend., Dutch Strosnider and brother George were always

attending.


It makes me sad when I see someone desecrating or burning the flag when i

realize how many loyal Americans have given their lives to protect our freedom.


On Saturday, October 19, we went up to the Chapel of the Cross bazaar. This

in the church Harold attended when he was at home. It was before the merger with

a United Brethren Church. The women of the church, starting in February, begin

making crafts. This year I found beautifully decorated T-shirts and other things. We

bought Carl two bales of straw that the Roberts' had brought in for sale to cover his

strawberry plants. The women put them in large trash bags. They were happy that

they came south with Harold.


When we were young, on some hot Sunday afternoons sometimes we rode our

bicycles to Ashley about 7 miles from our home on Horseshoe Road to play in a

dance band and to get ice cream cones. I remember when the fair was held at

Ashley, and I baked cakes and we took live stock there before taking the calves to

the Ohio State Fair. Brother Bob said yesterday he remembers going with Papa

Bishop taking 8 registered Percherons for 10 days to the Ohio State Fair.


In the summer of 1947 Genieve Cole, her son Joe, a Delaware real estate

broker, and Mom and Dad organized the first Delaware County Historical Society.

In 1997 it will 50 be years and I hope there can be some celebration and we can give

the Society a large painting of the old Blue Church that was painted in 1970 for

Mother and Dad for their house in Florida as a Christmas present. Will Cleveland

is the artist who painted the picture.


On Tuesday, October 22, 1994, Louise Whipkey, Gladys Collins and I joined

some 4000 other enthusiastic people at a rally for Senator Bob Dole. I was at Rikes

It Started With These Two (p.77)

[corresponds to page 75 in It Started with These Two]

gym in Westerville. Many had to be kept outside and heard and saw by remote.

Governor Voinovich and John Kasich spoke. Some disgruntled Clinton fans even

held a small group outside. I saw a sign on the way home from the North Lawrence

Church on Saturday which read, "Why would a Christian vote for Bill Clinton?" my

sentiments exactly.


About 5 years ago Harold and I had Living Wills made. I reminded Harold

this morning that they should go with us as we drive to Florida. Sweet and loving

families get emotional and might use extraordinary measures to keep a dying or

injured person alive but not really living.


Since videos have come in our slide projector has seen little use. Most of the

pictures of Mary taken when she was small were either by Olan Mills or on our 8mm

camera. She has both the film and the projector and asked that I bring our large

screen to Florida. Harold also took lots of slide pictures. That is one of the 16 items

on the list to pack.


Mary had a large red Chow dog we called Patsy. Our lawn at Waverly was

large with 7 maple trees and on nice days she would be in her play pen and I would

be studying for courses at either Ohio University branch in Chillicothe or

correspondence courses or on campus courses. When neighbor children would come

in the yard., Patsy wouldn't let them near Mary until I said it was O.K. Patsy was

killed by a car on the road in front of the house, and we had to have a funeral, grave

and a cross.


In our family dogs seemed to be preferred to cat. I have lots of pictures with

Harold and the 2 Dalmatians that died. Since I have a loud continuous ringing in my

left ear much of my thoughts are being written down during the night time hours. It

is difficult to sleep.


When the Methodist Church was built on the corner of 3 and 36/37, Harold

purchased the stained glass window on the right of the altar in memory and honor

of our parents. Mary Hervey bought the window on the left in memory of the

Herveys.


In Florida we have a very friendly Christian Church in the park and Bible

study weekly, but I miss the folks at Sunbury. When the weather cools in Ohio, it

likewise seems to cool off in Florida. One Christmas Eve, we had snow flakes and

a low of 33 degrees.


Some people who live year round in Florida tell me they now miss the season

changes in Ohio. Dad used to say they went to Florida for the winter and they

generally found it.


I was blessed with great parents and 4 wonderful brothers and a sister.


Brother John was a statistician with the Ohio Welfare Department and was

It Started With These Two (p.78)

[corresponds to page 76 in It Started with These Two]

instrumental in getting the I.G.A. Store started in Sunbury and later in Johnstown.

They live in Scottsdale, Arizona in the winter.


Brother George managed the I. G. A. Store and at his death had 15 horses

that ran at Scioto Downs and the County Fairs.


Brother Robert was a Medical Doctor for many years before moving from a

farm in Athens County growing evergreen trees, later into Athens and recently into

an apartment at Friendship Village in Dublin.


Brother Rodney worked for the department of taxation for the State of Ohio

and was very active in the Walnut Hills Masonic Lodge, Past Master and their

Secretary for over 30 years preparing and mailing out over 800 newsletters a month

with the help of his wife, Ruth.


Sister Verona obtained a Real Estate License in March 1956 and worked in

Johnstown for Brian Scofield before moving to Florida after her son Robert was

killed on October the 19th, 1959. She cared for Dad as his favorite nurse after he

had his stroke in October of 1971. She took Mother to spend the winters in Florida

with her.


We had exceptionally good neighbors, as we do now, when we lived on

Harrison Street - the Andersons, Clara Smith, Margarite Williamson, Ida Gammel,

Ilo Owens, Lockie Norman, but especially Hattie and Theodore Sparks. We lived side

by side for 17 years and we never had cross words. Our children respected each

others property and didn't make paths through like they did in later years. Luretta

Day lived just across on High Street. Many times I'd pick her up to sub in either

Sunbury or Galena schools. Hattie was one of my officers in 1965 and again in 1991.


