Loretta (Schmolke) Smith (1916-2018)

Wow.  
Here's an unexpected link to the past:  We've mentioned John and Pauline Schmolke (neighbors and friends of John and Ket Hesch in Buckman in 1925) and identified them in a family pic from the year John Hesch died.  Loretta was John and Paulines' daughter, and would have been 10 when that photo was taken. (I might have mistaken the Schmolkes in the 1925 photo, but I hope not--the link is too amazing).  RIP, Loretta..

 Loretta M. Smith, 101, of Lititz, passed peacefully on July 19, 2018, at Moravian Manor, Lititz, PA, less than a month short of her 102nd birthday. Born in Buckman, MN, on August 13, 1916, she was the 3rd of 12 children of the late John M. Schmolke and Pauline (Beka) Schmolke. After graduating from St. Francis High School in Little Falls, MN she went on to attend College of St. Benedict in St Joseph, MN and receive a degree in English and Library Science. She shared her knowledge with others as a high school English teacher and Drama coach in Little Falls, MN, Mandan, ND, and Neah Bay, WA and as a librarian in Hampton, MN and New London, CT. Loretta met her husband, the late Paul Smith in St Paul, Mn. They married in 1946 at Saint Augustine by the Sea Catholic Church in Honolulu, HI. She and Paul spent the first 3 years of their married life in Honolulu where their two oldest of 8 children were born. Paul’s work took them back to the mainland in 1949. After retiring they would move back to the big island of Hawaii, build a home and spend another 15 years there. After Paul’s passing in 1986, Loretta purchased a home in Lititz. Loretta enjoyed live theatre, old movies, ice cream, Chinese food, C-SPAN, reading, writing, swimming and making snow angels. She even spent 2 hours kayaking at Speedwell shortly after her 100th birthday. Loretta was known for her water color paintings and would hand make unique cards for family members and friends for special occasions. Loretta was an international traveler and ventured to various countries in Asia and Europe up to the age of 94. Loretta loved sending and receiving cards and letters, most recently she enjoyed staying connected to her family by Facetiming on her iPad. She was a devout Catholic and active member at St. James Catholic Church in Lititz, where she was a part of the Silver Liners and participated in the annual White Elephant Sale. She will be dearly missed by her children; Loretta LaBree (Bernie), Paul Smith (Lynn), Trudy Peters (Don), John Smith (Becky), Anna Webster (Jim), Helen Cookey (Niels), Ceil Wells (Rob), and Calvin Koerner. She will also be survived by her siblings; Sr. Margaret Schmolke OSF, Helen Schmolke RN, Pat Schmolke RN, Carol Larson, Tom Schmolke and Francis Schmolke USN. Surviving as well are 17 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren as well as many, dear nieces, nephews and friends. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Paul Smith, her parents, John and Pauline Schmolke, her youngest daughter, Toni Koerner, and 5 of her siblings, Fr. Joel Schmolke OFM, Sr. Thomasine Schmolke OSF, Lt. Cecelia Schmolke RN USA, Cely Schmolke USMC, and Jerry Schmolke USA. A viewing was held Wednesday July 25, 2018 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Charles F. Snyder Jr. Funeral Home & Crematory at 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA 17543. Guests were welcome to join the family in a Rosary Service prior to the viewing at 6:40 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Thursday, July 26, 2018 at 11:00 A.M. at St. James Catholic Church located at 505 Woodcrest Ave, Lititz, PA 17543. Prior to Mass, guests will be received from 10:00 a.m. to 11 a.m. Memorial donations in Loretta’s memory can be made to the Moravian Manor Benevolent Fund at 300 W Lemon St. Lititz, PA 17543 or online at https://www.moravianmanor.org/donate/.

Basket socials

I've heard the term "basket social" all my life, but never paid much attention to what it meant.  I knew it was a "Music Man" era kind of thing--a popular early 1900's fund raisers.  According to write ups in the Pierz Journal and Little Falls Herald, basket or box socials were a great way to meet, flirt, and socialize with the opposite sex, and only incidentally to make some cash for a worthy cause. So how did it work? 

