4 December, 1899, to Thomas White and Mary Catharine (Henry) Carley was born their first child. Richard Leroy was born in Union Township, Pott. Co. Kansas on a Homestead Farm. Her lived for the first nine years of his life.

Pop attended school in several different places. He had his schooling at Greenwood Elementary and from there went to Mt. Vernon where he attended the third grade. He also attended school at Manhattan, Elbo and finally back to Greenwood. Left school for a higher education in the year of 1915. Pop was an expert with horses. He loved them; but the master at all times. The horses obeyed or Pop administered some of his expert training that the horses never forgot. Pop was famous for breaking broncos and was very popular he broke many horses all over Kansas. He was never known to have been thrown; he rode them all. Once in a great while remembers having a bronco rear over backwards, but he would jump off and get back on when the horse righted itself.

When Pop was six years old, his father presented him with a pony of his very own. Richard was very proud of that pony and loved it dearly.

In 1910, the Carley family moved to Manhattan, southeast of the college. In 1912, the family moved again to a place north of Elbow for a year. In 1913, they sold the property to Prete Glenn and moved north of Greenwood.

In 1914, the Carley family moved to western Kansas climate is dryer. His mother was having a hard time breathing and the move was made for her health. Mother and four of the children went on ahead with the furniture on the train. Pop and Max, with their Dad, followed by covered wagon to Kansas. Pop remembers that while they were on their way, Grandpa Carley traded horses and made a pretty good deal.

While Pop lived in Ellis Kansas, he worked for the cleaning up trash. He drove a team of horses of his and one day he had a runaway. His horses ran like crazy completely out of control and Pop could not stop them. That is, until he spied a pole down the street and managed the horses to go on each side of the pole. The horses abrupt haulted with the doubletree caught on the pole.

The City fined Pop, but you know Pop, nothing ever bother him. With his determination and ingenuity, Pop started up trash cleaning on his own, and very proudly tells "Made a lot of money anyhow!" That's our Pop.

In 1916, Pop and Grandpa Carley came back and settled at Greenwood, where they batched it until his mom and the kids came. When the Carley men came back to the area they were driving a 1908 Buick automobile.

Richard was know for the hard working productive worker he was. He could outlast and out shuck anyone in the corn business. He was enduring on any farm work there was to anyone could tell you that Carley lad was some hand.

Pop loved his horses, and was very proud of his teem. Actually, I heard that he was little daring. If it had the days of hot cards, he would have thrown gravel all over town. Pop told me that practically everyone was scared with him, but he sure knew how to handle those horses. Tamed the meanest and the toughest.

March 19, 1919, Richard Carley met his little "Honey" and the beginning of a very long and beautiful story. Violet Carley became the center of Richards life and the for all the work and fun for the rest of his life.

While Richard counted his "Honey Girl," he would till the morning hours and then hurry home and head for the fields to do his work. From sometime in 1919 to 1920, Pop took the train to western Kansas to work. He shucked corn and trashed . He and Mother wrote letters back and forth to keep in touc.

Grandpa Carley moved south of the river in 1920 1921, moved south of Wamego. We are going to leave Richard at this point to go the birth and early life of Vivian Violet Younge.

Born 13, December, 1900 on a farm near Everly, Iowa, to George Henry Bernard and Louise May Strimple was our Mother, Vivian Violet Younge. Her father made his living leasing and working and for the first eight years of her life, they lived on several different farms in Clay Co. Neighbors who lived near by didn't have any children. Every Christmas Eve the young's would share there Christmas Even dinner with them. Mother remembers that after Mr. Henry would leave the table to turn out the horse Santa Clause would come. They would hide and watch the stockings. He had on Grandpa Younge's fun coat and took candy out of the pockets.

Mother attended a little Country School in Iowa imately two years. Because of their move to Kansas, the dismissal of school in the fall for thrashing se became two years behind in her schooling. Mother loved to go to school. Even when she was sick, she wouldn't tell anyone for fear that she would have to stay home. Mother as a child was very quiet and shy, and was afraid of horses. When she was eight years old, she, Elmer, and Paul were on their old pony and he took off with them running uncontrollable through the apple trees. Mother caught her brades in the branches and was nearly pulled off the horse. When Mother's family came from Iowa to Kansas, they bought a farm around Louisville. In 1917, they sold that farm and moved to the Vermillion River where she lived for five years until married Richard Leroy Carley. The couple remained there for next five years. Mother describes this place as "the pretty little farm there ever was." When Mother was a child, she had her fingers run over playing with running gears that had been engineered to be guided with ropes. One day Pauline and Mother climbed up to the top of the silo and were waving to Elmer. It looked fun, so the little ones came up to join in the fun. When the came out and saw them up on the silo, they got them down immediately and the little ones got a spanking.

