Ansel Nobel Marshall was born August 1, 1914 in Troy, Iowa in his maternal Grandparents house on their Homestead.
His mother was Eva Mae Vorhis of German decent, and his father was Hirum Walter Marshall of Scots/Irish decent. Eva was born in Davis County, IA and Hirum was born in Van Buren County. Ansel was the third child born and the young family had already traveled all over the Country.
Vivian the oldest was born in McHenry County, North Dakota in 1907 on some property they homesteaded on. They had to live on the homestead for two years and improve the land before they could get title to it and sell it. They didn't put roots down there, as Baily was born in Lamar, CO in 1911. At some point before Ansel's birth, they ended up in back in Davis County, IA. He remembers being told that he was born in his Grandparents house on their homestead. The family stayed there until Ansel was almost 1 year old and then Hirum loaded up the family and moved them to Okemah, OK where he bought a livery stable. Ansel recalls hearing that Papa tired of dealing with the public and he shifted his business to horse trading and running freight wagons. Hirum left Okemah and headed 90 some miles north and started training race horses at Fairfax, OK near the Osage Indian Reservation. The family remained in Okemah until the school year finished and then they made their way north to catch up with Papa and settled in Pawnee, OK.
This was when the story happened that Ansel tells about Mama and the children traveling by themselves by train and the train putting them off on a remote rail road siding to wait for a northbound train in the middle of no where literally - no building, no trees, no residences, no shade or shelter of any kind. Just a switch and the tracks and it was getting dark. Ansel was 7 years old...
His mother was Eva Mae Vorhis of German decent, and his father was Hirum Walter Marshall of Scots/Irish decent. Eva was born in Davis County, IA and Hirum was born in Van Buren County. Ansel was the third child born and the young family had already traveled all over the Country.
Vivian the oldest was born in McHenry County, North Dakota in 1907 on some property they homesteaded on. They had to live on the homestead for two years and improve the land before they could get title to it and sell it. They didn't put roots down there, as Baily was born in Lamar, CO in 1911. At some point before Ansel's birth, they ended up in back in Davis County, IA. He remembers being told that he was born in his Grandparents house on their homestead. The family stayed there until Ansel was almost 1 year old and then Hirum loaded up the family and moved them to Okemah, OK where he bought a livery stable. Ansel recalls hearing that Papa tired of dealing with the public and he shifted his business to horse trading and running freight wagons. Hirum left Okemah and headed 90 some miles north and started training race horses at Fairfax, OK near the Osage Indian Reservation. The family remained in Okemah until the school year finished and then they made their way north to catch up with Papa and settled in Pawnee, OK.
This was when the story happened that Ansel tells about Mama and the children traveling by themselves by train and the train putting them off on a remote rail road siding to wait for a northbound train in the middle of no where literally - no building, no trees, no residences, no shade or shelter of any kind. Just a switch and the tracks and it was getting dark. Ansel was 7 years old...
