Edwin Orthwein

I was born on the Orthwein homestead farm one mile straight north of Elery, Monroe Township, to Edwin and Mathilda Orthwein nee Rettig. It was "sure" a nice farm with its woods, creek, and lanes. The buildings set a way back from the road on a high spot, that seems to run kitty-cornered across several square miles. High spots were important in the ill drained Black Swamp. There are more stones and gravel here, and we often found Indian relics on this spot.

Before I went to school at 51/2 years, I had 2 little brothers, Kenneth and Robert. My mother was quite busy, and I spent a lot of time with my grandparents.

Starting school was something for a child all alone and Dad had to show me where the school was, Elery School, District No. 5 over one and a half miles away. After the first day, I had to go it alone, so when I got there late, I sure would be afraid to go in that schoolhouse and someone would hear me crying outside.

The big girls in school really helped me out; I guess I was their pet, and I'd sing for them. School there was lots of fun, and as I remember it, it always seemed to be Friday, time went so fast!

By the time I was 6 and in second grade, I had a little sister, Dorothy. The sixteenth of September that year I was just home from school playing with my pet chickens in the wood house when the barn was burning - and I didn't waste any time, but went right back to tell Dad who was farming with the horses way back by the woods. Some neighbors saw it before he did; when he did see it, he left the horses and ran. No one knew where I had gone.

My grandmother, Mary E. nee Fritz Orthwein, came over to sit by the window all night to watch for sparks. The west side of the house was badly blistered; some out buildings and trees ruined. I cried and said "Grandma, now we'll have to move." The worst thing in the world to me.

Grandpa Orthwein owned this farm then; this was during the Depression; 0, how I worried about fire and money after that.

Dad's Uncle Jake Orthwein of Hamler was the builder of the new hip- roofed barn. Dad said when Uncle Jake builds, he builds straight and so it was. The new barn was wired for electricity and so was the house then. I guess we didn't have much but lights, washing machine, and an iron. There was a little, old radio but it wasn't very good. lways got a daily paper, the Toledo News Bee, the Northwest News on Thursday and a few good magazines - Farm Journal, Country Gentleman, Ohio Farmer, Successful Farming. Some times we would be given Delineator or McCall's from which I loved to cut paper dolls.

Sears and Wards catalogs were endlessly looked at, and we'd even go through and pick out the thing on each page we liked best. And then make doll houses and paste pictures of furniture on the walls of them.

We didn't have much company; the main people we saw were our own relatives, so how do you get to know anyone else? When anyone strange would come, I'd run and hide in the stairway, behind the closed door and listen. I'd usually think that the reason that I hid was that I didn't look presentable.

We went to church and Sunday School at St. Pauls Lutheran Church, Flatrock Township. Reverend F. W. Horstman was pastor all of 25 years. There wasn't much extra at church those days, but we did have "Missionary" Sunday, a good Christmas program, for which we really practiced.

There was a building behind the church where we went to summer school for 6 weeks a summer. We often had to walk the 2 1/2 miles. There was Catechism, Bible History, and music all taught by the minister. He was strict, and believe me, there were no arts and crafts at his summer school. During regular school time, there was Saturday school at the church, and we used to cry around about having to go to school every day of the week. By the age of 14, we were through with this, and were confirmed, a nice rite at the church.

When the depression was very bad, a brother was born, who only lived 5 hours. The funeral director said, "You can wait to pay this," but very soon after, he was around for his money, so Dad sold a trailer load of corn to pay the funeral expenses.

In a way we were poor, but actually didn't want for anything, but there was the worry, like Dad would say, "Well, I guess we'll have to take the electricity out," and I believed it, but it never happened. The phone was taken out when I was 4, but for another reason. One day I said, "Mom, what kind of a house is this?" and she said, "An old fashioned farm house." It was quite different, a full 2 story with a garrett, modified mansard-hip roof, maybe styled like some in Crawford County, Ohio, where the Orthweins first settled.

There was an attic and a big room, with some interesting things left in when Grandma moved out - pictures, books, trunk, clothes, gadgets, etc. So really there was never a dull moment on this farm. I read and enjoyed Dad's old school books and it was a good way to spend my spare time.

Never did I have to say, "What can I do now?" There were the cows, calves, chicks, chickens, horses, dog, cats, birds, animals, woods, fields, creek and lanes.

When I was ready for high school, my sister Margaret was born and I thought we had quite a family.

Changes, changes - high school for me, it was so different from my 8 years in one-room Elery School, and a ride on the bus, too.

We all 5 graduated from MalintaGrelton High School. Three went into service in World War II, and I just happened to get a lot more formal education after high school through programs I could enter, and I had such a love of books, and such a book background that this was just fine with me.

Mom still lives alone on that farm and Dad has been gone 20 years. All five of us live near, in this county. Mom had 19 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

I wanted to write a first person account of my growing up years on the farm. It was a way of life that children of today will never know, a lot more interesting than today's life on the farm is for children. Exciting was the threshing machine coming, the hay making, the butchering, the hunting season, packages from Sears and Wards, the wall papering, the stove moving, painting and varnishing and moving to the summer kitchen, etc.

Submitted by Geraldine Orthwein Openlander