Ancestor Artifact - 29 The Star - Part 8

 

Ancestor Artifact - 29 The Star - Part 8

The Busy Builder boys and their projects

“Busy Builders

Officers

President…. Lester Brown

Vice President ….Clarence Fick

Secretary … LeVerne Smith

MOTTO

What is worth doing at all is worth doing well.

[NOTE: This is a saying my Dad, Pete, repeated to me as I went off to college!!]

Flower
Lilac

Colors

Lilac and White”

On the right side of the image:

“Members

Le Verne Smith
Arley Brown
Clarence Fick
Lester Brown
Jerald Johnston
Junior Grim
Wesley Thomas
Howard Fick
Arnold Dobson
Marion Johnston
Wilbur Thomas
Merle Brown
William Johnston”

“Social
Since 1925

In the fall of 1925 we gave a “Jack Carnival” which was a very successful event. The school room and the basement were crowed with people who were enjoying themselves at the various booths and games. The proceeds of this carnival were used to purchase the necessary equipment to standardize.
The next February we gave a Valentine Party to which we invited our parents. Most of them came and pronounced it a success. After the play we gave out valentines.
The following May, graduation exercises were held at the schoolhouse. We had a picnic at the end of the year.
At Christmas time in 1926 we gave a program in spite of the fact that most of us had the Whooping Cough. Santa Claus came down the chimney that we had over a window. He brought with him a huge bag of presents which he distributed. We closed the year with a picnic.
The next year on Valentine’s Day we had a party for the pupils. After dinner we played a number of delightful games.”

Continued on the right side of the image:

“In the fall of 1927 we had a party given by the children who had birthdays in the first three months of the year. The next party was given in the winter by the ones who had birthdays in Dec., Jan. and Feb. Then the ones who had birthdays in the last three months gave their party in the spring. We had a picnic at the end of the year at Burgan’s Grove.
In the fall of 1928 we had a party again the same as the year before only the ones who had birthdays in the summer helped too.
On Halloween night we gave a program. Despite the rain we had a fairly large crowd.
In December the school as usual was invited to the community dinner.
At Christmas time the pupils exchanges names and gave presents. We had a tree for the presents.
Our winter birthday party was held on Lincoln’s Birthday.
March 29 we had an Easter egg hunt.
We expect to close this year with our spring birthday party on May 17.
 - - Maxine Smith”

See you down the road… ;-)

 

Ancestor Artifact - 29 The Star - Part 3

 

Ancestor Artifact - 29 The Star - Part 3

As Promised: The lone Eighth Grader - “LeVerne Smith - “Pete””

Photo obviously take of him back on the farm.

The right side of the image includes:

“MOTTO
Work

COLORS
Rose and Gray

FLOWER
Red Rose”

These next two pages are all writing… on the left:

“Eighth Grade Class History

In the fall of 1920 Arley Brown and Carl Raygor started to school. LeVerne Smith, coming from Union No.6, entered the class in September 1921. In the spring of 1922 one member dropped out - another the following spring. This left LeVerne alone in the class. It has remained so up to the present time.
- LeVerne Smith”

On the right:

“Class Prophesy

I had been in Europe for sometime and had not heard much about the sports of U.S. When I boarded the steamer bound for home, I picked up a sports sheet of a newspaper. I was astonished when I read across the top of the page - “LeVerne Smith is Champion Batter for this Season.” Reading farther down on the page I learned that he had made fifty home runs and that his batting helped the Des Moines Giants very much in winning the National Championship.
I was pleased to know he had made a success of his favorite sport. I recalled how well he liked to play baseball at recess and noon when we went to the Star School together. I laughed to myself as I also recalled how he used to pull my hair and stick his pencil in the back of my neck when we were in primary grades - which usually resulted in my turning around and slapping his face.
- Ruth Thomas”

The left side of the next image has a poem…

’Tis Evening

The sun is setting in the west,
The birdies are going to rest;
Flowers are nodding their dainty heads,
Children are being tucked in their beds;
For ———— ’tis evening.
- Ruth Thomas”

The right side simply says: SEVENTH GRADE

We won’t keep you waiting this time…

On the right side, it says:

“Class Roll

Ethel Johnston - “Sis”

Ruth Thomas - “Ruthie””

On the left side:

 

Ruth is sitting in the swing, with Ethel beside her, with the glasses.

