CHAPTER 11

Pittsville

In October, Hunter and Milla Ferguson came to World Conference, interested in buying a farm. We looked around and did not find anything but later we found a 170-acre place for sale near Pittsville and bought it in partnership with the Fergusons.

On Christmas Day, Jack, Jim Mullen, Bud Barnhill, and a friend of his were picked up by the sheriff and lodged in the County jail for petty theft. I brought Jack's books and assignments from school so he could study and finish his senior year. Ward Hougas arranged for this and Jack was accepted back into school in mid-February. He sang for the intermission of the class play that year and graduated with his class. In January, we moved in and the Fergusons came from California in February. We shared the big, two-story house--each having private kitchen and living room.

Mother came from Independence to visit and Dad who was staying with Lester and Gladys came a few days later to see Burr's new place. He was ill for just a few days and died on April 1st at our house.

Jack worked on the farm that summer and in the fall, left for Graceland College. The 4th of July, that summer, we had a family picnic with 65 in attendance at the Bronson and Ferguson farm.

On December 11, 1949, Kathy Hutchinson was born (our first grandchild).

In the spring of 1950, the Fergusons moved to a rented farm near Kingsville.

Jack worked with his Dad that summer and in late fall, enlisted in the Army for three years. He took his basic at Fort Leonard Wood,. arid at Camp Campbell and then left for Korea in July of 1951. Also that year the Bronson and Ferguson partnership was dissolved and a farm sale was held. We used proceeds from our share of the sale plus a Federal Land Bank loan to purchase Hunter's share of the farm. Having no capital for purchase of stock or machinery, Burr went to work for a time with Dick Langford in Olathe, and for Marion and Cecil Bronson in Independence and rented out the farm land.

Beverly Hutchinson was born on September 10, 1951. In the spring of 1952, Burr went to work as a carpenter with Andes and Robert's Construction Company in Independence.

Jack came home from Korea in late May and he and Carol Hedeen were married on June 8, 1952 and then they left for his assignment at Battle Creek, Michigan--later going to Detroit.

Mother Bronson died in October at the age of 83. she was buried beside Dad in the Sunset Hills cemetery west of Warrensburg. With her permission, the boxes containing the ashes of my mother and father were placed in her casket. Before she died, she had planned her funeral service and the family carried out her wishes.

Jack was discharged from the Army came home just in tine for Christmas. They settled in at our house having their own kitchen and bed room, sharing the rest of the house. Jack took over the farm work and dairy.

In 1954, Hark Hutchinson was born on April 10th. That summer, Joan worked in Independence at a cafe where she met Jean Cox. They dated thru her senior year and after graduation, they were married on June 2, 1955, at Holden. That same summer, Jack built a basement home on their land on highway 50 and in late August, they moved in. Jim was born on September 11th.

Aunt Addie Carter cane from Spy Hill for the World Conference in 1956 and stayed with us for several weeks.

Debra Cox was born on August 1, 1957. That fall, I began cooking at the Miller school for noon lunch. Dick was then in sixth grade there. At the closing or school, Lillian Thornburg, a ward of the court, came to live with us for about a year.

Burr, Dick., and I went to the Black Hills and Wyoming to attend reunion in our first station wagon. Jack went to work for Andes and Roberts and our farm land was put into Land Bank (left unused for ten years). The payments finished paying off our Federal Land Bank loan. Another interesting project that November was taking the farm census in Jackson Township.

In early summer of 1960; Burr, Dick, Kathy, and I made a two-week trip to as far as Palmyra, NY. and visited church historical sites. Later, Beverly went with us for camping in the Ozarks. Joan and Jean's Saddle Club came to the farm and Jack and Burr went deer hunting in Wyoming.

1961 found us with Dick and Barbara going to as far as the West Coast, visiting Isabel in Puyallup, Hiel and Helen in Helena, Montana, and sights in between. Margaret Elien Bronson was born on December 12th.