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- AMSTERDAM HOLLAND TO THE U.S.A. One very cold morning in February 1906 our oldest brother Cornelius Verstynen bade farewell to country and family, to emigrate for America I can still picture the morning of his departure. Mother hovering around him to see the last detail of his baggage and the essentials. He was 18 when he decided to leave for America. My father took him to the boat, when he returned he said this is the hardest thing I have done in my life, it was like tearing away part of my flesh. We prayed for him in our daily rosary that all may be well with him. After his departure we lived with expectation for his first letter from this great new country. It was slow in coming. At last! The long looked for letter came. I remember it had a pretty blue stamp on it with the image of Abraham Lincoln. When we thought that it was time for another letter to come from the America, the four youngest that were home Lambert, Joe, Nelly and Leo would huddle together sitting on the floor of our vestibule of our home at 377 Rustenburger straat Amsterdam, Holland waiting for the letter with the blue stamp to be dropped through the mail box slot. Then the whole house would ring with the cry the letter with the blue stamp is here. Like everything else in due time enthusiasm for the letter with the blue stamp died down. One day about a year and a half later after my brother departure to America we were told that we were all going to the U.S.A. So, very soon we saw trunks appear on the back porch one by one until eleven trunks were filled, When we came home from school the boys from the Brothers school and I Nells from the Sisters school. As soon as we got home we would rush to the porch to see if a new trunk was started. Sometimes it took several days before one was filled. Each trunk had a number paint on it in the right corner in black. The address was also painted on in large letters. Every evening it was the same story even if there was no new trunk we took turns to read the address aloud pronouncing each word in our dutch way and lingering on each syllable. When trunk (11) eleven disappeared we knew that the day of our departure was near. The four youngest were send to spend a few days with friends. When we returned home the rooms were stripped of all the furniture Empty. My little heart sank within me. My little world had come to an end. Walking through the rooms there was still a wicker couch left on which my mother was resting. When her four youngest came in and she saw the surprise on our faces at the empty house, this meant no more home here tears came to her eyes. My brother Leo went and sat beside her and said dont cry mother, why all these tears? I can still hear my mother (say) who was always so courageous say, dear child we know what we have here, but we do not know what we will find there. Leos answer came quickly, but mother God is in America too, He will take care of us for you have all ways been so good to the poor. Yes, everyday after dinner the doorbell would ring little children waiting to have their little buckets filled with good soup, for we had a butcher shop and mother saw to it that nothing went to waste, but given to the poor. Shortly before I even know that we were going to America, one of the men working for my father in the butcher shop showed me and American penny with an Indian-head, he said to me see, where your father is taking you, to the land of the Red-skins and wherever you go you will see monkeys hanging with their tail from the tree limbs and ready to swoop down on you. This picture spun around in my mind. I didnt tell my mother because I did not believe him. I could not understand that my father would take us to such a place. JUNE 1908 Time had come for us to leave our dear city of Amsterdam. We stayed overnight in a Rotterdam hotel. During the night we heard the cry, thieves, and one had stolen my brother Georges new watch after this excitement it soon was morning and time to go to the boat the Nierve(New) Rotterdam this was making its first trip its maiden voyage. The whistle blowing, time to leave our relatives and friends, much embracing and tears. All had gone up the gangplank but I was holding back. Mother called to me to come up. Then it was that I blurted out, I dont want to go to that monkey land and to the Red-skins. The Captain was standing on the deck near my mother, he was taking it all in, so he send a stewart to bring me on board. I can still see him coming down the gangplank in a hurry. He picked up me the ten-year-old in his arms like a babe and ran up the gangplank, and before he could put me down the gangplank was drawn up behind us. Mother took me aside and told me about the real America and I was satisfied. We had a wonderful time on the ship, as I have said it was making its maiden voyage and not many passengers were on board. So we had much attention from the Captain and crew. On June 21st we celebrated our mothers birthday. The Captain had a large cake baked for this occasion. There were several toasts given to our success in the new world, most of the passengers spent the evening with us in singing folk-songs. These were happy times and they came to an end all too soon. Most of the days we had music on deck in the afternoon and the older sister would dance so the time passed quickly. There were only 132 second class passengers on board so we had all the space we wanted. Many of us did not escape sea-sickness what an