Stover PipeLine #11,
April, 1978
 

Dear Clayton relatives:

   Enclosed is the final 'installment' of information, most of which relates to Joseph Clayton.  As you probably noticed, I strayed from the subject several times to include some miscellaneous stories shared by Gram May and to tell about some early goings on in Poole.  I got a lot off my chest doing that; that is, I've purged my files of so many disorganized letters, notes, documents, news clippings, etc., and put it all together with some semblance of order and readability.

   And, I'm ready to wind down for a while, partly due to several other time-consuming committments.  I'd really appreciate anything in the way of recollectios or stories you'd care to share.  I have a similar pile of disorganized information relating to the B.J. Stover household, and I'd love to add to it and put it together some day.

   An error in the 3rd installment; the old bridge across the Loop River was about 100 yards west of the present bridge - certainly not a quarter mile.  Lots of things I remember from boyhood have shrunk.

   I overlooked some items in Lizzie Sitz's scrapbook;

1899 or 1900:
   A Sunday school has been organized at the Stover school house, J. Clayton, superintendant.
1901:
   Sunday school at the Stover schol house is well attended.
Also 1901:
   J. Clayton was a delegate to the Sunday school convention at Kearney from the Union Sunday school here.

   Those three items sure make me curious.  What was the Stover school house?  Surely, A.J. didn't have much to do with it!?  Rose Hill was given its name before 1899, wasn't it?... Or was the "Stover school house" another name for Rose Hill?  Perhaps there was a period of time after 1900 when Bert and Lizzie (Elizabeth Stover Sitz) were minding the Stover homestead and it became known as the Stover school house?  Mother Elizabeth Ann Lucas died in November of 1900, Lizzie married Sitz in 1902, and A.J. sold the farm that same year.  Please comment.  Ernest, do you have any comment?

   Bert Stover was a pretty clever guy.  He was a photographer, singer, and guitarist, and according to some information I have, he was pretty handy with tools and inventive with mechanical things such as water systems, electrical systems, and various machines.  Any further inputs would be appreciated!
 

   Sincerely,

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