In 1916, Mother was a freshman and her school days were filled with parties, hay rack rides, picnics, hikes, weenie roasts, and box-lunch suppers. Mother recalls a Halloween party they had. The rest of the school was jealous and came and all thepumpkin pies right our of the school window.

On Rock Creek, Sam Grimes had boats to rent. The young people were having a picnic and decided to go for a ride in boats. The boat Mother was in had a hole in it, so as they for their ride they were bailing out water to keep the boat afloat. Mother says that she couldn't swim but never gave a thought in the fun of doing it. She had a  white middy and skirt on and got them all wet and mucky, but what fun.Mother finished the last ten years of school at Louisville. She was 19 when she finished her education and went to teach school. She had 15 students in four different grades.

Everyone loved Miss Younge at school. Her school was described as, "Like walking into a room full of sunshine. She was the ideal teacher who identified with the students. She would go out at recess and at noon and play games and with thechildren. She was full of enthusiasm and love . At school one day, as she was turning around, she her head on one of the lights. Knowing the children were bursting wanting to laugh. She laughed first and everyone with her. Because she had such beautiful insight, it must have been great fun to be in Miss Younge's class room.

One of Mother's students in the first grade, little McCoy, enjoyed school so much that she wanted to teach just like Miss Younge, and she did become a teacjer. Frank brought Mother a backing dish as a gift, because she was the best teacher he had ever had.

The day before Mother went to the Institute, she, Pauline, and Sandy were going up the Silo and got into a hornets nest and were stung all over. Mother was stung on the cheeks, but true to her nature she kept her obligation and went to the institute anyway.

Vivian had broken up with someone she was going with and Aunt Georgia Carley told her that Richard would like a date with her. Well, Mother wasn't about to go with someone she didn't even know. After some persuasion on Aunt Georgia's part, Mother agreed to go if Aunt Georgia would go with them. It was after all, Richard and Vivian had their first date with Aunt Georgia as chaperon. The three went to the movie in Wamego, the feature was "Tarzan of the Apes." March 19, 1919.

Pop courted Mother in his famous horse and buggy. They loved to dance and went to lots of card parties.

When Vivian was teaching school, she was driving the horse and buggy home. The horse ran away with her and she was so frightened. She said the horse just would not mind her and would not slowing down at all. Some one had seen her and had alerted her brother Elmer and he was waiting for her at the bridge. Elmer stopped the horses and took over. Mother relates how the horses just quieted right down and went so nice for Elmer.

Richard and Vivian were married 2 November, 1921, at Manhattan, Riley Co. Kansas. The couple were given three chi or wedding parties. There was a wedding supper at the Younge Farm and a dance at the Carley Farm.

After Vivian and Richard were married, Vivian came back to finish her second year of teaching and served all the children treats.

Mother attended Sunday School and church at Louisville Methodist Church, and after she and Pop were married, she taught Sunday School for twenty years. Again teaching and setting the proper example for her loved ones and friends.

First child, Wallace Richard Carley was born at Vermillion, 12, August, 1923, Louisville township.

Mother and Pop became owners of their first automobile shortly after Wallace was born in 1924, but for quite some time, the horse and buggy was the stand-by. Gwendolyn Vivian was the second child and was born on the Vermillion. Gwen arrived after a dance, where the Richard Carleys were the dancers of the evening. 25, January, 1925, Louisville township. About 1927, Mother and Pop moved to the Taylor Place and Neal Dudly was born, 13, June, 1927, the third child to come.

On the Taylor place, Cholera struck and they lost horses and hogs. Pop tells how he dug by hand a huge hole and buried his animals. When Mother and Pop tell about their trials it is never with sorrow and remorse, but with courage and positive notes. Always the next words were what they did about it and went on like it was the easiest thing in the world.

After Neal was born, Mother took convulsions and was very sick. It took her a long time to get well. Pops brothers property down by the St. John Bridge and the they lived under a hugh elm tree. Today the tree still stands as a landmark to the past and the future and is for many reasons. The tree is approximately 250 years old and talk is that they are going to make a historical marker out of it.

Under this big tree in the Carley home was born the fourth child, James Clayton Carley, 1, February, 1929.

Later that year the stock market crashed and the depression began. An example of the prices for the farmers; eggs, 7 cents a dozen and hogs sold for 2 cents per pound.

