The Schnelle family originally were from Hanover, Germany. Aaron Wesley
     and Florence (Whittaker) Schnelle, parents of Royal, came from north Missouri
     to Kansas to a farm west of Sharon where Royal was born December 28, 1900. 
     When a small boy, the family moved to Sharon, operating a general store 
     from groceries to lumber and machinery. After the business was completely 
     destroyed by fire, they lived several places, finally owning and operating
     a large ranch near Dighton, Kansas. Roy graduated from Sharon High School
     and later taught school two terms.
       My paternal grandparents, Daniel and Catherine (Shoemaker) Stone, were
     Pennsylvania Dutch. My father,  Howard E. Stone, came to Lyons, Kansas, 
     from Illinois, when six years old with his parents, settling on a farm. 
     They left the farm moving to Medicine Lodge after the blizzard in the late
     1800 killed most of their livestock.
       My mother, Ethel Gibson, came withher parents William P. and Olive (Nickols)
     from north Missouri when sixteen years old, settling on a ranch close to 
     Elm Mills. She went to school in Medicine Lodge, where she met and married
     my father. They started married life on a farm est of Sharon, living there
     until World War I. I was born ther August 1, 1903, and my sister Catherine,
     1908. We walked one half mile to Enon School, later going to Sharon High
     School. We drove a horse and buddy to school unless roads were snow blocked
     then we road horseback. Help being scarce during WWI, my father sold the
     farm, and we moved to Sharon. He bought the Bob Gaddie farm southeast of
     Pixley and interest in the Sharon Valley State Bank. He became bank president
     until his sudden death in 1928.
       After graduating from high school, I attended two terms of summer school
     at Emporia and Hays, later teaching three years of school. Roayl and I met
     when I was a senior in high school. We married January 14, 1924, moving to
     my father's farm southest of Pixley. During our 47 years on the farm, we
     were blessed with 10 children - John R. II, October 10, 1924; Ava, December 
     10, 1925; Willa, April 6, 1927; Ethel, January 2, 1929; Howard, March 18,
     1930; Merle, September 14, 1931; Allen, June 14, 1933; Lyle, July 27, 1937;
     Rita, February 16, 1942; and Dennis, November 8, 1946. All graduated from
     Medicine Lodge High School, several finishing college.
       On the farm we milked cows, raised wheat, and alfalfa. We lived through
     dust storms, Depression, peace and war, selling wheat one time for 25 cents
     per bushel. We were busy and happy with work and activities in school, church,
     and neighborhood. We had one boy in WWII, three boys and one girl in the
     Korean War; three boys overseas at one time. We sold the farm in 1971,
     moving to Medicine Lodge. We had our 55th wedding anniversary January, 1979. 
     We also have twenty-nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
                
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas, pg. 404