experience every time the boat rocked we ran for the deck railing some made it in time some didnt. And so between pleasure and seasickness all comes to an end. At last the Statue of Liberty came into view The Gateway to America. The passengers crowded the decks to get a good view of the great city of New York. We got off the ship at Ellis Island there was no one to meet us for all immigrants had to stop at Ellis Island for inspection of person and goods. Our experience at Ellis Island which I am going to relate, in confirmed by an article I read in the Readers Digest of March 1957, The Salute to a Lady, by Edward Corsi, former U.S. Commissioner of Immigration at Ellis Island. Only a foreigner knows what it cost in the beginning when adopting a new country especially for us for my father was 60 and my mother 45 the children ranged from 23 to 7, to pull up roots at that age they must have paid the price in loneliness, discouragement and heartaches until we learned the new language and adjustments were made. In our day a foreigner was made to feel that he was an intruder and had better stayed where he belonged and so he was treated accordingly. People in those days seem to forget that their parents or grandparents had shortly cine before us. America would not be the America today if it were not for foreigners. But since the two World Wars these ugly demonstrations and feelings have greatly disappeared. There is much more charity and kind sympathetic feeling toward those who come to our shores of foreign lands, Thanks be to God. America of yesterday, 1908. Our experience at the Gateway of America one does not care to remember and still when I hear the word Ellis Island three things flash through my mind, the inspection of our trunks, the inspection of person, the first Railroad Station. The inspection of trunks eleven of them. When leaving Holland our only earthly possessions were in these trunks, which my father had specially made for this trip. When the inspector at Ellis Island looked at the trunks, he ordered all of them to be opened. My father showed him the lists of the contents but nothing would do. Opened they were turned upside-down on the dirty floor that all the contents were scattered all over the floor. Besides that many things were broken and many things were stolen. What anxiety it must have cost my parents and especially my dear mother who placed each article in the trunks with such great care so nothing would be broken. It seemed like a desecration. The inspection of person. They had to strip off all clothing and wait in a small booth without curtains exposed to passerby. Inspectors were slow in coming. My father was indignant that he said with tears in his eyes children I had money to bring you all, but no money to take you back. This is what Edward Corsi, former U.S. Commissioner wrote in his article in 1931, following disclosure of racketeering in Immigration Service, President Hoover named me Commissioner of Immigration and placed the gateway to America in my custody. He asked me to clean up Ellis Island and to run it, not as a stock-yard, but as a friendly center of reception of human beings. We were herded to the Railroad Station. I recall it was something like a gangplank on the outside of the building. When we got to the top we entered a narrow passageway just wide enough for two abreast. It looked like an elevated chicken run, it had wire on each side and could see men working downstairs in the building looked like a warehouse. The men below were opening up bleach barrels. The fumes of the bleach rose to the ceiling and we were right under the tin roof and this day was beastly hot in June 1908. I remember we had a long wait. We would have had to wait longer if it were not for the two young men from South Dakota who almost broke open the door of that dingy Station which were locked. Many of the passengers started coughing from the fumes of the bleach. Some fainted, such commotion. The men in the Station were reluctant to open the door. After the two young me talked with them the doors of the depot were opened, and we were released from prison in the chicken coupe. Some could have easily died there from the heat and bleach. This must have been the D-Day of greatest anxiety for my parents I am sure besides the anxiety they already have been through, and sleepless nights, to make such great decision to emigrate to a country with customs and language so new to them. Their hearts must have sunk into their shoes to be met with such experience at the gateway of this great America. I am glad that I have lived long enough to see America many years later. Next came the train ride from New York to De Pere, WI. So now in America proper things took in a brighter color. First thing I heard my father say, all this land not tilth, he was thinking of course of the small farms back home, where not an inch of farm land was wasted. The train ride from New York was very hot the windows were open and of course no the air-condition of today the smoke, soot and hot cinders would play into everything also in our food. For our meals we had to wait for the train to stop in a Station where small boxes of food were sold for one dollar each, which was very high for those days. We had a box apiece. One thing I remember is that a small piece of apple pie tasted lie soap suds and for the longest time I would not eat pie. Next time we were hungry at one of the Stations in Chicago my sister Helen and Marie got off to find a grocery store, they