Field Notes. Interviewer: Jessica Clarck. Typed by: Marlena Fongthian. Jacob Helbling. South. July 23, years old. Earliest childhood memories

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1 Interviewer: Jessica Clarck Typed by: Marlena Fongthian Jacob Helbling South July 23, years old Earliest childhood memories school Walked 3 miles Shetland pony Matt, Monica, me School #2 6 years One room school children Cold in the morning Heating stove Rubber on shoes Water cooler Buckets - hot lunch program Kerosene burner Mrs. Grace Carlson - could keep Discipline: leather strap Straighten Margaret Schulen Different teachers every year

2 1 male teacher Couldn't speak German Parochial school 1930 Catholic St. Anthony's new church Church burned down 3rd story auditorium New addition nd/3rd - Confirmation Sisters were very sick Bib overalls miles from farm List of grocery 55 Borders Box of apples boxes Some were home sick Water froze Washing Chores Clothing wash Carry water Storm windows Chop wood Make bundles

3 Regular 1st/2nd/3rd Religion They were in Latin Never learned Nun - students Behaved - they were nice Misbehaved Let you know about it Few weeks in third grade Confirmation - important Rural school - was more enjoyable Always wanted to be a storekeeper Candy At school $.05 - buy candy Some kids had in suitcases Before = never went We did it but not Farm life - growing up Shetland Pony Bounced off horses Used to break horses $5 Saddle on 'em Back horse Plowed field

4 Matt older brother Horses - horse power bottom plow 8 horses 4 horses Binder/header All horse power Wheel over foot Went to doctor August Horses, cattle, goat - once - handful Chickens, ducks, geese Christmas Grain farmer Threshing machine Owned it We helped all the neighbors In MT now Crops Wheat Oats Barley Spitz Not grown very often Can't ever buy it anymore Farming

5 Binder, header, threshing, rake, corn binder, combines, chopper, swatter Milk cows Egg - $.12/12 eggs Cream - 5 gallons = $5 - $6 Feed chickens Shock grain Girls were in the house After married 1 brother - 3 sisters Monica little girl 17 Angela little girl 23 No idea how they died Dad made coffin at home 1938 Grandpa died Brother and cousins dug hole Six sons carried coffin Church basement Buried at St. Anthony's German Valentine Helbling Took hay into town Intestine strangulation married 4 times 1st time in Russia - 13 Mrs. Fay Mrs. Futter

6 Amelia Bueler - died Grandpa Very sober man Scared to ask questions In Russian Army Worked on Ranch Took homestead west 3 months old when he came to US Grandmother's funeral Elizabeth (Anton) Renner Mathias Renner died of Appendix She stayed at our house for a year Easy to satisfy Grandmother's memories of Russia Story telling Stealing milk Same with chickens Why she left Russia Her brother was killed Bolsheviks - shocking All men Math and Elizabeth came over Same time as Helbling Rose (Renner) Helbling Only two miles apart Barn dances Sunday afternoon

7 Mother Wonderful lady Sew our clothes Did the best she could Father He liked to party and work Hard working person Dirty Thirties warm nothing nice - until rust snow - 80 degrees/90 degrees Pitching grass and thistles Haul either Grasshoppers - came from the south Eat outside of cedar post Sand Storm - blowing sand Shingled a building in 1947 Mother Dust Creek Dug well deeper Neighbors came to our creek for water Dad didn't get government assistance Thatcher seed wheat Rust resistance

8 1940/ turn around Daily life Describe the home Dad built house in 1918 Stocker Got electricity in 50's - power 2 bedroom upstairs 1 downstairs 2 bedrooms when we took over Furniture Bedroom set from her mother $500 - new bedroom Girls/slept in 1 room Boys slept in another room Boarder - teacher She had the east room Davenport 2 bedrooms Same hired man Stanley's brother - hired man Hired man - $150/yr. + room & board Sometimes less Always shared room Same bed with brother Alone - 7 of us Exchange help

9 House - warm - with furnace stocker House - open windows Shades down Cook for thrashers Hot kitchen Men took care of the stove Girls helped shock grain Shocking together Watching for rattlesnakes Brother crawled through Almost bitten by rattlesnakes Lots of rattlesnakes Skunks, raccoons Killing chickens - ducks Trapping - helping Shopping Hunting - hunting pheasants birds 5 rooster and 2 hens double barrel gun Dad taught him how to hunt Amazed by shooting Flying Went duck hunting Heart River

10 Foot of water - Bill and Edward Helbling Bouncing in Heart River Saved by an Uncle Fishing Not much We'd go along But didn't do it myself 8 miles from house it was illegal They never got caught Game Warden Fishing Sledding Tobogganing Freezer of ice cream 6 miles with horses and sled 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Little creek a lot with neighbors Building a fire Ice skates 1st clamped on with a little tag Games Hide and seek Moonlight Common for neighbors to come and visit Nicolas Helbling

11 Cards Rummy Whist Smear Toys - nickel (coins) Buffalo Children stay in kitchen Button, Button Who's Got the button? Came from old country Mother taught me Mother taught Due Regels Later on - they did Dad played the button accordion Dogs would squeal How did you hear about Pearl Harbor? Cousin buried there WWII - impacted life Went to Fort Snelling for physical Didn't need any more soldiers Rationing So many pounds of sugar, gas, rubber Scariest Experience Going out to shut the chicken coop Old wise tales Scared of the dark

12 Pitch dark Happiest Memory 4th of July picnic Barn dances in our hay loft Fire crackers Dance would go until 4:00am At the farm people Mother Cooking Cherries - watermelon Adventurous To neighbors with horses Saddle horses to river Didn't race the horses How cold it used to be? -34 degrees Angie and I going to school 1936 Cold weather Overcoat, scarf Frost/ice on whiskers and eyebrows