Oral History of George Walter and Zella Deliliah Holiday Hirst
Married Hutchinson,Ks August 15,1917George Walter Hirst was born July 15,1896 I presume on the farm known as The Homeplace - where he grew up - and later farmed.
He attended Fairmount Grade School - a rural school a mile and a quarter south of the farm. He graduated from Partridge Rural High School - was in the second graduating class from that school. He played basketball - and was a member of a championship team. After high school He attended and graduated from Sweeney Automobile School in Kansas City, Mo.. Certificate of graduation dated Jan 22,1916 from the school. I remember he worked on Model Ts - of which we had several - one car and at least two trucks - he had a "set" of tools that were specially made to work on The T Model.
Zella Deliliah Holiday Hirst was born December 12,1892 in Mineola, Ks. As I remember the story - it was in a sod hut. . Her parents were John Holiday and Mary Drake. they lived in southwestern Kansas - In the neighbor hood of Mineola, Houghton, etc
Her parents died and she came to Partridge where she grew up in the home of Anderson Williams, a local butcher and his wife Nan. Nan was a Quaker by faith. I remember Aunt Nan. We used to gather around her in her little sewing rocker - and she would feed us "scraped" apple with a spoon.
Zella was a member of the first graduating class from Partridge High School. She went to a "normal' school and was a teacher for a time. As I think about her life on the farm I see her as a housewife, who kept a good house, who prepared meals for her family and on occasion for seasonal workers - like threshers and farm hands. She also was a gardener.
She became quite ill shortly after my youngest brother Allen was born. She lost a baby in that time. I knew she was very sick, I knew about doctor's visits and medication. I was busy doing chores and farm work and going to school. My Dad looked after her very closely. He prepared meals and helped with the house work. However farm life is demanding and he was active in farming operations. He depended upon a hired help and his sons to help with the farm work
Mary Ann the only girl in a family of four children helped a great deal. She graduated from high school and soon after than went off to nurses training.
My memories of growing up on the farm are not sad. We were busy and life was not easy.
Great Uncle Will
William Hirst, a well-known and substantial farmer of Lincoln township, this county, who has lived here since he was two years old, is a native of Wisconsin, having been born at Darlington that state, December 20,1890, the youngest of the eight children of George and Elizabeth Brillbrough Hirst, natives of England,
William Hirst was two years of age when his parents came to this county from Wisconsin and he grew to manhood on the homestead farm in Lincoln township, receiving his education in the schoo[ in district No 41. He did not marry until he was thirty years of age and in the meantime remained on the home place, which he took charge of, in his mother's behalf, after the death of his father, in 1897. In 1912 he bought a quarter of a section of his own in Lincoln township and after his mother's death, in 1914 moved onto his own place, where he since has made his home and where he and his family are very pleasantly and comfortably situated. In addition to his land holdings in Lincoln township, Mr. Hirst is also the owner of a third interest in a half section of
land in Arlington township and the owner of a quarter section in Hamilton county, this state, besides which he own a house and lot in Hutchinson, at 410 B avenue, east and is considered quite well-to-do.
On October 1900, William Hirst was united in marriage to Margaret Hardcastle, who was born at Hutchinson, this county, daughter of Joseph and Minnie Hardcastle, early residents of that city, the latter of whom is still living, and to this union one child has been born, Margaret Elizabeth, born on September 28, 1903. Joseph Hardcastle was for years was one of Hutchinsons best- known citizens. He was regarded as quite well-to-do until the "boom" collapsed after the middle eighties at which time it was found that he had lost practically all his fortune in the sudden depreciation of property values which followed that collapse.
Mr and Mrs. Hirst are highly respected residents of of their neighborhood, taking an active part in the common life of that community and are held in high esteem by all thereabout.