By Darrell McLain
Charles Lewis McLain was the third of nine children and the first son of Joseph and Millie [Davis] McLain. He was born in New Buda Township in Decatur County, Iowa. His birth place was less than five miles from the Missouri border on a farm that had been in the family since 1854. With the exception of two years in the army during World War I, it is the only place he ever lived.
About New Buda township, the town was named for Budapest, Hungary. The Prince of Hungary bought the land and scores of fellow countrymen came to southern Iowa to make their home. After a couple of winters they decided the climate and lifestyle wasn't to their liking. They sold their rights to other Hungarians whose only knowledge of farming was vineyards. Neither the soil or the weather was conducive to their variety of grapes. They didn't stay very long either and most went to Texas.
Charlie's grandfather, Adam McLain, told him that when he was 13 his father and some of his brothers came to Iowa to check it out before they moved from Pennsylvania. Compared to the rugged mountains of Pennsylvania they thought it would be much easier to put the seed into the earth as opposed to putting the seed down and hauling in dirt to cover it. It was too bad they didn't check out the rest of Iowa first. Charlie's description of Iowa "this is perfection and what God had in mind when He created the state, but when He came to Decatur county He just shook his hands." Some people described the land as rolling hills while others say it was level with lots of deep ditches.
Charlie attended the school that was named for the township from which his ancestors had left. Liberty Township in Bedford County, PA. He attended school for eight years in the one-room eight grade school. While his formal education ended there his self-education was just beginning. His older sisters were allowed to go on and complete high school. His sister Mary went on to become a registered nurse. When the work in the field ended and the chores were done he would read any book in the house, including those his sisters brought home from school. He taught himself mathematics to the extent that he knew algebra, geometry and calculus.
There were two houses on the farm about one-half mile apart. His grandfather lived in the smaller house and when he died Charlie rebuilt the house and installed electricity. This was more than twenty years before the REA brought electricity into the area. He did this by installing a wind charger connected to storage batteries placed in his basement. When REA came to the area after World War II Charlie wired most of the houses in the Davis City area. He was a farmer, electrician and a carpenter and worked with his father. A good number of houses and barns in New Buda were built by them.
I remember several times he would use electricity as a practical joke. One wind charger was attached on the windmill in his side yard. We would help ourselves to the water from the well and if you weren't paying attention, especially if you were playing in the water, he would reach up and grab the uninsulated hot wire and touch you while you were grounded to the handle. The wattage was light, but the surprise was frightening.
He always had some sort of game or puzzle around that he would challenge anyone to solve. If you mentioned cribbage the cards and board would be on the table and he would show no mercy.
He was drafted onto the army in 1918 and he was to report for duty two months after his 21st birthday. His father was a Master Mason and the Worshipful Master of the Masonic lodge in Davis City. He wanted to become a member and under normal circumstances this would take 3-5 months. This depended on how long it took one to memorize the rituals. Immediately after his 21st birthday his application was accepted and approved and at the next meeting he went through all the rituals and became a third-degree mason. He learned these rituals from his father while working in the fields. He was given lines to memorize and after he completed a row in the field he would be tested and given new lines to remember. He learned his lines well as he was a district lecturer for 42 years. In March of 1994 he celebrated his 76th year as a member.
He served on the township election commission and was a member of the Decatur County Board of Supervisors for many years and never faced any competition in an election. His honesty and integrity were unbelievable. There is the old adage "that you can not cheat a honest man." Charlie fit this description. An example: During a visit to his sister Berdie's house in Wichita, KS, he went to the grocery store with his brother-in-law, Frank Ordway. The store was offering a promotion giving a pound of coffee free with coupons put in the local paper. Frank had an extra coupon and he tried to give it to Charlie so that he could get a free pound of coffee. Charlie wouldn't accept it as he wasn't a customer and it would be cheating the merchant. Perhaps his only fault is that everything was either black or white, there was no gray in between. If one didn't keep their word Charlie was slow to forgive. His brother, Jim, lived in the other house on the farm all of his life. Sometimes words were spoken between them and it would be a year before they spoke to each other.
Charlie was always the one that the family or community would turn to when something had to be done. He was Mr. Dependable. If there was a tragedy or farm accident Charlie was the first to help and "thanks" was sufficient payment. On his parents 30th anniversary his mother wanted a family picture taken. Joe reluctantly agreed. On the day they were to go into town, Joe reneged. They would have to use the horses and wagon to haul everyone into town. They couldn't all fit into the car. He absolutely refused to to get dressed up and go in a wagon to town. The rest of the family went into Lamoni to have their picture taken without him. Charlie was seated in the place reserved for the father and the photographer remarked that he was pretty young to have such a large family. Instead of the smiles he expected to get there were only frowns and no one corrected him.
