Son of Mr. and Mrs. John Dirks, born March 16, 1893, on a farm northeast of Pomeroy. Was baptized by Rev. Johnson in an old school house. When he was three months old, a cyclone hit Pomeroy and that area. Forty people were killed, his parents and the rest of the family took shelter in an old barn. His parents were very poor and he didn't get very much schooling. He got to the second grade. The teachers didn't amount to too much in those days. In a way, they didn't care if their pupils got there lessons or not. They would rather go out and ice skating on the pond.
Dick had nine sisters, one brother and two half-sisters. They had to work out as soon as they were big enough. Two sisters died when they were small. They got very little spending money. They had to give everything they earned to their parents until they got of age or got married. Most of his sisters got married real young. When he was 21, he got himself a nice horse and buggy. Then a sweetheart. He went courting in all kinds of weather. Went riding in a one horse open sleigh. We went a good many a times at least that winter in 1914 and 1915. We had lots of snow.
We were married on January the 5th on a very cold wintry day. The wedding took place at a sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Coleman, nine miles north of Pomeroy. We started farming that spring. Had pretty tough sliding as we had very little money to go on. In September, the stork came along and brought a little boy and so it went on until there were fourteen. Seven boys and seven girls. Two of the girls passed away. Eva at 11 months, 10 days in 1925 and Verneeda at 14, August 14, 1940.
Horses cost plenty in those days. We paid as much as $400 for a team. We didn't have any tractors or
even a car. We drove eight miles to Pomeroy to go to church. It took one hour to get there with a horse
and buggy in the winter when there was plenty of snow.