I can’t write all of the amazing things that happened to Grandma Newhouse in her 75 years in one post, so I’ll break it into multiple posts. To see all of the stories click this tag: Eleanor McGlothlen Kirkpatrick

Grandma Newhouse with Mabel Wallberg abt 1903

Eleanor’s stories

I’m incredibly fortunate that my family loved to write their stories and interview their parents and grandparents to find out more about their lives and their families. I have a lot of stories thanks to Eleanor’s diary excerpts and The Grandma Newhouse Story.

Here’s a brief synopsis of Grandma Newhouse’s life, and the stories I’ll be telling:

• Her early years in Indiana and the move to Kirkville, Iowa.
• Her marriage to Thomas Kirkpatrick, nephew of  the Kirkville, IA founder.
• Widowed at a young age with 3 girls (the youngest 9 months old at the time).
• Remarriage to Ike Newhouse and the move to Kansas.
• Moving west on the Oregon Trail with her husband and 3 young daughters.
• Moving between Oregon and Washington state on the whims of Ike and where he thought he could find success with his farming and sawmill operations.
• Long days and weeks alone in the middle of nowhere while Ike forged a living.

Stay tuned for the first story of Eleanor’s early life coming soon!