Eviolette was to suffer twice from the harshness of pioneer farm life. Her husband's death resulted from his being kicked by a horse. The damage to his leg was so severe that amputation was required and J. P. died of shock as a result of the surgery. Fifteen years earlier, her father suffered a similar fate as recounted in the Bloomfield (IA) Democrat of Thursday, 3 Jun 1875: "Another Horror - While our paper was on press last week, we were called to the side of an old resident of this county, Martin Gore, whose life was ebbing away from the effect of a cruel kick from a horse. - Mr. Gore was engaged in his business, stock breeding, at Barton's stable, at the time and received his death blow by a kick from one of the team belonging to Frank Guernsey. He was standing with his back to the animal and never knew what gave him his death. The hoof of the animal struck him just at the base of the brain and broke in the skull. By the use of restoratives life came back to the apparently lifeless form, but no consciousness, and soon the life went out from the aged tenement, and the good old man was in the possession of that rest which was his heritage by reason of the sixty years of upright life that he had lived. His family was summoned and took the body home, from whence his funeral occurred on the following day. He was buried in the Murphy graveyard near where he had lived for twenty-six years. - Martin Gore was born in the State of Virginia 1814. He went to Indiana when 18 years of age where he married; removing thence to Iowa in 1851. He came to Davis County, purchased the place where his family reside, and here built up for himself a competency and a good name."

"Louie" Armstrong carved his family farm out of portions of the original Martin Gore and J. P. Armstrong family farms. "Louie" married Mary Katherine Horn in Davis County, IA and they raised their family on this farm. Their son, Louie Harlan Armstrong, continued the tradition by raising his family on the Armstrong farm. My wife, Carol (Armstrong) Nelson, was born in the old farm home and her mother Evelyn Marie Edith (Klicker) Armstrong continues to live there today. It remains a key "gathering place" for her grandchildren and great grandchildren, so despite the mobility of today's families, these acres have served seven generations and continue to do so.

Jerry D. Nelson [email protected]