TEENAGE YEARS - Part 7 - It's Not All Work

Alfred has quit high school and is working in the mines. But its not all work; the weekends are time for social activities.

"Now during this period I too went through the change or transition in habits.  I got interested in wanting to go places at night or on holidays.  Naturally girls became interesting.  It was about this time that Ed Kramer and myself became great buddies.  Our only way to go places was to walk or ride a bicycle.  Our Saturday nights we usually went to town (Linton.)  That was always a big night.  Throngs of people on the side walks, seemingly just strolling along.  Of course the stores were open until late, the saloons were full of men and the ice cream parlors did a big business.  Linton was booming with many big coal mines.  We usually rode our bicycles to town and would park them at Saron Church.  On Sunday nights it was Church Services.  Olive Branch was attended more than any other.  It was about a 4 mile walk  A crowd would start forming at the cross roads at the bottom of the Henry Bovenschen hill, one mile north of Fairview cemetery.  There would be a gang of the Taylors, Kendalls & Smiths.  The crowd would grow at Henry B. and then Tom Pope had several to add to the crowd, on to Pete Stockran's corner, he had I think 7 girls and here a gang from Vicksburg would swell the crowd; by the time we got to the Bolten corner and met the Black Creek bunch we really had a crowd.  At the Ramsey Beasley corner we would meet the crowd from the west and a full house was assured for the “Meeting.”  Henry B Bovenschen and Pete Stockran always took a wagon but the young folks usually walked.  There were several other churches we would go to: Nine Mile, Miller, Sommerville, Lincoln, Providence, Lebanon and Mt. Olive.  All seems to have a lot of young people in their early teens.
 In the Fall there was box or pie supper at the school.  The young swains would bid for the box or pie furnished by the girls and the successful bidder would get to eat with the damsel.  It was a sort of sneaky procedure for the girl would get a number to correspond with what she brought.  At times of course the boys would try to find out their number & bid accordingly.  At times several would bid for a certain number and run the price up on some zealous fellow.  They also would run some girl for the prettiest @ 1¢ a vote.  This could run into a lot of money if two or three factions got to competing.  The money that was made was spent for school equipment.  Then some of the local talent would give a play sometime during the school term and they called this “Literary Night.”  It usually was free but some good acting came out of this venture.  Another big event was a dinner on the last day of school.  Of course the kids had a program but the dinner was something.  All the school patrons were there.  It was something.  I will always remember the Big Cakes Mrs. Ira Adams would bring.
 I think one of the most appreciated dinners I ever has was while riding on a wagon.  Uncle Dietz and me took a load of fat hogs to Worthington Stock Pens.  We were on the road by 5:30 that morning, we so must have had breakfast around 4 o’clock.  We had 8 fat hogs, well over 200 pounds apiece. They brought 80⁰⁰ and I marveled at all that money but Uncle Dietz said he owed the bank 50⁰⁰ on a note.  It was after 12 o’clock when we got started back for home.  There was a small store at the edge of town and we stopped and got 15 cents worth of crackers right out of the cracker barrel and 20 cents worth of cream cheese.  You got a lot for your money in those days.  We had a big sack of crackers and a big hunk of cheese.  What a dinner, bouncing on a rough road and a hot sun to boil down on you."

Looks like a lot of the social activity revolved around the local churches and schools.  Many of the churches did not have services every Sunday. It seems that the four mile walk to church was a social event in itself. 

Alfred's Four Mile
 Walk to Church

1- Alfred's home
2 - Bottom of Bovenschen hill
3 - Tom Pope's
4 - Peter Strockrahm
5 - Vicksburg
6 - Bolton Corner
7 - Olive Branch Church

Olive Branch Church

Alfred's early teenage years are coming to a close.  He is about 18 years old and becoming an adult. He has some money in his pocket from working in the mines and has started noticing the girls. So what comes next? 

TEENAGE YEARS - Part 6 - Mine work

Alfred is back in Linton after working in Indianapolis for a short time. Now he is back living with his mom and grandmother and uncles on the farm.

