Broken Lines . . .

by lori
(Ames, IA)

My great-grandmother was born in Oil City, PA on March 23, 1871. I never met her, but my grandfather, her son, told me this - Minnie was born to Sarah and John Macke. Her parents suffered a horrific death in the Venango/Mercer County area sometime in the 1870s. She was raised by the Buckley's in Mercer County. She moved to South Dakota with her husband in 1892. In a postcard signed "Your Cousin" these words are shared - "Dearest Minnie - I am so grateful you are safe and building a new life and home in Dakota. Even all these years later school boys and old women claim they hear the moans and feel the presence of your poor folks when anyone is brave to pass the site during the dark of night's passing." My grandfather did not find the postcard until after his mother passed, but he said he'd imagined all sorts of macabe scenarios. If anyone has information about the Macke couple, please do tell.