Charles H. Youngs of Dodge City, Iowa, and Rose Johnson of Red Wing, Minnesota, wed April 1, 1892, and settled at Motley, Minnesota. To this union were born two girls; Hazel in 1894, and Merle Idane, in 1900.
In 1904, the family moved by railroad to Dazey, North Dakota, to what was later known as the Frank Glassner farm. Two more children were born here: Clara, in 1906, and Ray, in 1908. After living on another area farm a short time, they moved, in 1911, to the former Barney Hill farm, ten miles north of Valley City. Both farms had quite large houses and good barns.
The first teacher was De Irma Wilson. Other teachers were Mae Stee, who became Mrs. John Sad; Annie and Alice Tabbert. Memorable school occasions were Christmas programs and spelling bees. The children walked or rode horseback 1½ and 3 miles to these two rural schools.
Theirs was the typical small farm home life of living off the land - grain, livestock, poultry, fish, upland game, waterfowl, rabbits, garden, wild fruits such as grapes, plums, and berries, and plants like dandelion greens, and lambs quarters.
Horses were used for farming and transportation.
Wood, gathered from river valleys in the fall, and coal were supplemented by cow chips for heating and cooking. Willow trees were most prevalent on the prairies and were often wormy.
Fruits, garden produce and home butchered meats were preserved by drying, brining, and smoking. Some cooked meats like hamburger patties were temporarily preserved by layering in a container with a covering of lard somewhat like the jellies were sealed by paraffin wax. All baking was done at home. Only staples like sugar, salt and spices were bought. Farmers took their grain to the mill to be made into flour.
The grandparents, Charles and Atteresta Johnson, and Uncle John lived on a farm between the Youngs farm and Valley City.
House parties were major entertainment with dancing to a fiddle, a mouth organ, or whatever was available, or cards were played. There were child games, fishing, picnics, and horseback riding; in winter, sliding down hills was most fun.
In April, 1914, the family moved all their possessions by caravan of wagons, and drove their livestock to Vashti in Stutsman County. Teams were driven Icy the folks; Hazel and Uncle John and two wagons were trailed. Merle rode her pony to drive the cattle. Along the way, a colt was born to a wagon horse, so she was replaced by Merle's pony, and Merle had to ride a partially-trained colt. Enroute,
they camped three days during a snow storm at the Charles Brady farm, southwest of Wimbledon.
Hazel passed away in 1918, and was buried at Pingree where eventually the parents were buried.
Clara married Les Mino and Ray married Mildred Marlow. Both families moved to the State of Michigan in the 1950's.
Meantime, the interesting young man who drove the La Brash pleasure launch, "Over the Waves" on Spiritwood Lake won Merle's heart. Edgar Brady and Merle were married in 1918, resided in the Vashti and Pingree areas, and reared seven children: Elida Cadieux, Luella Hopewell, Vivian Sheets, Larry, Lowell, Gerald (whose bride, Edith Cofell, attended Eckelson School), and Charles Elden, whose work took him to Spiritwood Lake, so his son, Charles, attended Wimbledon school. Some from two generations attended Valley City College.
Charley Youngs loved to dance, as attested to by grandchildren whom he kicked off the dance floor at Vashti if they did not dance the type of dance being played -thus they learned to waltz, polka and all.
Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 278