"I started to High School and completed one year.  It began to dawn on me that not only the handicap of being poor but the fact that my mother and father were divorced did not rate me very high among the more well to do families in the community.  I couldn’t boast of the horses, cattle, hogs, land, etc. that Dad had.  But I imagine the idea of wearing patched clothing to High School was more than I could take.  About this time, hard times had the effect that we didn’t have any cows.  So Mother bought a cow from the alimony money I had received.  It was to the point that we were merely existing.  I worked occasionally when a farmer could use me.  I would earn a few dollars during the thrashing season, hay harvesting & corn cutting time.  Then a streak of good fortune came my way when I got a job in a coal mine. It was mainly a fall & winter job in what they called a wagon mine which supplied the local domestic trade.  This was hard work – The coal seam was from 32 to 34 inches high and we had a lot of water to contend with.  The cars held about a ton of coal and we had to push them quite a distance from the face of the coal to the place where they hoisted it out.  Two of us worked a room together and we got a dollar a car.  Seldom did we get over eight cars a day and there was blasting powder & fuse to buy.  Boots didn’t last long nor did working clothes but I did learn how to mine coal by the hand method known as pick-work – We had no cutting machines or loaders.  For a light we used a lamp on our cap, filled with hard like grease called Lard Oil.  A wick gave a dingy, yellow smoky light.  But the carbide lamp was introduced about that time and we used them as soon as they were available.  They made a much better light and were not nearly so heavy.  There was a lot of safety measures to learn.  Luckily, this vein of coal did not have gas in it, but in a small mine the ventilation was very poor.  The first thing was to be sure the roof or top was solid.  We would tap the roof with the flat side of a pick and if a ringing sound was made the top was safe but if a hollow or drum like sound, it indicated loose slate.  Then you had to make soundings until you found a solid place. You had to determine how much slate was loose and if you could support it with timbers or props or cross bars or if it would have to be wedged down and make sure that you were always under solid top.  While you were testing the roof you also usually had your lamp in your hand testing for “Damps”  Now damps was caused by a lax of oxygen in the air – There was Black Damps which you would find on top or near the roof.  To detect this you find the flame of your lamp extending far out in long and flickering flame that seemed to be reaching for something.  White damps were heavy and they would be next to the bottom or floor.  They were far more dangerous since they had no oxygen and would soon suffocate a person.  If you happened to be working and accidentally got in Black Damps you would soon get a terrific headache that would last for quite a while.  Fresh air was no immediate cure for it and you would suffer several hours.  You usually went to an entry when this happened for there always was more air there and you would not run the hazard of sitting down in White Damps.  That would be fatal unless someone found you quickly.  I also learned how to set timbers or props to support the roof, learned how to cut coal by hand, how to gauge a block of coal to be shot or blasted, set up drilling machine, make water proof cartridges for blasting powder, make “dummies” for tamping purposes and insert fuse in cartridge.  I also learned how to lay track and switches.  There is even an art to using a jack to put a wrecked or derailed car back on the tracks."  

Inside page of Alfred Moehlmann's 9th grade Botany Book

Page from Alfred Moehlmann's Botany Workbook c. 1911

I have a couple of Alfred's school books. This is his high school botany book. It includes page after page of plant descriptions that Alfred wrote and each has an sample of the plant taped on the opposite page. Considering they are over 100 years old, it amazing what great shape the pages are in.

Much as Alfred did with farming, he has again provided a detailed explanation of the procedures involved mining. The first coal mine in Linton was in operation in 1859.  But it was the railroad that allowed the mining industry to grow.  In 1900 Linton had a population of just over 3000, but that quadrupled by 1910 with 16 mines within a three mile radius of Linton employing 2500 men.  So Alfred has entered the mining industry at a time of great growth.

Example of early coal mining in Greene County
From http://www.mononmines.com/mines1.html

52 Ancestors - Week 6 - Heinrich Ramacher - So Far Away

Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small has a weekly challenge to write the stories of your ancestors. This is week #6  and the suggested theme is SO FAR AWAY. My ancestor this week is HEINRICH RAMACHER (1800-1862).