Four women you could count on were Dorothy Owen, Mary Hervey, Mary

Cring and Hattie Sparks. They were great friends. On the 4th of July, 1995, Theodore

was 75, and Harold presented him with a Kentucky Colonel's badge and certificate.

These are given for worthwhile family lives and are a great honor since not too many

are handed out by the Governor of Kentucky. Theodore and Hattie move to Florida

to be with their daughter Vonda. The two deer standing in our yard were at one time

at 412 Perfect Drive. Theodore, Hattie and Vonda came up from Venice on March

2, 1995, to our Sunbury Day in Bradenton at the Olive Garden. Church ties are

strong and so are lodge and chapter ties. We were saddened when Theodore died

this summer, and we made a donation to the First Baptist Church building fund in

his memory.


I am looking forward to the installation of officers for Eastern Star on

November 30. Also on the 4th of December the Ruth Circle trip to Der Dutchman

up on 71 and the December 7th Christmas on the Square. I also have a luncheon for

about 22 - 24 friends just before we leave for Florida. They seem to like taco's that

they fix themselves and cookies and ice cream for dessert.

It Started With These Two (p.79)

[corresponds to page 77 in It Started with These Two]

We used to have monthly birthday parties for the Saturday morning Sunbury

friends; but with some moving and others dying, we just don' seem to have the heart

to celebrate any more.


Tom Tibbits and his mother Bessie came to the funeral in Cincinnati of his

son and her grandson. It was held around the corner from my apartment at the

Faucett Whiting Funeral Home. The Faucetts had the home, too, on East William

Street across from the Rutherford B. Hayes, small marker. Our grandmother

Christina Schaub Main was buried from the Faucett Funeral Home. She is buried

with her parents and sister at Oak Grave Cemetery in Delaware in April, 1933.

Tommy was buried on a lot belonging to my parents on January 31, 1947. Family

friends from Delaware asked to have the casket opened, and I remember seeing snow

flakes falling in on his tiny body. As I mentioned before this was a Saturday, and we

were in church on Sunday. Strong Christian parents, relatives, and friends helped me

survive and also a good position to return to and night classes at the University of

Cincinnati helped me to keep my sanity.


I finished reading "Who Moved the Stone" by Frank Morrison, an English

journalist who was at first skeptical about Jesus as the Messiah and His resurrection.

At the end he presents some very convincing arguments as to its authenticity and

truthfulness. It reminds me each time as I drive in our driveway with the large stone.

The stone is so large that many years ago brother George and Harold used 2 tractors

and lifts to bring it out of the hole and were unsuccessful, but it took Roy

Facemeyers with his heavy equipment to lift it out of the hole and bring it up to the

drive. Harold tells me that was my birthday present last year. Bill Fisher used to

tease us about the other big stone, from a replaced bridge, on the other side of the

driveway.


Did you ever try to peel a pumpkin? Harold in his subtle way said he thought

the largest pumpkin would make a good pie. Well, I cut my thumb twice, and I tried

so hard to cut away, cutting it up in small chunks. It still took 4 hours to become soft.

It looked so pale, but I assured Harold with some brown sugar, eggs and spices it

would look like his mother's pumpkin pies - almost.


Genevieve Beaver gave me a recipe using pumpkin, yellow cake mix, milk,

eggs, sugar, spices, butter and nuts which helped to use up the extra pumpkin mix,

and I believe I prefer it to the regular pumpkin pie. You don't have the worry of a

bad crust or it getting too brown.


Mother and Dad started going to Florida and bought a mobile home in the

Bradenton Trailer Park in the early 60's. they followed Verona and her family there.

On October 19, 1959, their oldest child Robert, 16 years old, was killed out on

Hartford Road not too far from their home on 605. They left Ohio in the summer

of 1960 and bought a home in Bradenton. The Howard Warners lived in Bradenton,

too, also other Ohio and 605 friends. In our Trailer Estates you'll find the Bells,

Mains, Ghents, Heils, Laytons, Mosleys, Evans, Hatfields and some renters from the

Sunbury area.

It Started With These Two (p.80)

[corresponds to page 78 in It Started with These Two]

In the early part of the '90's Harold and I were active in the Lions Club,

our church, Scottish Rite, Delaware Shrine Club, Masons and the Stars,

and the Kingston Grange.


During the same time I was appointed the District 11 Heart Representative

to tell those members in the 15 Chapters in the 4 counties of Logan,

Union, Marion, and Delaware about Heart Research and to earn money

to support these projects.


The Big Walnut Area Church Women united with 7 local churches joining

together to promote Christian Fellowship and help local organizations like People

in Need and Friends Who Share. We meet 3 times a year on the first Friday in

March, May and November. After my stroke in December of 1955, Barbara

Hartman is now the president.


