Worn-Out Wagon Wheels - The Prairie Travels of the Malachi Allen Lile Family by Bookemon

Worn-Out Wagon Wheels By Margaret Lile Schmidt

Worn-Out Wagon Wheels The Prairie Travels of the Malachi Allen Lile Family

By Margaret Lile Schmidt

My Great-Grandparents The family of Malachi Allen Lile and Mary Emma Day, my great-grandparents, evidently enjoyed one another’s company. After the children were grown, they continued to travel together when they could have chosen not to do so. Even when Malachi made the final move to Sumner County, several adult children joined him there to raise their own families. They must have been good friends as well as close relatives. We don't know why they chose to travel so much, but perhaps it was to maintain the bonds between Day/Lile family members. Mary Emma's mother had lost contact with her family when they all moved westward. Maybe they felt this was a way to insure that it would not happen again. If so, they were successful. The Lile and Day families were close, and the Lile children knew their cousins from both sides of the family. My generation heard tales of Liles, Days, and Hobbs families as we grew up, especially at our annual reunions. Today we’ve learned that some of those stories were not exactly true – perhaps they are partly true, but then got confused with other stories, or even another family’s stories. Now, with census and marriage data and other facts more easily available, we know that some of the stories cannot possibly be accurate. But that doesn’t detract from this interesting family. This book is my effort to compile all the factual data and tales to give a picture of Malachi and the rest of the family.

In places, I used a little creative license to add to the

readability, but maintained a basis of facts. Because Malachi and Mary Emma were part of large families and they created another large family, family charts are included to help keep everyone straight. The charts include complete names, and also nicknames for clarity. In the story, I’ve tried to reference the most commonly used names for each person, to avoid confusion. Maps are also included to make it easier to understand their travels.

Because of the size of the family, I purposely did not include Malachi and Mary Emma's grandchildren and beyond, except in certain cases. In our family, we’re lucky that genealogy is a shared obsession, so the research which I’ve used was done by several relatives over the years, not just me. And some of the photos were provided by cousins with this obsession. In correspondence between Alphie Lile Barber and my 3rd cousin, Don Tolen, in 1980, Alphie gave interesting recollections about her life as she was growing up. She even included a hand-drawn map to show where their neighbors lived in Carlow. She also described how they traveled between Missouri and Kansas, especially on their final move to Kansas. Don has provided those letters, as well as some photos which belonged to his grandmother, Mae Lile Tolen, and stories that she told him when he was a child. Don is the great-grandson of Virgil Edward (Ed), and we’re happy that he remembered all the stories and kept Alphie's letters. My cousin, Marilyn Lile Gardner, has researched the Liles for years but was also clever enough to document her father, Corval’s, memories and nice enough to share them. I have incorporated some of his memories. Corval's mother, Blanche Longacre Lile, kept a baby book/diary, and I used some of that information also. Marilyn was also helpful in providing and verifying photo identifications. Marilyn and my sister, Florence Lile Crawford, spent many hours on the phone with me discussing Malachi and Mary Emma’s family and their lives. Just talking to them triggered new questions to research, or new ways to view things that happened many years before our time. My sister, Florence, also lent a much-needed artistic eye to help me to create the final look and design of the book, and provided the cover artwork. Several family members read my later drafts and gave helpful comments for improvement. My daughter-in-law, Linda Gallegos, edited and proofread the final version. It was so nice to have fresh eyes look at it. All these people have my heart-felt thanks for their help and encouragement. Margaret Lile Schmidt

Malachi Allen and Mary Emma's Ancestors

Mary Emma Day and

Malachi Allen Lile Malachi stood in front of the two oblong mounds of dirt in front of him, thinking of how his world had changed in recent weeks. Under the smaller mound lay his baby son, Dillard Erastus Lile. Only three months old, his innocent life had been so short. The other grave was that of Malachi’s wife, Martha. She had died in a covered wagon only three weeks after their baby, taken down by a fever. After baby Dillard died, they had decided to move to a different home, hoping to ease the difficult memories. Martha didn’t survive the move, and now Malachi was numb with grief in losing her. As he stood there, three-year-old Phillip Wesley toddled up to Malachi. Malachi gathered the child, who he called Wes, in his arms and held him close. He promised himself that the boy would always be loved and cared for. Malachi Allen Lile was born in 1844 in Daviess County, Missouri, which is in the northwest corner of the state. He was sometimes called Allen, especially in his younger years. He had lived in Daviess County all his life - the third generation of Liles to live and farm in that area. He was named after his grandfather, Malachi, who had settled in Ray County, northeast of Kansas City, in 1820. Malachi Allen’s father, George Washington Lile, was born near Nashville, TN, in Davidson County, on November 26, 1819. When George was only six months old, his parents, Malachi and Betsy, left their Tennessee home with their children, and Betsy carried George on horseback to Missouri, which was not yet officially a state. That part of Missouri was being populated mainly by migration from Tennessee and Virginia at that time, so perhaps they traveled with a larger group of family and friends who were making that move also. The older Malachi and his wife, Betsy, settled in Ray County, Missouri with George and their other children. Missouri became a state in 1821 and early settlers had come to Ray County several years earlier. In 1830, the northwestern part of the state was considered desert land as far as mapmakers were concerned, but the state is described by writers of the time as being a combination of woodlands and prairie - fertile and quite desirable. In the woodland areas, mostly in the southeastern part of the state, were large white oaks with a diameter of 29 feet and 100 feet tall. The forests included many trees of that size – lindens, sycamore, hickory, walnut and maples.

Toward the northwestern part of Missouri, prairies began, with tall grasses that could conceal entire herds of grazing animals. The prairieland proved suitable to cultivation and growth of fruits, corn, wheat, and tobacco followed.

Early settlers found plenty of wild game on the prairie, many kinds of

fish in the rivers and lakes, and a plentiful supply of honey. Daviess County was created in 1836, along with Caldwell County to its south, as part of the westward growth of the state of Missouri. At age 21, George Washington Lile was married to Rebecca Lenhart on June 25, 1840, by Rev. Henry Lile in Ray County. It is not clear if this Henry Lile was George’s brother or a nephew – both were ministers.

