Mead WA 1965 - John Kirk (Wineland)

Mead Wash

Sept 11 – 65

Dear Bro & Sis,

Now don’t faint or fall over dead. I will write you a line to let you know how we are over here. I hope that you folk are all well as we are over here except Frank. He seems to be holding his own pretty good some days he feels real Bad then some days he seems to feel Better he is just skin & Bones. He has a tumor in his lower abdomen that is getting real large.

The Doctors have quit giving him anything for Cancer he gets his pain shots & pills he has suffered a awful lot.

I wonder why some people have to suffer so much.

Is your Daughter and her children still there near you if so I will bet you have a time I know how we enjoy our grand children. Well guess I will close.

With love your Bro John & Iola

Frank & Velma Kirk 12-29-64

12-29-64

Mead Wash

Box 183 99021

Dear Bro & Sis:

Received your nice letter & Xmas card. Was sure glad to hear from you. I have not been able to answer any letters & cards till now. Since my operation I have had so much trouble with my right arm & shoulder that I couldn’t control it some of the time. I am much better now & feel as if they have my cancer coming their way. I had such pains in my side below my rib cage and in my shoulder that I went to the Dr to find out what caused the pain and in xraying to find what caused my shoulder to hurt they got a picture of my right long, then found that there was something there, so the Dr. referred me to a heart & long specialist.

He put me in the hospital & tried to prove whether or not it was malignant But every test that he made didn’t prove anything. So he said that he would have to operate to find out. So operate they did. To the tune of between $1200.00 & $1400.00 to prove whether or not we were in trouble. Well it was, he didn’t remove by surgery as he felt he or we had a better chance by treatments. Then we had to wait for 2 weeks because of surgery to start treatments. Then he gave me this new drug call Fluorouracil. But my pain below my rib cage had continually got worse & my shoulder hadn’t improved, So after 5 full shots & 2 half shots. He said that he had been in hopes of pain relief. 7 hrs left me 3 half shots to go yet. He told me to take a series of xray treatments (12 in all for now) well I am over or thought with that series of xray treatments as of last Monday and my severe pain under my rib cage is almost gone. Have to go back to the Dr to-day. I don’t know if he will continue the Fluorouracil more or not.

So much for all this malarkey

Archie Bro John said that you had retired also Mable said that you were having trouble with your arm. What is it?

Must be pretty nice not to have anything to do. Ha.

Surely hope that the kids got to come home from the holidays, I suppose that they will be gone by the time you get this. If not give them a big Hello for us. Sure would like to see the kids. Mother & Bro George & Hazel W here for about 2 weeks. Before their last weekend we tried calling you to see if ya could fly over that weekend but couldn’t get any answer. S gave it up. Sure would like to have the rest of the family meet you.

We are having some winter we now have around 18” of snow on the ground. Not very cold thank heaven.

After reading this much of this letter I should have said that mother is still here and that if you get this letter  translated you will have to come over & let me try!!

Please try & come over if you can. If you fly over some one will meet you at the airport. Anytime. Just let us know when.

Well folks I must close as my arm doesn’t want to work very good.

 Bye Bye with Love to all.

From Frank & Velma

Note: Frank Kirk is the half brother of Archie Wineland. Archie and Frank's father changed his name to Kirk. 

1929 - re: Bill Kirk estate - E. E. Spencer, Atty

Ernest E. Spencer

Attorney at Law

Hayes Center, Nebrska

May 23, 1929.

Mr. Archie Wineland

Natoma, Kansas.

Dear Sir:      In re: Estate of Bill Kirk, deceased.

I have been intending to write you for some time concerning my findings on the questions you asked me concerning the above estate, but I have been so busy as County Attorney with criminal work that was forced to put this matter off.

The records show that Mrs. Kirk during the course of the probate of the above estate secured permission of the District Court to sell the real estate on the ground that there was not sufficient personal property to satisfy the debts against the estate. The land was then sold by Mrs. Kirk as administratrix at public sale to Joseph Hruza, he being the highest bidder for $3500.00. The amount of land involved in the sale was two quarters or 320 acres and the amount of the debt of the estate as claimed by Mrs Kirk was #3622.15. The land as you will note sold for a little over $10.00 per acre. It is probably worth from $15.00 t $20.00 per acre. Mrs. Kirk as administratrix gave a deed to Joseph Hruza, her brother on Jan. 9^th and on Feb. 13^th Joseph Hruza deeded the land back to her for one dollar and other valuable considerations. On April 15^th Mrs. Kirk gave a mortgage on the land to one Frank Kroutliek for $2000.00.

I have had a talk with one of the appraisers, Mr. John Curran and while he admitted that the personal property was appraised low he said that all of the farm machinery was old worn out stuff and that it would not bring any more on a public sale. He was favorable to Mrs. Kirk and in reply to one of my questions said that Mrs. Kirk deserved everything that was coming to her. Mrs. Kirk as also allowed by the county court $100.00 per month for 12 months for support of herself and family during the administration of the estate. While this was very high yet no objection was made at the time it was allowed so it would be impossible to object to that part of it now.

