George Henry Moore, 1888-1965

Centerville Iowegian – 4 October 1965

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  George Henry Moore, longtime resident of Mystic, Iowa, passed away Friday, October 1, 1965, at the Veterans Hospital in Des Moines at the age of 77 years, eight months and 18 days.

  Born in Rooks County, Kansas, January 13, 1888, he was the son of Albert and Millie Hibbs Moore.  He is a retired farmer, Veteran of World War I, member of the American Legion, V.F.W. and World War I Veterans.

  He is survived by two brothers and two sisters, Mrs. Bessie Blair of Cincinnati, Ia., Mrs. Elsie Wakefield of Mystic, Chas. Moore of Harrisburg, Penn., Frank Moore of Carlisle, Ia.

  He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers and a sister.

  Funeral services were held Sunday at 1:30 p.m. October 3, 1965 from the Johnson Funeral Home with Rev. George A. Sheils officiating and burial in the Jerome cemetery.

Gravestone of George Henry Moore

in the Jerome Cemetery

Row 7, Block 5, Lot 9

Marinda Alice Stoner McElvain, 1864-1947

Seymour Herald - 26 June 1947

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Services Held for Mrs. John McElvain

  Funeral services for Mrs. John McElvain were held at the Baptist church in Seymour Wednesday, June 18, at 2 p.m., Rev. W. M. Cleeton, pastor, officiating.

  Interment was made in the South Lawn cemetery.

  Music was furnished by Mrs. Lucy Hughes and Mrs. Reva Anderson with Miss Allie Clark at the piano.

  Flower girls were the granddaughters, Donna and Dorothy Hibbs, Marjorie McElvain, Mrs. Paul McElvain, Mrs. Stanley McElvain and Mrs. Marvelle McElvain.

  Pall bearers were five grandsons, Harold, Paul, Marvelle, Donald, and Stanley McElvain and Richard Mincks, a nephew.

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  Mirinda Alice Stoner, daughter of Noah and Catherine Stoner, was born near Jerome, Appanoose County, Iowa, on February 25, 1864. She passed away at the age of 83 years, 3 months and 20 days on Sunday, June 15, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Ada McCabe, where she has made her home for the past two years, since the death of her husband.

  She was one of a family of 12 children, all having preceded her in death, except one sister.

  She was united in marriage to John B. McElvain on Nov. 19, 1891. To this union four children were born, three of whom survive her in death.  One son, Lawrence, passed away in 1942.

  She lived her entire life in Appanoose county with the exception of three years in Wayne county.

  She has been confined to her home for many years because of poor health and for teh past three years has been an invalid.

  Prior to her years of confinement, she was quite cheerful. She was an unselfish, loving mother, companion and friend.

  She is survived by her son George, and daughters--Mrs. Ada McCabe, and Mrs. Ruth Hibbs, all of Numa, her sister, Mrs. Ellen Van Dorn of Seymour; 11 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren, and many other relatives and friends.

Card of Thanks

  We wish to thank all of our neighbors and friends for their kindness and floral offerings, during the illness and death of our mother.

The McElvain Family

George Henry Moore, 1888-1965

Daily Iowegian - 4 October 1965

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  George Henry Moore, long-time resident of Mystic, Iowa, passed away Friday, October 1, 1965, at the Veterans Hospital in Des Moines at the age of 77 years, eight months and 18 days.

  Born in Rooks County, Kansas, January 13, 1888, he was the son of Albert and Millie Hibbs Moore. He is a retired farmer, Veteran of World War I, member of the American Legion, V.F.W. and World War I Veterans.

  He is survived by two brothers and two sisters, Mrs. Bessie Blair of Cincinnati, Ia., Mrs. Elsie Wakefield of Mystic, Chas. Moore of Harrisburg, Penn., Frank Moore of Carlisle, Ia.

  He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers and a sister.

  Funeral services were held Sunday at 1:30 p.m. October 3, 1965, from the Johnson Funeral Home with Rev. George A. Sheils officiating and burial in the Jerome Cemetery.

S.H.S. Senior: Dorothy Colleen Hibbs

Seymour Herald - 31 January 1952

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The Pepper  
Official Publication of the Seymour Public School

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Senior of the Week

By Mary Alice White

  Dorothy Colleen Hibbs, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harley Hibbs, is the first senior for this week. Dorothy has one older sister. She has blue eyes, light brown hair, weighs 106 pounds, is 5 feet, 6 1/2 inches tall and is 17 years old.

