Ira Glen Toland, Stella’s eldest was born on a farm near Bardolph and grew to manhood in that vicinity. He became a third trick operator at the C. B. & Q. Station at Camp Point, Ill., where he met and married Mildred Hunsaker of Camp Point. They have three daughters, Virgene, Lois and Carol. Glen has been a good railroad man through his years as betokened by him being a vice-president with headquarters in Hannibal, Mo., where he has charge of the lines using that point as a division center. In directing the affairs of the Q lines reaching there, he is responsible for many hundreds of mens’ livelihoods and lives as well as many thousands of dollars of rolling stock and other equipment. Glen is a big man, physically, and is nearing retirement as he went into Q service about 1925.
Harry Lee Toland is Stella’s second child. Born at Clarence, Mo., he was taken to Illinois as a tiny baby and has not left that state since, as he purchased a farm with his wife, the former Rosann Smith of near Bardolph. Their farm is a typical mixed farming deal with many acres of the 363 in grass bottomland adjacent to the LaMoine River.
Although the bottom land is very fertile, it is subject to deep overflow at different times through the year, so is kept in pasture, where his cows’ calves are born, which he later feeds off with the corn and roughage produced on the other parts of his farm. Production and feeding with resultant sale of hogs is an integral part of the mixed farming business. They have four children, which are all double T’s: Trevor Toland, Trent Toland, Treva Toland and Tina Toland. Trevor is now a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and was basketball star in his school days.
Margaret Ann (Peggy) Toland Kelso has been a farm wife for many years since marrying Keith Kelso. As a soldier uncle I arrived to visit them and joined them in Bardolph. After driving to our old place, which they were farming at the time, I walked out around the yard at the height of a moonlighted night to see some of the changes, etc. Keith made the remark, “It’s the first time we have ever had our farm inspected at 10:30 p.m.”
I believe they are now living in Bardolph although they may still be on the farm. Peggy was often with us while we were on the Switzer farm and accompanied Dad, Grace, Ken and I to Springfield during the summer of 1924 to attend the State Fair, while Marolyn was left with her parents. It was quite a long trip, 110 miles, so we took parts of 2 days to reach there, but I believe we drove home in one day. Their children are Joyce, Julane and Dianne.
Maxine Toland Graham lives at Hilltop Homes, Bloomington, Ill. They have one child, Jerry Graham, who is grown and has a job as a lineman for the General Telephone Company there. Maxine’s husband is a boss with an Electrical Construction Company in Bloomington. Maxine is a secretary in the same city. As a young girl we thought she resembled her mother more than the other girls did although she showed a tendency to be the shortest of her sister, and shorter than her mother was at Maxine’s age.
Betty Toland Isenberg lives with her husband at Cave City, Ky., close to the Mammoth Caves of southern Kentucky. She clerks in a store in Cave City, as her husband is an invalid. Betty was born on my birthday, 20 years my junior, I believe. During the Second World War, I was passing through Galesburg, Ill., and went to use a telephone in the quite large depot. As I turned a corner around a long seat, one of my feet slipped on the very hard and very slick floor, so I grabbed for my little wedge cap. In doing so, I attracted the attention of a lady in a nearby family group, who came to me and said, “I believe you are my Uncle Louis, I’m Betty.” We arranged a little trick on her mother who was to meet them there, in that she was not to be told about me, so I sat down with my face averted, when she came there, then after a few minutes stood up and kidded her — my sister Stella. She was dumbfounded at the actions of the big soldier in a strange uniform until her “Well, Louis!” showed she recognized me. Betty has 2 sons, Herbert and Greg.
Lester Dean Toland (Bud) was the youngest of the family. He was quite an athlete in school and afterward became a nationally known motorcycle rider in hill climb, at one time second best for the State of Illinois. He passed away some years ago, leaving a lovely wife and two children, a son and daughter, Mike and Karen. “Bud’s” widow has since remarried and is Mrs. George McNamar. She spent some years with her present husband in the Canal Zone while he was stationed there as a member of the U.S.A.F., but recently they have transferred to a point in Southern California, where we have no address.
Ralph Booth Switzer’s three children are: Evelyn Switzer Perrine, who was born while they were on Dad’s farm. I lived there for a year with them and farmed with Ralph, while she was learning to walk. She grew up at the edge of Roseville and married at the start of World War II, staying at her parents’ home, while her husband was in the U.S. Army. Her first child, Susan, was a preschool child at the time I visited there during the war but has since grown up, married and has a family.
Helen Switzer Rochette is living with her husband at Roseville, Ill. Her two sons have gone to make their own homes and lives and she is a trained nurse, now employing her time as a doctor’s receptionist and technician, while her husband, Paul, is a painter. While living with Ralph and Lady, I was called from my bed by Ralph in the wee small hours of one summer morning to drive Ralph’s Ford roadster to Macomb to get Mrs. Toland, Herb’s mother, to help in the home until Lady could again resume her duties after Helen’s birth — so I have felt a little closer to Helen than to others of my nieces. In Chicago during the war, I telephoned their home on the north side and Paul came to the station to take me to their home where I spent hours of pleasure. Their sons are Paul, Jr., ad Richard, both married.
Ralph Vincent Switzer was born at the time they were living east of Roseville. He grew to manhood there and was given a business education. He has married and lives in a suburb of Chicago — Park Ridge, Ill., and is in business with his father-in-law as manufacturers of parts for farming implements. Moms and I engineered a meeting between him with his wife and Ken at the O’Hare Airport in northwestern Chicago, when Ken was passing through there in 1965. They spent a very enjoyable hour together, becoming acquainted as they were cousins who had never met since they were preschool children. Vincent and his wife have two teenage boys.
Howard Switzer Jr., son of Howard and Virginia Switzer of South Pasadena, Calif., is married and lives in the fashionable suburb, Granada Hills, of Los Angeles. We have had no contact with him nor his parents lately other than by an annual exchange of Xmas cards with Howard and Jinnie, so cannot give any information about him other than he and his wife both work and have no family.