Tenth Generation

6144. Lester Henry Bedwell^2438,2440 was born on 20 May 1903 in Iowa.^452,2440 He died on 4 Oct 1989 in Plentywood, Sheridan County, Montana.⁴⁵² He was also known as Leck Bedwell.²⁰⁹⁷

• From SS Death Index: Lester H. Bedwell, SSN: 516-18-4937, Last Residence: 59254 Plentywood, Sheridan, Montana, United States of America, Born: 20 May 1903, Died: 4 Oct 1989, State (Year) SSN issued: Montana (Before 1951 ).

• From the History of Sheridan County, Sheridans Daybreak, written by Henry's daughter-in-law, Mrs. Lester Bedwell (transcribed from the original by Janice Smith Tasler, greatgrandaughter of Cora Mae Bedwell, sister of Henry Grafton Bedwell.):

Born to Henry Grafton Bedwell and Ella Garrow Bedwell on May 20, 1903 in Rippey, Iowa, Leck attended Redstone School, farmed, worked on the railroad during World War 1 and was a substitute mail carrier on the Redstone route.

On March 07,1931 he married Aster Fretheim at the Plentywood parsonage with Knut Knutson and Marie Ertner as attendants and Rev. Simonson officiating. Aster was born at Stanton, ND 4-14-10 to Henry and Nellie Knutson Fretheim. In 1913 the family moved back to Minnesota, and after graduating from Mechanic Arts High School in St. Paul in 1928 Aster moved with the family to a farm south of Archer for which her dad had traded his interest in the Minnesota family farm for Montana land which his brother, Severt, had purchased from Andrew Fadness. During the spring and summer of 1929, Aster worked at the Redstone Hotel and Cafe for Henry Knudson and Vera Strand, went to Dillon that fall, and returned to the hotel the next summer. That year she taught at the Two Tree School.

After our marriage, we bought the Susan Barge house and moved it onto the Fretheim farm where we farmed with them until 1934.

During the 1930's neighbors of the area banded together to dig coal for their own use by stripping off the soil. One fall a huge dirt bank slid down covering Leck's plow, his team and himself except for the horse's head and Leck's head and one outstretched arm. Another day one of the men missed by inches plunging his pick ax into a tobacco can of dynamite caps that had been left there from some previous year. In April of 1931 my Dad and Leck circulated a petition to get a triweekly mail route south of Archer. On 6-15-31 the route was in operation with George Flakne as 1st mail carrier and Herman Lee postmaster.

In 1943 Aster again taught at Two Tree and in 1946 finished out a term at Wenso. During the '40's Leck hauled a lot of grain and coal, loading and unloading much of it the hard way. He was a catcher for the Wanso baseball team and earlier part of a softball team.

Easter Sunday 1975 a terrible blizzard came up taking the R.E.A. power and leaving us without heat or lights. Leck, just home following surgery, kept warm by remaining in bed. We closed off the dining room and cooked by means of a covered bun warmer over a milk strainer inverted over 3 candles on the table and had an Aladdin lamp. It was calving time and the worst part, with no yard light, was having only a flashlight to check the cattle.

We have two children ----- Henry Lyle (Hank) born 11-10-34 and Truman Lester born 5-25-39.

The boys went to Two Tree, Wanso, and to Plentywood High school. Truman worked part time at Petersons Hardware and now farms south of Archer. Hank and Myrna Michels were married 8-10-1957, they farm west of Reserve and Myrna works part time at Plentywood Chiropractic Clinic. They have two children -- James Henry bn 7-05-58 and Angela Jean born March 3,1962. James married Jill Lehman of Ft. Benton 8-10-1978 and they have two boys-- Rick and Tim. Angela Jean married Paul Beck of Plentywood 5-22-82 and both famlies live in Plentywood.

1956 We celebrated our Silver Anniversary with friends at the Wolf Creek hall and in 1981 our golden anniversary at the Redstone Hall. We moved to Plentywood in 1978 and Leck still enjoys going to the farm in the summertime.

Lester Henry Bedwell and Aster Fretheim were married on 7 Mar 1931 in Plentywood, Sheridan County, Montana.^2097,2098 Aster Fretheim²⁰⁹⁸ (daughter of Henry Fretheim and Nellie Knutson) was born on 14 Apr 1910 in Stanton, North Dakota.^2097,2098 She died on 11 Oct 2002 in Sheridan County, Montana.²⁰⁹⁸ Lester Henry Bedwell and Aster Fretheim had the following children:

+7759	i.	Henry Lyle Bedwell.
7760	ii.	Truman Lester Bedwell2098 was born on 25 May 1939 in Sheridan County, Montana.2097,2098 He died on 25 Sep 1996 in Sheridan County, Montana.2098 He was a farmer in Montana, south of Archer.2097 He was a single man who never married.2098