Leona fainted in church this morning. Henry and family were all here for dinner. Ed Pabst was here a little while this evening. Today is Turner picnic in Smithton. Good many Hecker folks went there for the dance in the evening.
Saturday, July 5, 1930
Today there is homecoming in New Athens. This evening we went out to Henry’s a little while, they are going to thrash Monday morning. I saw in the paper that Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Koch have the blessing of a little boy since last Thursday. They now have a boy and a girl. Mr. [and Mrs.] Jacob Miller celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary on July 2.
Friday, July 4, 1930
Today we can eat meat. We are thrashing this morning again. We had spring chicken for dinner. We thrashed 139 bu. of wheat. Kuhns thrashed altogether 2300 bu. This evening we all went out to Henry’s. Gus Geodelle and family, Conrad Geodelle and family, Miss Hilda Klube & boyfriend, Mr. Fred Lindes & mother were all there. They played music, accordion, violin, guitar. Today you can see all kinds of fireworks. Papa & Rosalia fixed fences this afternoon. There is picnic in Columbia, picnic & fish fry in Oak Grove Park, one in Belleville, and a good many other places.
Thursday, July 3, 1930
Today is Willard Gambach’s birthday. Had he lived until today, he would have been 27 years old. Today is also Ralph Ettling’s birthday. I heard they were going to celebrate it tonight with a dance. But we are not invited. I send a check to the Athens Lumber Co. this morning for sewer pipes amounting to $15.40. The thrashing machine came here about 4 o’clock this evening. They didn’t finish here yet. We got 108 bu. so far. We got one load tomorrow morning. We were all out at Ettlings this evening. We sure did have a good time. We came home at 2 o’clock. Cake and beer were plentiful. They had fireworks.
Wednesday, July 2, 1930
Today is Hy. Armstutz’s birthday. Him and Mr. Gambach tend the store. I send a letter to the Auto Ins. Co. for the Chev. $7.18. Kuhus started thrashing today. Tomorrow they will be over at Ed Mengs. Rosalia and Bertille went out to Henry’s this afternoon and took a few things along out from the store what she needed for thrashing. This evening Papa, Rosalia, Bertille went out to Henry’s to see about thrashing. Geodell’s family from Waterloo were also there. We helped Leona string and cut beans for to can. Bertille was up at church this morning.
Tuesday, July 1, 1930
Rosalia & Bertille washed today. Papa is setting posts. Joe Schilling thrashed 900 bu. wheat today. Rosalia & Bertille went out to Henry’s this evening a little while. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up a little while this evening. Rosalia clipped their necks for them. Uncle Fred, Aunt Mary, Rosalia & Bertille went down to the cemetery to see the Gambach’s graves. They are all decorated with flowers. Eichenseers were also down there. Papa was over at Ed. Mengs and then he came up to the store. The day when Gambach brothers got buried, they say that Father Grootens was also in their church too. On June 27 is also Steve Rennecker’s birthday, the same day the Gambach’s died.
Monday, June 30, 1930
Bertille went to church this morning. It is also raining this morning again. This afternoon the Gambach brothers are getting buried in one hole side by side. Mrs. Gambach said they died together, they should stay together & be buried together. We all went to the funeral this afternoon, it was the largest ever had in Hecker. So many pretty flowers. They had 2 florist wagons to haul the flowers to the cemetery. It was an awful sad case. Mrs. George Gambach and Mrs. Henry Gambach & Mildred Stiffler, they just hollered & cried something terrible. The parents bought a big bouquet of flowers for each one. Mrs. Hy. Gambach bought one with “My Dear Husband” written on it. We all went to Freeburg this evening & got some steel posts. We saw the graves as we went by. It was just decorated all over with flowers. Their coffins cost $700. a piece. They was put in concrete vaults. They took the picture of them coffins when they was in the undertaking wagon. The Y.P.L. walked down in front of the hearsts all the way to the church. And also the pall bearers walked along side of the hearsts. The ball bearers for Henry were- Harry & Elmer Kammler, Mrs. Gambach’s brother, Louis & Fred Armstutz, & another fellow I didn’t know him. For Willard was, Henry Spalt, Henry Siegand, Werner Kammler, Kenneth Kemp, Flossie Kammler’s brother, Henry Emery.
Sunday, June 29, 1930
Papa & Rosalia went to first mass this morning. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary & Papa went in to Gambach’s this morning. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary was at our house for dinner today. After dinner we all went up to Eichenseer’s corner and stood around there awhile. Rosalia & Mamie & Angela & Bertille went up to see the new school. It rained this evening. There were an awful lot of people going in and out over at Gambach’s this afternoon. Grace Axley was also up here.
Saturday, June 28, 1930
We all went in to Waterloo & through Red Bud home this afternoon. Henry Kammler was to have his dance tonight but it is postponed on account of the deaths of the Gambach’s. It is in all the paper’s about the accident that happened with the 2 boys. It was just 43 years ago that George Gambach’s sister got drowned. Odillo Eichensser & Rudolph Rausch were here this evening & looking for ball grounds. Rosalia & Bertille & Mamie Eichenseer went over to see Gambach’s this evening. They sure do look nice. Mrs. George Gambach takes it awful hard & also Lela Deuker [Denker?]. She was going with Willard. There were 5 machines, florists that brought flowers.
Friday, June 27, 1930
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Hecker baseball team played with Prairie boys last Sunday. Hecker won 4-11. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up this afternoon. Uncle Fred helped Papa fix wire fence. We finished our dresses this afternoon. They was here for supper. Henry & Leona went to Belleville this afternoon. They left the kids here. The most terrible thing happened this afternoon about 2 o’clock. The two Gambach’s Henry & Willard died. They was trying to clean a well out. There was some gas got in the well & the water taste, so they got the fellows that put the gas tanks in the ground to come to dig it out to see if it was a leak, but they said none of them had a leak, so they don’t know how the gas got in the well. Henry went down first to get a bucketful out, and when he came out he said, that his breathe pretty near got taken away from the smell of gas. But he went down in the well again, but failed to come back up alive. Then Willard wanted to save Henry’s life, then he too was taken [in] there. Henry Emery went down, but he couldn’t stand it either. They had to pull him up with a rope & he also was unconscious. They rolled him around until he got to himself then he was alright. They sent for men from Belleville but they couldn’t do no good so they full around until they got the rope around him & then pulled him out. Willard they got out about 1/2 hour but Henry was in almost 2 hours. Henry was 32 years old. Willard was to be 27 on July 2. They took them to the undertaking parlor at Belleville by Gundlach’s and will bring them out Sat. afternoon. Mrs. George Gambach is so worried, she is some time gone all together. Uncle Fred, Papa, Aunt Mary, Rosalia all went up to see them pull him out of the well.
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