Charlie was married to Opal Hewson on June 2, 1920. They had five children, 22 grandchildren, 43 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild. Opal died December 21, 1988, aged 87 years. This was the first death ever in their immediate family and death can do strange things to the survivor. Having lived with Opal 68 years it was tough for Charlie to live without her. A fortune teller once told him that he would live in three centuries and if anyone would make it Charlie could. When he was in his eighties, Charlie would often run from his son's house to his. A distance of a quarter mile. Earlier, I mentioned that Decatur county wasn't level. Half of this was downhill the other half uphill.
Charlie was sent to a nursing home to recover from an accident. The nurses suggested to his daughter that it would be nice if they would hang his picture on the wall. They chose a nice framed 8X10 picture and hung it over his bed near another picture. His minister came to visit and Charlie was visibly upset. After a few questions he determined that Charlie was upset as he didn't think his picture should be larger than that of Jesus Christ.
On August 18, 1994, Charlie left us to be with Opal.
Charles Lewis McLain was the third of nine children and the first son of Joseph and Millie [Davis] McLain. He was born in New Buda Township in Decatur County, Iowa. His birth place was less than five miles from the Missouri border on a farm that had been in the family since 1854. With the exception of two years in the army during World War I, it is the only place he ever lived.
About New Buda township, the town was named for Budapest, Hungary. The Prince of Hungary bought the land and scores of fellow countrymen came to southern Iowa to make their home. After a couple of winters they decided the climate and lifestyle wasn't to their liking. They sold their rights to other Hungarians whose only knowledge of farming was vineyards. Neither the soil or the weather was conducive to their variety of grapes. They didn't stay very long either and most went to Texas.
Charlie's grandfather, Adam McLain, told him that when he was 13 his father and some of his brothers came to Iowa to check it out before they moved from Pennsylvania. Compared to the rugged mountains of Pennsylvania they thought it would be much easier to put the seed into the earth as opposed to putting the seed down and hauling in dirt to cover it. It was too bad they didn't check out the rest of Iowa first. Charlie's description of Iowa "this is perfection and what God had in mind when He created the state, but when He came to Decatur county He just shook his hands." Some people described the land as rolling hills while others say it was level with lots of deep ditches.
Charlie attended the school that was named for the township from which his ancestors had left. Liberty Township in Bedford County, PA. He attended school for eight years in the one-room eight grade school. While his formal education ended there his self-education was just beginning. His older sisters were allowed to go on and complete high school. His sister Mary went on to become a registered nurse. When the work in the field ended and the chores were done he would read any book in the house, including those his sisters brought home from school. He taught himself mathematics to the extent that he knew algebra, geometry and calculus.
There were two houses on the farm about one-half mile apart. His grandfather lived in the smaller house and when he died Charlie rebuilt the house and installed electricity. This was more than twenty years before the REA brought electricity into the area. He did this by installing a wind charger connected to storage batteries placed in his basement. When REA came to the area after World War II Charlie wired most of the houses in the Davis City area. He was a farmer, electrician and a carpenter and worked with his father. A good number of houses and barns in New Buda were built by them.
I remember several times he would use electricity as a practical joke. One wind charger was attached on the windmill in his side yard. We would help ourselves to the water from the well and if you weren't paying attention, especially if you were playing in the water, he would reach up and grab the uninsulated hot wire and touch you while you were grounded to the handle. The wattage was light, but the surprise was frightening.
He always had some sort of game or puzzle around that he would challenge anyone to solve. If you mentioned cribbage the cards and board would be on the table and he would show no mercy.
He was drafted onto the army in 1918 and he was to report for duty two months after his 21st birthday. His father was a Master Mason and the Worshipful Master of the Masonic lodge in Davis City. He wanted to become a member and under normal circumstances this would take 3-5 months. This depended on how long it took one to memorize the rituals. Immediately after his 21st birthday his application was accepted and approved and at the next meeting he went through all the rituals and became a third-degree mason. He learned these rituals from his father while working in the fields. He was given lines to memorize and after he completed a row in the field he would be tested and given new lines to remember. He learned his lines well as he was a district lecturer for 42 years. In March of 1994 he celebrated his 76th year as a member.
