This story was written by my grandmother, Josephine Krebeck Brown, relating her trip to Kansas with her sister in 1903 and her subsequent life on the farm.
It must have been quite an adventure.
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It must have been quite an adventure.
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My Trip – To Kansas in 1903
I was 15 years old when my father bought a farm in Kansas. We came to White City Kansas on the Union Pacific railroad and then on to Emporia Kans on the old Katy. We arrived in Emporia about 3 o’clock us four girls.
Mary, Agnes, Rose & myself. There a well dressed man stepped up to us and asked if we were the Krebeck girls. Tho’ at first we saw men calling taxi, taiie (?) and I thought it was a public sale. It was the first train ride I remember.
So this Mr. Warren took us to a big surrey with a driver and pretty horses and took us to his big home on State St. We were treated royally and given two big rooms on the second floor. The windows were draped with lovely curtains and the beds had silk comforters on and gorgeous spreads.
We were asked to freshen up for dinner by the maid which of course was supper to us. Then were invited to the living room and asked to entertain ourselves until dinner was served. At 6 o’clock we were set up to a damasked covered table with linen napkins and a bountiful spread. To this day I don’t know what we had to eat. Our plates were served to us and of course we were not allowed to help with the dishes and repaired to the living room to rest at leisure until bed time.
Our sister Mary had all she could do to keep us quiet and presentable.
For breakfast the next morning we had a dry cereal and we were from the farm. Us four girls we poured the milk on like nobody’s business. The maid had to fill the milk pitcher twice we then we noticed the rest of the family only took enough milk to moisten their cereal.
The next morning on Mar. 16 we were to go out to the farm our father had bought 5 miles south of Emporia which is now highway 99. Was it different then? Well it wasn’t paved. There were ruts over a foot deep all thru the bottom land and we jogged up and down and often got out and walked so the horses could pull the surrey out of a rut.
Our father and two brothers Ed and Frank came through on a freight train with the stock and implements with a neighbor who was helping. Us girls called him apple sauce caused he liked apple sauce so well.
They were out at the farm getting things unloaded and arranged.
It was a great large house with four bedrooms up stairs and one down, a nice large kitchen big dining room and living room which we called the “parlor” in those days. A nice pantry and huge basement under the whole house.
Our dad always he was going to have one room for a “jabber room” because we all talked so much. Of course we had a circus the first night tearing thru the whole house and picking out our rooms.
There was a lovely pond on the west side of the yard which could be plainly seen from the house and was very pretty.
When my birthday came the first year on the 16th of July my brothers threw me in the pond fully dressed. And then came and fished me out. We were quite popular at dances and literary’s (?) because there were four of us and we were new in the community. We had lovely times at the old school house and of course were a little foolish at times like most of us.
I remember so well one incident there was to be a big program at school Rose and Frank attended this school. Agnes and I were getting new dresses and wanted to look nice & wanted them to stand out so we took some heavy material and starched it real stiff so they would rattle when we walked like taffeta silk. They didn’t have cars, cause (?) those days. We worked all day ironing them with old fashioned flat irons. We were I guess just as foolish as the girls of today only we had to work harder to get it.
Well as time went on I met my “Real Man” at a dance a guy named Jake Brown. Of course I fell hard and I guess he did too but his folks didn’t like me much because I didn’t have any mother, and I didn’t know anything so we had quite a tie and only met as church for a long time. He finally got to come on horse back so we sure couldn’t go anywhere and then only twice a month.
Jake had saved some money and bought a horse and top buggy so one day we took a ride on Sunday afternoon and went through Emporia he decided to take me into the Mit-Way hotel to eat supper. The waiter came to take our order and I looked at the menu and always loved hot baking powder biscuits saw shredded wheat biscuits on the order sheet and ordered shredded wheat biscuits. I really had never seen any, of course the waiter brought them and I ate them but really left pretty cheap.
Often he would hitch up his horse and be ready to start and his father would come to the barn and unhitch the horse and put it away. I at home would look in vain until about 10 o’clock then decide I just as well go up.
Finally on Apr 10 1907 we were married at St. Josephs Chat Church at Olpe, Kansas and moved to a little farm west of Olpe which then belonged to a Mrs. Conly. She was very nice land lord and helped us a lot and liked us also. She had a sister Mrs. John Langley they came out to see us at times and we were very happy.
My father took sick and the other girls had married and Mary had gone to the convent so we had to go back to the old home place and keep house for dad & the boys.
