1.CharlesSamuelHarned1, born October 18, 1902 in Columbia, IA; died December 01, 1990 in Chariton, Lucas Co., IA - burial I.O.O.F. Cemetery, Indianola, IA. He was the son of 2. SamuelFletcherHarned and 3. BessieMayBenight. He married (1) RubyEleanorFlesher October 08, 1931 in Bethany, Harrison Co., MO. She was born June 19, 1910 in Indianola, Warren Co., IA.
Notes for Charles Samuel Harned:
Charles was born at 5:00 p.m. near Columbia, IA, on October 18, 1902.
He was the only son of Samuel and Bessie Harned, and had five
sisters. As a child he loved to draw. He took penmanship courses when older
and made beautiful pictures and writings. Charles farmed and he and his
mother ran a cafe in Pleasantville, IA, where he made delicious candy.
Charles' sisters, Grace and Fay, went to high school in Indianola and stayed
at Amy Flesher's house in town. Charles took them every weekend, and he met
Amy's niece, Eleanor, there. (Eleanor also stayed there so she could go to
school in town). Charles gave her an engagement ring in the fall of 1928.
Eleanor had saved money by driving the vocal teacher around to the different
schools. All she saved for their marriage was lost in the closing of the
banks during the Depression, so they waited a few years before they married.
They were married on October 8, 1931, in Bethany, MO.
After they were married they lived with his parents until warmer weather -
in the summer they would live in a coal mine shack that was on the 50 acres
that his father owned. They farmed the land - a good crop of corn was 10 cents
a bushel. At one time, they sold corn to a neighbor and one load brought
$6.00 - and it took all of it to buy Charles some overshoes he needed.
Besides farming, Charles also did carpentry work for a home builder in
Indianola.
The coal mine shack they lived in was down the hillside by the mine,
and they would store their food items in the mine to keep them cool. They
moved the shack up the hill after they had stayed there awhile. They had
cows and hogs, and made a box to put on the back of the shack to smoke pork
in. They sold hickory wood and traded it sometimes at the hardware store
for supplies, A four-burner kerosene cookstove was used for cooking. When
it was warm enough, they moved their bed (a sanitary cot) outside and slept
there. They lived there for two years - living at his parents in the winter,
where they had to share a room with two of Charles' sisters.
After the two years, they moved to a two-room shack near Indianola. They
lived there a short time, and then moved to a rented farm and built a one-
room house on skids. On this property was a barn, smokehouse, cave, and
orchard. (The first year there their crop was eaten by chinch bugs). Their
son, Carroll Samuel Harned, was born on this farm on January 20, 1935.
They then moved to Mile for a time, and then back to Indianola.
In Indianola they rented a place - but the owners sold it and they had
to move. A place was found for $5.00 a month that had been used to store
grain. They rented it, cleaned it up, and moved in on a Friday. Their
daughter, Virginia Louise Harned, was born on the following Monday, February
27, 1939.
Finally enough money was saved to buy some land - 80 acres east of
Eleanor's parents' home. They built a house on it, and moved in when two
rooms were completed. In 1946, they moved to a farm in the Cool community
near Indianola, and lived there for 10 years. The children attended Cool
School and the family attended Cool Fairview Christian Union Church while
living there. They have moved several times after this, as Charles enjoyed
fixing up homes and selling them. He also enjoyed collecting rocks and for
some time made beautiful jewelry. Eleanor enjoys crocheting doilies and other fine thread crocheting, sewing,and baking. They bought a farm outside of Chariton, Iowa, and built a new home there. They enjoyed raising a large garden every year. Charles passed away on December 1, 1990, at Chariton following a hip fracture.
