1915 was the peak year for the number of horses on U.S. farms before they were replaced by tractors. About half the U.S. population lived on farms.
Cities were growing much more rapidly than rural areas due to industrialization, immigration, and The Great Migration to northern cities. By 1920, over half the U.S. population would live in cities.
Homes with electricity, plumbing, and telephones were rare, but would boom in the coming years. Automobiles were becoming commonplace, if not essential.
While the World War raged in Europe, the U.S. was focused on domestic issues.
In 1915, life had changed in the almost 300 years since the Cheneys arrived in Maryland.
Life goes on. It seems insensitive, but so it does. School must be attended. Patients must be treated. Rollo shot Fred. Dr. Cheney and Miss Johnson went to supper.
When researching our ancestors, we often have only census records or BMD (birth, marriage, death) records. It’s a lot more interesting when we have incidents from their everyday life. And it’s fun when those incidents are a little offbeat.
Such is the case for a few of the news stories in this Cheney episode.
On a snowy Sunday in 1905, Eliza Cheney sat down to pen a diary entry:
“It is 28 years today since we moved on this farm…” — April 16, 1905
That simple sentence represented nearly three decades of hope and survival, joy and sorrow, family and neighbors. Eliza must have paused to reflect on her life since coming to McPherson County, Kansas in 1877.
1900 dawned bright and clear for Ralph and Mollie Cheney and family. Enos Ralph was age 29, Mollie was 31. Things were going well.
William and Eliza Cheney were still actively farming in McPherson County.
1900 began a decade of amazing transformation, even in rural McPherson County and small-town Gypsum. Our grandparents were introduced to telephones, electric lights, motion pictures, and motor vehicles.
Family Nibbles 