Alban - Moser - Eby Family History

Her children arise up, and call her blessed.
Proverbs 31:28

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Thelma 2

At this time Bessie, their oldest daughter had married and Uncle Roy was courting Nellie Mann. All of their children moved to their new home with grandma and grandad except for Bessie. The house was already old and I believe someone told me it had been built in the 1830s. They had running water in the kitchen being pumped by a windmill via way of a wooden trough. The trough had not been cleaned for a long time and Uncle Roy got deathly ill from the water. Several forms of medicine was used but nothing seemed to work until they tried quinine. Quinine is a bitter crystalline alkaloid made into medicine from cinchona bark. His recovery came quickly and Uncle Roy used quinine for every ailment he ever had after that.

Hard work was expected of everyone on the farm. A lot of changes are to come within a short period of time. Aunt Bessie had married Hugo Schmidt in 1903. Hugo had immigrated to America in 1896 with his father and mother and brothers and one sister, coming from Erfurt, Germany. The sister did not like America and went back to Germany.

Hugo was employed by the Gwynbrook Distillery and he and Bessie lived in a house owned by the distillery directly across the road from where he worked. Aunt Bessie and Uncle Hugo were the first to build a house on Grandads farm and this was in the year of 1909. What, if anything he paid for the land, I do not know but they had about six acres of land on the East edge of the farm, facing Gwynbrook Ave.

Their first child was still-born and their next child, a son was born 1908, the year before they built their new house. The baby was given the name Charles William Schmidt. Next to come along was Louise and there is a very interesting story to tell about her to follow.

Uncle Roy married Nellie Mann in 1910 and Roy was the State Game Farms first care-taker. A daughter was born to Roy and Nellie in 1911, making their daughter and Aunt Bessies daughter about the same age.

Grandmother Moser was proud of her daughters new house and she would walk over frequently to visit with her. The year was 1910; her last child - Eugene now 5 years old was with her at Bessies house. Bessies son, now two and one-half years old and Eugene were playing on a pile of old railroad ties - the ties begin to roll. The ties pinned little Eugene down, and rolled on his head and fractured his skull. Someone mounted a horse and rode lickety-split to Owings Mills to get Dr. Campbell.

It would seem the situation was hopeless, but ole Doc Campbell (that is how people spoke of him but with a meaning of reverance) molded the childs head back into shape as best as he could and put bandage on his head, and the rest was up to the Lord. All that night you could hear little Eugene saying in a mono-tone - Mom, take my hat off, Mom, take my hat off. It was a miracle - his head did heal because of prayer and the work of a fine doctor but he carried a dent in his forehead the rest of his life. It might be because of the accident or it might be because he was the baby of the family, he was given a few things in life that the older children never had.

On one of his trips to Baltimore where he sold his produce and other things, Eugene's father bought him a pet monkey. Gene loved his little pet and as time went on the monkey caused a little bit of trouble. Aunt Sis, Grandads sister lived with them and about the only thing she could do was sew.

Eugene used to put his monkey into the sewing basket and then stand back to watch for the result.

jumping monkey

When Aunt Sis opened the basket, out jumped the monkey and it would always scare the daylights out of her. This went on for many times and was always worth a laugh. One day, Aunt Sis told Eugene the next time he did it, she would throw the monkey into the kitchen stove and it would be burned alive. I guess Eugene did not think Aunt Sis would do such a thing so he tried it again, and grandma Moser had to rescue the monkey from the clutches of Aunt Sis. But, it did bring an end to Eugenes prank. Sometime after Eugene was 12 yrs old, his Dad brought a shiny new bicycle home for him.

In 1914, Grandad brought home from town a new piano. The piano had one of them swivel stools with it and grandma carried on somethin terrible about it - she wanted a seating bench. Alban Family, Moser Family, Eby family

At times, grandma would assert herself - for instance if they were gathering in crops and the corn or beans or whatever needed weeding, he would tell grandma that he would take one of fhe horses (Grace or Dan) and cultivate between the rows the next day. To be sure grandma had the girls out there in the field that same afternoon with their hoes. - - SO MUCH FOR WOMENS LIB - -

Now the story about Louise that I was going to tell you. The year was about 1915, and Uncle Roy having married Nellie Mann in 1910, had a daughter by the name of Catherine (she was named after her maternal grandmother). Louise was 5 yrs old and Catherine was 4 yrs. old. Louise was sick all the time and needed her tonsils taken out. A day was set for the tonsillectomy and Dr. Miller was going to do the operation in Aunt Bessies house.

Aunt Bessies house was made into a hospital of sorts and Aunt Nellie brought Catherine from the State Game Farm and she was going to have the operation as well. Things did not go too well with Louise - her heart stopped beating and Dr. Miller had to make an incission and massage her heart. Before Louise was resusitated, Aunt Nellie grabbed Catherine up and ran as hard as she could to the State Game Farm. Someone met her on the way and asked why she was crying and she said Bessies little girl died while she was getting her tonsils out and they were not going to get hold of Catherine. Louise always thought a lot of Doc Miller after that.

 

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