From Single Life to Benedict - Part 2 - Big Events in 1922

The second year of marriage for Alfred and Helen (Bovenschen) Moehlmann is very eventful, as Alfred tells it:

"About this time, I got a promotion at Tower Hill – I was on a steady monthly salary of 240⁰⁰ a month and was the weigh boss and general bookkeeper.  I rode the miner's train from Linton to Midland and walked from there to the mine a distance of a little over a mile.  The train left Linton at 6 o’clock and we got back about 5 pm.  Had to leave home about 5:30 in the morning and it was a common sight to see fire spouting from chimneys where the soot had caught fire.  In those days we had coal stoves, both kitchen and heating and usually to start a fire, kerosene was used and a liberal charge of “coal oil” generally started the soot burning.

Our first Big Event was or rather happened on Jan. 15, 1922 when Harold was born.  Shortly befor the event Mrs. Bovenschen asked me if I had some good whiskey in the house and I told her I didn’t have any.  She simply said, “Get some.”  I didn’t ask any questions but I wondered where I could get some since prohibition was the law.  I finally went to Avery Murray who had a Drug Store and of course he said he would have to have a doctors prescription.  When I told him my story he sold me a pint.  I think one of the ills of today is that fathers don’t witness child birth.  The idea of pacing hospital floors has its anxious moment to be sure but to witness a birth is frightening.  You see the pallor of death and the birth of a new soul in the form of an infant child.  After the anxiety was over I still wanted to know what the whiskey was for.  I soon found out, Mother Bovenschen put some warm water in a teaspoon, put a few drops of whiskey in it and that was the first nourishment the baby got.  Then she told me that it was what her mother did, that all of her own children got the same start and none of them even had the colic.  There must be something to it for I can’t remember that we ever had to walk the floor with any of our children with the colic and they all got the same treatment except possibly Helen M. who was born in the hospital, but I did tell the nurses I would appreciate it if they would follow the same procedure.

Alfred, Harold, Helen Moehlmann, 1922
Moehlmann Family  Collection

In 1922 we had the long Coal Mine Strike – from April 1^st to September.  I guess I was holding my luck for being a monthly I received my pay straight through the strike – But that year we experienced some anxiety.  We first had a painful experience with Harold; he was crawling on the floor and ran a needle with a black thread in the fleshy part of his hand and the needle broke off somewhere in the hand; when we tried to pull on the thread it “gouged” deeper in the flesh.  We took him to the doctors and 3 doctors and a nurse (Drs. Craft, Fleetwood & Thayer & nurse Mrs. Hubert Heston) had to cut the needle out – Mom about passed out and I had to go down stairs for fresh air. 

Then on Thanksgiving Day we were at Uncle Karl and Aunt Annie’s for dinner and all the Bovenschen family was there.  Harold was sick and cried constantly & Mrs. Bovenschen said we had better take him home and get a doctor, which we did. At first the doctor thought it was a cold but he seemed to get worse and on Sunday morning Dr. Porter said he had pneumonia. I think it was the Sunday that Aunt Tress & Uncle Paul were married; anyhow Mrs. Bovenschen came that afternoon and her help was a big reason of his recovery.  Also in January of 1922 I was elected as secretary to the Consistory of Saron’s Church.  This was the first office I ever held and with such devout men as Mr. Bovenschen, Herman Schloot, & Jake Hahn;- elders; Hubert Bredweeg, Otto Harting & Wm. Kramer Jr. – deacons; and trustees Fred Strietelmeier, Wm. Harting and Ernie Steward.  I learned a lot."

Boy there were lots of ups and down during the couple's first year of marriage.  A promotion, then Harold's needle accident.  Our daughter, just prior to her first birthday, fell and had to have stitches. I remember how my husband said "No problem, I'll hold her while they sew her up."  Except just moments later they were bringing him to the waiting room - white as a ghost. So I can sympathize with my grandparents.  

The two articles below announce the beginning of the miner's strike.

