Lyman County, South Dakota  Genealogy

Clem and Lynda McCormick-Henke

 As written by Lynda McCormick.  Submitted by Kay Masterson,  grandniece to Lynda.

THE STORY OF MY  LIFE

 By Lynda Franzetta McCormick-Henke

      I was born December 20, 1880 on a farm three miles southwest of Sidney,  Iowa, one-half mile north of Knox, IA.  I went to the country school one-half mile from home, Lone Tree School until the eighth grade then I entered the Sidney School after Christmas and finished the eighth grade.  Our eighth grade exercises were held in the Court House.  I wrote an essay on the Benefits of Poverty.  I took as my example the life of Booker T Washington.  I finished the tenth grade then took one year normal course in Sidney High School.
     When we were small we seldom went to Sidney but we went to Knox every few days with a pail of eggs.  Everything was very cheap.  Eggs, five cents a dozen and calico three cents a yard.  Mother always put in a few extra eggs for candy and that was real fun.  We used to gather wild fruit in the woods, gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries and grapes and in the fall we would gather nuts for winter.  Hazel nuts, hickory nuts and black walnuts.  Every kid had his sack of nuts.  If you didn't gather any it would be just too bad for you wouldn't get any.
    We never had much money to spend but at Christmas time we had a little to buy presents.  A day or so before the New Year father took us to Sidney to buy our candy.  What fun we had trading candy for it was all different.
     Father went to Nebraska City with grain to have ground into flour.  He always took one of us little girls with him.  He would buy some cheese, bologna and crackers for our lunch and that was a real treat.
     Our recreation after we were grown up was Croconole, Dominoes and Croquet.  We had play parties and ice cream and strawberry socials in our homes, hay rides and bobsled rides.  What fun on a nice cold night to sleigh ride.
    I taught school for eight years in Iowa and South Dakota in the rural schools.
    I came to South Dakota about 1904 and took a homestead that joined my brother Frank's homestead, then sister Edith came later and took a claim, one mile west of mine and Clem's claim was in between ours.  We had to go back and forth to our claim shanties every few days.  Edith and I stayed together of nights.  One of the neighbors gave us a big revolver to keep the prowlers away.  We hung it up on the wall but we never used it.  We were more afraid of it than the prowlers.
     Edith and I bought a pony and buggy to go to Presho after our groceries.  Then Clem used to go with us to dances and drive the pony for us.  We had real nice times while we were proving up our claims.  After Edith proved up on her claim she went back to Iowa to teach school and I stayed in Dakota and taught school.
     Clem and I were married Christmas night in the Methodist Church in Oacoma, S.D. 1906.  Reverend Book of the Christian Church officiated, the Methodist minister was out of town.
     I finished my school in the spring and Clem out from town and we started house keeping and farming.  Clem bought an old team and wagon and with my saddle pony we started to get a little ground broke up.  Clem had about twenty acres broke on his homestead and I had about five.  We sowed some wheat and planted some corn.  We bought a dozen chickens and  two cows.  Clem went down on White River and bought an old lister to put in the corn.  We also bought another horse, and an old mower to cut our hay.  Pretty slim going for a time but we kept gaining a little and were not discouraged.
     I went to Iowa to be with my mother and be close to a doctor about a month before Lowell came to bless our home November 22, 1907.  On January 15, 1909, Wesley was born in our home.  When they were small I used to take them both on the horse with me and we would ride the prairie looking after the cattle and horses as it was free range.
      We lived on our ranch from the spring of 1906 to the fall of 1942.  Then we went to Lowell's in Osborne, Kansas and stayed a month or more, then went to Long Beach, California.  Then we came back to Lyman County and moved into Presho.
     We took several nice trips while we were living on the ranch.  The first time out through the Hills we took Wesley to Boulder, Colorado to enter college.  We went to World's Fair in Chicago.  We took a trip down  through the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas and fished for a couple of weeks.  Our last trip down in the South into Old Mexico, a wonderful trip with Lowell, Louise and family.
     We lived in Presho from 1943-1949 when in the spring we bought a trailer house and started to look for a new location.  We arrived in California in March, drove around every day looking at homes.  At last we found one and it really is in a very good location, no danger of high water or mountain slides and on a quiet street.  We both enjoy our home and we  have such good reception on television which we both enjoy.  We located  here in Arlington June 8, 1949.
Mother's Parents:
     Franklin and Ester Kuhns were born and lived near Pittsburgh, Pa.  After mother was married they came west and located near Beatrice, Nebraska.  There were three boys and two girls in her family, Lee, Joseph, Frank, Elizabeth and Mary.
      My father and mother were born and reared near Pittsburg, Pa.  Mothers  maiden name, Sarah Elizabeth Kuhns.  Father's name Humes Thompson McCormick.  Mother was 18 years old and father 31 when they were married.  They and a cousin of father's came west by covered wagon and located near Sidney, Iowa where all of us children were born, except sister Lucy who was born in Nebraska.  They bought a small farm of 40 acres and hauled their lumber from Council Bluffs, Iowa to build their house.  They added to their farm 240 more acres.
     We had just built a new home when father died.  Cause of death was neuralgia of heart.  He was sick just a few hours.  Mother was left with  the help of brother Rufe to provide for the family.  I was 14 years old, Nellie 12, Edith 10, Vina 8, Mearl 4.
     There were eleven children in our family, four boys and seven girls.  Charley, Rozell, Franklin, Lulua, Rutherford, Ordealia, Lynda, Nellie, Edith, Vina, Mearl. Mother was very anxious for us to have a good education.  She sent us to Sidney High School.  We were brought up in a Christian home and had a pleasant home life.
     Father and mother belonged to Methodist Church and most of the children.  I joined the church when quite young and was Baptized in  Berkby Pond.
My Grandparents, Father's family:
    Grandpa was born in Ireland and Grandma in Pennsylvania.  Grandmother's  maiden name Polly Thompson.  There were four boys and one girl in their family, one pair of twin boys, Sam, Bob, Jim, Humes and Kate.
     Wesley Henke has the original copy written by Grandma (Lynda) Henke and Dad (Lowell Henke) has a copy also.

Additional information received July 24, 2008