Katie Elling Buenger

Just about 1 1/2 years younger than our grandfather Albert, Catharina Dorothe Anna Emma Elling was often called "Katie." Katie was born August 25, 1889, in Freedom Township, Henry County. At the age of 26, she married Henry Buenger, who was then 32, on April 21, 1915. Katie looked rather tall in her wedding photo ... or Henry was a little short.

In the 1910 census, Katie was 20 years old and still living at home with her family in Swan Creek Township in Fulton County. Albert, 22, was also still at home, along with Harmon, 18; Henry, 16; Anna, 13; Theodore, 11; Minnie, 9; and Fred, 6. This census helpfully told us that Katie's father, Fred, was naturalized in 1860, and that he was farming with Harmon and Henry also listed as farm laborers on the home farm. Albert, however, was listed as a house carpenter.

After their marriage, the Buengers lived in Marion Township near Hamler, Ohio in Henry County when the 1920 census enumerator came around. There they owned their home, which was mortgaged, and had two children, Hilda, 3 and 9/12, and Luella, 1 and 4/12. (This census taker was VERY precise about ages!) Also living with them was Henry's mother, Catherine Buenger, 69, and widowed. Born in Hanover, Germany, she had immigrated in 1880 and was naturalized in 1886.

Henry Buenger, 47, and Catherine, 40, were found still in Marion Township in the 1930 census and this census kindly told us that they owned a radio. Their children living with them at this time were: Hilda, 14; Luella, 12; Esther, 9; Fredrick, 7; Martin 4 and 11/12; Arnold 2 and 2/12 and Mildred 9/12. BUT best of all, I found our great-grandmother living here with Katie and her husband: Marie Elling, Mother-in-Law, 67, and widowed, born in Germany. The census taker had written Na for Naturalized and then crossed it out, replacing it was Al for Alien, immigrated in 1876. More on that in a later post.

One more child would be born to Henry and Catherine - Edmund - making a total of eight. Henry died on August 14, 1966, and Katie on February 2, 1972, at the age of 82.

Defiance Crescent-News

 

Anna Elling Koppenhofer

Anna Elling was the sixth child of nine brothers and sisters. Seven years younger than our grandfather Albert, Anna was born on July 16, 1896.

In the 1920 census, Anna was 21 years old and working as a private family servant for William Campbell, a widowed lawyer in Napoleon, Ohio. William was 66 and listed as the Head of the Household which also consisted of his son Bancroft, 26, and his wife, Isabel, 18, as well as William's other son, William, 14.
 

By September 22, 1920, Anna would marry Edwin Koppenhofer.  On the same page of the 1920 census, just down the road or around the corner, lived Anna Elling's brother, Albert, and his wife Ida and children, Paul and Alma! Do you think brother Albert gave any help as a matchmaker for his sister Anna?

Anna and Edwin had four children: Madeleine, Luella, Lucille and Alton. Anna died in 1956 and and Edwin in 1972.  They are buried at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, near Okolona, Defiance County, Ohio.

Fritz Elling's Memorial Photo, 1927

This photo was taken to memorialize the death of Albert Elling's father, Frederick "Fritz" Elling. A copy of this photo was given to me by one of my dad's cousins who remembered it hanging on the wall during her childhood. Having a postmortem photo or a memorial photo of a deceased family member was most popular in the nineteenth century, but the practice carried on among some cultural groups into the early twentieth century and it appeared that our group of German ancestors thought it important.

Fritz Elling died on July 9, 1927, and he and wife Mary were buried in the cemetery by St. Luke Lutheran Church, Wauseon, which is located along Rt. 108 heading into Wauseon from Napoleon. 

 His photo in the picture was cropped by the photographer from the family picture presented earlier on this blog. Of significance in the photo are the clock with hands showing the time of death - 6:20; the German phrase beneath the photo - "Rest in Peace"; and the white lilies along the bottom of the photo signifying the Resurrection. The banner, "Father," was prominently displayed and it appeared that some flower arrangements from the casket were arranged here, as well.

The story appeared first on my previous blog, Elling Family News, on March 1, 2009.

Fritz Elling's Story

Fred Elling and Mary Rohrs Marriage License Application

Freedom Twp. 1875 Atlas showing Fred Elling's land
My great-grandfather, Heinrich Friedrich Elling, (called both Fritz and Fred), came to America with his parents in 1859. Albert's sister, Minnie, stated that her father often spoke of coming to America with his parents in a boat with sails. In the 1860 census, he was seven years old and living with his parents and three siblings in Napoleon Township, Henry County, Ohio.

