Chesnut, Stephen Martin, 1955, "A short autobiography of S. M. Chesnut [unpublished][forwarded by Suzette Chesnut Barber, 1996]: "My full name is Stephen Martin Chesnut. I was born July 27, 1883 at Bush, Ky. about 9 or 10 miles east of London, Ky. My father's name was Pleasant Chesnut, and his father [my paternal grandfather] was Stephen Chesnut, nicknamed "Uncle Teet" Chesnut. My mother was Susan Elizabeth Asher. Her father [my maternal grandfather] was Martin Asher, nicknamed "Crock" Asher. Hence you see I was named after my two grandfathers. When my father and mother were married, he ran a small country store. They bought a farm just east of their first store. This farm consisted of 75 acres. They improved the house and erected a new store building so they moved the goods into the new store building. Here on this farm I lived until I married and we migrated to Mitchell, Oregon in March of 1904. I attended a log cabin country school of one room where I received the fundamentals of my education. Life in this school was a joyful experience, and brings back to my memory many joyful thoughts of by-gone days. Many of these old schoolmates have passed on to their Great Reward. Most of us went barefoot to school until frost forced us to wear shoes. The lunch for my brothers and sisters was all put in one basket from which all ate. Our lunch didn't consist of the fine delicacies of the present day, but consisted of sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, apples, muskmelons, etc., etc. We often traded parts of our lunches. One might trade an ear of corn for a sweet potato or vice versa. Friday afternoons were special occasions for spelling bees, recitations, readings, and visitors. Of course we enjoyed all these much better than the regular routine of schoolwork. Oh yes, we had our little sweethearts the same as of today. We wrote notes and did a little flirting just as boys and girls do today. I remember getting a note from a little girl who wasn't a very good speller. She wrote, "I love you better than shuger [sugar]." "I taught my first school in an adjoining [Clay] county. It was strictly a mountain community. I boarded with a family consisting of a man and wife, two sons, and two daughters. Their house consisted of one large room and a lean-to room used as a kitchen and bedroom for the two daughters. The man, wife, two sons and I all slept in the big room used as a combination sitting and bedroom. The next two schools I taught in Ky. were in my home county of Laurel named after a tree native to Ky. These two schools were much more advanced [modern] than my first school. My next schools were in Oregon and Idaho. During the spring of 1902 a family who had spent 10 years in Oregon moved back to their native Ky. This family consisted of a widowed mother, two sons and two daughters. Other children lived in other places. Soon after coming back to Ky., the father of this widow passed away. As was the custom a large crowd gathered at the home. The nights were spent in singing sacred Songs, preaching, prayers, etc. I decided I'd visit a while at the gathering. Many people were gathered on the lawn as well as in the house. I had heard that one of these new girls was rather attractive but I had never seen her. During the evening some of her cousins and she came out on the lawn and I saw "this new girl." I resolved then and there that I was going to "set my cap" for this young lady. A little later I met Margaret Frances Magee. A friendship sprung up between us which grew stronger and stronger as the months rolled by. My first school in my home county was my present wife's home school. Her youngest brother was one of my pupils and used to carry notes back and forth for us. Imagine a teacher having one of his pupils carry love letters for him! I owned a little black saddle horse not much bigger than I and would ride him when going a courtin.' I had a very large saddle which seemed to pretty well cover my little horse. We had a quiet home wedding with a dinner on the eve of Dec. 12, 1903. I remember my wife being rather nervous and spilled some of her food in her lap. On March 4, 1904 we left Ky. for Mitchell, Oregon. We lived in Mitchell until Nov. 1917 when we moved to Weiser, Idaho. I taught school in Mitchell from 1908 to 1917. All our children except the youngest two were born in Mitchell, Oregon. The other two were born in Weiser, Idaho. We now live at 705 E. Park in Weiser where we've been residing for about 32 years. Born to us were 10 children, 8 of whom still survive. Seven of our eight children are graduates of Weiser High School, the oldest having not finished high school on account of poor health. We have 19 grandchildren living and 4 great grandchildren at this writing which is August 17, 1955. My children living are Edna Beatrice Chesnut Crook, Weiser, Idaho; Lorraine Lillian Chesnut Wigand, Caldwell, Idaho; Everett Henry Chesnut, Boise, Idaho; Minnie Lucile Chesnut Probasco, Weiser; Nancy Melvina Elizabeth Chesnut Vogel, Weiser; Wilson Pleasant Chesnut, Filer [sp.?], Idaho; Martin James Chesnut, Coer d'Alene, Idaho; Bessie Inez Chesnut Kohles, Fresno, California. Dead are William Joseph Chesnut buried Mitchell, Oregon, Elmer Lavern Chesnut buried at Weiser, Idaho."