WHERE I LIVED/ TOOK MORE THAN ONE VILLAGE!

       As a a youth I grew up on a farm in north Jasper County.(S.E. 1/4 of Section 2, Range 81, Township 18) Our actual address was Rural Route, Gilman, Iowa. Most  county roads had no names or a numbering system as is in place today. Gilman was approximately seven miles east of our farm.

       Three miles plus of our farm and in Marshall County was Laurel, which was our school district, (Laurel Consolidated School) and was also our telephone service location.  Just for information, our phone number was 3 on 5, or by using the old ringer type phone was one short ring and three longs rings. Laurel was where our church was located (Laurel United Methodist Church) and where most of local shopping was done.

        Newton was 20 miles to the south of our farm and was our  Jasper County Seat location.  Marshalltown was about 10 miles north of Laurel and was where we did most of our major shopping and where most of my mother's relatives lived. Finally, Kellogg was a town approx. 7 miles straight south of our farm and where we went to a meat  butcher/ locker/ storage for our needs.