Autobiography

I was born in Noble County, Indiana on the 15th day of November in the year of 1888 to one of the finest ladies in the world, named fittingly, Rebecca, & to my father Andrew J. Inks. I was the 9th child living and so I was much aware always of my family about me as I grew up! Later 2 more children joined our family—making 8 boys and 3 girls with 2 children having died in infancy.

I can't remember Dad saying much about his family except that his dad's name was Thomas & I can recall there were a number of his brothers & sisters, some of who I saw.

Life at home
Mama's folks lived near where I was born & her brother Sam moved to North Dakota in the late 1800's. I recall our home very vividly— the house, flooring & furniture was made from black walnut (hardwood) & next to our 2 story house was an old log cabin. I never saw the inside of it, that I remember. About our home were fruit trees apples and pears, which were very large in size. Dad's place-had quite a bit-of timber on it and a small creek running through the field where we raised Timothy hay for the cows & horses we had. We also raised a large garden each year & I can still "see" mother canning & making applebutter & other things like soap, etc. out in the yard over an open fire with large iron kettles & tools. She cooked the food upon a large wood stove in the house and sometimes over the very large fireplace in the front room. From this fireplace most of the house was heated. All of us kids from Harley (Thomas Harley) on down were born in this home & by the time I was 4 years old Charles married Rosa Ann Warner on January 1, 1893, so I didn't remember much about the older kids as they left while I was still quite small.

Split rails and slate pencils
All of my grandparents were dead before I was born so all I ever knew about them was from what Mom, Dad or the older kids had told me. I think before we bought this place we lived on Grandpa Inks' home place where the older children had been born in our family. Dad also had purchased another farm about a mile from home which he rented out to a family, (who) I recall were Mr. Donut who had two kids, Ray & Grace. Our farm had split rail fences all about it. Dad made a living off our place & the proceeds from the rented farm*...but we seemed to be poor... the younger kids always wore "hand me downs" from the older kids & in the winter time we wrapped our feet in old cloth strips to keep warm. We went to a one room school there. R.L. Black was our teacher & we wrote on slates with slate pencils. I still remember the school bell that was rung for us for school & also on Sunday.

Squirrels and scrub boards
As we went to school in our home knit clothes, I saw & heard wild turkeys, red, grey, and fox squirrels...which by the way, we ate quite often at home! We used kerosene lanterns in the home and in our barn. Mother scrubbed our clothes on an old wooden scrub board... WOW! for all of us kids! (of course, the older girls got in on all the work too!) Butter was made in a wooden churn and the dresser, I still have now, was in our home— they said Grandpa Tom made it—no nails in it! (it still looks quite good!)

Grocery huckster
A small village, Casperville, was about a mile from home—just a store & a hitching post but Wawaka & Ligoner were larger settlements nearby and we went there occasionally. About once a week a huckster drove a grocery wagon to the farms around us and from him we bought or traded for our needs. Our closest neighbor, Dick Eby, had pigs and one day a real big one came into our garden & us boys chased it home and when it swam the creek between our farms and then it crawled out on the other side of the bank it dropped dead! Guess we ran it so fast the cold water shocked it to death. Eby was mad!!!!

Charles move to York, N. Nakota in 1896 and Dad and the rest of the family moved there also, in the spring of 1900. March found us with all our goods on an immigration train. Dad rode with the two horses, Prince and Barney, the cows, pigs, & chickens in the stock rail car & mom and the rest of us were in the passenger car.

Life in a sod house
Dad bought a homestead, 160 acres, & we moved into a grass sod home about 24 footsquare— which was partioned into about 4 rooms into which the family composed of Dad & Mother, Walt, Ray, Cloyd, Olive & myself were squeezed. Dad raised grains on his land——wheat, oats, rye, and flax. The flax was bound up by the girls and we used it as fuel most of the time! We kids went to a school about 1/2 mile away, from which I graduated. The 8th grade was all that was offered then in the local schools. Berthold was the nearest town from our place—about 6 miles south of us and we did most of our shopping and trading there. A short time later Dad purchased another ranch from Bill Tigner, 160 acres and on it was a newer 2 story house into which we moved & I spent most of my years there farming with and for Dad. Surely cold country, blizzards lasting for days—drifting our barns clear over and dropping down to 50-60 degrees below zero! BRRR!!!!

The move to Wenatchee
In about 1910 Charles moved to Wenatchee, Washington and soon bought a place 4 miles north of East Wenatchee where he began raising fruit. I went out to visit him several years later and decided to stay. I worked for Roy Pullen in East Wenatchee— close to where Charles was and then I went back to Berthold, N. Dakota to work Dad's place with Cloyd for about 3 years. Lela Longnecker and I were married on October 31, 1915 in Berthold, N. Dakota and for a few years I farmed with her Dad, Frank, on his ranch about 10 miles from Berthold.

In 1920 I moved with my wife, Lela, and our children, Leota, Wilbur, Viola and Marvin to East Wenatchee, Washington where I worked for Mr. Lee Gillette on whose place was added to us another son, Theron and also a daughter, Esther, whom God chose to take from us after a few days.

Mother's death
Dad and Mother lived quite close to us in East Wenatchee—then on December 31, 1926, Mother nearly 76 years of age went to be with the Lord, whom she loved. She was born in Somerset County, Pennsylvania to John and Hannah (Shepard) Bomgardner on January 4, 1851, and named Rebecca Jane. She was added to those saints on the other side and to me she always brings fond memories.

130 living descendants
Dad was very healthy and active all his life and at the age of 85 often walked into Wenatchee carrying a satchel in his hand and walking quite spryly! After living from December 27, 1846, Dad died January 10, 1938, (in the faith having given his heart to the Lord in his 80's) at the ripe old age of 91 and leaving behind about 130 living descendants!

Depression home
I spent a number of years working in the orchards and then for about 10 years in a clay mine— the depression was hard on us and I made a 12 ft. by 24 ft. tent home and struggled through the hard times like all the other people about!

Finding religion
A son, Donald, was born to us on January 18, 1934, completing our family. We had our ups and downs but my Great "Step Up" was when I gave my life to the Lord in the summer of 1944 our family came closer together. The kids left one by one marrying and raising their families and finally Don went into the Marines and we were back to where we started from—Lela and I!!

Family deaths
We lost Theron in an accident on September 4, 1951, and then the Lord took Viola to be with Him on May 31, 1956. Our loss was Heaven's gain!!! I see now grandchildren...then great grandchildren!!! The years have flown by so fast!! We sold our home in East Wenatchee and moved' to Spokane, Washington in 1970 and since Lela was not well, I retired from roofing...the work I had been doing the last 20 years—well 80 years old is a good time to start a new job!!!! I took care and loved Lela through the years of her sickness and when on October 1st, 1976, Jesus took her to be with Him, the best flower of my life was gone!!

Fond reflections
As I live alone in my house today, I am still quite healthy at nearly 89 years and am very happy for all the fond and good memories of my life!! The family reunion the Sunday after Father's Day brought back lots of fond faces, not only in person but many in the pages of my life!!! All of my brothers and sisters are now gone except my youngest sister, Olive Baker, who is in a rest home in Cashmere, Washingtonat this time.

And now as I sit and look out the window and into the sunshine I know most of the petals of life have fallen...but the fragrance of that flower is still fresh and sweet and I am happy as I look by faith into a joyful tomorrow!!!

—July 4, 1977