Emil Heydenreich was born June 18, 1896, in Woods County, Oklahoma, only son
  of George Woldmar and Emma Ann (Schmidt) Heydenreich. At the age of four, his
  parents purchased the farm six miles south of Medicine Lodge and moved there,
  where he grew up. He attended the Sunflower District 34 school. He used to tell
  the story of how they decided to name the school. The boys who outnumbered the
  girls, voted to name it "Lick the Skillet,: but naturally it wasn't acceptable
  so it was named "Sunflower."
     Dad learned to blacksmith and mechanic from his father. When a young lad, an
  accident in the blacksmith shop caused the loss of sight in one eye. He owned
  a motorcycle in his youth, which he loved to ride. His Uncle Fred nicknamed him
  the "Colonel" while he had the motorcycle, and that name stayed with him the
  rest of his life. He played the harmonica and in later years, I loved to hear
  him play it.
     Lila Christine Bradshaw was born April 26, 1901, daughter of William A. and
  Florence (Brumley) Evans Bradshaw, on a farm 7 miles southeast of town. Mother
  grew to womanhood on this farm attending school by horseback at College Hill
  School. She loved to ride horseback. She attended one year of high school in
  Medicine Lodge. Although Mother and Dad were raised on farms not too far apart,
  they didn't meet until later years. The river separated the farms and so each
  community went different directions.
     Dad and Mother were married in Medicine Lodge April 17,1920. They had ten
  children: Florence, born January 29, 1922; Grace, bron February 21, 1924;
  Lucille, July 7, 1925; George, November 10, 1926; Leslie, December 30, 1927;
  Georgia, January 3, 1931; Emily Jane, February 20, 1932; Roy, August 31, 1936;
  Joyce, December 10, 1938, and Fredrick, October 19, 1941. George and Leslie
  died in infancy, and Roy in 1968.
     After living in Medicine Lodge for several years where Dad worked at various
  jobs, including running an auto salvage yard, he decided to move us to the
  country in 1935. Dad bought an old house which he tore down and used the lumber
  to build a home for us on the old home place. He did custom bailing for people,
  and in the summer he followed harvest through western Kansas and eastern Colorado.
     We children grew up through the times when coal oil lamps furnished light,
  wood was used to heat and for cooking. Later Dad made his own electricity, using
  a wind charger to charge the batteries to furnish electricity for our home. We
  saw REA come to the farms. I remember so well accompanying Dad to the pasture
  to help pull and push the crosscut saw. Splitting the wood with an ax wasn't fun.
     Mother was an active member of the pleasant Hill HDU and enjoyed it. She died
  May 2, 1955. Dad died December 9, 1960.
               
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas,  pg. 227 
     Submitted by: Florence Heydenreich Hindman