“MOTTO
 Work hard; pray hard; play hard.
-Herbert Hoover

COLORS
Gold and White

Flower
Daisy”

Next comes, on the left:

“Seventh Grade Class History

In the year of 1922 when this class first started there were two members - Maxine Smith and Ruth Thomas. One dropped out in the year of 1923. Clydola Oliver entered the class that same spring.
Arlen Brown came into the class in the first grade.
Maureen Doran joined the class in 1925. Clydola Oliver moved away that spring. Ethel Johnston came from Churn, Iowa, and took her place.
Maureen Doran left the class and entered the Annunciation School in Coon Rapids in the winter of 1926. One more dropped out the following spring.
Maureen Doran came back again in the sixth grade.
When school started in Sept. 1928 Ruth Thomas and Ethel Johnston were the only ones in the seventh grad and are at the present time.
- Ethel Johnston”

The right side of the page says “SIXTH GRADE” but we’ll stop here for Part 3

See you down the road… ;-)

 

Ancestor Artifact - 29 The Star - Part 2

 

Ancestor Artifact - 29 The Star - Part 2

Part 2 begins with “A History of the School” and two neat photos. The top photo is the school, of course.

Click to see larger version

The bottom photo has all 28 students lined up at the rear of the school (the school faced to the east, toward the road.) (A road also ran along the north side of the school, the Star Church being right across that road from the school.)

I can identify my Dad, Pete Smith, sitting right in the middle of the class. I believe Ruth Thomas is just to the right of him, as we look at the photo. We’ll get a better look at most of the students in later photos.

“A History of Our School

The first schoolhouse which was built in 1882 burned in March 1924. The following summer a new building was erected. It was much more modern, with a basement, furnace and separate cloakrooms.
In 1925 through the cooperation of the patrons and under the supervision of Clara Christy our school became standardized. With our state money we have purchased a great many things for the school, such as - shades, oil stove, pictures, Kindergarten table, chairs, playground slide, as well as numberous (sic) other equipment and supplies.
The schoolroom, size 24 ft. x 24 ft. has a window space of 126 sq. ft. on the south, 88 sq. ft. of blackboard, bulletin board 8 ft. x 4 ft., storage cupboard, library and lunch cupboard.
The basement has a furnace room, kitchenette, manual training shop and play room.
- Ruth Thomas”

The next pages simply say “DIRECTOR William Smith” with his photo.

This photo was taken on the south side of his farmhouse. My grandfather, William Smith.

The left side of the next image features the Editors of The Star, with a photo of them:

“STAR
Edited and published by
the teacher, sixth, seventh and eight grades.
First S.S. Annual”

NOTE: It does say "First Star School Annual" - wonder if there are more out there for 1930 and later?

In the photo, back row, from left: Ruth Thomas, Clara Christy, Pete Smith, Arley Brown;
front row, from left, Maxine Smith, Ethel Johnson, Helen Thomas ( we’ll see them in grade photos)

Below the photo is the list of Editor names:

“Editors
Clara Christy
LeVerne Smith
Ethel Johnston
Ruth Thomas
Arlen Brown
Maxine Smith
Helen Thomas”

The right side of the image says, “EIGHTH GRADE” - but we need to turn the page to see him!

Next time, in Part 3


Families are Forever! ;-)

Ancestor Artifact - 29 The Star - Part 1

 

Ancestor Artifact

29 The Star - Part 1

This is a powerful Ancestor Artifact for me and my family as well as for many others in the Star Community a few miles north of Coon Rapids, Iowa, where I grew up… on several levels.

