!BEAVER COUNTY BOOK By Martha Ellen Handley (Paine) Moser:

Caleb Horner Handley was born in 1854 at Camden, New Jersey. Mary Ann (Gorrell) Handley was born at Rosebud, New Jersey, in 1857. (PARENTS: James S/Y & Rebecca BISHOP Gorrell - lived Atchison, Ks.!-- (LDS records show 16 Mar 1860 Camden, Camden, New Jersey)--- Her parents migrated from Germany. Caleb and Mary Ann were married December 16, 1876, at Burlington, New Jersey. On their wedding day they left New Jersey to come to Sullivan County, Missouri. They lived there until 1902 when they came with nine of their eleven children to the Panhandle of Oklahoma. The children were August, Emaline, William, Ruth, Nancy, Joseph, Martha, Mildred and Mary.Florence remained in Missouri and came later; James went to Kelso, Washington.

My parents chartered a train car to bring their household goods and other The first home on the claim was a one-room frame shanty. Later Caleb built a two story frame home. It caught fire and burned to the ground on ChristmasEve of 1903.

The children were parceled out to the neighbors until March of the next year, when all the neighbors gathered and cut sod for a two room sod house. The women cooked and served dinner out of doors on boards laid ontrestles. There was snow on the ground but the day was warm. Caleb built another two story frame house that stood until after 1949, when it was torn down and lumber moved to Texas to build a house.

The fall we came to Oklahoma Emma had emptied some ashes covering them with a paper to keep them from blowing, not knowing there were some live coals. The wind snatched the paper and set the grass on fire. All the ranchers and settlers, my three oldest sisters included, fought fire for several miles as it burned all the grass between our place and Madison, even jumping a little stream which was part of the Kiowa. The next spring the whole prairie wasbeautiful with velvety green grass and millions of wild flowers.

Mr. Handley was a building contractor. He and his son William worked at Woodward, Oklahoma, where they built a large part of the town. Mrs. Handley and the children stayed on the claim and proved it up. August, who was fourteen years old, built fence, plowed, and dug a cellar. He and his three older sisters had to herd range cattle off their crop as there was no herd law in those days. The winter of 1903 was a terribly cold one, with no fuel except cow chips to burn. During the big snow in March, they ran out of fuel. August decided to use lumber that had been shipped in to build a barn; when the snow was gone so was the lumber!

August attended school at the Rock School one-half mile east of Logan.

The building still stands in 1969. Emaline, Ruth and Nancy attended school in the dugout at Golden in 1903. A strip of canvas was used for the door. The frame building was built in 1904 and Martha, Mildred, Joseph and Mary attended there. Later they attended school at Copple. Mrs. Handley was active in literary work and often gave readings at the Friday night meetings.

Mr. and Mrs. Handley moved to Woodward in 1923. Caleb died November 15, 1932, Mary Ann December 6, 1934. Both are buried in the Woodward Cemetery, as are most of their Children.

Joseph died during World War I on October 11, 1918, his 24th birthday. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery - Woodward, OK.

Mary died in October 1923. She is buried in Elmwood Cemetery - Woodward, OK.

Florence married Lynn Doty of the Golden district. At her death in 1937 she was Mrs. Frank Reed. She is buried in Elmwood Cemetery - Woodward, OK.

Emaline (Emma) Underwood died in 1921. Buried Elmwood Cemetery.

Nancy married Mont (Shorty) Cole of Logan. She died October 29, 1960.

William, Known as Willie, was killed on his farm March 29, 1935, from a carbide explosion. Buried Elmwood Cemetery - Woodward, Ok.

August was injured in the April 9, 1947, tornado at Woodward. He died September 13, 1955. Buried Longview, Wa.

The three daughters living 1969 are Martha (Paine) Moser of Cushing, Oklahoma; Ruth (Mrs Elmus Ryan) of Lacombe, Alberta, Canada; and Mildred, (Mrs. Herb Filer) of Longview, Washington.

In 1907, Caleb retired from his trade and built a grocery store on his claim which he called the "Golden Rule Grocery". In 1909, he sold his claim to a drummer, Charlie Waters of Woodward, and bought a general store at Catesby, Ok. He moved the goods from the Golden Grocery to Catesby. Caleb and Mary Ann moved to Woodward in 1923.

Obit:
C. H. Handley To Be Interred TomorrowRev. John Marsh of Catesby will officiate at the funeral of Caleb H. Handley Friday afternoon at 3 o'clock at Chenoweth's mortuary. Interment will be in Elmwood Cemetery.

Mr. Handley was born in Burlington, M. J., March 22, 1857 and died at the home of his son, W. H. Handley Tuesday, Nov. 15. He was married to Mary Ann Gorrell, Dec. 16, 1878.

The widow and the following children survive: Mrs. Florence Reed, Neosho, Mo., J. B. Handley, Kelso, Wash., August Handley, Wynnewod, Okla., Mrs. Ruth Ryan, Carnation, Canada, Mrs. Nannie Cole, Oklahoma City, Mrs W. D. Moser, Chusing, Okla., Mrs Mildred Filer, Delso, Wash. Two brothers and tw sisters survive.

The deceased has lived here the past 30 years coming to Oklahoma from Missoiri. He was a member of the Nazarene church. (Woodward Dailey Press, Thursday Nov. 17, 1932, Front page)

Buried at Woodward, Ok., Elmwood Cemetery, Lot 10, Block 3, Section 1, Space 5.

Mr. Handley was a builder and storekeeper, owned a store in the Catesby area