PHIPPS, RUSSELL & ELVA & FAMILY

by Elva Phipps

Entry F344 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

The Russell and Elva Phipps Family-1952. Doug, Elva,
Russell, Leonard, and Bob-Grandson Wayne.

Russell and Elva Phipps 1975 Golden Wedding Anniversary.

I have lived in the sandhills all my life and
have no desire to live anywhere else. I was
born in Mullen, November 21, 1903 at my
Grandmother LeLaCheur's house now owned
by Ruth Barnebey. I grew up in Cherry
County about 12 miles North of Mullen. My
parents were Frank and Ella (Wickham)
LeLaCheur. My brothers and sisters were
Alta, Clarence, Violet, (me Elva), Orvel,
Mary and Hazel. Alta, Clarence, and Mary
are deceased.

We all went through 8th grade at Cherry
County School, about 3 miles away. Early we
used team and buggy for traveling and when
four of us went we rode horses, two on each
horse.

Being more girls than boys, we girls helped
outside. I milked cows, helped in the hay
field, shocked grain, etc.

We all attended high school in Mullen
except the two older ones. We worked for our
board and always had good places to stay.

My dad played the violin at dances and the
two older sisters assisted on the piano if one
was there.

I met Russell Phipps at a dance in Mullen
where he had been participating in a rodeo
that day. We continued seeing each other and
were married on October 7, 1925 at the
Methodist Parsonage in Valentine by Rev.
Roy Spvaneur. We toured the Black Hills and
Western Nebraska, then returned to live on
the Phipps Ranch owned by Russell's dad. I
was kept busy cooking for hired help, garden-
ing and chickens.

Russell was born at Macon, Missouri on
May 12, 1897. His parents, Luther and
Matilda, and older brother Raymond, came
to Nebraska when he was only a year and half
old. They lived on various ranches near
Lakeside, where Lyle, Leila May, Charley,
Esther and Alice were born and finally
bought a place four miles northeast of
Whitman where Hansel and Mary or Peg, as
we called her were born.

Russell's dad rented a place about 25 miles
north of Whitman and later bought it. Russell
batched at this place with Raymond and Lyle
until they married, then with Charley. Rus-
sell did the cooking. He later taught me a lot
too, because I hadn't done much cooking.

Russell loved horses and raised Morgans
and later quarter horses. He liked to go to
rodeos when he could leave the ranch duties.
He was a top bare back rider.

Our three boys were born in Mullen.
Leonard R. in 1927, W. Douglas in
1929, and Robert (Bob) in 1933. They
all attended country school two and a half
miles from home and went to high school at
Curtis Agricultural School at Curtis, Nebras-
ka.

Russell and Lyle later bought the ranch
from the Phipps heirs.

Leonard married Ferrissa Malcolm at New
York in June 1949. She had come to visit her
great Aunt Ferrissa Malcolm Morrow, where
he met her. They are parents of two boys,
Wayne and Gary and a girl Lois who married
Jim Hardy from Seneca, Nebraska. Wayne
has been living in Denver and recently moved
to Longmont. Gary is on the ranch and in
April, 1987 he and Glenda Reyes were
married. Lois and Jim have two girls, Elissa
and Crystal and a son Robert James (R.J.).
They are at the ranch also.

Douglas married Alice Dooley a Mullen girl
in 1954. They have three children also. Debra
Jean who married Edward Arends lives at
Elwood. They have Cori Rae and Brant
Russell.

Beverly Jo married Kenneth Sistak. They
live at Hemingford and have Ryan and Erin.

Wm. D. (Bill) married Robin Rusk from
Kansas. They are living at Kearney with their
three children, Wrex, Wravenna, and Waco.

Doug recently sold his ranch and plans to
travel for awhile.

Bob married Joyce Elliott, a Mullen girl in
1956. Bob lost his life at a rodeo in Gordon
on May 4, 1958 and their son Bob was born
on 1958. He married Kristi
Winkler and they live at Holdrege with their
three children, Mathew, Mark, and Sara. Bob
is manager of Speedway Trucking.

In 1959 Russell and I moved to Mullen. He
spent a lot of time at the ranch, helped hay,
move cattle, or whatever was necessary. In
later years his health wasn't too good and he
spent less time there.

Russell passed away July 4, 1980. He was
83 years old. He and Bob are buried here in
Cedarview Cemetery. His parents, my par-
ents, the LeLaCheurs and their parents,
Elisha and Mary Jane, my Grandmother
Suzanne Wickham, and my sister Mary
Anderson and Baby girl are all in Cedarview
Cemetery.