This was a whirlwind courtship. Rebecca’s parents, Jeremiah and Sarah Wooderson

Lenhart, and their children had migrated to Daviess County from Knox County, Ohio, probably in 1840. Their move date is unclear because Rebecca’s father, Jeremiah, is listed as living in Knox County, Ohio in the 1840 census. Although the official date of the 1840 census was June 1, they must have moved before that, since George and Rebecca had met and decided to marry by June 25 of that year. Sarah's father, Richard Wooderson, and her two brothers. also moved from Ohio with them. The oldest son of George Washington and Rebecca, Malachi Allen lived with his parents and siblings in Daviess County. He was one of 18 children, a large family even for those times. The first three children were daughters and included a set of twins. The first daughter died as a young child and one of the twin sisters died at seven years of age. Twelve children are shown in the census list in 1860 for the family of George Washington and Rebecca. Malachi grew up amid many relatives – McKown, Lenhart, and Lile cousins all lived in the area. The Wooderson cousins lived on the next farm. Missouri had been admitted to the Union in 1820 as a slave state, as the result of a compromise which allowed that Maine be admitted as a free state, supposedly maintaining a balanced approach to slavery in the Union. This compromise proved unsatisfactory and was repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 which allowed those two territories as well as the State of Missouri to decide the matter for themselves.

The so-called “Border War” between Kansas and Missouri began immediately and

was followed by the bloody Civil War in 1861, which lasted until 1865. Malachi was never in the war, although he registered in 1863. He gave his age as 22, not his actual age of 19. At the time, he listed his occupation as a farmer, living in Jackson Township in Daviess County, probably working with his father on the farm.

Malachi married Martha Hixon in 1867, when he was 22, and she was 20. Their first son, Wes, was born about a year and one half later. And now Martha was gone, as well as their second child. Since Malachi was the oldest son in the large family, some of his younger siblings and cousins would be about the same age as his son Wes and he knew they would be good playmates and friends for him. Malachi was now raising Wes alone with help from his own large family. Daviess County, where Malachi Allen lived, was next door to Grundy County, where Mary Emma Day lived with her parents. It is not known how they met, but it would have felt like a new beginning for Malachi, age 30. Happily, he and Mary Emma, age 19, were married on June 14, 1874 at Grundy County, Missouri, starting their new life together. Malachi’s son, Philip Wesley (Wes), was six years old at the time, and Mary Emma became the only mother he would remember. Mary Emma (known as Emma at that time) Day was born in Pennsylvania, then moved with her family to Ohio at the age of five, and the family moved again to Missouri when she was about 12. Her parents, Nathan and Catherine Day, lived in Grundy County in 1870 with their seven children, Mary Emma at age 14, down to two-year-old Cora. Two more children, Louis and Permelia, were born shortly after that. After the Civil War ended in 1865, many people in the United States began moving westward. Nathan Day, Mary Emma’s father, was interested in migrating to take advantage of the new lands available for farming. Land in Kansas opened up for settlement in the early 1870’s, priced at $1.25 per acre. The location became even more attractive when railroads were established, and cattle drives brought more people into the area. A rough civilization began to arise in this prairieland. In 1874, shortly after Mary Emma and Malachi’s marriage, the Day family - Nathan and Catherine, and their children ranging in ages from newborn to 16 - moved from Missouri to northern Sumner County, Kansas, about 300 miles away. The Days were among the early settlers in Sumner County in 1874. The first permanent building, a trading post, had been built there only a few years earlier, in 1869. The Indians left about 1871, after wagon train upon wagon train began arriving, bringing immigrants to stake their claims, even when the county was still being organized. The process for land purchases was for the settler to locate his preferred land and create the proof that he intended to purchase it. Usually that was by forming the base of a cabin with 4 intersecting logs and placing a name sign outside, then registering his claim. However, in Kansas there would not have been trees in all areas. Some other method of marking would have become generally accepted.

Missouri

Kansas Kansas City

Wichita

Above: Relative locations of Daviess County, Missouri and Sumner County, Kansas. Also note the Missouri counties of Grundy, Gentry, and Ray. Below: Special places in various townships in Sumner County, Kansas

Nathan had likely seen newspaper reports and done other research before his decision to relocate to Kansas. The land was tillable and considered very productive, bringing the first corn crop in 1871. The first wheat crop in the township was harvested in 1873, with the seed being hauled in from another county. A minister passing through the area was begged to give a sermon and church services. He agreed and the service was held at the best place available – in front of the saloon. While the outlook was good, the lifestyle was primitive. One family of early settlers was living in their wagon in 1871 while planting crops and building a permanent house to live in. Their three-year-old son became ill and died – the first child to die in the township. Nathan was re-thinking his decision as they arrived to see great devastation from drought and prairie fires during the previous fall. The fires had burned so hot that the roots were destroyed, resulting in bare ground with no vegetation by the next year. He wondered how they could possibly raise crops and livestock there. Life became even more difficult after their move. Mid-1874 brought a rumor of an Indian attack so strongly believed that many gathered their families and fled their homes. After the attack was confirmed to be a rumor, some of those who had left returned home to find their livestock dead from lack of care and their homes deteriorated. Others did not even return home. In the fall, the grasshoppers came, covering the ground 2-4 inches deep, and eating every green twig and sprout that the drought had left untouched. With no gardens or crops, many settlers decided to relocate. The population of Sumner County was reduced to half its previous level. It was a sparsely settled frontier. Seven-year old Wes was excited to have a baby brother when Malachi and Mary Emma’s first child, a son named Virgil Edward, was born in Carlow, Daviess County, Missouri in 1875. He was called Ed, and expanded the family unit to four - Malachi Allen, Mary Emma, Wes and Ed. As in Kansas, life was also difficult in Missouri that year, since the drought was widespread and affected both states. The grasshopper infestation visited Daviess County, with the same results as were seen in Kansas. Upon learning of the difficult life that the Days had encountered in Sumner County, in 1875 the Malachi Allen Lile family decided to move west to help Mary Emma’s parents, the Day family.

In addition to

wanting to help them, Mary Emma was also homesick for her family and concerned about her mother, Catherine, who was ill.

