JOHNSON, K. LAVELLE PHIPPS

by K. Lavelle Johnson

Entry F226 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Lavelle Phipps Johnson, Oct. 1982

I am not a native of Hooker County, or even
a Nebraskan. I was born at Bridgeport,
Oklahoma on March 12, 1908 to Katharine
(Rena) Nelson and Conrad Kinhart (Harry)
Dalton. My Grandpa Dalton was from En-
gland or Ireland. Grandma was a native
American of German descent. Grandpa Nel-
son came from Denmark and Grandma
Nelson from Ireland.

The Nelson family grew up in Oskaloosa,
Iowa where Grandpa was a building contrac-
tor. Most of the old brick streets in the area
were built by his men and mule teams.
Grandma Nelson, after raising six children
and losing a pair of twins, was in poor health'
They moved south in hopes her health would
improve but she died at 58 years of age.
Grandpa Nelson lived many years after her
death and was the only Grand parent I ever
knew.

The Dalton family grew up in the Platte
valley near Mead and Omaha. They raised to
maturity six sons and two daughters. One girl
died shortly before her wedding day and some
of the family still keep her beautiful clothes
and diamond ring. Grandma Dalton was a
very practical person, she doctored the sick
and helped to bring many babies into this
world. Granddad Dalton, I would say, was a
different cut. Was educated to be a civil
engineer and was responsible for many of the
large bridges, but he also worked as a spy, so
at all times kept a low profile.

My father couldn't get along with one or
two of his brothers, so he took his saddle
horse and gun working his way into Oklaho-
ma. Being big and strong for a young boy he
was soon put in as an United States Marshall
in the Oklahoma Territory.

My mother disliked the South very much,
more especially after her mother and my little
three year old brother died. So we moved to
Omaha until World War I. An Army career
sounded good to Dad but he had broken
arches and was rejected by the Army. I think
about 1915 we moved to a Kincaid in North
Cherry County. There I grew up about like
the rest of the kids. School was an irregular
thing. I rode horse back several miles lots of
times leading my horse across the icy valley
so he wouldn't fall and have better footing.
My lunch was in a pail or sack tied to the
saddle and lots of times frozen before reach-
ing the school house. There we pulled the
desks close around a wood-coal stove. Some-
times our teachers were very unhppy and
never came back to teach after Christmas
vacation. I passed the 8th grade there and
then entered Mullen High School.

On November 16, 1927 I married Charlie
Luther Phipps, son of Luther and Matilda
(Freele) Phipps. We lived at the Phipps
Rach north of Whitman. OUr son, Charles
David, was born Nov. 17, 1928, but died soon
after birth. Our next child was Dolores
Kathleen born 1930. Five years later,
on 1935 Patricia Lavelle joined the
family. The baby, Lynda Matilda was born
1943. Dr. David Walker delivered our
son and Lynda at Mullen. Dr. William Howell
brought Dolores and Patricia into this world
at Hyannis, NE. Dolores graduated from
Mullen High, taught school several years
before and after her marriage to Howard L.
Wright. They have two sons, Charles Lee and
Patrick Sidney. Patricia married Clyde D.
Sexton also taught school several years. She
died of cancer Jan. 9, 1979, leaving three
children, Carol Rae, Susan Lavelle, and Dale
Luther. Lynda attended Creighton and St.
Mary's Colleges in Omaha graduating as a
Medical Records Librarian. She married
Gary W. Rolfes of Omaha. They have two
sons, Mitchell James and Bryan William. Up
to this time in November, 1987, all the
grandchildren are married except Bryan and
Mitchell Rolfes and Dale Sexton. Patrick
Wright has two children, Tavito and Heath-
er. Carol Rae Alishouse has two sons, James
and Jesse. Susan Steel has three, Brandi,
Charles, and Patricia. No doubt there will be
more great grand children.

I'm sure my husband Charlie could have
added many more things of interest to this
story. But we were too busy looking into the
future at the time of his death on Sept. 20,
1960, to even talk of the past.