My interest in genealogy began at a young age when I discovered a three-ring binder at my grandmother’s house full of family information that had been put together by a relative.  My grandmother had received letters full of updates for that book which had just been stuffed in the front pocket. My grandmother was not inclined to keep it up to date. So I took that duty on, even though I only visited my grandmother once a year on summer vacation.  But I was hooked.  That book was made in the 60’s and it had been typed and then photocopied, and it had photos, newspaper clippings, and great stories.  That book was put together by my second cousin twice removed, Esther (Ramacher) Hand.  I was only 12, but I spent hours looking through those pages and marveled that someone I had never met and who lived SO FAR AWAY in California, had collected so much information on my relatives in Indiana.

 

I want to share the story that started Esther on her journey of finding and documenting her family. Because the story starts SO FAR AWAY in Germany.

   “Heinrich Ramacher was a tall man of erect stature and careful of details.  For many months his family had been preparing for their voyage to America.  The family consisted of himself, his wife Maria, and six children from ages 10 to 26.  The two boys were the eldest and the youngest with the four girls between.  Most of their belonging were sent ahead and, at last, the day came for them to board the river packet for their trip down the Rhine River to Rotterdam, the first stop on their long journey.  It must have been sometime during February in 1854.

   The home they were leaving in Repelen in the Rhine Provinces of Prussia was about five miles west of the Rhine River and slightly north of their probably point of departure at Duisburg.  The river packet was not a large boat, but was wide and flat and though the weather was cold and rainy, they had a nice pleasant ride to the ocean at Rotterdam in Holland.  I believe the older boy, John, had gone earlier with the belongings, which included a cow and some sheep, maybe some chickens, things which needed care all along the way.

    While in the port at Rotterdam they could not locate their belongings, but were told all would be in Havre-de-Grass [now Le Havre] by the time they were.  I believe it was in this place where their permits to travel, etc. were issued.  They had hoped to find John before leaving Rotterdam to learn if he had his clearances for travel, but they missed him.  Their trip in an ocean-going vessel from Rotterdam to the French port was rough and quite uncomfortable.  The channel is always rough, but as our ancestors traveled it that wintery day in 1854 there was a storm brewing.  It had not, as yet, amounted to much of a storm, but had made the already choppy trip one of uneasiness and wonder about how much worse it would be before they would land in France. After they reached the port of Havre-de-Grass they had quite a wait before their belongings arrived.  It was only a day or two but seemed an eternity.  The cargo ship had run into the heart of the storm and had trouble.  All their belongings were finally recovered except one box.  It was either lost or the storm and seawater had ruined the contents.  I don't recall that detail of their stories.  John had been on that boat and gave a very vivid description of the ordeals of the animals and the shifting of the boxed cargo from the onslaught of wind and ocean waves.  I believe one man was washed overboard into the angry turmoil and could not be rescued.  Heinrich had made special stalls for their cow and other animals and John said that these stalls were the only reason their animals came safely through the channel storm.   Several other animals had fallen and broken bones and had to be killed, or else were washed overboard.  I have no idea of the construction of the stalls, but it points up the fact of Heinrich's attention to details and practicality.

   There was a long wait at the French port of Havre-de-Gras, now known as Le Havre, before their ship "Ocean Home" could be on her way across the Atlantic Ocean,.  Dad repeated to me stories told him about the impatience of his father (aged 10 years) to have to wait around while others boarded the ship and "settled in".   It seems there was some question about something, but grandpa's father had purchased first class passage for his family as they were given preference.  Their ship must have been quite a large one to store each family's supply of food, clothing, water to drink for themselves and their animals. Grandpa told of their quarters as being a box-like apartment section on one of the decks above the water-line.  Their animals were housed in the hold of the ship and they had to feed and care for them.  My uncle told of his father's wish that they had goats like some of the other families.  Goats didn't require so much cleaning-up-after as a cow.  Their cow supplied milk, butter, and cheese.  Their chickens and sheep gave them eggs and meat.  I remember something about potatoes being stored in the hold.  I can remember no stories of any bad storms while crossing the ocean.  The crossing took seven weeks - almost two months - and was not as hazardous as some reports of other ships.  In fact, I remember grandpa saying that he enjoyed the Atlantic crossing, except it took a long time. Their ship docked at the United States southern port of New Orleans on May 17, 1854.

