Memories of Yost and Martha Schrock - Part 19 - The Finale

This is the second part of Part 19 and is also THE FINALE on the book of  "Memories of Yost and Martha Schrock"....I am not positive as to when these memories were originally written but I do know it was before 1963 when my grandfather died. 

Nancy Schrock Priser was the eighth child of Yost and Martha (Plank) Schrock.  She married Benjamin Frank Priser probably between 1875 and 1887. They had three known children John Wesley Priser (born: 11.23.1887), Fred Earl Priser (12.8.1892), and George W. Priser (2.22.1896).

Aunt Nan Priser Memories (Part 2):
(Written by Bessie (Schrock) Sherck)

The family was too large to all go to church in one buggy, so some always had to stay at home.  My father had a sweet tooth and said if they left him home he would eat all the scarps (preserves).

She said she remembered the first binder Grandpa had and how hard they still had to work to get the grain harvested.

Aunt Clara had a little rocking chair and one day as she was rocking her doll, she said "Blessed Jesus allus faln nuner" (Everything falls down).

She remembered when Father and Mother lived with them and the door that separated their part had a big crack under it.  Grandma had asthma and sneezed a lot.  Carrie liked to go to Grandma's too often so she would lie on the floor and listen if they called her.  When Grandma would sneeze she would say "Calling me Grandma? Well I come."

She said when she was 10 years old Grandma told her she would have to knead the bread because she want to make a new dress to go to my Mother and Father's wedding. So she did and was she proud of her nice bread. She told of the big bake oven and how Grandpa used to make the fire and when it was hot enough (they tried tit by putting their hand in to test the heat) he would pull out the fire and it was ready for the bread and pies.  He made a bench to put the pies and bread on until the oven was hot.  The bread went in first then the pies.  She had one iron pan  about 6 inches in diameter which, when the loaf was baked, would be about 10 or 12 inches high.  She said when it was done they used to cut the hot crust off and spread it with fresh butter, Oh, how good it was.

She also told about butchering day. With such a family 6 or 8 hogs had to be butchered.  They put the sides in a large jar and pieces were cut to fit the jar.  They put in one layer of side and one of sausage until the jar was full.  A brine, which bore an egg, was poured over it and when they wanted some buckwheat cakes it would be put to soak the evening before.  She said it was "Oh, so good."  The hams and shoulders were smoked with good old hickory and stored in the upstairs over the summer house.  I can almost smell and taste them now.  She said before they had sausage grinders they chopped the sausage.  She said Uncle Issac was good at that.  He was so active and used to dance around so fast.  Made sort of a a game of it.

The young people in those days did not have so many places to go, so entertained themselves at home.  They had games of hide the thimble, drop the handkerchief, and many others.  They sang a lot too while someone played the organ, but when things would get too lively like:

                                          Krinkly, cranky is the song,
                                          Sing it and dance it all the day long,
                                          From the top and to the toe,
                                          Sing and dance it as you go"

Grandpa would come to the door and say "That's is enough", and it was.

I can remember about 4 o'clock every  evening hearing Grandpa call "pe-pe".  It was time to start chores when he called the chickens.

I am very fortunate to be living so close to Aunt Nan in these wonderful last years of her life and have enjoyed helping her collect these memories to be handed down to future generations.  Her wonderful sense of humor and Christian spirit tell more than words of the atmosphere of Grandpa and Grandma's home and the influence of that home is still going on.

(Editor's notes: Again Nan Priser was Yost and Martha Schrock's 8th child. Her memories told to her niece Bessie Schrock Sherck who was Elias and Nancy (Hoover) Schrock's 2nd child. Elias Schrock was Yost and Martha Schrock's 4th child and one of Nan Schrock Priser's older brothers.

Paragraph 3: Clara was the 10th child of  Yost and Martha (Plank) Schrock; Paragraph 4: Carrie was  Yost and Martha Schrock's granddaughter via their 2nd son Elias, she was also Bessie's (author of above) sister; Paragraph 6: Issac was second 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

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