Jesse Thompson McGonagle & Ada Lee Birney
Jesse
grew up on a farm in Deersville, Ohio. When he was only twelve he started doing
all of the farming and only went to school in the winter because of farming in
the spring and fall. He loved horses and started raising them when he was
seventeen.
When he was dating Ada, they went to
parties, buggy rides and at least once a motorcycle ride. Jesse drive the
motorcycle, and Ada rode on the back. The road became very, very rough, and she
slid off! Jesse went several miles before he realized she wasn’t there. He was
really embarrassed over this and was really teased about it. Ada thought it was
funny.
Ada
had three older sisters. She received her schooling in a one room school house
near her home in Cozad, Nebraska. When she was sixteen her Father died. Her
sisters were married and had homes of their own. Ada and her mother continued
to live on the farm. Ada loved the farm; she was good with horses and could
really handle a horse and buggy.
Over the years, Ada and her husband
Jesse worked hard farming, and they operated a dairy. Ada was a devoted wife,
mother, grandmother and friend. She was constantly doing for others. Ada was a
very good cook. She grew a good garden and beautiful flower garden. She shared
her flowers with others, bouquets and perennial starts. She enjoyed taking her
friends places with her. She was active in the Methodist Church, Rebecca
Auxiliary and Farm Bureau.