The family was VERY difficult to find in the 1870 census because the enumerator phonetically spelled "Elling" as "Allenge." In this census, Fred was 17 and was at home with his parents and younger sister, Annie, 10, in Freedom Township.

Fritz's father died in 1871.

 In the 1880 census, Fritz was still in Freedom Township, living with his mother Mary and a Henry Elling, working as a farm laborer. I have not been able to identify Henry for sure. He may be a nephew of Fritz's. I have that mystery to solve. If you look at the 1875 atlas photo of Freedom Township above, you can see the location of Fred's 40 acre farm. I have shaded it slightly, so it may be more visible if you click on the photo to enlarge it.

In 1884, Fred applied for a license to wed Mary Rohrs on August 26 and on August 28th, they were married by Pastor Louis Dammann. It is neat to view Fred's signature on the application above. (Again, enlarge the photo.)

In the communion records for St. Paul Lutheran Church, Napoleon Township, 1885 - 1891, Fritz and Marie (Mary) Elling were named along with another Marie Elling. This had to be Fritz's mother as the couple did not have children old enough for communion at this time. On the same page, were their fellow church-goers - the Drewes, the Eggers, the Freytags and the Gerkens.

Little of the 1890 census survived a Washington D.C. fire way back when, so the next time we could look up the Fritz Elling family was in 1900. By then, they had moved to Richfield Township in Henry County, and they had seven children, our grandfather, Albert, being one of them. They reported that they have been married for 15 years and that seven children were born to the mother and seven children survived. Their immigration dates are given (hallelujah...maybe...more on that later) and Fritz reported that they owned their farm, which was mortgaged. For each child in school, it was reported if he or she could read, write and speak English. At this time, Albert was 12 and the census said that neither he nor Katie, 10, could speak English and Albert couldn't write either.

A big change occurred in 1910 when the family moved to Swan Creek Township in Fulton County. Now nine children have been born and nine have survived. Fritz was farming with the help of Harmon and Henry, while Albert worked as a house carpenter.

By 1920, Fred and Mary were still in Swan Creek Township with only Henry, who is 26, left at home to help on the farm. Fritz reported that he was 67 years old. On July 9, 1927, Fritz died after a long life of farming.

This story originally appeared on Elling Family News on March 7, 2009.

The Plot Thickens, My Dear Catherina Kirchoff Rohrs Witte Haase

, 20

Wednesday was just the day for a road trip, so I decided to hit the library and courthouse in Napoleon, looking for more clues to the life of my great-great grandmother - Catherine Kirchoff Rohrs (Witte) Haase. Yes, you do see an additional name there!

I first went searching in the probate court for the marriage license of Catharina Rohrs and Christ/ Christian (census name) Haase. Instead, I find that Christ./Christopher Haase married Catharina Witte on August 15, 1893. Hmmmm??? Further searching found the marriage record for Catharine Rohrs and Wilhelm Witte on October 13, 1883. Those marriages were also found in the St. John Lutheran Church , Freedom Township church records.

Wilhelm Witte died on Feb. 22, 1893 and was buried in St. John Lutheran Cemetery, Freedom Township in Row 4, not far from Christopher Haase, 1833 - 1914, in Row 8.

* If you look again at the 1875 Freedom Twp. plat map previously on this blog, you will be able to see W. Witte's 20 acres just to the right of Fred Elling's, in Sec. 29.

So did Catharine married Christ. Haase in August 1893, after the death of second husband, Witte, in February? It would seem so. A search in the probate records found no wills for either of the two men, so I would have to search the journals for any probate activity after their deaths.

I found a Catharina Haase buried in Freedom Township in the Kline's U.B. Cemetery in Row 11. The dates match our Catharina - 1842-1916, but why she would be buried in that cemetery is a mystery.

 I have come to the conclusion that since Catherine could not speak English, her husband probably reported for her on the census and frankly, neither one of them could be completely depended upon for correct numbers!

Now I have to guess that Catherine immigrated between the time Mary came in Sept. 1876 and Oct. 1883 when Catherine married W. Witte. In looking through Vol. 33 of Germans to America, Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports, Oct. 1876 - Sept. 1878, I have found a likely Catharina Roehrs who may be our ancestor arriving in Oct. 1876, but I can't be sure yet. So far, she is the ONLY candidate of the correct age with that name coming from Bremen during the time period given.