This 33 interior page booklet was prepared under the director of the teacher, Miss Clara Christy, by the members of the upper grades at the one-room Star School. My Dad, Pete (Leverne) Smith, was the only member of the eighth grade class that year. Ruth Thomas (Bolger), Nancy's Mom, was a year behind him and wrote much of the best material in the booklet. Both of their siblings are featured throughout the booklet along with the many other community student members. Pete’s father, William Smith (whom I was named after), was the Director of the School that year. Among many other things we will discover as we share these pages is that there is an extensive ‘alumni’ section, mentioning the others who had ‘graduated’ from the Star School in years past. And, of course, this is the same school where my wife and her siblings attended in later years as well. There are many contemporary photos…

The first page with writing is: “Our Slogan - We Are the Twinkle of the Star”

The next page has a “Dedication:
In appreciation of faithful and sincere cooperation, we dedicate this “Star” to the patrons of the Star district. The Editors”

These next two pages are devoted to “Clara Christy - Instructor” and a ‘Twenty-third Psalm’ focused on their feelings for her:

“Miss Christy is our teacher, We shall not want another.
She leadeth us through the pages of our books, She bringeth us knowledge, for our diploma’s sake.
Yea, though we walk into our classes We shall fear no E’s for she is with us.
Her questions discomfort us.
She prepareth an examination for us in the presence of our ignorance.
She annoiteth our papers with red marks; Our grades runneth low.
Surely, ignorance and failure shall follow us all the days of our life.
And we shall dwell in this old schoolhouse forever. - Arley Brown"

Arley Brown was the oldest son of Roy and Agnes (Rabuck) Brown. Arley was the grandson of Anna (Wilson) Brown. The Roy Brown farmstead was diagonally across the corner northeast of the Star School.

Closer view:

Clara Christy also had an older sister Josephine who taught in local area schools for many years. They were daughters of John and Maggie Christy of Coon Rapids, Iowa.

Families are Forever! ;-)
 

 

4 Jul 1946 Smith Family Gathering

 

4 Jul 1946 Smith Family Gathering

Look what I found! Hidden in a corner not recently explored!!

We earlier saw the group in 1923 and in 1955. Here is 1946 with some missing parts here, others missing here… what fun!

From left, adults: Verle and LVene (Smith) Thomas, Merle and Pauline (Polly) (Smith) Bower, Irene Smith, Pete Smith (Eileen was taking this photo) and Maxine (Smith) Hilgenberg (camera in hand!).
Children, from left: Judy Hilgenberg, Bill Smith (back), Joyce Bower (front), Jim Smith (on hobby horse), David Thomas (back), John Thomas (front, on chair), Joan Bower.

We gathered at Verle and LVene’s place on July 4 several years during late 40s, early 50s. This may have been the first one, with Merle and Polly visiting from California. So glad I found this one!! ;-)


Families are Forever! ;-)

Photo Analysis - 16 Jan 1938 Photos

 

Photo Analysis - 16 Jan 1938 Photos

Doing a good job of analyzing old photos is an ongoing process… not a one-time thing. One must not only look at the people, their clothes, what they are holding, what they are doing, but each detail in the background of the photo. And then, realize that you will see something different the next time you look, especially with some time gone by between. What you have seen elsewhere will affect what you see. Case in point:

These two photos, each dated 16 Jan 1938, certainly appear to be taken at the same place indeed, but not quite at the same time. Picture quality of the first is much better than the second, which complicates matters. In the first photo, we have Buzzy, Leo, Ida, Paul, Pete, Eileen, and Dorothy. A car. A barn. Look at their clothes, coats, hats, etc. Did you see that Paul has a hat in his hand?

In the second photo, Pete and Eileen, two months before their marriage on Mar 17, are not in the photo. We only have Leo, Buzzy, Ida, Paul (now with hat on, other clothes the same) and Dorothy…and, a young boy on the lower left, along with a chicken, perhaps, in foreground and cow behind the fence in the background with a different angle of the barn. Who is the little boy?? I have seen this a hundred times, and still don’t know. Is this the farm where Pete and Eileen will live after they marry? Or, is it somewhere else? This is a nice family photo, especially the top one. Posed. The lower one seems to be more casually taken, perhaps a few minutes later. Or, are they visiting another family - who is the boy?

Very intriguing… likely never to know the actual facts. Comments welcomed.

