Misc. Notes
Henry, my grandfather, was a farmer by trade. He raised cotton as the money crop. When he was still living at home he helped his dad with the farming. On one occasion he had taken a bale of cotton to get it ginned and he brought the seed back home as it was used to feed the cattle. As he approached the gate with his wagon he saw Fred his step brother near by. Henry not wanting to get off the wagon yelled at Fred to open the gate. For some reason Fred did not want to open the gate and most likely didn't as Henry gave Fred, according to uncle Arthur, a good threshing. I suppose that meant a good beating. Needless to say this irritated Henry's new mother very much and she took up for her son Fred. Henry was not happy over this incident so he thought it over and told his dad he wanted to leave home. He ventured by horse to Kyle, which is about a 40 mile trip. After he arrived in Kyle he was interviewed by J A. Heidenreich for a job. The job that Henry got was to dig post holes. The holes had to be 2 ft. deep and he would be paid 1 cent per hole. This of course meant lots of hard work since the Heidenreich farm was very rocky. The first day on the job Henry dug 100 holes so he made a dollar plus his meals. Don't you know Grandpa was tired at the end of that day. I figured he was around 24 at this time. Grandpa also worked for other men in the community. No one seems to know were he lived. Maybe Mr. Heidenreich gave him his room and board. After he was in Kyle for sometime Henry started dating Mary Heidenreich daughter of J.A. Heidenreich. Their courting days were mostly spent in the living room of the Heidenreich home. but many times they were interrupted by Uncle George and Aunt Lydia. In 1890 at the age of 26 Henry married Mary Heidenreich.
Grandpa along with men from the church built a house 2 miles east of the Immanuel Baptist Church. This place is known as the Fritz Germer place. He cleared this land with two yoke of oxen and a lot of hard work. In fact one day he had worked the oxen so hard that when they came to some water the oxen just lay down in the water. It seems as if Grandpa was truly a hard working man--- a characteristic that has been passed on to his children and to quite a few of his grandchildren.
After living near Maxwell for 14 years Grandpa decided to move to higher ground. He bought 275 acres of land which currently is where Uncle Walter & Aunt Minnie Jo live. He bought this land from the Mitchell Brothers and paid $35.00 per acre. To purchase this land Grandpa sold the 100 acres at Maxwell for $51.00 per acre. This made a good down payment and the remainder was paid when the crops were gathered. In order to build the two story house, Grandpa went to the Kyle bank to borrow the money. Mr. Gross at the Kyle Bank evidently was unable to make a $2000.00 loan so he recommended the bank in San Antonio were his brother worked. The money was borrowed from the Gross National Bank in San Antonio and was paid back the following fall.
Most of the children of Henry and Mary were born in Maxwell with the exception of Mary, Charlie and Esther. They were born in the two story house near Kyle.
Grandpa was a very strict man. His children knew they had to obey. No talking was allowed during meal time and plates had to be cleaned. This not only went for the children but hired hands as well. In fact one day Grandpa scolded the hired hands for leaving the crusts of bread on their plates. He told them, My children eat the crusts and I expect you to too.
One of the biggest occasions in Grandpa and Grandma’s lives was when they celebrated their silver wedding anniversary in 1916.
In 1917 at the age of 45 Grandma passed away. In 1918 Willie and Arthur were drafted into the army This was all very hard on Grandpa. First loosing his wife and then having two sons to leave home to enter the service of their country. Uncle Willie and Uncle Arthur stayed together the entire time they were in the service.
Grandpa was a sincere Christian man. He was a Sunday School teacher for the young mens class and also served as deacon. He believed in obeying the Sabbath. He did not believe in selling anything on Sunday. He made one exception to this rule and that was to sell milk if parents needed it for their children. A number of people at that time did not have an ice box to keep the milk so it was necessary to buy it each day.
