Today’s find is another letter from Mildred Barby of Oklahoma regarding our BRILES ancestry.
Sept. 22
Dear Mike and Marcia,
I am sorry I haven’t recognized the letter and genealogy material you sent and requested information on the family tree.
I plan to write and try to give you as much help on our family tree as I can. However, due to some health problems I haven’t been able to get it done, also.
Fred and I had lots of fence to repair after the big snows we had last winter. We’d not seen a winter like it for many years.
I had an accident with our pickup in July and it put me in the hospital for a few days. I saw a rattle snake in the road and I backed up to run over it. I was trying to use the right side mirror and you know what kind of true picture you get from it (we always have them removed, but hadn’t
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done it on this new pickup). The culvert I fell in, upside down, was not marked and weeds and a tree was hiding it.
I got a concussion, hurt shoulder, neck, & some ribs. I was lucky in spite of getting knocked out. My sister Letta Mae and Fred’s brother were just coming over a hill and they saw me topple in. When I gained consciousness, they were able to pull me out through a door that they could open enough to pull me out. This injury damaged my memory, but has improved a lot. I guess this type of injury causes the brain to swell and not being able to remember is normal.
We didn’t get to go to the Briles Reunion, because of the accident, also my son’s two daughters, Shannon & Erin, were chosen to play on the AAU (national) basketball summer basketball teams. Erin played at Boulder, Co., but due to the altitude, I was unable to go.
Lettie Mae and Paul went. I was wanting to go, but I didn’t want to
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get sick, so I stayed at home.
We have our wheat planted and are planning to work our young steers & heifers. After this we will settle in for our winter work (hand feeding the older cows).
What did you two kids do for the summer? We hope you found it enjoyable. Did you have any bad storms and flood waters? We certainly hope not. I felt so sorry for people who had to cope with all the problems the rains created.
I’ll close and I hope to be able to get the genealogy records sent as soon as I can get them done.
Love & best wishes,
Micky & Fred BarbyWe will celebrate my 70th birthday Sept. 24 at my niece’s at Herdsity, Ok.
Although this letter doesn’t include much genealogy information, it offers a rich glimpse into Micky’s life at the time. The mention of heavy rains was a strong reminder of the Great Flood of 1993.
That summer, my husband and I vacationed with my parents, my brothers, and their families in Estes Park, Colorado.
On the way home, my brother Dave decided to keep driving while my husband and I stopped in Salina for the night. Since we had been out of state for a week, we were unaware of just how severe the recent rains had been.
That evening, we watched the Topeka news and learned that major flooding was starting to impact Kansas. The next morning, we chose to head north and then east rather than risk being stranded by closed roads. Looking back, that was a wise decision. We managed to cross the Republican River just before it closed the highway, allowing us to avoid most of the flooding and arrive home safely.
Letters like Micky’s remind me that family history isn’t just about names and dates on a chart — it’s about the real, everyday lives our relatives led. Through her updates about farm work, accidents, and family basketball games, we get a glimpse of her resilience and the strong connections that held the family together.
As we continue to piece together our Briles ancestry, these personal stories help us appreciate the challenges and joys our family experienced along the way. They remind us to cherish not only our ancestors’ records but also the handwritten letters and memories that connect us to them in a more personal way.