Families are Forever! :-)

Smith Siblings - Dad’s - at the Homeplace

 

Smith Siblings - Dad’s - at the Homeplace

Yesterday I wrote about the Homeplace - my Dad’s childhood farm and family in the 1920s. Let’s bring them forward to Sept, 1955, for a family gathering, Thanksgiving, I think, at the Homeplace, now occupied by oldest brother, Toots, and his wife Mary.

From the left, Irene, Toots, Betty, Pete, Max, and LVene

 

Here it gets a little more complicated…
Back Row, from left: Toots, Orrin Hilgenberg (Max), Warren Pierce (Betty), Verle Thomas (LVene), Pete.
Middle Row, from left: 2 cousins??, LVene, Eileen (Mom)
Front Row, from left: Max, Mary, Irene, Betty

Missing a few kids, but here we were:
Back Row, from left: David Thomas, Bill Smith, Becky Pierce, Gary Hilgenberg holding her.
Middle Row, from left, John Thomas, Tom (T.K.) Smith
Seated, from left: Dan Smith, Margaret Smith, Jim Smith

This fits in with the stories of my ‘childhood,’ too, of course. Here I would have recently had my 16th birthday, early in Junior Year of High School. Gary was a year older, therefore a Senior. David (Dave) was two years younger, therefore a Freshman. We are missing Gary’s sister, Judy (later Judi), a Sophomore. Also, my brother Barry would have been 2, is not in the picture. We all went to Coon Rapids to school at this time.

As I recall, this group got together on holidays for a few years, then didn’t. Still, all family, all the time.


Families are Forever! ;-)

One Thing Leads to Another…

One Thing Leads to Another…

 

 

We all know how ‘one thing leads to another…’ This has been one of those weeks. My blogging has lagged as other things in my life ‘got in the way.’ Now, all of a sudden, ideas are just flying so fast…

Among several other things, since Father’s Day, last Sunday, here, I posted the above photo of my Dad on the 40th anniversary of his death. The response has been overwhelming. Most recently, as you may have seen in the comments, I heard from my first cousin, Kelton Kinnick, along with a nice email, continuing the conversation. He asked some questions that got me to digging to some old files. Besides finding what I was looking for, of course, I found several other folders with papers that got me thinking about other stuff from there, that would be worth spending some time on.

Additionally, I talked a couple of days ago with my uncle Buzzy Kinnick, and his wife, Colleen, on the occasion of their 69th wedding anniversary. That, plus Kelt’s question about the early days of his family (Leo, Buzz’s brother) got me to reminiscing… which, of course, led me to also thinking about the first half of the 1900s in the Smith family. And then, a cousin on the Smith side posted a photo about a 60th anniversary, in Nebraska, on that side of the family. The wife, Shirley, doesn’t look that different, I noticed, from what she did when her family visited our farm in western Iowa in 1954. So I had to find that photo to share, during which I saw some other photos I need to work with… and it goes on and on.

Dad’s family always called their farm, “The Homeplace.” This was also the theme of the family history booklet written by my aunt LVene, assisted by her sister, Irene, which has been so valuable in my continued work on our family history. Of course, I adopted that concept in my extended fiction writing of “The Homeplace Saga” of several novels and hundreds of short stories - that I need to continue to promote and work on. See more at: http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/

Thank you, one and all, for the renewed inspiration and encouragement.

One thing leads to another…

Families are Forever!! ;-)

Father's Day - Reflections - A Week Later...

Father's Day - Reflections - A Week Later...

A week ago, I posted this image on Facebook - my father, Pete Smith, as I want to remember him, from this photo dated Dec 1960. He was 45 at the time, just in his prime. We couldn't have imagined at the time that he had only 17 more years on this earth...he didn't quite make it to 62. And the last three or so years were an excruciating battle with cancer that he fought so hard against, every last day. 

I post this, today, because today marks the 40th anniversary of his passing. I'll turn 78 this coming Saturday, July 1, so he has been gone more of my life than he was in it. Kind of hard to conceive, but certainly true, as I think of it. My wife lost her Dad too early, as well, who I also grew up with in our tight-knit rural community. He passed away, from a massive stroke, in 1972. We each miss them both dearly, but have had good lives in spite of those losses. They each set us on our best paths. We are each thankful for that.

