Family Nibbles

Chleo Webb (1G) had been born in 1900 on the farm south of Larned. She was the youngest of the five children.

Chleo grew up in the Rock House in Larned with her three older sisters and one older brother Jim. The age difference with her sisters was 5, 8, and 12 years. Jim was 9 years older.

Diphtheria

In 1907, Chleo contracted diphtheria. She was lucky.

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Diphtheria (Corynebacterium diphtheriae), an acute bacterial infection spread by personal contact, was the most feared of all childhood diseases.

One of every ten children infected died from this disease. Symptoms ranged from severe sore throat to suffocation due to a ‘false membrane’ covering the larynx. The disease primarily affected children under the age of 5.

Until treatment became widely available in the 1920s, the public viewed this disease as a death sentence.

Deadly Diphtheria: the children’s plague

Daily life

Chleo attended public school in Larned.

She worked at the laundry, attended school and Sunday School, and did chores at home.

By 1915, Chleo’s sisters were married. So at age 15 she was the only child living at home.

Visits with their many relatives were always on the social agenda.

Chleo and Anna were active in Royal Neighbors, a social organization. In this news article, they were members of the drill team.

Loyal Bereans

Here are photos of Chleo’s Sunday School class, the Loyal Bereans.

The term Bereans is derived from the Bible’s Book of Acts. It refers to the people of Berea, who were “more noble” than the Thessalonians, and accepted the Christian scripture. The Bereans studied the Bible daily to learn scripture, ostensibly more than other groups.

“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so”

Acts 17:10,11

Many churches, sects, and bible study groups have adopted the term Berean.

In Larned newspapers, there were at least four churches with a Berean Sunday School class. The term “Loyal Bereans” was only found for the First Christian Church. So I think that was Chleo’s Sunday School Bible Study class.

Chleo’s postcards

Chleo kept a postcard scrapbook. In it we can discover family tidbits that we can’t get from censuses and land records. She also kept a scrapbook of magazine clippings of women’s clothing styles and ads she liked. You’ll notice in future stories how Chleo is a fashion maven.

Here are a few examples.

Google “Rooney Ranch Colorado” for a lot more interesting info on the ranch history and use today.

1917

Chleo was in high school. She turned 17 in August. And she met Ralph Jarvis. They began a two-year relationship that would be interrupted by World War I.

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Sources

• Photos – Chleo Webb and family – Jarvis Family Documents – Chleo Webb Jarvis collection
• Newspaper articles – Newspapers.com
• Quotation – Diphtheria – Deadly Diphtheria: the children’s plague – Guest post based upon the Dittrick Museum Diphtheria Exhibit, guest curated by Cicely Schonberg, BS, from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio – https://artsci.case.edu/dittrick/2014/04/29/deadly-diphtheria-the-childrens-plague/
• Quotation – Bereans – Bible Acts 17:10,11
• Quotation – Bereans – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bereans
• Postcards – Jarvis Family Documents – Chleo Webb Jarvis collection