Clara Cripe Dykeman Memories:
My first memories of Grandpa Schrock's were when they got the new organ and Aunt Clara (Schrock) played and the other children sang the old church songs.
It was such a treat to go to Grandpa's ! I know we were like our children of today, as we played games, hide and go-seek, and such. Then grandma had us four older ones to sit around the old heating stove and have some little treat for us and tell us stories.
The old large wood box had a lid and we sat on the back of the stove and kept quiet for a while.
All the good dinners!
When old enough to go to school, I could go and stay over night once during the term. It was a great treat to have grandma fix my lunch. I wonder in years to come, if our children will have pleasant memories of our homes.
We loved to go back to the orchard and climb the trees, and to the old garden and bake oven in back of the house. So many interesting memories that I never can forget.
I can just hear grandpa praying in dutch. He looked after his family even after they were married and helped and suggested when needed. I can understand now, but then it didn't mean so much to me. Those were what kept the family together. They were interested in each other. I think their church came first. How thankful I am we had that background.
My first school teacher was Uncle Will Schrock and lucky, it was, as we children couldn't speak English and he could help us out. Aunt Lulu came for the spring term and was my teacher. She didn't talk dutch and it was a bit hard for her, but she was so patient and we got along some way. We couldn't help but love her with that smile she always had.
Later, when I was married, grandpa let us move in the old house with him. Poor man, had to eat my first cooking and baking. I wonder how he ever did it, as we didn't buy our food ready to eat like we can now. We just had to eat what we could make but even now, I'm glad we lived when we did, as we have learned to appreciate everything more than the children of today who have most anything they want. We never went hungry and had plenty to be comfortable and best of all had a faith and trust in a great God.
I can remember before Aunt Nan had a family. I would just love to go home with her for a few days. I can still see the old horse go up and down those hills back west toward Bristol.
One night while staying at their house, I had a bad dream. I left the cot where I was sleeping, in their room, and got up and slept with them the rest of the night. Many things, I have long since forgotten, but never these thing that happened in early childhood.
Now that we have our children, I hope we can leave some worth while memories with them.
(Editor's note:
Paragraph 8: Lulu (Vandersten) was Will Schrock's wife. William (Will) was the 9th child of Yost and Martha (Plank) Schrock.
Paragraph 10: Nan (Priser) was Nancy Schrock (8th child of Yost and Martha (Plank) Schrock.
Know anything about anyone mentioned in this post? Please contact me using the e-mail address to the right under my picture.
Mary Post Warren
© copyright 2011, all rights reserved, Mary Post Warren
No comments:
Post a Comment