Grandpa owned a 1921 Buick but never learned to drive, although he did accomplish the shifting of the gears. He enjoyed this car very much. His sons drove him were he wanted to go. The boys liked to use the car but hesitated to ask permission for it, so they put their baby sister up to the asking. Esther would go to her dad and sorta stand around and right away he knew she wanted to ask him something. He would call her by one of his favorite nicknames and ask what she wanted. “Esther what was that nickname?” One time Grandpa was quite worried about his car getting damaged by a hail storm. One of his sons had borrowed the car to go to a recital at the Hemphill School. “Uncle Emil would you like to comment on this now or after the program?”
In 1920 Grandpa remarried. His new bride was Martha Jureges of Greenvine, TX. In 1924, at the age of 59 Grandpa passed away. I think we can all be proud to have had this man as father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
Dorine Losh
Given at the Schmeltekopf Reunion 1977
Most of this information was obtained from Uncle Arthur, Uncle Charlie visited with Uncle Arthur and took notes during their conversation.
Spouses
Birth13 Apr 1872, Kankakee, IL
Death3 Jul 1917, Kyle, TX
BurialLive Oak Cemetery, Uhland, TX
ReligionBaptist
Misc. Notes
Memories of Mary Schmeltekopf Loewer:
Just really great to be with all of you today and if any of you have missed a kiss and hug come by, I have one for you too. First let me just Praise and Thank our wonderful Lord, for restoring me from my broken hip. Do I still have pain, yes, it's a come and go affair and for that I am thankful.
Sometime ago Charlie wrote and asked me to share with you some of my memories of our mother. I thought I'd quiz our great grandchildren, and that way check on all of us, what kind of job are we doing, relating to children about our family. I know all of us regret we don't know about our Grandmothers birth, so as the saying goes - People need to be informed. How many great grandchildren know what your great grandmothers name was, and where she was born? All right - Mary Heidenreich, born at Kankakee, Illinois. Can anybody here give us the date, April 13th, 1872. That was how many years ago? 111 years ago. Our Hedinreich grandparents moved from Kankakee, Illinios to Culman, Alabama. Our Mother was 6 years old at that time.
Living in Alabama brought many hardships, so Uncle Andrew, Grandfather's brother, decided he'd go to Kansas and see what farming was like there, but on his way he met Col. Sledge at a depot in Arkansas, and he persuaded him to come to Kyle, Texas "The Land of Opportunity". He was impressed, rented some land, encouraged his brother to move to Texas too. The move was made and they arrived in Kyle August 29th, 1885. Now then get ready for a BIG Heidenreich Celebration in 2 years.
Our mother had to help support the family by working as a maid for a Jewish family. I remember her talking about her work and how impressed she was with a dessert that our Family gave the name of "Jew Pudding", which was baked on Holidays in our family for years, thinking about it makes me yearn for some now. Mother married at the age of 18 to a young man who came to Kyle to seek employment on Grandfather's farm. Who can help me about Papa digging post holes, never less he got a wife. Which one of the great grandchildren can name the children our mother had - 10 is right, can you name them?
When the boys would be picking cotton or hay time Mama would take their dinner to the field: in Plum Creek area, in a buggy and I'd love to be able to go. The brothers loved the coming of that meal.
Mama had not been feeling well for some time, so due to an accident Aunt Lydia had with a cow, the Dr. from San Marcos was coming to check on her, so Papa called Grandpa and asked if he would send Dr. Williams by. We decided mother needed surgery, so this was on Sunday. That morning I stayed home with Mama and then she asked me to play the song "Rock of Ages", "What a Friend We have in Jesus" and "Gott Ist Die Liebe". My playing as a child was as a child, but I remember she was pleased.
My remembrance of Mother,
Her patience with her children. The necessary preparation on Monday of soaking clothes for Tuesdays Laundry. The butchering and preparing of meats for the family. Baking umpteen Kaffee Kuchens on Saturday. I remember Mother's first attempt of instructing me how to knead coffee cake dough. The big dough pan was placed on a chair, so I had fun. The preparation for our Grandparents, The Heidenreich's Golden Wedding. The dress she made for me had a large white collar trimmed in golden embroidery. The poem I learned. Then Mama's 25th anniversary I wore the same dress, and that night I took sick. The next day Doctor said I had diphtheria, and our family was quarantined. Got my first shot, and it hurt!! Then too I remember 2 spankings, one for cutting up because of not wanting to take Castor Oil and the other for not wanting to take Epson Salts. I promised myself if I ever had children, no Castor Oil or Epson Salt, but when Iola was with us Carolyn and Dorys got some to cure a cold.
