Tag: west point Page 7 of 10

Posts about West Point, and its inhabitants.

Georgie’s Memories – Part 9: Washing day and Butchering

On July 1, 2022

In Family History

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

Wash Day

Wash day was a big affair. They washed outside – had a hand powered machine converted to use a gasoline motor – I remember the belt as being quite long. Water was heated in a boiler. Everyone made their own soap then. They saved grease and tallow and combined it with lye. Some cooked it in a butchering kettle outside but my mother made cold soap. It was whiter.

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

Wash Day

Wash day was a big affair. They washed outside – had a hand powered machine converted to use a gasoline motor – I remember the belt as being quite long. Water was heated in a boiler. Everyone made their own soap then. They saved grease and tallow and combined it with lye. Some cooked it in a butchering kettle outside but my mother made cold soap. It was whiter.

Georgie’s Memories – Part 8: Seasons of food

On June 24, 2022

In Family History

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

Each season, each month

Each season, in fact, each month there was lots of time spent in food preparation and food preservation. January and February were the main months for butchering, sausage making, salting and smoking, making head cheese, making pickled pigs feet, and canning beef. In February, when it froze at night and warmed in the daytime, we collected maple water in buckets and cooked it down for maple syrup. Farmers who had an ice house usually cut ice on a pond in the winter. This was covered with sawdust. One of our favorite visiting places was the Umthum home near Sugar Creek. They put up ice and made ice cream on summer Sundays.

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

Each season, each month

Each season, in fact, each month there was lots of time spent in food preparation and food preservation. January and February were the main months for butchering, sausage making, salting and smoking, making head cheese, making pickled pigs feet, and canning beef. In February, when it froze at night and warmed in the daytime, we collected maple water in buckets and cooked it down for maple syrup. Farmers who had an ice house usually cut ice on a pond in the winter. This was covered with sawdust. One of our favorite visiting places was the Umthum home near Sugar Creek. They put up ice and made ice cream on summer Sundays.

Happy birthday Aunt Louise!

On June 17, 2022

In Family History

Louise and Georgina in 1923

Louise Josephine Link Nelson was born on June 17, 1921 in West Point, Iowa, to William John and Elizabeth Wellman Link.

Her family lived on the Bruegenhempke place west of West Point when she was born.

Georgie’s Memories – Part 6: Cooking on a wood stove

On May 27, 2022

In Family History

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

There’s an advertising slogan for cigarettes that says, “You’ve come a long way, baby” and this is surely true of cooking methods. In the early years of the 20^th century the housewife chopped wood, fired the cook stove, baked bread and cooked – quite a contrast to microwave ovens. During the slack season on the farm, people “got up wood.” They cut down dead trees, thinned the woods, and used down timber. By this time gasoline sawmills were used, but making firewood was a hard job.

Georgie’s Memories – Part 5: At School

On May 20, 2022

In Family History

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

Elementary School

I started to school in September 1924. There was no kindergarten then, no school buses. The 1^st Grade had a room to themselves but most rooms had 2 grades in them. There were no lay teachers – the school was run entirely by sisters. They were the Franciscans of Perpetual Adoration and the mother house was in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

Elementary School

I started to school in September 1924. There was no kindergarten then, no school buses. The 1^st Grade had a room to themselves but most rooms had 2 grades in them. There were no lay teachers – the school was run entirely by sisters. They were the Franciscans of Perpetual Adoration and the mother house was in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Georgie’s Memories – Part 4: Horses

On May 13, 2022

In Family History

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

Horses in everyday life

When we lived at the Bruegenhempke Place (which was a farm owned by Grandpa Wellman – the house was a log house covered with white siding) Grandpa always drove over with the team hitched to a farm wagon or the spring wagon as it was called. When there was a lot of snow in the winter, he would hook up the bob sled. I remember one horse was called Prince and sometimes Grandpa would ride him. He enjoyed riding horseback. Farming was done with horses and everybody raised hay.

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

Horses in everyday life

When we lived at the Bruegenhempke Place (which was a farm owned by Grandpa Wellman – the house was a log house covered with white siding) Grandpa always drove over with the team hitched to a farm wagon or the spring wagon as it was called. When there was a lot of snow in the winter, he would hook up the bob sled. I remember one horse was called Prince and sometimes Grandpa would ride him. He enjoyed riding horseback. Farming was done with horses and everybody raised hay.

Georgie’s Memories – Part 3: And Automobiles

In Family History

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

Automobiles

Since I was born on October 23, 1917, the automobile and airplane share my infancy. I remember when there were more horses with wagons or buggies around the square in West Point than there were automobiles.

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

Automobiles

Since I was born on October 23, 1917, the automobile and airplane share my infancy. I remember when there were more horses with wagons or buggies around the square in West Point than there were automobiles.

Georgie’s Memories – Part 2: Planes and Trains

On April 29, 2022

In Family History

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

Airplanes

An airplane passing over was an event recorded in the weekly paper. People asked each other if they had seen it. Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic was a headline, a marvel at the time.

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

Airplanes

An airplane passing over was an event recorded in the weekly paper. People asked each other if they had seen it. Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic was a headline, a marvel at the time.

Georgie’s Memories – Part 1: At Home

On April 22, 2022

In Family History

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

Georgie’s Intro – November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

At Home on the Bruegenhempke Place

When I think of it, it is always summer. I used to get up in the morning, go out to look at the flowers and garden. If a new flower had opened I would go in to tell my mother and be disappointed if she had already seen it.

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

Georgie’s Intro – November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

At Home on the Bruegenhempke Place

When I think of it, it is always summer. I used to get up in the morning, go out to look at the flowers and garden. If a new flower had opened I would go in to tell my mother and be disappointed if she had already seen it.

Happy birthday Great Grandpa Isadore Link!

On April 8, 2022

In Family History

Isadore Link was born on April 4, 1860 to William J. Link and Mary Ann Sauter in New Vienna, Iowa. Isadore was Walt’s great-grandfather.

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