My husband, Ernest Larkin and I, formerly Mary Ellen Shepler, are both
     natives of Barber County. Ernest, the son of Nick and Della Larkin, was
     born in Sun City at the home of his grandparents, Sam and Mary Helton. He 
     was raised in the Deerhead community. It was there and at Sunnyside, he
     attended grade school. He, his brother Don, and his sister, Evah Mary,
     rode horseback to school, as did most of the other pupils. Among those
     who taught these schools were Alma Barnard Hoagland, Ruth Axtell Sitler
     and Mildred Toombs Schiff.
        After Ernest finished grade school, he came to Sun City and stayed with
     his aunt and uncle while attending high school. Later, when Don was ready 
     for high schoo, the boys batched.
        I, the daughter of Sam and Marian Shepler, was born at Medicine Lodge
     at the home of Mrs. Luallen. Her home was the nearest thing to a hospital
     the town had. I attended grade school and high school at Sun City. My
     mother and I both started to school to the same teacher, Mrs. P.D. Lake.
     Due to lake of pupils, we no longer have either grade or high school.
        Ernest wnet to work at the mine after he graduated. He has worked there
     40 years, first for Best Bros. and then for National Gypsum Company. There
     have been a lot of changes during this time, from manual labor to heavy
     equipment.
        We were married during World War II and spent some time in Utah.
        I went to beauty school after I graduated and have had a beauty shop in
     my home ever since. The first permanents I gave were machine permanents.
     They were pure torture compared to the methods used today.
        We have one daughter, Beth. She attended grade school in Sun City and
     high school in Medicine Lodge. After graduation she worked in the law office
     of MacGregor and Raleigh and later as a secreatary at Pratt JUCO. She is
     married to Kerry Davis. Kerry works for National Gypsum. They have one son,
     Ernest Glenn.
        I have a lot of pleasant memories of playing with my cousins, Alma, Midge
     and Helen Ward, and Iona and Maxine Moad. One summer we made lovely mud
     pies using Grandma Moad's eggs insteat of water. She wondered why her hens
     weren't laying! One Sunday when Moads, Wards and Sheplers were together for
     a family dinner, Midge, Iona and I decided to stir up a batch of goodies. We
     sent Helen for the eggs. She was the smallest and we didn't think she would
     get whipped, if caught. She didn't, but we did. Needless to say this put a
     stop to our "baking."
        The McLain Rodeo was a highlight of our lives every year. There was always
     a carnival with lots of rides. Everyone for miles around attended, come rain
     or shine.
        We kinds spent many hours seining minnows in Turkey Creek. Once we even
     tried to cook some of them. A special treat was going to town to "Doc"
     Laudermilks for an ice cream cone. He was both druggist and doctor. It was
     rumored that he was a veterinarian before coming to Sun City. Where fact
     or fiction, he brought us through a lot of illnesses, making it possible
     for us to be a part of the history of Barber County.
                
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas,  pg. 271  
     Submitted by: Mrs. Ernest (Mary Ellen) Larkin.