In November of 1993 the Delaware Pomona Grange chartered a bus for the


[top left photo: Harold and Rosella in Hong Kong, China, with the the Lions Club - 1969]

[top right photo: Dutch Strosnider, Harold and Rosella Ault with the Lions Club in Mexico City, July 1985]

[bottom photo: Lions Club at Atlantic City Kenny Crowl, George Main, Lorraine Crowl, Etta Main, Rosella Ault, Harold Ault]

It Started With These Two (p.81)

[corresponds to page 79 in It Started with These Two]

127th National Grange Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, and I received the 6th and

7th Grange Degrees.


It was in September of 1995, which was the 50th anniversary of the Little

Brown Jug when I planned and designed the Delaware County Pomona Grange

Booth. Our Kingdom Grange with the Assistance of the Ashley Grange were

responsible for its being in place. Harlan Hall was the judge and gave us a perfect

score.


In December of 1995 Kingston Grange disbanded. Such good Grange

members as Frank Daily, Cliff Boyd, Orville Tuller, Joseph Bartok, mother and Dad

had died and the grange members were no longer able to get out to the

meetings.


For my 75th birthday in November of 1995, Carl and my sister, Verona, had

a very nice surprise party for me with family, neighbors and card playing friends.

There was cake, ice cream and gifts.


On Harold's birthday, my birthday and on our anniversary we eat steak at the

Branding Iron on Stratford Road in Delaware. We really don't eat out much as I

like to cook especially for the family and friends.


Our Mary was always saying things to get me into hot water. One morning

in going up the old post office steps (where Ed Savor has his antique store) she

asked a maiden school teacher "Lady, do you smoke cigarettes?" And the lady said,

"No, I don't and why do ask?" At another time in June of 1965 2 Eastern Star

women met us at the Masonic Temple to see how to serve refreshments and to make

the coffee and when we got home that afternoon, I didn't know that Mary was

listening and I told Harold that I didn't think they even knew how to boil water. The

next Sunday at church she asked if these 2 women were the ones who didn't know

how to boil water.


One day when I went out to list some real estate properties we stopped at

Burton Richardson's and she asked him "Man, why don't you shave?" He wasn't

offended by her question and later I helped him study for an Ohio Real Estate

License and he and my broker opened up an office in Centerburg, called

the Heart of Ohio. Burton died from a heart attack out in his barn yard. Harold,

Mary and I went to Morelands Funeral Home in Centerburg for his calling hours.

Carl, after his fall from his foot bridge and his 10 day hospital stay, has had

to go back to Grady for pneumonia and then to Arbors for rehab. He is such a good

man and nice neighbor.


Getting our garden in late, the pumpkins came on and there were blossoms

on them still when we had the first frost. They tell me if one seeds the pumpkin, an

easy way to cook them is to bake them in the oven, scoop out the pulp and run it

through a sieve. We will see.

It Started With These Two (p.82)

[corresponds to page 80 in It Started with These Two]

Sunday evening, the 2 quarts started working, and I emptied it out in a

sauce pan. It smelled terrible, and I eventually dumped it in the trash

bag. So much effort for nothing to show for it. Yesterday, I tried again.

This time cooking it on the stove, cut in small pieces and peeled it,

and now its being frozen in the top of the refrigerator.


Yesterday morning, too, after getting up early, I finished my 3rd

painting. It is of the Old Blue Church, I had Will Cleveland's painting

to go by. I've taken the easel and paints and packed them for Florida.

On our kitchen table is a list of things to go to Bradenton. Since the

family is in Florida, our car is always packed full with gifts, etc.


I'm reading a book by Lenard LeSourd, Catherine Marshall's second

husband, titled "A Cloud Walk". We especially liked the T.V. show

based on her book "Christy". "A closer Walk is so inspirational and

up lifting. she died March 18, 1987.


[top right photo: Spring of 1997]

[middle left photo: Blue Church - Spring 1997]

[bottom photo: Pictures Spring 1996]

It Started With These Two (p.83)

[corresponds to page 81 in It Started with These Two]

Today is the day the retired Whittier school teachers have lunch at the

Ponderrosa in Westerville. Many of them have either died or become too disabled to

attend, but it's always nice to see those who can.


I think I've mentioned ealier about taking 3 Westerville friends to Florida

and then coming home through Plains, Georgia, and listening to former President

Jimmy Carter teach Sunday School.


Maybe I should explain more about my marriage to Tom Tibbitts. His father

was George Tibbitts, a secretary to the President of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

and a painter with pictures in the New York Art Gallery. We have 2 hanging on our

walls. Tom's mother was Bessie Palmer Tibbitts and had an executive position with

Kodak in Rochester. As a little country girl, I was probably intimidated by their social

standing in the community. We named our son Thomas Palmer Tibbitts II. Tom was

an only child sent to Cincinnati University to get an education where we met.

[top photo: Pictures 1996 in Trailer in Florida]

[bottom photo; Bernice Morgan, Rosilyn Carter, president Jimmy Carter, Gladys Collins Plains, Georgia, March 15th, 1992]

It Started With These Two (p.84)

[corresponds to page 82 in It Started with These Two]

In the early 80's I took a driver's test to secure a CDL, commercial driver's

license, to drive a bus for Hickory Knoll and later for Head Start. It was also

necessary to pass a Red Cross course on CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver. In the

early 60's I had also taken the course, and we had no thought of AIDS when we did

the mouth to mouth resuscitation. Now precautions are taken. Laura Jean, Leo and

Jerry Young's mother was in the class at Berkshire Township house. These health

saving techniques remind me of the little boy named Ora Elliott that had a seizure

in my second grade class at Bainbridge. After talking with the mother, she said she

guessed she should have warned me but was afraid I wouldn't love him like the other

children if I knew. Maybe now college courses deal with such things but not then.


