Gordon Branson graduated from MHS in 1914.
1920 census records for Manning before Gordon's death has him listed then as living with Dr. Robert Williams and Emma Williams, as nephew, also grandmother Caroline Branson, widow living there with her daughter who married Dr. Williams.
Relatives of Gordon Branson are David Branson 1827 - 1914 & Caroline Branson 1831 - 1924 and Milton L. Branson ---- - 1908 & Emma L. Branson ---- - 1896.
Milton & Emma Branson are buried in the Manning Cemetery.
Section C Row #33 north - south.
Information from Nancy Ardell of California.
Gordon Branson was the son of Milton & Emma Branson. Gordon was raised by grandparents David & Caroline
Branson of Manning, after Emma (Shearer) Branson died in 1896.
At some point Milton Branson remarried, & with his new wife, Alice Cole, sold his farm and bought farmland in
Fairmount, North Dakota, where he moved the rest of his children, (Roy, Frank, May (mother-Emma),
and Thad (mother Alice). Because the government was still trying to populate North Dakota, all of the farm
equipment & animals, and family were moved free by the railroad. Milton & his older sons road with the animals
and May, Thad & Alice road in the coach area. All of the sons continued on in farming in Fairmount, and later one
of the grandsons, & two great grandsons after. Two of the grand daughters moved away when they married, but the
other two grand daughters both married local farmers, their children have remained farmers, now farming
soybeans and beets successfully in Fairmount.
May 10, 1917 Manning Monitor
HERBERT BLAIR WRITES
El Paso, Texas, April 30, 1917.
Dear Mr. Mantz:
I am located at El Paso, Texas, just six miles from the Mexican border and we
are receiving very good drill.
The five of us boys that left were certainly scattered out right. Don Branson
had to stay at Ft. Logan in the hospital corps. Arnold Foster and Ed Gronert
were shipped to California and Roy Lawbaugh and myself are in Texas.
I am glad that the boys of Manning turned out so well. It ranks first at Ft.
Logan, for the number of recruits from a town of its size.
My main reason for writing was to get you to send me the Monitor here. To have
that would almost bring the town of Manning here into Texas.
We are now drilling too much to allow anyone to become lonesome, yet the paper
would help out on some of these quiet evenings.
If anyone should ask you tell them that I am very glad I joined the army and
that I have a very good chance for promotion.
Respectfully yours,
Herbert Blair, Fourth Field Artillery, El Paso, Texas.