Stories of family, creativity, and diverse distractions.

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Posts about West Point, and its inhabitants.

Georgie’s Memories – Part 4: Horses

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

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

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

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!

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.

Cooking up a sticky situation at the sugar camp

As the weather starts to change, the maple tree in the back yard starts to drip sap. It’s not a sugar maple, so it wouldn’t make a sweet syrup. Plus you need a lot of sap to make syrup.

Georgie talks about making syrup in the notes she wrote about growing up in West Point. On the Bruegenhempke place, there was a row of soft maples north of the house. Sometimes they collected the sap and cooked it down.

Her great-uncle Ben Wellman had a sugar camp in the timber, and in the spring collected maple water. In February, when it froze at night and warmed in the daytime, they collected maple water in buckets. Maple season in Iowa lasts 3 to 4 weeks.

Image shows a group of people standing together.  there are trees with buckets hanging on them in the background.
The three youngest boys are Georgie’s uncles Ben, Tony, and Al Wellman. You can see the buckets hanging on the tress.

Aunt Teresa would make maple sugar candy in a pan with molds which all had different designs on the bottom. You can buy or make your own maple sugar candy today. It is often shaped in molds that look like a maple leaf.

The Bruegenhempke place is near the upper right corner here (labeled G. Wellman). Ben and Teresa Wellman lived on the property just north of the road (labeled Kasper Nolte on this map).

Digging Deeper

This is an interesting article on the history of making maple syrup posted by the Maple Valley Syrup cooperative.

In Memoriam: Arthur Albert Link

Arthur Link was the only son of William and Elizabeth Link. He was born on December 11, 1930, and died of pneumonia on March 11, 1932, aged fifteen months.

He was, of course, Mom’s little brother. And she spoke of him pretty often. Losing a child is a traumatic thing for a family, and it was no less so ninety years ago than it would be today. It’s just that back then it was more common.

A Valentine’s Anniversary

It’s a few days early, but we wanted to be sure to celebrate a special anniversary. This February 14, Carl and Georgie would have been married 80 years.

Eleven Tons of Thunder – Grandpa’s Minneapolis Tractor

When I think of a farm, I naturally think of a tractor. Every farm has a tractor. Most farmers have more than one. Even when I was a kid, farmers would have a “small” tractor for routine hauling and lifting jobs, and a bigger tractor for plowing, cultivating, and other heavy field work.

But in the early 20th century, most farms didn’t have any tractors at all. Farms were smaller, and the most of the work was done with horses or oxen. Tractors did exist, but they were specialist tools. They needed a different set of skills to maintain and operate, and they were quite costly. Since a typical farm only needed a tractor for a few days a year, it made more sense to pay someone to run their tractor than to buy your own.

Reading the society pages for genealogy research

A common source of information for family research is newspapers. There are any number of things that can be published in the paper that might provide information about a person. Obituaries, wedding and anniversary announcements are the most common items found. The social pages often had items on travels, jobs, colleges, and reunions. Even the local police reports may have interesting tidbits!

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