Maude Turner was my grandmother. She was born July 1, 1887 near Charter Oak, Iowa, married Fred Stephenson, July 4, 1912, in Arion, Iowa, and died in Denison, Iowa on January 11, 1965. I was pretty young when she died, but I certainly remember her, but I can't say that I knew her well.
Fortunately, the Denison Review published a feature article on her on January 11, 1965. There is probably no finer tribute to her than this, and it includes her own words. So, here is the article:
BY RUTH BURNSIDE
With a big family, its hard to know very far in advance just how many or who it will be that will drop in to spend the day or just an hour or two. Mrs. Maude Stephenson of Denison was confronted with this situation for besides her eight sons and daughters she has 23 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren; some one of them was always calling on mother or grandmother. Her home was her mansion and her toil therein was a labor of love as she performed her daily tasks whether it was mending stockings and toys or by her kindly understanding mending broken hearts, baby finger prints left on the wall after a session with bread and jam, blocks on the floor, apple cores left by the door or hobby horses to walk around were all taken in stride as her day’s work for she realized too well her family soon would be grown and she wished to enjoy them while she could.
As a mother of eight children she found that she had to listen to their dreams, encourage them in their undertakings and have explicit faith in their attempted tasks. Early in her married life she discovered that a home is more then a place to sweep, it needs ointment for bruised knees, birthday cakes with candles, kites to fly, a place for dogs and kittens and sometimes toads and turtles, coupled with endless patience with all the events that occurred.
Disappointments, trials and sorrows beset her path but she could not be dismayed by any catastrophe. When the bottom fell out of her little world she looked at it for one surprised moment and then turned and started to pick up the pieces. She always figured there was a way out of everything and she would find it.
Mrs. Maude Stephenson was born in Charter Oak township, Crawford
county on July 31, 1887. The entire 77 years of her life was spent in Crawford county.Her parents were James Turner and Blanche Mae
(Squibb) Turner. Her father was born in Sunderland, England on Dec. 2, 1860, he was three years old when he came to the United States with his parents. The family came direct to Washington, D.C. and lived there a short time before coming to Clinton county. Ia. They remained there a few years before coming to Crawford county.
After his marriage he began farming in Charter Oak township, later on he moved to a farm in Paradise township. Leaving the farm the family moved to Jefferson before purchasing a home in Denison and coming to Denison to live. He returned to farming during the War, afterwards he went to Logan for a brief time before coming back to Denison to spend the rest of his life.
Blanche Mae (Squibb) Turner, her mother was born in Clinton county, Ia., May 8,1868. Her education was received in the schools in rural Clinton. She accompanied her parents to Crawford county and stayed at home until her marriage.
Mrs. Stephenson attended a rural school in Paradise township, situated two miles from her home, with Mary Clarey and Maude Bryan as teachers. She walked to school going across the prairie and often saw indians while going or coming from school, in their wagon trains. Quite often when the teacher arrived at school in the morning she found the indians had slept in the school house all night.
Entertainment in her youth was box socials, hay rides and bob sledding. The girls in the community would spend hours decorating fancy boxes for the socials and filling them with a complete, tasty supper, trying to disguise their efforts so the "fellows" wouldn’t know who had brought what box. These socials always netted a nice sum for the school.
On July 4, 1912 she was married to Fred Stephenson at the minister's home in Arion. Rev. Calkens, officiating. They were the parents of eight children, Mrs. Henry (Edna)Bramley, Anon; Mrs. Rolla (Lois) Brink, Castana; Edgar of Patluma, Calif.; Mrs. Russell (Dorothy) Mesenbrlnk, Graettinger; Wayne of Stillwater, Minn.; Mrs. Norman (Lillian) Busch, Deloit; Mrs. Harold (Ardis) Ehl, Sabula; and Mrs. Vernon (Inez) Busch, Des Moines. There are 23 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
They began their married life on the Flaherty farm in Charter Oak township after three years they moved to the Flahive farm near Kenwood. They resided on several farms in Charter Oak township before they retired in 1936 and came to Denison to make their home. Mr. Stephenson died on Jan. 25, 1958. Mrs. Stephenson continued to make her home in Denison. In June of 1964 she went to Eventide to reside.