Nathan had settled near the small Kansas town of Anson. The land survey was completed in the state by 1875, and Nathan’s land patent was completed in 1880. The Day family lived in a dugout prairie home, a shelter that is dug into the ground and roofed over with sod or whatever local materials are available. They welcomed Malachi, Mary Emma, and their two sons to live with them in that small house. They were happy to have some help in their new home and having family with them relieved the loneliness of being out on the prairie. Malachi and Mary Emma’s next two children, sons Zenus Roscoe (Zene - b 1876) and Adiel Obiel (Ad b 1878), were born in Kansas in that dugout. Ad was about 2 when they moved back to Carlow, Missouri in prairie schooners. This began a pattern of life for Malachi and his family of moving between Anson and Carlow every few years. They made this trek as many as 6 times over a period of almost 30 years, before finally settling in Kansas. By the 1880 census, the family was living in Jackson Township, Daviess County, Missouri. The couple was known as Allen and Mary at that time, and their family consisted of 4 children. Malachi’s occupation was given as farming, but the census lists him as being “Maimed, Crippled, or Bedridden”. Since he was active later, this was either a temporary illness, or perhaps caused by rheumatism, which he suffered from in his later years. Russia Ethel was born in September of 1880 in Missouri and was generally known as Ethel. Many of Malachi and Mary Emma’s children were given unusual names, with some of them including names of cities, states, or countries. It appears that Malachi had a great interest in the larger world that they lived in, probably through newspapers, the only source of news at the time. Small town newspapers usually included only local news, but large newspapers had much more information about national and world news. Some of the large newspapers, perhaps from Kansas City, would have found their way into smaller towns, although the news would be old by that time. Malachi certainly would have discussed world affairs with people he met in his travels between Sumner County and Daviess County. Their children’s unusual names reflected their interest in the world. Some of the children, like Russia Ethel, could opt to use a middle name.

A typical dugout prairie home, with a sod roof. 10

Shorter nicknames were also used, like Zene, Wes, and Ad. The family’s use of middle names was common – both Malachi Allen and Mary Emma’s middle names were shown on some census lists. In 1881, they learned that Catherine Day had died in Kansas after a long illness. About 50 years old, she was one of the first adults to die in the Anson area. At the time of her death, some of her children were adults, leaving four younger children, ages 7, 10, 13, and 15. Nathan and the older children would be responsible for caring for the younger ones. Malachi and Mary Emma owned about 20 acres and a small house on Penister Street in Carlow, right on the edge of town. On their 20 acres, the family raised their own meat, vegetables, fruit, and honey - as well as their growing family. Malachi farmed, but he also worked around the community. He was a wall plasterer for homes and businesses. The process of plastering begins by putting narrow strips of wood called laths on the wall, then adding a combination of water, limestone, and horsehair called plaster or mortar.

Plastering was

considered a craftsman job. In 1884, Malachi and Mary Emma had another baby, a son, who sadly died in infancy. During a trip back to visit Mary Emma’s widowed father in Kansas, their next child, Italy Alice, was born in 1885, and they returned to Missouri soon after. Their family continued to expand when son Oscar Hensley (Hence) was born in February of 1887 in Missouri. The Lile Family returned to Kansas later that year and was living in Anson when a surprise blizzard struck the Midwestern part of the country in January 1888. It had been surprisingly warm - almost spring-like on that day. People had ventured out to town or to enjoy the nice weather and the children were in school. Mid-day, within a matter of moments, the weather changed into a blizzard – cold, snowy, and windy. Visibility was poor, and people had not dressed for the cold temperatures, so there were many deaths across the plains as they tried to reach safe places. Teachers kept the children in the schoolhouses when they could. It was called the Schoolhouse or Children’s Blizzard, because so many children died, as well as adults. Many others suffered from frozen body parts, especially feet, before they could reach safety. The Lile and Day families huddled together as the wind whistled around their house, but they emerged safely after the blizzard. They were thankful that a sturdy house had replaced their dugout home. Two months later, in March, Mary Emma’s next baby, son Arthur Grover was born. He was known as Tute because the other children thought he was cute but couldn’t say it clearly. The next year, Malachi and Mary Emma Lile, headed back to Missouri with their growing family. They had moved their family multiple times, traveling from Daviess County, Missouri, to Sumner County, Kansas for a few years, then back for a few years.

Travel Route In the book, “Prairie Letters, Life in the Kansas Prairie in the late 1800’s”, the Sell Family letters and diary tell of moving from Caldwell County, Missouri (just south of Daviess County) to Sumner County, Kansas in 1877. The diary gives explicit detail of their route.

Surprisingly, their route followed the present day I-35

from Kansas City, to Topeka, Emporia, El Dorado and Wichita. Their journey took 13 days, compared to the 3 weeks that Alphie later described for their trip. The diary gives their typical daily travel time from 22 to 27 miles a day. Other sources say a loaded covered wagon would make 10-15 miles a day.

They usually chose to do the traveling in winter, when the Missouri River was frozen, making the crossing a little simpler, although that wasn’t always the easiest solution. It might mean camping by the river to wait in the cold wintry weather for the river to freeze more solidly. And of course, traveling in frigid conditions involved a lot of unpleasant experiences. In warmer weather, they could cross the river on a ferry with their wagons or use bridges if they were available. After crossing the Missouri River, they would take the most direct route to Anson, using a combination of cross-country trails. They would cross several smaller rivers in Kansas along the way – the Marais de Cygnes, Neosho, and Verdigris. This route would also take them through the Flint Hills. This was about a 300-mile trip, taking about 3 weeks. Any small rivers along the way might not have a ferry or a bridge for crossing. If not, they would scout up and down the river for the best location to ford. When fording, they would simply drive their wagons and livestock across through the river.

This required some preparation. They might need to lighten

the load in the wagons, then return to make another trip. Or a small raft could be built on which they would float their belongings across. The selected crossing location would be a shallow area with slow moving water. If recent rains had filled the river bed, they might opt to wait a few days. Travelers had to be skilled and very aware of their situation. This lifestyle was not an easy one. Money was scarce for the family, but they were accustomed to hard work. As they traveled between Missouri and Kansas, they would take two wagons, one driven by Malachi and one by an older son.

They stopped when they found work, staying until the work was completed,

then moving on again. Their work was frequently in demand. Malachi was an experienced plasterer, and his sons Zene and Ad were skilled in carpentry and blacksmithing.

Mary Emma had been trying for years to contact her mother's family, the Ellinger’s, to tell them of Catherine's death in 1881. In 1890, a letter that Mary Emma wrote finally reached Catherine’s brother, William Ellinger, in Nebraska. He immediately responded to Mary Emma’s letter, and gave her the latest family news. The Ellinger siblings had not heard from one another for more than 20 years.

It was

unfortunate that Catherine had lost touch with her family, a common occurrence with many pioneers. During that time, both families had made multiple moves and communication was not dependable. Moving back to Missouri again in 1890, the Liles welcomed daughter, Nora Nevada, in 1891. Another little girl was born in 1893 and was named Alta Vista, perhaps after the small town nearby in Daviess County. She died in 1895 after catching fire and being burned, perhaps from a fireplace or an outdoor campfire. She was less than 2 years old, and the family was heartbroken. Malachi and Mary Emma’s last child, a daughter, Alpha Alaska (called Alphie), was born in 1896 in Carlow, Missouri. The name Alaska may indicate that her parents had been following the ongoing news about the gold discoveries in Alaska and the stampede of prospectors heading north in the 1890’s.