He served on the township election commission and was a member of the Decatur County Board of Supervisors for many years and never faced any competition in an election. His honesty and integrity were unbelievable. There is the old adage "that you can not cheat a honest man." Charlie fit this description. An example: During a visit to his sister Berdie's house in Wichita, KS, he went to the grocery store with his brother-in-law, Frank Ordway. The store was offering a promotion giving a pound of coffee free with coupons put in the local paper. Frank had an extra coupon and he tried to give it to Charlie so that he could get a free pound of coffee. Charlie wouldn't accept it as he wasn't a customer and it would be cheating the merchant. Perhaps his only fault is that everything was either black or white, there was no gray in between. If one didn't keep their word Charlie was slow to forgive. His brother, Jim, lived in the other house on the farm all of his life. Sometimes words were spoken between them and it would be a year before they spoke to each other.
Charlie was always the one that the family or community would turn to when something had to be done. He was Mr. Dependable. If there was a tragedy or farm accident Charlie was the first to help and "thanks" was sufficient payment. On his parents 30th anniversary his mother wanted a family picture taken. Joe reluctantly agreed. On the day they were to go into town, Joe reneged. They would have to use the horses and wagon to haul everyone into town. They couldn't all fit into the car. He absolutely refused to to get dressed up and go in a wagon to town. The rest of the family went into Lamoni to have their picture taken without him. Charlie was seated in the place reserved for the father and the photographer remarked that he was pretty young to have such a large family. Instead of the smiles he expected to get there were only frowns and no one corrected him.
Charlie was married to Opal Hewson on June 2, 1920. They had five children, 22 grandchildren, 43 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild. Opal died December 21, 1988, aged 87 years. This was the first death ever in their immediate family and death can do strange things to the survivor. Having lived with Opal 68 years it was tough for Charlie to live without her. A fortune teller once told him that he would live in three centuries and if anyone would make it Charlie could. When he was in his eighties, Charlie would often run from his son's house to his. A distance of a quarter mile. Earlier, I mentioned that Decatur county wasn't level. Half of this was downhill the other half uphill.
Charlie was sent to a nursing home to recover from an accident. The nurses suggested to his daughter that it would be nice if they would hang his picture on the wall. They chose a nice framed 8X10 picture and hung it over his bed near another picture. His minister came to visit and Charlie was visibly upset. After a few questions he determined that Charlie was upset as he didn't think his picture should be larger than that of Jesus Christ.
On August 18, 1994, Charlie left us to be with Opal.
By Darrell McLain
Charles Lewis McLain was the third of nine children and the first son of Joseph and Millie [Davis] McLain. He was born in New Buda Township in Decatur County, Iowa. His birth place was less than five miles from the Missouri border on a farm that had been in the family since 1854. With the exception of two years in the army during World War I, it is the only place he ever lived.
About New Buda township, the town was named for Budapest, Hungary. The Prince of Hungary bought the land and scores of fellow countrymen came to southern Iowa to make their home. After a couple of winters they decided the climate and lifestyle wasn't to their liking. They sold their rights to other Hungarians whose only knowledge of farming was vineyards. Neither the soil or the weather was conducive to their variety of grapes. They didn't stay very long either and most went to Texas.
Charlie's grandfather, Adam McLain, told him that when he was 13 his father and some of his brothers came to Iowa to check it out before they moved from Pennsylvania. Compared to the rugged mountains of Pennsylvania they thought it would be much easier to put the seed into the earth as opposed to putting the seed down and hauling in dirt to cover it. It was too bad they didn't check out the rest of Iowa first. Charlie's description of Iowa "this is perfection and what God had in mind when He created the state, but when He came to Decatur county He just shook his hands." Some people described the land as rolling hills while others say it was level with lots of deep ditches.
Charlie attended the school that was named for the township from which his ancestors had left. Liberty Township in Bedford County, PA. He attended school for eight years in the one-room eight grade school. While his formal education ended there his self-education was just beginning. His older sisters were allowed to go on and complete high school. His sister Mary went on to become a registered nurse. When the work in the field ended and the chores were done he would read any book in the house, including those his sisters brought home from school. He taught himself mathematics to the extent that he knew algebra, geometry and calculus.
There were two houses on the farm about one-half mile apart. His grandfather lived in the smaller house and when he died Charlie rebuilt the house and installed electricity. This was more than twenty years before the REA brought electricity into the area. He did this by installing a wind charger connected to storage batteries placed in his basement. When REA came to the area after World War II Charlie wired most of the houses in the Davis City area. He was a farmer, electrician and a carpenter and worked with his father. A good number of houses and barns in New Buda were built by them.
