I am the youngest Truhitte grandchild. Pap (Benjamin Richard Truhitte) was killed in the buggy-pickup accident in 1936. Gram (Sarielda Guffey Truhitte) died in 1937 with flu or pneumonia. I was born in 1938. My parents lived in view of the Truhitte homestead and I heard lots of stories about my grandparents. When my dad was born, Sarah (the oldest living daughter) had Maynard in the same room so both she and her mother gave birth to boys on January 2, 1900. In fact, Sarah helped nurse my Dad.  There were never any Truhitte cousins for me to play with because they were all either much older or lived in California. I played with Aunt Lena's grandchildren some. Imogene Hemphill is the woman you visited with in Purdy. She is Aunt Maude's daughter. We visit often when we are in southwest Missouri and maintain a letter-phone correspondence.

I had never seen the picture of the Star City store before. My parents did not have a financial interest in the store. I believe Uncle Harve and Aunt Clarice Truhitte did, however. I didn't even know about that until a couple of years ago. The picture you sent shows Clarice and my dad, Norman Truhitte ("he is standing in the photo near her"). I believe the man on the wagon is Uncle Harve. This was well before my time however.  Were you told of the "falling out" of the Truhittes over their parents' estate?  I met your grandmother who is my cousin one time. I'm sending copies of pictures I located. Mother's captions on the back didn't copy but I am typing her notations.  I met your great-grandfather, my Uncle Mon, in 1953. We lived in San Diego for about six months and went to Compton to visit Uncle Mon and Aunt Essie. He was a huge man, in poor health, who spent most of his time in a recliner or large chair. I just remember my dad and Uncle Mon visiting much of the night. I picked lemons from a tree in their back yard. They were very gracious hosts. Essie and Mother always wrote and were good friends. Aunt Martha died before I was born. I'm sure Uncle Mon was buried in California.  Since Mother's death I have realized that much of our family history will be lost if I don't write it down. I will be doing that later if everything goes well with our family.  Mother and Dad were married December 25, 1922. My brother, Charles Van was born April 4, 1930, and died in Oklahoma City with a cerebral hemorrhage on September 25, 1975. His wife is living (phone is still in his name). They had no children.