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I remarried in 1913 to Nina Arnett. In 1918 Drury and Betty Risner and Nina and I were
living on the Flat Bank of a river that was a tributary of the Ohio River, near Mcguffey
Ohio, when we had a big flood.
We had rain for three days and nights. We had water for as far as you could see, and
it was up to the windows. Duruy thought Betty was going to drown, but Betty and Nina
were sitting high and dry on two wooden crates they had brought in from the barn just
in case the water did rise. I crawled through a window and down a ledge along the
side of the house to the roof. I tried signaling for help. No one came. Hours later
a large boat picked us four up and took us to the city to Sperbeck's House. The
house had two floors, and 33 people lived on the second floor for 3 days. Some
government boats then took us to to a Grange Hall up on a hill, a few miles east.
All we had to drink was two cups of coffee, and no one had anything to eat since
we first climbed into the boat. On the 6th day we were taken to a large cellar with
beds and tables and food. The ordeal lasted 13 days.
The house back in McGuffey had to be scrubbed 3 times with a scrub broom and a
bucket. The muck was 3 inches thick, soft and mushy. We shoveled it out the
windows.
With no food in the house, Nina and I went, or I should say floated to McGuffey. The
water in Flat Branch was still high. When we returned hours later the water had
receded. I had to carry Nina and the food half a mile to the house. Sometimes the
muck came up to my knees. Two days later the boat was right out in the middle of
our field.
Five years later I built a summer house. That same summer the onions grew large and
sweet, but so did those gray clouds. It had been a rainy week. The creek was high.
It was raining and thundering. Early the next Morning I gazed out the open window,
and what do you think I saw? All those beautiful onions floating past the porch down
by the big maple and away. That beautiful rain left Nina and I , our four children, Harold,
Cap, Jay and Jeggs almost broke. After returning from McGuffey where I bought
food, my Budget amounted to 73 cents. I owed the farmer down the road 75 cents,
and payed that. I then sent Nina and the children by train to Catlitsburg, Ky. The
conductor had read the papers and knew our trouble. I followed them down.
I was 350 miles from where I was born and not a cent to my name. Because I
was so sick, the trip on foot, from Catlitsburg to my parents, who lived in Salyersville
was rough. A stop at Tom Howard's helped me make the four hills between Redwins
and home.
In 1922 we moved to Cary, Seneca County Ohio. Earl was 3 months old. I started
planting onions when we lived on Greely Marshall's place, near the muck plant. We
then lived on a farm owned by Mr Newcomer for 11 years. I then bought John Kendricks
farm, and then 3 years later, Nina took sick and died in 1940.
Some of the family moved to Albion, Michigan.
I then worked for the railroad for 1 1/2 years and raised onion crops. The last crop
was partly rained out but still brought 668.00. Quite a lot.
Eaton Rapids was my next home and not a prosperous one. Both crops were no count.
My children, Earl, Sylvia, Roween and I moved back to Ohio and I lived there for
three years.
After Earls accident, I went to help Earl on his farm and lived there for 15 years.
I have been over a lot of ground.
My best memories are spending Christmas and other holidays with family.

Lee "Scott" Risner

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