BOYER, KATHLEEN IONE (PEARMAN)

by Kathleen Pearman Boyer

Entry F40 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

(Buck) Stanley and Kathleen Boyer, 25th Anniversary

Kathleen I. (Pearman) Boyer the 6th of
seven children born to W.C. (Prunes) Pear-
man and Lean (Kerns) Pearman was born
1924 in Cherry County, Nebraska.
Dr. Roth with the assistance of Mrs. Bill
Shears helped bring "Kat" into this world.

Her childhood was spent on what was
called the Murrey Place, about 5 miles
NorthEast of the Fay James homestead. She
went to school at the Virginia School through
the 8th Grade then went to the Mullen Public
School through High School. Sometime
during her High School years they moved
NorthWest of Seneca which now belongs to
Hanna. Their neighbors at the Murrey place
were Haskel Boyer, Faye James, Loy James,
Ellie and Helen Long, Fred Downings, Ed
Bullingtons, Giles and Phillips.

Kat worked outside more than inside. She
milked around 5 to 6 cows before school and
always after school. She did most of the riding
after cattle. They also had chickens, Turkeys,
hogs and a real good dog which was excep-
tionally smart. They never went to town only
about twice a year and that was by team and
wagon. Most of their pasttime was spent at
Ellis and Helen Longs. On Saturday nights
they would play cards till around daylight.
The kids crawled under hay and big quilts to
stay warm on the way home. When they
arrived her mother would heat the wood
burning stove to get the house warm again.

On Sundays when there was church ser-
vices at Virginia School house we would walk
to church. Lee Boyer was the minister which
we really enjoyed his sermons. Mom made
Pauline and I a white pique suit with a green
dotted swiss blouse to wear to church. She
sewed all our dresses and clothes and did a
very good job. I remember her getting a
catalogue out and looking at pictures of
dresses and start cutting away. When it was
finished it was just like the picture.

Many Sundays during the summer we
would go down on the river by Kelso and pick
berries all day. Ellis Long and family would
go with us and Dad would get bologna,
bananas, and cheese for our lunch. We always
gathered many tubs full of berries. On
Monday we would begin to work the berries
and plums into jelly and jam. We did the
cooking on a wood burning stove.

Also on Mondays we usually washed on a
wash board and a moon shaped washer which
we turned by hand. On Tuesdays we ironed
with hot irons which would take many hours.
We always cleaned house on Saturdays.

Mother always planted a garden and
canned many fruits and vegetables. We had
a barrel in the milk house where running
water from a windmill kept our butter and
cream cool for the summer.

We used to attend many barn dances in the
neighborhood. On Sundays Mom wouldn't
know how many to expect for breakfast, as
men would come out of haystack where they
had slept overnight. She always managed to
stir up some biscuits and gravy for all that
was there.

My childhood was a happy time with a
loving Mother and Father. My dad loved
nicknames, so each of us had one. Since I
worked more outside he used to call me Sam,
but my real name is Kathleen better known
as Kat to everyone. In June 1941, I was
married to Stanley N. (Buck) Boyer.