Last evening Margaret Garee and I attended a meeting in Shelby, Ohio, on

closing Camp Wesley and Camp Zimmerman. Somebody used his power to do so.

Now only because someone made a motion at the '96 Annual Conference to delay

it and such meetings are to be held with 20 present plus the committee. This seemed

a bit like locking the barn door after the horse runs away.


Coming home about 10 P. M. from Delaware in my van, after driving a bus,

as I leaned over to change radio stations, I must have gone onto the berm. A

highway patrol stopped me and asked if I had been drinking. That was on the west

side of Alum Creek. This same night I hit and killed a deer 36/37 at the Bent

Tree Country Club. It shattered the front end of the van, but thank heaven for

Nationwide and Glenn Evans Insurance.


I have so many wonderful memories. My family were so loving and so full of

support. As I may have said before when I would question Dad how he never gave

up on me, he would just say we love and serve those we love. My parents were real

parents. My 4 brothers, John, George, Robert and Rodney and my sister Verona,

might have thought I had made a mess of my life but they never told me so.


It is funny how many things that happened long ago keep returning. Each

time I come across 521 and the I-71 bridge I remember how worried I was when

Mary and Rita Young still hadn't gotten back to the barn on Centerburg Road. On

a Sunday afternoon they had ridden our 2 horses over to Edwards, (just this side of

Kilbourne) for a Horse Show. It began to get dark so we got into the truck and

found the two girls on the west side of the bridge because the light of the freeway

scared the horses and they refused to cross the freeway until we put burlap bags over

their eyes and we led them across. The story of the woman having her horse killed

near Kilbourne brought it all back again and what might have happened.


When I went to pick up Mary at the Old Chillicothe Hospital and how she

grabbed hold of my little finger and held on. She was just 2 days old.


I remember Brother Rodney when he was in the second grade and I was in

kindergarten at the old West School and he was riding me on his bike down the

William Street hill and Dad and brother John saw us.

It Started With These Two (p.85)

[corresponds to page 83 in It Started with These Two]

Playing in the band at Governor Davis' inauguration. It was very cold

January day.


I remember our Sunday afternoons with family and friends. Especially the

Sunday when they took pictures of 13 on the Ford.


I remember the day in 1987 that Ned Foreman and Harold stood on a little

mound of dirt where our house now stands. Virgil and Nellie Hickson gave us a

plaque that says "Sweet Country Home" and the night the Grange and Rev.

Klempnaurer came for a dinner and the minister blessed our house.


Since our marriage in 1959, Harold's dad had died, Bobby Miller, Melody and

Dennis twin baby girl, Stephania, Mother and Dad, Mary and Bud Hervey, Dan and

Betty Mackley, Harold's mother, Ruth, Brother Rodney, Brother George, Gladys

Miller, Bea Tharp, Lockie Norman, Lillie Kempton, Emogene Bell and Etta Main,

also Cecil Norman, and life goes on but we do miss their presence.


Our minister, Rev. Gene Taylor and his wife, Shirley, retired to their home

at Dresden, Ohio, at the East Ohio Conference held at lakeside in June of 1997,

after 5 years here.


Rev. Suzanne and David Hill are the new ministers. We wish for them and

their family only good things in the future.


In 1960 Mary and I started sending $15.00 a month to the Christian Childrens

Fund for a little Indian Girl in New Mexico named "Pretty Paint". She sent us

interesting letters about her home life and her school work. In 1968, when Helen

Allen, Harold's mother Ruth, Harold and I went west we stopped and visited with

the family. The father was tending sheep, the mother spinning wool, Pretty Paint was

to watch her little brother. Her hair was dark and braided and her dress red and

purple velvet and she was wearing blue tennis shoes. Harold took a picture of Helen

Allen and me holding the baby with Pretty Paint. We sent money west she

graduated from High School and got married. I am looking for that picture.


Brother Rodney's granddaughter, Kristy Main, the daughter of Mark and

Linda Main, recently sent me a picture of Rodney and me taken with a Mrs.

Carpenter, on our back porch steps at the house on Horseshoe Road. Mrs.

Carpenter came to our home and took care of mother as a live-in.


My brother John should be given lots of credit for helping us and encouraging

us to get a good education, along with mother and Dad. Every day I thank God for

my family and loved ones.


When we were at Dennis and Melodys, Harold took a picture of the four

generations of women for me to send back to the church for the Mothers Day

dinner.

It Started With These Two (p.86)

[corresponds to page 84 in It Started with These Two]

When we are in Florida we like to have Brittny spend the week-ends with us

and go to church at the park on Sunday morning. We generally meet Dennis and

Melody and the twins for lunch. Brittny told her mother that "only old people go to

church." That is especially true in our park where one has to be 55 or older to live

there.


Two Turtle Doves tried to build a nest between the 2 outside lights. They tell

me that Turtle Doves mate for life and that is a happy thought.


