ROBERTS' RAMBLES

SIMMONS, COX, DAKE, MCINTOSH, ANSON, SECHRIST, BOYER

Posted By: LuRee Runnells (email)
Date: 5/2/2005 at 19:10:18

Van Buren Record -- Dec. 8, 1949

Four Iowa Girls and Descendants
(By Harry G. Boyer)

Sixty years ago in Van Buren county, Iowa, there lived four girls, Kate, Rena, Zelda and Rose. Their farm homes were not far apart. In fact three of them were within a mile of each other, and the fourth was spaced only a bit farther away.

Later, within a period of eight months, every one of them became a housewife. In a few weeks more all of them will have passed their fifty-seventh [57] wedding anniversary. [Married in 1892].

Today [1949] Rose, as Mrs. Curtis Anson, lives in Bakersfield, Calif.

Rena, as Mrs. Ira Sechrist, lives near Pueblo, Colo.

Zelda, as Mrs. H.G. Boyer, lives at McAllen, Texas.

Kate, as Mrs. O.A. Anson, lives on a farm near Keosauqua, Iowa. She is the only one still living in the very same house prepared for her before her wedding day. All of them, at broken intervals, exchange anniversary greetings.

The California couple wrote, they now have 50 living descendants.

The Texas couple replied: "By comparison our little flock of 10 seems insignificant, but we are not without hope for a better showing since the recent arrival of twin girls to grandson York Boyer and wife Grace at Donna, Texas."

This little story is rather an oddity, but it may be read with interest by both young and old. The full maiden names of the four girls were: Kate Simmons, Rena Cox, Zelda Dake and Rose McIntosh. (End of article).

Rena Cox Sechrist is my great aunt, submitting for those who might have an interest. Will also add in this newspaper article, the cost for this newspaper [Van Buren Record 1949]: In Iowa $2.00 Per Year: Outside Iowa $2.50 Per year: Payable in Advance.