Sunday, January 31, 2010

Erma West's Journal - Post 7 - Childhood

I don’t remember anything about my real father, my mother was quite and never spoke about him. She seemed quite bitter after divorcing him.

My mother was very particular, a neat housekeeper. Every week the windows, woodwork, chairs had to be washed, the floors had to be scrubbed. She would do all the baking for Sunday and us kids did the cleaning. I can’t ever remember my mother spanking me –she scolded me if I was naughty.

I was born May 3, 1899, it was a Wednesday, in Junction City, Oregon. I was named Herminia Pohl. I always hated the name, when I was older I shortened it to Erma.

My mother was Catholic and 2 of my brothers and 2 sisters were baptized but my brother Frank and I were not baptized. So when I got older, they used to hold church in the school house, I would go there. It was Methodist.

About 1919 my husband, the children and I were baptized in the Methodist Church in Woonsocket, So Dakota. We had a nice minister Rev Shear.

(Page 10 was blank)
(Date: Feb 9, 1976, Page 11)
Some what a repeat of previous history. I will try to write a few things about my life, as I can remember it.

I was born in Junction City Oregon, May 3 1899. Christined by my mother Hermina Pohl. Living with my mother, father and 2 half sisters Mary and Agnes Hlavka, 1 half brother Robert Jelensky, and a full brother Frank Pohl.

While at that time I do not remember too much except a few incidents, like having a little red rocker. When I was rocking one day I fell forward one day and burned the palms of both hands. Also my brother and I and some playmates use to play that we were making medicine – by putting water and milk in bottles and shaking it.

When I was 2 yrs old my mother and father separated. Mother took us children and went back to So Dakota to live with my grandparents Bart and Theresa Ruml, where she lived before going to Oregon. We lived with them about 3 yrs.

My grandmother raised red turkeys, seems when I went out to play the old gobbler would chase me. I would run and climb in the wagon and scream to be rescued. My grandmother passed away Oct 16, 1904. She was 68 yrs and 1 day.

After that my mother with the help of relatives and neighbors, built a house, barn and granery on some land that she owned, left to her by her first husband Hlavka, about 5 miles from where my grandparents lived. Not too long after my sister Agnes (16 yrs) married Henry Newman. They had 3 boys Raymond, Harry and Edward. I often spent a few weeks with them, to help my sister with them, when they were babies, which I loved to do. I was not too much older than they were. They seem more like brothers instead of nephews. I started school one mile from home with my brother Frank. We lived on a farm enjoying it and were happy. I developed inflammatory rheumatism, so they called it then, when I was about 6 yrs old. I was bedfast for weeks. (Page 12) I couldn’t even walk. My mother made a bed on 4 chairs in the dining room, and would carry me out there day time and back to bed at night.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Erma West's Journal - Post 6 - Schools

My first school was in Letcher, So Dakota. I was 6 yrs when I started. I think it was called the Steckel School. All the grades were in the one room country school. When my mother married the old goat Hainy, we moved to Wessington springs to his home, and I went to another country school. There was no kindergarten. We started right in first grade or primary as it was called. One of my teachers was Zell Messerve. She roomed at our place. I had to walk a mile to school both places. I remember during recess we would play “Pom Pom Pull Away”, “Freeze Ball”, or “Fox and Geese” when there was snow. We use to have programs some times and the ladys would bring box lunches which were decorated (Page 8) with crepe paper and flowers on top and a yummy lunch inside. They were auctioned off. The men would buy them so who ever bought you’re basket would be your partner for the lunch. The money would go to the school to buy things which were needed.

When I made the trip to Dakota with Mel and the boys, Bonny Dankey, the boy that bought my basket said he was so bashful, that he didn’t dare say a word the whole time we were eating.

We use to have dances, usually they were in the house. They would clear out the dinning room. Every on had quite a large room and we would dance. In the summer time they would clean out the hay loft in the barn and there – that was fun. There were no dances at the schools – in the one room with all the desks there wasn’t any room to dance.

It was called grade school up to the 8th grade. I went through the 8th grade in Hinckley, Minnesota. I moved there with my sister Agnes and family and graduated there from the 8th grade.

I took a course in Cosmatology and was going to go to beauty school (This was after I was married) but my husband took ill and I had to go to work. I worked at the “Famous Department Store” on 5th and Main in L.A. then at Sears on Vermont and Uauson, so never did go to school. I even had my uniform and had enrolled.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Happy Birthday


Friday, January 8, 2010

Erma West's Journal - Post 5 - California

(New home in California)
The next home was California. Melvin was 9 and Phyllis 7 years. We lived with my brother a couple of weeks until we found and rented a place on Record St. and stayed there a few months. Then rented a house from Angie Davis (My brother Frank went to California when he was 16 yrs.). It had 2 bedrooms, living room, dining room and kitchen. Melvin slept on a cot in the living room. It was a regular house a few blocks from the one a Record St. It was on Alma St. Angie had built a small apt across the back of it where she lived. She used to take me for drives when the children were in school. We became real good friends – which continued until she died at age 104 yrs.