Evidently, the girls made up 'anonymous' picnic baskets with dinner for two, trying to make them as irresistible as possible.  The baskets would be auctioned off to the highest bidder, and he would not only win the basket, but the right to eat with the girl who donated it.  No doubt much giggling ensued.  Hey, it actually sounds like fun! 

So, here's just one report of a successful event at St Michaels church in Buckman, in 1911.  (Looks like everyone knew that Pauline Beka and John Schmolke were already 'an item' ☺).

Mischkes, Schmolkes, Otrembas, Zenners and Kapsners

Here's an article that was published in the Buckman News column of the LFH a whole month after St Michael's church was dedicated.  There are some interesting facts in the article, as well as some major goofs.  There'd been a wonderful front page article the month before, but evidently some of the "local color" was left out.  If that pissed people off, this article didn't do much to make up for it.

BUT, there are interesting incidentals listed, too.  For instance, there are the origins of four movers and shakers in town (Frank Mischke, Math Zenner, John Kapsner and John Schmolke), and the fact that three of the four came from the same area the Otrembas came from (within 6 miles of Opole, Poland). Also, look who con-celebrated the mass at the dedication:  Bishop Trobec, of course, and about twenty five priests showed up to help, not to mention three local bands.  A priest we've mentioned before,  Fr. Bernard Richter, gave the sermon, so we know he did have an actual connection to St Michael's (see previous post, for one ☺).  I imagine there were another couple dozen townsfolk who "should have been mentioned"...

BTW, I corrected many of the typos and wrong info, but you can click the article to read it yourself, or go to the original copy on the Library of Congress website:

From the Little Falls Herald on October 2, 1903

BUCKMAN

"Sept 304--Tuesday was the greatest day in Buckman's history.
In spite of a very disagreeable and
heavy wind, which stirred up the dust
all day, several thousand people atten-­
ded the dedicatory services of the new
St. Michael's church. Bishop Trobec,
assisted by about twenty-five priests,
officiated. Father Richter of Melrose
preached the sermon, which was a

 scholarly and interesting address.

Visitors were present from all the
neighboring parishes and many from
Stearns and Benton counties. The
bands of Buckman, Pierz and Agram
rendered music throughout the day.
In the old church the ladies of the
parish served dinner, and for hours
the hungry throngs filled the tables.
The good things were plenty, how­
ever, and all were satisfied.

Bishop Trobec and several of the
clergy made short addresses, in all of
which the good work of the people
and their good pastor was highly com­
mended. The visitors expressed great
admiration at the sight of the immense
edifice the people of Buckman have
erected, a temple of God which will
stand long after the builders have
passed to their reward, and which will
be a lasting monument to the faith and
good will of the parish of Buckman,
and the energy and persistence of
their pastor. The day was a great one
for Father Lange and his people.

The earlier history of the settlement
of the village and town of Buckman,
is told by Frank Mischke, one of the
leading merchants of the village. Mr.
Mischke's father, Joseph Mischke,
was the first person to settle in the
town, going there in 1871.
Mr. Mischke Sr. was born in Shidlow, 
Falkenberg, Prussia. He was
married to Miss Mary Otremba on
September 15, 1861, and of that union
there were born six children, Frank,
John and Mary of whom are still
living. The Mischkes came to United
States soon after the Franco-Prussian
war and settled on the present home­
stead in the town of Buckman. At
that time there were no settlers be­
tween St. Cloud and the Mischke
homestead, except the Rices of the
present village of Rice. The family
endured great hardships during the
first few years they resided in Buckman