After going through each page of the Freedom Township census, I still couldn't find her in the 1880 census. Finding her there would help in narrowing down an immigration date. Apparently, I will have to look through each page of other townships to see if she is there. I noticed that the census enumerator was quite creative with spellings in Freedom Township - Norten was probably Norden, Ickhof was probably Eichoff and Glonce was probably Glanz, for example. So Rohrs could be spelled in a very creative way that I have not yet tried.

A last discovery was a very short death notice in the Henry County Signal, July 30, 1914 for Christopher Haase:

"Christopher Haase, an old resident of Freedom township, died Tuesday, July 21, and the funeral services were held Friday morning at St. John's church, Freedom township, Rev. Thun officiated."

This post originally appeared on a previous blog, Elling Family News, on March 11, 2009.

09.

Mary Rohrs Elling

Mary Rohrs Elling and her immigration record

My great-grandmother, Mary (Marie, Maria) Rohrs Elling, the daughter of Wilhelm Rohrs and Catherine Kirchoff, was born on December 9, 1862, in Germany. I do not know the village of her birth at this point. According to her daughter, Minnie, her mother talked about life in Germany and her departure from Bremen to America alone when she was thirteen. Mary spoke of dancing on the boat as the steamer crossed the ocean. Mary was an only child, according to Minnie, and her first job in America was as a housekeeper for the Demaline family.

Finding Mary's immigration record was complicated by the fact that Mary, or whoever talked to the census enumerator, reported several different dates on the census records. In the 1900 census, Mary's immigration date was given as 1868 which didn't fit Minnie's story of her mother coming to America at age 13. In 1868, Mary would have been 6 years old. In 1920, the immigration question was asked again and Mary or someone in the family reported 1875 as the immigration date. That seemed much more likely!

I found the only immigration record for a Mary Rohrs that fits all the criteria and that was in September of 1876. She was 13 (her birthday was in Dec.) and she departed from the port of Bremen, Germany, on the ship, the Rhein, arriving in New York City on September 23, 1876, having traveled in steerage to the U.S. Steerage was the cheapest passenger accommodations, usually at the bottom of the ship and near the rudder. She probably traveled with someone or a family, but it is really not possible to tell who from the ship's list. Her name on the ship's list above is #4, indicated by the arrow.

I could find no Demaline family in Henry County by the 1880 census, but I did find a seventeen year old Mary Rohrs working as a servant for the Charles and Mary Cochran family who lived on Superior Street in Toledo. Dr. Cochran was a retired physician. It is likely that she worked as a domestic until her marriage.

Mary was 21 years old when she married the 31 year old Fritz Elling. They lived many years in Freedom Township, Henry County, and were members of the St. Paul Lutheran Church, Napoleon Township, during this time. Later they moved to a farm near Deshler and Westhope and finally to a farm about four miles north of Liberty Center and then east for a short distance into Fulton County. After Fritz's death, Mary sold the farm and lived around with her children.

Mary Rohrs Elling died on March 8, 1947, the immediate cause of death being pulmonary edema due to mitral stenosis. She was apparently living at the home of Henry Elling at the time of her death as that is the place of death and he reported for the death certificate.

Her obituary appeared in a March 1947 edition of the Northwest Signal:

" MRS. MARY ELLING DIES

Mrs. Mary Elling, age 84, passed away at Holgate at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 8th, following a heart ailment. Her body was removed to the A. F. Wesche and Son Funeral Home.

She leaves five sons, four daughters, 50 grandchildren and 47 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services, conducted by Rev. John Melchert, were held on Tuesday, March 11th, 1:30 p.m., at the Henry Elling residence in Holgate and 2:00 p.m. at St. John's Lutheran Church in Holgate. Interment was made in St. Luke's cemetery in Clinton township."

This post originally appeared on a previous blog, Elling Family News, on March 8, 2009.

Catherine Kirchoff Rohrs (Haase) - Mother of Mary Rohrs

I've just recently started looking further into the life of my great-great grandmother, Catherine Kirchoff Rohrs Haase and the research has been a challenge. Catherine Kirchoff was married to Wilhelm Rohrs in Germany (somewhere to be determined) and together they had one child, Maria/Mary Rohrs. The couple sent their only child to America at the age of thirteen. Why? I wish I knew.
Minnie Elling remembered that her grandmother came to America after the death of her first husband, Wilhelm. Also she gave me the clue that Catherine had married a Haase once in America and the couple had lived in a log house in Freedom Township, often visiting in their horse and buggy. So...that's what I had to begin the task of learning about Catherine.

