Franklin DH Proctor - Part One

Franklin DH Proctor

Taken from an account written by

Annie Caroline Proctor Jaynes

Franklin D H Proctor was the son of George Kidd Proctor Sr. and Mary Ann Anderson.  He was born 1 September 1881, in Lyle, Decator, Kansas.  He was named after a Clergyman Franklin David Hakes, who was a very dear friend to the family. 

I thought it would be interesting to know a little about this man that my Grandpa Proctor was named after.  So here is a little information about him.  Franklin David Hakes was born in Jefferson County New York.  He moved to Norton County Kansas in May 1875 and ended up settling in Long Branch, Kansas.  When the Baptist Church was organized in 1878, he was ordained minister.  He had been an active member of the Baptist Church since he was 20 years old and once he took up the ministry he gave it nearly his entire attention.  He never received any salary and all the pay he ever received was from voluntary contributions. 

Frank and his brother, George Kidd Jr., were constant companions all through life.  From Lyle the family moved to Devizes Co., Kansas.  When Grandpa was about three years old his mother, Mary Ann Anderson, died on 9 March 1884 at Devizes, Norton, Kansas, leaving  his father, George Kidd Proctor, with four small sons; James, George, Franklin, and Samuel.  The following 16 June 1884, Samuel died at the age of 6 months. 

     After a few years of crop failure, the family moved to Denver, Colorado.  Before Grandpa was five years old, he and his two brothers, James and George, sold newspapers on 16th and Curtis Street in Denver.  On this corner was a very large thermometer.  Thermometers were a rarity to the brothers.  On cold winter days, Grandpa and his brothers would blow on the mercury and raise it up to summer heat.  They would stand by and innocently eye the people as they would stare at the spurious readings.

     Grandpa made friends with the usher of the Tablegrand Theater in Denver.  He would let the usher read his newspapers in exchange the usher would let Grandpa have a seat in the show house.

     His father heard of a great Irrigation Project in Antlers, Colorado.  He took his three sons and left Denver for Antlers where he bought a large farm. 
Great Grandpa Proctor  married Isadora Pierce Waite in 1892.  A baby girl, Mary, was born 23 March 1894 at Antlers, Colorado. So Grandpa now had a new baby sister.

     While at Antlers, Grandpa attended the Washington School.  Professor Belch was the teacher.  There were over fifty students in the one room.  Professor Belch taught all grades and all subjects from reading in a Primer to Book keeping in high school.

     One day some boys put soot on Grandpa’s face with a poker.  The teacher was angry at Grandpa for having a dirty face.  He washed Grandpa’s face with frozen snow.  It rubbed the skin off his face and made it bleed.  The teacher was going to spank him with a fire shovel in front of the class to humiliate him.  Some boys yelled, "Grab his leg, Frank."  So Grandpa grabbed the teacher's leg and held on for dear life.  He didn't dare let go as the teacher was a very large man and the students were afraid of him.  Professor Belch lost his balance and hopped back to the wall.  The boys were all rooting for Grandpa.  When the teacher regained his balance, he grabbed Grandpa and gave him a terrible whipping.  When Grandpa arrived home and his father heard about the trouble, Grandpa was licked again.  (My how times have changed.  Now days it would be the teacher's fault no matter what.  Then and during my days if you got in trouble at school, you would be in double trouble at home.)

     Many days Grandpa had oats three meals a day and was glad to get it.