I remember several times he would use electricity as a practical joke. One wind charger was attached on the windmill in his side yard. We would help ourselves to the water from the well and if you weren't paying attention, especially if you were playing in the water, he would reach up and grab the uninsulated hot wire and touch you while you were grounded to the handle. The wattage was light, but the surprise was frightening.
He always had some sort of game or puzzle around that he would challenge anyone to solve. If you mentioned cribbage the cards and board would be on the table and he would show no mercy.
He was drafted onto the army in 1918 and he was to report for duty two months after his 21st birthday. His father was a Master Mason and the Worshipful Master of the Masonic lodge in Davis City. He wanted to become a member and under normal circumstances this would take 3-5 months. This depended on how long it took one to memorize the rituals. Immediately after his 21st birthday his application was accepted and approved and at the next meeting he went through all the rituals and became a third-degree mason. He learned these rituals from his father while working in the fields. He was given lines to memorize and after he completed a row in the field he would be tested and given new lines to remember. He learned his lines well as he was a district lecturer for 42 years. In March of 1994 he celebrated his 76th year as a member.
He served on the township election commission and was a member of the Decatur County Board of Supervisors for many years and never faced any competition in an election. His honesty and integrity were unbelievable. There is the old adage "that you can not cheat a honest man." Charlie fit this description. An example: During a visit to his sister Berdie's house in Wichita, KS, he went to the grocery store with his brother-in-law, Frank Ordway. The store was offering a promotion giving a pound of coffee free with coupons put in the local paper. Frank had an extra coupon and he tried to give it to Charlie so that he could get a free pound of coffee. Charlie wouldn't accept it as he wasn't a customer and it would be cheating the merchant. Perhaps his only fault is that everything was either black or white, there was no gray in between. If one didn't keep their word Charlie was slow to forgive. His brother, Jim, lived in the other house on the farm all of his life. Sometimes words were spoken between them and it would be a year before they spoke to each other.
Charlie was always the one that the family or community would turn to when something had to be done. He was Mr. Dependable. If there was a tragedy or farm accident Charlie was the first to help and "thanks" was sufficient payment. On his parents 30th anniversary his mother wanted a family picture taken. Joe reluctantly agreed. On the day they were to go into town, Joe reneged. They would have to use the horses and wagon to haul everyone into town. They couldn't all fit into the car. He absolutely refused to to get dressed up and go in a wagon to town. The rest of the family went into Lamoni to have their picture taken without him. Charlie was seated in the place reserved for the father and the photographer remarked that he was pretty young to have such a large family. Instead of the smiles he expected to get there were only frowns and no one corrected him.
Charlie was married to Opal Hewson on June 2, 1920. They had five children, 22 grandchildren, 43 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild. Opal died December 21, 1988, aged 87 years. This was the first death ever in their immediate family and death can do strange things to the survivor. Having lived with Opal 68 years it was tough for Charlie to live without her. A fortune teller once told him that he would live in three centuries and if anyone would make it Charlie could. When he was in his eighties, Charlie would often run from his son's house to his. A distance of a quarter mile. Earlier, I mentioned that Decatur county wasn't level. Half of this was downhill the other half uphill.
Charlie was sent to a nursing home to recover from an accident. The nurses suggested to his daughter that it would be nice if they would hang his picture on the wall. They chose a nice framed 8X10 picture and hung it over his bed near another picture. His minister came to visit and Charlie was visibly upset. After a few questions he determined that Charlie was upset as he didn't think his picture should be larger than that of Jesus Christ.
On August 18, 1994, Charlie left us to be with Opal.
Charles Lewis McLain was the third of nine children and the first son of Joseph and Millie [Davis] McLain. He was born in New Buda Township in Decatur County, Iowa. His birth place was less than five miles from the Missouri border on a farm that had been in the family since 1854. With the exception of two years in the army during World War I, it is the only place he ever lived.
About New Buda township, the town was named for Budapest, Hungary. The Prince of Hungary bought the land and scores of fellow countrymen came to southern Iowa to make their home. After a couple of winters they decided the climate and lifestyle wasn't to their liking. They sold their rights to other Hungarians whose only knowledge of farming was vineyards. Neither the soil or the weather was conducive to their variety of grapes. They didn't stay very long either and most went to Texas.
Charlie's grandfather, Adam McLain, told him that when he was 13 his father and some of his brothers came to Iowa to check it out before they moved from Pennsylvania. Compared to the rugged mountains of Pennsylvania they thought it would be much easier to put the seed into the earth as opposed to putting the seed down and hauling in dirt to cover it. It was too bad they didn't check out the rest of Iowa first. Charlie's description of Iowa "this is perfection and what God had in mind when He created the state, but when He came to Decatur county He just shook his hands." Some people described the land as rolling hills while others say it was level with lots of deep ditches.