   I remember no stories connected with New Orleans so I believe they quickly boarded a river boat for the next leg of their long journey, which was up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to the river port of Evansville, Indiana.  From Evansville they rode the train to the town of Vincennes.  Since no train went to Linton in those days I have no idea how they covered their last thirty miles, nor how fast they covered it.  The way grandpa related the venture, I believe his father investigated several possibilities before deciding to settle in Linton.

   One report had their trip to America as taking three months.  By the time they broke-up housekeeping and boarded the river packet, changed boats and secured their travel permits at Rotterdam, changed boats again at Havre-de-Grass with a two week or longer lay-over, sailed the Atlantic Ocean for seven weeks, debarked at New Orleans, boarded another boat for the trip up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to Evansville in Indiana and took a train to Vincennes, then somehow arrived in Linton, I suppose that would take all of three months.  .   I do not know why Heinrich decided to settle in Linton, whether it was agricultural prospects or friendships is hard to guess.  Perhaps it was most of the former and little of the latter.  Cornelius Gossen, whom Elizabeth married, came from Prussia and his step-father died in Linton in 1850, so they were in Linton before the Ramachers. I do not know if they were from the same part of Prussia or not, or if they were acquainted before coming here, but I believe they were.”

 So Heinrich Ramacher was Esther’s great grandfather and my third great grandfather. The Ramacher family made a seven thousand mile journey to a new land. My direct ancestors stayed in the Linton, Indiana area, but the story continues for Esther side of the family with another long journey for another one of Heinrich’s sons.

  "Heinrich's daughters remained near Linton with the exception of Agnes whose husband took her to the western edge of Iowa at Council Bluffs where she died of typhoid fever in 1880 at the age of 43.
  Henry Ramacher and his brother-in-law, John Palmer, had planned to move to California together, but as time passed their goals became divergent, so in 1881 John Palmer and his wife Catherine Fainot Palmer, and family of seven children left for Oregon.  They went by train to San Francisco where they boarded another train that took them to west central Oregon, to a town named Hubbard.  About three years later, Henry Ramacher and his wife Mary Ann Fainot Ramacher and their three children boarded the overland train for the central valley of California, landing in Fresno May 10, 1884. 

  At the time Heinrich came he said he was the only Ramacher to come to this country.  Since Heinrich had only two sons, and the older of the two had no children, our family was the only Ramachers in the USA.  For many years we never heard of any others with similar spellings, but since World War I and especially after World War II we have found others.  In checking where we can, they were not here as early as our Heinrich.

This article was written because several members of our "greater family" had never heard any of the stories associated with our ancestor's trip from Germany to America and were eager to learn.  I decided to put on paper all the incidents I can remember having been told and do welcome any further contributions from anyone.  Maybe someday we will have a better "Ramacher story".  When I have been told conflicting stories I have hunted clues for the correct situation."               

                          Most sincerely

                                  Esther Ramacher Hand

Heinrich Ramacher and His Four Daughters
From the Moehlmann Family Collection

This is the family history that Heinrich Ramacher wrote in German script.  It gives information back to his grandfather who was born in 1753. It was one of the items that started Esther on her search.

From the "Ramacher Story" by Olive Esther (Ramacher) Hand

In 1978 Esther made the trip so far away, to Germany to see the homeland of her ancestors.  

TEENAGE YEARS - Part 5 - Working in Indianapolis

Alfred has left the farm life and is back in Indianapolis.

"The first job I got was at the Fairmont Glass Co.  I worked at nights – the work was hard and it was unbearable hot with all the furnaces and molten glass and the hot ovens in which the glass was baked.  I didn’t stay there very long." 

