Dr. Grace M. Ketterman

Dr. Grace Marie Ketterman (1926-2021) - Author, Medical Director, Medical Doctor, Psychiatrist.  Grace was born the 6th of seven children to Elizabeth (Winey) and Titus Horst, in Harvey County, Kansas on September 11, 1926. Grace's entire family, along with any grandparents or guests who happened to be there, gathered together every morning in the living room for family devotions.  Her father, Titus read wisdom from the Bible and prayed for all. 

After she graduated from high school, she attended two different colleges. One in Bethany, Oklahoma and one in Lawrence, Kansas to obtain her medical degree. She was one of 5 women in her Medical School graduating class of 1952. She received an award as an outstanding intern at the Menorah Hospital in Kansas City when she completed her work there and accepted a position as an assistant director of public health in Kansas City, KS. Then she was practicing pediatrics in Ruskin Heights, a postwar neighborhood in south Kansas City, MO when the  terrible tornado roared through in 1957. She later obtained her degree in psychiatry. Early in her practice she became the Medical Director of the Florence Crittenton Center for Unwed Mothers and the Director of the Crittenton Center in Kansas City, a residential home for troubled children, serving for more than 20 years. She counseled privately in the 199o's, at her downtown office which was in the Country Club Plaza, an upscale shopping district. She authored more than 30 books, was a guest on Dr. James Dobson's radio program (see links below to a couple of recorded ones) and lectured at the Nazarene Theological Seminary. She wasn't above praying for her patients either. 

Not only was Dr. Grace a busy doctor, but she was also a wife and mother. She married Dr. Herbert L. Ketterman (1926-2002) on 2 September 1950 and in the following years they had three children, two girls and a boy.  Her children were the light of her life. 

She passed peacefully away at her home in Leewood, Johnson County, Kansas at the age of 94. 

More to Read: 

1. Ketterman Family History. By Luther Clay Ketterman.

2. "Activities of Members." Journal of the Kansas Medical Society. By Kansas Medical Society. Topeka, KS. 1953. p. 484. Internet Archive. 

3. Caught Ever After: Children of the Ruskin Heights Tornado. By Carolyn Glenn Brewer. 

4. Caught in the Path: The Fury of a Tornado. The Rebirth of a Community. By Carolyn Glenn Brewer. 

5. "A Forgotten Monster - The Ruskin Heights F5 Tornado." By Meteocube. 3 Mar 2024. YouTube. 

6."Kansas City, MO. (NAE)" Women's Fellowship of NAE. The Brethren Evangelist, Ashland, OH, 1970. Internet Archive. 

7.  "The Father - More Than a Biological Necessity." By Rev. Truman Dollar and Dr. Grace Ketterman. Advent Christian Witness to the World. By Advent Christian General Conference of America. 1980. pp. 10-13. Internet Archives. 

8. "A Nov. 5 Trial Date was set Monday for..." US News, Olathe, Kan. 10 Sept 1984. 

9. Biographical Directory: Fellows and Members of the American Psychiatric Association. 1989 edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1989. American Psychiatric Press, Washington, DC. 

10. Dr. Grace's First Obituary 

2nd Obituary

3rd Obituary

4th Obituary

11. Grace's Husband's obituary

12. Findagrave Memorial #

Places to Visit: 

1. Clark-Ketterman Athletic Field Park, 8049 E. 107th Street (east of Blue Ridge Blvd), Hickman Mills, South Kansas City, MO.  Named for medical practice partners, Dr. Howard Clark & Grace's husband, Dr. Herbert L. Ketterman. Established in 1967. Has a tennis court, baseball field, playground and a picnic shelter. 

2. Highland Cemetery, Newton, Harvey County, KS, USA

~~ <> @ <> ~~

You can find many of these books on the Internet Archives Open Library website. If they aren't available there, some may be found on World Cat library as loaners. The two shown here are in my home library. 

Some of Dr. Grace's books:

199 Questions Parents Ask. 

A Circle of Love: How You Can Nurture Creative, Caring, and Close-Knit Parent-Child Relationships. 

Before and After the Wedding Night. 

Call Me Blessed: Becoming a Mother of Honor

The Complete Book of Baby and Child Care for Christian Parents. 1981. 