Letter from Willam Ellinger to Mary Emma Day Lile May 22, 1890, Pickerell, Gage County, Neb Well Emma it is a great relief to me to find out where you folks are….but….we never could hear from you. I met a man in Chicago some years ago. He said that he boarded with your folks either in Indiana or Ohio and helped to hold you to the … but could not tell me more…. of your whereabouts and how sorry I was when I read of your mothers troubles her having fits for 10 years and among strangers. I hope you were all good to her and I hope you will be good to your father. Now Emma it is a long time since I saw your mother or your father are any of you. Now when you write please tell me did your mother go to church and take you children to Sunday School.........I am well but your aunt mary died just before we left Pennsylvania some 18 years ago…. 8 of her children are living. they are all right around us here. 5 got married but you have another aunt. she has 5 children. We are all close together last I heard of Sessy she lived in daton ohio. Your aunt leah lives in emerson. Thomey lives here where we live now. it seems you got to me march 25 I only got your letter yesterday so when you write send it to me direct Pickrell, Gage County, Neb. Give my best wishes to your father and love to all. How many brothers and sisters have you now? I expect to hear from you soon. So you see it is not my fault you did not ….a …from us to yours sooner. From your unworthy unkel. William Ellinger.

A widespread Depression occurred in 1893. It was partly the result of the over-expansion of railroads and the debt that was incurred by their construction costs. Even small towns went into debt to provide land or to lure railroads to their area. They felt it was necessary to have the railroads to move crops to market.

Individuals went into debt to secure land as they moved westward, and prices rose.

Mismanagement of the railroad companies caused many of them to declare bankruptcy. By about 1898, things had become more normal, and the Depression had ended. In the garden next to his small house on Peniston Street in Carlow, Malachi and his children worked their way down each row, gathering vegetables from the garden. The younger ones knew that their job was to pick the ones closer to the ground, because his rheumatism would cause him pain when he bent over.

Their house was on the edge of town and included several lots that he used for his garden.

It had been a good year for their garden, with plenty of rain. They gathered enough produce for the large Lile family, but also enough for some of the neighbors. Everyone in Carlow knew one another, and many were also relatives. Mrs. Mary Pike lived to the north of them on Peniston Street and was a widow. Malachi liked to help her out when he could and knew she could use the garden produce. Mrs. Pike’s daughter, Mattie, was a good friend of his daughter, Alphie, and they played together frequently. Alphie once got her head caught in their fence while watching the milking at the Pike house and had to be rescued. Malachi also delivered some of the vegetables to his friend, Rev. William McKown and his wife Sarah. Sarah Wooderson McKown was his mother’s cousin and the McKown family lived across the street from the Pikes. Another nearby family was the Talley family, who lived right across from the Lile’s. Malachi helped the Talley family when he could. Joseph, the father, had been permanently injured when a tree limb fell on his head years ago. All the Lile children were friends with the Talley children. Malachi called to his son, Ed, to tell him to deliver some of the garden produce to the Talley family, but he knew the reminder wasn’t necessary. Ed and the Talley’s daughter, Rebecca, were especially good friends. Rev. McKown was the minister for the Methodist Church in the northern part of Carlow, about a block north and a block west of Malachi’s house.

Malachi had belonged to the Cumberland Presbyterian

Church, where his father attended, then at age 18 he transferred to the Methodist Church. Everyone knew when Malachi was in church because his big, loud singing voice could be heard all over town. His loud voice was also helpful when he filled in for the preacher when the regular minister was away. Malachi had helped to build the church along with other Carlow residents.

Jackson/Carlow map of 1898

"In the early days along Main Street in Carlow, one could find everything you would expect in a small town - five blacksmiths, a two story hotel, a drugstore, several steam sawmills and a grist mill, stockyards and scales, a depot, two liveries, and a stave and axe handle factory." Don Tolen

Alphie's map Her sketch (right) matches up nicely with the map of Carlow. It shows where the Lile Family lived and some of their nearest neighbors.

The family structure changed dramatically when Virgil (Ed) married the neighbor’s daughter, Rebecca Talley in 1897, and then Wes married the following year, to his cousin, Emma Jane Wooderson. They all lived nearby, either in Daviess County or neighboring counties. Soon Malachi and Mary Emma were grandparents when Wes and Emma became parents to Olive Manila Orpha in 1899, and then Ed and Rebecca’s first daughter Orlov Mae was born a few months later, also in 1899.

Malachi was allowed to name his

grand-daughter, Orlov Mae. He teased her about her name by calling her the “Little Russian”, since the name “Orlov” had Russian origins. It’s not known if Malachi named Olive Manila Orpha, but it seems likely. All of Malachi and Mary Emma’s children contributed to their busy life, but Malachi’s younger brothers and sisters all lived close around them and added to the activity. Most of his siblings lived in Daviess, Harrison, and Gentry Counties, and they all traveled around to those neighboring counties to visit one another. Sometimes some of Malachi’s brothers would come and visit him and Mary Emma in Carlow for a week or so. Carlow was like other small towns of that time, in that the residents made their own entertainment, including spelling bees, literary societies, debate clubs, and singing schools. Sometimes they would give recitations of poems for others in the community. Ad belonged to a singing school in Carlow, and that’s where he met Clara Townsend. She had grown up living out in the country with her parents, and then moved to Carlow to live with her grandparents because she was interested in joining the singing school. After Clara and Ad met at the singing school, they dated for about a year and then married in 1900. For a while, they lived in Carlow, on Martin Street near her grandparents, Benjamin and Rebecca Wantland. At about this time, Malachi’s brother, Cyrus, and his sister, Perniche, and their families moved to Guelph Township in Sumner County, Kansas, near the small town of Portland, in the southern part of the county. Malachi was familiar with Sumner County, but every time that he had lived in Sumner County, it had been in the northern part, near Anson. In the 1900 Census listing, Malachi and Mary Emma lived in Daviess County with children Russia Ethel age 19, Italy - age 15, Oscar (Hence) - age 13, Arthur Grover (Tute) - age 11, Nora Nevada - age 8, and Alphie - age 3. Malachi’s father, George Washington Lile, died Dec 20, 1900, and his family gathered to bid him farewell. His obituary was given by Rev. Jasper Shoemaker. Rev. Shoemaker was about 45 years of age when he gave this eulogy, and he had lived in Gentry County, Missouri since he was a young child. He and George probably had known one another for many years.

