Sie ist verheiratet mit Zack Montanye.
Sie haben geheiratet am 15. April 1909 in Whiting, Jackson County, Kansas, sie war 20 Jahre alt.
Kind(er):
Lida Montanye Maloney wrote in 1975 about events that happened in 1924 after her father was killed. This appeared in the genealogical magazine for Phillips County, Kansas, after her death in 1980.
As I Remember It
The first week of June 1924 was a busy one for Persis Montanye and her four small children, Lida, Irving, Minnie, and Zack. The oldest 13 and the youngest 3 as they prepared to move from Topeka to Selden, Kansas. We were living in North Topeka in a section called 'Russian Town', fine neighbors they were too, often coming to our aid when we needed help, such as once when Zack, age 3, and this neighbor's boy built a fire under our front porch. Mother was not at home and this lady got the boys out from under the porch and gave them a GOOD scolding, then using a knife to illustrate her point she told them if they ever did that again she would cut their fingers all off. They believed her and never tried that again.
Mother decided that she wanted to move back to her farm where we had lived when father was killed in 1920. She was independent and after living with and near relatives since father's death wanted to be on her own.
We had an old ex-race horse 'John' whose record had been a mile in two minutes and nine seconds and a top buggy we used to go places. Somehow she acquired an old blind horse and a one-horse delivery wagon we called a covered wagon and soon had them loaded. Mother's brother insisted she take his small revolver for protection. Grandpa Montanye was there to help us get started; we had to take down a part of the yard fence to get the wagon and buggy to the street. We never put it up again either but probably grandpa did later. We left with mother driving John, Irving and I taking turns driving the blind horse close behind.
We left Topeka on the old Pike's Peak, Ocean to Ocean, and Solomon Valley highway, camping the first night in a school yard. Mother didn't want to tell people she was going so far so said she was moving to Manhattan, later changing to nearby towns.
We arrived in Fort Riley one evening and made camp in the park. A Cavalry unit of negroes was nearby drilling their horses. Us kids enjoyed watching them, but mother didn't sleep well that night with all the noises and men around. We left the next day. We had to stop often and let the horses rest, and sometimes do some laundry or buy a few groceries.
We usually camped in a school yard where there was water and some protection. Guess some farmers were a little leery of us as they often hesitated to let us have drinking water or water the horses. One man was afraid the horses might have distemper so dipped water with a pail into a tub for the horses instead of letting them drink at the stock tank.
One night as we were camped about 1/4 mile from the highway, an awful car wreck happened. We never knew the details but there was lots of commotion and mother slept light that night, but if she was ever afraid, and I'm sure she was, us kids never knew it.
One night mother decided to try out the revolver so sitting on the wagon tongue, closing her eyes and pointing the revolver upward, she slowly pulled the trigger. It really shook when it went off and she never shot it again, later she gave the revolver away.
People seemed to get friendlier the further west we got, letting us camp in their yard several days if we wanted to. One family I remember insisted we sleep on their big front porch and gave us canned goods from their cellar when we left, the best string beans I ever ate.
Finally we reached Logan and finding an ideal camping spot just west of town on the Solomon river, we stayed several days resting and doing a big washing. One fault with this place, though, there was too many flies and mosquitoes.
Just a few more days and few more miles to Selden. We stopped and visited some old friends a few miles from Selden and Minnie May was talked into speaking her piece. ; I think it was 'They call me little chatter-box, Altho my name is May. The reason why I talk so much is because I have so much to say.'
They gave her a dime and she thought she was a little millionaire. As we were nearing Selden, I remember Zack saying, 'Mamma, can we get some butter when we get there?' She just shook her head; he said 'I can't hear you.' We kids were really looking forward to life on the farm with all the 'goodies'.
We arrived late one afternoon, a tired little family, stayed at the Winslow Aumiller home till the renters could vacate our farm.
This was the 25th of June 1924. Just 18 days on the road that now people can make the round-trip in one day. We had averaged 18-20 miles a day. This was my second long trip in a covered wagon. In 1911 my parents moved from Hoyt, Kansas, to the hills in Missouri but all I remember about that trip was mother telling how I would cry while traveling but play and be so happy when we stopped. (Don't ask me to prove any of this as all I have is memories.]
Written in 1975 by Lida E. Montanye Maloney.
Persis Knight Belden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1909 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Zack Montanye | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||