Families are Forever! ;-)

 

My Hometown - When Daughters Ask - Part 3 of 3

My Hometown

When Daughters Ask

Part 3 of 3

Silver Dollar City, Thanksgiving 2016

Allison King, Annette Lamb, Arrion Rathsack

As my wife, Nancy, our daughter, Annette, and I discussed the ‘eighth-grade yearbook’ that featured Nancy’s mother, Ruth, as a seventh-grader, and my father, Pete, as an eighth grader (the only one, actually), our discussion also involved the younger brothers and sisters of each as we looked at the photos and pages about the other classes in the one-room country school. This brought up another important aspect of talking about your family history with your grown children.

Each child will have different memories about relationships with older members of the extended family as well as different cousins, perhaps. Annette pointed out, for example, that she had memories of interacting with aunts and uncles in our hometown that her younger sisters didn’t. We only visited the hometown a few times a year, perhaps monthly, in her early years, of course, but by the time the two younger sisters were old enough to remember, we had moved out of state and hometown visits were no more than once or twice a year, if at all in any given year. Conversely, on those later years trips, Annette was out on her own, not with us, so the younger sisters knew many cousins that Annette never really got to know well.

So, my point here is to remember that each child will have different interests, and disinterests, based on their own experiences with various portions of the extended family - in addition to there natural interests in one aspect or another of family history study… at the point in there life when they become interested at all… if they even do. As for our girls, I’ve already mentioned Annette’s interests. The youngest, Arrion, and her husband, travel to Europe regularly, so she has become interested in the ‘way back’ parts of our family history. In contrast, Allison, the middle one, is really the most connected to the living relatives, keeps in touch with many of them, and likes to visit them, when possible. Different strokes for different folks, so to speak.

I would enjoy hearing your comments about how your next generation has reacted to and become involved with your family history studies and research.


Families are Forever! ;-)

My Hometown - When Daughters Ask - Part 2 of 3

My Hometown

When Daughters Ask

 Part 2 of 3

Silver Dollar City, Thanksgiving 2016

Allison King, Annette Lamb, Arrion Rathsack

In Part 1, my wife Nancy was showing the first of two family history research projects on which she had been working to our oldest daughter, Annette. We looked at her reaction.

Then, Nancy handed her a folder with the second project, barely begun.

The key artifact in that folder was a multi-page ‘eighth-grade yearbook’ hand made at a one-room country school, using mimeographed sheets, and containing many little black and white photo images taped onto various pages. Each photo was of one or more of the students. This book was created in 1928!

Having been a Media Specialist in a local School, as well as a Professor of Instructional Technology and Library Science for many years, such a historical document ‘caught her fancy” immediately.

However, it was the content of the booklet that really caught her attention. She quickly realized she was looking at content written about both her maternal grandmother, in seventh grade, and her paternal grandfather, in eighth grade, chronicled in the yearbook!! At the same one-room country Star School, Union No. 1, where her own mother had attended in later years (the 1940s)!! Annette said something to the effect: “This is part of my family history, both sides of the family, in one document!”

This led to extensive discussion, of course, from both of our perspectives. Many memories invoked, shared, and discussed.

For this post, one particular aspect piqued her interest. Grandmother Ruth, the seventh grader, had written the ‘future’ stories of other students, and in particular, regarding Grandfather Pete, the eighth grader. It went something like this: At some future date, I (Ruth) was returning from an ocean liner cruise from Europe, and read a sports news article that featured Pete Smith. He was a star baseball player with the Des Moines Giants team and had hit 50 homers that year…. and went on like that.

Another page in the yearbook had noted that Pete was the leader of the local baseball team and it was his favorite sport - in addition to wanting to be a great farmer.