“George W. Lile was born in Tennessee on November 26, 1819 and died at his home north of Gentryville, Mo, Dec. 20, 1900, age 81 and 24 days. When he was only 6 months old, his parents left their Tennessee home and his mother carried him on a horseback to Missouri. He had lived there ever since, having been once outside the state in 80 years since coming here the summer of 1820. He was united in marriage to Rebecca Lenhart on June 25, 1840. To this union 17 children, five of them having proceeded the father to the father of the other world while 12 are still living to morn (sic) the loss of a loving father. Also the companion, who for 60 years, has shared in his joy and sorrow still lives. Mr. Lile united with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in his boyhood years and had lived a consistent Christian life up to the time of death. He was loved and respected by all who know him, was a good husband and father, and a model citizen and will be greatly missed. Funeral services were held at Gribble Cemetery by the writer on Dec. 21 after which the body was laid to rest to await the sound of trumpet that shall awake those keeping rest. Rev. Jasper Shoemaker”

The southern part of Sumner County had become home to Malachi’s brother, Cyrus, and his sister, Perniche Hobbs, and their families in the years before 1900. In March 1902, Malachi sold his home and surrounding land in Carlow, and his family made a final journey to Kansas with the intention of joining his sister and brother. Malachi’s rheumatism had become worse as he grew older and he hoped Kansas weather would be better for him. In a letter years later, Alphie described the family's trip when they moved to Kansas. They brought 2 covered wagons, traveling in the spring, and rode the wagons on ferries across the Missouri River. The family - Malachi and Mary Emma, with Zene, Italy, Oscar, Tute, Nora and Alphie - took three weeks to make the trip. It took several ferry trips to get all their belongings across the river on the small cable ferry. They had arranged to meet Wes and his family (his wife Emma and their two children at the time) at Riverdale in northern Sumner County. Wes and his family were waiting for them, having traveled earlier, and maybe faster on ice across the Missouri River before the spring thaw. Their ultimate destination for this trip was the southern part of the county, in Guelph Township, where they would join Malachi’s sister, Perniche, and the rest of the Hobbs family. His brother, Cyrus, and family lived in the next township, South Haven Township. After their arrival in Guelph Township, the Lile’s lived between Portland and Ashton, farming land for Hayden J. Donahue, who was the postmaster at the nearby Post Office in Portland. The younger children were enrolled in the neighborhood Burger School, and in October 1903, Nora and Alphie had perfect attendance for the month.

In the almost 30 years since Mary Emma’s father, Nathan Day, had moved his family to Sumner County, it had changed dramatically, growing into a busy farming area, well-known for their great wheat crops and with a population of around 25,000 people. The railroad industry had matured and now provided dependable transportation to get crops to larger cities to sell. There were also passenger trains, which made it easy to travel, even from some of the smaller towns. Since the introduction of Russian hard winter wheat by the Mennonites in the 1870’s, the wheat harvest had increased almost every year. In fact, Sumner County was the top wheat producing county in Kansas – the wheat state. The county seat of Wellington had grown into a busy hub, providing the necessary shopping and services for the farmer’s needs, as well as his family's. In the southern part of Sumner County, where Malachi and his sister and brother had moved with their families, the farmland was good. The crops, in addition to wheat, were corn and alfalfa hay. Garden crops were being grown there, and livestock thrived. Nathan Day died at the age of 75 in 1904. He had raised his younger children after the death of his wife 23 years earlier. He held a lot of land in northern Sumner County at the time of his death. Nathan was one of the few early homesteaders who had stayed through the years, lasting through bad crops, grasshoppers, and the financial crisis of 1893, as well as the profitable times. Malachi's brother, Cyrus Lile, and his wife Amanda and their family lived in Sumner County for a few years around 1900, but then moved to Woods County, Oklahoma, which was on the northern Oklahoma border and a few counties west of Sumner County. The Land Rush in 1893 had opened Woods County to settlement, so that area was still being developed. Cyrus and his family were living in Oklahoma when it became a state in 1907. Malachi and Mary Emma lived in Guelph Township for several years. Then they bought a farm near Corbin in the neighboring township, South Haven Township, on April 8, 1906. Malachi was 62, and he planned to farm with his son Tute. The farm was 80 acres, cost $2,550, and it was equipped with a nice barn to store hay and to shelter livestock. It had a windmill to pump water, and a large garden area. There was a root cellar, and a hedge of lilac shrubs which would give off a delightful fragrance in the spring. It was a perfect spot to settle. In 1910, there were four children left in the home. Tute was 21, Italy (Lit) was 25, Nora was 18, and Alphie was 13. Hence, age 22, had married a neighbor, Blanche Longacre, in January. The two of them boarded the train in Corbin and rode to Wellington to be married. Alphie rode along with them and served as their witness.

The newly-wed couple lived in Anson, in the northern part of the county, and Hence helped farm on the land that had belonged to Nathan Day, which was in the hands of Nathan’s daughter, Alpharetta, and sonin-law, John Denison. In 1909, Ad and Clara moved their family from Daviess County, Missouri to Kansas and took up farming in Falls Township, the next township over from his father, Malachi.

Ad and his brother, Zene, teamed up

to build a blacksmith shop in Corbin, where Ad ran a business to supplement his farm income. Sumner County had become home for many of Malachi and Mary Emma’s children, and for some of Malachi’s siblings, as well as Mary Emma’s siblings. Mary Emma’s sister, Alpharetta, and her husband lived in the northern part of the county on the Day land. Her sister, Laura Bell married Charles McBride, and Clara married Spencer Edwards.

The youngest sister, Permelia, married John Haines. All the families were

farm families and lived near Anson in the northern part of Sumner County. Both of Mary Emma’s brothers had moved to northern Oklahoma, just south of Sumner County, to Garfield and Pawnee Counties. Her sister, Cora, also lived in Oklahoma. Harvest time brought all the hands to Malachi’s farm to help bring in the crops. Zene lived in Garfield County, Oklahoma off and on, and he returned to Sumner County to help with the farming. Everyone pitched in where needed to help get the harvest completed. Just as in Carlow, there were some cultural activities in Corbin. Zene belonged to a Debating Club and a Literary Society, which met at the local schoolhouse. However, the school board was not especially happy to have them meeting there because damage sometimes occurred. When a pump handle was broken at a meeting, Zene repaired it, as well as a hitching rack. The board refused to pay him for the pump handle repair.

He sued them, acting as his own attorney because of his experience in the Debating Club.

