Notizen zu dieser Person
99 J alt
Tochter von Charles Smith 1799-1870 und Lucy King 1802-1875
Wohnorte lt. US Census 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930
1860 Ronald, Ionia, Michigan, USA
1870 Ronald, Ionia, Michigan, USA
1880 Ronald, Ionia, Michigan, USA
1900 Oak Gulch, Day, South Dakota
1910 Oak Gulch, Day, South Dakota
1920 Oak Gulch, Day, South Dakota
1930 Oak Gulch, Day, South Dakota
This is a letter written by Lucy Jane Smith Heydlauff on her 99th birthday. It is to her friends in South Dakota and is an account of some events in her life. It was published in The Dakota Farmer on 26 Mar 1938.
from The Dakota Farmer March 26, 1938 issue,
“The Home” section (edited by Mabel Sensor)
Ninety-nine Years of Age
To Dakota Farmer: And to the friends who so kindly responded to the call that my dear daughter sent in for my pleasure for my 99th birthday. Have received 51 cards and letters to date, and it has added much pleasure to my birthday to see how please my children were to see the numbers that came. Such beauties! The loving thought will go with me through the year, but to Him who gives me the hand to write the thanks I can give to dear friends, the best that can come from a full heart—Ido thank our dear Heavenly Father, and the greatest wish of my heart is that those who read these lines would too lay hold on that mighty arm that will save to the uttermost those who learn to love and trust Him. I know in whom I am and have trust these many years and the happiness He gives me, words are short to express. No matter where He leads me I can and do rejoice.
For bodily health, when sick go without eating or nearly so for some time; if a little out of health, miss a meal or two. For spiritual help, rely on God’s leading in His work. Though not now able to read, I know much that keeps me trusting.
Say, folks, I do thank God for Christian parents. They had us children gather after breakfast in the livingroom, where there was read a chapter of God’s Word with a prayer for guidance to train the children He gave them, which were ten, seven boys before I came on the scene, one sister next to me, and a boy to follow. All of us children were born in the state of New York. My father learned the shoemaker’s trade from my grandfather King. In the year 1831, my father, Charles Smith, took Miss Lucy King to be his loving faithful wife. On the day of Lucy King’s marriage, he gave her what people now call a dresser—we called it a bureau with back. On the top there were three small drawers; next to the top, one large one about 10inches in depth extending the length of the face; one 4 inches, one 6 inches, and the bottom one of 8- or 9-inch depth. There were round legs at each corner. Six of the original knobs are now on the drawers. I know, as my daughter now owns it.
There was a fine chest, about 4 feet long. In the left hand end was what was called a till to put small things into; underneath that a small drawer into which could be put smaller things. In the body could be placed much of the winter supplies, quilts and other things through the summer. There was a lid lock and key to shut tight. This one my mother gave to me to put my things in, for my future home.
Ten Children
These things came to pass in Onondaga, New York. My parents did not move far from my mother’s home as when my twin brothers, Rancellor King and Chancellor Hoyt, were old enough for mother to be able, they [illegible] Grandfather King and from some exposure mother was sick for some time. The older boy, Albert, must have been between 2 and 3 years old. Mother has told me that was a hard time for them. Two or three years later, another son, Harrison, a sharp-tongued boy, came on the scene, but next to him came a son who many times quelled contentions that will come up in families. His name was Homer Judson. On of the first missionaries bore the Judson name. This brother tried and did show forth the Spirit of the Christ.
Ancel Griffith was the laughing son, next on the scene; then came Ruben King, a born actor who loved to come after his sister, Lucy Jane, who did not liked to be teased, but Ruben would take the time, when the others were not around, to do his hectoring. Then, when sister Jane got to fighting anger, he would quickly slip away and leave sister Jane to feel the leather shoe strap that often left her angrier. I did not tell what the trouble was about. Had he taken part of the blame which he deserved, it would have been better for us both. Had my parents known where the trouble started, I would not have had to suffer alone, but Jane never told.
Two years and some few months after Jane’s birth, another sister was added to the family. She was of a different disposition, more quiet and reserved. Brother Ruben took a liking to her.
I do thank God we had Christian parents who read the scriptures daily with prayer for guidance to live the best they could to honor the name of Jesus just where they lived.
Her First Remembered Incident
As I think of it, will tell of a little incident that I remember. I had on a white dress that was full of the figure of a red quarter moon and under each a dot of red. I remember holding up my dress in front of a cupboard for some crackers that my mother had given me some before. Mother said I was only about 2 years old.
