This creative thesis is written in an effort to explore the dedication to family and
life goals of a doctor and his family in Northeast Missouri during the early part of the
twentieth century. It is the story of Hattie and Frank Farrington. The text is separated
into two parts: Snapshots, and Stories.
The Snapshots section was created from video-taped interviews with two of the three
living daughters, Isabelle Farrington-Otto and Elnora Lee Farrington-Froman. After each
Snapshot, a small parenthesis lists which daughter is speaking; (I) for Isabelle and (EL)
for Elnora Lee. The daughters provided a great deal of very interesting information about
the family, much of which I could not use. I tried to focus on snapshots that either help
the reader understand the life in the early 1900’s, or that emphasized the
parents’ devotion to family.
The Stories section consists of tales I created based on information from the
daughters. They are printed in italics to show that they are not direct quotes from
Isabelle and Elnora Lee.
Start reading Snapshots and Stories:
The Farringtons of Northeast Missouri
This thesis is dedicated to my family: Don, Judy, Kris and Mike, and my wife, Andrea.
Thank you for your support and encouragement. I love you all.
First, I would like to thank my committee chair, Dennis Leavens, for his support and
insight. Next, thank you to my committee members Martha Bartter and Mark Shanley. A
special thanks to Jason and Lori Haxton, Isabelle Farrington-Otto and Elnora Lee
Farrington-Froman, without whom this thesis could never have happened. Thank you for
opening your home and lives to me. Thanks to Carol Race for helping me understand the
intricacies of CD-ROM technology. Thanks to Becky Maas and Beth Mundt for being there when
I needed you most. Thanks to all my staff members, past and present. Lastly, I want to
extend special thanks to Jason Haxton and Elsie Gaber for their support both
professionally and academically. I owe a great deal to all of these people. Thank you.
