Erma West's Journal - Post 10 - Phyllis to California

The winter of 1919 when the influenza was so bad so many people died. Elmer got it and had pneumonia. We got a nurse that stayed at the house, Dr. Templeton took Melvin then a baby into town to Uncle Charley’s and Aunt Ada’s home to take care of him so he wouldn’t get it. He did but they didn’t tell me at the time until later. As I was pregnant with Phyllis – everybody thought it was me, why the nurse was there for as so many pregnant women were dying.

That spring we moved to the Personus farm which was about 4 miles from there – into a 2 bedroom home which we needed as that summer Aug 14, 1919 our second baby was born. Arlene Phyllis West weighed 8 ½ lbs, she was a chubby happy baby. (Page 15) Dr Kidd delivered her. We lived on the Personus farm about 5 or 6 yrs. Oe’s, Dankeys and Neilsons and Tollefsons were our neighbors. One year we made hay with the Oe’s. We would pack our lunch and stay all day – as it was quite a jaunt from home. We took the 2 babies with us. We had a black horse named “Casey” which I rode a good deal – and fell off a few times , as he would shy when something scared him like a piece of paper or a dog would just [jump] out of the ditch or weeds.

In the winter Oe’s use to get together evenings once a week and play cards. The losing side had to furnish the oyster stew for refreshments. From there we moved to the Davis farm, 4 miles south of Woonsocket – still in the same neighborhood. Melvin and Phyllis went to school 1 mile distance to walk. Only, when it was snowing too hard their dad would take them in the bob sled. Melvin got measles and was real sick. I got them from him also was real sick. Phyllis had them very light.

I went to Marathon, Iowa one winter taking the children with me to visit the Newman family. Was there 2 weeks. I enjoyed her so much and the boys enjoyed Melvin and Phyllis.

A few years later Agnes died. She had a heart attack right in the Doctors office and dropped dead. She just worked too hard. They were in the midst of moving – from one farm to another. That was in March.

When the drought and dust storms hit the Dakotas we had an auction sale and went to Los Angeles – where my brother Frank and family were also. Mary and Ed and cousin Margaret and Joe. My brother Robert went just before we did.

Elmer worked in the oil field for a while then he got a job with Bekins Van and Storage where he worked (Page16) for a number of years.

In the summer time – Frank and Cynthia – Mary and Ed – Margaret and Joe and Harold Svoboda (cousins) use to rent a cabin at Seal Beach and stayed to swim over week ends or holidays – it was fun.