Depression Hits Every Family 

Don't Give In, Give Choices: Winning Your Child's Cooperation

Fathering: A Practical Guide for Dads

Family Matters Handbook: Expert Advice on Developing the Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Well-Being of Your Children

How to Teach Your Child About Sex. 1981. 

Ketterman on Kids: Answers to the Questions Parents Ask Most. 

Book 1 in the Framing Better Families Series 

Marriage: First Things First

Mothering: An Expert's Guide to Succeeding In Your Most Important Role. 

Mothering: The Complete Guide for Mothers of All Ages

Parenting the Difficult Child. 

Preparing for Parenthood

Real Solutions for Caring for Your Elderly Parent

Surviving the Darkness

Teaching Your Child About Sex: An Essential Guide for Parents. 

Teenage Rebellion. 1979

Verbal Abuse: Healing the Hidden Wound

When You Can't Say "I Forgive You:" Breaking the Bonds of Anger and Hurt. 

When You Feel Like Screaming!: Help for Frustrated Mothers.

You and Your Child's Problems: How to Understand and Solve Them. 1983.  

2014 and 2017. Radio Broadcast with Dr. James Dobson - When You Feel Like Screaming, Part 1, by Pat Holt and Dr. Grace

2017. Radio Broadcast with Dr. James Dobson - When You Feel Like Screaming, Part 2

Personal Note: 

A nurse who attended our church mentioned she had worked in Dr. Grace's office when she practiced in Ruskin Heights during the 1957 tornado. 

During the mid-1990's,  Dr. Grace and I shared a primary physician, Dr. Sharon Prohaska (1952-2006).  

One evening, I introduced Dr. Grace to a parent's meeting in our son's public elementary school (we began homeschooling before his 5th grade year) and afterwards,  they held a book signing. She autographed our copy of her book "When You Feel Like Screaming!" (see book above)  I'm grateful for her kindness and wisdom in counseling with our family during a very stressful time in our lives.  

Citation: "Dr. Grace M. Ketterman." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 16 January 2026. History Nut of Missouri, USA.  

Dr. John S. Sappington

Dr. John S. Sappington (1776-1856) = Author. Doctor. Store-keeper. Best known for creating a quinine pill to treat malaria.
He was born to Dr. Mark and Rebecca Sappington in Maryland on 15 May 1776. He was the third of seven children.
When John was nine, his family moved from Maryland. His father trained he and his brothers as physicians. Out on the frontier, they were in high demand.

In 1804, he married Jane Breathitt. The couple had nine children together, seven girls and two boys.  The future 15th Governor of Missouri, Claiborne Fox Jackson (1806-1862), married three of their girls, Jane (1831; she died of the "ague" or malarial fever),  Louisa (1833), and Elizabeth (1838). 

In 1819, upon the advice of Thomas Hart Benton, a future US Senator, Sappington moved to Saline County, Missouri.
He established two stores, one at present day Napton and another at Arrow Rock. Once financially successful, Sappington experimented with the bark of a South American tree to create a chemical called quinine.  Malaria, scarlet fever, yellow fever, and influenza, diseases carried by mosquitoes, were pestilential along creeks and rivers. He wanted to use quinine to treat the fevers caused by these diseases, but eventually it was used to prevent the onset of malaria.
In 1844, Dr. Sappington wrote the first medical treatise west of the Mississippi River. It was called "Theory and Treatment of Fevers." Following a long illness, he died in 1856. An inscription over his grave reads: "A truly honest man is the noblest work of God. He lay like a warrior taking his rest."

Historical Note: George Caleb Bingham painted his and his wife's portraits in 1834. Click here and here to view.  

More to Read:

1. The Theory and Treatment of Fevers. By John Sappington. 1844. FREE Google e-book. 

2. Dr. John Sappington of Saline County, Missouri: 1776-1856. By Thomas B. Hall. Friends of Arrow Rock, 1975 

3.Claiborne Fox Jackson. By Christopher Phillips, University of Mo. Press, Columbia, MO; 2000.

4. "Historic Missourians," The State Historical Society of Missouri. 

5. "Dr. John Sappington."

6. Sappington's Papers
7. Panama Canal Online Exhibit; Clendening History of Medicine Library, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS , 2015.
8. Findagrave #11994.