I knew she was not in the 1880 census and again, without the 1890 census, the first time I found Catherine is in 1900 where she is the wife of Christian Haase, living on a rented farm in Freedom Township. Christian was able to speak English, while Catherine did not, it was reported. The census confirmed that she had given birth to just one child and that child was living. Christian's age was given as 66 and Mary's age was 57; however, her birth date was reported as 1841. The census said that she has been in America for 7 years and Christian for 15 years, making her immigration date in 1893, which seems unlikely, as she would have been separated from her daughter over 15 years at that point. Christian's immigration date was given as 1886 and hers was left blank, unfortunately.

The 1910 census found the couple still in Freedom Township on a rented farm, with Christian now at 76 years of age and Catherine at 67. She was still not a speaker of English. This census noted that they had been married 15 years and gave Catherine's immigration date as 1887. The 1900 census said they were married for 7 years at that point, so the range for their marriage date is 1893 - 1895.

Christian died in Henry County on July 22, 1914, and Catherine died in Fulton County on December 8, 1916. One could assume that perhaps she went to live with her only daughter Mary and husband after Christian's death.
So I have much to discover about Catherine yet. Her immigration record eludes me. No record seems to fit her profile - did she use an alias? (Just kidding.) I need a trip to the Henry County courthouse to find a marriage record and maybe a naturalization record, if it exists. Maybe I can find some obituaries to help. Wilhelm Rohrs, who never came to America, will be a real challenge. The name Rohrs is much more common than Kirchoff and with not much to go on, finding information on our great-great-grandfather would probably include hiring a German researcher.

Remember When it Was SOOOOO Hot!

I don't want to whine about how hot it is.
I really don't.
Because I dislike bitter cold so much more.
But, after so many days of 90-100+ temperatures,
I do have to consciously put a lid on my
tendency to complain about the heat.

It always does me some good to think back to
younger days and the ways we beat the heat...or tried to do so.

*In our old farmhouse, all the bedrooms were upstairs and very hot in the summer. So as soon as this over-the-top heat and humidity hit every summer, we would sleep downstairs on the living room floor at night.
We'd grab a quilt to plant on, direct a fan our way, and snooze away.  It's a wonder we did get any sleep with four kids in close quarters on the floor, but I guess we were used to it.  We also were probably exhausted from playing outside.

*I remember well eating watermelon slices under our big, shady maple tree.  That's where the lawn chairs sat all summer.  Watermelon was a wonderful, cool treat on a summer's afternoon and letting the seeds fly was fun, too.

*Sweet corn and tomato slices, along with any other garden produce in season, were the evening meal day after day in the summer, and we liked it that way.  Mom had a huge pot that she would boil water in and then load with sweet corn ears for a quick boil.  The kids would often be the ones cleaning the ears before cooking, and we each ate lots of ears!  And we never tired of big, red tomato slices with a little sugar sprinkled on top.

*Do you remember the days we could play in the sun all day, no matter the temperature?  We didn't know what sunscreen was, or if our parents did, they didn't think it was important.  We'd come in to eat and then go right back outside.  Sometimes we'd take a drink directly from the outside pump or the hose. 

*Mom used to hang all the laundry outside - every piece.  And later on, I had that job.  I still love the smell of sheets dried outside in the sun, and I can "feel" the scratchiness of the towels, too.

*We went barefoot all summer at home.  We walked on the driveway stones gingerly, but confidently.  We watched for bees so we didn't get a sting.  We rode bikes with no shoes on, walked in the fields, and through the mud puddles.

Pretty good memories, eh?

This post originally appeared on the Elling Family News blog on July 21, 2011.

A Beach Party Reunion

This blog originally appeared on The Elling Family News Blog on August 25, 2011.

Thanks to Bev, Sue and all who helped them plan and execute another great reunion, Beach Party style.  Couldn't have been better.

Things I know for sure:

We had a lot of laughs!

Coconuts and Grass?

It was very "South Pacific!"

An abundance of talent rests in this family.

Great job on the juggling!

I really enjoyed talking with my FB friends and getting to know them.

Some people should be limited to two trips to the buffet.

Just saying.

The rice was gone when I went back.

I really wanted a taste.