and for an entire year were un­able

to procure salt for any purpose.
About three years after C. B. Buckman, 
now member of congress, settled
on the present Brookdale farm.
The church building, which is re­
placed by the handsome edifice dedi­
cated Tuesday, was built in 1880. The
earlier history of the Buckman parish
is not clear, as in the earlier years of
life of the church the parish was or­
ganized as a mission and the records
are vague. Rev. Ignatius, O. S. B.,
who was in charge of the Pierz par­
ish, first ministered to the Buckman
organization and was succeeded by
Rev. Pankratz O. S. B. who was fol­
lowed by Rev. Maryhofer, who re­
mained eight years. Rev. Father
Lager, since deceased, followed, re­
maining one year, Rev. John Beck
was at the head of the parish two
years and was succeeded by Rev.
Father Lange, the present priest and
builder of the new church.
There are at present about one hun­
dred and fifty families connected with
the church, where only thirty-two
members existed at the time the old
church was built and the parish or­
ganized.
Matthew Zenner, one of the direc­tors
 of the church, was born on April
25th, [1857] in Luxembourg, and came to
America with his parents in 1860,
who settled in St. Wendell in Stearns
county. Mr. Zenner worked on a
farm and saved his money until he
was able to purchase a farm of 200
acres in the town of Buckman where
he now resides. He was married on
November 28, 1882, to Miss Mary
Maus of Luxemberg, Stearns county.
John Kapsner, who is a member of the
directors, was born February 8, 1857, in
Dambrau, Prussia, the eldest of 18
children. His parents came to America­
 in 1874 and settled near the village
of Pierz. Mr. Kapsner was married ­
November 7, 1882, to Miss Maria Kopka.

John Schmolke, president of the
village and member of the board of
directors of the church, was born May
8, 1863, at Shidlow, Prussia. He
came to America in 1871 with his parents,
who settled in Buckman. At
that time there was no church or
school at which Mr. Schmolke could
receive the benefits of an education
and he attended a night school, con­
ducted by Mr. Hepperly, for one 
month. Mr Schmolke opened the village 
blacksmithy and later engaged in
the mercantile business. He was 
married in 1887 to Miss Mary Kalnabe" [actually, Hedwig Peschel].

New Pierz

It's really fun when a pic like this from one of the atlases coincides with a news item(s) we found in the Pierz Journal.  This particular instance needs a little background, tho:  Originally there was a town named Rich Prairie, which eventually became Pierz in honor of Fr Pierz, the priest.  

The towns' people evidently differentiated the north end (Upper Town) from the south end (Lower Town).  When the Soo Line railroad came thru south of town, they called the depot area "New Pierz", which, by 1910, became Genola.

We also know that John Schmolke built a store across from the depot...or was it Frank Otremba...or Peter Mueller?  

The mystery I found that got us started on Genola was a blurb in the PJ about broken windows in the new building.  After that, every mention of Genola businesses seemed like the SAME building. We still don't know, but it looks like we only have six buildings to choose from in the pic (and no, the business district never grew much beyond this.  The depot photo was directly across the road from these few stores. just so ya know ☺).

MORE interesting stuff

I know you love these tidbit posts where we feature a little Pierz Journal and a few pictures from the Morrison Co.Atlases or my collection or even Ancestry.  What surprises me probably surprises you too, right?  Like, who knew grandpa's brother Theo tried owning a bar?

I love this sort of picture: the newlyweds in the middle, Steve & Annette Kloss, are surrounded by their parents...and grandparents?  I don't know any of them, but the surnames are familiar.  Hank & Helen Otremba, Sam & Gertrude Kloss, Regina & John B. Rauch, and Angeline & Herman Block.

1978--wow, 34 years ago already!

Ok, now here's a little mystery that can maybe be answered by a Schmolke who happens to pass this way: See the old guy on the right?  Is that Jacob, the original Schmolke immigrant, or is it "a friend"?

In the pic above, we know that that's John Sr. on the left, son of Jacob (in the middle).  We have other photos of him and Pauline besides the next pic.  If the cryptic inscription is correct, then Jacob is the old man there too.  It even looks like the same setting, same day. So then, "my mother, Martha" is John and Pauline's daughter-in-law?
LOL....sometimes 'clarifications' make things worse!

Serendipity

I'm rifling the Atlases again this week, since I know some treasures were missed the first time I paged thru, especially photos of people I didn't immediately recognize.  You may not find these pictures all that interesting, but someone will.  Be sure to enlarge each one (the detail's amazing, considering how tiny each pic was in the books).

