The following letter was sent Miss Mary Bradley by my great uncle, Omri Emery Daniels, in 1941, when he was 85. Omri, fourth of six children John Daniels Jr and Candace Sarah Emery, was born in Rock Run 21 Jun 1852. His father died in January 1858, three years after completing their "stone house" in Rock City. His mother became the third wife of William Z Tunks in 1867. Mr. Tunks, longtime Justice of Peace in Stephenson County, was also superintendent of the College school along with John Burrill. Omri's older brothers, Albert Paul and Henry Brown Daniels, were enrolled at the College School in 1854. The Daniels came to Stephenson co approximately 1839; almost certainly with the Farwell family. Omri's aunt, Mahala Daniels, was married to Isaac Farwell Jr, and his uncle Nelson Daniels later moved on with the Farwells to Arena Iowa Co., Wisconsin. (Isaac Farwell's parents and Omri's grandmother, Phebe Miller Daniels, are buried in the Howard Union Cemetery just over the Winnebago co. line.) The Emery also came to the area in 1839 (Aug 16th, 1839) and their property straddled the county line road with their stone home on the Winnebago co side. John Daniels Jr and Candace Emery married 3 Jul 1844. The letter was written as two long paragraphs and had a number of typos which I have corrected to make it easier to read. Mallory Smith Grand Junction, Colo., Feb. 24-41 Dear Friend: I received your kind letter this morning and will try to answer your request. I am not a good composer and you will find many places to correct me. First, the old school was located right on the cross just to the N.E. of where it is now. It was built entirely of oak except the seats and desk and it was lath and plastered. It stood east and west and there were three windows on the north and three on the south side and the outside was sided with plain 6 inch boards and you can imagine how warm or cold it might be. The first families I can remember were the Highlands, Armstrongs, Burrells (Burrill) and Stinsons, and at that time it was considered the best school in the county. There were other families in the district but I cannot recall them. They had their debating societies, singing school, and their rhetorical's each Friday and social gatherings which were enjoyed better those days than they are now. All were considered on an equal and a calico dress was in style. Most of our clothes were woolen spun, woven and made in the home. The school got along fine until they hired Mr. Bouk (sp?) then she began to go down. No social affairs except a spelling (bee) occasionally. The attendance was large. We had to have reading and spelling twice a day and you can guess how much time there would be after hearing the ABC first-second, third-fourth and fifth readers then perhaps a class or two of arithmetic. Girls recess then boys recess and when the boys were called in Bouk might be at the door with rod in his hand and every boy that did not come in on the run he would get a rod on his back. This at recess and noon. When I was learning multiplication numbers he (Mr Bouk) stood over me with the rod. He would raise the rod and say hurry up and he would keep us there until heard every class if it took until dark. After they got in at noon one day he lock the door and said to John Armstrong to come up here. John started up, and Bouk stumbled backward on the rostrum and kicked John in the stomach which almost bent him over double and hurt him so he cried and Bouk told him to take his seat and he put the club full on John's back . One stroke hit John in the forehead and cut a big gash and covered his face with blood. Then he told him he might go out and wash his face. When John got out he hiked it for home. That night the Directors had a meeting. Hyland, Armstrong and Burrel (Burrill.) They decided Bouk must not touch their children but he could do as h e liked with the others. He gave James Fitzpatrick and Joe of Luke Flynn one of those lickings and the girls did not miss punishment no matter how old. One morning a young lady by the name of Ann Bradley done something I do not know what. He made her hold out the dictionary until she cried then he was very penitent and promised something if she would not cry. When the R.R. was built through Davis and on west, the R.R. Co. sent back to Ireland and brought over lots of the citizens to work on the R.R. Now these were people that never had the chance of school and is it any wonder he (Mr. Bouk) had a degrading effect on their children and all other that went to school to him. Myself with the others, and I am mighty old, note the advancements they have made since I went west. I did not know my soul was my own, cowed down like a whipped cur. Johnnie Hyland was the first one to give me my courage. Billy Fitzpatrick and I were staunch friends and how my temper did boil when I heard of his death caused by an unscrupulous saloon keeper just to make a few pennies on doped up poisonous liquor. New York City lost hundreds of people on the same recipe. I could tell you of many things comical and other serious but I so not wish to. My step-father (William Z Tunks) was justice of the peace and many things happened at our house I care not to mention. Many of the people that came to work on the R.R. bought places in our district and the one to the north and it gave the name Irish Grove to that community and I have never been ashamed of it. I have three pictures of the old stone house (see "Old Homes") The Smiths, that your uncle bought the farm of, I think have all passed on. They were all accounted for but Asa. He went west and they never heard from him. The Fosslers are all gone (Omri's sister Candace Leticia Daniels married Henry Fossler,) quite a number of the grand children with them. Mary married a man that for some reason could not get ahead but her oldest son I am told is a millionaire in California. Where the Nibloes lived there was a man by the name of Sprague. He with John Hamilton that married Nancy Armstrong (HAMILTON, JOHN M ARMSTRONG, NANCY L 1861-10-03 I/ WINNEBAGO Illinois Marriage Index) was accused of stealing Uncle Patrick Stinsons horses, but it could not be proven. Father came home one night, put his horse in the barn, after supper he went out and the horse was gone, never heard from. Wentthe same way as the Stinsons did. I do not think you want much more of this. O.E. Daniels Sr. FUNERAL SERVICES For O.E. Daniels Sr. Thursday at 2 P.M. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at Martin Chapel of Omri E Daniels Sr., who died at 12:30 a.m. Monday at the Morrison convalescent home. The Rev. Roy Schramm will officiate and burial will be in Orchard Mesa cemetery. Pallbearers will be Edmond Daniels, Vern Wood, Buford Cannell, Booth Eckman, Robert E Showalter, Max O. Daniels, and Harold E. Daniels. Mr. Daniels was born Jun 21, 1862 (1852) in Stephenson county, Ill. And he spent his childhood at Freeport, Ill. He married Eva Jane Coon June 11, 1876 at Hampton, Iowa. The had four children, Delwyn H. Daniels, 725 Teller avenue; Forrest W Daniels, Salem, Ore; Omri Emery Daniels jr. 1015 Hill avenue; and Lois Candace Daniels (Cox) who died in 1916 (29 Nov 1916 Hillyard, Spokane, WA.) Mrs. Daniels died in 1893, at Hampton, Iowa. Mr. Daniels married Mary Gowdy Edmonds at Pierre,S.D. Mr. and Mrs. Daniels moved to Spokane, Wash, in 1912, and in 1918 to Preston Lake, S.D. where Mr. Daniels and son, Forrest, farmed. 28 Apr 1947 The Daniels family moved to Colbran in 1922, and a year later they removed to Grand Junction. In April, 1924, Mr. and Mrs. Daniels returned to Colbran to take charge of the Faith Hospital which had just been built. Mrs. Daniels was in charge of nursing, and Mr. Daniels cleared the cedar hillside and landscaped and beautified the grounds by planting scrubs and flowers. They were forced on account of ill health to retire in October 1927, when they moved to Grand Junction. Two years later, Mr. and Mrs. Daniels removed to their home in the Pomona district. After the death of Mrs. Daniels April 25, 1943, Mr. Daniels made his home with his sons until a year ago. Because of ill health, it became necessary to take him to the Morrison covalence home. Mr. Daniels was a farmer and carpenter by trade. He was a member of the Christian church and Odd Fellows lodge. Surviving besides the three sons are 10 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren