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
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.
Tuesday, June 24, 1930
Papa went down to Red Bud to get some lumber this morning. Hy. Armstutz is cutting oats today. Nick Schaefer is on the binder (?) and Hy. & Arthur are shocking. It was in today’s paper that Mr. & Mrs. Colonel Lindbergh have a little son born last Sunday at 3:15 p.m. They didn’t know what they was going to called it yet. Some said “Charles Augustus” and others said “Charles Morrow” in honor of the grandfather. It will be in tomorrows paper what they are going to call it. Papa is setting fence posts this afternoon. “Dick” Stahlebher & John Wertz were here at noon hour & John wanted to look at our little leghorn chick. He was going to talk to his papa about them once and would (let) us know later. He is working over at Meng’s today, hauling mist. Rosalia & Bertille went out to Henry’s this evening to water the horses. Henry & Emil are cutting oats. After supper we all went out to set posts. We had spring chicken for dinner today. It sure was good.
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.
Sunday, June 22, 1930
Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary, Henry’s family were all up this morning. This afternoon Papa, Rosalia & Bertille drove down to Wm. A. Voges to see about some pigs. We talked with Irene that long. She told us that Kunkelmann’s had a dance Sat. nite and that Hy. Hillsman is to have one over at Fayetteville to-night. The bunch from Hecker, 40 of them, was going over in Clarence Braun’s truck. We went out to George Schilling’s this evening & took their sacks back again. We stopped at Henry’s but nobody was at home so we came back home again. In the evening Mamie & Angela Eichenseer came down. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary went to Red Bud to Irene Buehler’s birthday. They stopped in here when they came back. Irene was 8 years old today. Today it is so hot it is 104 under porches in the shade.
Saturday, June 21, 1930
Today is longest day of the year. Rosalia took Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary home this morning. Then when she came back Papa & Rosalia went out to Henry’s to get some wire. After dinner we all took a sleep. Then we went to Waterloo. In the evening we went to the cemetery and cleaned that. It is so hot today, it is 80 in the shade.
Friday, June 20, 1930
Papa went up town this morning. Rosalia was up at Mamie Eichenseers this afternoon and got one of her dress patterns. She brought our umbrella along back. They got it fixed up now. The men are going to work in the quarry again today. Fr. Grootens called on Uncle Fred to come to the new school and work today. He was afraid it was going to rain so Rosalia went out there and brought them along back. Then Uncle Fred and Papa went to work at the school all day. Henry & family came up this afternoon. Henry & Leona went to Belleville and the kids stayed here. Aunt Mary & Bobby carried lunch up to the men working, to Uncle Fred and Papa. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary had dinner, supper & breakfast with us. Clarence Wagner was down a little while this evening or this afternoon playing with Bobby. This evening Mamie, Angela Eichenseer & Mrs. Joe Wachtel came here to get us. Then we all went up to Kammler’s Hall and celebrated Odillo Eichenseer’s birthday. There were quite a few people there – Gus Blackburn, Uncle Fred, Karl Boll, Hy. Rausch & Ralph Rausch furnished the music. Gus Blackburn charged $3.00. They had 8 cakes baked. We sure had a good time! Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary stayed all night at our house. There is going to be a dance at Rapp’s next Wed., but we got no invitation.
Wednesday, June 18, 1930
Rosalia & Bertille went out to Uncle Fred’s this morning to pick dewberries. We picked about 2 gallons. We canned 2 gls. today and made the rest is jelly. We took Aunt Mary’s curtains along home and washed them for her. We had lunch out there this morning. Kuhus brothers started cutting wheat in our field this afternoon. Mr. Kuhus is sick in bed with rheumatism. Yesterday was Ike Napiers birthday, but they didn’t have no dance. This evening Kuhus brother-in-law was here and looked at our little leghorn chick. Uncle Fred and Aunt Mary were also here. Papa went out a little while to help Kuhus shock wheat. Pete Wachtel and Louis Armstutz, Uncle Fred helped a little while this evening too. Papa and Uncle Fred went up to the new school this evening to get some benches. Uncle Fred took 2 of them. Aunt Mary, Rosalia, Bertille went over to Mrs. Rennecker. She showed up her garden. They finished fixing the church steeple today.
Monday, June 16, 1930
Bertille was at church this morning. Papa went along with Eichenseer to Belleville to haul desks out to the new school this morning. Bertille took 3 doz. eggs to the store & got .19¢ a doz. The price of springs [chicken] at the store is .25¢ for the heaviest ones. Papa, Rosalia, Bertille, Mamie Eichenseer, Aunt Mary, we all went to Belleville this afternoon. Rosalia & Bertille got new dresses and also got caps. We were also by a fellow named Smith to see a Jersey Heifer between Smithton & Freeburg. Aunt Mary came along up to Hecker with us. We did our work up then we went out to Uncle Fred’s for supper.
Sunday, June 15, 1930
Leona came up for church by herself this morn. Henry stayed at home and watched the kids, then he went to Waterloo to late mass & brought Jake Geodell’s family along out. Leona had to cook dinner for them. Uncle Fred and Aunt Mary were here for dinner today, they brought some peas & beans, dewberries along up. It rained this afternoon & then they ran for home. Mamie Eichenseer came down a little while this evening until it was time to go to church, then Rosalia, Bertille, Mamie went up to church. It rained this evening again a little. There were 2 St. Franciscans Sisters here, one was Rosa Kaiser. Today the Hecker baseball team played with New Athens. Hecker won 3 to 4. The ball players went coming back from New Athens they slipped in the ditch by Jake Klein’s and tore the mailbox off.
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