William Howard Brass was born July 15, 1892, the youngest child of William Follmer
  and Mary Hammond Brass in the Big Speings Community of Douglas County (a brother James
  Follmer and a sister Sarah Ellen Krieder).
     His heritage was of the pioneering spirit. His mother's parents came to Kansas in
  the 1850's from Providence, Rhode Island and his paternal grandparents came in the
  early 1850's from Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.
     As a child Howard loved animals and sports and was brought up on hard work. He would
  work all day and night to get to play ball for the Big Springs ball team, as catcher.
  He walked five miles to grade school. HIs high school education was cut short, because
  of his father's health, he was needed on the farm. Later he took a course in agriculture
  at Kansas State.
     Howard and Jeanne Winter were married in a simple wedding ceremony in her parents 
  home November 12, 1918, near Lecompton, with only relatives present. World War I was on.
  The day before the wedding, they went to Topeka, to buy their furniture; about 10:00 all
  the bells began to ring. They rushed outside, where people were dancing in the streets
  and screaming "the war is over!" They will never forget their first "Armistice Day", 
  however there was sadness in the family. Jeanne's young cousin, who was the pianist at
  her wedding received word that her husband had given his life for his country in France.
  Their married life began on his father's farm, from which his parents and sister moved
  into Lecompton, Kansas. They farmed and operated a dairy. The second year they bought
  the farm. They moved to the Milt Winter Farm where they farmed and built up another dairy
  herd. They sawed timber with a crosscut saw and log by log hauled them five miles to the
  sawmill, where they had them cut into lumber to build a lean to on each side of the barn,
  for milking stations, for around 50 milk cows and began operating a dairy.
     They rose at 4:00 A.M., in order to get the cows milked, the milk cooled and into
  Lecompton in time to meet the Sante Fe Bug, to get the milk to Kansas City every morning
  and regardless of how early arising, it was always late before the milking was finished
  and Howard and the hired men made it in for the evening meal. After a few years of this
  and two baby boys, Jeanne might have to help with the milking when the hired man was ill 
  or decided to quit; Jeanne decided "they weren't running the dairy, but that the dairy
  was running them".
     Howard decided to go to auctioneering schoo. He got up early to get the chores done,
  rode his horse several miles and caught the bus to Kansas City to attend an auctioneering 
  school, a career he pursued for many years. Four children were born to them while living
  in this area: William Milton, Robert Winter, Elizabeth, and Mary.
     In the spring of 1931 Howard's dream of Western Kansas came true when the farm was
  traded for the Estel Ranch in Commanche and Barber Counties, about three miles south
  and five west of Deerhead. Here two more children joined the family; Barbara and James
  Howard.
     Around 1931, Howard bought an interest in the Coldwater Kansas Livestock Sale and
  about 1935 he and Herb Gress bought the Medicine Lodge Sale, along with their ranching
  interest. Due to the necessity of Howard being away from the ranch much of the time with
  his auctioneering and order buying cattle, much credit is given to Jeanne for the caring
  of the children and overseeing the ranch operation.
     They sold out of the Medicine Lodge sale about 1942 and the Coldwaqter sale early 60's.
  Howard and Jeanne retired from the ranch and moved to Medicine Lodge in 1960. In 1967
  they built a beautiful new home on NOrth Cedar, where they still put out a lovely garden
  of vegetables and flowers. They have had a very happy marriage that has lasted through the
  hardships, trials, love, laughter and tears of over 60 years, raising a family and earning
  a livelihood.
     They are very proud of their six children and their wives and husbands, and all of
  their grandchildren, who are scattered from the Chesapeake Bay area, to the Pacific Coast,
  to the Colorado Rockies, and the prairies of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
     
               
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas,  pg. 113