Today is Harold Hellmer’s birthday. Henry & family were here for dinner today. After dinner we played ball. It is such a nice day. Charles Schilling & Odillo Eichenseer was riding around this afternoon they went down as far as Meng’s road and turned around & he missed the culpert with one wheel and it went down, Odillo got the truck and pulled him out. At 2 o’clock was church, so we went to church & after church to the cemetery. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary went to the cemetery first then they came up here, then to church, then to Mrs. Threfall’s shooting match. We had company from St. Louis, they first was at the house, but we weren’t at home, so they came up to church & then they went along to the cemetery & then they came back up to Hecker again & had lunch with us. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up again afterwards from the shooting match. There was nobody there. The people from St. Louis were Mr. & Mrs. Sig. Dudenhoeffer, and friends Mrs. Karmer and son Harry & Jake Becherle from Germany, he is just over 4 months now. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary had supper here and then they went to Willie Birkner’s it was their wedding anniversary. Tonight Harry Kammler has a dance again. People Jane Orchestra playing. Bill Matzenbacher, Ed. Wittenaurs, Mrs. Threfall all had shooting matches this afternoon.
Sunday, Oct. 12, 1930
There are shooting matches for geese and turkeys and ducks all over again today. Mrs. Threfall has one for geese. Alfred May, Wm. Reagan & a good many others. Henry and family stayed for dinner then afterwards went home. They was supposed to come back to Pete Reheis that Frank Dudenhoeffer was coming out from St. Louis. Mr. Louis Dudenhoeffer and wife and son and wife were here a little while then they went back to Reheis too. He wasn’t in this country around here for 40 years. They was at our house about a half an hour. Hecker played their last baseball game today with Floraville for this season. Hecker won 12 to 1. Rosalia and Bertille went to church, Rosary Devotion this evening. There was a man here from E. St. Louis here and wanted to buy some eggs, so we sold him 6 doz. for .27¢ a doz. Pours got the baby christened Ethel.
Saturday, Sept. 27, 1930
Henry was here this morning. Today is Leona’s birthday, she is 20 yrs. old and is going to have a celebration tonight at Breezy Hill. Papa went to Waterloo this morning & afternoon to get the batteries for the Chevrolet. We all went to Breezy Hill tonight. Frank Dudenhoeffer & wife, Val Adam’s & wife & girl. Leona received many and all kinds of presents. There sure was a crowd there after the circus was over in town.
Friday, August 22, 1930
Papa, Uncle Fred, Aunt Mary, Rosalia went up to help clean things again. Hecker played ball with Waterloo Sunday. Hecker won. There is a big piece in the paper about the dedication of the new school. There were 40 priests here and 12 sisters. Gusta Dudenhoeffer and some people came she came with from St. Louis were out, they were down at the house a little while. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary were here for dinner.
Sunday, July 27, 1930
They were all up for church this morning. This afternoon we went to Millstadt to hear the singers. It was Saengerfest Picnic. We met Frank Dudenhoeffer, his wife & George, Peter Reheis & Jas. Reheis, Oscar Birkners, Adam Eckerts. From Millstadt we went to the Club House, there we had chicken supper. They had a tarpaulin laid to dance on. There were a lot of people there. When we came home Henry just came out from our house. But he came back again, he wanted to know where that club house was, but they went back home again. Last Sunday the Millstadt ball team played with Hecker here. The score was 19 to 2 in favor of Hecker. Rex Rapp made a home run. Today they are playing with a St. Louis team. I seen in the paper that Henry S. Braun threshed 1800 bus. of wheat & 1500 bus. of oats.
Monday, June 23, 1930
Papa left real early this morning & went down to Wm. A. Voges and got 10 pigs 6 for us & 4 for Henry. He unloads ours here & took Henry’s out there to him. He paid $5 a piece for them. Rosalia & Bertille washed this morning & also packed some beans. Papa & Rosalia went out to help Henry put up hay. Emil is on the sick list. Bertille stayed at home & ironed & patched. We received a greeting card today from Frank Dudenhoeffer from Detroit, Michigan. Nick Mueth were here this afternoon & Mrs. Mueth came in & invited us for their dance tonight along the hard road where Wiegands place is. I have noticed in the paper, Mr. & Mrs. Martin Karban have a little son born June 4. Mrs. Karban was formerly Lena Schilling before marriage, they live close to Paderborn. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up this evening then we all went down to Nick Mueth’s dance. They served lemonade. Uncle Joe, John, Mamie, Rosie & Eddy Mueth were also there. They charged .25¢ from the men, at least some of them.
Friday, April 25, 1930
Rosalia was at church this morning. Bertille scrubbed upstairs. Henry Braun the census enumerator was here this morning. Papa went up to the bank this afternoon and gave Father Grootens a check for $149.00. He gave $100.00 for building of new school, $20 for masses, $27 for pew rent, $2 for brick. We saw the license in today’s paper for George Dudenhoeffer and Estelle Forester from St. Louis. The marriage license was in the Belleville News Democrat paper. We will have 5 hen hatching on the 2nd of May. We sent 6 hens on the 24 of April. Ed Kaiser is sporting a new Ford Coupe. Henry Birkner’s have a little boy. It was born about 9 o’clock this evening. They got him christened Sunday. Mr. and Mrs. George Parker were sponsors. They called him Zeno Birkner.
Tuesday, March 25, 1930
It is snowing. I guess this is the 15th snow this winter. The roads are sloppy. We got a letter from Sig. Dudenhoefer today with the picture what were taken when they were here that Sunday. They sure did take good. We found 28 eggs today.
Monday, March 24, 1930
Today is Robert’s birthday. Papa, Rosalia, Bertille went out to Henry’s this evening. Uncle Fred and Aunt Mary were also there. It rained heavy while we were out there. Leona, Bobby, Floyd were here this afternoon. Papa went to New Athens this morning. Henry, Rosalia, Bertille all got a letter from the County Clerk of Chester for the remains of Mrs. Bridget Dunn. Papa sent the papers which Dudenhoefers sent out here for him to fill up back again, but he didn’t fill in the blanks. We found 28 eggs today.
Sunday, March 16, 1930
Aunt Mary and Uncle Fred had dinner with us. Henry was up for church, then went home because they wanted to go away. After dinner we went up to church. We had lenten service. After we came down from church, the St. Louis people were here. Mr. & Mrs. Sigmund Dudenhoefer, Ellen Adams (their niece) & Frank Singer and Ervin Lensinger (?). They all had lunch here. Then we all got our picture taken, one on the front and one on the South side by the well. The men Papa, Uncle Fred and Sigmund, got a picture taken by the chicken house. In the evening, Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came back again. They brought some potatoes up to Brauns store. Mr. Jake Koch died at New Athens today. Ed Parker’s little baby girl died suddenly. We found 31 eggs today.
[editor’s note: To see the above-mentioned photos, click here]
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