George A Walker 1899-1967
In 1894 mother and dad were married. In May 1896, brother Fred was born, In February 1898 brother Ray was born and on September 11, 1899 I was born.
The first part of this writing will consist of mostly early memories and happenings in my life as I can recall them. Some “fill-in” will have to be made to get some connections as told to me in my early days. Early memories of my early life may not be in chronological order as to dates but I guess that is immaterial.
I was born on a farm in Scranton County, Nebraska on September 11, 1899. When about a year old our family moved to a farm south of Lynch, Neb.
When I was about six years old a friend and I got a horse to go out in the pasture to bring in the milk cows. Going to the pasture my friend rode in the saddle and I rode behind the saddle. After getting out to where the cattle were, we changed places and I got in the saddle as I knew which cows to take home. I started the milk cows but all the rest of the cattle decided that it was time for them to go home to get a drink of water. Everything went fine until after getting the cattle in the yard near the windmill. The bull was milling around and was near the horse we were riding when all of a sudden the bull lowered his head and slugged the horse on the right side right at the right stirrup where my foot was. This took my foot out of the stirrup and tipped me over to the left side of the horse where I hung by my left foot with my head down toward the ground. Brother Ray was just outside the gate ready to turn the milk cows through for them to go to the barn for milking and he saw what happened out in the cow yard and as he had a pitchfork in his hand he ran into the cattle yard and rescued me. He took the pitchfork along for protection from the bull. His quick action no doubt saved my life.
One time while our family was calling at a neighbors I was out in their yard playing with a new little wagon that belonged to the neighbor boy and while I was pulling the wagon I turned the wagon around too short and the front running gears came apart from the rest of the wagon. The grownups saw what had happened and they told me that I had wrecked the wagon. I felt awfully bad, but they finally told me that no harm was done. Then they showed me how to put the running gear back on the wagon as it had been originally.
Another time while we three boys were going to a neighbors on an errand for mother, brother Ray and I were barefooted, but brother Fred was too big a boy to go to the neighbors without shoes. Ray and I would run ahead for a little ways and then sit down and wait for Fred. One place, after getting up ready to run again, we found that we couldn’t move. Cactus was all around us. Brother Fred had to carry us out of the cactus patch. How Ray and I ever got into the midst of that cactus patch let alone sitting down without getting thorns stuck in us, I’ll never know.