                                                                               

The coal miners strike had quite an impact on the area as it lasted six months. The strike was called by the United Mine Workers of America and impacted more than 500,000 miners nationwide. 

I found it interesting that during prohibition you could get alcohol at a drug store with a doctor's prescription. Although Alfred managed without one.
This is an article in the Linton Daily Citizen on July 22, 1939 about the remodel of the Murray Drug Store. The article states that the store has held a prominent spot for the last half century. It is located at 69 North Main Street and the proprietor is  Avery Murray. The building was first owned by Henry Haseman and purchased by Murray and Dr. Berns in 1921.  In April of 1937 it became a Walgreen's agency selling Walgreen's products. Avery Murray remained the proprietor and says that it is strictly a "home-owned" store with "quality merchandise at cut prices."





















 Another Bovenschen sister is married. There are just three of the seven children left in the home of William Bovenschen. It's apparent that they are a close family. Alfred has mentioned many gatherings at his in-laws home.




Alfred mentioned being elected to the consistory in 1922.  It appears he did a good job as he is re-elected in 1923, along with his father-in-law who was elected deacon for another three years.

LATER TEEN AGE AND EARLY TWENTIES - Part 3 - Finding the Right One

As we move on with the "As I Was" story by Alfred Moehlmann, it appears that he has outgrown the pranks of the previous section. He continues:

"It was around this time that I made a trip to Indianapolis to see my father for a few days. Ind’pls was one of the biggest interurban centers in the world.  This was the time that the hobble skirt came into vogue with the fair sex.  Dad and I were at Shelby and Prospect street and many of the interurban cars stopped here.  There was a young lady that wanted to get on the car that went to Franklin.  With the tight fitting hobble skirt, try as she did, she couldn’t reach the high first step & finally the conductor had to lift her to the first step.  A lot of laughs & guffaws by the onlookers.  It was a rarity to see a womans “calf” in public."

At this point in the story I had to stop reading and look up "hobble skirt". For a fashion trend to have made such an imprint to be included in Alfred's memoir seemed out of character. But after seeing it, I understand. The fashion was created by a French couturier named Paul Poirter. The skirt of the dress was so narrow that it resulted in a "geisha" like walk, requiring the wearer to take tiny steps. Some employers prohibited the fashion in the work place and it even resulted in the invention of a special car for trams that was only eight inches off the ground to accommodate the fashion. The interesting thing is that at a time when women's suffrage was in the forefront, their fashion was going in the opposite direction.

 "It was around about this time that Ed Kramer and I was asked by Grace Bovenschen to play Santa Claus for her at her first school she taught – No. 6.  We went to her house several nights to get fitted up with the costumes.  The whole family got in on the project.  Will, Mrs. Bovenschen and the girls – I think Will was the most enthused of all.  Ed was heavy set and was ideal for Old Santa and I was Santa’s wife.  To make the Red Coat and other accessories, the cap, the britches and even the mask was quite a chore for the girls and their mother but they made a fine outfit.  It wasn’t hard to fit me up with a dress & mask.  One thing I can well remember was the big shawl of Mrs. Bovenschen.  No. 6 was about 2 miles and Will had old Fred (a contrary old horse) hitched to the buggy – we put on our costumes, loaded the “treat” in the buggy and started off.  Old Fred didn’t like our costumes to well and did quite a bit of snorting but the trip went on with out incident.  I guess we carried out our assignment in good fashion.  On one even knew who we were. The next year we played the same role for Grace at Plum Branch No. 7 school.  We also had the same roll at our church.  I can’t remember who the minister was at that time, but he didn’t approve of it and after the treats were distributed and we were in the basement changing our clothes he bent his fury on the congregation with a tongue lashing.