Boots and Shoes
About that time, Father moved to a place in Oswego County named Gilbert Mills. A man by that name had a flour mill there. A dam was build across the creek and two flumes build to let the water flow through, one to grind the wheat and he otherto run a grinder to grind the tan bark made of hemlock bark used for tanning hides of animals into leather which my father and few other men in the shop made into boots and shoes. My twin brothers made the leather from both fresh and dried skins. Well I remember running among the different tanning vats—one with clear water in which the skins were placed and left till the hair was loosened enough to be scraped off with knives prepared for the work. My brothers had long poles with hookson one end to stir the hides in the vats each day. When the hair was loose, the hides were drawn out, one at a time, placed on a hollow log in the room prepared, the end of the log propped up to make it convenient to stand by to scrape off thehair, and when that was done, the hides were thrown into the vat wherein was placed the ground hemlock bark toughen the skins. It took many weeks, I think, to do this. Then the skins had to be cleaned off, dried, colored and other processes used that I did not know how it was done, to be worked into boots and shoes. Rancellor generally had patterns for boots and shoes to lay on the leather, on a desk in the shop. Father generally had two men to help in the shop to make up the leatherinto shoes and boots. On the benches were placed knives, awls of different sizes and for different uses, for sewing seams, hammers to drive pegs. Yes, pegs. I have seen Father come in with a slab of wood about a half inch through, take a sharpknife, place the wood on a hard place and cut the block into pieces; then with a knife trim one edge; then take several of those together and with the hammer strike the knife across them to make pegs to fasten the leather on the lasts to make shoes. Yes, that was an important thing that had to be done. Wax and shoe thread had to be made into threads for sewing the seams of shoes and boots. Hog bristles were fixed on the ends of the waxed threads.
A Broken Bone
One day mother sent me to the shop to call the men to dinner. There was a wheelbarrow standing by the shop. Rancellor caught me up, placed me in it and started on a run for the house. Some way it turned over and I was hurt. The doctor was called and he pronounced it a small bone broken. Dinner was delayed and Jane was put to bed.
Moved to Michigan
Years passed. One summer Mother had a fever and ague. We had to have a hired girl. Her name was Elizabeth Duell. The next year Mother had the ague again and the doctor advised a change of climate. Grandfather’s people had moved to near Jackson, Michigan, so it was settled to go to Michigan. The twins and Harrison were to stay in the old home place and the rest went to west of Oswego and took a boat for Detroit. We sailed through Lake Ontario and up the canal. While on the canal,a party of young people hired a rig to take them to Niagara Falls. I wanted to go, and one young man said he would take care of us, but Father said, “No,” and that ended it for me.
It was an interesting thing to see the boat towed along by a horse with a rope hitched to the boat. As we passed through the canal, the party of young folks came to us at another place, of course. We soon came to Lake Erie, through which we sailed to Detroit and from there we took the train to Jackson. There we were met by some friends and scattered among relatives. Mother and we three younger ones went to Grandfather’s which was near several of grandfather’s family who had settledon farms around.
Father had a younger brother who had settled in Ionia County. We were soon on our way there. Father got a horse and buggy. Mother drove the horse and we three youngest ones rode with her, while Father and the boys rode in a wagon with one ofthe friends who took them. We stopped at the home of one of mother’s sisters, Mrs. Loren Sears. There we found Mary Jane and her sister Mildred. The next day we drove to Uncle Alvin’s where we stayed till Father could locate a place for us tolive. In one end of the blacksmith shop, Father found a place.
Father bought an 80-acre place cornering the townships of Ronald, Ionia, Lyons and Northplains. On the place and from my uncle’s place, they hewed timbers for the framework and built a house for us to live in by winter.
One day one brother brought in a young fellow who struck my fancy; this friendship ripened into love for us both and when I was 18 years and 6 months of age, we were united together on the third of July. We lived together 61 years, happy and contented, for we took the Lord with us in reading His Word and with prayer to guide the eight children into the church which is His Body.
In the spring of 1883, our two oldest boys went to Dakota. The oldest one got himself a claim on the plains and made himself a sod shanty; the other one in the Dakota hills. They worked for others. In the fall the oldest taught school and theother returned home for the winter. In the spring they found a man going to the same place with a carload and in that car they got a place for a yoke of oxen and a cow. The next year the two go a small house built and raised some wheat. Duringthe spring of 1885, we all came out to live in the Dakotas. We resided in Day County continuously until Oct. 17, 1932, when my daughter, a son and I came to northwestern Arkansas. Three of the children still live in South Dakota. Yours for the love of Christ—Mrs. Jane Heydlauff, Arkansas.
[Editor’s note: The above splendid letter was written by Mrs. Heydlauff herself, using pen and ink, and it is very clearly and legibly written, seven full pages of script. A letter from the daughter states that her mother does all of her own writing.]
Claudia
Stock