After a couple of years my father sold 80 acres of land and we built a little new house with a one room basement it was very cozy and nice & we loved it. We dug a deep old well with oceans of water that was hard as a brick.
Helen was born there in 1908. We were very happy with our little daughter and first child. We lived there 2 years then Jakes health failed some & the Dr. said he shouldn’t work in the hot sun. He bought a hard ware store with two other partners the Maddock Bros and run it for a few years. He then went into the real estate business.
We then had bought property in the east part of town and there another little girl was born, Veronica in 1913. We only to keep her three short years she was taken away on her birthday 1916 Aug 8. In Jan 1917 another little girl was sent to us Mary Catherine. To brighten our lonely home she was delicate and needed a lot of care.
In 1918 Jacob Jr. came just at the close of the First World War. We had a few hard years and hard times then sold our home in town and moved to the Francis Rosslion home north of town. Things seemed to get better for awhile and we were happy again and getting along in the world.
In 1920 Virginia came to us our last little girl.
In 1922 Norbert was born Feb 22.
Justin came in 1924 May 21
Francis arrived in 1926 Mar 21
Harry R. in Sept 28 1927
Our last baby boy.
We all had many good times together and of course some trials we never had a lot of this worlds goods but always seemed to get along and get all the children through school.God was good to us and our family and seemed we had only the one great tragedy. Then after the family had grown the 2nd world war came along and the grasshoppers siege of 1936.
In 1943 we moved to Hartford Kansas.
All the boys went into service and all the girls’ husbands except Helens and they had a family. They all came back for which we were always thankful. Time went on and one by one the children had gone into their own home as it should be. Except Harry who is not married and at present is umpiring for class A in western league baseball.
In 1954 July 14 Jake went to his eternal reward and I am now alone in our home in Hartford except a few months every year when Harry is home.
I had prayed often in my younger days that “Our Dear Lord” would spare us to one another until our little family was grown I feel my prayers were answered and I still have much to be thankful for my home and the pleasure of seeing my children prosper.
Mother
Josephine Krebeck
Josephine Krebeck Born July 16, 1886
At Blue Springs, Nebr.
Mother Mary Frietag
Father Joseph Krebeck
Jacob Brown born Feb 1 1881
Mother Barbara Wagner
Father Nicholas Brown
I was 15 years old when my father bought a farm in Kansas. We came to White City Kansas on the Union Pacific railroad and then on to Emporia Kans on the old Katy. We arrived in Emporia about 3 o’clock us four girls.
Mary, Agnes, Rose & myself. There a well dressed man stepped up to us and asked if we were the Krebeck girls. Tho’ at first we saw men calling taxi, taiie (?) and I thought it was a public sale. It was the first train ride I remember.
So this Mr. Warren took us to a big surrey with a driver and pretty horses and took us to his big home on State St. We were treated royally and given two big rooms on the second floor. The windows were draped with lovely curtains and the beds had silk comforters on and gorgeous spreads.
We were asked to freshen up for dinner by the maid which of course was supper to us. Then were invited to the living room and asked to entertain ourselves until dinner was served. At 6 o’clock we were set up to a damasked covered table with linen napkins and a bountiful spread. To this day I don’t know what we had to eat. Our plates were served to us and of course we were not allowed to help with the dishes and repaired to the living room to rest at leisure until bed time.
Our sister Mary had all she could do to keep us quiet and presentable.
For breakfast the next morning we had a dry cereal and we were from the farm. Us four girls we poured the milk on like nobody’s business. The maid had to fill the milk pitcher twice we then we noticed the rest of the family only took enough milk to moisten their cereal.
The next morning on Mar. 16 we were to go out to the farm our father had bought 5 miles south of Emporia which is now highway 99. Was it different then? Well it wasn’t paved. There were ruts over a foot deep all thru the bottom land and we jogged up and down and often got out and walked so the horses could pull the surrey out of a rut.
Our father and two brothers Ed and Frank came through on a freight train with the stock and implements with a neighbor who was helping. Us girls called him apple sauce caused he liked apple sauce so well.
They were out at the farm getting things unloaded and arranged.
It was a great large house with four bedrooms up stairs and one down, a nice large kitchen big dining room and living room which we called the “parlor” in those days. A nice pantry and huge basement under the whole house.
Our dad always he was going to have one room for a “jabber room” because we all talked so much. Of course we had a circus the first night tearing thru the whole house and picking out our rooms.
