Dear Sister ...
… is a priceless collection of letters and articles about family relationships. It includes births, weddings, social events, innocent rivalries, business, a little gossip, family love, deaths, funerals ... — the things that make up people's daily lives. Many of the people are St. Paul’s older and well-known citizens.
… is a priceless collection of letters and articles about family relationships. It includes births, weddings, social events, innocent rivalries, business, a little gossip, family love, deaths, funerals ... — the things that make up people's daily lives. Many of the people are St. Paul’s older and well-known citizens.
See "About the Book" for download links.
Alice Bell Gander is a dedicated genealogist, historian, and researcher. She lives in northeast Missouri where she writes, maintains a family research website [1] and spends time renovating her country home. She is currently finalizing a very detailed book about the Bell part of her family; and it is a project that happened almost by accident.
The book, Dear Sister, has evolved since 2000 when she discovered a large packet of letters that her mother, Josephine Jarboe Gander, had kept. Many of the letters were written by the siblings Josephine's mother Gertrude Bell Jarboe. Thanks to Alice’s family the treasured letters were preserved for her family and for others. The Bell’s were among the earliest settlers in Neosho County and Osage Mission. Her local family roots tie to Mary Alice Bell Beechwood, wife of William Beechwood. William was a son of Jacob Beechwood who settled two miles east of Osage Mission (St. Paul) in 1865 [2].
The book project initially started as a compilation of the letters. But as she read and studied the letters, she realized that collectively they told a story of her family and of the various places her family had been. While most of the letters were from the 1930-1960 time-frame, her story is even broader. From our perspective, here in southeast Kansas, the stories include several local and familiar people.
At this point, I will list some of the names from the index (See note at the bottom of the list):
The book, Dear Sister, has evolved since 2000 when she discovered a large packet of letters that her mother, Josephine Jarboe Gander, had kept. Many of the letters were written by the siblings Josephine's mother Gertrude Bell Jarboe. Thanks to Alice’s family the treasured letters were preserved for her family and for others. The Bell’s were among the earliest settlers in Neosho County and Osage Mission. Her local family roots tie to Mary Alice Bell Beechwood, wife of William Beechwood. William was a son of Jacob Beechwood who settled two miles east of Osage Mission (St. Paul) in 1865 [2].
The book project initially started as a compilation of the letters. But as she read and studied the letters, she realized that collectively they told a story of her family and of the various places her family had been. While most of the letters were from the 1930-1960 time-frame, her story is even broader. From our perspective, here in southeast Kansas, the stories include several local and familiar people.
At this point, I will list some of the names from the index (See note at the bottom of the list):
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Note. The list above is a very small sample from twelve pages of double-column index, about 76 lines per page. I selected names I recognized from the local area. In addition to names there are other index entries regarding St. Paul and local communities, organizations, places and other topics. The book also has a six-page table of contents. There are many more names and topics that are not listed here. If you are from the southeast Kansas region, or your family passed through our region, it is worth your time to download the file and search the book.
The book is illustrated with many photos, clippings and scanned images of the letters. Click to enlarge this Volmer, Casey, Munding, Grillot example.
About the book.
Dear Sister consists of 535 pages including index, plus covers and table of contents (543 total). It is easy to navigate because of the detailed table of contents and index. The attached PDF version is also searchable using the Adobe search function (magnifying glass) or "CTRL-F."
The body of the book includes text, photos, newspaper clippings and scanned images of the letters themselves. While the search function doesn’t work on clippings and scanned images, name or topic searches will usually get you very close to an image. Alice's family tree spread to other areas, including Missouri. So, much of the book is not about St. Paul but it is about the way families spread and move about over time.
Alice contacted A Catholic Mission.org in March of 2018 and invited us to share it with local folks via our website. The book is still in the late stages of development and Alice will accept comments or corrections [3]. At present, the book is available in PDF format. Alice intends to publish the book in hard format in the future for distribution to selected libraries and historical societies.
Download.
The book can be downloaded from the Prairie Queens Publications Page in 40 MB or 160 MB file size, or the smaller resolution version can be downloaded below: The high-resolution version will take some time to download even with a strong network. Both versions are very sharp and easy to read. I was able to download the 40 MB version, with our 10 MBPS service in about a minute.
Dear Sister consists of 535 pages including index, plus covers and table of contents (543 total). It is easy to navigate because of the detailed table of contents and index. The attached PDF version is also searchable using the Adobe search function (magnifying glass) or "CTRL-F."