Annette immediately wanted to know if the “Des Moines Giants” had been a real baseball team of the era, and began an extensive computer search on the subject - she is very skilled at this. Jumping ahead just a bit, she got into the archives of our hometown newspaper, a weekly which is now available on line from 1882. She came across news articles, from the 1920s, of a local farm baseball team named the Willow Creek Giants, that features the Hilgenberg brothers. Willow Creek runs right past our home Smith farm… which Pete had purchased in 1941 from William Hilgenberg. Needless to say, this led to much more research and discussion. And, many, many maps trying to locate exactly where all this occurred, exactly, where and when and by whom. I did a full census-based family tree of the Hilgenberg family to add to the discussion. I knew many of them, growing up. One was an uncle, married Pete’s sister, and others were neighbors and friends. What fun!

This wasn’t perhaps the outcome that Nancy had expected in sharing her second project, but we all created new memories, learned new information about our family, and learned more about the neighborhood in the process of just a few hours. This occurred because we listed to “what our daughter asked” and followed her interests, not just our own.

In Part 3, tomorrow, we’ll look at some of the relationships we discussed related to the above and more…


Families are Forever! ;-)

From Mom’s Diary… 1950 - Summers - Birthdays

From Mom’s Diary… 1950 - Summers - Birthdays

Wanted to get this photo in; probably from spring, when landscaping done.

Also a hedge, off to the left in photo, dividing front yard from garden area behind.
No diary entry on my birthday this year.

Thursday, August 3:

Did a washing. In town & had pickup fixed. Got cowboy doll for Nancy. Ate at D & D.
Home & got Bill cleaned up & he went to Nancy’s 11th Birthday Party. I went after them & had lunch. Folded clothes. Thought Ace would come after school books but he didn’t. Mom & Dad came. I fixed her hair. Drove in town & got cones. Got new jeans & sweater so I could go to cafe for dinner.

Wednesday, August 9:

Did up usual work. Made Pete an angel food. He’s 35 today. Left for Jeff. at nine. Got his driver’s license and hair cut. Talked to Irene Jacobsens. Did a little shopping, came home, cleaned a chicken, did dishes, went to Swimming Aquacade. It was good. Watermelon race, candle race, clowns. Had pop & ice cream & came home.
Bill to Helping Hands at LVene’s in P.M. She sent home roasting ears.


My comments:

Potpourri of items for this entry…


Families are Forever! ;-)

Wordless (nearly) Wednesday - Mom and Dad's 77th Wedding Anniversary

Wordless (nearly) Wednesday

Mom and Dad's 77th Wedding Anniversary

This photo was taken on Mom and Dad's 25th Wedding Anniversary. 

Yesterday was the 77th Anniversary of their Wedding, St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1938.

Families are Forever! ;-)

Items of Interest: 50 and 75 Years Ago, in our Hometown

Items of Interest: 

50 and 75 Years Ago, in our Hometown

 

[For our Daughters and Grandchildren]

From The Coon Rapids (Iowa) Enterprise, 2014-03-20 p. 5:

50 Years Ago
March 12, 1964


Lt. and Mrs. William L. Smith of St. George, Utah, are the parents of a second daughter, Alison Ruth Smith, born March 6.
Her sister, Annette, is 3 years old. Grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Leverne Smith and Mr. and Mrs. Glen Bolger, all of Coon Rapids
Great-grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Paul Kinnick of Bayard and Mrs. Hazel Bolger of Coon Rapids.

75 Years Ago
March 17, 1939


School election here on Monday was a very quiet affair with only 66 ballots cast. No opposition was presented to the reelection of the present incumbents, P.H. Kinnick
and C.W. Thomas.



75 Years Ago
March 17, 1939


Mrs. Mary Weaver, 79, a longtime resident of this community,
died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Freyda Thomas, Friday
night. Funeral services were conducted at the Thomas home Sunday
afternoon by the Rev. W.F. Clayburg of Carroll. Burial was
in the local cemetery. Pall bearers were Wilbur Thomas, Wesley
Thomas, Glen Bolger, H.S. Keister and Clifford and Sam Weaver of
Spirit Lake. Harriet Ellen Yager was born in Ablington, Jefferson
County on July 2, 1859 and passed away at the home of her daughter
in Coon Rapids, March 10, 1939 at the age of 79 years, 8 months and
8 days. At the age of 10 years she moved with her parents to Jasper
County, and later they moved to Audubon County. She was united
in marriage to Samuel L. Weaver in 1880. To this union were born
four children, all who survive. They are Sherman C. Weaver of
Porterville, CA, Curtis E. Weaver of Spirit Lake, Minnie E. Overly
of Wenstchee, WA, and Freyda E. Thomas of Coon Rapids. While
still a young woman she joined the Methodist Church and has
been a faithful member throughout her life. In addition to her children
she is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Mary Hatfield of Spirit
Lake, and Mrs. J.H. Grady of Harris, and one brother, Mr. C.A. Yager
of Coon Rapids; also 18 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren,
many other relatives and a host of friends.