Note: Infectious malaria is not caused by a bacteria or a virus, but by a tiny worm parasite that enters your bloodstream via a mosquito bite! To prevent the spread of malaria, it is best to drain standing water where mosquitoes breed, to use fine metal mesh screens on your windows and doors to keep them out and/or tuck in mosquito netting over your bed when you sleep at night in warmer climates. Spray insecticide on your clothing to ward them off if you must be out at dusk, their prime feeding time. 

Places to Visit:

1. The Santa Fe Trail 

2. Napton, Missouri Supplemental Route E, SE Saline County

3. The Missouri River

4. Dr. John S. Sappington Museum, 108 High Street, Arrow Rock.

5. Son, William B. Sappington's home called Prairie Park, 3 mi. SW of Arrow Rock on  CR TT. National Register of Historic Sites. (please respect the privacy of homeowners).

6. The Miller-Bradford House, Arrow Rock

7. Sappington Cemetery State Historic Site

8. Visit Missouri Sappington Cemetery, Route AA, Nelson

Citation: "Dr. John S. Sappington." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 10 May 2020. History Nut of Missouri, USA. 

Thor Hagen

1955

Thor Hagen (1925-1982) = WWII Navy Vet. 1943-1946. Professional Wrestler. Founder of New Life Ministries for underprivileged children.

Born as Orion Clemence Heskin in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota on 24 November to  Bertha M. (Sveen) and electrician, John S. Heskin. All his grandparents were born in Norway and emigrated to the United States before his parents were born. Life was rough growing up for Orion. By the time he was fourteen, his parents were divorced and he and his mother were living with his maternal grandmother. 

His military registration records described him as a white young man, but having a ruddy complexion with brown-eyes and hair. He stood at 5 ft. 11 in. and weighed 195 lbs. at the time of his Navy enlistment in Los Angeles, California. 

  

He married his wife, Lenore E. Hagg (1929-1985) in September of 1949 while living in California. 

He wrestled from 1952 until 1971, won 385 times and was a Central States Heavyweight Champion and a World Tag Team Champion several times. 

But none of his titles meant anything when God got hold of his heart and he began working with the Salvation Army, Young Life, Youth for Christ and founded New Life Ministries. He purchased  an old broken down, 3-story mansion in central Kansas City, Missouri and remodeled it so the young people in the area would have a nice place to hang out. 

Sadly, Thor died 14 December 1982 of cancer and was buried in the Leavenworth National Cemetery in Leavenworth, KS. 

More to Read: 

1.  Ancestry. com Records

2. Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling, 2nd ed. By Harris M. Lentz III., p. 140. Google Books.  

3.  Daily Colonist News, (Victoria, B.C.), 17 Jun 1955. p. 9. Internet Archive

4. Facebook: Thor Hagen

5. Findagrave #367093

6. Focus on the Family with Dr. James C. Dobson, Pomona, CA.1997. Vol. 21-22, p. 48.

7. Memoirs of Oscar and Gladys O'Neal. Satanta, Kansas. Aft. 1977. p.28. Ancestry.
8. NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship

9. Online World of Wrestling

10. Professional Wrestling Historical Society

11. "KETV, Channel 7: Omaha's All-Star Wrestling."  Sponsor, (New York) 3 Oct 1959, p. 62. Internet Archive. 

12. Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho), 26 Sep 1954, p.15  Internet Archive
13. Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho), 15 Sep 1954, p. 13. Internet Archive

14. Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho), 16 Nov 1954, p.19. Internet Archive
15. Times-News, (Twin Falls, Idaho), 24 Jan 1955. p. 8  Internet Archive. 

16. Times-News, (Twin Falls, Idaho), 25 Jan 1955. p. 8. Internet Archive
17. Times-News, (Twin Falls, Idaho),14 Feb 1955, p. 7. Internet Archive

18. Wrestling Classics Message Board

19. Wrestling Data

20. Wrestling Legends

1954

Citation: "Thor Hagen." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 20 September 2019. History Nut of Missouri, USA. 

Albert E Brumley

Albert Edward Brumley, Sr. (1905-1977) = Singing School Teacher. Gospel songwriter. Best known for " I Can Hear Them Singing Over There (1927);" "I'll Fly Away (1932);" "If We Never Meet Again (1945);" "They Have a Good Time on Sunday (1951);" and "Turn Your Radio On (1938)." Best guesstimates are that he wrote between 600 to 800 songs in his lifetime.