The Fairmont Glass Company had started in Fairmont, Indiana but moved to Indianapolis in 1889. The company had several law suits against them in 1908 concerning the use of underage employes (under 14). In 1911 the company was trying to stay non-union.  In 1918 the plant had a major fire. I think it was a good thing that Alfred only worked there a short time. 

"Then I got a job at the Sentinel Printing Co.  I was proof boy, taking a sample of the printing to the customer for an OK.  The pay was very little – 4⁰⁰ per week – room and board was 2⁵⁰.  Uncle Dietz came to the State Fair and talked me into coming back to Linton and go to High School, which I did."

"One little incident I will always remember happened during this stay in Indianapolis – my father was an ardent Keith Vaudeville fan and he would take me one night each week to see the show.  Dad chewed tobacco and always got his supply at Hooks Drug Store, corner of Pennsylvania & Washington streets.  This particular night was cold & rainy.  We were standing under the awning when an elderly gent asked me if I would crank his car.  I said I would try and went with him to the curb.  Evidently it was his daughter behind the wheel.  The crank was at the side of the car and turned real easy and after ten or twelve turns the engine started.  The Old Gentleman reached in his pocket and gave me a quarter – What a tip – Found out later it was Mr. Hook, the owner of the store and his daughter.  The make of the car I don’t know, but it had Brass Kerosene Head Lamps, was a 2 seater, no doors, had a windshield with a broad strap on either side fastened from the top of the windshield to the front end of the car, also the top had straps from the front corner to the font end.  There were a lot of electric cars on the streets of Indianapolis at this time and several different makes were made in the city.  They were built like a coupe, one seat, not very fast, had a bell for warning signal and were used mostly by women.

Well I went back to Linton.  I think this was about 1911.  From that time on I never saw my father very much.  And as hard as it is to say, he sort of was just another man in my life.  After I was sixteen he never helped me any more."

B.F. Keith brought vaudeville to Indianapolis in 1910 when he bought the Grand Opera House. In 1911 Houdini performed in in Keith's Opera house escaping form a tank of beer that was made at the Indianapolis Brewing Co.  Here is an ad from February 1911 showing that seats for the performances were just 10 cents.

The Indiana State Fair was held the first part of September in 1911. According to this article it was a huge success.

So Alfred went back to Linton in the fall of 1911.  He has said his room and board was $2.50 a week while he was in Indianapolis so he wasn't living with any of his relatives - father, grandparents, aunts or uncles who were living in Indianapolis. Actually, in 1910 Alfred's father, Frederick A., is living in the home of his father, Frederick W. on McCarthy St. Frederick Sr. is a widower, his wife dying within the past year, and also in the house is his daughter Mathilda, daughter-in-law Minnie, and grandson Carl so it's pretty crowded. Then in April 1911 Frederick Sr., Alfred's paternal grandfather dies. Again Alfred makes no mention of his death. However, there was a rather lengthy article in the Indianapolis paper about the death.

While he didn't see much of his father after the move back to Linton, at least he did see him on a weekly basis while in Indianapolis.

TEENAGE YEARS - Part 4 - A Bike, Confirmation, Back to Indianapolis

It happened again, after posting about Alfred's school life, I found a class picture in front of the school. so here is the link back to that post. I am determined to get my photos in order, but not sure when that will really happen.  So now we are back to Alfred's AS I WAS story:

"It was about this time that my mother came back to Linton and worked for Dave Terhune and his wife doing general house work.  Mr. Terhune was quite a prominent businessman at that time and had one of the first automobiles in town.  He took me for rides occasionally which was a double thrill for me:  1^st the ride itself and 2^nd it was Mr. Terhune.  It seems to me that Mrs. Terhune and her young son, Dave Jr. went to California to live and mother then worked for the Dr. Knoefel family for a few years.  Some time while I attended common school I got my first Bicycle – a Peerless (Sears & Roebuck) 16⁹⁵.  It had no gadgets such as fenders, chain guard; not even the conventional coaster brake but never the less it was the first real thing of value that I ever got."

David Terhune was a prominent man in Linton, Indiana. You can read about him here. Did you know that Ancestry.com has the old Sears & Roebuck catalogs in their collection? Here the page from the 1908 catalog showing a Peerless Bicycle.