stayed away so long we thought they were lost. At last they showed up with bags of food and a policeman for their escort. We surely were glad to see them back. And as we were riding along in the train we saw many signs, but one fooled us for this sign said look out Cato Sr. Lambertine thought that the sign meant just that look out- and see something she put her head out of the window and off came her pretty had blown by a gust of wind rolling out in the field, a few tears fell but soon forgotten. After what seemed an endless ride we reached our first destination, De Pere, WI. Father Bernard Pennings came to the station to meet us, and took us to St. Norberts College, which was our temporary home for six weeks. (Father Pennings is the uncle to my fathers brother Engleberts wifer. Father was greatly responsible for our coming to America. No one of the Verstynen families followed us to-date. We brought the name to this country.) People ask, why did you come to this country? This is the story. Father Pennings came to America in 1893. He came for a home visit in Holland 1907. When he came to visit us in Amsterdam he talked my father into coming to America. There was already rumblings for the first world war to be. He said to my father Gerardus a war is coming soon to Europe, why not come to America with your grown family since you oldest son is already there, and while you still have a chance to leave. It was a big step and wanted time to think it over. One year later the decision was made. It was a hard decision to pull up roots at the age of my father at 60 and my mother at 45. It took great faith, fortitude and courage which were their main virtues and much needed in the beginning of adopting a new country still in its semi-pioneer stage, from a city like Amsterdam to Kimberly, WI population of 500. We spend many happy days at St. Norberts College. While we were staying at the College father Pennings kept their cook for us her name was Ger van der Hei whom the four youngest liked very much because the cookie jar always mysteriously stayed full. One of my first attractions was the matchbox, with blue and pink tipped matches. Next came the fire-fly I spend endless hours catching them and putting them in a jar and enjoyed watching them at night in the dark dormitory where the four youngest slept. We were sent to bed early, we did not mind this for that gave us plenty of time for a good pillow fight. One Sunday after Mass, one of the fathers took my brothers through a wooden fence, which spelled enclosure for me this means no girls being a girl I had to stay out. I could not understand the reason for this and felt hurt. So one of the fathers to pacify me, asked me to take care of his new fishing rod, which he had tied to a small dock near the abbey. Of course, after a little while I loosened the rod to hold it in my hand after a few minutes whatever there was on the other end of it, got heavy and pulled so hard that I had to let the rod go. There it went into the water the fathers new fishing rod. I called for help. Two of the White Fathers came running I pointed to the fishing rod, which was bobbing up and down in the river. The Fathers pushed a motorboat from shore and went after the rod. The chased it for a long time until it reached the dam, so had to return without the fish or rod. When the Fathers came back to the shore I was scolded but it was all in vain for I did not understand one word they said. It seemed from nowhere that Father Pennings appeared and the scolding stopped. All this was too much for a little Dutch newcomer of 10. AUGUST 1908 The time came when we had to bid farewell to our dear Father Pennings and start out on a new way of life in this great new country. Helen, Marie, and Cato(Sr. Lambertine) stayed at the college to work for three dollars a week room and board, until we find a place to settle. Work was very scarce at that time, many people were out of work, much like the depression in 1929. Father Pennings advised my father to go with the four youngest to Kaukauna, WI, until the boys found work and rent a home in Kimberly, which was a Dutch settlement. In the meantime a flat above a grocery store was rented in Kaukauna, next door to Gerend Millinery Shop, on East Third street. The weather was very hot and the 4 youngest had to sleep on mattresses on the floor for as yet we did not have all our necessary furniture since we had to move again. Mother had to learn how to bake bread for her family. A kind neighbor, Mrs. van Abel, who had learned a few Dutch words from her husband who was a saloonkeeper, was trying to tell my mother how to bake bread. She told my mother to use ½ yeast cake in each large loaf in the mixture of dough. She must not have understood what the good neighbor was trying to tell her for she put ½ yeast cake in the dough for six loaves. Thee result, the bread did not rise. The four young fry were waiting patiently to taste mothers first made American bread. I can still see mother on her knees before the oven taken out the six loaf of bread that did not rise, as hard as bricks. Mother burst into tears, and my father who is not at all demonstrative with his feelings in public, picked mother up in his arms and said dont cry mother, these are alright, they will be the first bricks in our new home in America. All tears were dried and time went on. Then came our first washday. We had always send out our washing in Holland when it returned it was ready for the linen closet. So father bought a