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

© copyright 2011, all rights reserved, Mary Post Warren

Memories of Yost and Martha Schrock - part 19

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 1):
(Written by Bessie (Schrock) Sherck)

I invited Aunt Nan to spend a day with us to rehearse the memories of her dear old home.

While we made quilt blocks we talked and laughed as she told many interesting happenings.  I will try to write them as she told them to me.

She said Grandpa had a firey horse named Ben. One day he hitched Ben to the buggy and Grandma, Uncle Will, Aunt Sarah and a big basket of eggs in the buggy and started for town.  Now as they started, Grandma said, "Now do be careful".  "Oh," said Grandpa, "I'll saw him down", and at that he cracked the whip and off started Ben on the run.  The buggy hit a high spot at the side of the lane and spilled them all out, eggs and all.  They had a lot of scrambled eggs.  Aunt Sarah had a broken arm.

One time Aunt Nan went out the north way past the grape vines.  A pig pen was close by. When she came in the house she said, "I found a new nest at the sie sthall (pig pen) in the grass with one oye (egg) in it.  Dutch and English seemed to be mixed up badly in their talk.  Aunt Mary and Aunt Nan went to school together but one day Aunt Mary was not feeling well, so told Aunt Nan if the teacher asked why she did not come to tell her she was too "foul".  Now Aunt Nan knew foul meant rotten in English so she told the teacher she was too rotten.

Here is her recipe for fried cheese which she said Grandma used, which first came from the Weavers'.

• Scald clabbered milk until it can be crumbed between the fingers.  Put into a bowl and mix with 1/2 teaspoon soda to the gallon of milk and a pinch of salt.  Pour in a hot skillet in which butter has been melted.  Stir constantly until the curds are all creamy, being careful not to scrape the bottom of the skillet.  There will be a crust that can be taken out and eaten.

Once when Grandma was frying cheese, Aunt Sarah was standing by to get the crust and Grandma took it out and ran for the orchard and Aunt Sarah after her.  She did not remember which won but I should think they shared it as that was the spirit of the family.

Once Aunt Nan and Uncle Will were playing together in the back barn (Uncle Will always seemed to get the worst end).  Grandpa said they should not open the East door that went to the barnyard below.  Of course, like modern children, they wanted to open the door to see what would happen.  Aunt Nan unhooked the door and down one side went because the one hinge was off.  She told Uncle Will to run down in the barnyard and take the rake and push the door up so she could hook it again.  But instead the other hinge broke and down went the door and broke Uncle Will's collar bone.  When Grandpa came home he did not scold but said, "We'll wait until morning to see how he is".  Of course, by morning they found out it was broken.

Another time they were playing by the bake house.  Things were not going so well so Will called Aunt Nan an Alt Sow (Old Sow).  Grandma heard them and said the next one who said that would get penned up.  So Aunt Nan thought she would try to see what would happen.  Grandma heard her and in she went to the little hall between the bedroom and living room which also was the way to the cellar.  She said she slipped out and ran down the cellar and out the outside way.  She said Grandma let her go which sounds like Grandma.

TO BE CONTINUED LATER THIS WEEK - THE FINALE.

(Editor's notes: Again Nan Priser was Yost and Martha Schrock's 8th child. Her memories told to Bessie Schrock Scherck 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.)

Sarah is presumed to be Yost Schrock's sister; Will was William Schrock (Yost and Martha Schrock's 9th child); Mary was Mary Jane Schrock (Yost and Martha Schrock's 6th child; Weavers were Levi and Emma Weaver...Emma was Yost and Martha's 5th child).  Hope all this makes sense!)

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

Memories of Yost and Martha Schrock - part 17

John Wesley Priser was the first child of Benjamin Frank Priser and Nancy Schrock.  He was the grandson of Yost Y. and Martha (Plank) Schrock.

Wesley Priser Memories:

As I remember grandpa's home, it was about 120 rods in off the road.  As we would enter the lane there was a gate fixed so, as we would drive on something, the gate would open and would close the same way.  Oh, yes, I remember the stone that stuck out about six inches that we would hit sometimes.  There was a hedge fence on both sides of the lane and about a mile of it altogether on the farm.  It was always well trimmed as long as grandpa was able to do it.

As we come to the buildings to the left was the big bank barn, buggy shed and hog house.  To the right a wood house and milk and well house at the corner of which was a gate where we entered the yard.  It was a big white house built for two families with board walks leading to the front and back of the house, and also away from the house along the well house and wood house on one side and the grape arbor on the other side to the out house.

With all the buildings and big yards we would have big times playing hide and seek when us cousins got together.  There was the orchard south of the house and the pond east of the barn where we would like to wade in and sometimes fell in.

Once us boys took a rope and tied it to Willie's express wagon and then lassoed a pig - results: it run around the the straw stack and wrecked the wagon.

I remember one summer the grasshoppers destroyed their garden and trucks.  Ate the leaves off the hedge and bushes and the white board fence was black with them.  I remember the long wood box back of the cook stove in the kitchen where us boys would be or the couch in the living room in front of the north window.  As I remember it we had good eats and plenty of them and I can hear grandpa return thanks in German.

I remember Aunt Sarah, Sally Zook and Sally Mishler and many other memories as the old home was 60 years ago in the good old days.

(Editor's Notes: Aunt Sarah is presumed to be Yost Schrock's sister; Sally Zook is unknown - no Zooks in my genealogy database; Sally Mishler is not in my database either but I do have several other Mishler's listed so she could be related to one of them.)

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