After her schooling she took a course in dress making under the direction of Mrs. Barnes in Dow City. This training proved very beneficial to her for she made all the clothing and dresses for her six daughters and most of the clothing for her sons. She also
did sewing for the neighbors for when her girls had a new dress and the neighbor children saw them they wanted one too just like it. All of her sewing was done on a Singer sewing machine.
While on the farm they raised and fed cattle and hogs along with their corn and grain crops. Each year she raised hundreds of chickens for family use and to help purchase staple groceries for the table. A large garden was also planted for vegetables for family use. The surplus was canned or stored in the cave for winter consumption. One year they lost their crop by hail.
“I will never forget one storm, while I was still at home, I had been standing by the stove washing dishes and had left the stove to read the mail, when lightning struck the chimney, the chimney and pipes were shattered to pieces. If I had been still at the stove no doubt I would have been injured badly", commented Mrs. Stephenson.
As a child she spent many a day herding cattle on the prairie on horseback. There were so many bull snakes and rattle snakes it wasn’t safe to herd cattle on foot. At one time when her parents moved to a farm they experienced quite an ordeal. Mrs. Stephenson said “When we moved into the house we didn’t see a snake of any kind. The next morning the snakes had taken over, they were crawling over the furniture, beds and chairs. We got busy with clubs and had quite a time getting rid of them.”
Besides her sewing, flowers and the making of rag rugs have been
her hobbies. She has made a great number of rugs, she liked all kinds of flowers but cared very little for house plants.
In the golden years of her life she enjoys the visits of her children, grandchildren and friends. Her memory is remarkable and
she clearly remembers things of the past. She takes an interest in
the affairs around her, as well as her family and their interests. Mrs. Stephenson believes that life holds happiness for everyone, but it has to be won or planted in the scheme of life. It is a thing of slow growth - happiness.
My mother wrote a letter to the editor, published in the Denison Bulletin of January 28, 1965:
Fortunately, the Denison Review published a feature article on her on January 11, 1965. There is probably no finer tribute to her than this, and it includes her own words. So, here is the article:
Maude Stephenson recalls early days
Preface: Although Mrs. Maude Stephenson passed away shortly after the reporter interviewed her and prepared the story and the newspaper photographer took her picture, we run it now in honor of the family and the deceased.
BY RUTH BURNSIDE
With a big family, its hard to know very far in advance just how many or who it will be that will drop in to spend the day or just an hour or two. Mrs. Maude Stephenson of Denison was confronted with this situation for besides her eight sons and daughters she has 23 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren; some one of them was always calling on mother or grandmother. Her home was her mansion and her toil therein was a labor of love as she performed her daily tasks whether it was mending stockings and toys or by her kindly understanding mending broken hearts, baby finger prints left on the wall after a session with bread and jam, blocks on the floor, apple cores left by the door or hobby horses to walk around were all taken in stride as her day’s work for she realized too well her family soon would be grown and she wished to enjoy them while she could.
As a mother of eight children she found that she had to listen to their dreams, encourage them in their undertakings and have explicit faith in their attempted tasks. Early in her married life she discovered that a home is more then a place to sweep, it needs ointment for bruised knees, birthday cakes with candles, kites to fly, a place for dogs and kittens and sometimes toads and turtles, coupled with endless patience with all the events that occurred.
Disappointments, trials and sorrows beset her path but she could not be dismayed by any catastrophe. When the bottom fell out of her little world she looked at it for one surprised moment and then turned and started to pick up the pieces. She always figured there was a way out of everything and she would find it.
Mrs. Maude Stephenson was born in Charter Oak township, Crawford
county on July 31, 1887. The entire 77 years of her life was spent in Crawford county.Her parents were James Turner and Blanche Mae
(Squibb) Turner. Her father was born in Sunderland, England on Dec. 2, 1860, he was three years old when he came to the United States with his parents. The family came direct to Washington, D.C. and lived there a short time before coming to Clinton county. Ia. They remained there a few years before coming to Crawford county.