We went with Brittny, Melody and Mary to an open installation of the

Bradenton Eastern Stars. It is a bit different than ours in Ohio but sill reverent and

beautiful.


I like to take pictures of Harold mowing our lawn on New Years Day and

send them north. We have lots of trimming to do, windows to wash when we are in

a mobile home. Harold likes to go to the recreation hall for bingo on Wednesday

and Sunday evenings and I like ceramics, crafts and Bible study and the teacher get-

togethers.


The life style in Florida is so different. Our park is caring and look out for

one another and laid hack. In the north there are so many meetings to attend yard

work to be done and trips into town. We do lots walking and the shops and

grocery stores are near by in Bradenton.


We did have a lot of excitement when a man by the name of Larry Creech

was holding the sheriffs at bay for 4 hours saying he had dynamite strapped to his

body and was going to blow himself up. We made NBC, CBS, and ABC evening

news. The swat team took him to a mental hospital.


I finished my painting of the Chambers Road bridge. I'm not going to enter

it in the Art show at the park on Sunday, the 9th. Our Mary told me she was proud

of my art work but that I probably never would be famous like Grand Ma Moses.


Ruth and Frank Fisher went with us to Ruskin to visit Arlie and Virginia

Hammons. I had hope to stop at the Coffee Cup Restaurant where Mother and Dad

and Verona liked to eat in the 70's but they convinced me that it had deteriorated

and wasn't clean like it was earlier and so the best I got was a picture out the

window as Harold drove by. I do have pictures of the Fishers picking lemons and

oranges for us to take home.


We kept hearing that Etta was having problems with her health and we kept

calling and sending her get well cards.


We enjoyed Christmas, New Years, and twins 4th birthday party with the

family before we started home on the 25th of March, as we wanted to be home for

Easter.

It Started With These Two (p.87)

[corresponds to page 85 in It Started with These Two]

Brother George's widow, Etta, died on the 15th of June. The Eastern Star

Service and her funeral were difficult times. I would like to include the poem that

I read at her funeral. I believe it is the wish of most Christians when they die.

And the poem RELEASE ME, MISS ME, ME BUT LET ME GO

When I come to the end of this life of pain

And the sun has finally been set for me,

I want no service in a gloom filled room

Why weep and cry for my soul has been set free.

Miss me a little bit but for not too long

And not with your head bowed low.

Remember the love and the good times we shared

Miss me for just a little while, but let me go.

For this is a journey we all must take

And each must go all the way alone.

It's all a part of the Master's plan

A step on a journey and the long road home.

When you stand by my grave for a last good-bye

Release me, Miss me but let me go

Weep if you must but I will know

Life is for each one of us is for just a short while

A friendship like ours should end with smile.

When you are lonely and sick at heart

Go to those we all used to know, Miss me but let me go.

And bury your sorrows for me in doing good deeds

Miss me for a little while but let me go.

The author is unknown


I found this list of resolutions that is good for any year.

1. Thou shall be happy

2. Thou shall use thy talents to make others glad.

3. Thou shall rise above defeat and trouble.

4. Thou shall look upon each day as a new day.

5. Thou shall always do thy best and leave the rest to God.

6. Thou shall not waste thy time and energy in useless worry.

7. Thou shall look only on the bright side of life.

8. Thou shall not be afraid of tomorrow.

9. Thou shall have a kind word and a kind deed for everyone,

10. Thou shall say every morning, I am a child of God and nothing

can hurt me.


As I mentioned earlier that 45 years ago I had attended West Ohio

Conference with Rev. Rolfe Pool, pastor of our Cline Chapel Methodist Church

where Mary was baptized on Mothers Day in 1952. There wasn't a dry eye in the

church.


Off and on during the years since joining the Sunbury Methodist Church I

It Started With These Two (p.88)

[corresponds to page 86 in It Started with These Two]

have been elected the Lay Delegate to the East Ohio Conference. Margaret Garee,

a good friend, also a past lay delegate to the Conference has attended with me the

past several years and hopes to do so again at Lakeside in June of 1998.


This year was an especially sad one as Etta Main died on the first day, June

15th. I returned home for the Eastern Star service on Tuesday and for her funeral

on Wednesday morning, June 18th, 1997.


We met the new Bishop Jonathan Keaton and his family on the elevator at

the Fountain Inn Hotel, and were privileged to say goodbye as we left on Friday

noon. He wished us well and asked us to continue to serve the United Methodist

Church.


At the conference we got to see Rev. Donald Newland, say good-bye to Dr.

Gene and Shirley Taylor, meet and welcome the new pastors, the Rev. Suzanne and

David Hill. We also got to see a former Galena minister, Rev. Kenneth Bibbee and

his wife, Marie, who will be moving back from Mississippi to the Retirement Center

at Copeland Oaks in September. We visited with the Rev. Francis and Ileen Norris

also a minister at Galena.


On the 12th of June 1997, 16 members of the Ruth Circle of the Sunbury

Church traveled to Dresden to eat at Popeyes, have our picture taken in front of the

World's Largest Longeberger Basket and spend the afternoon at Taylors beautiful

secluded home.


As I was looking through my papers I found another poem that I wrote on

July the 16th, 1984. It is titled "I Found God Today'

I've shut and closed the door on yesterday,

And I've even thrown away the keys.