Many other things could be mentioned but in closing. Mother was a loving very caring lady, with only a 3rd grade education, she managed her household well. Proverbs 31:28 speaks for us today: "Her children rise up and call her blessed".
Presented at the 1983 family reunion.
Misc. Notes
Baptised in Kankakee, IL by Rev. C. Teckelburg
Marriage26 Nov 1890, At Heidenreich Home, Kyle, TX
Birth6 Apr 1873, Reichensacksen, Hessen, Germany
Death20 Dec 1954, Kyle, TX
Burial23 Dec 1954, Uhland, TX
OccupationHousewife
ReligionBaptist
Misc. Notes
I wish I could have known my dad’s mother and father, but I do feel real fortunate that I did get to know one of the greatest step grandmothers ever. She was never thought of as a step grandmother. She was just Grandma or Gross Mama.
I am going to take you back to some of the things I remember about grandma. First, for those of you who did not know her, I want to give you a little of her background. Grandma or Martha, was born in Germany and came to America as a young girl. She lived with her first husband in Greenvine, TX. He preceded her in death. Grandpa had been a widower for several years when it seemed he started making quite a few trips to Greenvine. His children thought he was going to see his sister who lived there, which I guess he did. But his main interest was in a young woman by the name of Martha. As far as I can gather, the children did not know that their dad had a sweetheart. Papa tells me he knew something was going on as one day he opened a letter that was addressed to Henry Schmeltekopf, not knowing it was for his dad (both had the same name). This letter was from Martha. I asked Papa if he remembered anything that was in the letter and he said “Why no. When I noticed it wasn’t for me I put the letter away”. Then I asked Papa what his dad had said to him for opening the letter and he said “He told me to make sure from now on to have Henry Jr. put on my mail”.
Grandma came into this family at the age of 47. Grandpa brought her home to a family of 9 children, 2 of whom were married. Uncle Willie, age 26 was the oldest child at home and Aunt Esther, the youngest, was 8. Although Grandma never had any children of her own, she truly loved these children as if they had been her own and her love extended to her children’s families. The day Grandpa brought his new bride to Kyle was May 5, 1920. The family was celebrating Uncle Charlies 11th birthday when the phone rang (yes, they did have a phone at that time). It was Grandpa calling from the train depot in Kyle. He wanted someone to come and pick him up. Uncle Otto Hill went to the depot to get him. I don’t know if he told the children that he had Martha with him or if this was a surprise. (I later found out that the children did know their dad was bringing home a new mother.) What a day this must have been. Grandma took over her duties as a wife and mother immediately. The very first week that they were married, they were surprised after prayer meeting with an old fashioned shivaree. Uncle Charlie tells me he remembers this as he along with Walter, Esther and probably Aunt Mary had already gone to bed when all of a sudden this noise started in. They hopped out of bed and looked out the window or probably ran out on the porch upstairs to see what was going on. They didn’t get to come down and join in the fun until time for refreshments. Uncle George Heidenreich and Uncle Arthur Schmeltekopf had to go into Kyle to buy some cookies to serve. It does look like the folks from the church would have given Grandma time to get a little baking done.
Four years after they married, Grandpa passed away, leaving Grandma to take care of the children. At this time 6 children were still at home. Uncle Willie had gotten married.
I feel that I was real privileged as I lived close enough to Grandma and her big two story house to walk. How I loved to go and see her. Grandma was always busy doing something: cooking, sewing gardening, piecing a quilt or whatever. She truly loved her garden, especially a bed of larkspurs. Even today when I see a bed of larkspurs, I can’t help but think of Grandma.