 Sometime after Esta Parker broke up, I started going with Edith Kauble.  I was introduced to her by Dola Stiner, who Ed Kramer was going with and later married.  There was something going on at the Park (now Humphreys Park) one Sunday afternoon and while at the old pump getting a drink of water, Ed, Dola & Edith came over and it was only a short while untill we got “chummy.”  Her parents were standing on the outside circle ready to go home for they wanted to go to Olive Branch Church that night.  Some how I asked her for a date and she had to consult Mama.  It was OK if we went to church.  It was a case again of going with a girl too long.  She had all her dreams made up that we would get married.  Along about his time Helen (who I will call Mom from now on) was going with Sheldon Goodman.   For some reason at that time I felt like she was the Gal for me.  Yet there was the social barrier.  It seemed to me though that if Sheldon was good enough surely I would have some small chance.  My folks at home didn’t like Edith and they made life unpleasant for me.  That wasn’t the real reason for us breaking up.  First I wasn’t ready to settle down – I didn’t have a steady job – I had very little money – but most of all I didn’t think we were meant for each other.  I saw my parents home broken up; I wanted to make sure it would not happen to mine.

 Shortly after Edith and I broke up, Sheldon and Mom broke up.  It was quite a surprise to me for they had been going together for a long time and from all outside appearances they seemed to be heading for the alter.  Sheldon was one of my best friends and I sort of hated to make my bid but I was sure if I hesitated too long some other young swain would step in.  I don’t know how I made my first date, if by letter, phone or just called but I do remember we went to a chatauqua that was in progress at Linton on the N.E. corner of B & North Main st. (Dr. Tomaks office site now).  I knew this was the girl for me so I started planning for the future.  I couldn’t see any future in Linton unless being a coal miner and didn’t want that.  

Once again I had to stop and find out what a Chautauqua was all about.. Wikipedia to the rescue. and then I found the two articles from 1921, several years after the chautauqua Alfred mentioned, showing how the trend continued in Linton.

Chautauqua (/ʃəˈtɔːkwə/ shə-taw-kwə) describes an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Named after Chautaugua Lake where the first was held, Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. A Chautauqua Assembly brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers and specialists of the day Former US President Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying that Chautauqua is "the most American thing in America"

 

Again, Alfred's ex-girlfriend got married shortly after their break up, Edith marrying Eskel Beasley in August of 1917.  But finally Alfred has found his girl. In thinking about his future, he knows he doesn't want the life of a coal miner, so what is he going to do?

LATER TEEN AGE AND TWENTIES - Parties and Sledding

With this post, the next section of Alfred's writing begins covering his late teens and twenties. 

"When I was about 18 yrs. old I had saved enough money to buy a horse and buggy.  The horse was a colt and I had to break him to drive and also ride.  I soon had him broke though and had a nice set of harness with white celluloid beads & loops and a set of spreaders also decked out in white beads (we called these spreaders Martingales.)  Of course the buggy had rubber tires.  It was my proudest moment up to that time when I drove out of the barn lot for the first time and drove to Lebanon Church for my first time. 

Now about this time there were several parties at various homes and for some reason a party at Bill Bovenschen was always a high light.  I don’t know if it was because of his six fine daughters or if it was him who always took a big part in making sure it was a good time for all.  The first girl I ever called for and went out on a date with was Grace Bovenschen.  Some how at a gathering or a party, Baker Letterman wanted to take Bertha Strietelmeier to a Childrens Night program at Howesville and she wouldn’t go unless another couple went along.  Some how the four of us got the dates arranged.  I still was plagued with the idea that I was not on a par with the rest of the crowd.  I was still a poor “waif” the victim of a circumstance I couldn’t help.  With this in mind I didn’t ask Grace for another date.  I felt she was a level above me, plus the daughter of one of the most prominent families in the neighborhood. 

William Bovenschen Family c. 1910 Grace is 2nd from left
From the Moehlmann Family  Collection

 So with this complex I started to mingle with young folks farther away from home.  Don’t get me wrong, I did not shun the young folks in the neighborhood nor was I shunned by them.  I still was invited to the parties and church social affairs, skating parties, chivories [shivaree], etc. and always had a good time. 