I particularly love this one, of "James Foss, John Kieffer & Tom Czech". Obviously friends, they might have been illustrating the most usual clothes for men in Buckman in the 1920s--Tom was comfortable as the farmer in overalls (his 'look' for all 98 of his years).  John in his dress shirt, suspenders and tie would have been the store owner, the local businessman.   James was the city slicker, the man about town, maybe the  rum runner?  Check the jaunty angle of  their stoggies ☺.

I know this building looks like  Mueller's Bar and Hardware Store, but no, it was Schmolkes General Store, with the annex on the far side serving as the US Post Office, I believe.  It was located kitty-cornered from Muellers and Mischkes stores.  Competition in Buckman must have been fierce.  Wouldn't you love to know who all the people were on the porch?  Probably John Schmolke and Pete Blake, for sure, and any boys who were out running around that day.

This must have been the wedding of a Stangl grandkid--one daughter is wearing a corsage too, see?

The Frank Stangl family is notable to me because of the two "kids" on the left.  Recognize either one?  Seated is Marie (Stangl) Pohlkamp, wife of Lambert and long time neighbor of Roman and Emily Dehler...and he's Fr. Alfred Stangl, chaplain at the St Cloud hospital, who also says the televised mass many Sunday mornings.  My Sunday client loves him ☺.

Remember hearing about "Pinky Suess" when we were kids?  I don't recall meeting him, but I've always been curious about that nickname.  The photo looks like he and John Mueller had a great day fishing.  This was probably in the late 40s or early 50s.
(No, there was no Pinky Quess).












Here's an individual  portrait of Mary Mischke,  but I don't know how she fits.  We know the immigrant Mischke couple was Joseph and Mary, but they were in their 60s in 1900, and this photo looks to be from about that time--1890 to 1910, so this Mary is much younger.
Wait--I bet this was August's mother, the daughter who lived with Joseph and Mary in the 1900 census, huh?  One of three living children, sure.  She was 20 in 1900.

A Schmolke Chronology

Two thoughts:
(1)  We imagine the folks who settled around Buckman as all nose-to-the-grindstone, don't-make-waves types...but NOOOO...some were scofflaws, and colorful to boot.....and (2) wow, there's so much to learn here, I don't know where to begin!

Ok, remember the genealogy message board quote from a few days ago about what happened to Eulogius Schmolke?  A family member wrote

".... I have been doing some research into the family tree and it was my understanding that Eloguis was sent to Minnesota around 1918 with the purpose of buying some land, for the family to move to. The family never heard from him again"....

Well, we found him, led there by a few interesting newspaper articles from 1925--1935--1945.

These two items were picked up from the AP because of the "mother of 18" angle, no doubt.  Remember, Prohibition in the United States was 1920-1933, so by 1925, rural families were...realizing their potential, you might say.  (It's funny--moonshining was a real secret then.  I've talked with adult kids who still think their dads had the ONLY hidden stills around Buckman, when actually, almost every farmer cooked...but no one talked about it).
So, a farm family with 18 kids to feed?  Oh, yeah.
But see? Dad was incarcerated first for 3 months, then once he was out, Mom served her time...a nice arrangement that just barely kept them off the county.  
When you think about it, the most probable moonshiners were  hardscrabble families.  If you were prosperous, you didn't need the money or the trouble.  Poorer families saw a fairly easy way to make some cash, only requiring stealth and secrecy.  I'd think hiding your still and besting the feds was thrilling and fun, as well.  We know that, by 1930, going to prison for moonshining was considered kinda cool, and wasn't a black mark on a man's character any longer.

Montana's take on the story was more irreverent:

                                                  

"MA OF 18 KIDS TO GO UP AS 'SHINER by Associated Press Duluth, Minn., Feb. 10--Mrs. Elizabeth Schmolke, 55, wife of a Morrison county farmer, and mother of 18 children, must spend three months in the county jail and pay a fine of $400 dollars for violating the liquor laws, Judge W.A.Cant ruled in sentencing the woman in federal court today"

But here we have a different ballgame.  It's 1935 and Prohibition ended in 1933.  What were they doing?

