I am Marjorie Pelton, writing for the Ralph Pelton family who returned
     to Medicine Lodge the fall of 1971 for their retirement years.
       Ralph was born at Sharon, the oldest of the three children of Harvey
     and Bertha Ritchie Pelton. They moved to Medicine Lodge when Ralph was
     three. After graduating from high school here, he attended K-State at
     Manhattan, where we met; and my life was enriched from then on thru our
     45 years together.
       I was from Garnett, the fourth of the eight children of Alice Ray Taylor
     and Leroy Howard. Since they were the only ones of their families to move
     from Wisconsin to Kansas, we knew our relatives only through pictures and
     letters, so I was impressed with Ralph's extensive family here. My father
     died the year I was a senior in high school. Ralph earned much of his
     college expenses working in wheat harvest summers, while I paid all of mine
     teaching country school.
       We were married in July, 1929, Ralph got a job with an airplane company
     in Wichita. A few months later the company went broke and closed down.
     Other jobs were short-lived. Wichita was full of men from the East, looking
     for work. We didn't know what was happening; now we know it was the
     beginning of the Great Depression.
       We were hoemless and penniless when our first daughter, Helen Gail, was
     born December 22, 1930. She was a year old when, with the assistance of
     my brother Taylor Howard, who was working for Cities Service Oil Co. of
     Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ralph was hired by the Gas Measurement Department of
     that company. That was the answer to our desperation, so there could have
     been no more loyal an employee than Ralph was for the next 38 years. He
     enjoyed his work and the association with the many fine men he came to 
     know in his work.
       Our second daughter, Marilyn, was born at Bartlesville, August 11, 1933.
     My mother's death came a month to the day after that. Sad and frightening
     years made us so much more appreciative of the many blessings that also
     came to us. Besides my family, we had the love of Ralph's parents. Then
     his mother's aunt, Sadie Clay of Medicine Lodge, included our daughters
     in her bequest to five nieces and a nephew for their education. With that
     assistance we were able to get both of our daughters through college -
     Helen from K-State and Marilyn from Phillips University.
       Helen taught in high school for several years, then married Donald Love,
     son of Etta and Edgar Love of Partridge, Kansas. They had met in college. 
     They moved to St. Francis, where Don was County Extension Agent for some
     years. He is now Farm Loan Representative for Travelers Insurance for
     Northwest Kansas and Northeast Colorado. They have given us six marvelous
     grandchildren, now from kindergarten thru college-ages: Peggy is teaching
     her second year at Stockton; Steven is a freshman at Salina; Linda in
     high school; John David and Nancy in grades; Julie in Kindergarten! Helen
     teaches piano pupils at home and is church organist.
       Marilyn married Calvin Porter, who she met in college at Enid. Calvin is
     the son of Rev. Reece and Mary Porter of Oklahoma City. He received his
     B.A. and B.D. degrees from Phillips, and his PhD from Duke University,
     Durham, North Carolina. He also attended Harvard University. He joined
     the faculty of Christian Theological Seminary at Indianapolis in 1962.
     They have three children: Gregory in high school; Mary Elizabeth and
     Barbara in grade school. Marilyn does office work.
       Although Ralph was privileged to live for only 6 months after we returned
     to Medicine Lodge, this is still "Our Chosen Land" for us, our children,
     and for our grandchildren. We are pleased to be included in the history of
     Barber County.
                
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas, pg. 362