washing machine, which had to be turned by hand. Dad soon found a way to have the washing done without too much trouble. He called the four youngest into action. We sat along the wall on chairs to wait our turn to turn the wheel for three minutes, and so it continued until the washing was done. We thought this was great fun. Dad took the four to Mass every morning, and on our way we passed apple trees and picked up the green apples when Dad was not looking. We received our punishment in our first American tummy-ache, we never picked up green apples after that. Our first experience with chewing gum. We the four little Dutchmen were walking along the street one day and spied a gum machine attached to the outside wall of the building. This machine was in for a serious inspection by the little Amsterdamanners. Each one in turn tried to read what it said to obtain a piece of its contents. The only word we could make out was cent. It said one cent. We kept saying for one (oona) this was the way it sounded to us. As yet we did not know that the O in one sounded like a W, so we kept saying oona cent. We ran home to ask for oona cent each and returned to the gum machine with each a penny and each in turn dropped their penny in the machine and received soething wrapped in silver paper. We did not know that the contents was something to chew until a small boy who had been watching us and no doubt enjoyed our excitement showed us how to chew our first piece of universal American sweets - chewing gum by making the motions with his mouth in thank you we each gave him a piece of our first chewing gum. The first Indian I came face to face with in this country and hew was perfectly harmless. It was a life size Indian in front of the cigar store. These Indians greatly fascinated me. No matter where I would see one I would stop and look for a few seconds. Then there was another thing that took my eye was the large round posts with white and red stripes in front off the Barbershop. These unique symbols meant much to the young immigrants in those days. The first American Red-Cap we met in the person of two little boys about 12 with two little red wagons awaiting at the Kaukauna Railroad Station to meet the incoming trains. They walked up to my father, pleading to let them take our baggage. The motioned that it would only cost a few pennies. Father let them take part of the baggage. I can still picture these two little fellows all smiles, pulling their little red wagon behind them, it was but a short distance of two blocks. School had started in Kaukauna and our little neighbors asked us to come and see their school, mostly to show off the little Amsterdammers as they called us. This was the first time I had seen boys and girls in a classroom. My first impression was an unfavorable reaction I will not go to bay and girl school in America. I had been to the Sister school and the boys to the Brother school. It took a long time for this adjustment. But time takes care of everything. My first use of the English language of just a few words. The neighbors at our right were Germans by the name of Gerend. They had a large home the front of it was used as a millinery shop. I spend many happy days there. The neighbor to our left was a saloonkeeper and a Dutchman by the name of van Abel. He told that he would teach me English, but what he taught me were very bad words, but I did not know better. He told me these words meant good evening ect ect. And one evening, I was playing in front of Gerends Millinery Shop and a priest was passing by. Thinking this would be a good time to try out all my English I said all the words I said all the words I knew. The priest turned around and he was angry coming toward me shaking his finger and talking out loud. Blanca Gerend who was in the Millinery Shop, heard the commotion and came out seeing the Priest shaking his finger at me. She told the priest that I had shortly come from Europe and that someone must have taught me these bad words. This was one little Dutchman who really got herself in dutch. I had lost desire to learn to speak English, and for a long time I would not do so to the exasperation of my first teacher. Our first movie or nickel show was a comedy it made no sense to me. I did not like it. It was a silent movie of that day and I could not read the English. WORD CAME TO MOVE TO KIMBERLY Our brother Cornea and George went looking for work and found jobs for both of them at the Kimberly Clark paper mill for one dollar a day that meant 10 cents an hour 10 hours a day. The boys were happy they had work, jobs were hard to find at that time. There was a depression much like the one in 1929. So word was sent to Kaukauna for us to come to Kimberly, that was father, mother, and the foursome Leo, Nelly, Joe and Lambert. By this time I had several friends and was reluctant to leave and start all over again. It was September and school had already started. The day of leaving Kaukauna had arrived we went by train. At the Kimberly Railroad Station there was two-horse surrey waiting for us from Verbeten Livery Stable this was style in those days. The town was a half-mile from the Station. When we arrived at 96 Elm Street there was a crowd of youngsters waiting to have a good look at the newcomers from the big city of Amsterdam. There were also other peeking behind the curtains. We were a curiosity for them they had seen the 11 trunks come in some were still standing on the porch, and now arriving in a two horse surrey. We were