Rose Elizabeth "Rosebeth" Towar

  General Notes:

I have been told that my mother, Rosebeth was a healthy baby. She was thrown from a horse when she was seven years old. The injuries she suffered at this time resulted in her being an invalid the rest of her life. An X-ray taken in the last years of her life revealed that her heart had, in that accident, been thrown out of kilter. All of life she suffered severe heart attacks. She died of such an attack at the age of fifty-seven.
The disappointment and tragedy of their children did not embitter Frank and Mary. They took a great interest in young people. It seems that they had frequent and regular get togethers with the young folk of the neighborhood. There were refreshments and games on hand at all times.
This leads me to remark on some of my grandfather's ideas about discipline, youthful behavior, etc. At a time when playing cards were considered the handwork of the devil, he permitted card games in his home. "Better," he said, "than hiding out in a drafty barn."
At a time when the adage "Spare the rod, Spoil the child" was practically an article of faith, my grandfather did not believe in corporal punishment. His favorite remark concerning this matter was, "you beat one devil out and seven devils in" In civic and social affairs the Towars were active. Grandfather was a charter member of the National Grange in the area. The Grange was a National organization to unify the farmers and to further their interests. It is still in existence. Grandfather, also, was a deacon in the church and was, as far as I know, considered a prosperous farmer. At one time, whether it was before his marriage or not, I do not know, he belonged to the Vigilantes. I should judge it was when he was a young man. According to his account, horse stealing was very common 'in an early day'. The law was not yet strong in the area, and the farmers organized the Vigilantes for self preservation. Grandfather, however, was never required to attend a 'neck tie party'.

Rosebeth and Peter Edson

Both my mother and my father were born in the 1870's. Mother was a little older than Dad. She was thirty when they married. As I have indicated my mother's childhood was protected, and although, after the accident, she was frail and often ill, it was a happy childhood. A favorite experience she had when she was a little girl was to go on a trip. Grandpa would hitch some kind of a vehicle, supply it with what was necessary and he and little Rose would take off. It seems that they camped here and there at farms getting eggs, milk, etc. From the farm house Mother described to me woodland areas, springs, little creeks and the little wild creatures. His memories of these outings were very precious. It seemed that many evenings were spent with books and magazines. Grandma would probably be mending and Grandpa and Rose would take turns reading aloud. Other evenings were spent playing games. This past time lived down to my childhood. After supper (no Dinner) the dishes and kitchen were cleaned up. I can even remember the big kerosene lamp being set on the dining table as the family gathered around. Sometimes it was dominoes. As I grew older we played cards more often. Euchre, High Five (sometimes called Pedro) were our favorite games. I know this was a continuation of my mothers younger days. Caring parents, little in the way of financial worries, simply happiness seemed to be the ingredients that made up my mother's childhood.
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Rose married Peter Isaac Edson, son of Henry Wells Edson and Frances Deliah Gundy, on 30 Nov 1899 in Iowa Falls, Hardin County, IA. (Peter Isaac Edson was born on 31 Aug 1875 in Loyd, Richland County, Wisconsin and died on 15 Apr 1943 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona.)