Charles Milo PEBLEY

                   Helen wrote this letter to me Nov 20, 1999 after I had asked her to write down some of her recollections about herself and the family.
The letter:   I flew out to Victorville, CA to be closer to my brother who lives here.  This is called the high desert but there is no place like my home in Northwest Missouri, for me.
Grandma Field actually had two sets of grandchildren.  The first set was (Irene and Merrill Ferguson), (Helen and Thomas Pebley), and (Bob, Ken, Ted and Nancy Greenhalgh).  Ina was 17 having eloped with John Ferguson.  The second set of grandchildren were (Jerome and Nicholas Ferguson), (Marilyn and Owen McIntyre), (Jay and Eugene Field) and (Rex, Eusona and Virgina Field).
Ida and Dale McIntyre were the parents of an infant daughter Marilyn and son Owen McIntyre.  Ida and I (Helen) drove over to the cemetery in Maitland on Memorial Day leaving flowers at Marilyn's grave.  It was a beautiful place - well kept.  we visited Benton cemetery also, between Mound City, Mo. and Forest City, Mo the same day.  The Benton Church Cemetery seems so peaceful.  I thought of Greys Elegy to a Country Grave Yard.   Uncle George, Daisy and Infant Betty Ann Field are buried there as well as Elizabeth Field Atkison, Ethel Field Girdler and John and Ina Ferguson.  I remember going to a funeral and also church or Sunday School there when I was a child visiting Grandma Field.  It still stands and was a recent sight of a wedding.  Ruby Andler's granddaughter living in Arizona.
I'm really not too interested beyond the fourth generation.  Gave the genealogy listing dating back to 1710 to Eugene as Thomas and his family would also find it pretty hard to Wade through.  We had a black and white family picture of Grandma Field and her husband and children but your colored copy you sent made for enrichment.  I think Merrill said some of family came over from Brittany, as section of France bordering the coast(NW) as they settled there temporarily before coming to the U.S.
Merrill might be able to give authentic information on brief settlement in section of France.  I've heard that Merrill was used instead of original De Merle.  The name Pebley was derived from original Pebleuax, I've heard.
Great Grandfather Merrill (Nicholas D.) and wife with children Annie E. Merrill, Willie and I believe another child a boy left Estill Co. Kentucky(Stanton area) for Missouri.  Grandma said at the time they came to Missouri, it was regarded the same as moving to California in the 1930's; as moving on to greener pastures.
They settled in Bigelow, Missouri - very low.  Subject to bacteria, no doubt from the water well near the outside privies.  The family contracted typhoid fever.  His wife and one son died.  I believe they were buried in a plot near Chet Caton's home - on Hwy 59 between Mound City and Craig.  I've heard Grandma Field say she had considered having her Mother's body moved to a cemetery that would receive care but she felt perhaps due to passing of time there would not be too much preserved.  Aunt Ethel Field Girdler and I went up the road going east, passed Caton's.  Mrs. Caton told Ethel of a spot in the field where she thought there could be a grave.  Ethel walked some distance but as I recall was uncertain it she had located the spot with graves.
Annie E. Merrill, my grandmother and yours was 18 years old, at the time she had typhoid.  It was said that Dr. Tracy read to her (he like her).  She survived, another brother Uncle Willie and their father - Great grandfather Nicholas Nicholas Merrill also recovered.  He moved to Craig and lived there till he died at about 80 some years old, batching by himself after his second wife died ( of the Randall family south of Craig).  I remember Dad saying when he stopped by to see Grandfather Merrill at breakfast he would have a hot toddy - whisky with some sugar and hot water in it I think.  I would pass through the yard during warm weather on my way to grandpa Pebley s and generally see him leaning back against an old mulberry tree (now gone) in a cane back chair.
He looked ancient to me with his long white beard.  He was very thin.
He told mother (Lucy) that I didn't speak to him.  She told me he was my great Grandfather.  I could not comprehend that when my Grandma Pebley across the road called him Uncle Nick.  Why wasn't he my Uncle Nick too?
I can remember my mother(Lucy) saying after Grandma Field had married, she would come to see Pa in Craig, piling all the family into a wagon, traveling all the way in a horse drawn wagon, leaving from 6 mile S.E. of Mound City to Craig, about 16 miles.  They no doubt brought comforts to make beds for children and canned preserves plus garden products, baked home made bread and cookies?