"AGED MATRON NEAR PINE CENTER, MOTHER OF 18 CHILDREN, GIVEN SUSPENDED TERM IN FED COURT

Mrs. Elizabeth Schmolke, a matron of the territory a few miles south of Pine Center and a mother of 18 children, was given a suspended sentence in federal court in Duluth for possession of untaxed liquor yesterday, according to advices from Duluth.

The aged matron appeared before Judge Robert C. Bell on the liquor charges, sobbing as she faced the judge.

Judge Bell told her that "because of the trying life you have lived I'm going to give you one more chance".  He then placed her on probation for two years and gave her a suspended sentence of six months. 

"Go home and tell your husband to quit selling liquor", said Judge Bell.  "Try to make a living without violating the law".

The aged woman and her husband operate a small tourist store north of Hillman and just over the Crow Wing county line in Morrison county.  Only one of their 18 children now lives with them in the small apartment at the rear of the store building.  She state to federal authorities that she and her husband had not exchanged a word in the past three years, so how she was to follow the admonition of the judge remained a mystery.

For 17 years, Mr and Mrs Schmolke and their children operated an 800 acre farm in Canada, and then farmed 360 acres in the southwestern part of Crow Wing county.  The husband has been arrested twice for alleged liquor law violations of a prohibition law, officials said.  Mrs. Schmolke is the real mother of 14 of the children and stepmother of the other four."

 The "aged matron" was only 65, and it's interesting that Frederick Schmolke was never mentioned by name. 

  
Some facts:
Fred Schmolke and Elizabeth* Jendro were married in 1896*. The 1900 census in Buckman township showed Fred and Elizabeth with the first three of their mutual kids plus 4 more.
MUCH LATER: A Schmolke relative emailed to say some of that is wrong--she said 
"I have their marriage record from Little Falls archives....The application says Fred Schmalke and Louisa* Jendro, both of Morrison Co., Minnesota and is dated 14 Nov. 1894. The license says Fred Schmolka and Louisa Jendro; granted at Little Falls on 14 Nov 1894. The priest's report says *26 Nov 1894, Frederick Schmolka,and Elizabeth Jendro, Swan River Township, witnesses Charles Schmolka
and Albert Jendro.
Their daughter, Alvina (my mother), said Fred used to call Elizabeth "Leesa" which would be a short version of the German pronunciation of Elisabeth. This would explain the "Louisa" that the recorder" [enumerator ]" thought he heard".  THANKS, Nancy!

  They probably left for Canada in about 1903.  We know that Fred's brother John owned land in Canada, so that's probably how they got the 800 acre gig. 
They reappeared in Morrison co in the 1920 census (Richardson township, NE of Hillman) with 7 kids--->

 Larry found that they were Naturalized as American citizens in Illinois in 1944, but I suppose they'd become Canadian citizens when they lived there.  Maybe Illinois was the nearest office...

OKAY, back to their son Eulogius and what happened to him. 

"Eloguis was sent to Minnesota around 1918 with the purpose of buying some land, for the family to move to"...which meant that he was sent from the farm in Canada back to Minnesota!  Evidently, he got as far as the next little town, because on his Canadian draft form he said he lived in Ryley, Alberta and his dad lived in Holden...maybe 10 miles apart.

(BTW, Larry found all this last night!  WOW!)    

But look how he spelled his name: EOLOGURE--no wonder.  It was different enough from his birth name, but did the new spelling loose any records for him?

This morning, I thought to search Find a Grave for a Schmolke death in Canada....and there he was.  There's no explanation for how he drowned in eastern Canada 17 years later, but at least we know that he didn't die in WWI, or just disappear.

A few more facts:
 Frederick Schmolke was the son of Jacob Schmolke and Catherine Mischke and was a brother of Buckman's most illustrious citizen, John.
Fred died in May 1945 in Minneapolis and was buried at Bull Dog Lake, Minnesota.

Elizabeth (Jendro) Schmolke lived 13 years beyond Fred, dying in Crow Wing county in 1958 at the age of 88.  She's most likely buried with Fred.  

I wonder, did they ever start speaking to each other after 1935?

Eternity is a long time...

