Alice Bell Gander Is a Missouri Researcher and Writer Who Has Invested a Significant Part of Her Life into Capturing the Story of Her Family and its Roots in a Historic Community — Our Community!
A couple of years ago we received an email from Alice Bell Gander, a native of northeastern Missouri. Alice is a genealogist, researcher and writer who had taken on a large book project about eighteen years earlier. The book, Dear Sister, is written around a large number of letters passed among her grandmother’s siblings and friends. They were written in an era when letter-writing was an art, and receiving a letter meant you should return one. As Alice read the letters she realized they told the story of her early family members lives and relationships. They also told a story about the family’s historic community — our own community of Osage Mission - St. Paul, Kansas.
Alice’s 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. The Beechwoods were among the earliest legal settlers in Neosho County; and their children were among the first white students in the Osage Mission Indian school. [1]
After our first contact with Alice, in 2018, we wrote an article about her and her book, Dear Sister, on this website. We also provided links to the draft of her book and her website Prairie Queens.com. She thought she might get some help from our locals. The Link to our original article and a downloadable copy of her first book is HERE.
Alice’s 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. The Beechwoods were among the earliest legal settlers in Neosho County; and their children were among the first white students in the Osage Mission Indian school. [1]
After our first contact with Alice, in 2018, we wrote an article about her and her book, Dear Sister, on this website. We also provided links to the draft of her book and her website Prairie Queens.com. She thought she might get some help from our locals. The Link to our original article and a downloadable copy of her first book is HERE.
Alice Donating Material to the Museum.
An Update.
On February 28 we received another email from Alice telling us she planned to visit St. Paul briefly on a trip from Oklahoma back to Missouri. She wanted to make a couple of stops here and had some items for the local museum. Rosie and I met Alice at St. Francis Cemetery on Tuesday, March 10. She had already been to the site of the old Bell homestead about 3-1/2 miles south of Beechwood Hill. [2] Then we met a volunteer at the Osage Mission – Neosho County museum in St. Paul. Alice donated a fairly large package of photos, maps, newspaper articles and other documents. But two very interesting items were copies of her latest draft of “Dear Sister” (535 pages with detailed index) and a smaller book Friend Gertrude (60 pages).
On February 28 we received another email from Alice telling us she planned to visit St. Paul briefly on a trip from Oklahoma back to Missouri. She wanted to make a couple of stops here and had some items for the local museum. Rosie and I met Alice at St. Francis Cemetery on Tuesday, March 10. She had already been to the site of the old Bell homestead about 3-1/2 miles south of Beechwood Hill. [2] Then we met a volunteer at the Osage Mission – Neosho County museum in St. Paul. Alice donated a fairly large package of photos, maps, newspaper articles and other documents. But two very interesting items were copies of her latest draft of “Dear Sister” (535 pages with detailed index) and a smaller book Friend Gertrude (60 pages).
Gertrude Lee Bell - Age 16 (Far Left)
Friend Gertrude is both charming and a little sad. Autograph books were from a time when many young women enjoyed keeping them. The books included letters and notes from friends, personal thoughts and scraps of paper with written comments, greetings or poems — always with a signature.
In the case of Friend Gertrude, the original book’s earliest entries, in 1890, were done by sixteen-year-old Gertrude Lee Bell. Gertrude lived in Osage Mission – St. Paul until she was about eighteen. At that time she was sent to Lakenan, Missouri to live with an aunt’s family. Gertrude's family included seven girls and three boys. Aunt Sally and Uncle Sid had no children and Gertrude went to live with them, more than 300 miles from home, until she married James Adelbert Jarboe in Lakenan in 1897.
A Farewell Entry? One entry in Gertrude's Autograph book suggests she might have left Osage Mission in September of 1892 (Page 30):
In the case of Friend Gertrude, the original book’s earliest entries, in 1890, were done by sixteen-year-old Gertrude Lee Bell. Gertrude lived in Osage Mission – St. Paul until she was about eighteen. At that time she was sent to Lakenan, Missouri to live with an aunt’s family. Gertrude's family included seven girls and three boys. Aunt Sally and Uncle Sid had no children and Gertrude went to live with them, more than 300 miles from home, until she married James Adelbert Jarboe in Lakenan in 1897.
