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The question has come up as to whether the two Hamilton girls who
married Emanuel and Frank Good were sisters. Yes, they were
sisters. They also had a brother named Ira Hamilton. My mother told me
that when they were young, she and Ira Hamilton were pretty sweet on
each other. However, Ira's two sisters did not like my mother,
possibly because of her popularity. At any rate, my mother decided not
to marry Ira, because of his two sisters. She married Charles Good in
December 1900. Later, two of Charles Good's brothers married the two
sisters of Ira Hamilton. Emanuel Good married Elizabeth Hamilton in
January 1901, less than one month after my parents were married. Frank
Good later married Maggie Hamilton. So mother had Ira Hamilton's
sisters as her sisters-in-law after all.
The United States government had acquired the New Mexico Territory in
1848. During the early 1900's, they were encouraging people to move to
New Mexico, with plans of it becoming a state in 1912. By 1910, land
agents were working hard telling farmers what a wonderful bargain they
could get there. Thousands of people moved to New Mexico to set up
homesteads. To their sorrow, they found that the land was not suited
for farming. The rainfall was woefully inadequate, and the high
altitude of the land made for a short growing season. Most of these
settlers moved to other areas of the country after a few years. Among
those who moved to New Mexico were three brothers who had lived near
Peabody, Kansas--Charles, John, and Emanuel Good. They, along with
other Mennonite families, settled in an area east of Las Vegas, New
Mexico.
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Mother told me that there was a Mennonite minister who was also making
money as a land salesman. Mother asked him what crops could be
raised. He answered, "You can raise anything. We will build a church,
and I will be there as your minister." My parents thought he could be
trusted. Mother said that when he could not make any more sales, he
and his wife disappeared and were never seen again. Many years later,
the story went around that the minister/land salesman had purchased
land in Louisiana where it rained more than in New Mexico. But when it
rained, his land was a swamp, and he and his family were very poor.
In 1911, my parents and their three children sold a nice productive 80
acre farm near Peabody and bought a 160 acre ranch in New Mexico. They
stayed in the area a total of 16 years, and had four more children
while there. They had a small herd of cattle, and after separating the
milk sold cream to the dairy in town. With such poor pasture land, the
cows were not well fed. Also, trying to raise a garden did not produce
much either.
John, who never married, bought an acreage adjacent to the land that
my parents bought. John had left New Mexico before I was born. I do
remember there were two barns not far apart, with a fence adjoining
the two barns to be used as a corral for the cattle. The smaller of
the two barns was always referred to as Uncle John's barn. I believe
he slept in his barn, as my parents' little house had so little
room. John apparently took his meals with my family. I remember
hearing my sister Bessie say that when Uncle John would come in to
wash his face and hands, he would look
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