Charlie attended the school that was named for the township from which his ancestors had left. Liberty Township in Bedford County, PA. He attended school for eight years in the one-room eight grade school. While his formal education ended there his self-education was just beginning. His older sisters were allowed to go on and complete high school. His sister Mary went on to become a registered nurse. When the work in the field ended and the chores were done he would read any book in the house, including those his sisters brought home from school. He taught himself mathematics to the extent that he knew algebra, geometry and calculus.
There were two houses on the farm about one-half mile apart. His grandfather lived in the smaller house and when he died Charlie rebuilt the house and installed electricity. This was more than twenty years before the REA brought electricity into the area. He did this by installing a wind charger connected to storage batteries placed in his basement. When REA came to the area after World War II Charlie wired most of the houses in the Davis City area. He was a farmer, electrician and a carpenter and worked with his father. A good number of houses and barns in New Buda were built by them.
I remember several times he would use electricity as a practical joke. One wind charger was attached on the windmill in his side yard. We would help ourselves to the water from the well and if you weren't paying attention, especially if you were playing in the water, he would reach up and grab the uninsulated hot wire and touch you while you were grounded to the handle. The wattage was light, but the surprise was frightening.
He always had some sort of game or puzzle around that he would challenge anyone to solve. If you mentioned cribbage the cards and board would be on the table and he would show no mercy.
He was drafted onto the army in 1918 and he was to report for duty two months after his 21st birthday. His father was a Master Mason and the Worshipful Master of the Masonic lodge in Davis City. He wanted to become a member and under normal circumstances this would take 3-5 months. This depended on how long it took one to memorize the rituals. Immediately after his 21st birthday his application was accepted and approved and at the next meeting he went through all the rituals and became a third-degree mason. He learned these rituals from his father while working in the fields. He was given lines to memorize and after he completed a row in the field he would be tested and given new lines to remember. He learned his lines well as he was a district lecturer for 42 years. In March of 1994 he celebrated his 76th year as a member.
He served on the township election commission and was a member of the Decatur County Board of Supervisors for many years and never faced any competition in an election. His honesty and integrity were unbelievable. There is the old adage "that you can not cheat a honest man." Charlie fit this description. An example: During a visit to his sister Berdie's house in Wichita, KS, he went to the grocery store with his brother-in-law, Frank Ordway. The store was offering a promotion giving a pound of coffee free with coupons put in the local paper. Frank had an extra coupon and he tried to give it to Charlie so that he could get a free pound of coffee. Charlie wouldn't accept it as he wasn't a customer and it would be cheating the merchant. Perhaps his only fault is that everything was either black or white, there was no gray in between. If one didn't keep their word Charlie was slow to forgive. His brother, Jim, lived in the other house on the farm all of his life. Sometimes words were spoken between them and it would be a year before they spoke to each other.
Charlie was always the one that the family or community would turn to when something had to be done. He was Mr. Dependable. If there was a tragedy or farm accident Charlie was the first to help and "thanks" was sufficient payment. On his parents 30th anniversary his mother wanted a family picture taken. Joe reluctantly agreed. On the day they were to go into town, Joe reneged. They would have to use the horses and wagon to haul everyone into town. They couldn't all fit into the car. He absolutely refused to to get dressed up and go in a wagon to town. The rest of the family went into Lamoni to have their picture taken without him. Charlie was seated in the place reserved for the father and the photographer remarked that he was pretty young to have such a large family. Instead of the smiles he expected to get there were only frowns and no one corrected him.
Charlie was married to Opal Hewson on June 2, 1920. They had five children, 22 grandchildren, 43 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild. Opal died December 21, 1988, aged 87 years. This was the first death ever in their immediate family and death can do strange things to the survivor. Having lived with Opal 68 years it was tough for Charlie to live without her. A fortune teller once told him that he would live in three centuries and if anyone would make it Charlie could. When he was in his eighties, Charlie would often run from his son's house to his. A distance of a quarter mile. Earlier, I mentioned that Decatur county wasn't level. Half of this was downhill the other half uphill.
Charlie was sent to a nursing home to recover from an accident. The nurses suggested to his daughter that it would be nice if they would hang his picture on the wall. They chose a nice framed 8X10 picture and hung it over his bed near another picture. His minister came to visit and Charlie was visibly upset. After a few questions he determined that Charlie was upset as he didn't think his picture should be larger than that of Jesus Christ.
On August 18, 1994, Charlie left us to be with Opal.
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