"Also while attending common school I went to confirmation class which was held in the 1^st Reformed Church 2 miles N.E. of Linton and joining the Sarons Church in Linton about 1910. I had my 1^st year of instruction under Rev. Lieckemper and was confirmed by Rev. Burkhart.  Well do I remember these class instructions every Saturday morning.  Anna Kramer (now Stoekel) would walk this 2 mile trip with me. There were six of us; Anna Kramer, Anna Reinhardt, Edith Stietelmeir, W^m Berns, Chas. Wills & me.  At confirmation I got my first suit with long trousers; also I got an Elgin watch (Gold).  So with a new suit, gold watch and a bicycle I was a real proud youngster."

Confirmation Certificate of Alfred Frederick Wilhelm Moehlmann
April 10, 1909
Moehlmann Family Collection

 Notice the certificate is in German. This is also the only place where I have seen Alfred with two middle names Frederick and William. 

1909 Confirmation Class Saron Reformed Church

The church where Alfred was confirmed is now the Saron United Church of Christ.  They have a hallway where all the confirmation class pictures line the walls.  

 "After finishing common school, Aunt Sophia got married and mother came back to the farm.  Grandmother Tendick was getting old and Grandfather Tendick had passed away.  But I do remember that I didn’t like the farm life too well and after graduating from Grade School I went to Indianapolis to get a job."  

There's a lot of information in that last paragraph. Alfred's grandfather, Peter Tendick died in March 1909. In the 1910 census, his mother, his Aunt Sophie, Uncle Will and Uncle Diedrich are all living with Catherine Tendick, the widow. It's interesting to note that Matilda is listed as a widow rather than divorced.

Aunt Sophie gets married in April 1911. So Alfred is 16 years old when he decides to head back to Indianapolis. I do find it unusual that Alfred doesn't talk about the death of his grandfather and wonder why, since he is so detailed about events in his life.

Several years after my grandfather wrote this story, I was confirmed.  He sent me a card and letter at that time and I want to share it.

  March 17, 1964.........And now we are sending you a little gift for confirmation. To me this [is] one of the two most important events in your young life. It follows a sort of pattern handed down to us by our ancestors. It centers around a word that we deal with all through life. The word is decision - The first decision you ever made and in fact that all of us make is when we take our first baby step and none of us remember that. As we grow up our parents make most of our decisions for us.   The first important decision your parents made for you was when you were Baptized. That is your badge that you are a Christian. The second is this, your confirmation. Now you are an actual working part of the Church. As the years mount up you will make many decisions on your own. But I am sure that these two will mean a lot to you in the years ahead. Even though we cannot be with you on this day in person, we will still share it with you when we see your two cousins confirmed. I still can remember my confirmation, because it meant that I got my first suit of clothes with long pants. So now Grand-ma and me wish you a lot of Joy during this Easter season.

Week 5 of 52 Ancestors - Mary Elizabeth Adkins Sargent

This is week #5  of 52 Ancestors for 2015 sponsored by Amy at No Story Too Small.  The theme this week is Plowing Through and my ancestor is Mary Elizabeth Adkins.

I come from a long line of farmers.  It would be easy to take the plowing theme and apply it to one of them.  But I think I will choose my paternal great grandmother Mary Elizabeth Adkins. I had thought about telling her story a couple of weeks ago when the theme was “Tough Women.” She met a lot of hardships and plowed right through. I also had to plow through a lot to get her story and I’m not finished yet.

Her story begins in May 7, 1859, in Indiana when she was born to Nelson and Jane (Williams) Adkins. She was the fifth of six children and she had two brothers and three sisters. Her father died in the Civil War when Mary was five years old. .  Her brother Henry was eleven at the time and quit school to help on the farm since he was the oldest son. In the 1870 census Mary is attending school. Most like her future husband is also attending the same school. In 1878 her brother Abner married Jane Sargent and the next year Mary married Jane’s brother Jasper Sargent.