After his marriage he began farming in Charter Oak township, later on he moved to a farm in Paradise township. Leaving the farm the family moved to Jefferson before purchasing a home in Denison and coming to Denison to live. He returned to farming during the War, afterwards he went to Logan for a brief time before coming back to Denison to spend the rest of his life.
Blanche Mae (Squibb) Turner, her mother was born in Clinton county, Ia., May 8,1868. Her education was received in the schools in rural Clinton. She accompanied her parents to Crawford county and stayed at home until her marriage.
Mrs. Stephenson attended a rural school in Paradise township, situated two miles from her home, with Mary Clarey and Maude Bryan as teachers. She walked to school going across the prairie and often saw indians while going or coming from school, in their wagon trains. Quite often when the teacher arrived at school in the morning she found the indians had slept in the school house all night.
Entertainment in her youth was box socials, hay rides and bob sledding. The girls in the community would spend hours decorating fancy boxes for the socials and filling them with a complete, tasty supper, trying to disguise their efforts so the "fellows" wouldn’t know who had brought what box. These socials always netted a nice sum for the school.
On July 4, 1912 she was married to Fred Stephenson at the minister's home in Arion. Rev. Calkens, officiating. They were the parents of eight children, Mrs. Henry (Edna)Bramley, Anon; Mrs. Rolla (Lois) Brink, Castana; Edgar of Patluma, Calif.; Mrs. Russell (Dorothy) Mesenbrlnk, Graettinger; Wayne of Stillwater, Minn.; Mrs. Norman (Lillian) Busch, Deloit; Mrs. Harold (Ardis) Ehl, Sabula; and Mrs. Vernon (Inez) Busch, Des Moines. There are 23 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
They began their married life on the Flaherty farm in Charter Oak township after three years they moved to the Flahive farm near Kenwood. They resided on several farms in Charter Oak township before they retired in 1936 and came to Denison to make their home. Mr. Stephenson died on Jan. 25, 1958. Mrs. Stephenson continued to make her home in Denison. In June of 1964 she went to Eventide to reside.
After her schooling she took a course in dress making under the direction of Mrs. Barnes in Dow City. This training proved very beneficial to her for she made all the clothing and dresses for her six daughters and most of the clothing for her sons. She also
did sewing for the neighbors for when her girls had a new dress and the neighbor children saw them they wanted one too just like it. All of her sewing was done on a Singer sewing machine.
While on the farm they raised and fed cattle and hogs along with their corn and grain crops. Each year she raised hundreds of chickens for family use and to help purchase staple groceries for the table. A large garden was also planted for vegetables for family use. The surplus was canned or stored in the cave for winter consumption. One year they lost their crop by hail.
“I will never forget one storm, while I was still at home, I had been standing by the stove washing dishes and had left the stove to read the mail, when lightning struck the chimney, the chimney and pipes were shattered to pieces. If I had been still at the stove no doubt I would have been injured badly", commented Mrs. Stephenson.
As a child she spent many a day herding cattle on the prairie on horseback. There were so many bull snakes and rattle snakes it wasn’t safe to herd cattle on foot. At one time when her parents moved to a farm they experienced quite an ordeal. Mrs. Stephenson said “When we moved into the house we didn’t see a snake of any kind. The next morning the snakes had taken over, they were crawling over the furniture, beds and chairs. We got busy with clubs and had quite a time getting rid of them.”
Besides her sewing, flowers and the making of rag rugs have been
her hobbies. She has made a great number of rugs, she liked all kinds of flowers but cared very little for house plants.
In the golden years of her life she enjoys the visits of her children, grandchildren and friends. Her memory is remarkable and
she clearly remembers things of the past. She takes an interest in
the affairs around her, as well as her family and their interests. Mrs. Stephenson believes that life holds happiness for everyone, but it has to be won or planted in the scheme of life. It is a thing of slow growth - happiness.
My mother wrote a letter to the editor, published in the Denison Bulletin of January 28, 1965:
No doubt, her sentiments were shared by the rest of the Stephensons.
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