Albert was born near Spiro, Oklahoma to Sarah Isabelle (Williams) and William S. Brumley. He, the middle child of three, grew up in the cotton fields and on the family farm - hoeing, picking cotton, and chopping down the spent plants. It was hard work, but music made life bearable - his father played the fiddle,  his older brother played the guitar and he learned to play an instrument too. After completing the tenth grade, between 1926 and 1931, he studied at Eugene Monroe Bartlett's (1884-1941) Hartford Musical Institute in Hartford, Arkansas. 
He married Goldie Edith Schell (1912-1988) in 1931 and together they raised six children - five bouncing boys and one sweet girl. It is said that Mrs. Goldie was a good encourager and wife for Mr. Albert. He was like Fred MacMurray in the movie "The Absent-Minded Professor" when he was in the zone, writing and creating and Goldie kept him on track.
In 1970, Brumley was inducted into the Nashville, Tennessee Songwriters Hall of Fame. He would go on to be  inducted into seven more Halls of Fame such as the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
Albert was a member of the Fox Church of Christ and was buried in the church cemetery after he passed into glory on the 15th of November 1977. Goldie graduated from earth to heaven ten years later. His work lives on. 

More to Read:

1. "Albert E. Brumley, A Living Legend." By Gene Gideon. Albert E. Brumley's All-Day Singin' and Dinner on the Ground. Camdenton, Mo; 1972. Repository: Author's Home Library.
2. Albert E. Brumley's Songs of the Pioneers. Pioneer Song Book, Camdenton, MO.; 1970. Repository: Author's Home Library.
3. Albert Edward Brumley (1905-1977) Biography

4. A photo of his Powell, Missouri Home 

5. Brumley Music Company

6. Arkansas Historical Encyclopedia Biography

7. Sing Me Back Home: Southern Roots and Country Music by Bill C. Malone. 2017. Ch. 7.  Google Books. 

8. "The Gentle Genius." Listening to the Jar Flies: Growing Up in Wheaton and Rocky Comfort. By Jimmy R. Lewis. 2015. Ch. 28. Google Books. 

9. Findagrave #5659883

Quote: "I may be a little old-fashioned, but my Savior was old-fashioned too." ~ Albert Brumley

Places to Visit: 

1. Powell, McDonald County, Missouri

2. Albert E. Brumley Parkway (a 13 mile strip between MO Highway E and MO Highway 76; between Rocky Comfort, Mo to  Pea Ridge, AR. It was dedicated in 1987)

3. Powell Bridge across Big Sugar Creek (This one lane bridge was built in 1915, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is only open to foot traffic.)

4. Brumley Gospel Sing, Cowan Civic Center, 500 E. Elm St, Lebanon

Homeschool Educator Helps:
Albert's favorite books were a rhyming dictionary and a thesaurus. He also carried a pen and paper with him wherever he went.

Citation: "Albert E Brumley." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 11 April 2019. History Nut of Missouri, USA. 

Thomas Sears Huffaker

Thomas Sears Huffaker (1825-1910) = Methodist Missionary. Postmaster. County Commissioner. Probate Judge.  Kansas Legislator.  Born on March 30 to  Catherine (Lowe) and George Smith Huffaker, an ordained minister of the Methodist Episcopal South church in Clay County, Missouri.  

Eliza Ann Baker was born in Illinois to Agnes (Inghram) & blacksmith, Joshua W. Baker in 1836, raised in Iowa and married Thomas on 6 May, 1852 at the age of 16 in Council Grove by a missionary traveling to Mexico, one Rev. Nicholson.

Previous to their marriage, in 1850, Thomas  was sent to Council Grove, Morris County, Kansas as a missionary to teach the Indian children by the Methodist Episcopal South Board of Missions after he taught at the Shawnee Manual Training School in Johnson County for two years. Few Indians allowed their children to attend the Kaw mission school, so the mission closed within a few years. After awhile, when settlers began to settle around and in Council Grove, he taught the children of those settlers and began a Sunday School there. In addition to teaching, he engaged in a mercantile business, farming and raising farm stock. 

They lived at the mission until a new fourteen room house was built for their family, eventually numbering twelve members, one quarter mile north of the mission. Thomas and Eliza celebrated their fifty-third anniversary there. After her father passed, a daughter, Anna Carpenter, sold her home on Second Street and moved to the mission in 1911 with her mother (1836-1920), living there until her death in 1921. 