Jasper and Mary’s first child, Etha, was born in 1878. In the 1880 census Jasper is listed as a farmer and they are living next to his parents. In 1881 their second daughter Emma Jane is born and a year later a son, Asa. Then at two year intervals comes Johanna, James, and Donald  In 1889 Jasper is appointed Postmaster at Keck’s Church, Martin Co., Indiana. In 1894 he runs for Sheriff of Martin County but is defeated. He does, however, become a deputy sheriff.  That same year their daughter Emma died of diphtheria,. Their seventh and last child, Hobart, was born in 1896, eight years after Donald and Hobart  is 18 years younger than his oldest sister, Etha,  who had married the year before he was born. In fact Mary’s baby was born just seven months after her first grandchild, Luther Taylor was born.  

In July 1897 Mary’s first grandchild dies. Just six months later in October 1897, Etha’s second grandchild, Erna, is born.  Mary went to help out when the baby was six months old because Etha’s husband, Luther Taylor, was ill with tuberculosis.  Mary was doing dishes and Etha was in the bedroom nursing the baby.  Suddenly Etha yells out for help, Mary rushes in thinking there is a problem with the baby, and there was Etha lifeless on the bed. Mary has now lost her second child and takes the grandchild to raise; Erna is just a year younger than Mary’s own son, Hobart.Tragedy strikes Mary again just nine months later.  Her husband Jasper dies at age 41. Family stories are that he died of a gunshot wound, that was not fatal, but he developed blood poisoning from it. It was also rumored that Jasper was shot by a jealous husband because he thought that Jasper was “seeing” his wife. I have not found an obituary for Jasper and cannot confirm the story.  The only newspaper article states that “Jasper is ill with high fever and not expected to survive.” Jasper was buried in Old Salem Cemetery in Martin County, Indiana.

Mary had gone to help her daughter and now Mary’s mother, Jane Adkins, at age 72, is living with Mary and helping with the four children still in the house. So there are four generations living in the house. Johanna had gotten married in 1900.

In 1901, Mary married George W. Green in Martin County, Indiana. Other than a marriage record in Martin Co., I can find nothing about him or their life together which was apparently very short.. One possible record is a 1903 directory for Evansville, Indiana, showing a Mary Green, widow of George livng at 106 U. 2d. Don't know what that address means and more work needs to be done.  As I mentioned earlier, there are still stories to be discovered.

Mary’s son Asa also was married in 1901 in Martin County, Indiana followed by her son James in 1905 in Linton, Greene, Indiana. But again tragedy strikes in 1908 when her son Asa was involved in a mine accident,  a mine car broke loose, hit him in the leg, and broke it in several places. He contracted blood poisoning and died leaving a wife and three children.

In 1909  Donald married Bertha Houchin. Bertha met Donald while she was helping her sister Amelia after the birth of her daughter in 1906 in Linton. So it appears that Mary was living in Linton at least by 1905. But I cannot find her in the 1910 census. 

Then in 1913 Mary’s  daughter Johanna died during childbirth, leaving four children ages 12 to 1 day.The infant Ruth, was raised by Mary’s son and his wife, Donald and Bertha Sargent.  A year later Johanna’s husband dies. So Donald and Bertha take their nephew to raise and the other children go to other relatives. Erna, the granddaughter Mary raised,  married in 1916.

For years I have searched for a picture of Mary Elizabeth. Just recently, while going through my Dad’s genealogy papers, I found a photo copy of a picture.  As far as I know, it is the only picture that he or my Aunt have seen.  It is a picture of Mary holding her first great grandchild, the son of Erna Taylor Duncan - Morris Donald Duncan, born in 1918.

Hobart’s 1918 World War I registration says his mom is living in Linton, Greene, Ind.and is using the last name Sargent not Greene. In 1919 the youngest child Hobart marries and a year later, Mary is enumerated in the 1920  census living with Hobart and his new wife in Evansville, Vanderburgh, Indiana . Mary’s last name is Sargent and she is listed as widow.

