52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 30 Prompt - Easy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 30

Prompt – Easy

To me genealogy is more than births, christenings, marriages, deaths and burials. I seek out the stories behind these facts. As is the case in genealogy most of the stories I wish I had have long been lost and in fact buried. The lament never ends and that is – I wish I would have asked when they were alive. Again the truth is that when they were alive we did not care to ask or even think there was more to their lives than what we knew at the time. 

I have had the fortune of interviewing, Bill's mother, Clara Hoffart; nee Jahnke. She was the only remaining parent of Bill and me at the time I started doing genealogy. I was encouraged through my fellow members of the local genealogical society to get on with that before it was too late. How does one do that?

On line there is many sites one can go to and find interview questions. I printed out one and dedicated a notebook to getting the answers. I did not have the phone technology to record her answers but tried my best to write down her answers as she answered them. It never felt easy asking such personal information from her. Clara was always willing to answer the questions. They produced insight to her early life on a farm outside of Killaly, Saskatchewan. For example when asked about house chores on the farm, Clara remembered how when she was younger her mother, Ida Jahnke nee Bachmann did the ironing and baking bread chores on the same day. That produced a very warm and at times a hot home, but that is why her mother did those chores together on the same day. She worked on a wood stove. It was Clara and her brother's job to bring in wood from outside and place it in a huge wood box. Clara said they brought in huge armfuls until her mother said it was enough. The iron was placed on the stove until warm. Ida used a cloth to wipe the bottom of the iron before ironing the clothing.

It is seemingly a small detail of Clara's early life but it was so rich in detail that had I not asked it would have been lost forever. I learned that Clara's mother managed a home efficiently. Clara had chores that were expected of her from an early age. When I asked if she remembered any other farm chores she told me that she was expected to pump water to the two troughs for the thirsty farm animals. It would take an half an hour or more. And she had to do this twice a day. By the time she was 10 along with her brother, they were expected to get the cows from the pasture to the barn with the help of their trusty dog. They fed the calves and pigs and the few chickens and of course they had to milk the cows. At 14 she helped with “stooking” She remembered that “the boys” would come from town to help out with stooking and made $5.00 per day. 

These chores were done before and after school. She attended a one room country school. She remembered that it was 2.5 miles from their farm and the prairie school was 4.5 miles from the town of Killaly. They got to school by walking or horse if it was available and in the winter by horse and sleigh. However she noted that they never had school in January because of the harsh weather. They started school in July and had two weeks off at harvest time. I never thought about school and farm life working hand in hand for the convenience of climate and farm life.

I found that going through her photo albums were an easier way to get stories and history from her.

Her Brother Herb, Her Mother Ida and Clara Jahnke.

The Photograph That Started a Memory of Living in Selah, Washington

When she looked at the above photographs she instantly knew that it was a picture of her and her brother in summer of 1936 on their return trip to Killaly from Selah, Washington where they had lived since October of 1933. At that time I did not know that they lived in the US for almost 3 years. So the story unfolds as this. Clara's parents – Arthur and Ida Jahnke, her older sister, Elsie and older brother Herb and herself went to visit their Uncle Len and Aunt Amelia in Selah in 1932. Len was Art's brother living on an orchard. The following winter Len's wife Amelia died. Uncle Len thought that Art and his family really enjoyed picking apples and being on their orchard and he convinced Art to come to Selah, Washington and try out fruit ranching. Despite having a mixed farm (3/4 section), things in the dirty thirties were quite desperate. Art being an astute business man decided to get registered Jersey cows and that is pretty much what got them through the poor crop years. It was the cream cheques from the cows. Art also thought he would try out the orchard living in Selah. So after his harvest of 1933 he rented out his farm to Edwin Meiers and they moved to Selah Washington. The Killaly farm renters kept the registered herd as part of the agreement. Further the renters could keep 1/3 of the new calves born. While in Washington, Art and Ida received 1/3 of the cream cheques. Clara said that at that time lots of cream was being shipped to The Creamery of Melville. Clara also noted that had it not been for the jersey herd her father would have gone broke on the Killaly farm.

Jahnke's Jersey Herd

Their first year in Selah was spent on a rented fruit ranch about a mile out of Selah and it came with a fully furnished home.

First Rented Home in Selah, Washington.