Both Thomas and Eliza were buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Council Grove, Kansas. 

More to Read:  

1. Some Boone Descendants and Kindred of the St. Charles District. By Lilian Hays Oliver. Chedwato Service, 1964. p. 267-270. Repository: Midwest Genealogy Center, Independence, MO. 

2. "Old West Kansas." Kansas Heritage website

3. History of the State of Kansas. By William G. Cutler. A. T. Andreas, Chicago, IL, 1883. p. 805-806. Repository: Google Books. 

4. Kansaspedia. Kansas Historical Society website

5. "Homer Huffaker." A Standard History of Oklahoma. by Joseph Bradfield Thobum. Vol. 5. p.2133-34. Repository: Google Books.

6. Photo of the Kaw Mission in Council Grove, Kansas. Kansas Memory.

7. Thomas Sears Huffaker, Ancestry.com

8. Findagrave #20168737

Places to Visit:

1. Santa Fe Trail Historic Markers from Independence, MO to Council Grove, KS. 

2. Shawnee Indian Mission Historic Site & Museum, 3403 W. 53rd,  Fairway, KS.

3. Kaw Mission State Historic Site, 500 North Mission, Council Grove, KS. 

Citation: "Thomas Sears Huffaker." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 17 January 2019. History Nut of Missouri, USA. 

Lee Mace

Lee Mace (1927-1985) - Entertainer. Bass String musician. Best known for Lee Mace's Ozark Opry. Born to Lucian Thomas and Anna Jane "Clare" (Buster) Mace on a summer day (30 July) near Brumley, Missouri, almost a year after his parent's marriage on 8 Aug 1926. He was the oldest of three children.
Lee grew up in Tuscumbia, Missouri in the quarters above the jail when his dad, Lucian, was elected Sheriff (1940s). Lee's dad was later elected to the Missouri House of Representatives and served as both a Judge and a school teacher. His mother wrote a column for the local paper. She, a Baptist, adopted a Bible verse (Philippians 4:8-9) that was her philosophy of life.
Lee received a shiny red Western Flyer bicycle one year for Christmas and a new baby sister.
He graduated from Tuscumbia High School in 1945 and then served in the Navy during the last part of WWII and in the Army during the Korean Conflict. Lee married Joyce Williams on 16 Aug 1950.
Three years later, Lee founded his Ozark Opry. He got some folks together from the area and began putting on hillbilly music shows. His wholesome, family shows grew so much that he built a new auditorium in 1957 with a seating capacity that eventually reached 1000 seats. They performed from mid-April to mid-October every night except Sundays as well as a half-hour show on television by 1966 which aired in the central Missouri region.
Lee died in a private plane crash on 16 June of 1985. Joyce continued running the show until she retired in 2005. Lee is buried in the Gott cemetery in Ulman. Look for the big bass fiddle carved on Lee's tombstone. 

More to Read:
1. Ancestry.com Census Records

2. Hillbilly-Music dot com 
3. Lee Mace's Ozark Opry

4. Lee Mace Biography 
5. The Story of Lee Mace by Joe Pryor, former President of the Miller County Historical Society museum. 2008.
6. Miller County Historical Society's YouTube Channel
7. Findagrave #14789856 

Places to Visit in MO:
1. Miller County Historical Society Museum and gift shop, PO Box 57, 2005 Hwy 52, Tuscumbia 65082, 573-369-3500 

2. Old Jail, Tuscumbia

3. Lee Mace Memorial Highway, Osage Beach

4. Mace Ozark Opry Museum, 54 Hwy, Osage Beach
5. Gott Cemetery, Ulman, Miller County

🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

Memories of that Mountain Music! 

Citation: "Lee Mace." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 3 January 2019. History Nut of Missouri, USA. 

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder

LAURA ELIZABETH "Bess" INGALLS WILDER (1867 – 1957) = Pioneer, Schoolteacher, Columnist, Author. Best known for her book called "Little House on the Prairie." The semi-fictional television series starring Michael Landon as Pa and Melissa Gilbert as Laura was based on her autobiographical books written for children. Born on February 7, 1867, in Wisconsin, she was the second child of Charles and Caroline Quiner Ingalls.

