Family, Travels and Spirits and Such

 

Himself and I got up in our own time this morning.  We'd had grandchildren all week and now they were back home with their parents and we didn't really have an agenda but we did.  The plan in the back of our minds was to go for a day trip.  Only me, tho, only Nana, may have had an agenda.  It was only half baked but I did have a plan -- and Himself was along for the ride. 

 

So, we got up, watched some news and weather, had a couple of eggs and potato patties with The Pioneer Woman and then loaded up in the car and headed north.  First order of business was to drive to Greenfield. 

 

We had a little side trip through the Orient Campground first.  When we came to Orient in 1978, the campground was brand new.  The lake was new, the campsites too and there was not a full-grown tree on the park grounds.  Now, 35 years later, there are wonderful shade trees and beautiful evergreens for wind breaks.  Now, please tell me how can it be 35 years later?

 

On to Greenfield!  I just happened to know of a cute little consignment shop on the west edge of town.  Himself sat in the car.  That was okay.  He's happy and I'm happy. 

 

After touring the Greenfield square and looking around the town, we drove east across Hwy 92and then north towards Earlham.  I had read of a new 'junk shop" south of Earlham and my Mama had lived near and gone to school in Earlham so this was our next destination.  However, due to an addled GPS, a lack-a-daisial sign and some general vague directions printed out of Craig's List, we took the route around Robin Hood's barn to find Bissell Springs junk shop.  Find it we did after back tracking about 8 miles, it looked interesting but the owners were gone.  Not home.  Out to Lunch. 

 

Back in the car to wend our way to The North River Church between Norwalk and Indianola.  I had been here about 25 years ago with my folks.  Mom had ancestors in Warren County and we had found a distant cousin of Mom's whom she had never met but who was aware of Mom and her family connection.  So, with Gramps who was always willing to meet new family, we drove up one spring afternoon to meet Leola Bishop Brown.  Leola, a widow, with two sisters was fiercely interested in our shared Foust Family History and all of her other families.  She and her sisters and a nephew had researched and recorded all that they could find.  They had my Mama's name in the book, maybe even mine? and so that day, we connected the family history dots over coffee accompanied with a generous dose of down-home hospitality. 

 

 

 

We went home with new information.  After that visit Leola hand-copied a couple of hundred of pages of shared Family History and sent it to me.   We corresponded by mail for awhile but it wasn't long before Leola died and I lost track of the rest of her family.  I was always so pleased to have met her and so grateful that she had copied out the family history for me.  

 

Leola's family and Janice's Grandmother Coe grew up in this area of Spring Hill, Iowa.  My mom's Great Grandmother Foust came to Warren County along with other ancestors from Ohio and Illinois.  The Hoover's came early in Iowa Statehood and they built and operated mills.   

 

The ancestors lived out their lives here and many are buried in the North River Church cemetery.  A small country graveyard, there are at least three generations of my ancestors buried here.  We made acquaintance of one today.   

 

 

 I got out of the car and took a photo of the lovely church, above.

 

We walked over to the adjacent cemetery and found Jacob Foust's stone and his second wife, Delia.  I took out my camera and it wouldn't turn on.  I had to take the batteries out of the camera and put them back in to get a picture of Jacob and Delia's stone.

 

I was telling Himself the story of John Coe who I described as John Coe, the "ne'er do well" who married Elias Foust's daughter, Martha "Ella" (and Lewis Coe's mother).  Ella died in her 40s leaving 7 or 8 children and her husband didn't have the money for a gravestone.  When Ella's father, Elias Foust, died, he willed the money for a stone for his daughter's grave.  

 

So again, I tried to take a photo and again had to dump the batteries out and put them back to get a picture of Elias Foust's stone.  Darn, uncooperative camera. 

 

In writing this entry, I have tried 6+ times to get another photo in to this entry.  A photo of Martha Ella Foust Coe's stone.  Her husband John Coe is buried on this cemetery lot too.  I have so far, been unsuccessful in getting the photo uploaded.  Sigh . . .  

 

From North River Church, we drove into Indianola and found a great (and busy!) diner, Crouse's Diner.  Right off the east side of  the Indianola square.  We will go back again.  They make homemade pies : ) The food was good and as busy as it was, it didn't take too long.  I think I could be best friends with our waitress who loved my purse, told us of the history and ambience of the restaurant and is probably the friendliest waitress I have ever had wait on me. 

 

Another first today -- Himself went into a Goodwill Store.  Can you believe that?  He didn't stay long, wasn't impressed but didn't complain when I bought a brass lamp at 50% discount ($7.49 sale price) -- in fact, he almost encouraged me to buy it but now he keeps saying he doesn't think it is brass (it is :)

 

Then on to Winterset where we couldn't find the first shop I wanted to browse through but we both investigated the second consignment shop and where everything I was interested in was marked "SOLD".   

 

All in all, I spent $7.49 on used/new merchandise.  We used a half of tank of gas and saw five counties and 6 or 7 towns and drove probably 100 miles of rural roads.  Except for Great Granddad Coe trying to spoil my photo opportunities, it was a great day.

  

 

PS:  I did get that photo in here . . .

 

 

  

  

Now, who is that standing in the way and who messed with my camera --

                                           is that John?  or Ella?