If members of my family look very carefully at the picture below they will see five of my brothers and sisters. I am the youngest of eight children. The picture was taken at Peak Country School in Shafter Township, Vandalia, Illinois, where my family lived. My brothers and sisters walked about one and one half miles to school. During the winter, they could cut through the fields and make the distance shorter because they could walk over the frozen pond. Sometimes the ice would not be frozen hard enough but my brothers would tell my sisters it was frozen hard and my sisters would end up with wet feet. The girls soon got smart enough to test the ice before crossing, making life at the one room school a little more comfortable.

 

Peak Country School was very typical of the public schools in 1935.

In the bottom row, left to right, the last student is my brother Hiney (John). In the second row, left to right, the second girl in the polka dot dress is my sister Doris and the sixth girl left to right (3 over from Doris) is my sister Rose. The last student in that same row is my brother Bob. In the third row up, fourth girl over left to right is my sister Irene. She is the oldest.

 

There is a good chance the dress my sister Doris is wearing and the dress my sister Rose is wearing were made from flour sack material and were more than likely made on my grandmother's treadle sewing machine. I have that very sewing machine in my workroom. It is very special to me and helps to remind me of my roots.