“When one lives 99 years, that person can look back on a lot of history. That’s what Mrs. H.M. Freas of 704 Leahy did Monday as she celebrated her 99th birthday. With only 12 more months to go, Mrs. Freas expects to see the turn of her century of living next year.

Her 98th birthday last year brought lots of pleasant surprises including a birthday card from President Eisenhower and a letter from Congressman Ed Edmondson. This year she had a very quiet celebration with a large cake and members of the family and close friends calling.

What does one remember after seeing so many years go by? For Mrs. Freas, as the wife of an early day peace officer, Harve Freas, she recalls the excitement and always the unexpected happenings of life in the Indian Territory.

Mrs. Freas, nee Pauline Polzin, was born March 7, 1861, in Bautow, Germany, one of 11 children. Adventure came at the age of 13 when with her parents and brothers and sisters, she sailed for America. The boat crossing took three weeks and was not an easy journey in 1874.

The family settled on a farm near Walnut, Iowa and it was here that the young girl of 22, met and married Harve Freas in September of 1883.

Later the young couple moved by covered wagon to Wakuma, Kansas to make their home in a soddie on the wind swept prairie of western Kansas. Two of their daughters, Mrs. Ann (Sam) Kennedy and Mrs. Florence Bowers were born in the sod house.

This was where the family lived when the blizzard of 1885 came sweeping down the plains. Mrs. Freas recalled that her husband took ropes and made lead lines from the house to the well, then to the barns and for three days, they cared for their cattle by following the ropes through the howling storm.

In 1890 the family, still using the covered wagon, came to Indian Territory and settled 15 miles southwest of Coffeyville. Mrs. Freas said that while they lived here the Dalton boys were killed and Harve rode horseback into Coffeyville to see the famous outlaws all stretched out on hayrack.

In 1910 the family moved to Pawhuska and Mr. Freas began his career as a law man in the Indian Territory. Following his election in 1910, he served eight terms as Osage county sheriff.

At the time the Freas’ made their home east of Pawhuska on what is known as the old Pettit place. In 1928, following Mr. Freas’ retirement as sheriff, they moved to the Dustin ranch six miles west of Bartlesville.

Mr. Freas died in 1932 and Mrs. Freas stayed on the ranch until 1934 when her son Dick died. After this she moved to California to make her home with her daughter Mrs. Odelia Kuchinar of Pomona.

After 12 years on the west coast, she returned to Pawhuska to live with her daughter, Mrs. Bertha Gordon and for the past few years has been with Mrs. Kennedy at the Leahy street address.

Today Mrs. Freas is in comparatively good health and hasn’t been ill for some time. She is very hard of hearing and unable to see well enough to do much, but her daughters say that she is always cheerful and never complains.

Now she is the last of her brothers and sisters but all of them also lived for a long time. One brother was over a hundred years of age when he died.

Mrs. Freas can also boast that she has lived to see five generations of her family as her descendents number six grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren and five great great grandchildren.

Her six daughters are: Mrs. Gordon and Mrs. Kennedy of Pawhuska, Mrs. Bowers of Chautuaqua, Kansas; Mrs. Kuchinar of Pomona, Mrs. Besse Bramlett of Jay and Mrs. Pauline Chick of Roseville, California.

As many of the children and grandchildren, who could, called at the Kennedy home Monday to pay their respects to this fine little lady.” Osage Journal-News, Pawhuska, Oklahoma pg 2 clipping …circa March 1960