George A. De Lapp was born on April 13, 1870, to Joseph De Lapp and Mary Elizabeth Foster De Lapp.  He married Rosa Bench, Jesse’s older sister.  George, Rosa, and their first child Hazel (born 1898) were all living in the big Bench farm house at the time of Jesse’s early diary entries.

George’s son, George Harold De Lapp, wrote the following about his father:

In his younger life he was an exceptional ball player and was offered a contract with the Three I League (Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana) but he turned it down because he had a family and the pay was not enough. He was a catcher.

Before my father, George A. went to work on the C.B.&Q RR, he worked for my Grandfather, James Bench on the home farm place East of Utica, MO on the banks of the Grand River. He was the main carpenter that built the home place. It was a large 2 story frame house and within a stones throw of the C.B.&Q. RR Bridge over the Grand River. Both house and RR Bridge are gone now.

Later he left the farm and worked for the C.B.&Q. RR and he was hit by a railroad engine and nearly killed. Broke near very bone in his body and put out his left eye. In later years I was convinced that he could see better and farther with his one eye than I could see with two eyes.

The De Lapp family moved to Brunswick [Missouri] in 1911 when a bridge foreman on the C.B.& Q. wanted Dad to go with him to work for the Wabash RR. So he moved the family there. All of the kids were born in Utica or Chillicothe, Mo. except Clyde (Stillborn) and I.

George A. put in 32 years on the railroad, all but about 2 on
the Wabash. He was a bridge carpenter, then the bridge gang
foreman and then was promoted to building bridge inspector of
the western division. He had to inspect quarterly, all buildings
bridges and trestles from Moberly North to Des Moines, IA. (North
end); from Moberly West to Kansas City, MO. (Main line) and from
Brunswick, MO. to Council Bluffs, IA. (Hi-Line). This was done in
all kinds of weather, year round on a small gas engine powered
motorcar that had only a canvas windbreak with an ising glass
window in it to see the track ahead. Every one on the Wabash
Western Division knew, liked and respected Big George De Lapp.

He was an excellent wing shot man with a shotgun. Once, about
1936 he, my brother Cecil and I were at a trapshoot. I had his
gun, a 16 ga, side by side double barrel. He had owned the gun
since around 1928 and had never shot it. When my name was called
to shoot for a turkey he had the gun in his hands and I told
him that the round was paid for and handed him a bx of shells. He
tried to beg off, saying he hadn’t shot for years. But
Cecil and I prevailed and Dad won the turkey with 23 out of 25
rounds. Pretty good for one eye and 66 yrs old & no practice.