Maude Fleming Thompson

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Birthday- Thompson, Maude 1

Maude Thompson is a Young One Hundred Years of Age
by Dorothy N. Hoobler
"Things are different now, but I can’t say they're always better," centenarian Mrs. Maude Thompson observed philosophically. She's seen lots of changes in those 100 years, of course.

By 1889, for instance, George Eastman perfected the box camera and roll film, and began the manufacture of Kodak number one. The first electric automobile, a tricycle driven by storage batteries, was demonstrated in Boston. A "safety" bicycle with two wheels of even size was being built. Cycling was such a popular activity it created severe parking and traffic problems.

The official opening of the Oklahoma Territory in 1889 drew thousands of people to the border, ready with teams and wagons or on horseback for the famous land rush. And in November, North and South Dakota, Montana, and Washington were admitted to the Union.

Now, 100 years after her birth in Rock Port, Mo., Maude will be honored with a reception from 2 to 4:30 on Sunday afternoon, May 7, at the Delia community building.

Raised on a farm by her father and grandmother, Maude attended a one- or two-room school when possible. Farm children in those days seldom had an opportunity for many years of education, but, "You can learn lots at home if you want to," Maude commented. She was "good" at spelling, figuring, reading, and math.

She doesn't remember too much about her childhood experiences. "It was a long time ago," she reminded me. She did hang up a Christmas stocking, and remembers the rare treat of the candy she found in it. "What would kids do today, if they only got candy once a year?" she wondered.

Mrs. Thompson still has a delightful sense of humor. When I asked if she'd learned to swim, since they lived fairly close to the Missouri River, she laughed and exclaimed, "Oh, no!" Then she quoted this old rhyme, "Mother, may I go out to swim?" "Yes, my darling daughter. Hang your clothes on a hickory limb, but don't go near the water."

Maude Fleming and Christopher E. Thompson were married by the Probate Judge at Holton on June 28, 1911. She remembers how surprised she was to have guests at their courthouse wedding. It was the week of Teacher's Institute, and since several friends were at the county seat for the required training session, the teachers decided to attend the wedding. "It was a beautiful, moonlight night," she continued, "and we drove back home to the farm in a one-horse buggy."

Mr. Thompson, known as Chris, was born in 1881 at Maysville, Mo. His family moved to the Delia area when he was a boy. The couple celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary with a reception at Delia

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