not well accepted at first. THE TOWN OF OUR FIRST HOME IN AMERICA KIMBERLY 1908 Now it was time to inspect our home in which we would live for the next six years. There were three rooms down stairs and three rooms upstairs, they were all very small. After the inspection father said to my mother there seems to be so little room for everyone to have a place to sleep. With a twinkle in his eyes and looking down at me, he said I think that we will have to hang the four youngest on hooks. Father had in his butcher shop in Holland hooks on which were hung large pieces of meat. I felt hurt. But when evening came there was a place for all to sleep. What a relief. Our first days in Kimberly we had no time to think, we were so busy putting our house in order. After things quieted down and we were getting acquainted with the surroundings, then came that loss feeling for it was quite a letdown from a city the size of Amsterdam to a small village of 500 population. This must have been a very traumatic time for my parents and the older children. The younger ones adjusted more easily, but I found it hard that there was no place to go. One day I came in the house in tears because there was so much land and nothing on it. I missed the beautiful park in front of our house in Amsterdam, with a large lagoon with swans and a fountain to sail little boats, swings large sand banks in all it was a childs paradise. It was like looking in No mans land here. Like always, time changes everything. We soon got used to our new way of living, and new it was. One thing was nice for my parents, most of the population also came from Holland. Father and Mother were up in years 60 45 at that age it is hart to learn to speak a new language. My father never learned to speak English but in a short time he did understand it and could read it. Mother did very well in due time especially with the younger generation around her. The house was too small for our large family. This was the first time that all of us lived together. In Holland four of the six older ones were still in boarding school before we left. The four youngest were home. During the summer vacation the four came home from boarding to have their trunks checked for whatever they needed the next year. During this time the four youngest were taken to the seashore or the uncles farm for vacation. We did not meet them they were gone before we came home. (I did not know Kate Sister Lambertine until she was fifteen.) We really did not get to know them for after not too may years they married. We truly had what is called today a generation gap. Back in the house. All rooms were small there were two double beds in each room. The boys room was the smallest. Two of the boys had to take night jobs in this way beds could be used day and night. The four girls slept in two double beds and I had to sleep in a cot between the two beds. When I think about this, what can be done if you have to. It still is a puzzles me that we accepted this as the way of life in America. Mother must have had the patience of Job. As I look back I say how did she do it? Never a word always calm we have so much to be grateful for. Thanks be to God. The only large room was the dining room that had a eight feet long table at which seven persons could be seated on each side and two on each end. (Once a traveling salesman stopped and asked if this was a hotel.) There was hardly room enough for some one pass. After supper all knelt on their chair to say the rosary. After that we all sat around the table with what ever busy work or games. Sunday evening was set aside for the younger ones to perform in song, jokes, short made up plays or poetry. Lambert played the harmonica and learned all the new songs we had then what we call now a sing along which was much fun. The boys learned how to knit and embroidery we had much fun. This lasted until the sweethearts came along. Our large room served for dinning room, sitting room and parlor, when we had company. There were five saloons in this small village in our six years there I dont remember ever seeing someone drunk. These places had respectable dance halls those that were old enough to go had to be home by eleven oclock. My sister Kate (Sr. Lambertine) played a prank on the two oldest sister, she herself was too young to go to the dance. She wanted to make sure to know if they came home on time. So Kate puts a chair in front of the door they had to enter on this chair she stacked all pots and pans it would hold, she went to bed. At eleven oclock we heard this loud noise, everyone was awakened. Helen and Marie had taken off their shoes not to make any noise. The following day mother took Kate to task and told her that she was home and not in boarding school. It never happened again. My father use to tell their boyfriend the sidewalk will be pulled in by ten oclock. To make the muddy street passable they were covered with deal board, the boards resting on cross sills of heavy timber IIIIIIIIIIII later these were considered sidewalks. There were no pavements macadamized streets, no drainage. The toilet was an outhouse a small frame wooden building in whish was a wooden seat board with two holes. Rain or shine plus winter snow and 20 below This was the place. The paper we used was the Sears & Roebuck Catalog. There was no such thing as fancy soft toilet paper. The kitchen was the smallest of all the other rooms. For the first few years we had no water in the house. Each bucket of water had to be brought in