Family History
Wilson Farm Tornado Aftermath September 1986
On the night of September 18, 1986, a tornado struck the Wilson farm destroying their landmark red barn. This video was filmed primarily by Bill Hogeland and follows the cleanup effort for the next three days where 117 friends, family, and neighbors turned out to lend a hand.
Ivan & Lillian Reeves Photo
Source:
Photo courtesy of Gary Crandall
Tilda & Otto Skjelver Jr. Picture
This photo is of Otto Skjelver, Jr. with his eldest sister, Tilda.
Ed Payne Homestead
Francis “Ed” Payne came in 1877 and entered a homestead and timberclaim in section 34, eventually owning all of that section. Ed Payne’s parents, Richard T. Payne, came in 1883, along with daughters Carrie and Pinkney, and son, Bruce Payne.
Source:
Webster County: Visions of the Past
By Mabel Cooper Skjelver
Published 1980
Page 63
Photograph courtesy of John Wilson, grandson of F.E. Payne
Ed Payne is holding his daughter, Wilella, with his mother, Mrs. Richard T. Payne in the background. His sister, Carrie, later Mrs. Noah Harvey, is in the foreground with her hand on a post. Two neighbor friends, Daisy Wilson, later Duval, and Della Wilson, later Bean, are in the foreground.
Source:
Webster County: Visions of the Past
By Mabel Cooper Skjelver
Published 1980
Page 69
Current location of Payne homestead pictured above. Also location of the original Otto Post Office, of which F.E. Payne was the first Postmaster.
