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My grandfather, Jack, and his wife, Lillie Bell Pippenger Zink, with their four children
lived in a large two-story house approximately two miles west of Johnson on what was then known as the Magruder place and later as
the Jack Bailey place and more recently owned by Dr. Robert Brownsberger. Grandpa Zink moved to the Magruder place on January 1, 1913
and farmed there until February 28, 1918. The two older sons were Allen Francis Zink (who was my father) and Royce Zink. Royce had no middle
name and was nicknamed "Bruce" after a black man in the community named Brewster. The reason was that Royce had brown eyes, black hair and a
darker complexion than the rest of the kids. Allen and Elsa Mae had blue eyes, whereas Troy had green eyes. They were out in the barn working
when the storm came up. Allen was 18 and Bruce 16. The barn was located about 50 yards east of the house, and when they saw the tornado coming
they made a run for the house but didn't make it. They did get under a grape arbor and laid low and rode out the storm and were unhurt. The top
was blown out of the barn and much damage to the rest, so someone was looking out for them. Their parents, younger brother Troy Davis Zink (named
after the horse-drawn Troy wagons) who was 11 and younger sister Elsa Mae Zink who was three weeks old, rode out the tornado in the house. It blew
the windows out of the upstairs, but they were not hurt. The parents were much afraid for the boys as they thought they were in the barn, and they
could see that the roof and hayloft had been blown away. Also Elsa Mae was in her crib upstairs, and every window was blown out except the room
where the crib was located. Needless to say, they all survived unhurt and felt blessed. „
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Andrew Franklin Jackson Zink
Born: 10 Aug 1879, Henry County, MO
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