Their trip to move to Selah by car took 3 or more days. Several years after the fact Art told Clara a story about her traveling to Washington since she was only 4 or so she did not remember it. Clara had grew really tired of the trip and had said the mountains should be gone – I don't want them anymore. Her father told her in German “little Clara don't worry. Lay down and go to sleep. He would take care of them and move them aside” When she woke up she was happy to have them gone.

Years later Clara recalls her parents talking about their decision to move to the States. The town folk and farmers told them that gloom and doom would befall them for taking their brand new car ( 1932 Chev) and family so far away. However understandably, Clara said traveling great distances like that was unheard of in the 1930's!

Clara started school in Selah Unit School for Grades 1,2 & 3. That school she remembers being across from the high school. As is to happen to this day the grades got shuffled and to different schools in the area. Her parents dropped her off at the original school and as Clara said her parents had a conniption when she was not there on pick up. The superintendent drove her home with many apologies to Art and Ida. 

Their 2nd House in Selah, Washington.

The second year in Selah, Art and Ida along with Ida's younger brother (Henry Fesser) bought a fruit farm. Clara remembers that the house was much prettier and made of cedar. She remembers the smell of the cedar. Clara remembers that Mrs. Berquist was her teacher and since she was a neighbor, Clara visited Mrs Berquist quite frequently.

Her Grade 1,2 & 3 were done in a one room school house called Selah Heights School. In grade 2 her best friend was Amy Bjork who as it turned out many years later wrote the book – I'm OK Your OK.

I guess that the price given for their harvested apples was even worse than the price they got for wheat. It was the dirty thirties. Ida's brother Henry Fesser was apparently a bit of a perfectionist and his ideas were always more costly. Apparently after two years Henry got “itchy feet” and Art and Henry sold the fruit farm.

Clara said it was not only Henry who was ready to move on. Her father felt “hemmed in by the mountains”. And Clara further mused that every time the Canadian geese flew overhead her dad would get homesick.

Her paternal grandparents lived in Yakima at the time which is about 5 miles away from Selah. Johann and Emilie Jahnke spoke mainly German in the house. She would be taken to a different church than her parents and grandparents because they went to a German language church and she went to English speaking church for Sunday School. After church the whole family would have lunch together at her grandparent's (Johann and Emilie) home in Yakima.

On her 6^th birthday, Clara apparently decided that she needed a birthday party. She invited everyone that she knew to her party. However her parents never knew about it until the day before when one of the invitees asked at what time the party was. They managed to put one together despite their surprise to find out they were holding it. On that same birthday, her grandfather Johann Jahnke, bought a brand new store bought dress with matching panties without  his wife's, Emelie being their to assist him choosing the dress. That totally surprised her grandmother, Emilie because Grandfather was so straight laced and buying something so personal was really out of character.

Clara's 6th Birthday. Clara in front. Lt sitting is Clara's Grandpa J Jahnke and Rt is Clara's  father Art Jahnke.  Back Row is Sister Elsie, Clara's Grandma Emilie, Her Brother Herb, Her Mother Ida Jahnke.

After the fruit farm was sold Clara's family moved into the living quarters above the fruit packing plant. She remembers it as generous space with two bedrooms. Her brother slept on the couch , Clara and her sister slept in the first bedroom and her parents slept in the other.

The only part of the fruit farm she really remembers is the drying of the fresh fruit on big screens outside such as apricots, plums, apples etc. They put the dried fruit in large cloth bags and took them home to the farm in Killaly. They had them for years and apparently they made excellent jam. Who knew?

Clara's teacher, Mrs Berquist gave Clara a going away present of a plate, the type you would get from the box of Rolled Oats.

Most specifically Clara remembers from the photograph of the car and wagon fully loaded for their return trip that she got measles which slowed down the progress of their return trip.

How easy it was to look at two photographs and find out a part of Clara's life that I did not know about. Not just that she lived in Selah, Washington for three years, but the rich detail of her life while there and all that despite being only 6 or so years old.

It was two photographs of one photo album of many that she has. I got this story when I first begun genealogy in 2008. Clara was just at the beginning stages of macular degeneration. She could still see the photographs. Now 11 years later she is almost totally blind and sadly not able to make out most of the photos. However at 91 she is living in a senior's apartment mostly on her own. Her mind is sharp as a tack and her stories are still there for the asking.

It is much easier to get a story rich in detail from them when they are alive!

Wendy