As I ask Jim questions about this period of time, never do you hear that the family was destitute or in bad shape. The talk is positive and that there was always plenty to eat and about the fun times that were shared by everyone. This shows the greatness of the character of those two parents. sets an example for the rest of us. Can you imagine how close you would have to live in times like those. Pop worked from dawn till dark and Mother set the moral, light heartedness, the over all attitude that all is well.

I think about the little things that can make me feel like I want to complain about not having enough, and that things bad and then how Mother and Pop made it through the depression leaving no unhappy memories with their children. How well I would be to take heed of their example.

In 1930, they farmed the Shifflet place, and from there they moved to Hennon's place in 1931 and finally to Grandpa Carleys and all six members lived in a one room house. At that time there was a housing shortage, not even any sleeping quarters to rent. In town people were sleeping in chairs.

From Grandpa's place Mother and Pop moved to the Jenkins place and lived there for three years. While at the Jenkins place Mother served on there school board for the Little Red Hen School. She served as trustee presiding over the meeting.

On this farm the family had some extraordinary pets. There was a pig named Peggy that followed the kids and Mother all over the farm. The pig also followed the children to   School. Now you've heard of Mary's little lamb, but a pig, Peggy in back. That must have been hilarious. The pet goose followed Mother everywhere she went. When Mother took the wash out to the line there was the goose. Disaster struck when it was decided that the goose must be prepared for the table. Mother couldn't eat a bite of it.

The next farm was a whole section, 640 acres and was the Brand place. Russell Leroy   was born on the Brand place, 28, February, 1937, the fifth child.

The farm was plagued with grasshoppers. They ate every thing in sight. They ate the peaches right off the tree around the pits hanging on the branches.

A sleet storm hit about that time and the sleet froze over the ground and the children remember ice skating to school. Jim relates the story of how the landlord came to discuss the renting of the property for another year. The landlord agreed to let Richard have the place for another year. That spring, some farmer pulled his Ford tractor onto the ground behind the house and started to plow. When Pop went out to find out what was going on, he learned the land lord had rented the farm right out from under him. Pop scurried around and found another farm to move his family to.

The Salzer place was the Carley home for six years and while there, the twins were born on 20, October, 1939. The doctor told Mother to have the twins at the hospital because he was expecting trouble with the delivery. Trouble there was Georgia came breach, feet first. Ramona had problems with breathing; they almost lost her.

When Mother was about five months pregnant with the twins, Neal was giving rides on an old set of running gears with hooks tied on to a car. Mother wanted to ride on it and said that if she had known that it was going to be that rough she wouldn't have gone. It was really a rough ride, and it has always bothered her that it might have been the cause of the difficulties at the birth of the twins.

Ramona cryed most of the time when she was an infant and Mother would have to stay up sometimes all night with her. Gwen would get up in the morning and take care of all the children for Mother so she could sleep. Gwen would wash the milk separator and get the other children ready for school, all before she went to school herself.

Frequently, Mother will express her thankfulness and gratitude for the unselfish service Gwen preformed for the family. She says she hopes Gwen knows how much Mother appreciates her. All through the 1930's, Pop supplemented the family income by custom farming for other people. Pop would take his tractor and equipment and do farming for others and in the dawn he would come home and do his own in the day. Pop remembers long and grueling hours in the night without sleeping, sometimes two or three days. Pop remembers one night that he fell asleep at the wheel of his tractor and slept for an hour before Neal came to the field and woke him up. The only comment Pop made was the fact that if he hadn't fallen asleep, he would have been done as hour earlier.

In 1940, Pop took on still another job. He helped build barracks at Fort Riley. Jim remembers Pop's 40th birthday. He came and had strep throat. In order to save money they created a car pool to get to Fort Riley and back. During the war, Pop helped Grandpa Younge run a service station in Louisville on Highway 99. He helped run Grandpa's service station until he went to work at Goodyear.

Wallace graduated from Wamego High School in 1941, and Gwen graduated in 1942. Gwen followed in Mothers footsteps, as she taught school for about three years. One year was spent at the Little Red Hen School and the second was at Pleasant Hill

During that year, Gwen had Jim come to the school and play guitar for her students.

In 1942, Wallace spent some time at Kansas State College in 1943, he joined the Navy in which he spent 2 1/2 years of in the defense of his country. As soon as Neal turned 17, in 1944, he followed his brothers footsteps and joined the Navy also. Neal served for a couple of years.

