For Descendants of Christopher (Doc) Cranston & Bess Melby
The Panic of 1907 How Lewis Levi Painter got his money out of a closed bank Written by a grandchild of Lewis Levi Painter — author not yet identified Subject: Lewis Levi Painter, who signed himself L.L. Painter Event: The Panic of 1907, fall of that year Place: The Painter ranch on the Little Missouri […]
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Marion Painter’s Story As told to Donna at Tamarin Square, Durango, Colorado Provided by Melinda Painter Subject: Marion Cranston Painter Parents: Christopher and Elizabeth Cranston Born: Harding County, South Dakota Recorded: Tamarin Square, Durango, Colorado — 1983 or later Recorded by: Donna Marion Cranston Painter told her life to a woman named Donna at Tamarin […]
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Here’s “The Gang” along with Wood and Stuart Jett in the early 1930’s in the Badlands.. From left to right we have: Tip, Wood, Bill, Marion, Helen, Stuart.
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See if you can recognize some of these characters and put the names in the comments.
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The Place Bess and Ole Melby Bought when they Sold the Ranch This is a mini-history of what the parents of Marion, Helen, Bill and Tip did when they sold their ranch and left for the Black Hills to enter the tourist business. The Battle Mountain Auto Camp (BMAC) sat on the north side of […]
Read More… In January of 1975, at the ranch outside Crawford, Nebraska, Marion sat down to tell her cousins that her husband was gone. Preston had suffered a stroke on Tuesday the seventh and died on Sunday the twelfth. What survives is seven handwritten pages — a letter to Cousin Frances dated January 29, a second letter […]
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This photo was taken around 1920. The photo includes (from left to right) Marion, Helen, Bill, and Tip
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In Rob Painter’s words . . . . . I would like to start by relating a journal that explains a part of, or what makes Dad, or (Bob) as you know him, Who he is. A good part of what makes a man is of course Mother. In this case that is Marion Cranston […]
Read More…Marion Writes a Letter – “From Your Mother” Dear One a Diary Belle Fourche, South Dakota At D. L. Owens home January 24, 1938 (This is the entry and voice of Marion Painter) Your Father and I don’t know who you are yet, but I am here waiting for you to come, while he stays […]
Read More…These photos were taken in September 1974 when Dick was a senior in High School. The gathering was to go to the football game. The view is from the windmill at Preston and Marion’s ranch northeast of Crawford, NE. In one of the photos, you can see the north side of the ranch house.
Read More…Jack Watson and Dick Painter also sent this letter to “one” – written in February 1938. Here is the full letter, both pages joined: Belle Fourche, South Dakota At D. L. Owen’s Home. Dear One; I went to see Doctor Davis yesterday afternoon. He said I could call your Daddy to come down Thursday, that […]
Read More…From Jack Watson and Dick Painter . . . . this is apparently a letter written to the Painter children by Marion in January of 1938 anticipating the arrival of a new family.
Read More…Apparently there was some sort of tradition in some of the Cranston clan families for having oyster stew on Christmas eve. Certainly I remember having it with Helen and Wood, and it looks like the same tradition was prevalent with the Painters and Melbys. So . . . . Here’s the recipe that I found […]
Read More…Here are some new photos that include Marion and Preston . . . . . taken around 1970, I think. Group photo was taken (I believe) at Preston’s funeral.
Read More…This photo was taken in Spearfish sometime in the early 1930’s. See if you can find Helen and Marion.
Read More…Here are some photos taken from the slides that Helen had. Please feel free to make comments regarding when they were taken and who the people are in the photos. I think some were taken at Mary’s wedding and some at Thanksgiving sometime in the sixties.
Read More…My Mother, the Laundress In the 1950’s and 1960’s Belle Fourche was a town of about 5,000 people. It was a time when kids walked everywhere or maybe rode their bicycles. Being the 5th of 10 children and starting at age 11, the oldest daughter at home, I was called upon to help my Mom […]
Read More…These are the locations taken from Google Earth of the various places where the Cranstons Lived in North and South Dakota. The location is the North Dakota / South Dakota state line and to the west is the Montana State line. This is the overview Another Overview Relationship between Painter Ranch and the Willett Place […]
Read More…Marion and Helen stayed with “Auntie Pearl” in LaGrange, Illinois where they attended and graduated from Lyons Township High School. “Auntie Pearl” was Louise Pearl Burnside and daughter of Marcus Terry Burnside and Maude Taliaferro Cranston who was some 14 years older than her younger brother, Christopher “Doc” Cranston. Marcus and Maude married in 1883.when […]
Read More…As Dick Painter said, “Mom had anticipated this photo and wanted everything just right. Everyone had just the right clothes notice. Dan and Mary had tried using hydrogen peroxide and their hair was a little light colored. Ned did it and had me try it too. Our hair turned out an awful looking red so […]
Read More…I think this is the wedding photo of Preston and Marion Painter.
Read More…When Marion, Helen, Bill and Tip lived with Giles and Nellie Campbell at (I think) the Shaw place, Helen, Bill and Tip were playing down by the Grand River. One of them had to go to the bathroom (#2) . . . . went . . . and then covered the “stuff” with dirt. […]
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