For tomorrow and what it may bring

It has no fears or doubts for me.

I found God today

How can I have such perfect peace, you ask

For now I trust my God to guide me

And let His blessings on me rest

For I know that God alone knows best.

I found God today.


Harold sold our 1929 antique Ford. We have had it for about 25 years. He

said it needed a lot of work to make it authentic.


On August the 15th, 1997, Brittny got her new motorized wheelchair. It weighs

147 pounds. On the 16th bought her family a 92 Chevy van with a wheel chair lift. It

is so customized that Brittny can get in and out of it by herself by just punching

buttons.


By the time she won't need it any longer, I probably will.

It Started With These Two (p.89)

[corresponds to page 87 in It Started with These Two]

On the first of April I went out to the

Humane Society on 36-37 west of the freeway

and got a little 4 month old Dalmatian-Beagle

mix puppy. Brittny and the twins wanted me to

call her "Precious Little Girl", after a puppy in

the movie 101 Dalmatians, She is now 8

months old and really growing. She is to have

the back seat when we go to Florida this

December. Precious seems to me to be a little

much for an animal but for the

great-grandchildren I do.


In August the Worthy Matron of E

astern Star is planning a night out and only

the car divers will know where we will be

eating and spending the evening. She has made

1997 a special year for the members.


As we sit at our kitchen table we can see 2 and 3 Humming Birds dive

bombing each other to get to the feeder. It takes a refill every 2 days.


As I have mentioned that I think that families are pretty wonderful. Growing

up in the Main family was a pleasant experience. I never recall that Mother and Dad

had any disagreements in front of the children. They taught us to work hard, be

productive for as Mother would say, "Idle hands are the work of the devil". They

instilled in us the principles of doing for others for as Dad would say "You are to

serve others and not to expect a reward" and to be a participating part of the

organizations you belong to and to the church and to your community where you live.

Maybe because of living the golden rule they both said they never had a headache

or an ache or a pain, and lived to be 90 and 103.


There isn't room to tell of all the good qualities of Mom and Dad or my

4 brothers and 1 sister.


I may be repeating myself, but Mother and Dad had 7 children in the

following order:


John, born January the 10th, married to Velma Dennis and they had 4

children. They are Marsha, Debbie, Penny and John Jr.


George was born on January the 6th, 1913, married to Etta Maxwell and they

had no biological children but treated all 40 of their nieces and nephews as their

own.


Robert was born on April the 9th, 1915 married Bergandine Sprague and

they had 5 children. They are Robbie, Thomas, Linda, William and Theresa.


[photo top left: "Precious Little Girl" September 1997]

It Started With These Two (p.90)

[corresponds to page 88 in It Started with These Two]

Rodney was born on February the 22nd, 1917 married to Ruth Shertzer. They

had 2 sons David and Mark.


In February of 1919 James was stillborn.


I was born on November the 2nd, 1920 and when I was married to Tom

Tibbitts had a son born with a congenital club foot who died on January the 29th,

1947 from a fall from his crib. I still remember Dad comforting me by saying all little

children should be able to run and jump in Heaven so he could. We have a daughter

Mary who lived in Palmetto, Florida.


Sister Verona was born on February the 18th, 1923. She had 4 children.

Bobbie Miller, who was killed in an auto accident on October the 19th, 1959. Two

daughters are Patty and Nancy and a son Richard. Patty had a son Jason also killed

in an auto accident.


A husband's family also has a big influence on your life. Ruth and Stanley

Ault had 6 children. My husband Harold is the oldest of the 6. We have one

daughter Mary who gave her Dad a walnut plaque with an antique car on it and a

writing that says "you are everything that a Dad should be". Isn't that a nice

statement?

Next in the family is Melvin, married to Gladys Benson and they have 4

children, Marilyn, Janice, Linda and David.


A sister June, married to Jake Ward. She has 3 children, Roy, Richard and

Renee.


Next is Pearl with no husband or children. She is a "great aunt' to her nieces

and nephews.


A sister Patricia is married to Dick Quinn and they have no children.


A brother Lloyd married Veronica Speck and they have 3 children. They

are Jeffrey, Jennifer and Jason.


During the summer vacations we would have nieces and nephews come for

visits (as long as 10 days) to give Mary a feeling of siblings and to give their parents

some free time. They were so well behaved and it was a joy to have them.


We always have 2 tables set and card tables handy so we have lots of family

and friend get togethers. I like to cook and make table favors. Extra food is quick

and easy to prepare.


In 1991 we had an Ault family reunion with 36 present. They filled every

corner of our little house but with all of my knick-knacks on open shelves there were

no accidents of mishaps. I think the parents must have reminded the children that

It Started With These Two (p.91)

[corresponds to page 89 in It Started with These Two]


Aunt Rosella was a school teacher.

In a perfect world all children would be brought up in a loving family

relationship, free of mental or physical abuse, enough of the material things to be

healthy,encouragement to learn and be instilled with good ethical and moral

principles in a safe environment and as added bonus pets to care for, a creek to wade

in and a horse to ride. I truly hope that Mary and Melody and their families believe

that is what Harold and I have tried to provide for them.


It is a sad commentary that many children in our society today lack much in

the way of Christian training, lack proper food, shelter, encouragement to learn and

a safe community to live in.