from the community pump. There were three pumps in each block in case one would break down. They were far apart. Helen stayed home to help mother with the house work, baking six large loafs each day and near one hundred of Aunt Jemimas pancakes for in the winter for breakfast, beside the cooking and canning of vegetables about 500 quarts for the whole year. The also made sour kraut in 20 gallon stone jars and made our own sausage for the winter time. These were busy days. In the winter even the washing had to be done in our small kitchen. The cook stove which had to be fired with wood was used all day long to heat the wash water even the wooden hand wash machine was brought in by the boys from the woodshed, also the wooden stand which held two wash tubs and a hand wringer in the center. This gave very little room for cooking. When finished with the wash everything had to be returned to the shed. The heavy underwear was hung outside and froze stiff as a board. Those days you were lucky if you had a change of underwear once a wee and also a bath for the water had to bee hauled in from the community pump. There was no running hot water, no bathtub, the wash tub was used in the kitchen on Saturday night. The wash boiler was put on the stove for hot water. If you took out your share you put the same amount in the boiler before you start washing for the next fellow. This was our initiation to the then American way of life. Well it was still in the semi-pioneer days compared to today (1982) ¾ of a century ago. My father once said, I did not realize the great burden he had placed on our mother by coming to America. But mother never complained. In Holland we always had maids and extra help when needed. The bread always came from the bakery and the washing was send out and returned all ready to be put in the linen closet. We were the first of the immigrant family to buy a home from the company of the Kimberly Clark paper mill after m father received his first American citizen papers 1911. When he went for his first papers he had to go to the Appleton, WI Court House whish was three miles from Kimberly by streetcar. He did not speak English so he took along an interpreter. The judge told him when you come for your final paper two and a half years from now I expect you to speak English. In the meantime he tried hard to learn how to read he seemed to understand what he was reading but to speak it was to hard at his age, 63 at that time. The two and a half year passed quickly. My father went for the Naturalization paper (which at that time included all under twenty one.) I was 16 by that time. He took the interpreter with him. When the judge saw the man with my father he said, I presume you do not speak English. My father told the interpreter to tell the judge if he can answer all the questions needed for receiving the papers will you give them to me. The judge told my father I cannot refuse if you can do that. My father came through with flying colors he had only missed a few questions. He came home so proud he almost split all the buttons from his vest. After we bought the home on monthly payments in 1911 father started on much needed improvements in and around the house. There was a rain barrel along the side of the house which was in the ground it was 3 ft wide and 4 feet deep. This rainwater was used for the wash. The small pump on top of this barrel which was taking off and put in the kitchen so no more hardship to try to pump water from this cistern in wintertime. Next came the cupboards from the floor up so we had plenty space for everything, sink and drain boards and counter space to work on before they had to use tables which took up to much space. Next the woodshed was placed against the house for the wash house, what a relief this must have been no more washing in the small kitchen, where mother and Helen tried to cook for 12 to 14 people, and the heavy underwear could now dry in the shed and not have to hang out to freeze like boards. After all the necessary things were done in the house, Father decided to build a small barn large enough for a horse, cow, a heifer and a pretty brown billy goat. This was all in preparation for what was to come. The house was too small it was hard on those who those who had to work. Father decided to take the foursome to the farm he had rented for two years ages 10 -11 ½ -13 14. A few days before I herd that I had to go to the farm to keep house for my father and three brothers ( I grew up with) Mother had already taught me how to make bread and plain cooking. I had already learned to milk the cow and drive the horse (This little Amsterdammer) father thought I was ready for the farm. A few days before I heard I had to go to the farm I cried day and night to no avail. There was no other way out the house was to small a decision had to be made this was the best way out even if did not think so at the time God knows best. Helen told me later they were watching through the kitchen window she said it look like The fight into Egypt. All we had on the wagon were the bare necessities. Their was a cook stove on four legs in the house is all I can remember. The first and only winter we stayed on the farm was the coldest: 30 below. The water froze to the last drop near the stove this lasted for three days. We wore long sheep-skin coats by the stove father would not let us go to bed we all sat around the hot stove. Our neighbor a ½ mile away when they awakened and saw no smoke coming out of our chimney. Two