Gladys Bell (Johnson) Haller

Gladys was born to John William Johnson & Mary Benning July 21, 1910.

Gladys was the 1st born of of 6 children,

1.  Gladys Bell, July 21, 1910;  

2.  John Aaron, Jan 18, 1912;   

3.  Francis William, Aug 20, 1913;  

4.  Harry Joseph, Aug 21, 1918;   

5.  Alvada Isabella, May 27, 1921;   

6.  Henry Louis, Dec 9, 1928.

They were all born in a 2 room sod house located between Herndon and Ludell, Kansas which their dad, John William Johnson, built.  

Gladys was a very hard worker. Her 2 brothers, Fran and Harry broke horses and Gladys finished them out.  They would then sell them to earn money.  They all walked or rode horses to attend the "Walsh" country school near their home.  

Gladys attended and graduated from Atwood High School.  At that time you could teach school without having a college degree.  She taught country school a few years and while teaching she met Andrew Haller. Her fist school was Lone Tree School in Burntwood township. 

The Story goes that she was driving by the Haller farm and she had a flat tire.  Andrew was running his tractor in the field and saw her car.  Andrew came to help her with the tire and next thing you know, Andrew invited her to meet his family.  The rest is history.  This was in 1936, they were married Oct 11, 1937 in Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Atwood, Ks. 

Gladys worked hard at helping with all the farming duties and raised a huge garden every year and canned much produce to use through the winter months.  I (Virginia) remember when Gladys would go to the barn and milk 2 or 3 cows every morning and night.  She had a cream seperator and we always had plenty of fresh eggs, milk and cream for ice cream and other delicious foods.  Gladys was a good cook.

She was president of the Altar Society for a few years and worked very hard at it.  They had a big dinner to prepare for.  So Gladys organized committees in order to make preparations run smoothly.  I can remember her sitting at the table and having all kinds of lists and making many phone calls.  She worked hard at it.  I think they served Turkey,dressing, potatoes, gravy etc. She made a huge batch of dressing and instructed the ladies to cook up several old hens for the broth to make gravy.  It turned out delicious and was a huge hit.  The next year, attendance at the meal doubled.  The 3rd year it almost doubled again and they almost ran out of food.   

I remember her raising around 1000 chickens and ducks, geese & turkeys every year.  All were butcherd & many used to feed the family but most were sold to many neighbors and friends.  Word traveled fast and she had a thriving business.  People even came from Colorado and Nebraska to buy her poultry.   

She was able to remodel her entire kitchen from her efforts. After the fryers were raised & butcherd, pullets were raised for winter eggs to use and to sell.  At one time there were 1500 layers. There weren't any strict regulations as there are today so in addition to selling dressed poultry to individuals, Gladys also sold eggs & cream to a local grocery store in town called, "Mannings".  We also raised hogs.  Everyone learned to work and help on the farm.  The income from the farm was used to make payments on the land, fuel for the tractor and whatever else we needed for the farm operation.

Growing up I remember my Dad hiring a harvest crew to cut our wheat. "Reinhold Herrman and Sons Harvest Crew" They had several combines and crew members.  Gladys would cook meals for the whole crew for as many days as they were on the job.  We always seemed to have plenty of food and shared it with many visitors who came to the farm. Harvest was a special time on the farm not only for reaping the harvest but for making good friends through hard work.         

Gladys was also a wine maker.  I can remember going to the pasture to pick choke cherries and Gladys would make some really good homemade wine and jellies from it. Everyone that visited our farm left with a taste of wine on their lips. 

Gladys was a good seamstress and I learned much from her.  She always made sure I had everything I needed to succeed.  

She was instrumental in making sure I took music lessons.  She always wanted to learn how to play an instrument but growing up, her family never had enough money for that. She lived that dream through me.  

Gladys was always good at math and she was the book keeper for the farm.  Always very meticulous about her book work.  She knew exactly what everything cost and how much income we had, how many acres were in each field, how many cows & calves were in the pasture etc.  She was a great help to Glenn after Andrew passed.  They both worked at growing the farm until her death on Aug 1, 1996.  She died of cancer.   At that time Glenn took over the family farm and still resides there today. (2020)