The children must have been very excited over the trip as Mother said Grandpa's 2nd wife(the family called her Aunt Ann seems to me) complained the Field children had no sleep in them
I remember when Great Grandfather Nicholas died.  At that time there were no funeral homes in Craig but there was a man named Coleman David living in Craig, who embalmed people that had died.  The body remained in the home.  Several people were asked to stay with the body thru the night as was the custom.
Because Grandfather Merrill had served as tax collector for Craig, said to have been without pay, he was buried on a lot in IOOF Cemetery furnished him - a choice location.
Uncle Willie Merrill (survivor of typhoid) spent the married years of his life in Texas.  I'm not sure who he married.  Seems I've hear two of his girls called Blanche and Iva.  We visited his son, Arley Merrill in Big Springs, Texas - an engineer on a train but happened to be home at the time.  Grandma Field (Arley's aunt was with us on a trip to se Aunt Elizabeth in Phoenix.
After Grandma Merrill Field had survived typhoid, she married William Joseph Field, nineteen plus years her senior.  He had lost his first wife who died at age 35.  There were 8 children in that family also.
When Grandfather Field died of undulant Fever after a three or four day illness, he was buried beside his first wife in South Bethel Cemetery, just
a short distance on past (west) of Uncle John Field's country home.  I have visited it and found it well kept.
Now Annie E. Field, his widow, found herself alone with 5 children still at home.  Clara, Ina and Luch, my mother, were married but all of the other children were at home.  I (Helen) was 3 weeks old, born Aug 7, 1913, according to my mother at the time of his death at the end of August.
Annie E. Field's two story house burned about the time of Granpa Field's death.  Merrill Ferguson was a baby and was upstairs at the time of the fire but was rescued.  I don't know if it was after Grandpa Fields death or before.
I don't know how soon afterwards, the fire, Grandma built a new house.  I remember how remarkably well planned it was for that time(three bedrooms).
I believe it was built by Mr. Orley from Mound City.  It still stands on the home place.
There was no running water in the house but a pitcher pump brought water in from the cistern.  It was located at the end of the sink and required no water had to be brought in from the cistern in a bucket from out doors.
I remember that Uncle George and John would cut each others hair and do an excellent job.  Grandma would plant a large garden, had a strawberry bed, plum apple tree to make plum preserves, jelly, etc.  I'm sure she must have had a milk cow for milk and butter, chickens for eggs.
We went there many a Sunday for dinner.  The girls, Elizabeth who was still at home and Ida would prepare the meal and were excellent cooks as were all of Grandma's girls.  Ethel was there too - at least part of the time.  If the weather was suitably warm dad would stop by the Mound City Light and Power near the Rail Road tracks to buy a chunk of ice. Ida would have made the cream for ice cream.  The ice would be put in a gunny sack to place it of the front bumper of the car - an old Ford Model T. belonging to Dad's brother John, which we used for the Sunday trip only. We had to drive from Mound City, over Blair Hill.  Our early trips in the winter were made more comfortable by putting side Curtains on the car and Thomas and I covering our feet and legs with a comfort.
Ida would make ice cream with the ice we brought in the afternoon. The dishes from dinner were washed while some sat around and visited.  We kids would often be scolded for running in and out of dining room onto front porch, as it made for confusion and work for Aunt Elizabeth.  After Aunt Elizabeth and Herb Atkison(formerly of Rushville, Missouri) were married they lived in Phoenix.   Grandma was left alone on the farm.  She would live with Ida in the winter when she was teaching in Maitland area etc.
After we bought our Model A Ford, Dad decided to drive west to Phoenix - Grandma Field went with us via Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. It was hard for her to give up her farm home after Ida and Dale married but she was a person that always tried to make the best of things.  She gained weight and looks better.   We went on to San Diego to see my brother Thomas, where he had completed his boot camp Navy training.
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Helen graduated from N.W. Missouri State University in 1959 completing hours toward a B.S. in Education.  She taught in Craig and Corning Missouri a number of years.  Later Helen attended Arizona State Universtiy in Tempe and University of Arizona in Tucson, teaching in Superior and Nogales Arizona.  During her stay in Arizona Helen taught about 14 years.
In the early 1940's Helen worked for the Denver National Bank in Denver, Colorado as well as working in other war related businesses during World War II.   She said that she would never forget riding trains from Phoenix to Kansas City during the war with soldiers packed in - even sitting on the floor.   A soldier gave up his seat for Helen during one of the trips to Phoenix.
She said that every time she stands with her hand over her heart as the flag passes she thinks of all of the soldiers who served their country, made sacrifices even the ultimate sacrifice to keep the flag flying.