Grandma so often called down to the house and said “Henry or Annie (whichever one she thought would hear her) let the children come up and play”. Away we would go. If she was working in the garden, we would play on the long front porch or slip in the front door and play on the stairway. How we loved to slide down the banister. How many times we played school on those steps or just ran up and down! I am really surprised that the stairway held up as good as it did with so many grandchildren that played on it. Patricia says to include great grandchildren too.
One of the biggest joys for us was when Aunt Mary’s family would come from Louisiana. Grandma would call down to the house and say “Let the girls come up and play. Arthur, Mary and the children are here”. Of course we already knew they had arrived as we had heard the car go by our house after we had gone to bed the night before. Sometimes Uncle Arthur would blow the horn to let us know they had arrived. How happy we were to see our cousins who had come from so far away. Usually Uncle Willie or Aunt Ella would bring Merle over and what a time we would have. Most always we took off for that long unused room upstairs, stopping off first at Aunt Esther’s room to see if she would let us play with one of her dresses, high heels, lipstick, etc. She was always pretty good about this.
Uncle Walter and Uncle Charlie had a room upstairs and we were told not to play in this room. Like most children, we obeyed fairly well but before the day was over! we did go into this room to explore. Really we didn’t mess up anything (not that I remember anyway). The main thing I can remember us doing was looking on the dresser or in the dresser drawers. I suppose we were looking for gum, unless perhaps it could have been that we were trying to find a love letter from Aunt Alma or Aunt Minnie Jo, which we never found.
Grandma really was a good cook. Such meals that were served around that big oval table in the dining room! Most of all I liked the individual attention when Grandma took you into the pantry and gave you some of the goodies she had made. I don’t remember exactly what I got, but probably a sugar cookie or a slice of coffee cake. Juliann says she remembers for sure what she got. Grandma always gave her a lump of sugar and to keep it from falling on the floor she would take a clean white rag and tie the lump of sugar in it. Now you figure out how Juliann ate this. Rosemarie, do you or James remember Grandma ever giving you one of these? How many of you remember the big blue cook stove in the kitchen? The thing I remember most about it was the water tank on the side. I helped fill this tank quite often, but I am sure not as many times as Aunt Esther or some of the rest of you. This tank of hot water came in real handy as Grandma did not have a hot water heater.
Grandma loved her church. She was a Sunday school teacher for quite a number of years. I talked to one of her Sunday school scholars (Aunt Elsie) and she informed me that Mama Schmeltekopf really was a great Sunday school teacher. Aunt Elsie says she was not a bit happy when they promoted her out of this class. When I was a youngster going to Sunday school, we had to say a ticket (Bible verse) in front of the congregation or on children’s day we had to say a speech. If one of Grandma’s grandchildren didn’t complete their speech because they cried for being scared, she would speak up at the end of the program and say “I think Florine would like to say her speech now” or Robert Lee, maybe it was you she called on, but then I doubt that you ever cried when you said your ticket.
I don’t think Grandma really had any pets, but to the four oldest children in our family, we truly thought that Juliann had to be her pet. Grandma thought that Juliann was too little to go out with the rest of the family on those all day “picnics” in the cotton patch. She would always say “Let Juliann stay with me”. Of course we didn’t think this was fair, but Juliann was in her glory, as you see about this time Aunt Minnie Jo had moved into the big white house. How Juliann loved to comb Aunt Minnie Jo’s hair and paint her nails. But most of all to play with those colored high heel shoes!
Then there was the time when we three sisters wanted to take piano lessons, but we had no piano. Who comes to our aide but dear Grandma! “Now the girls can practice on my piano”, so that’s what we did. I am sure she got tired of listening to our playing as well as everyone else in the household. She never complained about our playing. One thing she did do was to correct us when we made a mistake. She would call in and say “I think you had better play that over”.
I am sure each of you have your own memories. I for one am truly grateful to my grandparents for having such lovely children and then to Grandpa for bringing Martha into this family. Who knows, if it hadn’t been for her, this family of 163 members might not be so closely knit. I am glad I am a part of this family, aren’t you?
Dorine Losh
Given at the Schmeltekopf Reunion 1976
Marriage3 May 1920, Parsonage, Greenvine, TX