The family of Walter and Sarah Hood came to Kansas about 1884, settling
     near Aetna. Several years later they moved to Kiowa, Kansas, and made the
     run into Oklahoma, at the opening of the Cherokee Strip.
       They had 13 children; however several died at an early age. Those that
     lived in and near Kiowa were: Tom, Walter, Richard (known as Dick), Finney,
     Leonard, Van Lee, Amy, Mary, and Theodore, who was the youngest.
       According to Theodore, they lived on a claim about seven miles south of
     Kiowa. Theodore rode a bicycle to high school in Kiowa and played on Kiowa's
     first football team. J.P. Evans was superintendent, coach, and one of the
     players, as were several townspeople. The school was known as Franklin High
     School.
       The house Hoods lived in on the claim was not a sod house, but sod was
     used around the house as an insulation against the cold. The boys slept in
     the attic under a wagon sheet to provide protection agains the snow and
     cold. Theodore gave an interesting account of his father coming home from
     Kiowa to report the activities of Carrie Nation at the time of her famous
     raid; it seems he was in the saloon at the time.
       Richard Hood was married to Alice Schyler, and they had three daughters;
     Rosella, Virgil, and Ruby. Finney was married to Mary Ott, and they had 
     three daughters: Anna, Lydia, and Pauline. Van Lee taught country school in
     the Kiowa area in the early part of the 1900's; he then moved to the Los
     Angeles area, where he was active in the law practice and politics the rest
     of his life.
       Theodore married Mabel Sommers, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Sommers,
     who lived about two miles west of Kiowa, across the road north of what was
     known many years as the Roe King Place. Mabel was the half-sister of Allen,
     Linc, Ada, Nevon, and Clayton Herr, who were children of Elizabeth Sommers
     and her first husband Abe Herr, who had died; she then married Henry Sommers,
     the father of Mabel and Limon Sommers. Limon was known as Cy to his many
     friends. Clayton and Allen Herr were well known around Medicine Lodge for
     many years; Clayton was the publisher of the Barber County Index for a
     number of years.
       Theodore and Mabel had two sons: Theodore Cecil and James Hood. Cecil
     was killed in France during World War II. James was a member of a B-24
     bomber crew that ditched in the North Sea on returning from a bombing
     mission over Berlin, March 8, 1944.
       James Hood married Joyce Hayes, daughter of Harry and Flora Hayes; Harry
     came to Sun City to serve as pastor of the Baptist Church and later served
     the Baptist Church in Kiowa.
       James and Joyce have been living in St. John, Kansas for the past 22 years;
     there James teaches high school science. They have three children; Jonathan,
     graduated from Hutchinson Junior College, now works for KG&E of Wichita and
     attends night school at Wichita State University; Cynthia is a sophomore at
     St. John High School; and Joel is in the seventh grade.
                 
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas,  pg. 236 
     Submitted by: James Hood