Ollie, ollie, oxen free

I suppose that was really spelled Alle', alle' ...! When I was a kid, way back in the 30's and 40's that is what you called out when playing "hide and seek" and wanted to bring all the rest of the "hiders" back in.

I had a second Title in mind for this piece, based on a famous childrens book: Where's Ollie? (Actually it was several books, and they were called: Where's Waldo?--but you get the idea). For any Giberson grandkids that may be reading this and don't know who Ollie was, then shame on you parents, because it means that haven't read to you, or let you read, or given you a copy of my life's story. Suggest they take care of that!

I have the hospital birthcertificate that proves I was born Richard Creighton Ollie, and my father was Harry Hollis Ollie. Somehow, we found out that his father was Chester Ollie. (I don't recall HOW we come to know that at the moment). Nevertheless, we have not been able to find any thing about Chester's parents. (A side note, to those same grandkids mentioned in the previous paragraphs, ask your parent to explain the South Dakota part of the family).

Somehow (wild guess, dumb luck, one of my children did it?) we determined that just maybe Chester was born in St. Louis, MO (that's Missouri, you'll).

Guess what the 1880 census for MO shows, in St. Louis? A Clinton Ollie, 27 years old, married to a Kate Ollie, 26 years old, with a Richard Ollie, 5 years old at the time. Clinton, born in Illinois in 1853. Is this the elusive parents of Chester Ollie (my guess is Chester is born in the 1883-86 range.) Of course you know the problem: The 1890 Census of the US was destroyed by fire!