Old Settlers' Stories
by Romeo and Edna Tracy
Romeo J. Tracy was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota, in 1862. His parents were James and Temperance Tracy who had migrated west from Owego, New York. Romeo had one brother, Charles.
A few months later Mrs. Tracy became ill and the family decided to go back to New York, so they could be closer to relatives. Mrs. Tracy passed away en-route and burial was in a small cemetery on the outskirts of Chicago.
James continued the journey to New York with Romeo and Charles. Relatives were contacted and they looked after the boys while James looked for work. James met a young lady and was married so the boys had a step-mother and as time passed brothers and sisters.
A few years later Charles left home and came to Iowa, to uncles who ran Bunnell Brothers Livery in Sutherland.
The year was 1876, when Romeo heard there was a wagon train getting outfitted for a trip to Iowa. This was music to his ears as some of these wagons were being loaded with furniture and household equipment. Most of them wouldn't be checked except on loading and unloading. Romeo figured in one of these would be the ideal place to stowaway. With a container of water the night before the call to move out, Romeo was stowed away.
At daybreak the call to move out was heard, Romeo didn't make his presence known until they were on the trail three days.
Romeo's sudden appearance wasn't met with open arms. He had to meet with the wagon boss and explain. The wagon boss said, "what we should do is take you back, but we are so far out we can't afford to take the time. Since you have a place to stay in Iowa, you will have to ride herd on the settlers livestock that has to keep up with the main group".
Back then it wasn't how many miles an hour you traveled but more like how far you traveled in a day or week or two.
The name Romeo was dropped and he became known as Romey.
The day finally arrived when they crossed the Big River and we in Iowa. When Romey showed up in Sutherland, everyone was surprised, as no one knew he was coming. Charles said he was glad to see him, but he was to remember, he was not to hang out around him. Romey told him, not to worry as he planned to make it on his own.
One day a group of settlers from the Sutherland area, were getting together to form a sizeable herd of cattle and they had been informed that there was open grassland, along the Ocheyedan River, about ten miles or so southeast of the Ocheyedan Mound. They said they had already talked about a deal with his uncles and were asking Romey if he would be interested in riding herd over their cattle during the grazing season. They would pay the going wage and help move the herd to the site. They would move lumber and material to set up a bunk house.
Romey said this was just the sort of job he was looking for and as soon as he could get a horse, outfitted and get a good herd dog, he would be ready. Finally the day arrived and the big caravan of horses, wagons, and cattle were on their way to the summer range. The fellows all pitched in to build a place for sleeping, eating and to store any extra equipment. This was built on the south side of a hill with a good view of the river bottom. They brought along a good supply of food and told Romey he could supplement that with wild game.
The men helping Romey get settled told him they would be out every week or two with more supplies and have someone to give him a day or two off. It was only a short time and everything became routine, Romey and his dog became the best of buddies, Romey made him some little leather booties and whenever his paws became sore, he would sit up with front paws extended, until he was outfitted with his boots. Now beside keeping the herd together there was seeing that there was no rustling or loss from wild animals, if there was a loss the one in charge, had only to cut out and save the brand. One time during a break, the fellows went to LeMars to watch the fellows from the English Colony, who were going to ride with the hounds on a fox hunt.
When the grazing season was finished and cattle rounded-up, Romey stayed with different families in and around Sutherland or Peterson. Romey moved into the town of Hartley, and it was there, that he met and married Edna Thomas, in 1888. Edna at that time was staying with her sister. Their father, John Thomas was a merchant in Ocheyedan in the 1890's; after moving to Hartley, Romey ran a well rig for Gus Pech. He did building, moving, and masonary work while living in Hartley. Romeo and Edna had four children: John, Temperance, Eugene and James, the one remaining member was V. Margret born in Ocheyedan. One of the reasons for the move to Ocheyedan was when Romey and his partner, Mr. Vaughn, received the contract to move the Ocheyedan house on the corner of Main and Second, back on the lot and build the new brick building for the Bank of Ocheyedan. When they had that done to brick veneer, the building that was moved back, and in that way, formed it into a single unit.
Having finished the Ocheyedan job, the partners of Vaughn and Tracy took the job of constructing the Ellsworth Brewery. When they started the job at Ellsworth, Mr. Vaughn took up residence in Ellsworth, while Romey stayed in Ocheyedan, making the trip between there and the job on the weekend on the railroad via hand pumped handcar. After that job was finished Romey decided he had enough moving the family and would stay put. Having decided Ocheyedan was to be home base, he would stay with what he knew best. That was moving buildings, masonry and wellwork. As Romey got to work in the area, he worked parttime for an already established hardware. As new jobs increased, Romey hired a number 2 man to help and as the boys grew they were added to the work force.
The year was 1915, when John and Edna F.B. Filk were married. They started out the first year farming on the east edge of Ocheyedan, but it wasn't too long, until John purchased a well rig from Howard Keith and was back in the well boring business and soon moved back into the north end of town. The children of John and Edna were Leonard, who married Donna M. Robinson of Worthington; E. Phyllis, who married Elmer Van Gelder. Their two sons are Dennis and Allynn.
After graduation from high school in 1911, Temperance taught several rural schools, some up near Bigelow and in Horton township, one being the Lone Star.
Temperance received a letter from her aunt, who was living on a farm near Platte, South Dakota, and asked if she was interested in a teaching job out near their place, there was one open. Temperance answered saying she would come out for a visit and check out the teaching job. It so happened the teaching job looked promising and it also made a change in her life, as it was there that she met a young man from near Platte, by the name of George Ells, and eventually married him, becoming a South Dakota farm wife and the mother of three sons. Now with two off the list, that leaves Eugene, James, and V. Margaret. Eugene married Gertrude Eveland; their family consisted of John, Dorthea, Eugene, Clinton, Willard and Dick. James R. married Lulu Boyer. Their children were James, Thomas and Michael, V. Margaret and James Ferguson were married and began farming south of Silver Lake. They were parents of three children, Edna L., Norman and Myrna.
Eugene is deceased (1990) and buried in the Ocheyedan cemetery.
-Transcribed by Roseanna Zehner