Putting away the Christmas ornaments and removing the tree. Sorting through the photo albums of my mother’s to label them. I came across information and clippings about my grandmother’s early years and family in Nebraska. She grew up in Monowi which now has a population of 1. Her 1922 Commencement book had a graduation class of 5. The incorporated town (which is the smallest in the United States) is owned by the 1 inhabitant, a woman in her 70s. People moved away from the area in the 1930s as my family did. My grandfather, Ed, moved there from central Nebraska, the town of Fullerton, to teach school. He fell in love with my grandmother, Vada, the youngest of 11. They were married 51 years, until he died on April 13, 1976, their 51st anniversary. They were a love story the whole time together.

Tags: Nebraska