Tell Others Sample Chapter

INTRODUCTION

    My paternal grandfather and one of his brothers were my only relatives that came to America from Germany. My grandfather, Albert was born December 21,1858 in Pummel, a small German farming community, located in the southernmost part of Germany, close to France.

     He immigrated to America when he was just 16 and settled in a farming community, called, Hoosier’s Ridge, located outside Plainview, Minnesota. A large number of Protestant German families had already settled there from a previous generation, but it was that generation that had established a Lutheran Church.

     The church and its teachings were the center of the lives of the German community, so much so, that if anyone left the church and married into the Catholic Church, they were immediately, visibly shunned. Many times, because of the strength of the church, they were disowned by their own Lutheran family. This radical practice continued into the 2^nd and 3^rd generations.

    Grandfather, Albert was 6 feet tall, very lean and very strong. These were beneficial qualities that helped make him an excellent farmer and landowner. But it was his proud German heritage that gave him his confident manner. His strict Protestant, Lutheran upbringing, made him a determined, responsible man of upstanding character. But he was also quiet and humble, not self-righteous. Grandfather Albert, felt a great appreciation for America and its opportunities, and he became an American citizen as soon as he could.

     His farming accomplishments and good looks; blue eyes, medium complexion and thick head of brownish hair, offered him good marriage prospects. In 1881, he met and married Minna.

     My grandmother Minna, came from a well-established religious Lutheran family, in Altura, Minnesota. She was born in 1865, a first-generation American with a proud German family background. Minna was given a very strict Lutheran upbringing. She was a hard worker, not very social, but very much a real homebody. She was very clean and neat, and believed, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” which became the family motto to live by.

     Albert and his new wife, Minna settled on a farm near Plainview and became well respected members of that rural community.

     In those days, farming was called, “general farming,” mostly for the independent lifestyle it offered and the freedom to be your own boss. Daily farm life was routine, but it required, 24-hour attention and supervision.

       Crops were grown mostly for feed for the cows, horses, pigs and chickens, which then supplied the dairy and meat products to feed the family. Large fruit and vegetable crops were both for seasonal use and also were made into preserves to be used during the long cold winters.

     Cream was sold to the local creamery for cash or for butter and cheese. And the local grocery exchanged farm eggs for sugar, flour and other general provisions needed.

     Minna and Albert worked very hard and that limited their social activities to family celebrations, and church participation. Minna bore Albert 13 children, seven boys, and six girls. Sadly, one girl died within the first year after birth. But Minna was strong. Even though she stood only about 5 feet 3 inches tall, she had a stern, no nonsense, manner with all her children.

     Meals always were simple meat and potatoes, but there was always a vegetable and the meal always included a dessert. Breakfast consisted of cooked oatmeal, cream, sugar, a glass of milk, and a slice of homemade bread with butter and homemade jam. Even though the oatmeal was terrible, Minna insisted every bit of it be eaten.

     Boys were considered the wealth of the family, both for farm work and for hiring out to other farmers. Girls, however, were expected to marry early to approved spouses or be hired out to other families as house keepers. All girls were taught to master housekeeping chores early on, including sewing and mending clothes.

     Grandfather Albert was stern, but fair and provided for all his children. He appreciated the freedom of American life and the opportunities it provided for him and his family. Over the years he prospered, and when each of the boys married, he gave them a farm, but he held the mortgages on all of them. The boys were permitted to choose wives outside the strict German religious lifestyle, as long as they were from a Protestant denomination.

     Girls were a different story. The unmarried girls were allowed to work outside of the home and Ivy and Mattie were the first two women in the family to work as phone operators and learn to drive. In later years, Anna went out to work in business. All these things were very progressive for girls of that era, and even their appearance was more modern. In contrast to the women of that time, who kept their hair long and wore it in a bun, the girls were permitted to wear their hair short.

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                                                     HERM

My father Herm, was born in 1886. He was of much shorter stature at 5 feet 9 inches, than his 6-foot-tall father. Herm was lean and muscular, and had an exceptional love for the land which made him an excellent farmer. Even though he only had a 5^th grade grammar school education, Herm was very intuitive regarding the land and promoted the idea of machinery farming.

     He met and married my mother, Liz in 1916. Liz was born in 1898, a 2^nd generation American, in Plainview, Minnesota. She was of a mixed heritage, part Scottish, part French and English, and possibly more. Liz was taller than Herm, medium to large build, with dark hair that always had a wave to it. Unlike Herm, she was very educated and was qualified to teach grammar school. She was very pretty, but also very strong and confident. Even though on the surface they were very different, Liz made the perfect wife for Herm, which was in part who she was, but also may have come from her upbringing. Her mother had died when she was ten years old, so she had to learn very early on, about responsibilities, and because of that, she also learned many valuable lessons.

     After her mother died, her grandmothers came to live with the family a great deal of the time. From their involvement in her home Liz adopted the saying, “No house is big enough for two women.”

     Liz was considered very American. She had strong ideals, was extremely generous and enjoyed social activities.

    After Liz and Herm were married, my mother gave birth to nine children: Charles, Byrl, Peter, Karl, Marie myself, Elizabeth, Billie, and the youngest, Andrew.

     My father was a good provider, but he left the handling of the finances to my mother. He maintained strong religious beliefs of some prejudice, so Mother always arbitrated to change his mind on family issues and she shouldered much of the responsibility for our family life.

     Mother seemed to be the glue that kept everything together. She could manage and cope with a calm demeanor. In fact, just a look from her, could control a lot of behavior. She had a very strong faith in God, and made sure we did not participate in idle gossip. But she was also fair and guided by her own beliefs, not by Lutheran church restrictions.

     My mother was a great helpmate for Father, but she maintained an equal footing regarding family matters. She wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she believed was right. She defended the rights of us girls, as well as the boys.

     In addition to all her indoor duties she helped out in the fields when necessary. Her day began at four in the morning, and ended at nine at night, but she never complained. She completely understood that farm life was exceptionally hard and could only be treasured, if you loved it!

     Mother greatly loved our family and encouraged independent thinking in all her children. She would say, “Things will always work out,” or “There is always something to be grateful about. Count your blessings. Don’t give up!”