Many of you might be interested in the following letter....who knows, some of
your ancestors might be mentioned here. The letter was written by my
maternal Grandfather, Charles Allen Westfall, who was born in Romney and spent most
of his life in Van Buren, Marion, New Richmond and Crawfordsville, IN. The
letter includes names of and personal details about many of his friends who
resided in the area. It was written in 1959 to his oldest daughter, Mary Margaret
Westfall; however, it reflects on his time in Indiana during the period from
1899 to 1910.
"St. Petersburgh, Florida
March 6th, 1959
Dearest Margaret,
It was good to get your letter about the Nicewangers. I had about lost
all track of them. No doubt they were glad to see you. You know you were born
in the old hometown of the Rileys; Van Buren, Indiana. J.E. Riley used to
own the building and general store on the main corner of the town. I got my
first experience in the mercantile industry at driving a delivery wagon pulled by
a pair of mules to deliver merchandise to the oil pumpers, roustabouts,
drillers and general workers in the oil field, of which Van Buren was right in the
center. The roads weren't terrific. One horse couldn't always pull the
delivery wagon out of the mud so, consequently I drove a pair of mules. It wasn't
unusual for me to have a delivery seven or eight miles out in the country.
There were no automobiles in those days. One of the Riley girls married John R.
Brown, an attorney in Marion. I think they are both gone now. Blanche married
Henry Nicewanger, I think, before I went there in 1899. Roxie married Frank
Hayes shortly after my arrival. Maud married Hogh (sic) Sutton who, years
later moved to Hammond. Martha Riley, the youngest girl, married Jim Howe.
There were two Riley boys, "Pete" and Noble. That about winds up the Riley
family.
No doubt you wonder what brought me to Van Buren. We lived on the hill
North of New Richmond, and I got it in my head to go to the Voris Business
College in Indianapolis and of course had to work on Dad to furnish the money.
He didn't have very much and told me if I could work my way for board and room,
he would pay the initial fee. There were three others who went from there,
Guy Johnson, Arthur Bible, Earl Bonwell and myself. Arthur Bible was my
particular friend. At the same time there were three others from Van Buren who went
to the same business college; Hugh Sutton, Ned Conwell and Pete Whitecotton.
Some time in March there was a dedication of the Riley store, a brand new
building with a Playhouse on the second floor. We had organized an orchestra in
the Business college and I was playing cello parts on the baritone. The Van
Buren boys got me to consent to go up to the Riley store dedication. I
consented if they would pay my car fare, which they did. Then after we went back to
business college and we completed our courses, they wanted me to go up home
with them and direct their band, of which they all belonged. They had a very
good band, and we made a better one. I worked in the oil field for some time at
different jobs and then went with the Riley store.
In my experience of delivering merchandise to those living away from
town, one day I had a delivery to Milton and Margaret Elliott, southeast of town.
I saw a girl sitting there with her feet on the oven of their cook-stove
warming her feet. That girl finally became your mother. From there on, you are
more or less familiar with the story.
Now you are having a birthday, your forty-nineth. Gee whiz, but time
does fly. And as one grows older, it flies faster.
I hope your new assignment is proving out all right and that you are
happy in it. Give my best to Jim and the girls when you write and tell them that
we are patiently awaiting their arrival in Florida.
With my love,
Dad"
As a side note: The Milton and Margaret Elliott mentioned in this letter
were the adoptive parents of my maternal grandmother, Minnie Belle VanDine (birth
name) Elliott (adopted name). She was the one warming her feet by the stove.
Her birth father was Charles Monroe VanDine (from Wells County). Her birth
mother was Margaret Ann Thompson, who died at the age of 42, when Minnie was
3 years old. Minnie and her brother and a sister, Finley (Phinley) VanDine
and Julia VanDine were put up for adoption when their mother died. Minnie was
adopted and Finely and Julia were cared for by foster parents.
If any of you have any information about the Westfalls from Montgomery,
Fountain, Tippecanoe and Grant counties, or would like to have further information
regarding my Westfall family, I would be happy to exchange information with
you.
Best regards to all of you,
Sherry Jones Ryan
San Diego
bandbinns(a)aol.com