Rebecca Kilgore Douglass David McKee Douglass was born and raised in York Co., Pens. and was married to Rebecca Kilgore in York Co. Pens
Of their ten children born only four are now living, Jane Ellen, Mary Martha, James Lemon, and Sarah Amanda. While
living there father worked on the Susquehanne river for several years running a raft. I was very small when leaving
there 18 mo. old-when leaving there and settling on a farm in Henderson Co., Ill. 1/2 miles from a small town
called Biggsville. My father bought a nice farm and done the farming. Allso raised lots of cattle and sheep and
hogs and when ready for market Mr. Dave Rankin an old settler would buy them and ship them, then father would buy
more. In that way he made money and had plenty of everything. Those days people didn't no anything about
ottomobeals, radios, phones, electric washing machines, used ellbo grees, no washing powder, no electric lights,
the coil oil lamps was good enough them days. When I was twelve yrs. old we had a sale and started out in 2 covered
wagons for Mills Co., Iowa. Was on the road 6 weeks and it rained for 6 days and nights but we slept in our wagons.
Up early in the mornings-make a fire and hang our good old coffee pot on a stick and across the fire and place a
few other things and was on our way for another hard days trail and so on everyday till we reached the little town
called Strahan where my sister Mrs. Stockton and husband lived on a farm. My father bought 160 A of land joining
then on the north and built us a nice too story house and barn and plenty of out buildings that one needed on a
farm. My mother's health failed in a few years so that he sold the good old home to a man called Gipe and bought a
nice resadince in Hastings, Iowa lived there several years. When my mother passed away my father lived three years
later and passed away. Both were stricken with paralyses and gone to a better world where there's nothing but joy
and happiness. Both belonged to the Methodist Church living a Christian Life til there health failed that they
couldn't go. Was laid to rest in the Emerson cemetery where my dear bro. was laid beside them. A sister passed away
in Goodland, Kansas and was buried there beside her husband, Mr. Krow.* |