From there we moved downtown where my brother Frank bought the O’Henry Van & Storage. He wanted me to come up and keep books and tend the office. There was an apartment back of the office where we lived. My husband Elmer worked for Bekins Van and Storage.

From there we moved to a place on Crawford St. From there we moved to 114 94th St. still in Los Angeles to a small house. After a year we moved to 120 84th (Page 7) which was next door. [It was] a larger and better house and a nice double garage and big yard for the children. There was a sun room on the back of the house, which was Melvin's room. He went to Bret Hart Junior High and Fremont High school while we lived in those two houses. That is about the time that Elmer and I separated - I moved up to Gage Ave into a little court. Both the children were married so I was alone. I was about 35 years old then. After that I moved over to my cousins and rented a bedroom. I stored my furniture in their garage. I wasn't there too long, just a few months. From there I moved to 52nd St to a duplex. Mr. and Mrs. Pete Wilson were my land lords. When Chuck was sent to Korea, I moved to Downey to be with Phyllis and Children. When he came back I moved back to Huntington Park. I was working at Moran's Drapery Store. The land lord raised our rent from $55.00 a month to $70.00 a month so Ruth my next door neighbor and I both moved to a place on Broadway St. From there I moved back to Huntington Park on Templeton St. I quit Moran’s and went to work for Bruce Hill Drapery store in Glendale. While there I took 2 weeks off and flew to Hawaii to visit Phyllis and family.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Erma West's Journal - Post 4 - Marriage

(The picture was taken shortly after their marriage)

I met my husband Elmer West while I worked at Kutils – he came there to husk corn – him and his brother Art. That was in the fall and we were married April 4, 1917. We lived in a house, where his father and brother and Uncle lived. We shut off part off the house and had a large living and dining room, a small kitchen and a small bedroom. We lived there about 2 years. Melvin (Jan. 15, 1918) was born there. He was a small baby when we moved 10 or 12 miles to the Personous place we had a bigger home – 2 bedrooms, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen. We bought more new furniture. I had a kitchen cabinet (Page 6) with a roll down front, a monarch cook range, a dresser and a bed – in the living room I had a du-o fold sofa of leather which could be let down to make a bed. I had a table and chairs, round oak table, the stove was a wood stove with oven and a warming oven on top and a reservoir at one end for keeping water hot.

Melvin was about 1 year when we moved there and Phyllis was born there Aug 14, 1919. There were 2 bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, a small kitchen and a basement like root cellar. We had a big red barn there and a pump house where the pump was. I did my washing out there.


(Picture - Melvin at 4 1/2 and Phyllis at 3)

Melvin was in school when we moved closer to town and rented another home about 3 miles from town. It was a bigger house – 2 bedrooms upstairs and a bedroom, living room, dining room and kitchen downstairs. It was a wood frame house. “The Davis farm”.

Erma West's Journal - Post 3 - Ran Away

(Page 5) My mother came over and gave me some money to get on the train to go to my sister Agnes place in Letcher. I lived there with them for quite a while a number of years. Now wait a minute I wasn't 15 when I ran away because I was 15 when they moved to Minnesota and I went with them. My sister Mary was living in St. Paul, Minnesota and they dropped me off there, and I lived with her and her husband Ed and worked my first job. I worked in a rooming house, cleaning and helping in the kitchen. Mrs. Temple kept roomers and boarders when school started in the fall. I went down to Hinckley, Minnesota to live with Agnes and family and went to school there. My nephews seemed more like brothers to me than nephews - because I lived with them so long - and raised with them, and I wasn't much older than them. When my mother took sick, I went back to So. Dakota. and took care of her – I didn't stay at the house much as there was a neighbor lady expecting a baby, I went to work for her – I was there when her baby was born her husband wasn't home. During that time my mother passed away – Sept. 16, 1916. After that I went to Woonsocket and lived with friends of hers by the name of Rude and Rose Kutil and worked in Woonsocket at the merchants Hotel waiting table. While my mother was sick I would go over each evening and sit with her – she could not lay down, had to sit up in bed so she could breathe. She had Dropsey and would fill up with water. Then also my sister Agnes and her youngest boy Edward came and stayed there also.