I came to Barber County with my parents, John and Elizabeth Durfee, March
     1895. I, Gertrude Agnes, was the oldest Durfee child born at Syracuse, Kansas
     (December 14, 1881). My brothers were Henry and Fred; my sisters were Edna
     and Mildred; Murray was my half-brother.
       My father at age one, with three other very young children, was taken to
     California by their widowed mother, Sara Jane (Wilcox) Durfee. She was a member
     of a fifty wagon immigrant train and joined her parents in San Juan Valley.
     He grew up on his grandfather's ranch, learning to speak Spanish and to make
     many things used on the ranch: adobe, shingles,nails, wagons, saddles, bridles,
     rope, and whips.
       He was hired to bring a herd of horses from California to Colorado. In 1871 
     he followed the Arkansas River down to Pleasant Encampment - about the Kansas-
     Colorado line. He was foreman for theHardesty Ranch and worked on the Holly
     Ranch. He drove cattle from Mexico and Texas to Kansas.
       My mother, Elizabeth Lester Davis, came to Syracuse, Kansas, in 1873,
     thirteen years old and a member of the original colony from Syracuse, New York.
     Her father, Judge H.N. Lester founded the Syracuse Kansas Journel. She and
     her father wrote for publications in New York, Denver, Pueblo, Dodge City,
     Topeka, for Barber County Cresset, Barber County Index, Lake City Prarie Dog, 
     Lake City Tribune, and others. She was Barber County Republican Committe Woman.
       John Durfee and Elizabeth Lester Davis were married at Granada, Colorado,
     January, 1881. They homesteaded south of Syracuse. He was a farmer, rancher,
     drove a stage, and carried mail. All his life his main interest and livelihood
     was with cattle and horses.
       Frank Cooke and I were married at Lake City, 1904. We raised eight children
     to adulthood: Lillian, Guy, Alice, Pattie, Fred, Keith, Phil, and Rex. Frank
     drove the dray, worked on farms and ranches. I did sewing, papering, and
     raised little chickens. The children all worked, and we had many happy times
     together. Many firends and lots of children were always at our home. Our
     children all played basketball and ice skated; picnics, hikes, church and
     school kept the family busy.
       Frank died in 1947, and I went back to Syracuse. Eugene Overton, an early
     settler, old friend and classmate, and I were married in June 1950, at Raton,
     New Mexico. Gene and I had some nice trips out west. He died in 1955, and I
     remained in Syracuse until 1972.
       I moved back to Barber County to be closer to some of my family. I was happy
     to move to the Indian Hills Lodge, where my friends and neighbors have been
     so kind and helpful. I belong to Golden Agers, Lake City United Methodist
     Church, and Eastern Star.
       I am 97 years old. I can see from my window the beautiful Gyp Hills, red
     soil, and timbered Medicine River Valley. I truly thank God for the most of
     my life being spent in Barber County, "The Chosen Land."
                 
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas,  pg. 353 
     Submitted by: Gertrude (Cooke) Overton