When Laura was three, the Ingalls moved to Kansas, traveling through Missouri, to the Verdigris River, ten miles from the present-day town of Independence. Pa built a log home there, near an Indian trail. The following year they moved back to Wisconsin. She didn't come back to Kansas until 1894 when she passed through the state on her way south to Mansfield, Missouri. At that time, Mansfield boasted a Methodist and a Presbyterian church, but not a Congregational one like Laura's Pa had helped organize in DeSmet, SD.

Laura married Almonzo James Wilder (1857-1949) or "Manly" as she called him, in 1885 and homesteaded near De Smet, Dakota Territory. They had two children, a daughter named Rose Wilder Lane (1886-1968), who became a famous journalist after she grew up and a boy who lived only a few weeks. Mama Bess and Manly were married 64 years. Manly passed away at the age of 92 and Laura, three days after she turned 90.

Sunday was a day not only to worship God in church, but also a day to visit with friends pioneer farmers might not see all week. Laura's Pa once gave three dollars to a church bell fund and the Wilders were active in the building of a Methodist Church in Spring Valley, MN in 1876. After coming to Missouri, Laura and Almanzo attended Methodist camp meetings.

A Quote by Laura Ingalls Wilder:

"Our ideal home should be made by a man and woman together."

Manly built this first home for Laura in Mansfield, Missouri. Our Tour Guide is standing on the front porch. 

Interesting Genealogical Fact: Laura was a Mayflower descendant on her paternal (father's) side. 

More to Read: (This is a short list of the books written about Laura Ingalls Wilder.)

1. Laura Ingalls Wilder: Little House in the Ozarks. Ed. By Stephen W. Hines.

Thomas Nelson, 1991.

2.100 Authors Who Shaped World History. By Christine N. Perkins. 1996.

3. Laura Ingalls Wilder's Fairy Poems. Compiled by: Stephen W. Hines.1998.

4. Who Were They Really? The True Stories Behind Famous Characters. By

Susan Beth Pfeffer. 1999.

5. Visiting the Homesites of Laura Ingalls Wilder with Barb Hawkins VHS.

Camelot Studios, 2000.

6. Laura Ingalls Wilder, Storyteller of the Prairie. by Ginger Wadsworth

7. Little House Traveler: Writings from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Journeys

Across America. By Laura Ingalls Wilder. Harper-Collins; 2006.

8. Laura Ingalls Wilder: Farm Journalist. Ed. By Stephen W Hines. 2007.

Missouri Legends: Famous People from the Show-Me State. By John W.

Brown., 2008.

9. The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Author of The Little House on the Prairie. Donald Zochert. 1976.

10. The Ghost in the Little Hill: A Life of Rose Wilder Lane. William Holtz. 1993.

11. Pamela Smith Hill's website on Laura

12. Pepin, Wisconsin website 

13. Walnut Grove, Minnesota website 

14. Burr Oak, Iowa website

15. DeSmet, South Dakota website

16. Missouri Death Certificate: #11919
17. Findagrave # 1625

Writings by Laura Ingalls Wilder: Little House in the Big Woods (1932);

Farmer Boy (1933); Little House on the Prairie (1935);On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937); By the Shores of the Silver Lake (1939); The Long Winter (1940);Little Town on the Prairie (1941); These Happy Golden Years (1943); and The First Four Years (1971);

poetry such as  "The Sunshine Fairy"

Book by Rose Wilder Lane: Woman’s Day Book of American Needlework. By Rose Wilder Lane. Simon & Schuster, New York, 1963. 

Listen to: 

49th Annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant: The Hard Winter Radio Play  

For more PBS specials, see this list. 

Remember the little girl who played Laura on TV? Her name was Melissa Gilbert. Check this out: www.modernprairie.com

Places to Visit in MO. & KS:

1. Kansas Travel Guide

2. Missouri Travel Guide

3. Rocky Ridge Farm, 3068 Highway A, Mansfield, MO. 65704

4. Laura Ingalls Wilder Library. Mansfield, MO

5. Mansfield, Mo. Cemetery

6. Little House On the Prairie log house replica, US Hwy 75, Independence, Ks. (13 miles SW of Independence).

Our Field Trip:
I finally found the photo I snapped of the replica of the Ingalls cabin the first weekend of October, 1992. My husband, son, and I were on a weekend holiday to Coffeyville, KS. for the 100th Anniversary of the Dalton Raid on the Banks and we veered over to Independence, KS. to see it on the way down.
My great-grandparents owned a café on Main Street and the Farmers Motel in Coffeyville, in 1892 and were "front row" witnesses to the original bank robberies.

