Memories
My father Albert Frank Ferlemann and my mother Anne Katherine Parker were married August 28, 1901 in Concordia, Kansas where my father worked as a meat cutter. They moved to Manhattan closer to where she was born. She was born on Elbow Creek July 15, 1877. My father’s birthday was Oct 22. 18701.
My mother was one of 14 children who all lived in and around Manhattan. All honorable people (3 died when small). My father’s mother died when he was 5 yrs. old. He and his step-mother didn’t get along too well. He left home when he was 9 yrs. old. I can’t quite connect this but he said he was taught to trim meat when he was 9 yrs. Old & had to stand on a box to reach the meat block.
My father was a periodical drinker. If stress got too much for him he’d start drinking. He always said if I start drinking lock me up because I can’t quit. I adored my father& was always at his side. Holding the lantern while he dug the cellar at night. Mowing back the alfalfa while he pitched it on the wagon. Then pitching it in the barn when he cut it. He went into business Nov 11, 1918 Armistice Day. My first recollection of being must have been when I was about three yrs. Old. It was Halloween night. My mother was rocking Clyde who was 2 years younger than me and someone had a pumpkin Jack-O-Lantern & held it to the window. The second time was walking along by the wicker baby buggy that my mother was pushing Clyde in.
We were moving to Fairmont addition some low lands on the outskirts of Manhattan about 1½ miles out.
We lived in two rented houses there until my father started buying land. There were 32 nice flat lots which he bought 1 lot at a time. Accumulated a 4 acre place.
As he walked home at night he picked up grain doors they had set out for him at the flour mill where he had to pass. He carried them home in his arms. He accumulated enough to frame in a house.
I held the lantern on these cold winter nights while he dug the cellar. He got it cemented in then he hired Lon Weltch to build on it. We lived in that structure for several years and then he hired Lon to build a new house on the old site. It was still standing & people living in it when I went back in ’76. It still looked good but the other houses in the neighborhood had gone to pot. I loved the place. He had planted half of it in Alfalfa. The other
half he had planted in corn, potatoes & sweet potatoes. Bunch vegetables like radishes, lettuce, carrots, turnips, parsnips etc. We had all we wanted for our own use then we cleaned & bunched them & dad carried them in a basket to work & sold them to the store. We kids sold them around the neighborhood. The river was 2 blocks away. Clyde & I used to set trap lines. We kept fish on the table. One time Clyde was complaining because I always caught fish & he didn’t. So I gave him my place. I had five hooks on my line. I had 4 fish by the head & one by the tail & he didn’t have any the next morning. I loved that place. I loved the morning glories growing on the corn. After a rain the rivulets running in the sand on the sides of the road. The woodpecker nest in the post at the stockyards 2 blocks away.
I started school when I was 8 years old. My mother would not let me go until Clyde could go with me.
Dad bought us overshoes to walk thru the snow. He tied gunny sacks on his feet as overshoes.
Father Shields had come to Manhattan to start a new church. He hunted up a couple Catholic boys which he used to find the other parishioners. There were 3 mansions on Juliette Ave. that had been part of the Revolutionary War. He purchased the stone one & turned it into a school, Sacred Heart Academy. The other brick one was occupied by the Purcell’s who had five stories all housed in a half block area. And farther down the block was a lovely stone one occupied by the Floersch’s who were bankers.
To get back to me starting to school. I started then my mother took me out till Clyde was old enough. She thought it was better for the two of us to walk together. They decided I was capable of doing more advanced work so I skipped a grade & later on skipped another.
I was always the subject of discussion if I was out of school. My clothing was far less than the other kids & so I guess I was a show off with my learning abilities. Anyway they knew I was there. At this ppoint I learned to sew. My mother bought me doll patterns.
The Abbott’s lived across the street from us. They had 3 boys: Steve, Francis, and Phillip. They used to collect a bunch of us & we’d go to the river to skate. It was always frozen over in the winter time. I couldn’t stand up on skates but had fun around the bon fires. I lived on that place until I was 16.
I went to town when I was 16. I stopped off at my Aunt Eva Goudy’s place. We were sitting on the porch talking & two soldiers came by: Carl Marshall & Clyde Holland. Carl was from Lancaster, California. My first date. He was shipped out & we used to write to each other. I used to correspond with his sister Blanche. When he got home he got in touch & wanted to marry me.
In the meantime Ethel Abbott (Steve’s wife) was going to the Community House to dance. She offered to take me along. I had a ball. I had a friend Ethel Whisnand. The two of us would line up against the wall & practice dancing forging ahead learning the steps. I was always popular on the dance floor. I don’t know why because there were girls sitting on the side lines in much better clothing & I am sure were better looking.
When I was 16 dad started up a meat market. Clyde delivered on Maude our old white horse. He had a sack that fit over the horses back & carried groceries on both sides of the horse. Dad had gotten on a drinking spell & depleted our money. So he borrowed the money from the junk dealer to open up in the morning & paid it back at night. Everything that was sold in the morning & wasn’t paid for I went out to collect for in the afternoon. The banker (Emil Thoes) knew our situation. I had taken over the paying the bills. He told me if I gave out checks that I didn’t have the money for he would honor all that came thru his bank but for me to be sure to cover the ones that came in thru the Union National & Citizens State. Ours was the Manhattan State.