A Farewell Entry? One entry in Gertrude's Autograph book suggests she might have left Osage Mission in September of 1892 (Page 30):
"Dear Gertie,
When rock and hill divide us
And you no more I see
Pick up your pen and paper
And write a line to me
Ever your friend
Annie Redinger
Osage Mission, Kansas
Sep 15, 1892"
Friend Gertrude is a 65 page book full of St. Paul area names.
Alice's Approach to Friend Gertrude.
Alice stared this smaller book with a general description of their family story here in the Osage Mission – St. Paul area. This section includes several photos of family, farmsteads, and St. Francis Church. The remainder includes excerpts from Gertrude’s autograph book intermingled with historical information. The 65-page book is full of photos and brief profiles of some of our early families . And names like Volmer, Bell, Beechwood, Grillot, Westhoff and Casey are sprinkled throughout.
Friend Gertrude is a compilation of snippets about the life of a young woman from her teenage years into womanhood. The story is supported by related photos and historical information — much of which ties back to Neosho County. There is a bit of romance too. Here are two versions of similar, sweet thoughts:
"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, expressed a little differently ...
"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"
Both of Alice’s books are now linked from our original website article Dear Sister. But to keep you from chasing all over the site, here is a link to Friend Gertrude:
* Friend Gertrude — 14.4 MB PDF File (Might take a moment to download)
Return to the original Dear Sister Page.
Alice stared this smaller book with a general description of their family story here in the Osage Mission – St. Paul area. This section includes several photos of family, farmsteads, and St. Francis Church. The remainder includes excerpts from Gertrude’s autograph book intermingled with historical information. The 65-page book is full of photos and brief profiles of some of our early families . And names like Volmer, Bell, Beechwood, Grillot, Westhoff and Casey are sprinkled throughout.
Friend Gertrude is a compilation of snippets about the life of a young woman from her teenage years into womanhood. The story is supported by related photos and historical information — much of which ties back to Neosho County. There is a bit of romance too. Here are two versions of similar, sweet thoughts:
"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, expressed a little differently ...
"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"
Both of Alice’s books are now linked from our original website article Dear Sister. But to keep you from chasing all over the site, here is a link to Friend Gertrude:
* Friend Gertrude — 14.4 MB PDF File (Might take a moment to download)
Return to the original Dear Sister Page.
Some Reference Information:
1. For more information about the Beechwood and Duling families, follow THIS LINK.
2. The Bell's kept the homestead until 1941 when it was sold to Ray and Ethel Volmer Grillot of St. Paul. In 1963 Chuck and Betty Westhoff bought the farm from the Grillot's.
3. To date, Alice has been working on the research and writing project for about twenty years. It is clear her research is thorough and she is a gifted writer and publisher. But there have been breaks related to restoration of her farm home, a serious family illness and some of her other interests. It is clear her time and persistence has served her, and all of us, well.
4. Photos. The photo of Alice Bell Gander is by Ron Brogan. All other photos are from Alice's book Friend Gertrude.
1. For more information about the Beechwood and Duling families, follow THIS LINK.
2. The Bell's kept the homestead until 1941 when it was sold to Ray and Ethel Volmer Grillot of St. Paul. In 1963 Chuck and Betty Westhoff bought the farm from the Grillot's.
3. To date, Alice has been working on the research and writing project for about twenty years. It is clear her research is thorough and she is a gifted writer and publisher. But there have been breaks related to restoration of her farm home, a serious family illness and some of her other interests. It is clear her time and persistence has served her, and all of us, well.
4. Photos. The photo of Alice Bell Gander is by Ron Brogan. All other photos are from Alice's book Friend Gertrude.