Families are Forever! ;-)

Wordless (nearly) Wednesday - Sept 1955 Smith Family Gathering

Wordless (nearly) Wednesday

Sept 1955 Smith Family Gathering

All of the adults at the Smith Family Gathering.

Back row, from left: Toots, Orrin, Warren, Verle, Pete - my Dad, almost 40

Middle row, from left: (Is this Lyman Smith and wife?), LVene, Eileen - my Mom

Seated front, from left: Max, Mary, Irene, Betty

Just the Smith siblings - brothers and sister - in this one;

From left: Irene, Toots, Betty, Pete, Max, LVene

And, the Smith kids:

Back row, from left: Dave Thomas, Bill Smith (me), Gary Hilgenberg
Middle row, from left: John Tomas, Tom Smith, Becki Pierce
Front row, from left: Dan Smith, Margaret Smith, Jim Smith

Approaching 60 years ago... Coon Rapids, Iowa.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

75 Years Ago This Week - My first appearances in Mom's Diary!

75 Years Ago This Week

My first appearances in Mom's Diary!

Boy Baby Rattle

75 Years Ago This Week began March 1, 1938 - my mother and father were preparing to get married later in the month. I'm continuing this meme, from time to time, as issues warrant.

On Thursday, November 3, 1938, Mom wrote:

Made pancakes for breakfast. It was raining. I threw up in morning. Did dishes & separator & went in to town. Pete got his hair cut & we ate dinner with the folks. Came home early & did up the chores, ate supper & went to bed.

On Tuesday, November 15, 1938, Mom wrote:

Really sick in morning and at Noon. Pete here to dinner. Felt OK after dinner. Washed hair, made cookies. Scalloped spuds for supper. Pete here early. Pete shaved while I did the dishes. Read & listened to the radio awhile and then went to bed early.

My comments:

I was born on July 1, 1939, about eight months hence... what do you think?

Families are Forever! ;-)

Wordless (nearly) Wednesday - Fall Corn Harvest Memories

Wordless (nearly) Wednesday

Fall Corn Harvest Memories

Picking corn in Iowa in the 1950s - think my Dad is on the right, on tractor.

Neighbor, Elmer Nath, loading corn into elevator into our farm corncrib.

Love photos of people at their work! ;-)

Families are forever!  ;-)

75 Years Ago This Week - October 4, 1938

75 Years Ago This Week - October 4, 1938

U.S. baseball player Dizzy Dean, featured on the April 15, 1935, cover of Time magazine.

75 Years Ago This Week began March 1, 1938 - my mother and father were preparing to get married later in the month. I'm continuing this meme, from time to time, as issues warrant.


Selected diary excerpts from Eileen's diary, from this week (and a day), 75 years ago:

Saturday, Oct. 1 (Mom had it circled; she and Dad started dating 2 years ago on Oct 1!):

…Pete to Carroll in pm. Pop with him. He ordered a heater. … Went with Lyle & Wilma to be married by Clayburg at Carroll at 7:00. … Lyle & Wilma stayed all nite. …

Wednesday, Oct 5:

… Alf Hetland put in the phone in the morning. Talked to the folks. … Did up the work and then listened to the World Series in pm. …

My comments: Getting chilly already this fall. Need a heater.

Lyle Kinnick was first cousin of Mom (Paul's brother, Robert's, son). They had stopped by a couple weeks before to ask Mom and Dad to 'stand up with them' - interesting to see how this wedding was handled.