Eulogius and Eligius...a eulogy ☺

As we've looked for relatives on ships lists, in church books, military records, passport and citizenship applications, censuses...anywhere they might be listed, I've frequently whined to Larry that EVERY FREAKIN GENERATION repeated the same names--John, Mary, Joseph, Agnes, Mathias, Elizabeth, Anton, Rosalia, Paul, Anna--and how hard it is to distinguish if we mean grandpa or brother, aunt or matriarch, ya know?  Still, pretty much every Paul Hesch from Bohemia is ours because of German naming traditions, too. A double edged sword.

So, when Larry asked if I knew of a relative named Eligius, I thought he was teasing.  As it turned out tho, we've had not one but TWO Elogii (at least) in the Polish part of the family.

Yes, there was a St Eulogius.  The link'll get you more information about him than you care to know.  His name means "blessing", and that's enough for parents to know, I suppose.

Larry'd found an Eligius (misspelled Elignis) Otremba in the 1920 Census from Mahnomen, Minnesota.  As much as I complained about similar ancestral names, this person had to be related because of his name.

His father was Frank J Otremba and his mother was Sarah M Bellefuielle, we believe.  (When she died in 1951, her death certificate says her parents were Jonas Bell...lle and Amelia Spry). (Yes, Bellefuielle was a family in Mahnomen, then.  Jonas Bellefuielle was listed in the 1905 Minnesota census as Indian, born in 1871 in Becker Co. Mn).

According to People Search online,
Eligius E Otremba was born in July, 1917 and died in Wyoming, MN in December 2005, at 88 years old.  I know Larry found his obit online, but for the life of me, it's not online now!


Okay, I can hear you saying that Eulogius isn't the same name as Eligius.  They're close, tho, and I suspect Eligius settled on a version he liked and ran with it.  A weird name needs to be tolerated, I know...☺
Oh, and Eligius' dad Frank J was the son of Joseph Otremba and Hedwig Holeva.  My family tree says Frank's wife was Mathilda B Otremba...not Sarah.  So hmm.  We'll wait for Larry on this one, since I know we found them later, without Frank , in Royalton.  (That was an Indians Census listing, so Frank wouldn't have been included, while Mathilda/Sarah and the kids would have been).

 Who was the other Eulogius, then?  The one named after the saint--son of Frederick Schmolke.  Fred evidently married twice, since this page says they'd been married 4 years, with 3 children, but the next page shows 4 more Schmolke children.

  What's particularly interesting about the name "Eulogius Schmolke" besides its challenging pronounceablity?  I found a message left in 2009 on an online Schmolke genealogy message board , about a family legend and an earlier Eulogius:

".... I have been doing some research into the family tree and it was my understanding that Eloguis was sent to Minnesota around 1918 with the purpose of buying some land, for the family to move to. The family never heard from him again.  My mother was Rose and my grandmother, Elizabeth Jendro lived with us until her death, in 1958. I am living in Canada now and would like any information you may have in regard to the Schmolke family and particularly any information on Elogius..."

See why the name stood out?  We're talking Larry + me + a mystery.  Stuff like this tickles us both WAY too much, but we've solved plenty of other conundrums here, right?  Stay tuned!

"Let's have them build a railroad, ok?"

 

This article from the Princeton, Mn newspaper in December 1900 is interesting on a number of levels.  For one, I doubt that Lastrup OR Buckman were ever in serious contention for a Great Northern line, even tho most places dreamed of the railroad deciding to run thru their town.  There was a Great Northern line from St Cloud thru Milaca to Duluth, however.
Two, the only real rail line possibility was Pierz, but that was the Soo Line running to Duluth, and Pierz was rejected cuz North Pierz / South Pierz couldn't decide where the depot would go.
Three, was John Schmolke blowing smoke?  I wonder which bar the 'proposed  spur line from Milaca to Little Falls' was invented in. It's kinda preposterous, I think.

Four, the proposed "direct" route doesn't make any sense...lol

BTW, Larry found this article (surprised?) on Chronicling America from our own Library of Congress.  They've recently added more newspapers and more states, too.  Check it out--this is one of the GOOD things our taxes pay for.