LIFE HISTORY
by Emma Malina Brown

    I was born Emma Anders in 1882 of January. My fathers name was John W. Anders, he was English, and my mothers name was Jane Barringer, she was German. I was born in a two room frame house, near MAryville, Missouri.
    When I was three years old, I went to Goodland, Kansas, in a covered wagon, with my folks, drawn by horses. We settled on land not far fro the Smokey River. We lived in a small frame shack, til father got a sod house built. Before he had it finished there was a bad blizzard. Father nailed boards over the windows and door openings, and put the horses and our cows inside the sod house to keep them warm and from freezing to death. We burned buffalo chips for fuel. Our nearest neighbor was a widow woman, Mrs. Grant, and her son. During the blizzard they ran out of buffalo chips to burn, and walked to our shack through the storm. They were almost froze when they got there. Mother got them warmed up and fed them and kept them all night and until the storm let up. Then Father took them home, and let them have some of our buffalo ships to burn to keep them warm. It took us all day to go to the Smokey River and pick up a load of chips and got back home in the same day, using a team of oxen hitched to our wagon. Father drove oxen when we went to pick up chips, for they would stand more quietly at the wagon.
    We cooked and ate in our frame shack and slept in the covered wagon at night. The ground was as level as the floor, you could see for miles, and see droves of wild buffalo on the plains.
    Father enlisted August 22,1862 in Company A-122, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served during the war of the rebellion, until his discharge in June 26, 1865.
    We went from Goodland, Kansas, to Hastings, Nebraska in 1885. It was there I first started school. I moved with my folks from Hastings to Cozad, Nebraska. There I married Daniel Brown in 1902 in Lexington, Nebraska. We moved to a farm 14 miles north of Cozad just in the edge of Custer County. Before I married Dan, I worked at a laundry in order to pay for my wedding things. I worked there for a dollar a day. When we ironed, the irons were one in front of each other and boy did that get hot. We lived at the edge of Custer County only for a short time, " during the sickness", so we sold out. Then we went back to the valley near Cozad. Then we went to lexington. Stayed all winter. We then went to a farm three miles northeast of Lexington, farmed there one year. Then we went to the hill place north of Cozad and lived there three years. It was on that hill place we lost Hazel in August 6, 1906. Kennth was born on the hill place June 26, 1906. We had a sale on the hill place and moved back to Lexington for a short time. Bought a pool hall, didn't like it, sold out.
    We moved to Oconto, Nebraska, and bought a merchantile store. Irma was born October 8, 1908 in Oconto. We sold that out in 1908. in 1910 we went to Oregon. Ellamae was born in Oregon on April 27, 1911. Dan took up contracting work and leveling land and getting it ready for fruit trees. We sold out there in 1913 and came to Bridgeport, Nebraska in an emigrant car. Took a homestead 10 miles northeast of Bridgeport. We farmed and raised cattle. We built a concrete house on our land ourselves. Our closest school was three miles. Cecil was born in the concrete house December 6, 1917. We sold our far, in 1944. We bought a house in Northport, Nebraska, in January in 1944. We moved there. Dan took up well drilling in 1922, and eracting windmills, and electric pumps. He fell from a ladder out at the fairgrounds at Brideport,Nebraska, and broke his leg. Dan had to quit work for a long time. Then in 1964 he cought his hand in the electric drill and broke his first-finger on his left hand, and several bones in his hand. He had his hand and arm in a cast for a long time. Hasn't done much well work since. He lends his well tools and tells them how to do their own work. In fact he is retired, as far as work is concered. Just visitswith his friends and tells his yarns along with the rest. he watches television in the evenings and reads. I do all my house work, washing, ironing, and house cleaning and some sewing, pieceing quilts which won prizes at the fair.
    I will be 89 years old next January 22nd of 1971. I still raise chickens, but don't milk cows any more. We raise a garden every year and freeze and can fruit and vegetables. Also can beef, make jelly, and preserves and pickles. Also make my own laundry soap. I spend my evenings reading and watching television. Dan helps me with all my work.
    We have four grandsons, that have served in the armed forces. Two of them have served one year each in Viet Nam.
    
Addition in 1973
    
    The children gave an open house celebration for our 71st wedding anniversary in May. Dan and I were married in May 28, 1902. My granddaughter June Marie Brown helped with the anniversary, and also Darlene Brown, Daryll's wife. It was very pretty and there was a lot of people there. I also got to osee a lot of people that I hadn't seen for many years. I am still doing allof my own work and Dan is still helping me. We are still capable of taking care of ourselves. We have a very small garden this year. We have no more chickens.
    Ellamae and Wes came back in September for a visit, the live in Sandpoint, Washington, Irma live in Bridgeport; Kenneth lives in Fort Morgan, Colorado; and Cecil lives in Gering, Nebraska. We still live in the same house in Northport that we bought.