In 1944, the Richard Carley's moved into Louisville. They moved into Grandpa Younge's house and this was to be the last move and their permanent home. The house has undergone some remodeling and improvements and Pop keeps the place up neat as a pin. All the buildings are shinny white and the as far as you can see is mowed and looks like most well kept city parks.

In 1944, Jim got the travel bug and took off to see what the rest of the world looks like. His mode of travel was hitchhiking and catching a ride on freight trains. Gwen went to California and found her husband-to-be. An upstanding young man in the United States Navy. Chief P. Caldwell, whom everyone knew as Bud. They weremarried 15, November, 1945.

About that time Goodyear opened a rubber tire plant in Topeka Kansas and Pop went to work there. Pop drove a 1940 Oldsmobile to work and formed a car pool and took workers back and forth to work. Wallace married Winidred Elizabeth Foracker Carley, February, 1948.

In 1949, Neal and Jim followed with their marriages; Jim married Elizabeth Jane Kendall, 23 June, 1949 and Neal five months later marrying Valene Coalburn 26, November, 1949.

In 1949, Mother and Pop became grandparents and had grandchild every year from that year until 1955. In 1950, the Carleys took a trip back to the place where Mother was born. They went to Everly Iowa and found they where Mother used to live.

From that time on, the Carleys worked and then took whenever they could through the rest of their years. Not could keep the Carleys from active interesting lives. So Mother would be sick and down, and with serious illnesses but not for long. Her spirit and drive kept her bouncing no matter what. for the folks. Pop still talks about how Fort Orville put together.

Pop and Uncle Frank put hot water into the house and bathroom, but Pop still keeps his little one holder out to side of the house, and keeps it painted shinny white.

2 May, 1959 Ramona married Joseph M. Marsters. The big share of their lives have been spent in Boise Idaho.

In 1965, Pop retired from Goodyear and spent the first year mowing the park and nearly every square piece of land in Louisville. Shortly after that Pop started working at the house, delivering plants to different parts of the country farthest places that he has gone is Greenville Mississippi and Hatch, New Mexico which is 813 miles away from Louisville. Gerald Sackrider told Pop he could take Mother with him and so the two of them would travel together to take these plants to their final destinations.

In to every life a little rain must fall, but I guess saddest moments of all are when we loose some of our loved ones and death came to the Carley family. Dear Gwen was taken from this earth 10 February, 1968. Gwen died of cancer at home and was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery, San Diego, California under a shade tree.

After Pop retired, he became the proud owner of a Honda 90. He calls it his Motorcycle. You can see him riding over to get the mail or various different places. It is a treat for him to give rides when the family is all together. An honor that is not as usual today as it used to be the privilege of having a Golden Wedding Anniversary. On November 1971, Richard and Vivian Carley were married 50 golden years.

To celebrate this event they had a Golden Wedding Reunion. The setting was the Odd Fellows Lodge Hall in Louisville 31 October, 1971. It was a great success and people chose to disregard the invitation that no presents be given and the Carleys received any valuable and unique gifts. Winifred worked her heart out for the party. She the decorations, and made them, and put them up. She also made the flowers that were worn by everyone.

The daughters and daughters-in-law served the punch and little Cakes that were decorated with little gold roses. The sons acted as ushers and Uncle Frank Carley took movie pictures. Jim Carley played some music for a short time and took anyone willing to go, for a ride in his new airplane. where the time was spent sitting and enjoying their children, friends and relatives. Diers, barbecue and short trips to interesting places were some for the fu they did. One trip was to San Diego, California, to see Bud and Charlie and Pauline; and Hazel and Christie.

The year Renee was born, Mother and Pop took off and up through the Black Hills. They took Meril Sulilivan a life time neighbor, and the girls went along also. The on to Washington and Oregon to show Merl the Coast.

In 1959, the folks took Merl Sullivan to Royal Gorge Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Grand Junction Colorado. When they got to Grand Junction, Bud and Gwen came up from San Diego and visited. In 1960, a trip took them through Colorado, Nevada, and Idaho, then back home through Wyoming. They had car trouble this trip. The transmission went out at Las Vegas and again at Ely, Nevada. They had to fly another transmission from Las Vegas. They visited the folks in Idaho and went on . The car lasted until they got just about home and then it wouldn't go any further. In 1955, Russell graduated and worked in South Dakota that year. On 20 October, 1956, Russell married the light his life, Linda May Ward.