Unfortunately, he lost his case, and had to pay the court costs of seven dollars. Passenger train travel was much more pleasant and convenient than before, and several of the relatives traveled back and forth from Daviess County to Sumner County for family visits. Luther Townsend and his wife, Ethel Lile, came from their home in Missouri for a visit. Wes’ wife, Emma, traveled, probably by train, to Daviess County to visit relatives. In May 1907, Malachi’s youngest brother, Finis Lile, visited Sumner County for the summer, and ended up living there a short while before moving to Oklahoma and then settling in Nebraska. After the death of George Washington Lile in 1900, his widow, Rebecca, moved periodically to live with several of her children. In 1906, she was living with her daughter, Perniche Hobbs, in Sumner County and also traveled to visit some of her other children, family, and friends in Missouri.

Virgil Edward (Ed) and his wife, Rebecca Talley, moved from Daviess County, Missouri, to Welty, Oklahoma, along with their 2 daughters to join Rebecca’s brother, Matt, who had relocated to Oklahoma a couple of years earlier. They thought there were good opportunities to make a better living. Their 3rd daughter was born in 1910. A little more than a year later, on August 20, 1911, Virgil (Ed) died of typhoid fever.

Rebecca later returned with her three young daughters to Carlow to live in a house

that Malachi owned and offered to her. Two more Lile marriages occurred in 1912. Nora married Berlin Craven, whose family had been living and farming in Sumner County for many years. And Zene married also, at the age of 35, to Nina Mae Travis, a woman who he had met while living and working in Oklahoma. Malachi’s mother, Rebecca Lile, died on July 18, 1913 while living with her son Daniel Henry in Lancaster, Kansas. Her obituary was in the Atchison (County) Kansas Daily Globe newspaper the following day. “Mrs. Rebecca Lile, age 89 years, died yesterday at her home in Lancaster, of general debility. Mrs. Lile was born in Millersburg, Ohio, her maiden name being Lenhart. She was married to G. W. Lile at the age of seventeen. To this union were born 10 sons and 7 daughters, all living to be grown, but one. Eight sons and two daughters survive. There are also forty-nine grandchildren, seventy-five great grandchildren and one great, great grandchild. The funeral has been arranged for Sunday afternoon at 2 o’clock from the Union church at Lancaster.

Services will be conducted by the Presbyterian minister from Effingham.

Interment in the Lancaster cemetery.”

As Malachi aged, his rheumatism was an ongoing source of pain for him. He had also lost his eyesight. During a family dinner at Hence and Blanche’s house, canned oysters – a favorite of his - were being served. He smelled them and began insisting that he get some, too. From the merriment at the table, it was obvious that the family had been teasing him by not mentioning the oysters. With Tute taking the responsibility for the farm work, Malachi was able to relax and spend time playing with his grandchildren – some of whom it appears that he had named. He and one of his grandsons, Corval, invented a game of head butting which they both enjoyed immensely. Malachi became ill early in 1914. During his extended illness, the local newspaper reported on his health. He died on Dec. 1, 1914 at age 70 from uremic poisoning – the result of kidney disease - and was buried at Corzine Cemetery near Corbin, Kansas.

Epilogue: Mary Emma lived at her home with Arthur Grover (Tute) and Italy (Lit) until her death on Sept 10, 1920. She was 64 years old and was buried at Corzine Cemetery next to her husband, Malachi. Ethel (Russia Ethel) was 22 years old in 1902 when her parents moved to Kansas, and decided not to move with them. She married Luther Townsend in 1903 in Daviess County, Missouri and they continued to live there. His family were farmers living south of Carlow. Luther was the uncle of Clara Townsend Lile, wife of Ad Lile, even though uncle and niece were about the same age. Alphie was the youngest child in the family and was only 18 when her father died. She married Ruthburn Barber the following year. His family had lived and farmed in Sumner County. Tute never married and neither did his sister Lit (Italy). After their parents’ deaths, they continued to live in the family farmhouse and Tute continued to farm the land. They grew wonderful gardens and shared their produce when they could.

Family Land Locations A Land Patent refers to an original transfer from the government. Nathan Day: (Patent 1880) Sumner County KS, Sumner Township #31, Range 2 West, Section 11, N.E. Quarter. Malachi Allen Lile: (Purchased 1906) - Sumner County, Kansas, South Haven Township 34 South, Range 2 west of 6th PM. (Sold 1902)– Daviess County, MO, Jackson Township, Lots 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 in block 14 in Carlow (also known as Jackson). Malachi Lile: (Patent 1829), Ray County Missouri, 5th PM, section 5, 051N – 027W, E1/2 SW1/4. (Patent 1827), Ray County Missouri, 5th PM, section 31, 052N – 027W, E1/2 SE1/4. George Washington Lile: (Sold 1880), 60 acres of west part E2 NW 27-37-26. to sons William S. and Jerry.

Family of Martha Hixson and Malachi Allen Lile

Mary Emma Day and Malachi Allen Lile

Married June 14, 1874 Born March 5, 1844 Died December 1, 1914

Born September 19, 1855 Died September 10, 1920

Family of Mary Emma Day and Malachi Allen Lile

Family of Mary Emma Day and Malachi Allen Lile Continued

Above: Mary Emma with grandchildren on her porch. From left, Doris Craven, Don Craven, Corval Lile, Mildred Lile, and Thurman Lile. Two-year-old Oscar Lile is on her lap.

At left, Mary Emma and Oscar Lile.

A family story says that "Malachi was a wagon train escort in his young adulthood. He escorted Nathan Day and his family from Pennsylvania to Missouri, and fell in love with Nathan’s daughter, Mary Emma, along the way. They married as soon as they could, without waiting to reach their destination." In reality, Nathan Day and his family moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio when Mary Emma was about 5 years old. Then he moved his family to Grundy County Missouri, which is the county next to Daviess County, when Mary Emma was about 12. If Malachi had any part in helping the Days in one of their relocations, Mary Emma would have been very young.

Baby Names Malachi’s interest in naming babies didn’t stop with naming his and Mary Emma’s own babies.

Mae Tolen told her grandson, Don Tolen, that her parents, Virgil

Edward (Ed) and Rebecca, allowed Malachi to name her and her two sisters: Orlov Mae, Eva Merle, and Mary Eulalia. Eva was a Talley family name, and perhaps the selection of Mary’s first name was to honor Malachi’s wife, Mary Emma, leaving questions about how he chose Orlov and Eulalia. The unusual nature of some of his other grandchildren’s names makes one wonder if he named them also. Phillip Wesley (Wes) and Emma’s oldest daughter was named Olive Manila Orpha. She was born in 1899, right after the ending of the Spanish-American War in Manila in the Philippines, which Malachi could have followed in newspapers. Oscar Hensley (Hence) and Blanche’s oldest sons were named the unique Corval and Norval Thurman (not twins). It’s even possible that Malachi’s parents allowed him to name their youngest son, Finis Euin in 1871. Since Finis means ‘the end’ or ‘conclusion’, it would be appropriate but possibly beyond the language expertise of George Washington and Rebecca. The pronunciation was probably difficult for Finis’ peers and he was known as F.U. as an adult. It seems likely that his middle name began with a “U” sound as in Euin but the name is spelled differently in the family, some using the name Evan.

