Sommerer Family Website

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uncle mahlon

Uncle Mahlon has moved to a nursing home

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Uncle Lloyd wanted me to let you know that Uncle Mahlon moved into a retirement community in Higginsville this week. I’m sure you will all want to stop by and say hello, but the staff has requested that we wait a couple of weeks so that Uncle Mahlon has time to adjust and learn the staff members. You might have noticed the last time you talked to him that Uncle Mahlon can have trouble remembering things.

I don’t really have any other details, but I’m sure Uncle Mahlon and Aunt Mary Lynn would appreciate you keeping them in your prayers during this time of transition.

Uncle Mahlon’s Sory (part 10)

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As children we had several chores but I remembers all work was work and so there was really no chore which was the worst. I does recall how picking tobacco was less than desirable. Picking tobacco was awful because your hands would get so sticky you couldn’t even get your own fist undone. The sap from the tobacco was like glue.

During World War II all young boys went into the service and started smoking. The first year father had a tobacco allotment with no government support. We planted and harvested 12.5 acres which is one thousands hours of labor. The government put a supply price on the tobacco the next year and received five hundred dollar profit off of the tobacco produced. Tobacco was a big portion of our family income. We would dry it in the barn across boards and had to make hot beds. We would go through the forest with a team of horses and make a brush pile. The brush pile would be burned to make heat in order to kill the seeds in early spring. After the brush pile was made and burned off, one tablespoon of seeds were put into a gallon of ashes. This would be mixed up and spread smoothly. We would take the gallon of ashes and line with poles covered in cheesecloth to prevent frost and birds from affecting the tobacco supply.

Uncle Mahlon’s Story (part 8)

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At five years old in the Salma’s Place, I can remember our house having linoleum floors and the house needed some renovation. A man came in who was an electrician. He would ask me for help because I was small enough to crawl into small holes. Later we moved to a different house, but the same electrician came back to do more work and I can remember following him around and helping out as needed. This work intrigued me, which led to my interest as an electrician in and out of the service.

One day I was crying and a white, female German Shepard came over and I thought it was stray dog from Jefferson City. So, I went and gathered some food for the dog. The dog stayed around for the next two to three years and I eventually named her Birdie. Birdie was always chasing squirrels, rabbits, and opossums. I often went hunting and was only allocated one bullet per animal and if I ever killed something, I was expected to eat it. I would catch animals in a box trap, bring it home for mother to fix it, and keep the skin. If the animal caught was not optimal for eating such as a opossum (which was very greasy), you would release it. All hamburger ate was a real treat because we had to grind it. One time I had brought home a opossum because I shot it, so in order to make it taste worthwhile mother ground the meat up and I loved it even though it was opossum. I liked to hunt because it put meat on the table.

Uncle Mahlon’s Story (part 7)

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Sundays after church from 12-5:30 or 6:00 was free time for the children. I often remembers finding a gunnysack when I would walk home from Brazito where a small country store was located. On way way to the store, I would pick up pop bottles and cash them in for a one of the following: 16oz bottle of pepsi for five cents, candy bar for five cents, or a sack of candy for ten cents. While on my way back I would walk on the opposite side of the road and pick up bottles for the next time I went to the store. The return price on a bottle was two cents. If I had leftover candy, I would share it with the smaller kids.

mo-cole-county-1904-map
The file says this map is from 1904. Lots of interesting details.

 

Uncle Mahlon’s Story (part 5)

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I did not know any of my siblings really well. They were all far enough apart, but I do remember some specific memories of a few. From oldest to youngest they are: Elizabeth, Lillian (Sis), Bud (Earhart), Felix, Marjorie, Vernon, Beatrice, Me, Cleopha, Lolly, Naomi, and Lloyd.

I don't think this has been on the website before. I don't have a larger version.
I don’t think this has been on the website before. I don’t have a larger version.

I remembers Elizabeth cleaned the house and took care of the siblings because she was the oldest. Once she moved to Saint Louis, Missouri, Elizabeth did the same things for other people as well. Elizabeth was grown up and moved out before I was born.

I remembered a time with Vernon when a neighbor gave a horse drawn wagon load of apples to our family. The apples were either bought or picked. To keep the apples fresh for a longer period of time, we had to dig a hole then line and cover the bottom with straw. After the straw, the hole was lined with tarpaper to waterproof it. Straw was then put on top of the tarpaper. When someone wanted an apple out of the hole you had to dig another hole to get back in, grab an apple, and then cover the hole back up with the dirt. Because of this system with the tarpaper and straw, the apples would not freeze, but would be kept fresh. Anytime work was done like this there were never tractors, but rather horses with manual plows.

I remembers Felix and Bud worked in the Civilian Conservation Core (CCC). This was a government program for boys who worked on rocks, bridges, and around cemeteries. The boys were allowed to keep half and the other half went to the boy’s parents.