big boys were send with blankets. When the boys saw the situation they picked up the three youngest, wrapped us in blankets and took us home with them in the sleigh. They came back to help my father and Leo to put bails of hay around the cattle I think we stayed with the neighbors at night. This Germans family were real neighbors. Alma Franz was my age and we were good friends all our lives she died in 1980. The last time I saw her, her husband was sick but she still came on hundred miles to see me when I was visiting my sister in Wisconsin. Father took Lambert and Jo back to town and returned in the spring, Corneal, Leo and I stayed on the farm that winter. On the farm I helped haul in hay, milk two of the cows, help pick corn ears this was all done by hand. Every night you were so tired we slept all night a good sound sleep. We grew and were healthy no medicine needed. As I look back and all is said and done, it has been a good character builder to meet the viscidities of life with more ease and grace. There was a great difference between the older and younger even the older recognized it and said so at times. I have always thought that I was privileged to have been brought up completely under mothers care and guidance I think the older ones missed much by having been in boarding school. P.S. The four youngest learned the hard way of life very young from which our older brothers and sisters were sheltered by being in boarding school until they were 15 they could well say, you young ones are different. In the two summers on the farm we made good as soon as we were home again father took the foursome to the store and bought new outfits and took us to the circus. While on the farm it was depression time but we were fortunate we had all the good food and could supply the family in town with eggs, butter, pork, all kinds of vegetables and fruit. Everyone worked from the oldest to the youngest, because of this we were better off then most people something to be grateful for. SCHOOL IN KIMBERLY We went to Holy Name School taught by the Dominican Sisters. This school was new just two years old. It consisted of basement, four classrooms on first floor and the Church on second floor. Father van Nistleroy, a Hollander, was pastor. The three youngest made our first Communion in America. We were confirmed by Bishop Fox. In the first year her in April 30, 1909 a little princess was born in the Netherlands her name was Juliana. My girl friend Min Hanegraaf and I want to make some outward sign of this celebration. We went to Sauters Store and asked for the paper the ribbon was rolled on, and worked until late in the evening to color the paper red, white and blue for large bows in our hair. We were late for school on purpose. When we entered the classroom with these huge bows, there was a roar of laughter. When Sister lookup and the large bows, which hid our faces Sister asked what this was all about. (She kept a straight face, which was hard to do.) We told that a little princess born in Holland and we wanted to celebrate this occasion we were marched out of the room to take them off. Sister did give us time to hide them for after school. When we came back to the classroom the front seats were vacated and we had to sit in the front, that punishment was not hard to take. We had a nice party that evening, Mother let me invite several girls so we celebrated Julianas birthday never to forget. JOES CAP After we lived in Kimberly for a few weeks Father van Nistleroy returned from his trip to Holland. He paid a visit to our family. Joe the second youngest then nine, came in the house with his cap on and greeted Father with just a hello. Not to remove his cap as he came into the house was unpardonable at our house in those days and especially when there was a visitor. He should have taken off his cap as he entered the room. Joe seem to have forgotten his manners, he had not forgotten, for when mother called him to task, swiftly came his answer, Oh mother we dont do things like that in America, this is a free country. He was send out and returned with cap in hand to shake hands with the company who happened to be our pastor. In later years when we would mention this incident, Joe would say, I will always respect and remember mother special for this correction in later life I discovered that politeness has been very helpful in my work where I had to work and deal with so many different people. His good manners were very much liked He died young in 1953 age 54. The Kimberly Post Office was in the basement of the Company Hotel. It was the meeting place for Sweethearts, sometimes two or three would come for the mail from the same family to meet their beau or visa-versa. Mr. Van Daahoyk who was 70 years old was the mail carrier. He would come in with the mail sack on his back, rain or shine bitter cold winter he had to walk a half a mile to and from the Railroad Station to the post office. Later Mr. Van Zummeren took over he was also 70. They both were small in stature but tough and dependable, never missed a day in the coldest winter weather. They were two tough Dutchmen. When van Daahoyk was about 80 years old one day I was walking behind him from church we passed the Leeyendecker saloon, which was two blocks from the church he kept saying I did it, I did it ect. I asked him what he meant he told me that he passed the saloon and did not stop for a drink. Now he said I am going back and get a big one.
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