1906 --- KANSAS BIRTHS AND CHRISTENINGS INDEX 1895-1911
Name: Orval Britches
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Date: January 24, 1906
Birth Place: Sycamore Township. Montgomery County, Kansas
Father's Name: A. Britches
Father's Age: 24
Father's Birth Place: America
Mother's Name: Cora Beutler (should have been Beathe)
Mother's Age: 22
Mother's Birth Place: America
FHL Film Number: 1404666

1910 --- U. S. Federal Census, Oak Valley Township, Elk County, Kansas -- Dwelling Number: 93 - Sheet: 16B - Microfilm Roll: 439 ----- Albert B. Bretches 34 (head) Kansas - Cora E. 32 (wife) Kansas -- Ada 13 (daughter) Kansas -- Liddie H. 11 (daughter) Kansas -- Everett O. 9 (son) Kansas -- Hazel J. 7 (daughter) Kansas -- Orval P. 4 (son) Kansas -- Lola A. 2 (daughter) Kansas -- Ethel B 4/12 (daughter) Kansas.

1920 --- U. S. Federal Census, Oak Valley Township, Elk County, Kansas -- Dwelling Number: 36 - Line: 92 - Page: 2B - Microfilm Roll: 529 ----- Albert B. Bretches 43 (head) Kansas -- Cora E. 41 (wife) Kansas -- Everett 19 (son) Kansas -- Hazel J. 17 (daughter) Kansas -- Mabel E. (daughter) Kansas -- Orval P. 13 (son) Kansas -- Lola A. 12 (daughter) -- Ethel 19 (daughter) Kansas -- Lloyd L. 7 (son) Kansas -- Edna R. 4 (daughter) Kansas.

1930 --- U. S. Federal Census, Lincoln Township, Dickinson County, Kansas -- Dwelling Number 38 - Line: 71 - Page: 2B - Microfilm Roll: 700 ----- Harry J. Garton 31 (head) -- Beula 30 (wife) -- Chas. H. 4 (son) -- Orvil Bretches 24 (cousin).

1940 --- U. S. Federal Census, Park County, Wyoming -- Dwelling Number: 95 - Line: 69 - Page: 5B - Microfilm Roll: 4574 ----- Orval Bretches 33 (head) -- Neva 23 (wife) -- Terry Lee 3 (son) -- Olin Robert 9/12 (son).

Obituary: ORVAL PATRICK BRETCHES DIED AT DENVER, COLORADO

Orval Patrick Bretches, Denver, Colorado, succumed to cirrhosis of the liver April 28, 1957, at the Rocky Mountain Osteopathic Hospital in Denver. He had been ill since January.
Funeral services will be held today at 2 PM at the Latan Fawcett Funeral Home. The Rev. Wendell Paris will conduct the service and interment will be Oak Valley Cemetery near Longton.
Orval Patrick Brtetches, son of the late Albert and Cora (Brathe) Bretches, was born January 24, 1901 Radical District northwest of Independence. In the fall of 1934, he married Genva Beck of Independence. He lived in Elk County until moving to Denver 1940.
Survied by his wife and children: Terry Bretches of Denver, Colorado, Olan and Dennis Bretches of the home and one granddaughter, Terilyn Bretches of Denver.
Six sisters survive. They are Mrs. Will Muzingo, Rantoul, Kansas; Mrs. T. W. Hales, Mrs. W. B. Parker and Mrs. Ethel O'Nan, all of Kansas City, Missouri; Mrs. Bryan Morgan, of Denver; Mrs. John Dickens, Neodesha. One brother, Lloyd Bretches, of Neodesha. One aunt, Mrs. Mel Pitts, of Independence and an uncle, Homer Bretches, of Neodesha, also survives.
One sister, Mrs. Johnny Murphy and one brother, Everett Bretches preceeded him in death.
Mr. Bretches was baptized when a small boy and attended the Baptist church in Denver. He was a carpenter and painter.
NEODASHA REGISTER, September 16, 1965, obituary provided by Phyllis (Bretches) Buchanan, Witchia, Kansas.

The following was recorded on Tuesday, July 29, 1987 at the home of Edna (Bretches) Parker:

PLUM PIE

Edna: "We had box suppers to take to school, when we got big enough to decorate up a box and the boys could bid on the boxes. Then you would eat with the person who purchased your box supper. Mom would always put fried chicken and go to town and buy grapes or somethning. You could take a pie and just sell it and you didn't have to eat with the person. We had a family in the neighborhood who wasn't very clean. One of the girls brought a plum pie. Bud loved plum pies. Bud decided he would bid on the pie. Usually, you could get a pie for a quarter. The girl said to Bud that he could have the pie if he let her eat with him. Well, when Bud cut into the pie, he found out the girl hadn't taken the pits out of the plums."

HORSES

Lola: "Bud was older than me and we would go down to the pasture where a stream of water was. He would put me on one of the big horses. Old plow horse, you know. He would get another one and then we would ride and of course there were all those big old trees and we would go under them. He could hang on longer than I could and I would fall off. Then he would say, ""If you don't get to where you hang on longer, I won't take you any more."" But he did. He always took me. He couldn't stay away from me because I tagged along."

THE OLD TIRE SWING

Edna: "I remember Bud real well. We had an old tire swing in the front yard. Bud would swing me. I can remember going way up into the leaves of the tree. Dad would come out on the stoop in front of the house and sit. I was swinging and asked me to sing for him . I liked the farm".
RECORDED ON TAPE AND TRANSCRIBED BY RICHARD PARKER, 1997