Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-08-31
Louise Pepper-Her An
cestOrs.

Dear Juniors: This is the second
time that l have ever written to the
Junior page, and thought would
write about my ancestors.
One branch of the family, that of my
fathers grandparents, have record
back to the time the French Hugue.
nots were expelled from France. These
people were known as artisans, or
| bridge builders, and at this time these
I, people were next to the nobility in
rank, They carried banner at that
time on which was inscribed the
motto, "Pret aux MAINS" meaning
| Ready with the hands" On reaching
England this motto was changed from
! time to time and finally it became the
name of clan or company of people
who were called 'Prettyman," which is
the surname of my great, great grand
mothers husband. The name of my
great, ggreat grandmother before she
was married to Harriet Mason Her
father was an officer in the Revolu-
tionary war. He was with Washing
ton in 1875. Great, Great Grandfather
Prettyman and his wife lived in Della
ware but came to Illinois before it was
a state and they lived on farm in the
woods. This grandmother, who was
delicately reared and had slaves to
wait on her when a girl, learned to
weave and sew, knit and spin; learned
to make her own soap. and she en-
dured the hardships of pioneer life
among the Indians. There were no.
! mills il: the country at that time, so
, they pounded corn with mortar and
pestle" and made meal. The wolves
were SO thick that they kept the pig
pen up to the door. SO they could shoot
the wolves as they came to get the
pigs This great, great grandmother
raised seven children of her own and
two that were not hers. She lived to
have an orchard and many comforts,
but died at 60 years. One of her
daughters, Mary Ellen Prettyman, my
great grandmother, came to Iowa after
her marriage to John Peppers. my
great grandfather. who is still living.
though he is 80 years old. They were
not troubled with Indians. but had
many hard times on their farm in
Davis county. They built log house.
made rails for fences, made their own
clothes out of what they sheared and
washed. There were ten children OF
whom one died in infancy and my
Grand Uncle Irwin died three years
ago.
Apples were very scarce at that time
and my great grandmother one time
made dress and pair of pants for
half bushel of apples. They used to
peel the apples and give them to the
children and she and grandfather
would eat the peelings. One year all
they had was corn meal. cane !nclasses
and fat pork for most ali year My
grandmother, Mrs. Myra Pepper
Weller, has told me incidents of early
days. She said children came to school
with rags wrapped around their legs
and had nothing in their lunch baskets
but cold corn bread. They had no
pretty dresses, so their mothers used
unbleached linens and colored them
with the bark of trees and berries. 1t
looked funny to see four or five girls
from one family all dressed in the
same color.
My grandmother taught school in
the country and told many stories Of
school life at that time The schools
were not graded and the children
brought different kinds Of books and
they had to be used.
One man sentAa note and said that
he didn't want her to teach his girls
physiology, as he didn't think it proper
for girls to be taught about their
bones. One woman sent word that II
she whipped her boy she would come
to school and lick the teacher" My
grandmother and her brothers and sis
ters had to walk a mile and half to
school and they had to milk six or
seven cows, get in wood and water,
wash dishes and churn before they
went to school, and almost the same
thing afterwards and had to sew car. 4
pet rags in balls as big as their headss
before going to bed and then studyS
their lessons. They had only candle
light. IN spite Of these seeming hard
ships they all got fair educations. and
there were six school teachers out of
the nine children.
Louise Pepper,
1872 S. Schuyler ST., age II.
Ottumwa, Iowa.