In 1957, the twins graduated and got married--what a wedding. They were the last of the children to leave home. Georgia married Mark Joseph Savle 29 June, 1957, and Ramona followed marring Thomas Hartloff 29 December, 1957. Mother has had more than her share of illnesses. In Mother contracted bright disease. She was in bed for six weeks. For three of those weeks, Winifred took care of her and who were ten years old, took care of the house cleaning and for the last three weeks. Mother says they were such good and did so well with their responsibilities at that young age.

In 1959, Mother was bitten by a brown recluse spider. She didn't know how serious it was so she didn't go to the doctor. By morning she was red as a beet and sick at her to her stomach. Pop took her to the doctor and she was hospitalized. The poison rotted the flesh around the bite and to be cut out. It left a hole about the size of a tea cup in her leg. She was in the hospital about three weeks and it took six months for the area to heal over. Among her other accidents and ills were a broken hip, collar bone, broken ribs, and in 69, she had to have . You never heard her complain and always bounced back. only serious illness, that I know of. .

All of Mother and Pops children and their families around the Reception, Ward everyone Calid with his Grandparents and represent his Mother and Father this glorious day. The children all went in together and bought Mother and Pop a new Color Television set. When Mark and Wallace were putting up the new antenna, with Pop helping, they told him they were making his old antenna better so that their reception would be better. You see, this was to be a big surprise. Somehow the boys got the TV into the house and hooked it up without the folks knowing. When Pop and Mother went in to turn on their old TV, the looks on their faces was worth all the planning and hiding to see the surpass that had planned with so much care and love.

This life being imperfect as it is, sometimes things and relationships just don't work out the way everyone thinks they are going to and things happen to change lives and life styles.

In the next few years there happened to be some rearranging of families, and I guess the thing I admire most about our parents is their ability to accept people as they are and love unconditionally. Sometimes our children do things we don't understand or approve of, but Father and Mother Carley have been willing to stand by their children, trustingly waiting and excepting their decisions and loving, no matter what.

All through the rearranging, they kept the love that they had for their daughter-in-laws and still clamed them as their own. How many families have you seen that have been ready to jump on members, become bitter and unforgiving because of the humanness of this life. Not so with Mother and Pop, instead they rebuilt with forgiveness and love so that all may begin again to rebuild their several lives and know that they are loved and may forgive themselves and strive again for better lives and happier days.

2 December, 1973, Neal married Opal Hokenson,  25 November1974, Wallace married Beulah May Daniel's, 14 May, 1976 Georgia married Randell Becker and 1 November, 1976 Jim married Lana Johnson Crockett.

Mother's comment that I remember, is that we haven't lost anything. I still love my daughters-in-law and son-in-law. We have just gained more family. That is beautiful, how much is that like the attitude of Christ! Positive thinkers, courageous in the face of trial, and of the word! Great people these parents of ours. Mother and Pop are famous for their family get-togethers. Always without exception, everyone is welcome, in fact, very missed if not there. Mother is a terrific cook and great with  the light hearted humor. Pop is always there to help take out the garbage or help find the right place for the dishes. beautiful. Also, the napkins, and I still have oursLast Thanksgiving, Mother and Pop had all the family to their house for dinner. Even though Mother has a serious illness, she insisted on cooking the turkey and supervised the making of the pies. Beulah made the best pies, at the instruction of the pro. Everyone had such a good time and hated to go home. The memories will last forever and we can't wait for another excuse to get together at Mother and Pops house.

As of this writing the children are located in the following places: Wallace is living in Wamego, Kansas. Gwen's Bud and Ward are in LaMesa and Spring Valley California. Neil is in Casper Wymoning, and Jim is in Farmington, Utah. Russell is also living in Casper, Wyoming and Ramona is living in Boise, Idaho. Georgia is living in Manhattan, Kansas not to far from the folks.

Betty J. Carley passed away 25 September, 1977. Valene is remarried to Carol Nicolls and is living in Boise, Idaho. Winifred is living next door to Mother and Pop, and is a constant source of help and great friendship and love for one another that has grown through the years.

Another thing I must mention, Pop, had a prostrate operation. It was serious, but Pop is of the character that he must be the master of his own ship. He is only sick for as long as it takes to get it taken care of and then he is up and after it again. I was told that hardly was the surgery over before Pop, with his I.V. in his hand made the acquaintance of nearly everyone in the hospital. That's our Pop!

Mother and Pop's posterity numbers as follows: twenty grandchildren; 10 great grandchildren, 16 step grandchildren, and 14 step great grandchildren. This count is true to the best of my knowledge.

Some correction in spelling was done and a little in sense structure. Most left as original document.

© Copyright by Clark L. Carley in 1997.