The body of the book includes text, photos, newspaper clippings and scanned images of the letters themselves. While the search function doesn’t work on clippings and scanned images, name or topic searches will usually get you very close to an image. Alice's family tree spread to other areas, including Missouri. So, much of the book is not about St. Paul but it is about the way families spread and move about over time.
Alice contacted A Catholic Mission.org in March of 2018 and invited us to share it with local folks via our website. The book is still in the late stages of development and Alice will accept comments or corrections [3]. At present, the book is available in PDF format. Alice intends to publish the book in hard format in the future for distribution to selected libraries and historical societies.
Download.
The book can be downloaded from the Prairie Queens Publications Page in 40 MB or 160 MB file size, or the smaller resolution version can be downloaded below: The high-resolution version will take some time to download even with a strong network. Both versions are very sharp and easy to read. I was able to download the 40 MB version, with our 10 MBPS service in about a minute.
And Now, a Second Publication:
Alice made a quick visit to Saint Paul in March of 2020. She visited St. Francis Cemetery, an old family farm, and dropped off some items at the local museum. One of the items was Friend Gertrude, an autograph book by Gertrude Lee Bell Jarboe. This book is 65 pages of brief notes, autographs, poems many photographs of local families and homesteads and a few maps. In a word Friend Gertrude is Charming and much of it is written in a style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries:
"Friend Gertrude, My love for you shall be Like water in the dark blue sea, Your truly L. S. Stepp, Osage Mission, Kans Jan the 15, 1891"
— Or, In a More Eloquent Style ...
"Friend Gertie, My love for you doth ever flow like water down a tater row. Your Friend Willbern Taylor, Remember the Dance the 19. Feb 20, 1893"
Download Friend Gertrude below:
A separate article about Alice's March, 2020 visit to St. Paul and her book Friend Gertrude is Linked HERE.
Alice made a quick visit to Saint Paul in March of 2020. She visited St. Francis Cemetery, an old family farm, and dropped off some items at the local museum. One of the items was Friend Gertrude, an autograph book by Gertrude Lee Bell Jarboe. This book is 65 pages of brief notes, autographs, poems many photographs of local families and homesteads and a few maps. In a word Friend Gertrude is Charming and much of it is written in a style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries:
"Friend Gertrude, My love for you shall be Like water in the dark blue sea, Your truly L. S. Stepp, Osage Mission, Kans Jan the 15, 1891"
— Or, In a More Eloquent Style ...
"Friend Gertie, My love for you doth ever flow like water down a tater row. Your Friend Willbern Taylor, Remember the Dance the 19. Feb 20, 1893"
Download Friend Gertrude below:
A separate article about Alice's March, 2020 visit to St. Paul and her book Friend Gertrude is Linked HERE.
A Letter
A letter is the warmest way to bid a friend the time of day.
A keep-in-touch that brings the smiles, Across the very longest miles.
And what a wealth of strength and hope, Is tucked inside an envelope,
Reminding loved ones that you are, At least in heart, not very far.
In no country, state or camp, The wealth beneath a postage stamp.
For memories that never age, Are written down upon each page.
And though it’s nice to telephone, One of the sweetest pleasures known,
Are moments shared in thoughts we send,
… That can be read, and read again.
— By Grace E, Easley [4]
A letter is the warmest way to bid a friend the time of day.
A keep-in-touch that brings the smiles, Across the very longest miles.
And what a wealth of strength and hope, Is tucked inside an envelope,
Reminding loved ones that you are, At least in heart, not very far.
In no country, state or camp, The wealth beneath a postage stamp.
For memories that never age, Are written down upon each page.
And though it’s nice to telephone, One of the sweetest pleasures known,
Are moments shared in thoughts we send,
… That can be read, and read again.
— By Grace E, Easley [4]
Some Reference Information:
1. Alice’s website is www.prairiequeens.com. Her website is dedicated to the history, genealogy and research of the strong, yet feminine, women who settled the West.
2 For more information about the Beechwood family, follow THIS LINK.
3. If you have comments or suggestions you can contact Alice Gander at [email protected]
4. Grace Easley, 1928 – 2011, was a poet and her works were published in several books including several Silesian collections. This poem was taken from Candles of Hope, from the Salesian Collection, Copyright 1991.
1. Alice’s website is www.prairiequeens.com. Her website is dedicated to the history, genealogy and research of the strong, yet feminine, women who settled the West.
2 For more information about the Beechwood family, follow THIS LINK.
3. If you have comments or suggestions you can contact Alice Gander at [email protected]
4. Grace Easley, 1928 – 2011, was a poet and her works were published in several books including several Silesian collections. This poem was taken from Candles of Hope, from the Salesian Collection, Copyright 1991.