In the fall of 1985 a nice Jewish lady by the name of Helen Cohen, who lives

in East Columbus near the Eastland Mall asked if I would drive her to West Palm

Beach. This neighborhood was changing so she was afraid to venture out especially

at night. this is the same area where Nancy Lindsey was mugged by two African

American young men who had followed her home from the Big Bear Grocery where

she had bought groceries and had a check cashed to bring up to her daughter Lee

Ellen whose 17 day-old baby girl had died. Doctors thought the baby had been

licked by their dog. Before Nancy could come to Centerburg she had to have an

ear stitched on that had been cut off when she had fallen on a concrete planter.

That was a very sad funeral.


To continue with the trip south with Helen Cohen. She was moving there

permanently. We had to wait until the moving van was loaded so she could turn in

the key to the landlord. It was a t least 5 p.m. so we only drove to Lexington, Ky.. and

stopped at the Holiday Inn.


She was to pay all of my expenses, give me $100.00 and provide a plane ticket

back to Columbus from Tampa. It worked out just fine. We spent three night on

the road going down I-75 and then across Alligator Alley in Florida. the second and

third nights we stayed in Ramada Inns. They were cheaper and had Denny

Restaurants attached.


Helen said the pork products I ordered looked so good and she liked my

attitude and the prayers before traveling and the before meals prayers. She asked

if I would teach her to pray as she had always been so occupied and concentrated on

acquiring material things.


Tom and Mary came to West Palm Beach to pick me up to catch the plane.

back to Columbus. It was a nice experience.


Our Christmas party for the neighbor friends started back on Harrison Street

in 1960's. All of those guests are now dead. They were Imo Owen, Ida Gammill,

Marguerite Williamson, Vera Paul, Lillie Kempton, Mary Hervey, Janet Lake, Wilma

Ward, Mother and Dad and others.

It Started With These Two (p.92)

[corresponds to page 90 in It Started with These Two]

[top left photo: Dad and Mother in Cincinnati -1938]

[top right: article from Faith Magazine]

It Started With These Two (p.93)

[corresponds to page 91 in It Started with These Two]

[left image: September - Fellowship's Daily Prayers]

[right image: September - My Daily Bible Verses]

It Started With These Two (p.94)

[corresponds to page 92 in It Started with These Two]

At the 2:30 meeting at The Sunbury Community Library with the Director Polly Horn

and the book by Bob Greene for suggestions, "Our Childrens, Children

Children". I hope to get my book finished with many pictures form the time

I was 2 or 3 years old until the present time.


Brother John and brother Dr. Robert are taping their lives.

They being a little older their lives are centered more about

horses, the one room school on Horse Road and Momma and Poppa Bishop.

Verona is still giving it some thought.


Brother George and brother, Rodney's deaths were so sudden that there was no

time to think about writing up their memories.


There were 6 of us and now there are 4 of us. Since Robert and Bernie

moved to Friendship Village in Dublin and John and Velma in Pickerington and Carl

and Verona just around the corner on Fredericks Road we get to talk and see each

other often.


There are so many things that I keep recalling but this book has to come to

an end and so it does in September of 1997.



[photo top right: 1929 Ford Bought in 1975]

[photo bottom: Verona, John, Robert, and Rosella]

It Started With These Two (p.95)

[corresponds to page 93 in It Started with These Two]


Things Which Have Occupied Harold's Time Since Retirement

[top left photo: Memorial Day 1997 Verona and Rosella At Mother and Dad's Grave]

middle right photo: Harold Mowing our Florida Lawn January 1, 1992]

[bottom photo : Our Florida Home at 1604 Illinois Trailer Estates, Bradenton, Florida]

It Started With These Two (p.96)

[corresponds to page 94 in It Started with These Two]


[left photo: Harold Constructed This Clock from Scratch - 1985]

[top right photo: Harold - 1997]

[bottom right photo: Carl and Harold on John Deere 'Old Oliver']

It Started With These Two (p.97)

[corresponds to page 95 in It Started with These Two]


[top left photo: Harold at Grady Following Heart Attack May 20th, 1993]

[top right photo: Harold and Rosella Ault]

[middle photo : Harold with 2000 Piece Puzzle after Heart Attack May 1993]

[bottom photo : 25th Wedding Anniversary - March 22nd, 1984]

It Started With These Two (p.98)

[corresponds to page 96 in It Started with These Two]

Things That Have Occupied My Time Since Retiring as a Teacher

[top right photo: Celebrating My Getting My Commercial Driver's License - 1980]

[middle left photo: Rosella in Trailer Estates Pool - 1995]

[middle right photo: Heart Start Bus and V.W. Bug]

[bottom left photo: Security Key Chain House, P.O., and Car Keys]

[bottom right photo: Large Bible Written in 1986 and 1987
66 Books of My thoughts as a Layman]

It Started With These Two (p.99)

[corresponds to page 97 in It Started with These Two]

[top photo: Church Woman United Freda Buell. Rosella Ault, Betty Townley, Eva Jane Williams]

[middle left photo: Downstairs Bookcase]

[upper middle right photo: Organ 1988 to Present]

[lower middle right photo: Giant Squash Summer 1997]

[bottom left photo: Downstairs Library]