I have also had a talk with Atty. John F. Cordeal of McCook, who is considered one of the best probate lawyers in this part of the State and we both agreed that while there is no doubt but that you heirs couldopen up the proceedings which were had and that you might be able to get the deed to the land set aside on the ground of fraud, yet there would be such a small amount of money involved that it is doubtful whether it would more than pay the expense. We also came to the conclusion that unless we could show that the property had been fraudulently appraised to low and that the claims allowed against the estate were in part improper that the sale of the land by Mrs. Kirk to pay the debts would probably stand. If the court found that the debts were proper and that the sale by Mrs. Kirk was proper we would loose the case. While it seems clear to me that there was a considerable amount of fraud yet I feel that it will be hard to prove and for that reason I would not want you to spend any money when it is very doubtful whether you would get any money if you won the suit. If this land is worth $15.00 er acre the total value would be $4800.00 and after the debts of the estate were subtracted there would be $1177.85 to divide between Mrs. Kirk and you 8 children which would give each of you a little over $100.00. The expense of the resale of the land would also have to come out of this sum if the court set the deed to the land aside. After the expense of suit and attorneys fees I am doubtful if you would have anything left.

I trust that this has fully answered your questions and I will be glad to be of service to you heirs at any time in any way.

Very truly yours,

(signed) E. E. Spencer

EES:KLS

Personal note: Guess my grandfather lost the land he was expecting when his father died.  Fraud is fraud, no matter how you look at it. Mrs. Kirk (in my research) sounds like a real b***ch. My great grandfather Cary Wineland aka Bill Kirk, sounds like an interesting person and the theme "what comes around, goes around," seems to have happened to him in the end. 

Postmarked: Stockton, Kans. Nov. 27, 1961

Mrs. Lee Williams
Stockton, Ks.

Nov 26, 1961

Dear Bro & Sis,

     How are you. Why dont you kids ever write. We are well & hope you are in good health;

     Buismess has been pretty good. had wonderful winter so far.
 
    Max my daugter was home for 1 mo wick went by to fast. Thy are all well.

    Archie Ive located dad last 3 boys.

    Fran Kirk & John Kirk are both at Mead Wash. Geo lives here 150 miles from me. him & his wife came up & spent all day & on night thy live at Haddam Ks. sure had good visit with Them.

    Alvin at Lexington Nebr & Floyd at California MO. do you have Irvins address. he the only one I havent seen wish we all could get together & have a Happy family day. sure wish you kids could of spent more time with us.

     Just short dream.

     Has Shirley & family got home.

     Well, we'll close knew you like know of where boys were so just line to let you know I think of you & Love you.

     As Ever. Your Sis
           Mamie J. Lee
             Write us some time & be good.

Osborne, KS March 20th, 1962

Osborne, Kansas

March 20^th, 1962

Dear Archie and Mable:

I am sending you the obituary of Bess. She passed away March 7^th and was buried at Hoxie on the 12^th.

I was there and all the kids except Harold and he was at her funeral at Silverton but had to get back to Mexico where he works.

All the kids look fine except Rool and he looked pale puny I suppose because he has had so much sickness and been inside so much.

I hadn’t seen little Alice or Cliddords Sylvia since Freds funeral Clifford looked better than I had ever seen him. You know he had a very bad appendix operation in August and they thought he wouldn’t live for several days.

Well we have had the Damdest winter cold and lots of snow. 24 below one night and lots of night ten below and not over ten above in the day time. They say today is the first day of spring, ad a couple days of good weather and then an inch of rain last night and windy as hell today.

Walter Pfortmiller was here a few days ago wanting your Address and Cliffs at Portland, Guess he is going to take a trip up in that country this summer.

Saw Melvin a month or so ago and he said that he was up to Stocton and saw Roxie and some of the Wineland kids and I think he said he saw a couple of the Kirk boys, Looks like they would change their name to Wineland.

Johnnie lOckes BB teamwent to State again but put out in their first game. I am wating anxiously for Base Ball to start. A little less than a month now and I will be stuck fast to TV.

Looks like the Dogers or Giants in the National don’t think the reds can do it again and of course it will be the Yanks in the American but I wish some other team would get in there and beat the sox off them.

Havent seen Stella since Joes funeral but one when we were we were in Salina Ila called her and she said if she sold her house she was going to move to Colo Springs where her daughter lives.

Last fall when Lucille and CB and four other couples went Elk hunting down in South western Colo Lucille was the only one to get an Elk. She felt pretty big about it.

Havent been over to Natoma for several months. Don’t know if Ralp took his annual trip or not.

Love to both and write,

Uncle Geo.