Cabinet Photo - The Chase Family

Top Row - Edith 1880-1959 (married Clarence Cassens)
Ernest 1886-1952
Ethel 1878-1942 (married C.E.Cotterell, then H."Dock"Davis)
Second Row - Leslie W. Chase 1859-1919
Helen 1890-1966 (married W.C. Morris, then Alex B. Moore)
Malinda "Linda"(Romine) 1855-1933 wife of Leslie Chase

As you look into the faces of these ancestors they appear to be gazing in different directions. Just as surely, they now leave history and stories of how their lives followed such different directions.

Leslie W. son of John M. and Ester Winn Chase, came from Ohio to homestead in Kansas very near the Colorado border, about 10 miles south of Nebraska.

His wife Linda - as she was called - would give birth to 5 children, Edwin in 1889 only leaves a small grave stone next to his parents, could that be the touch of sadness in Linda's eyes?

Ethel - the oldest - a young widowed mother with Florence and Clifford when she buried Ed Cotterell, who died from a virus, in 1905, was lifted from her grief and worries when the neighbor to her Dad's homestead, a homesteader himself, Dock Davis asked her to be his wife. A second two children were born to this union, Beatrice and Norvin.

Edith - the second child - married into a family of preachers and missionaries, had Alvin, Freda, Winn and Norma (who is now 94 and lives in Colorado).

Ernest - third - married Lillian, moved to Denver, and had 3 children. At some point after, he fell from a roof and suffered brain damage which brought him back to the homestead to be cared for by family. His grave is in the Armel, Colorado cemetery, his wife was buried in Washington state.

Then there's little sister Helen, 11 years younger than Ethel, sitting so close to her Mother it appears as if they are holding hands. In the Armel cemetery there is a small stone with a lamb on it, engraved - Baby Morris - Born of Mr. & Mrs. W.C. Morris - Jan. 4, 1915. It must have been a very cold winter for Helen. In 1918, that marriage ended but then in those days divorce was unheard of.

Helen remarried not long after to Alex Moore, in 1925 Ralph James, 1926 Helen Ruth, and 1928 Russell Moore made Helen's little family living on the Kansas homestead.

Just 17 yrs after the loss of her first baby, tragedy struck again. Helen was doing her laundry with Ralph and Helen by her side, in a gas engine powered washing machine. She became aware that it was leaking. She sent 6 yr. old Helen in the house to get a flash light, so she could get a better look. Little Helen couldn't find a flash light that afternoon, so wanting to be helpful, she lit a kerosene lantern and brought it to Mom.

What followed changed lives forever. 1932 - Dust bowl, Depression, and now the death of Little Helen age 6 and Ralph age 7. Russell (age 4) was recovering from tonsillitis that day, but as his Mother arms were severely burned he lived with many relatives for the next two years. After the death of his Father in 1935, Russell and his Mother Helen were the only two from that family left.

Russell Moore - age 79, lives in Kansas, supplied most of this information.