HOME IN THE LOG CABIN
   By Mary Anderson-Boyd

Jim and Ella Anderson (seated) with children Ruby, Peggy, Milford, Mary, Howard and Doris. Picture taken 1943.

Seated are Howard and Ella (Mom) Anderson. Standing are Mary, Ruby, Doris, Peggy and Milford. Picture taken 1973.

James Adam Anderson and Ella Ethel Sanders/Anderson lived in a small country home in Stone County.  Stone County is located in  southern Missouri and is on the Crane, Missouri mail route.  There were six of us children in the family.  The oldest was my big Brother Howard C. Anderson.  Then there was me, Mary Alice Anderson/Boyd.  After me, there was my Brother Milford Thomas, then came my Sister Ruby Anderson/Meade/Clark.  After Ruby, I had two more sisters.  They were Doris Virginia Anderson/Barnett and Peggy Lou Anderson/Caldwell.  We were all about 3 1/2 to 4 years apart.  Howard, me, and Milford were all born in the log cabin home, down on the farm, outside of Hurley, Missouri about 5 miles.  When I was just starting to school, we moved to the house on the hill.  Dad built two more rooms onto the house so we could have more room because the family did increase.  This house is where we all grew up as a happy family and we did go to church.  We did a lot of fishing because we lived on Crane Creek.  We also raised a big garden and all of us pitched in, to can the crop for winter.  We butchered hogs to supply meat for the cold days.  We always had lots of chickens so that meant that we had a lot of fried chicken and I never knew of my Mom, ever cooking a turkey.  We never ate beef.