And when speaking of skating I must mention the parties held on the pond or reservoir on the Herman Schloot farm.  This body of water was the biggest and also the deepest for miles around.  We had to be sure that the ice was frozen thick enough to be safe.  One moonlight night a skating party was arranged and we had really had a ball.  But “Aunt” Tress had had one of the “hardest” falls I ever saw.  It seemed like both feet went out from under her at the same time and she lit on what you usually sit on.  It was a jarring fall, the hardest I ever seen any one have.  I imagine the ice cracked where she hit.  I do know the party broke up after the spill.

 Another thing that comes to mind that occurred in the winter had to do with a heavy snow fall probably about 1913 or 14.  Everything was tied up as far as work was concerned and I went over to my friend’s house, Ed Kramer.  We were in the barn just talking, when Ed’s father came in.  Now Old “Bill” Kramer just couldn’t stand to see anyone idle, so he said “Why don’t you boys make a bob sled.”  Of course we had never seen one of the type he explained but it sounded like fun and we got busy.  Saws, axes, augers and shaving blade was our main tools.  We cut the lower two Hickory saplings about 2 or 3 inches in diameter and about 16 feet long.  The idea was to make the runners and shafts all in one piece.  About the middle of these poles we shaved about half the wood off, built a fire, bent the poles so the shafts would stick up, held the shaved off part over the fire to bake and make it rigid.  Then we cut down another tree about 6 inches in diameter and about 4 feet long.  We bored 2 holes (1 inch) in each runner being careful not to bore through.   We made four stakes about 4 ft. long, whittled and shaved each end so they would fit the auger hole. We gauged the width so it would be the same as the wagon or buggy, then we bored holes in the 6 inch log at the proper angle, set it on the stakes and our sled stood up about 3 ½ feet high.  We put a bolt in each shaft to fasten the tug too.  Then with a lap robe and horse blanket draped over the log which was our seat, we were ready for a ride.  It was bitter cold but we tried it out that night.  I got my horse and believe me he was “raring” to go.  For a harness we only used a bridle & reins, a collar, harness & tugs.  (No hold-back straps.)  We took a wild ride, with snow from the horses hoofs so thick we couldn’t see – just turned him loose and hung on our seat.  After about a mile or so running I suppose the horse began to tire and he settled down to a trot.  We went to Sommerville Church where they were having a “revival meeting.”  After church we got our “rig” out and very few had ever seen such a contraption.  The horse was cold and wanted to run, so off we go again.  Even as cold as it was the horse was covered with foam from sweating.  We hovered with 2 horse blankets so he would not chill and catch a cold.  We went out every night with our sled, alternating my horse and Ed’s horse.  Uncle Dietz had a black stallion called Max and he said why don’t you hitch Max to the sled?  We did and Uncle Dietz went along.  This horse was big and strong and he gave us one of the wildest rides I ever took.  He ran at full speed for over 2 miles; I never went over the Henry Bovenschen hill any faster, even in an automobile.  We took one of the longest rides on this night.  First to Sommerville Church and then to Vicksburg; from there to Brownstown and back home.  This snow stayed on for about 2 weeks and it was a good thing we had 3 horses to alternate for we had them pretty well “gaffed out” befor the snow melted.  Most of the roads were clay and as a rule even the gravel roads would get bad during the winter.  We would either ride horse back or hitch a horse to a light cart that we had to break colts in to drive.  There was only room for 2 on the cart and that made a good load for a driving horse to pull."

Bill (William) Bovenschen is the son of an 1854 German immigrant, Diedrick Bovenschen. You may be sensing what Alfred's future holds as he talks about the  Bovenschen's. There will be many more stories about the Bovenschen family who lives just down the road from Alfred.  Right now Alfred is still suffering from the fact that his parents divorced and his "poor" circumstances.

The Kramer's are also German immigrants to Greene county. "Old Bill Kramer" as Alfred called him was the son of  the 1850 immigrant August Kramer.  William's land was just across the road from the Tendick's and Alfred and Ed Kramer grew up together.  I marvel at the ability of the two boys to make their horse drawn sled. And what fun they had afterwards.