There was a lovely pond on the west side of the yard which could be plainly seen from the house and was very pretty.
When my birthday came the first year on the 16th of July my brothers threw me in the pond fully dressed. And then came and fished me out. We were quite popular at dances and literary’s (?) because there were four of us and we were new in the community. We had lovely times at the old school house and of course were a little foolish at times like most of us.
I remember so well one incident there was to be a big program at school Rose and Frank attended this school. Agnes and I were getting new dresses and wanted to look nice & wanted them to stand out so we took some heavy material and starched it real stiff so they would rattle when we walked like taffeta silk. They didn’t have cars, cause (?) those days. We worked all day ironing them with old fashioned flat irons. We were I guess just as foolish as the girls of today only we had to work harder to get it.
Well as time went on I met my “Real Man” at a dance a guy named Jake Brown. Of course I fell hard and I guess he did too but his folks didn’t like me much because I didn’t have any mother, and I didn’t know anything so we had quite a tie and only met as church for a long time. He finally got to come on horse back so we sure couldn’t go anywhere and then only twice a month.
Jake had saved some money and bought a horse and top buggy so one day we took a ride on Sunday afternoon and went through Emporia he decided to take me into the Mit-Way hotel to eat supper. The waiter came to take our order and I looked at the menu and always loved hot baking powder biscuits saw shredded wheat biscuits on the order sheet and ordered shredded wheat biscuits. I really had never seen any, of course the waiter brought them and I ate them but really left pretty cheap.
Often he would hitch up his horse and be ready to start and his father would come to the barn and unhitch the horse and put it away. I at home would look in vain until about 10 o’clock then decide I just as well go up.
Finally on Apr 10 1907 we were married at St. Josephs Chat Church at Olpe, Kansas and moved to a little farm west of Olpe which then belonged to a Mrs. Conly. She was very nice land lord and helped us a lot and liked us also. She had a sister Mrs. John Langley they came out to see us at times and we were very happy.
My father took sick and the other girls had married and Mary had gone to the convent so we had to go back to the old home place and keep house for dad & the boys.
After a couple of years my father sold 80 acres of land and we built a little new house with a one room basement it was very cozy and nice & we loved it. We dug a deep old well with oceans of water that was hard as a brick.
Helen was born there in 1908. We were very happy with our little daughter and first child. We lived there 2 years then Jakes health failed some & the Dr. said he shouldn’t work in the hot sun. He bought a hard ware store with two other partners the Maddock Bros and run it for a few years. He then went into the real estate business.
We then had bought property in the east part of town and there another little girl was born, Veronica in 1913. We only to keep her three short years she was taken away on her birthday 1916 Aug 8. In Jan 1917 another little girl was sent to us Mary Catherine. To brighten our lonely home she was delicate and needed a lot of care.
In 1918 Jacob Jr. came just at the close of the First World War. We had a few hard years and hard times then sold our home in town and moved to the Francis Rosslion home north of town. Things seemed to get better for awhile and we were happy again and getting along in the world.
In 1920 Virginia came to us our last little girl.
In 1922 Norbert was born Feb 22.
Justin came in 1924 May 21
Francis arrived in 1926 Mar 21
Harry R. in Sept 28 1927
Our last baby boy.
We all had many good times together and of course some trials we never had a lot of this worlds goods but always seemed to get along and get all the children through school.God was good to us and our family and seemed we had only the one great tragedy. Then after the family had grown the 2nd world war came along and the grasshoppers siege of 1936.
In 1943 we moved to Hartford Kansas.
All the boys went into service and all the girls’ husbands except Helens and they had a family. They all came back for which we were always thankful. Time went on and one by one the children had gone into their own home as it should be. Except Harry who is not married and at present is umpiring for class A in western league baseball.
In 1954 July 14 Jake went to his eternal reward and I am now alone in our home in Hartford except a few months every year when Harry is home.
I had prayed often in my younger days that “Our Dear Lord” would spare us to one another until our little family was grown I feel my prayers were answered and I still have much to be thankful for my home and the pleasure of seeing my children prosper.
Mother
Josephine Krebeck
Josephine Krebeck Born July 16, 1886
At Blue Springs, Nebr.
Mother Mary Frietag
Father Joseph Krebeck
Jacob Brown born Feb 1 1881
Mother Barbara Wagner
Father Nicholas Brown