Extras For the (Home) Educator:

1. The History Chicks featured article

2. Laura Ingalls Wilder Frontier Girl website

3. Garden of Praise website on Wilder

4. Here is a Sunbonnet Card inspired by Laura.
5. Homeschooling Unit Study and Lapbook Ideas 
6. A printable Laura Ingalls Wilder quote
7. Kansas Trading Card! 
8. Actress YouTube Interviews - 
Laura Ingalls Wilder (Melissa Gilbert)
Nellie Olson (Alison Amgrim) 
9. Vintage Photographs of the Ingalls family & tombstone photograph of Rose Wilder Lane 

10. Coloring Sheets by Cheryl Harness

Citation: "Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 12 July 2018. History Nut of Missouri, USA. 

Mrs. Clara Stover

Clara Mae (Lewis) Stover (1882-1975) = Candy Queen. Entrepreneur. She was born to Lorenzo and Mary Ann (Jenkins) Lewis in Iowa on September 25.

She first met her future husband as a young lady in her early twenties, but did not marry Russell (1888-1954), son of John and Emma Stover until her late twenties (1911). Their first home was a farm in Canada, but they soon decided farming wasn't for them. They eventually returned to the United States and Russell found work in the food industry. As an industrious wife, Clara made homemade candies in her kitchen that he sold locally.

In 1921, before they moved to Denver, Colorado, Russell partnered with Christian Nelson (1893-1992) to sell Nelson's Eskimo Pie invention. Meanwhile, Clara continued making candy in the kitchen of their bungalow home. She mixed up candy in small batches in pots and hand-dipped cordial cherries into chocolate. She named her business "Mrs. Stover's Bungalow Candies" and she became known for them. Her business expanded from their home to several stores and a factory in Kansas City during the Great Depression and war years. 

The couple took on the care of a distant relative's five children for several years and four years after adopting their daughter, Gloria (1928-1985), they relocated their headquarters to Kansas City, MO. In 1943, the company name was changed to Russell Stover Candies. 

Clara carried on the candy business after Russell's death in 1954 until she retired and sold the business in 1960. She passed away at the age of 93 in 1975 and was buried next to Mr. Stover in the Mount Moriah Cemetery Mausoleum in Kansas City.

Mrs. Stover's Bungalow Candy Delivery Truck. c. 1927

More to Read:
1. Clara Stover of Russell Stover Candies. By Jane F. Flynn.
2. Dictionary of Missouri Biography. By Lawrence O. Christensen, William E. Foley, & Gary Kremer. p. 728. Retrieved from Google Books.
3. Russell Stover Chocolate History
4. Social Security Death Index: U.S., 1937-1998. Surnames from L through Z. Family Tree Maker CD by Broderbund.
5. Smithsonian
6. Russell Stover, Robinson Library
7. The Eskimo Pie Corporation Records, National Museum of American History
8. Kansas State Historical Society Trading Card
9. Missouri Women, Clara Stover
10. Candy Hall of Fame
11. "Dad-ventures: Historic Names and Cemeteries in Kansas City. By Shannon Carpenter. October 22, 2015. Visit KC
12. Russell Stover's Kansas Trading Card! 

13. Johnson County, KS History
14. Findagrave #22317 and  #21858

💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝

Eskimo Pie Commercial  

Russell Stover Commercial

💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝

Places to Visit:

1. Sweet Tooth Marker, Kansas City International Airport, 601 Brasilia Ave, Parking Lot C, Kansas City
2. Russell Stover Headquarters, 1206 Main St, Kansas City,
3. Russell Stover Candy Stores

4. Former Residences: (1935) 803 West 54th Terr., Kansas City and 5805 Mission Drive, Mission Hills, KS. (please respect the privacy of the homeowners)
5. Mount Moriah's Mausoleum, Holmes Road (south of 435 Hwy), Kansas City

Citation: "Mrs. Clara Stover." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 2 February 2018. History Nut of Missouri, USA.