Lake Maxinkuckee Its Intrigue History & Genealogy Culver, Marshall, Indiana

William R. & Hildreth Easterday  





William Easterday is associated with his father in the Easterday Funeral Home. He was born on a farm southeast of the lake, and secured his grade and high school education in Culver . After attending Marion Normal College & Business University he joined the staff of the Indiana Boys School at Plainfield, where he taigh commercial subjects and for four years was cheif clerk. July 1, 1933, he moved to Culver and is now a licensed embalmer. He was in the Signal Corps during World War for 14 months, eight months of which was in overseas duy. He was a chater member of the Plainfield American Legion Post and served as commander. He was post adjutant of the Culver Post for three years. Bill is now sectretary-treasurer of the energetic Maxinkuckee Fish and Game Club.

Easterday family

I, Hildreth Garriot Easterday, was born at Scottsburg February 9, 1899, the second in a family of four children of Charles F. and Elizabeth Stalker Garriott. When I was two years old my parents, my older brother, Hubert, and I moved to Westfield. There my sister Frances, was born. I started school in Westfield in the fall of 1905. In January of 1908 we moved to Plainfield where all my school days were spent. I graduated from high school in 1918 and spent that summer attending Central Normal Teacher's College in Danville. My brother, Charles, was born in Plainfield, completing the Garriot family.

My Parents were church going people and were active members of the Plainfield Baptist church. My father was superintendent of the Sunday School for many years and it was routine for the entire family to attend church services every Sunday.

My childhood and teens years were spent helping with chores around the house and enjoying school and church activities. While in high school I wanted to earn some money for the extra things that most girls want so learned to operate the telephone switchboard and became the substitute operator. Whenever one of the reg ular operators wanted time off I would work for the huge sum of 10 cents an hour. Teenage girls now would not believer how much you could buy with money made working a few hours each week.

After the summer in teacher's college I decided I would rather do office work than teach school. I went to Logansport to live with my brother, Huber, who was then an architect there. I worked in his office and attended business college at night. After completing my business course, I returned to Plainfield and worked in the office at Nordyke and Marmon Automobile Manufactures. Later I was employed in the accounting department of Indiana Bell Telephone Company where I worked until my marriage to William R. Easterday July 18, 1922.

Bill was a teacher at the Indiana Boys School and we went to housekeeping in Hanly Cottage at the school. We lived in the cottage with 40 boys ager 10 to 12. I was matron of the cottage and had to oversee serving the meals and cleaning up afterwards. The food was prepared in the main kitchen and delivered to the various cottages . The boys did all the work, supervised by the matron.

Later I was employed as librarian at the school. The library consisted of many reference books for use in the school and all kinds of books and reading material for the boys. Each boy had a card and the library was run much the same as a public library.

My husband, whose father was W. S. Easterday, funeral director at Culver , took a leave of absence from the Boys School to attend embalming college in Indianapolis. He passed the state board examination and o June 6, 1933 we moved to Culver where he joined his father in operating the funeral home. We lived in an apartment on the second floor of the funeral home. I helped in the office and assisted with the funeral work until Bill's retirement in 1962.

During these years I was correspondent for the South Bend Tribune and the Plymouth Pilot News and also worked part of the time for the Culver Citizen. I loved to do this work and especially like to write up the local weddings. I also enjoyed interviewing older people and writing stories about them on their 80th birthday for the "Over Eighty Club" of the Plymouth Pilot News, a feature of that paper for many years.

In October 1961 we moved into our newly built home at 311 West Washington Street. We enjoyed several years of retirement going on trips and just enjoying our home. Although we had no children of our own, Bill and I both always loved children and our home was a "second home" to nieces and nephews and children of our friends

Since Bills death March 19, 1978, these same children have continued to visit me and bring their children, who call me "Grandma Hildreth". They have all done so much to brighten my life and keep me from being lonely.

In recent years I have spent several winter in California with my sister and her family. Last winter I enjoyed being in Arizona with my nephew Charles Ferrier and his wife, Marjorie. But Mostly I enjoy being at home and having relatives and friends visit me. I thank God for a f ull and happy life and for my present good health. Hildreth Easterday.

History of Marshall County Indiana Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986 -, Taylor Publishing Co., 1986, Publication # 357 of 1422, Marshall County Historical Society pg. 155






vangilderfuneralhome. com
Published on: 12/3/2002

Hildreth Easterday, 103, of 730 School Road, Culver , passed away Sunday December 22, 2002 at 8:55 PM at Millers Merry Manor of Culver , Indiana.

She was born on February 9, 1899 in Scottsburg to Charles and Elizabeth (Stalker) Garriott.

She married William Easterday on July 18, 1922, and Bill passed away on March 19, 1978.

Hildreth's family moved to Westfield, Indiana when she was about two years old and then to Plainfield, Indiana when she was six.She attended school in Plainfield, graduating from High school in 1918.Then she attended Central Normal College at Danville, Indiana and the Logansport Business College.

Hildreth and Bill lived at the Indiana Boys School where she was matron of Hanly Cottage and Librarian until they moved to Culver on June 6, 1933. She helped her husband in the Easterday Funeral Home and was a correspondent for the South Bend Tribune and the Pilot News for about 40 years. She was a member of the Emmanuel United Methodist Church of Culver , Indiana.

She is survived by niece, Marjorie Ferrier of Culver , Indiana, niece, Patty Jordon of Santa Rosa, California, nephew, Jim Curl of Santa Rosa, California, great-niece, Tina and Jim Hopple of Plymouth, Indiana, great-great-nephew, Craig and Hillary Hopple of Plymouth, Indiana, great-great-nephew, Chad and Marcella Hopple of Plymouth, Indiana, great-great niece, Yvonne and Chad Watkins of Plymouth, Indiana, great-great- great nephews, Calvin and Hayden Hopple of Plymouth, Indiana, and great-great-great-nieces, Hanna and Emily Hopple of Plymouth, Indiana.