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- 1882 LYMAN FLOYD PRESSNALL, was born in Fountain City, Indiana, on November 26, 1882. His parents were John Franklin Pressnall and Frances Emmaline Linville, who were only ages 19 and 16 at the time they married. John had studied for the ministry by correspondence with the " Moody Bible Institute of Chicago " (Lyman was Moody's middle name). There were four living children in the family, of which Lyman was the only son. The two older sisters were Ida and Sarah Ellen and a younger sister Golda Katherine. Two children Frank and Grace had died in infancy.
1887-1888 When Lyman was a small boy, 5 or 6, the family went to Topeka, Kansas by covered wagon pulled by two mules. His father had a preaching assignment there with the Wesley Methodist Church. While there , he was bitten by a rattlesnake when he stepped in a post hole where the snake lay coiled. His dog killed the snake. His mother took his father's razor and sliced the skin in several places around the bite near his ankle, then she sucked the open wounds and spat out the blood and poison for a considerable time. Lyman developed a fever and his leg beame very swollen, but he survived.
Several years later they moved back to Indiana.
Lyman did not enjoy being a preachers son, and was somewhat rebellious, he started smoking cigarettes at an early age, and by age 21, he and a friend caught a ride on a freight train and went to ND " to seek their fortune ". Lyman ended up in the little town of Martin, where he worked in a saloon. It was there he met Sophia Tureck. He had typhoid fever in Martin and was very sick. He was hospitalized in Minot for several weeks. After he was discharged, he came to visit Sophia on the farm, and suffered quite a severe relapse while there.
1909 He and Sophia eloped when she was just 20 and he was 26. They were married Feb. 13, 1909 in Moorehead, Minnesota. They first went to Staples, Minn. where he became a barber. The eldest son Lyman Le Roy was born on his fathers birthday November 26th 1909.
1910 A second son Irving Ellsworth was born Sep. 10th 1910 (His two grandmothers suggested the name). while Irving was still very tiny, they moved to Alexandria, Minn. and shortly there after to Pingree, ND where Lyman started his own business, a pool hall and saloon. Sophia played piano and Lyman played violin in a little dance combo that supplied music for local barn dances. On Sunday they both sang in the church choir. The only daughter, Ione, was born in Pingree, Jan. 29, 1913.
There were many interesting memories of Pingree: there, Leroy at age eight drove our little red ford truck, loaded with kids, around the block a few times.
Lyman's valuable flax crop was destroyed by an early frost during World War I.
Irving nearly died from kidney failure, but was saved by one of his fathers homeopathic remedies, pumpkin seed tea. Ione drank gasoline meant for the kitchen stove, but was revived. Willard was born on Sophias birthday Jan. 14, 1915. His middle name was Edison, because his father was such a great admirer of Thomas Edison and was selling Edison Phonographs at the time.
Hugo Everett was born Dec. 19, 1917. He was named for Sophia's brother who had recently died during the building of a whole new farmstead.(Uncle Hugo had an enlarged heart following childhood rheumatic fever).
1918 The family moved to nearby Kensal, where Lyman started a pool hall, confectionary store and watch making business. There John Franklin was born May 8, 1921 (Mothers Day) and Paul Eugene was also born, on Sunday aug. 12, 1923.
Lyman died March 19, 1961, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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