They finally got a telephone… didn't need to drive the few miles into town, or up to his Dad's place, to talk to parents.

First game of the world series: New York Yankees - 3; Chicago Cubs - 1

"Dizzy Dean, who had helped carry the Cubs to the National League pennant despite a sore a rem, ran out of gas in the Series as the Yanks crushed the Cubs again (4-0) as they had in 1932." Wikipedia

Families are forever!  ;-)

The Book of Me, Written By You - Prompt 5: Your Childhood Home

The Book of Me, Written By You
Prompt 5: Your Childhood Home

"The Book of Me, Written By You" is a GeneaBloggers project created by Julie Goucher of the Anglers Rest blog. The concept: a series of blogging and writing prompts that help family historians capture their own memories and write about themselves.


Prompt 5: Your Childhood Home

Your Childhood Home - My parents rented farms the first couple of years of their marriage. I was about 2 or 3 when they bought the farm where I grew up - through High School - until I left for college. My parents and four younger brothers (who were each born while we lived here) continued to live there for many years after I left.

The farm was on 160 acres in Willow Township, Greene County, Iowa, about 7 miles northeast of Coon Rapids, Iowa. We were just a mile east of of the county line with Carroll County, Union Township. Most of our community relationships were there. The aerial photo of the farm was taken in the late 1940s. (Note: the one-room country school I attended through 7th grade was located a mile north of our corner - just to the left of the upper left corner of this photo!)



What was it like – describe it – each room. Fairly normal farm house, for the time, actually, with a couple of special features. Kitchen, Dining Room, Living Room, Bed Room on first level… this was my parents bedroom. Upstairs were two normal bedrooms, plus, over the kitchen, we made another bedroom (we called it the attic), that was used when brothers 3, 4, and 5 arrived. I got the first upstairs bedroom; later shared with one brother.

When Mom and Dad first bought the farm, there was a porch on the west (front - left, above), and also on the east (back) of the house. Early on, in the mid-1940s, the front porch was enclosed and made into a full bath room and entrance hall (though that door on the 'front' was NEVER used - everyone entered near the kitchen…on the side of the house). This was the status in the farm photo, above. In about 1949, the old, small porch, on the east, was replaced by THE PORCH. You can see it directly behind the family in the 1954 Easter photo. It was what we later called "a family room." Note: Entering that door, left, below, the kitchen was immediately to the left.

Bill holding Barry, Eileen, Pete, Thomas (T.K.) - brother Jim taking the photo

Was there a favorite room? THE PORCH was a special place for each of us. It was a large room. We moved the piano out there; there was always an upright freezer there, in later years, full of goodies. The east end was all mahogany bookcases built in the wall with a flagstone fireplace in the center. A long window seat under the big window. The television (we were one of the first in the neighborhood to have one) was in one corner - a Motorola. And, lots of space for boys to play. Couch and lounge chairs facing the fireplace. Many parties held here, family, friends, school, church, etc. 


Is there anything you particularly remember from the house? Everything. All family memories of the time are tied to this house, and the yard around the house. A very special place (of course!).



The road & area - We had a 'main' gravel rod running north and south west of the house. We also had an east to west road on the south side of the house - it ran to a house/farm a half mile east on a dead end. The drive came off the south road, past the house, and to the west. A nice lawn with apple and cherry trees occupied the corner, with walnut trees along the west road. Our farm was actually the 80 acres on the north and 80 acres on the south of that east-west road (this is the road you see along the bottom, in the photo. We later bought the land to the north, that is in the upper part of the photo, as well).

My additional comments: This was a fun exercise, because I always enjoy recalling those days, on the farm, the began my life. Thanks, for the memories!


Families are Forever!

Happy Grandparents Day! Three sets in One Photo

Happy Grandparents Day! 

Three sets in One Photo

May 1961 - Three sets of grandparents - mine, my daughters' and my grandchildrens' - ;-)

What fun!

Note: Dorothy and Paul Kinnick in front; Pete and Eileen Smith, on left; Nancy and Bill Smith on right - Annette in the middle!  ;-)

Families are Forever!  ;-)