Thursday, January 08, 2004
THREE BROTHERS
John surprised me yesterday by adding family pictures. I am amazed that he can be at work in Louisiana and put the pictures into my post. However, computers and people who use them so efficiently amaze me as well. I aspire to travel the higher road into “computer-land”.
Today we will meet some of the uncles. We know the least about Louie. My Dad and uncles lost touch with him almost from the day he left home. It was common in the early 1900’s for boys to set out on their own, usually as hired help on farms. It was not a good life. They were worked hard, fed poorly and paid little. However, most were anxious to strike out on their own and left home as soon as they had the opportunity. Louie had little schooling because he was constantly needed on the farm. He began working for neighbors and then hired out further away, finally taking him beyond family communication. He was the missing Andersen. I remember my Dad wanting to find him in later years. He had a sketchy idea of where Louie and his family were. He knew he had two sons. My uncle Ted and aunt Beulah went with us to find Louie and his family.
They had a farm in northeast Nebraska, near Sioux City, Iowa. He had been fairly prosperous at farming. He was a very quiet man who greeted my Dad and uncle Ted as almost strangers. It had been years since they had seen each other. It was hard for any of them to show emotion because it was not thought “manly”. We spent the afternoon visiting and when it was time to go, they shook hands. My father and uncle didn’t know until my grandmother’s death that Louie was only a half-brother. They never saw each other again.
My uncle Alfred was the first generation American. He was a shy man and thought long before he spoke. He had a beautiful smile and twinkling eyes. In later years he told me he had farmed out like Louie but ‘the old man’ (grandpa) would come and collect his wages. Most immigrant families were ruled by a dominate father without question. Alfred knew he would never be out from under his father’s thumb unless he got away as Louie had. He caught a train and went to Sioux City where he found work and for the first time received money for his labor. My Dad told the story that once he wanted to go home with Alfred and find work. Dad was very young and inexperienced. After a week he was homesick and wanted to go home. He made enough money for train-fare so Alfred took him to the depot and then went to work. By the time the train came, Dad’s money was lost to some card sharks hanging out at the depot. He was scared and beyond knowing what to do when he looked up and saw Alfred coming. Dad said Alfred gave him his week’s wages to buy a ticket home and stayed until he was on his way. Dad never forgot that inexpressible act of kindness.
Uncle Emil was a wild and self-indulgent man. My grandfather’s favorite because he was a lot like him in his youth. He didn’t like hard work and preferred making his money by scheming and gambling. Grampa called him “versotten” (satan) and would laugh. He got by with things the other boys never could because he amused Grampa. He was a womanizer and liked alcohol. In short, he was the black sheep of the family. He finally married a woman named Helen Boston. She was the daughter of farmers whose farm lay beyond my maternal grandmother’s at Blair, NE. Uncle Emil was never a farmer, he preferred the city. Aunt Helen and uncle Emil had three children, Doris, Billy and Harold Gene. Three months after the last baby was born she died of breast cancer. The year was 1922. Uncle Emil moved to Omaha with the two older children and Helen’s mother took the baby to care for. Uncle Emil was later married to Mardelle Ustick who was a bartender at his favorite bar. She was a straight shooter and rough around the edges but took uncle Emil to task. She straightened him out in no time and they combined families. She had a boy and girl and they later had a child of their own, a son named Raymond. She made it all work, somehow, even though she took on a wild bunch. She certainly earned family respect. They remained together until death took aunt Mardelle first and uncle Emil lived to be in his ‘90’s. Mama used to laugh and say the good Lord wasn’t ready for him and the devil wouldn’t have him. As with all scally-wags he was likeable in spite of his faults and he did it his way.
Until tomorrow when we meet more brothers.
Essentially Esther
Today we will meet some of the uncles. We know the least about Louie. My Dad and uncles lost touch with him almost from the day he left home. It was common in the early 1900’s for boys to set out on their own, usually as hired help on farms. It was not a good life. They were worked hard, fed poorly and paid little. However, most were anxious to strike out on their own and left home as soon as they had the opportunity. Louie had little schooling because he was constantly needed on the farm. He began working for neighbors and then hired out further away, finally taking him beyond family communication. He was the missing Andersen. I remember my Dad wanting to find him in later years. He had a sketchy idea of where Louie and his family were. He knew he had two sons. My uncle Ted and aunt Beulah went with us to find Louie and his family.
They had a farm in northeast Nebraska, near Sioux City, Iowa. He had been fairly prosperous at farming. He was a very quiet man who greeted my Dad and uncle Ted as almost strangers. It had been years since they had seen each other. It was hard for any of them to show emotion because it was not thought “manly”. We spent the afternoon visiting and when it was time to go, they shook hands. My father and uncle didn’t know until my grandmother’s death that Louie was only a half-brother. They never saw each other again.
My uncle Alfred was the first generation American. He was a shy man and thought long before he spoke. He had a beautiful smile and twinkling eyes. In later years he told me he had farmed out like Louie but ‘the old man’ (grandpa) would come and collect his wages. Most immigrant families were ruled by a dominate father without question. Alfred knew he would never be out from under his father’s thumb unless he got away as Louie had. He caught a train and went to Sioux City where he found work and for the first time received money for his labor. My Dad told the story that once he wanted to go home with Alfred and find work. Dad was very young and inexperienced. After a week he was homesick and wanted to go home. He made enough money for train-fare so Alfred took him to the depot and then went to work. By the time the train came, Dad’s money was lost to some card sharks hanging out at the depot. He was scared and beyond knowing what to do when he looked up and saw Alfred coming. Dad said Alfred gave him his week’s wages to buy a ticket home and stayed until he was on his way. Dad never forgot that inexpressible act of kindness.
Uncle Emil was a wild and self-indulgent man. My grandfather’s favorite because he was a lot like him in his youth. He didn’t like hard work and preferred making his money by scheming and gambling. Grampa called him “versotten” (satan) and would laugh. He got by with things the other boys never could because he amused Grampa. He was a womanizer and liked alcohol. In short, he was the black sheep of the family. He finally married a woman named Helen Boston. She was the daughter of farmers whose farm lay beyond my maternal grandmother’s at Blair, NE. Uncle Emil was never a farmer, he preferred the city. Aunt Helen and uncle Emil had three children, Doris, Billy and Harold Gene. Three months after the last baby was born she died of breast cancer. The year was 1922. Uncle Emil moved to Omaha with the two older children and Helen’s mother took the baby to care for. Uncle Emil was later married to Mardelle Ustick who was a bartender at his favorite bar. She was a straight shooter and rough around the edges but took uncle Emil to task. She straightened him out in no time and they combined families. She had a boy and girl and they later had a child of their own, a son named Raymond. She made it all work, somehow, even though she took on a wild bunch. She certainly earned family respect. They remained together until death took aunt Mardelle first and uncle Emil lived to be in his ‘90’s. Mama used to laugh and say the good Lord wasn’t ready for him and the devil wouldn’t have him. As with all scally-wags he was likeable in spite of his faults and he did it his way.
Until tomorrow when we meet more brothers.
Essentially Esther