I used to go home & get us a hot meal. By the time I got back the town drunks had brought dad booze & cleaned out the cash register.
Mom was home taking care of the farm & caring for Alberta and Barney. I convinced Mom to move to town & man the cash register. I paid the bills& gradually got the place on its feet. Fired a butcher and book keeper who were stealing. I was working in the store in the day time & going to the Fort Riley a couple of times a week to dances & attending dances in town on several other nights.
They used to pay the girl’s fare out there to keep the troops happy. Mamie Diehl was a chaperone. There were no civilians. Everyone was in uniform.
I met a man, Jim Otis, who lived in St. Louis. He was my dancing partner. When he was discharged he wanted me to marry him & go home with him. Alma Shoyer tried to take him away from me, but he said I started with her and I’ll stay with her till I leave. Jim left. So now I’m left without a boyfriend, but not for long. I was leaving the Community House one night. I can’t remember who I was with probably (illegible) Boettner. This soldier came flying by me turned & started talking. It turned out to be my future husband. He walked me home. We were a steady item from then on/ I was 18 at the time. One night he came with a wedding ring & wanted me to marry him. So we were married by Judge Morris at the court house. The next Saturday we were married by Father Lucky, Dec 11,1920.
The 9th Artillery1 was being moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He invited me to his mess on Thanksgiving. He had cooked the meal. It was delicious. He made pumpkin pies. Had them decorated with walnuts. He was a marvelous cook. Lieutenant Gumby came in met me & congratulated him on the meal. They were moved out the next week. I followed Feb. 2 Groundhog’s Day. We lived in a converted barracks. We had an army stove used to feed the troops located in the kitchen which was the middle of the house. The living room was on one side the bedroom on the other.
I made rugs out of burlap. Bound them on the end with 3 inch green material. Made curtains for the windows. Ronal built a table. I had received a set of dishes as wedding presents. Ronald was doing some kind of carpentry. He got the 2×4 under the table overturned it dishes and all. He made a china closet out of window panes & we had had a couch although crude it was cozy. Our bed was two army cots held together with a board thru the springs. Then came the reduction of the army. Ronald signed up without telling me. So we landed back home. Dad put him to work in the store. I realize now that I married to escape and I landed back in a worse kettle of ish. Not only did I have the same responsibilities but I was pregnant. I worked in the store until the end. Harry was born Jan 21, 1922.
My mother was so proud of him. She used to take him down in the store & show him to the salesmen. She’d say look at him he’s not even red like most kittle babies. He was red as a beet. He was born above the grocery store at 1:20 PM Jan 21. I continued to work & Ronald worked in the store clerking, cutting meat, delivering wherever needed at the time.
Ronald’s sister Rena Jones was always tugging at him to come to California. She sent him money to come to California. We came and stayed with Fat & Rena. Harry was 5 years old. Ronald landed a job cooking at the Motor Stage Café in Newhall. I don’t remember why we Motor Stage Café burned down decided to go home. My mother was constantly begging us to come home. She sent us the money and we came home. (In Newhall, Motor Stage Café burned down.)
My next step was entering Harry in Sacred Heart Academy. We lived with the folks. Ronald left the store & went to work for George Schew. He had a café in Aggieville & we moved to a small house on Manhattan Ave. where Rosemary was born Jan 14, 1926. Delivered at home by Dr. Calb. I stayed at home for a time but gradually went back to work in the store.
Ronald took off for California and was working at a restaurant that Fat had purchased in Studio City across from Warner Bros. This didn’t last long because he brought all of his cowboys in to eat free. And he didn’t pay anything. We stayed at Fat and Rena’s till Ronald went to work at Motor Stage Café in Newhall. I was so homesick. I’d stand out under the sky at night & see planes overhead & wished they were taking me home.
Ronald went back to George Schew’s but he wasn’t happy and my father was bad mouthing him. I had cashed in an insurance policy & he & Kelly Brenner got a car to deliver to California & took off for California.
This time we stayed. There was a fellow Manhattan who had a car & wanted passengers to come to California so we loaded up. That is Rosemary & I did. It was a nice trip. We stopped off for sleep a couple of times. In the meantime they wanted a care taker at the RKO Ranch. Ronald took it. So we moved to the RKO Ranch. Ronnie was born while we lived there. We lived there till Ronnie was about 1½ yrs. old. It was nice living. There was a Green Man named Whitbuger. We had bought a lot in Van Nuys. The people who built sets gave us the lumber when they tore the sets down & Ronald was going to build on it but Whitbuger the Green Man had designs on it & caused a big uproar. Ronald quit. We sold the lot & bought the house at 12200 Emelita St. I bought it for the yard. It had big Elm trees almost like living in a park. I’ve always been a sucker for trees. We lived there until Ronald went to work at China Lake.
A side note: Rena had been on a trip back our way. She brought Harry home with her. We stayed a short time and she told me she was moving to Toluca Lake and she wasn’t taking us along so we …