The two Christmas cards below tell us where Mary was living in 1921 and 1924. The first card sent in 1921 is from her sister and addressed to Mary in Evansville. The second one if from a grandchild ad addressed to Mary in Linton and in care of her son James. Both cards are very hard to read but the addresses are clear.

Then in 1927 Mary is living with her son Donald in Linton, Indiana. Her obituary states she was living there at the time of her death 18 January 1927.

So Mary, like many farmers wives, gave birth to a large family, then lost her husband at an early age. She also saw the death of several of her children and raised a grandchild. She remarried and was widowed again or divorced and then alternated living with her three sons. She plowed through and I will continue to do the same to find more of her story.

TEENAGE YEARS - Part 3, School Life

Before continuing with Alfred's writing, I want to share a photo I found yesterday.  It always exciting to come across a photo you didn't realize you had. This is a picture of Alfred as an infant taken at Bosard Photography on 164 Virginia Ave.,Indianapolis, Indiana. Don't you love the long gown. I just wanted to share it with you.

Alfred William Moehlmann
Moehlmann Family Collection

Back to the story, Alfred has relayed his experiences working on his grandparents farm.  But it was not all work for him. This section talks about his school life and the fun he had with his classmates:

"In the fall of 1907 I started to school at Adams School Dist. #1, one half mile east of Fairview Cemetery.  Ollie Clayton was the teacher – I was supposed to be in the 7^th grade but I was the only one for this grade so I had to take the 6^th grade again.  It was a lot different – first it was a public school and a one room school and all grades were taught and my experience had been a parochial school – books, lessons and procedure was all different.  Those were happy days – schoolmasters were different – urban to suburban – games were different – teachers different  - It was the first time I had a teacher that would get out at recess or noon time and play with the kids.  Boys and Girls played together.  It seemed like it was easy to get acquainted.  More of a friendly attitude.  No cliques.  The boys in the class were Ed Kramer, Bill Berns, Bill Hart, Bailey Adams and myself.  A great friendship existed among us.  We were pals.  Of course there were others – Billy Kramer a brother of Ed – Henry*, Bert, Arthur* & Oscar Kramer – Walter* Adams, Herman Bredweg, Bill Shop and many others (*deceased.)  All kinds of games according to seasons – town ball, handing over, running, jumping and winter was skating and sled riding or coating – at the noon hour we would go to Buck Creek to skate.  One time while George Humphreys was teaching, I broke through the ice.  He wanted to send me home but I was afraid my skates would be taken from me, so he left me go to the school house and I sat by the Big Potted Stove and “steamed” myself dry.  Coasting was one of the big pastimes – We had several sleds that would hold at least six kids.  Some one would usually “slue” the sled so that everybody would fall off, especially if girls were on it.  In cold weather we would pour water on the hill and the next day we would have a glare of ice.  We had no well at the school so we had 2 buckets and had to carry our drinking water form the Letterman spring about a quarter of a mile away.  We had 2 dippers and everybody drank from the same dippers.  We had to walk to school and take our dinner bucket.  It was a mile & a half for me.  The Kramers would come past our home at 7 o’clock.  In the fall we would “cut through” Garrett Schoot’s farm in Buck Creek Bottom and gather a pocket full of hickory nuts (shell barks).  One way to get on the “Good Side” of the girls was to give them a few hickory nuts."

Another look at the map: the letter B shows where the Adams school is and A is the location of Alfred's home and D the location of the Kramer's. You can see where the boys would cut through the Gerhard Schloot farm that had Buck's Creek (C) crossing it. Did you catch the comments about getting water from the well at Letterman's spring?

  
The Letterman farm, next to the Adams School, had been owned by John D. Adams prior to 1889. John was the one that the Adams school was named after.  John's daughter Helen married Joseph Letterman in 1884 and they bought a portion of the farm after her father's death in 1889. Her brother Ira also got part of it. Joseph Letterman is the great grandfather of David Letterman, of late night TV.  

It seems like Alfred adjusted to the rural school environment fairly easily.  He has friends and they enjoy all types of activities together.  

Of course the day after I posted this section, I found a picture of Alfred at the Adams School. There was no date on the photo but it must have been about 1908.