  While she has had loads of fun and many good times, Dorothy says that her most exciting was attending Hawkeye Girls State at Grinnell last summer.

  Dorothy began her school days at Farmer School, where she also received her eighth grade diploma. Now, in her high school days at Seymour high, she has spent two years as librarian, one year on the Pepper staff, two years in the girls glee club, one year as class secretary, and has served on the Tomahawk staff and as prompter of the junior class play.

  The friendliness between the teachers and students, along with the very good appearance of the high school are the two best liked things of Seymour high for Dorothy. However, she thinks that to improve the school, the trick is to improve the heating during cold weather.

  Now completing a commercial course, after her graduation Dorothy is planning on going to college.

George Lester McElvain, 1892-1969

Daily Iowegian - 2 December 1969

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George McElvain Died Monday

  Centerville -- George Lester McElvain, 77, resident of 615 W. Washington Street, Centerville, the past eight years and of the county for many years, passed away at St. Joseph's Hospital Monday, Dec. 1, 1969, at 1:25 p.m. He had been in ill health the past two years and a hospital patient since Nov. 8.

  He was the son of John B. and Miranda Stoner McElvain and was born in Numa, Ia., Sept. 7, 1892. On Feb. 26, 1914, he married Carrie Ferren near Plano, and she survives his passing.

  He was a member of the Baptist Church. The McElvains had farmed near Numa for many years.

  His parents and a brother, Lawrence, preceded him in death.

  Survivors, besides his widow, include five sons, Marion of Indianapolis, Ind., Marvelle, Centerville, R-3, Donald of Chariton, Stanley of Des Moines, and Forrest of Ft. Dodge, Ia; 12 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; two sisters, Ada McCabe and Ruth Hibbs, both of Numa.

  Funeral services will be held Thursday at 10:30 a.m. from Miller-Wehrle Funeral Home. Rev. C. Donald Thrash, pastor of the First Baptist Church, will officiate and burial will be in South Lawn Cemetery at Seymour.

Ruth McElvain Hibbs, 1900-2004

Daily Iowegian - 24 February 2004

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  Ruth Hibbs, 103, passed away Feb. 23, 2004 at the Centerville Nursing & Rehab Center. She was born Sept. 7, 1900, near Numa, the daughter of John and Marinda (Stoner) McElvain.

  She attended the North Wilson rural school and Seymour High School where she graduated in 1919.

  As a young woman, she became a member of the Seymour Baptist Church. In later years, she attended the Jerome Methodist Church where she had gone to Sunday school as a child.

  On May 4, 1921 she was united in marriage to Harley Hibbs of rural Seymour. They spent most of their married life on their farm near Numa. He preceded her in death in 1995. They were parents of two daughters, Donna Lorene Davis of Numa and Dorothy Colleen DeVore of Seymour.

  After her husband's death, Ruth continued to make her home on their farm for as long as she was able to live alone. She later lived with her daughters on a rotating basis. In the fall of 2000 she began living at Centerville Nursing & Rehab Center where she received excellent care.

  Ruth loved to be outdoors and enjoyed vegetable gardening and caring for her many flowers, which were her pride and joy. She was also an avid seamstress, enjoying sewing for her daughters and grandchildren. She made baby quilts for her great-grandchildren and also crocheted many afghans for family members. Ruth was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, as well as a loyal friend to many. She was always available to help those in need. She was a charter member of her neighborhood Booster Club.

  Ruth was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; two brothers, George and Lawrence; one sister, Ada McCabe; and five nephews, Marvelle, Donald, Harold and Richard McElvain and Eugene Hibbs.

  She is survived by her daughters, Donna Davis and her husband, Milan, of Numa and Dorothy DeVore and her husband, Kenneth, of Seymour; eight grandchildren, Kay Singley and her husband, Rob, of Moulton, Jan Berner and her husband, Kim, of Albia, Bruce Davis and his wife Deana, of Numa, Kathy Heitmeyer and her husband, Carter, of Centerville, Kristen Kruger and her husband, Ken, of DeWitt, Dorine Sales and her husband, Dan, of Centerville, Denise Draper and her husband, Brian, of Corydon, and Martin DeVore and his wife, Rochelle, of Cedar Rapids; four nephews, Marion, Stanley, Forrest and Paul McElvain; and two nieces, Marjorie Inman and Kathleen Davison.