It looked just like my mom used to make.

But the bowl was empty.

Could this man be responsible?

It is such a joy to gather family from different states into one spot, even if it's just for four hours.  Precious times.

And finally...I can only pray I look this good when just a few more years are added.  All the aunts and uncles looked great!

Grandma Ida Spoering Elling

Ida Anna Katharine Spoering was born on February 5, 1890 in Monroe Township, Henry County, Ohio, to Herman Heinrich and Katherine (Floke) Spoering.    She married Albert Louis Johann Elling at the Spoering home near Deshler on March 13, 1913.  English was her second language, and it was told by the family that she learned English by reading the Toledo Blade. She spoke Low German (Plattdeutsch), but she helped her children learn formal German so they could do well in German school.

By June of 1914, the first of her nine children was born - Paul Herman.  Of the nine children, two died as infants.  Arthur, who was born in October, 1916, died of pneumonia when he was eight months old.  Later, the ninth child, a daughter, would be stillborn in September, 1932. She was a housewife all her life, caring for her big family, even as they moved from place to place in Henry County.

Her love for her children was shown in a letter I have from her that was saved by my parents, Rudolph and Donna Elling, and received when they lived in Toledo, Ohio.  The letter is postmarked Napoleon, May 21, 1945, and from the content, it must have been sent right before Eleonore's high school graduation and Alfred's release from the Army following World War II.  

I have transcribed it as written -
"Dear children
It is 12 oclock Sunday night and Alma and Allyn just left.  we had a little party here tonight but they didn't come all.  we thought about it Saterday morning and so it was to late to let you know so we just let the sponsors know, but non of them came, only Loudons, Ted Lange, Alma Allyn were here.  Paul Hildagard were up to her folks  they have baptising over there.  Arthur Bolkman Baby was Baptised this afternon and Hildagard was one of the sponsors.  it was sure nice here tonight in the chool house.  I wish you could benn here.  hope that you can come wednesday night for granation.  it starts 8:15 slow time.

what was you dooing today  did you see Alfred  they went back in the Brisa(?) again at 4.10  Alfred feels pretty sure that he gets out now.  Fryday or else nex week some time.  boy are we glad and i bet you arn't you

Eldor and Maria Loudon Plassman came home today for a week or so.

well doun't work to hard and hope to see you soon.  I am tiyed and ready to go to sleep and so write when ever you can and will close now.

your dearest Mother

Come whenever you can

Eleonora sure would like to have you come for her grnation.  try your best.  good night." 

Ida died on August 31, 1951, at the age of 60 from stomach cancer. She had raised all her children to adulthood when she was called to rest.

 
 Ida was buried in Forest Hill 
Cemetery, Napoleon. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding photo - Albert and Ida (Spoering) Elling

*This post originally appeared on Elling Family News on December 9, 2009.  It was 
revised on March 17, 2020. 

Childhood Foods

When I was young, I never heard anyone talk about cholesterol levels or avoiding fatty foods...in fact, my dad could never understand why I would actually cut the fat from my meat. "Isn't that the best part?" he would say. Honestly, when I think back on what was normal daily fare when growing up ... well, it wouldn't pass the test now.

Some of you will remember (or maybe still have) -
...Bread and gravy. The day after having a roast, Mom would cut up the leftover roast into the gravy and would serve it on white bread. Whole grain or wheat bread wasn't on our radar.

 

 
...Poop on a Shingle (It has other more graphic names.) I hated this stuff - browned hamburger in a gravy with peas and served on toast. I ate it, of course, because if you didn't eat what was served, you didn't eat, but it was hard. Honestly, who thought up a dish like this one? 

 
 

....Prettles. I could never get these down. I think they are beef and pork remnants mixed with pinhead oats. They are browned and then at our house, some ate them on top of bread with strawberry jam. None of us kids liked them, as I remember.

 
...Hotdogs in casings. Compliments of Spenglers, Napoleon, usually
...Bread and milk. Our usual bedtime snack, this was white bread torn up, layered with a spoonful or two of white sugar and covered with whole milk. You don't want to know the nutritional statistics on this one.
...Potatoes. Fried, boiled or mashed.
...Homegrown meat. Pork or beef or chicken. I think my sister became a vegetarian the day that Dad announced we were eating Ike (or Mike,) one of the calves he raised. Somehow it pretty much ruined dinner for all of us that day. I also remember the time my mom went out to butcher a chicken and we were allowed to watch for the first (and only) time. I think we were all traumatized to see our mom wielding an ax and secondly, to see that chicken run around headless for what seemed like the longest time. That put the damper on chicken eating for awhile.

