It’s 1916. The Riley children were coming of age, with weddings, jobs, and school. Will and Josie Riley were enjoying the fruits of their labor. Will was age 53, Josie was 47.
The business
It had been almost ten years since the buyout of E.G. Cassidy and Company. The business had continued to prosper.
In September 1916, Will received a 30-year award from the Lemp brothers and Lemp Brewing.
Around town
Will and Josie continued to be active in civic organizations and social clubs.
Lease the farm
The Rileys decided to lease the farm instead of paying for the tenant and farm expenses. In September 1916 they held a sale to dispose of their horses, livestock, and farm implements.
A new car
In June 1918, Will and Josie Riley took delivery of a shiny new Chandler Six automobile.
They may have had an automobile before the Chandler. There are several news articles about earlier motoring trips to Boonville and the farm, but no mention of whether it was their auto.
Storm clouds on the horizon…
Will Riley knew it was likely. But would it really happen?
A preview.
In 1917, after the United States entered World War I, President Woodrow Wilson instituted a temporary wartime prohibition in order to save grain for producing food.
Prohibition – history.com
In March 1917, the 65th Congress convened, in which the dries outnumbered the wets by 140 to 64 in the Democratic Party and 138 to 62 among Republicans
Prohibition in the United States – Wikipedia
Nibbles Extra Credit – Riley’s Sedalia
Here’s an interactive map of Riley’s Sedalia. You can see the location of the Riley’s residences, businesses, churches, etc.
Click on the upper left arrow block to see the menu. Click on the upper right border block to view full screen. Click on a pin to see some photos and details.
Timeline
Sources
- Photo – Will and Josie Riley – Teply Family Documents
- Photo- Riley’s 1918 Chandler automobile – Teply Family Documents
- News articles – various dates attributed where shown – The Sedalia Democrat – newspapers.com and Teply Family Documents
- Map – Riley’s Sedalia – Google Maps – My Maps
- Quotation – 1917 temporary prohibition – Prohibition – history.com – https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/prohibition
- Quotation – The 65th Congress with wets and dries – Wikipedia – Prohibition in the United States – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States
- Image – storm clouds – Casey Page – The Billings Gazette – 2017 – https://billingsgazette.com/storm-clouds/image_95dbc922-e60d-5db9-8245-6df8b6108839.html
- Music – Roll Jordan Roll – The Joy Drops – Free Music Archive – https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Joy_Drops/Not_Drunk_EP/Roll_Jordan_Roll
Family Nibbles 