Babcock Knoll Family History

The legacy of Edith Stella Knoll and Orville Gorman Babcock is an enchanting story interwoven with tales of strength, perseverance, courage, and commitment. Orville and Edith’s story began nearly 150 years ago. Imagine being born in 1885, almost one and a half centuries ago! Colorado, where Edith and Orville were born, had only recently become the 38th state in 1876. The Civil War had just ended twenty years prior in 1865.

Edith and Orville grew up in homes without electricity or running water, and the primary mode of transportation was a horse. There were no refrigerators, radios or television, nor had automobiles or airplanes been invented. An unskilled worker could earn $1 to $2 per day, while a skilled worker might earn $2 to $5 per day. A bicycle cost around five dollars. And if you had enough money to purchase, rather than make your own furniture, a chair would cost one to three dollars, and a table sold for three to five dollars. Vaccinations for preventative measures did not exist, so many of their friends and or family members succumbed to diseases such as tuberculosis, measles, scarlet fever, and polio, which today are preventable.

Edith and Orville lived to see the building of the Panama Canal, the Wright Brothers make their first airplane flight, the sinking of the Titanic, women’s right to vote, the Great Depression, two World Wars, the invention of the television, the first American to orbit the Earth in a space capsule, and the passage of The Civil Rights Act. Just nine months after Edith’s passing, Orville watched with astonishment as Neil Armstrong became the first human to step foot on the moon!*

In the following chapters you will journey back to the late 1700’s when the first of our relatives came to the shores of North America. These individuals will come to life through the photographs, documents and letters they left behind. You will learn of their dreams, sacrifices, endurance and most importantly, the love that united them through the generations of family. They are not just tales, but the personal threads that weave the fabric of our heritage. Orville and Edith’s three children, Gertrude, Kenneth and Edith May were raised in a home filled with love, kindness and compassion. This is a tribute to the legacy of those who came before. And we are the guardians of their memory.

*Many other significant events and historical milestones which occurred during Edith and Orville’s lifetime may be found in epilogue of this series, The Family History of Orville Gorman Babcock and Edith Stella Knoll Babcock.

Book One: Ancestry and Earliest Years of Orville and Edith

Book Two: College, Summer Work and Meeting

Book Three: Move to Maryland, Letters from a Distance, Marriage, Minnesota and Texas

Book Four: Early Days in Sonora, Texas

Book Five: Home Life, Ranch Experiment Station, Golden Anniversary, Final Years

Epilogue

Preface

What prompted us to put the story of Orville and Edith together was the discovery of a green Samsonite suitcase in our mother’s home filled with our grandfather’s notes about his life and that of his wife and children. It became clear that a few years before his death, age and severe arthritis in his hands halted any dream he had of completing his written story.

Peggy initiated this project by meticulously putting the pieces together; multiple pages of notes he had compiled over decades from Orville and Edith’s families, numerous documents and photographs. The initial volumes were completed in time for our mother, Edith May, to enjoy during the final years of her life. The sheer delight and pleasure she had reading through the pages, seeing old photographs and letters was a precious gift.

After our mother’s passing, Diana continued this family history. She added photographs, archival materials, transcribed letters and articles, editing and enriching the book with supplementary details. In the end, our lives are enhanced by getting to know our grandparents from their earliest days onward to discover the rich tapestry of their lives.

You, too, will gain a unique perspective of your own life by exploring our family history. As you uncover the stories of our ancestors, you will encounter tales of resilience and fortitude in the face of adversity. An appreciation of their struggles and triumphs may inspire gratitude and resilience in your own life as you realize that the challenges and achievements you face are part of a larger narrative built upon the foundations laid by your forebears.

And remember, once the people we love are gone, so are their stories, unless they leave behind a treasure trove like our grandfather did. What a gift!

January 2025

Handwritten Outline
Brief History of Mr. and Mrs. O.G. Babcock