HISTORY NEBRASKA MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG1080.AM: Floyd Miles, 1904-1989
Reminiscences: 1904-1921
Arcadia, Valley County, Nebraska:
Size: One item
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Floyd Miles was born in Iowa in 1904, the youngest of six sons born to Oliver and Lillian Miles. In 1911, when Floyd was six years old, his mother died. He, some of his brothers, and a baby sister were placed in the Child Saving Institute of Omaha. As a foster child, Floyd was placed with many families until April of 1912, when he was permanently placed with the Wolford family of rural Buffalo County. Malon and Eva Wolford, his foster parents, were tenant farmers. Throughout Floyd’s childhood, the Wolfords attempted to improve their circumstances by farming in a variety of Nebraska and Iowa towns, with little success. With Mr. Wolford’s death in 1921, Floyd dropped out of school and accepted work as a steam press operator in a dry cleaning shop. He remained in this occupation for sixteen years.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This Reminiscence, written by Floyd Miles in 1980, is an autobiographical account of his youth. Miles describes the circumstances which forced his widowed father to place his children at the Child Saving Institute of Omaha and into foster homes. Miles also recounts the abusive treatment he received in one family and the financially poor, but loving, home provided by his permanent foster parents, Malon and Eva Wolford.
INVENTORY
Reminiscence of Floyd Miles
Subject headings:
Arcadia (Nebraska)
Bloor, Ella Reeve, 1862-1951
Buffalo County (Nebraska)
Child Saving Institute (Omaha, Nebraska)
Child welfare — Nebraska
Children
Domestic life
Douglas County (Nebraska)
Drury family
Education
Farm life
Foster home care — Nebraska
Hail — Nebraska
Henderson (Iowa)
Holdrege (Nebraska)
Miles family
Miles, Floyd C., 1904-1989
Miles, Oliver Kay, 1869-1923
Omaha (Nebraska)
Phelps County (Nebraska)
Red Oak (Iowa)
Reminiscences
Rural schools
Russell, Milo
Valley County (Nebraska)
Westerling, Emil
Wolford family
Wolford, Evaline (Stennett), 1864-1942
Wolford, Malon, 1852-1922
Revised TMM 10-07-2009
