The gentle prairie breeze sifted through the air as it cooled all the picnickers. The cottonwoods shaded them and protected them from the harsh sun. Under her watchful gaze, the family gathered to tell tales, recount heroic deeds, and bring their loved ones back to life.

The Boultinghouse family was gathered in the Bloomington Cemetery on a Sunday in July 1916. Three of Amos and Mary’s children and their families were present: Helen, John, and Lafe. They had chosen to gather here to honor their parents, who laid in unmarked graves. “Grandma B is buried by the fence,” Helen stated. John shared with the children stories he had heard this father tell of fighting alongside General Sherman in the War of the Rebellion. Lafe bragged about his being the first white male born in Osborne County, a few days after his parents had made it by wagon train from Illinois. Stories were shared about Grandma being French and marrying her 25 year old groom at the age of 14…she had lied about her age. The adults talked among themselves while the children ran across the fields.

Under her watchful gaze, the family continued to picnic and talk.

The time came for the party to gather up quilts, food baskets, pillows, and other items. In a circle they stood and prayed, ever thankful for their parents and grandparents lying at rest there.

Under her watchful gaze, the family left the hallowed grounds. The silent sentry in the form of an angel stayed behind to bless and guard the souls buried there.

Note: Amos and Mary were my second great grandparents who died in 1893 and 1901. Amos’ grave lay unmarked until 1944, when the Veterans Administration provided markers for veterans. Mary’s grave would be marked after 1990 by family members who wanted a tombstone for the couple.

They were buried in Bloomington Cemetery in Osborne County, Kansas. In 1910, Wash and Almina Storer donated the land where the Boultinghouses were buried to officially designate it as a cemetery. The Boultinghouse and the Storers would then make a connection in 1922. Isabella Mary Boultinghouse, daughter of Lafe and Naomi, would marry Andrew Earl Storer, son of Wash and Almina.

In those years before recreation parks and spaces, families would picnic in cemeteries. It was not unusual for folks to meet for family gatherings…nor for silent angels to keep watch.

I am the storyteller.
I am the storyteller who searches for my ancestors in records.
I am the storyteller who resurrects their voices.
I am the storyteller who narrates their individual tales of victory and struggle.
I am the storyteller who fashions their thoughts on paper and fleshes them out.

I am the storyteller who accompanies them in their immigration passages to America.
I am the storyteller who stands with them at Plymouth Rock and on Ellis Island.
I am the storyteller who walks with them to new lands to settle and homestead.
I am the storyteller who passes on their struggles with nature and illnesses.
I am the storyteller who maps out their migration across this new country.

I am the storyteller who passes them ammunition as they stand with Washington during the Revolution and the creation of a new republic.
I am the storyteller who witnesses their battles of brother against brother during the War of the Rebellion.
I am the storyteller who marches with Doughboys in The Great War.
I am the storyteller who stands with young men in battle fatigues in World War II.
I am the storyteller who cries over losses in the Vietnam War.

I am the storyteller who has been entrusted with their hearts, souls, and minds.
I am the storyteller who will continue to see them in my mind’s eye and hear them in my heart.
I am the storyteller.

21 June 1897 Minnehaha Falls, Minnesota

Hard times have befallen me so I reached out for the best help I could get. As I sit here on the porch in a rocking chair, I can spy the mighty Mississippi River. As the river ebbs and flows, it reminds me of the ebbs and flows of my varied life. I am an inmate at the Minnesota Soldiers Home.

Let me start at the beginning. Born in New York in 1830, I settled in the new states of Wisconsin and Minnesota with my mother and siblings. I was 19 years old in 1849. It was a hard living as my mother and sister were some of the first women in these states…not much civilized. We farmed, we worked in a brickyard, we counted every penny for our existence.

We came to Minnesota in 1855, and I lived a quiet life on the farm. My world would change in six years time. My experiences would reset my life and all its then dreams. In 1861, I enlisted in the First Minnesota Infantry, Company G. It was the start of the War of Rebellion. I was 31 years old.

Letters home to my mother told of what I saw although I did spare her of telling the worst. I had no sweetheart so no letters to write to a dear one. In September of 1862, I witnessed and participated in a terrifying battle where many were lost. At Antietam in Maryland, I was wounded; but my wound was minor so I was placed back in the Company. Three months later, I was wounded once more at Fredericksburg, Virginia. My wound was serious…I was disabled. I was sent home in February, 1863…I was a war hero to my family. I would not march with my brother soldiers to Gettysburg that coming July.

Back home, I managed to support myself by farming as I was able to secure land. I had no family, no wife and children for helpmates. I hired out farm hands. For awhile, I also drove a stage and carried the mail. Finally, my disability landed me on hard times.

Last year, I came to know the Soldiers Home…a place for displaced veterans. I get to live out my days in the company of old soldiers like me who have stories to tell. In my room. I keep a photograph of a “once upon a time, I went to a veterans reunion”. And so…hard times gave me a place to find rest and peace.

~Balthus Keefer Soule, Minnesota Soldiers Home

Note: Balthus was my second great uncle. When I came across his reunion photograph, it prompted me to research his life. I was unable to find exactly what his wounds were at Antietam and Fredericksburg. Obtaining his military pension record will shed light on this aspect of his story. When I have the rest of the answers, his story will be further told in a later blog.

2 June 1946 Bloomington, Osborne County, Kansas

Staring outside the farmhouse window, I am numb. I can see the windmill, barn, and the other outbuildings, but I do not see him coming in from the fields. Where is he? His hat and coat are hanging by the door. Where is he? Then the terror and panic grab my heart. He is gone…he is not coming back.

I settle into a chair and try to think, to focus, to recall. I remember the sheriff speaking to me in solemn tones and telling me that my husband Wash was no longer living. I faintly recall my children and grandchildren coming to take care of me. I can hear in my mind the minister speaking of God’s love as we sat in the church and went to the cemetery. My mind simply cannot comprehend…where is he?

Looking back, I can hear the doctor’s words as we went together for Wash’s health exam. “Mr. Storer, you have Farmer’s Lung. It is a breathing disease with no cure. We have some medicines to keep you comfortable. You best give up farming.” I thought to myself, “Heavens to stars, this is a death sentence. How can that be?” Then, my mind totes me back to the present. Just where is he?

My children and grandchildren are urging me to protect my spiritual, mental, and physical health by leaving the farm. My dear Wash died in the kitchen…he wanted to spare me his suffering…he took his own life. My soul just cries out…where is he?

I have decided that I will move away from Kansas. One of my daughters lives near Los Angeles, California. It will be sunny and warm all year round…no more brutal winters…just sunshine. Perhaps this last part of my life, I will be blessed with kindness, love, and caring. I will take my precious Wash with me and live in good health for the both of us.

~Sarah Almina (Nickel) Storer

Note: Sarah and Wash are my great grandparents. Sarah was born in Ohio while Wash was born in Iowa. Their families moved to Osborne County, Kansas, in 1871 and 1875. They met and married in 1891. They were married for 55 years.