Written in a letter from Georgianna Dennis Baldwin to Myrtle T. Dennis Lundberg

Phebe Patridge was red haired and blue eyes and my father was red haired but it wasn't under three years after marriage that Mother knew he had red hair as he kept it dyed black but she thought it was funny that he had red whiskers.

Father would talk scotch broque and imitated his dad who he said was scotch-irish. Said he talked of Mass., Steuben and Allegheny counties. Father rather resented his english mother being so precise and said she was quite sharp.
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Redford was a boy of 14 yrs when he came to Illinois with his family. He learned the carpenter trade from his father. We know very little of the early life of Redford but he probably both worked on the farm and did carpenter work. He entered the civil war on the 24th of April 1861 as a private in Company "B" 2nd Regiment of Iowa Infantry commanded by R. M. Littler and gave his residence as Davenport, Iowa. From this we can assume that he had been out on his own for many years. He became a sergeant and was given an honorable discharge at Pulaski, Tennessee the 28th of April 1864. His service record states that he was 5 feet and 7 inches tall, dark complexion, red hair and blue eyes. He was listed as a carpenter.

How Redford became acquainted with Catharine Santee is still unknown to us but in November 1865 in Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin he married her.

The following is given by Fontanelle Dennis Ray, sixth child of Redford and Catharine Dennis. "My folks lived in Mayfield, Illinois in 1868. Then a move was made to another town in DeKalb, Illinois where they lived in 1870. About 1872 Pa and the family left for Mound Valley, Kansas where their fourth daughter, Edna, was born. Soon after that he bought a claim about three miles north of Mound Valley and on that claim is now the town of Dennis. The town of Dennis was named for my father because of his help to his neighbors and also because of his doctoring of them when they were sick. He kept a supply of drugs on hand and knew how to use them and was called Dr. Dennis. He gained his knowledge by going with his mother who attended the sick in Illinois. There wasn't a real doctor within 40 miles and he saved several lives and the neighbors felt grateful. My father also knew about herbs and their medicinal uses as his mother used them for the ill.

Our family didn't stay around there very long but went by ox team and wagon into Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), near the Canadian River. My folks said it was a beautiful place, lots of wild fruit, berries and game. The Indians were friendly, the Chief being named Joe Kernel. He had some of his braves help Pa build his log cabin. There was only one other white family there, by the name of Green. There were no other towns or schools. About the time Pa decided to move to the other side of the Canadian River and here he raised a fine corn crop. The Indian tribe here was not friendly and they resented the white families moving into the territory and so they began stealing corn and other things. Pa had lots of trouble with them and one night he heard something outside and looked out and saw an Indian stealing corn. Pa got his gun and went outside but the Indian came at him with a tomahawk so Pa had to shoot the Indian. Joe Kernel told Pa he had better leave there as his life was in danger from unfriendly Indians. Pa and Edna were quite sick with the ague so Ma hitched up the horses to the wagon, made a bed for Pa and Edna, put in as many of their things as she could and left in the night, driving all night long to get as far as possible from the Indians.

It was about 1875 when we arrived at Fontanelle, Adair Co., Iowa and rented a log house which belonged to Grandpa Alden. Minnie and I were born here. Pa then built a large 10 room house and it is still standing in Fontanelle, Iowa. Charley was born here. In 1883 the folks moved to Kingston, Caldwell Co., Missouri with two covered wagons. We did not stay there too long, leaving in 1884. We moved back to Creston, Iowa where Pa sold everything and we got on a train and moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. We were going to California but Pa took sick at Lincoln, Nebraska so there we stayed.

My father often told about how he and his brothers slept in the winter. The upstairs was not finished in the house and it was very cold and when it snowed the snow would sift down on their beds as much as two and three inches. The older boys had to sleep up there. To keep from freezing they all would get in one bed. They called it spooning because when one turned they all had to turn. Pa said that while his father taught school and did carpenter work, the boys had to do the farm work. My father was a great reader, especially of history. He was always reading when not busy and read to his children and told wonderful stories, sometimes Indian stories, sometime animal stories and even fairy tales. He knew Latin and French pretty well. In summer time he would take us on hiking trips. We would only take matches, salt and bread. We had to find and cook the rest of our food such as roots or bulbs, fish, clams and frog legs. He read the Bible a lot and I never remember of him swearing. He said his mother allowed no swearing. He was quite young when he went to school, went early and stayed late and they had no desks, just benches. Pa said that several times he went to sleep in school and fell off the bench and got switched for it. They only went five months of the year. The schoolmasters were very strict.
From Myrtle Dennis Lundberg's genealogy
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Nebraska State Journal
August 18, 1904
pg 6. Column 2

Redford Dennis died yesterday morning at his residence at 1045 Groveland Street, Belmont, at the age of 69 years. Mr. Dennis was born in New York, July 2, 1835. Early in life he moved to Iowa where he enlisted in company B, second Infantry volunteers on Lincoln's first call for troops in April 1861. He participated in many of the most sanaguinary battles of the western army for three years and was honorably discharged from the service in 1864 and returned to Iowa where he married in the fall of 1865 and has resided here ever since. He was a sufferer from inflamation of the stomach for several months and gradually wasted away until the end came yesterday morning. The funeral services will be held from the residence Friday afternoon at 3:30 o'clock conducted by Rev. Geo. M. Gates and interment will be at Wyuka under the auspices of the G.A.R. All old soldiers are requested to attend the services at the cemetery. Mr. Dennis leaves a widow and nine children all but one whom is now here. A married daughter from Montana is expected to arrive before the funeral.

Roster Iowa Soldiers
War of the Rebellion volume 1
1st - 8th Regiments Infantry
page 125

DENNIS, REDFORD age 24, Residence Davenport, native New York. Enlisted April 20, 1861. Mustered may 27, 1861. Promoted Eighth Corporal Jan. 1, 1862; Seventh Corporal March 1, 1863; Third Corporal June 25, 1863; and Fifth Sergeant March 1, 1864. Mustered out April 28, 1864, expiration of term of service. He entered the civil war as a private in Company "B" 2nd Regiment of Iowa Infantry commanded by R. M. Littler and gave his residence as Davenport, Iowa. He became a sergeant and was given an honorable discharge at Pulaski, Tennessee the 28th of April 1864. His service record states that he was 5 feet and 7 inches tall, dark complexion, brown hair and blue eyes. He was listed as a carpenter.