  Her 18 great-grandchildren are Andrea Spring and her husband, Daniel; Rachel Singley; Beth and Jill Berner; Jon, Maria and April Davis; Tara and Tonya Heitmeyer; Stephanie and Jennifer Kruger; Ashley and Ryan Sales; Brett and Brock Draper; and Melette, Maryn and Holden DeVore.

  Services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, at Randolph Funeral Home in Seymour with Pastor Kay Singley officiating. Interment will be in Southlawn Cemetery in Seymour.

  Friends may call at the Randolph Funeral Home in Seymour beginning at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The family will greet friends Wednesday evening from 6 to 8 p.m.

  Memorials may be given to the Jerome United Methodist Church or Seymour Library.

The Farmer School in Lincoln Twp

  The Farmer School was located in the center of School District #6 in the southeast corner of Lincoln Township west of Numa.  This information relates to the school around 1945-1946 and was sent to the editor by Richard Inman of Hamilton, Ohio.  It originally came from Donald Inman of Bonner Springs, Kansas, who was a student in the Farmer School in the mid-1940s.

The Farmer School Building

Farmer School Teacher: Helen Burkhiser

Donald Inman, Dorothy Hibbs, Eleanor Barkley, 

Kenneth Inman , and Jimmy Condra

Farmer School Students

The Farmer School Song

You ask what school I like the best

  Farmer, 'tis Farmer

It's better for than all the rest

  Farmer, Oh, Farmer

The pupils do their work each day

  And after work, there's time for play

I'll always go there if I may

  Farmer, Yes, Farmer

The Farmer School Poem:  If

If you can keep your head when those about you

  Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you

  But make allowance for their doubting too,

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

  Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,

  And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise.

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,

  If you can think--and not make thought your aim,

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

  And treat these two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

  Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

  And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools.

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

  And risk it to one turn of pitch-and-toss

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

  And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

  To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

  Except the Will which says to them "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

  Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

  If all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

  With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

YOURS is the Earth and everything that's in it,

  And--what is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

-- Rudyard Kipling 

School Motto:

There are many spokes in the wheel of success!

School Colors:  Red and Violet

School Flower:  Violet

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School Year 1945-46

  Our school started Mon. Aug. 27.  There were seven of us. Sonya, who started to school this year, Jimmy in second grade, Donald in third, Eleanor and Dorothy in sixth, Larry in seventh, and Kenneth in the eighth.  We were happy to have Joann join us in February. She was in the fifth grade.

  Some Highlights of the Year

  We had our program and candy supper Oct. 25.  Some of the things we remember about our program are how cute Sonya looked dressed up in her witch's costume.  Donald and Jimmy the two "brave" boys who Sonya scared.  Dorothy, very natural and business like, as the teacher who was talked out of punishing her mischievous pupil Donald.  Eleanor, who was very charming, as the aunt who was frightened by a mouse in her nephew's pockets.  Larry, as the high pressure salesman and also the very "fine" looking bum.  Kenneth, as the mischievous nephew, but perhaps what we remember about him most were his biscuits made from his own recipe.

  In November came Thanksgiving vacation. 

  We had a program and a Christmas tree in December.  All of our parents came.  We thought our tree looked very pretty as we used colored electric lights on it.  We had a week's vacation at Christmas time.

  In February, we celebrated Valentine's Day with a party and a Valentine box.  One of the highlights of this party was a Treasure Hunt with candy hearts and candy bars as the treasure.

  On April 4th we celebrated Mrs. Condra's birthday.  We each one brought something for dinner. We had sandwiches, pork and beans, potato salad, deviled eggs, fruit salad and an angel food cake with happy birthday written on it in pink letters.

  Our next event was a weiner roast.  We had it the Friday before Easter.  We went to the woods, built a fire, and toasted weiners.  Everyone ate until they were full.  Then the boys ran and played in the woods while the girls picked flowers.  We have our plans all made for the biggest event of the year--the last day.  We plan to go to the park in Centerville and have a picnic dinner.  After dinner we plan to attend the show at the Majestic Theater. 

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  Larry Gatrel was a student at the Farmer School 1943-1946; Jeanette Condra was the teacher at the Farmer School during this period; Larry believes that the above summary of the school year 1945-1946 was written by Jeanette Condra.