Guess we were farm pansies or at least I was!
I hope you'll email me or comment on some of your childhood food memories - positive or negative.

4 comments:

1. 
   DianneJanuary 23, 2009 at 10:08 PM

   Jennie wrote: "I remember eating prettles too growing up but thought they were good and never realized what they were or where they came from. I don't think I want any more:) Another thing I remember was spreading toast with bacon grease topped with a little sugar. Remember Sunday afternoons when families visited one another with no warning. Probably didn't have telephones to call ahead... Mom would always have jello, cold meat sandwiches, potato chips and maybe cake on hand...that was our usual Sunday PM meal. We always had a big Sunday noon meal: roast or FRIED chicken, potatoes, gravy, vegetable, bread/butter, and maybe pie. Always ready to eat when we walked in the house after church. How times have changed!"

   ReplyDelete
2. 
   Jane ...January 26, 2009 at 12:01 PM

   Does anyone else remember Grandpa Elling saying, "Go down to the basement and pick a pop!"? What a treat--we didn't get "pop" at home. My favorite was Red Faygo. But he and Aunt Kate had crates of so many flavors. Cream soda was my second choice. :D
   
   Their basement on Park Street was a little bit of heaven to a kid!

   ReplyDelete
3. 
   DianneJanuary 26, 2009 at 1:53 PM

   I remember going to the basement for pop, too! I would go for the orange, usually. What a treat!

   ReplyDelete
   *This post originally appeared on Elling Family News on January 15, 2009.

Christmas Toys and Family Traditions

Dad (of Jane, Kathy, and Bob; aka Uncle Alfred) remembers that he was about six years old when Santa brought him a cast iron toy bank lion on wheels, and the same year, Santa brought Uncle Rudy (Dad of Dianne, Ron, Connie, and Vickie) an elephant bank. He said unless their parents bought these from the Sears catalog, it was likely they bought them at Murphy’s Five and Dime store in Napoleon.

Dad said he saved pennies and dimes in his bank, and that the two boys rolled them around dining room table on the floor together. Santa usually brought each child one toy, and at each sister’s and brother’s place at the table, he or she would wake up to find an orange and a bag of hard candy.

I remember seeing Dad’s lion on their bookshelves and sometimes it gained a prestigious place on the mantel. A couple years ago, Dad gave his lion to Bob, where it makes its home now with Bob and Judy in Texas.

Does anyone else remember any special toys or books that you or your parents or grandparents received? My favorite toy as a child was a bride doll, and Mom sewed the bride’s dress and veil using her own wedding veil tulle that she cut. As a teen, I was wowed by a new typewriter (but before I unwrapped it I thought it might be box of coal).

Kris Kringle leaves one gift in our shoe by the bedroom door on Dec. 6th. We always go to Christmas Eve service, sing favorite carols, come home for a glass of wine and piece of pecan pie, leave Santa’s cookies out for him, and sing "Away in a Manger."

Does your family enjoy any special Christmas traditions?
Please leave your comments!

*This post appeared previously on Elling Family News on December 9, 2008.

Because I'm a Bookworm...

Some of you may remember the time when Grandpa Elling would stay with some of his children and families for a month or so and then move on to the next. It was after Aunt Kate had died and his house was sold. One summer he stayed with our family for awhile when I was home from college and working a second shift job at a factory in Napoleon. I would get up late and eat lunch with him almost daily.

One morning I came into the living room after getting up and he said to me something like, "Since you're the bookworm, I've got something for you." Beside his chair was a small box of books. Inside was a book on World War I that I still have and a couple of McGuffey's school books. Both school books had belonged to Grandma Elling and had her signature inside.

In the photo above, one can see that she practiced writing her name over and over in the spelling book. The second book was McGuffey's Second Reader and this flyleaf also sports the names of Paul Elling, Malinta, Ohio and Louise Elling, Napoleon, Ohio. Ida Anna Katharine Spoering Elling was born on 5 February 1890, so these books were probably used before 1900. I wonder if a little girl who probably spoke German exclusively at home found these books challenging.

As a very young adult, I probably didn't appreciate these books as much as I should have, but now I surely do.

 

*This is a reposting from my previous Elling Family News blog on November 20, 2008.