Autobiography of James Bailey (1841-1923)




AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JAMES BAILEY

As told to his daughter, Lulu Payne

James Bailey, son of James E. and Rebecca Pearson Bailey, was born in Miama County, Ohio, Sept. 7, 1841.

My mother died when I was about 3 years old so I have not any distinct remembrance of her.

In about 3 years after the death of mother, Father married Sarah Prill. Then in 1856, father moved to Indiana, on a farm, near what is now known as Fountain City. The move from Ohio to Indiana, I remember quite well. For on this trip I got my first pair of store shoes and I was very proud of them. Brother Robert and I staid two weeks with father's oldest sister, who lived not far from our new home, while father. and some of the older boys went back and got the rest of his stuff and family. We had two very happy weeks in our Aunt Almeda Thomases home, many things occurred there that has never been forgotten. Uncle and aunt was very dear and loved old people.

To me I have often thought of them all through my life. Now to the new home, our house was made of hewn logs, very neatly built, the barn was a very large frame barn. The timber came up pretty close and there was many sugar trees in it, which we tapped and got the sap and made real maple syrup and sugar, this, another time of real enjoyment in my childhood life. But time flew by and 10 short years passed. We came to Indiana when father sold the pleasant home.

Some of the brothers and sisters having married and settled on homes of their own. The rest of us, in 1861 started for the wild west and settled in Lee County Iowa. The trip from Indiana to Iowa with a carriage and two horses took about two weeks. There were several incidents of interest that happened on our trip. I will mention just one. When .we were in Illinois, there was a big wind came down on us. We were sleeping very peacefully when the first we knew, there came a terrific gust of wind and blew our tents all away and left us in bed. But we weren't long getting up. We followed Ellwood and Lydia Osborne all the way along as they were returning from Indiana yearly meeting, to their home, in Iowa When we arrived at the Mississippi River, there was such a stiff wind ,blowing the whitecaps so high, that the ferry boats would not 'undertake to cross , but the next morning the wind had settled down and the trip across was made very comfortable. When about half way across the Mississippi us boys Rob, Joel Townsend and myself threw our 'tobacco into the river and made a solemn vow that we would use no more tobacco, but ohl the solemn vows, how easily they are broken.

When we landed on the other side of the river we were in Fort Madison in the state of Iowa, the promised land, flowing with milk and honey. One more day's drive and we have reached our
journey's end. Father staid with Rob and I about two weeks, making arrangements for the winter's work. This was the fall of 61. He arranged for us to be very comfortable situated with a near neighbor, provided we worked and paid for our board and horse feed, which we did. It was at this place, (William Marshall), where I met the girl that later became my wife. This winter proved to be long and intensely cold. Our breath blowing over the top cover of our bed, would be frozen when we would wake up, of mornings.

But that was only a small part of the winter's pleasure we enjoyed. going 10 miles to the timber on bob sleds, cutting posts and rail timber and hauling them down to the farm, going with the girls and war widows at nights (carrying the war widows babies for them to church), the girls and us boys would take the war widows babies and start to church, before they were ready. That would make them have to run and catch us before we got to the church, with their youngsters.

The long winter slipped swiftly by. Letters from home folks told us they would arrive in February. All arrived safely and happy. We met them at the train and brought them home and in a few days we were all located in our new home once again. The early spring opened and with it came farm work. Father bought a yoke' of oxen and we begun to till the beautiful soil of Iowa. Time passed on and in the year of 1864 I married Ruth Matilda Martin. Our lives was of the most enjoyable, and mostly fairly prosperous. But after about 16 short years, sickness came and death claimed the idle of my life left me a brokenhearted man, with four small children, Alva, Mattie, Clyde and Lulu. Lulu a baby of about seven months. I will not go into the details of life, but in the year of 1885, we came to Kansas, just the four children and myself, located in Emporia, after making several visits among relatives and it has since been our home.

Alva was married to Hattie Ziegler in the year of 18__
and Mamie was married to Charles Stinson September 10, 1890.  Clyde married Hattie Dain January 1st, 1899. Lulu married Frank Payne May 11, 1898. As the-older children married I decided I, too, would marry again after 15 years of waiting, and November 15,1893, I was married to Mary E. Williamson. We lived very happily for 19 years, and on March 30, 1912, I was again left alone, and have since made my home with Mrs. May Stinson and Mrs. Lulu Payne. The stepchildren of James Bailey are:

William J. Williamson,
Luella Ogle,
 Mattie Mason,
Jessie Stinson, (deceased),
Walter Williamson,
Amy Martin,
Roy Williamson,
Chalmers Williamson,
Paul Williamson.