Above: Rebecca and George Washington Lile and eight of their sons. Son Cyrus is identified with an arrow, and the second from right on the first row is George F. Lile. Specific identification of the other sons isn't known. Below: The Family of Perniche Lile Hobbs and David Hobbs. Back row from left: Elmer Jacob, Rebecca Jane, Henry Franklin, Francis Marion, Charles Ira Seated from left: Thomas Emery, David, Perniche, Richard Eldon In front: James Franklin 28

Family of Rebecca Lenhart and George Washington Lile

Family of Rebecca Lenhart and George Washington Lile Continued

In the center is Nancy Lucetta Lile Wooderson, daughter of George Washington and Rebecca Lile, taken in 1928. On the left is her granddaughter, Gladys Breeden, and her daughter, Lura Francis Wooderson Planck, is on the right. This photo was provided by Nancy's third greatgranddaughter, Brenda Wiesner. 31

At left: Nathan Day (right) and his brother Benjamin, taken during a visit that Benjamin made to Sumner County from his home in Illinois. Below: Nathan Day and his wife Catherine Ellinger Day, taken in the years just prior to the death of Catherine in 1881. The youngest daughter, Permelia, is leaning on her father's knee. Her brother, Louis Fred, is sitting on the end, next to his father. In the back row, William Henry Day stands in the center, and Clara is second from the right. The other daughters are Cora Effie, Alpharetta Leota, Laura Bell, and Susan Elizabeth, but it is not known which one is which.

Family of Catherine Ellinger and Nathan Day

Family of Catherine Ellinger and Nathan Day Continued

Debunking False Family Stories FALSE - Nathan Day reportedly came from Holland by ship with his two brothers - one died enroute and was buried at sea. Family stories also say that Nathan had a strong Dutch accent, supporting the claim that he came from Holland. TRUE - Using federal censuses, we see that Nathan and his TWO brothers, Benjamin and Ephraim, consistently gave their birthplaces as Pennsylvania. Their sister, Caroline, was also born in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Dutch were not Dutch at all, but Germans. Since there were such a large number of them in Pennsylvania after the revolution, they developed a unique speech dialect, which would account for Nathan's strong accent.

FALSE - A hand-written story among family members about Catherine Ellinger Day gives her maiden name as Swearingen, saying she was born in Ireland in 1831 and orphaned at an early age. At age 16, she was brought to the U.S. with a group of 52 orphaned Irish girls and was placed in a “College for Young Women” someplace on the Coast of Virginia. TRUE - In a letter from her brother, William Ellinger gives information about himself and Catherine’s sister, Leah. They were both born in Pennsylvania. Catherine also gives her birth location as Pennsylvania in censuses. Since the name in the hand-written story refers to a Catherine Swearingen, that person and story may have been true, but got attached to Catherine Day by mistake.

Phillip Wesley Lile and Emma Jane Wooderson Lile, above. Below they are shown with their daughters, Olive Manilla Orpha and Merle Agnes in about 1902, the same year they traveled to Sumner County to meet the rest of the Lile Family at Riverdale. This photo was provided by Wes and Emma Jane's great-granddaughter, Diann Miller.

Virgil Edward (Ed) Lile died on Aug 20, 1911 from typhoid fever at the age of 36. He was a member of Woodmen of the World, a fraternal benefit society, which provided his gravestone. The photo (lower left) shows the unveiling of the unique memorial stone that was installed for him. Don Tolen provided the photo. The bottom of the round portion of the stone says "Dum Tacet Clamat", meaning "Though silent, he speaks".

Virgil Edward Lile and Rebecca Ann Talley Photo taken 12-2-1897, on their Wedding Day

Above: Zene and Nina Lile with their nephew, Oscar, who lived with them. Right: Zene and Matt Talley, brother of Rebecca Talley. The photo was provided by Don Tolen. Below: Zene, Oscar, and a friend set off to go prospecting in Colorado.

Top: Newspaper article in observation of Ad and Clara's 50th wedding anniversary in 1950.

Above: Ad as a young man

Left: Adiel Obiel Lile, Clara Townsend Lile and their children (from left) John, Horace, Vera, and Leona. 39

Above: Russia Ethel Lile, her husband Luther Townsend, and their sons, Dudley (standing), and Lloyd.

Left: Russia Ethel Lile

Italy Alice (Lit) Lile

Arthur Grover (Tute) at the 1954 Family Reunion

Left: Hence Lile and Blanche Longacre Lile Below: Hence.

Left: Hence on the farm with his grandchildren, Florence and Shannon Lile.

Above: Nora Nevada Lile Craven. Below: Nora and her husband Berlin Craven on their wedding day June 12, 1912 Thes photos were provided by their granddaughter, Michele Moyer Musick.

Alpha Alaska Lile and Ruthburn Barber, taken July 4, 1914. They were married on Sept 8, 1915. This photo was provided by Don Tolen.

Alphie and Ruthburn Barber, taken at Christmas 1956.

Lile Sisters Top: from left, Nora, Italy, Alphie

Right: front from left, Nora and Italy. Back from left, Alphie and Russia Ethel This photo may have been taken in 1912 when Russia Ethel and her husband Luther visited the family in Sumner County.

Above, from left: Tute, Alphie, Italy, Nora, and Ad, about 1938.

From left: Tute, Alphie, Ad, and Zene, at the funeral of their brother, Hence, in 1953.

Tute Lile

Italy Lile

Alpha Lile and Ruthburn Barber

Zene Lile

Nora Lile Craven Ad Lile

Clara Townsend Lile

Photo taken about 1938 at a family gathering. Those not specifically named are descendants of the Lile Family. 47

In 1949, a group of Lile relatives were invited by Nora Lile Craven to a picnic at the park in Wellington, Kansas. Nineteen people met at Walnut Point at the park. After visiting and enjoying a bountiful potluck dinner, it was decided to organize the group and have an annual reunion. Over the years, in addition to visiting, family history data was compiled, and photos were always taken. It was called the Lile, Hobbs, Day Reunion and was held every year for 57 years, finally ending in 2006. 48

Above: At a Family Reunion, brothers Tute (left) and Ad. In the center is their niece, Mae Lile Tolen. The photo was provided by Don Tolen. Below: Front row from left- Zene and Nina, Tute, unknown, Perniche and David Hobbs. Nora is standing on the left. Others are unknown.

