1988
To "Kimmy" my grandchild
I want you to have this saddle. It may be a little hard for you to understand what I am writing but; someday when you are older I want you to read this for yourself. I can't really give this saddle to you because it is not mine to give. It belonged to your maternal great-grandfather. It is probably about as old as I am. If it belongs to anyone, it would be your Grandma Morgan and she approves giving it to you. I never owned a saddle until a few years ago when I bought my brother Wallace's saddle from his heirs. Now don't misunderstand. I grew up on a horse. I can't remember when I learned to ride. We rode bareback like the Indians. Sometimes we didn't even use a bridle but would put a loop of rope around the jaw of the horse, grab a hunk of mane and swing on and away we went. Now people want to cut all the mane off. When Grandad quit riding I started using this saddle. I liked it. It rode like I wanted a saddle to feel like. It needs a lot of oil and strings and lots of love and care. If you work on it and use it right it could still be around when you are old. If I could design a coat of arms for our family I think that I would use this saddle. You see saddles have always been important and your daddy still uses one. My grandfather came to this country in 1868. He came on a saddle horse. You see he was born (according to family tradition) at sea near the Isle of Man. We are of Welsh descent. His mother didn't want him to be a Seaman. He came to America and made his way to the west. He worked for a freighting outfit in Nebraska about the time of the Civil War. He was born in 1844. My brother, Julius, says he worked with the construction crews when they built the Union Pacific Railroad that could carry goods and passengers from the east clear to the Pacific Ocean. You can see why that railroad was called the Union Pacific. He also served as an army civilian scout. I think that is how he came to Kansas. He took a claim on the south fork of the Solomon River. Actually the place was called Museum Creek but it emptied into the Solomon a little way from his place. He sold that claim and went to Texas just after my father was born. He did not stay in Texas but returned to Kansas. He ran cattle until a short time before he died.
May you keep the faith,
Grandpa