Love - The Odessa Record "By Your Relative"

Odessa subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up).

Hi, here I am again.

When comparing L-B-D lifestyle for children of those early years vs today’s children, it is like comparing apples to oranges. Today most children have HDTVs, cell-phones, i-pods, computers, ATVs, ORVs, cars, pickups, motorbikes, motorcycles, automatic weapons, toys, many changes of clothes, a million choices of food types, AM-FM radios, preschool, grade school, high school, college, money including allowances, part-time work for money, a few neighbors, a few animals, some brothers, some sisters and a small garden if any.

Children of the early years had nothing……no money, no this, no that. They did have farm raised-homemade food, many brothers, many sisters, maybe two changes of clothes if lucky, a hugh straw hat, a large garden they had to plant, cultivate, water, harvest, lots of animals they had to care for. Some went to school.

But as they say…….life is not fair……life continued on in the early years, no matter how sparse it was or seemed to be.

Children had accidents - 1922, 07-07 – Andrew Janke came to town with his daughter, Miss Alma, who had the misfortune to break an arm a couple of weeks ago by falling from a horse. An x-ray examination by Dr. Thompson showed the injured member knitting perfectly.

Children got married - 1910, 02-11 - Daniel Faechner was married Thursday of last week to Miss Lydia Raugust, daughter of Jacob Raugust, the ceremony taking place at the home of the bride’s parents at Batum. Attending the ceremony were a host of friends from the Batum area.

At least one child became a minister - 1916, 07-07 – Jacob J. Raugust Jr., son of Jacob Raugust of Batum, has completed his ministerial course at the Chicago Congregational seminary and has been called to the pastor ship of the Walts Avenue German Congregational church at Sioux Falls, Iowa. Rev. Raugust preached his initial sermon July 2nd and after attending the general Congregational conference at Bowdle, S.D., will return and continue his new work at Sioux Falls, S.D.

Until next time.

Your Relative, Spokane