Left: Ad Lile, Frank Hobbs, George Lile, Paul Lile, Tute Lile.

Family Reunion in 1954.

All those in the photo below are descendents of the Lile family.

Clara Townsend Lile

Alpha Lile Barber 50

Tute Lile

Farm Scene Probably taken in Kansas in the early 1900's. Malachi is on the left, and likely Tute is standing next to him. Zene has an "X" above him in the photo below. A few other faces are visible in the inset photos above. It is likely that they are all Lile relatives. During that timeframe, farmers would have used steamdriven as well as horse or mule-drawn equipment.

The photos on these two pages appear to have been taken on the same occasion - a gathering of the Hobbs and Lile Families in 1904, probably at the Hobbs home. Rebecca Lile is seated, and to the left of her are her son Malachi and his wife Mary Emma. Rebecca's daughter Perniche Hobbs and her husband David are at the right. It appears that there was a time gap in the two photos and that some people moved around a bit, and also removed their hats. The date of the photograph is known because Alphie wrote her age (8 years old) on the back of her photo. At that time, both Malachi and Perniche's families lived in Sumner County, and their mother Rebecca was living there with the Hobbs family. 52

Those not specifically identified by name fit the approximate ages, etc of the Hobbs family children, but it isn't known for sure which is which.

Those that can be identified are: 2 - Oscar Hensley (Hence) Lile

16 - Rebecca Lenhart Lile

3 - Arthur Grover (Tute) Lile

18 - Perniche Lile Hobbs

7 - Nora Lile

19 - David Hobbs

8 - Italy (Lit) Lile 9 - Zene Lile 14 - Mary Emma Day Lile 15 - Alphie Lile

This large family group photo was taken in about 1902, probably in Missouri. The reason for this get-together may have been a visit of the Hobbs family from their home in Sumner County Kansas. Noticably absent are Malachi Allen Lile, his wife Mary Emma and most of their children.

Only a few of the people in this photo can be identified. Others are likely to be the children of Perniche and David Hobbs, and other Lile relatives who lived in the area of Daviess or Gentry County. 55

17 Russia Ethel Lile 26 David Hobbs 42 Hence Lile 30 Rebecca Lenhart Lile 32 Perniche Lile Hobbs 33 Emma Jane Wooderson Lile 34 Phillip Wesley Lile

Above: The Kaffir Corn Topper designed, built and patented (No. 1041821) by Zene Lile and his friend,Virgil Davidson, in 1911 in Corbin, Kansas. The photo was provided by Don Tolen. It was likely invented in the blacksmith shop (shown below) that Zene and Ad built for Ad's blacksmith business. Zene is on the right, Ad is on the left.

Alphie's Memories Letter to Don Tolen in 1980

Frank and Jesse James Outlaws Frank (1843-1915) and Jesse (1847-1882) James were born in Clay County, MO, a neighboring county to Daviess County. They were guerrilla fighters during the Civil War and rode with Quantrillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Raiders. After the war they continued their illegal activities. In 1869, they robbed the bank in Gallatin in Daviess County, Missouri, killing one of the tellers. One of the crimes that they were thought to have committed was a train robbery in Daviess County in which the train conductor and a passenger were killed in 1881. A few months after Jesse was betrayed and killed by his partner-in-crime, Bob Ford, Frank turned himself in to the governor of Missouri and gave up his life of crime. He was tried for 3 separate crimes, including a sensationalized trial at Gallatin for the train robbery in Daviess County. He was found innocent of them all, perhaps because the press had made heroes of the brothers over the years. Frank went straight, as he promised, and lived to be 72 on the family farm where he had been born in nearby Clay County.

Mormon War in Missouri The Mormons believed that they were led to settle in Missouri and very large numbers of Mormons began to arrive from their previous settlement in Ohio in the 1830â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Mormon leaders thought the original Garden of Eden was one mile south of Jameson in Daviess County. Their arrival caused concern among the Missourians because of their different beliefs and because of their large numbers. There were many conflicts between the Mormons and Missourians, with factions developing on both sides. The state tried to solve the issue by designating a new county, Caldwell County, as a Mormon county in 1836. This new county was made from part of Ray County and was situated between Ray County on the south and Daviess County on the north. By 1838, it was clear that the solution had failed, and a war broke out in Daviess County, where many Mormons had attempted to settle instead of staying in Caldwell County as the Missourians understood the agreement. The war lasted from August to November of 1838, and at least 22 people were killed, most of them Mormons. The governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s help was requested, and he issued an order, telling the Mormons they must leave the state or be killed. The Mormons moved on to establish a new settlement in Nauvoo, Illinois, and later moved to Utah. In 1838, George Washington Lile (age 19) and his mother, Betsy, lived in Ray County near other relatives. They would have been very aware and concerned with these activities. George's father, the older Malachi Lile, had died in 1833.

Reference List Frank James Dead. (1915, Feb. 25). Albany Capital, Albany, Gentry County, Mo. Retrieved from www.newspapers.com. Birdsall and Dean (1882). History of Daviess County, Missouri. An encyclopedia of Useful Information, and a Compendium of Actual Facts. Retrieved from cdm.sos.mo.gov. Clark, Elaine Evans -Transcriber (2014). Prairie Letters, Life on the Kansas Prairie in the Late 1800â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Hillsboro Free Press Books, Sumner County Historical and Genealogical Society, Wellington Kansas. Edwards, John P. (1883). Historical Atlas of Sumner County, Kansas. Retrieved from www. kansasmemory.org. History.com editors. (no date). Outlaw Frank James Born in Missouri. Retrieved from www. history.com. Ireland, Kay (no date). Preparing Wagons for River Crossings. Retrieved from www. oureverydaylife.com. Missouri State Archives (no date). The Missouri Mormon War. Retrieved from www.sos.mo.gov. No author, Compilation (no date). 1838 Mormon War. Retrieved from En.wikipedia.org. No author, Public Records (no date). Retrieved from mapofus.org/missouri. No author, Public Records (no date). Retrieved from ancestry.com. Zornow, William Frank (1957). Kansas, A History of the Jayhawk State. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press.

Worn-Out Wagon Wheels: The Prairie Travels of the Malachi Allen Lile Family Copyright ÂŠ 2019 by Margaret Schmidt, maggiebill78@hotmail.com Margaret Lile Schmidt All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from Margaret Schmidt, maggiebill78@hotmail.com

Malachi's barn and windmill, as seen in 1992.