Now That His Cows Are Safe…

We've seen Rollie Sizelove sell off all his cows to keep them from being killed by the trains passing across the farm he rented. Now that his cows are all safe with Charles Chester, he goes and buys a farm that is untouched by railroads.

(I just had to go back to that cow post and fix his name. I thought it was "Raleigh" because that's how census-taker in 1910 spelled it, and I haven't been able to find any other census record of him. The newspapers refer to him as "R.D.," or sometimes "Rollie." Now I finally track down his World War I draft registration card, and find out that "R.D." stood for "Roland Dolphus" — no wonder he used his initials.)

I don't know much about the Sizeloves. Rollie came from some unknown location (possibly Grant County, Indiana) to marry Hattie Maybaum in April 1907. In December of that year Hattie bore a daughter, name unknown. No children are listed in the 1910 census, so I suppose their little daughter did not live long.

That loss aside, their life seems to have been peaceful and pleasant. They were a fairly sociable couple, with a large extended family to visit. Twice during the winter of 1910, Rollie won a prize for the handsomest costume at a masquerade ball, one in Ainsworth, one in Deep River. In 1911, about 30 friends threw a surprise party for them at their own home, and spent several hours playing cards and dining. That home of theirs was well south of Ainsworth, as for some years they rented all or part of the Sela A. Smith farm.

In mid-February of 1918, the Sizeloves finally purchased their own land: a 60-acre parcel known as the Mid Harper farm. It had been owned by Middleton Harper at least since 1891. Since early 1901 Walter Blachly had rented it. Walter may have eventually bought it, but the report of the sale to the Sizeloves doesn't name the seller. Whoever it was, he or she got $7,000 from Rollie and Hattie.

They expected to stay in their rented home on the Smith farm until the first of March, but Rollie immediately set about building a new barn on their very own farm.


(Click on image to enlarge)
This image from the 1926 Plat Book shows the Sizeloves' new farm outlined in green, and the Sela Smith farm, which they had been renting, outlined in red.


Sources:
♦ 1891 Plat Book.
♦ 1900 Census.
♦ 1910 Census.
♦ 1926 Plat Book.
♦ "Ainsworth." Hobart News 9 Nov. 1911; 26 June 1913.
♦ "Deepriver Items." Hobart Gazette 11 June 1909.
♦ "General News Items." Hobart Gazette 7 Dec. 1900; 20 Dec. 1907.
♦ "General News." Hobart Gazette 15 Feb. 1918.
♦ Indiana Marriage Collection.
♦ "Local Drifts." Hobart Gazette 14 Jan. 1910; 4 Feb. 1910; 3 Mar. 1911; 25 May 1917.
♦ "Ross Township." Hobart News 2 Jan. 1913.
♦ WWI Draft Cards.