[bottom right photo: Rosella in front of Spook HIll sign]

It Started With These Two (p.100)

[corresponds to page 98 in It Started with These Two]

[top left photo: Laura Reeder, Rosella, Verona Bell, Mary Hervey in Florida]

[top right photo: Jean Wickham - Friend]

[middle left photo: Evelyn Roof, Imogene Bell, Mary Cring and Nancy Lindsey Uhl at Lancaster Holiday Inn]

[middle right photo: Mary Hervey in 1975 - Good Friends]

[bottom left photo: Verna Bergandine's Birthday Luncheon November 14th, 1995]

[bottom right photo: Gladys Miller, Verna Bergandine, Etta Main, and Margaret Morris Luncheon at the Buxton Inn]

It Started With These Two (p.101)

[corresponds to page 99 in It Started with These Two]

[top photo: Sunbury Card Paying Friends in Florida]

[middle upper left photo: Virgil and Nellie - Tom's Parents
Christmas 1994]

[middle right photo: Donna Evans, Harley Wilson and Glenn Evans in Florida Winter of 1996]

[middle lower left photo: Nellie and Virgil Hickson]

[bottom left photo : Good Friends Ruth and Frank Fisher - Summer 1997]

[bottom right photo: Good Friends - Margaret and Jay Hyatts]

It Started With These Two (p.102)

[corresponds to page 97 in It Started with These Two]


[top photo: Nellie and Virgil (Tom's Parents) and Harold]

[left middle photo: no caption]

[right middle photo: Louise Whipley, Linda Conant, Laura Barndt, Rosella Ault]

[bottom photo: Rosella Ault, Etta Main, Lockie Norman, Bea Thorpe At Restaurant in Mt. Vernon]

It Started With These Two (p.103)

[corresponds to page 101 in It Started with These Two]


[top photo: Ruth Circle at Dresden, Ohio June 12th, 1997]

[middle photo: no caption]

[bottom photo: Saturday Morning Breakfast Woman
Etta Main (deceased), Ginny Beaver, Gladys Miller (deceased), Frances Loar
Maxine Longshore, Verna Bergandine, and Mary Kay Cochran]

It Started With These Two (p.104)

[corresponds to page 102 in It Started with These Two]

Our Florida Family

Mary and Tom

[top left photo: Mary at Age 3]

[top middle photo: Mary at Age 5]

[top right photo: Mary - April 28th, 1992]

[middle photo: Mary, Tom, Melody Hickson Hughes 1970]

[bottom photo: Christmas 1995 Florida Tom, Nellie, Mary, and Virgil Hickson]

It Started With These Two (p.105)

[corresponds to page 103 in It Started with These Two]


[top photo: Tom and Mary's 25th Wedding Anniversary]

[middle photo: Tom and Brittny Mary At Home June 1995]

[bottom photo: Etta's birthday Celebration January 7th, 1996 Mary, Nancy, Etta, Melody]

It Started With These Two (p.106)

[corresponds to page 104 in It Started with These Two]

[top left photo: Mary, Brittny, Melody, Rosella March 1977]

[top right photo: 1966 Sweaters for Great-Grandchildren and Matthew Miller]

[bottom left photo: Loving parents Melody, Dennis and Brittny Hughes (2 years Old)]

[bottom right photo: Great-Grandchildren - March 1997]

It Started With These Two (p.107)

[corresponds to page 105 in It Started with These Two]


[top photo: Dennis, Zak, Brandon, Melody and Brittany - March 1997]

[middle left photo: Mary and Melody -Winter 1996]

[bottom left photo: 1992 Chevy Embassy - Aug 17, 1997]

[bottom right photo : Brittny Hughes in Her Wheel Chair Lift]

It Started With These Two (p.108)

[corresponds to page 106 in It Started with These Two]


Our Florida Family

Dennis and Melody, Brittany, Zak, and Brandon

[top left photo: Melody's Graduation - June of 1988 Harold, Rosella, Nellie, Melody, Virgil]

[top right photo: Melody Hickson - June of 1988 Sweet Heart of De Mo Lays]

[bottom left photo: Melody Hickson, Rev. Ott, Dennis Hughes July 30th, 1988 - Palmetto U. M. Church]

[middle right photo: Tom, Mary, Dennis, Melody In Hawaii - 1989]

[bottom right photo: no caption ]

It Started With These Two (p.109)

[corresponds to page 107 in It Started with These Two]

[top photo: Loving Dad Dennis at the Hospital 1990]

[middle photo : Brittany Hughes the Million Dollar Baby, in Hospital in Hawaii]

[bottom left photo : Brittany Hughes in 1990]

[bottom right photo: no caption]

It Started With These Two (p.110)

[corresponds to page 108 in It Started with These Two]


[top left photo: Brittany Hughes in 1991]

[top right photo: Loving Parents - Dennis and Melody Hughes December 1989 in Hawaii]

[bottom left photo: Dennis and Melody's Daughter Brittany, age 6]

[bottom right photo: Rosella and Brittany - 1991]

It Started With These Two (p.111)

[corresponds to page 109 in It Started with These Two]

[photo: Harold and Rosella Ault - 1997]

It Started With These Two (p.112)

[corresponds to back cover of It Stated with These Two]