Erna Gertrude KLETKE

Eigenschaften

Ereignisse

Eltern

Ehepartner und Kinder

Notizen zu dieser Person

Erna Gertude Kletke was born in Alva, Oklahoma on April 17, 1903 toEdward Gustav Kletke and Ida Louise (Augustine) Kletke who hadimmigrated to the United States from Germany in 1900. Her parents owned two farms-one at Alva, Oklahoma and one at Lawton,Oklahoma. At Lawton, where her brother was born, her father plantedcotton in the spring. Then he'd go back to Alva to harvest his wheat.After harvest he would plant the wheat for the following year andreturn to Lawton to harvest the cotton. While living at Lawton, Ernareached school age and was sent to Alva to attend school. On a visitto Alva as her parents prepared to return to Lawton, Erna cried,desperately wanting to go home. Her parents relented and took her withthem. On the way home, Erna became ill-a case of the measles. Themeasles left Erna with poor eyesight and a distinct disadvantage inschool. She was age nine. In spite of this difficulty she persisted inher studies and went as far as the sixth grade. Her mother and father later sold the farm at Lawton and returned toAlva. Her mother became ill with tuberculosis compelling Erna, herparents, a brother and three sisters to move to Optimo, New Mexico in1918. Optimo was a Lutheran settlement near Wagon Mound. Her fatherrented a farm and Erna worked with him in the fields. Finances weretight. To help her parents with expenses and to keep her siblings inschool, at the age of 18 or 19 Erna accepted a position in Gallup, NewMexico. She worked in the home of Helen and Carl Nolan doinghousework, cooking, and caring for their baby. After nearly sevenmonths in Gallup, Erna quit and returned to Optimo in time tocelebrate her parents' 25th wedding anniversary. Following a trip through the Moreno Valley in northern New Mexico, herparents purchased the Thomas P. Gable ranch at Agua Fria (near EagleNest) in 1924. Agua Fria had a general store and post office, and aschool. It was located at the intersection of U.S. 64 and State Road434, the road to Angel Fire. The Moreno Valley winters were a challenge for the Kletkes from thebeginning. "When we moved up there we couldn't get to the ranch. Wehad to wait for the night to freeze the road. There was so much mudand water running from the snow." The Kletkes prepared for winter bystoring supplies of canned goods, coffee, sugar, etc. "We butcheredour own beef, pork and poultry." In the winter of 1925 she remembersbeing snowbound from December 23 to March 9. "School buses,everything, was shut down. We got mail once or twice a week-they camein by bobsled." To go for provisions or to visit neighbors sheremembers using bobsleds pulled by horses to traverse the snow "abovethe fence line." To keep warm, they placed heated rocks under straw inthe sled and wrapped themselves in lap robes. Talmadge D. Neal of Eagle Nest (then known as Bella) owned the AguaFria store and post office. One day in 1924 he drove out to the ranchwhere he found Erna working in the field. He asked her if she wouldrun the store and post office for him. Replying she had never doneanything like that and she wasn't sure she could, he told her he wouldteach her. She remembers helping some valley residents to mail theirpackages because they couldn't read or write. When Neal sold the storeand post office, she had worked for him two and a half years. Erna traveled to Taos, New Mexico to seek work. In September 1927 shestarted working as a clerk for Alvin Burch in the Burch store. It wasa general store located on the north side of the plaza. While working at Burch's Erna met many people. One of those people wasElisha P. Randall, owner of a sawmill and lumber yard in Taos. Theirencounters were occasional social events until the San Geronimo Fiestain September 1929. One evening after work Erna and her roommatesdecided to go to the carnival nearby "to see what was going on." Asthey arrived at the Ferris wheel they met Elisha. He asked Erna, "Willyou ride the Ferris wheel with me?" I said, "Sure I'll ride with you."They began dating in October, were engaged in November and marriedFebruary 9, 1930. The marriage ceremony was performed in the family home at Agua Fria byReverend McNutt of Cimarron, New Mexico. The ceremony, attended byfamily and close friends, was followed by a dinner also served in thefamily home. Erna and Elisha's honeymoon was spent in Denver,Colorado. From the outset, Elisha involved Erna in the business. He wanted herto know the business, to be his partner and be able to go on in theevent something happened to him. When asked about her part in thebusiness during the early years of marriage, she replied, "I didn'twant to sell lumber ..." Anyway when he would leave for more suppliesor material to sell "I'd have to go out and do it." When someone cameto buy lumber I'd tell Elisha "Mr. Ledbetter got a board 1 x 12 (10feet long) and it had three knots in it as big as a quarter. I'ddescribe everything they got and he had to bill it afterwards." During the 1940's and 50's, Erna added to the financial base byoperating a second hand furniture store. "I'd go to Denver and pick itup, bring it here and sell it." Her hands were never idle. Whiletalking or riding in a car, she was busy tatting. She used to make upto three yards of lace on a trip to Denver. Her handwork is notrestricted to lace. She has embroidered and crocheted as well. Shepaints pictures, assembles and paints Kachina dolls and makesbeautiful Ojos de Dios. She takes great pride and joy in an annual Christmas project. In 1934Taos Town officials asked the community to participate in decoratingthe town for Christmas. Elisha suggested a manger scene and Erna wentto work. She put straw and a doll in a box for the manger. Using nailkegs, wire, Halloween masks, and old clothes, she created figuresrepresenting Mary and Joseph. The next year she added cardboard cutout animals which she painted. Later she began making life-size sheep,camels, a burro, and a cow out of papier-mache. Eventually she had togive it up because the work to restore the figures and move them eachyear was too much to continue. She still assembles a small mangerscene which she places in front of the business. The Randalls had two sons who died as infants. They reared fourchildren: Charles Edward, Minnie Louise, John Alden and Merlin David.All were educated in Taos and are graduates of the University of NewMexico. Their three sons live in Taos and are associated with RandallLumber Company. Minnie Lou, now retired from the U.S. Forest Service,lives in Albuquerque. Since her marriage in 1930, Erna has lived in four homes, all on thesame five acres. Erna's first home had oiled floors and was built ofrough lumber and tarpaper. In 1935 on moving to her second home shehad three rooms and got her first indoor bathroom. In 1938 they beganplans for home number 3, "their dream home". By the time they built"the big house," living quarters were very crowded as they now hadfour children. Although it wasn't finished they moved into the newhome in time for Christmas 1941. This home had three bedrooms and avery large living room where the Randalls served holiday dinners to asmany as 24 family members and friends. They also held regular squaredances in their living room-always two squares, sometimes three. Afterthe death of her lifelong partner, Elisha, in 1971, Erna moved to herpresent home in 1973 because the family home was too big for oneperson. The family home is now leased and serves as a restaurant. Erna continues to be involved in the business. She walks from her hometo Randall Lumber Company almost everyday where she greets customers -most of whom call her "Grandma". At the age of 93 she still does hershopping. She finds comfort and inspiration in her religion. She was brought upLutheran, and as there was no Lutheran church in Taos, she faithfullyattended the Presbyterian Church and guided the religious training forher children. She now regularly attends services at the Sangre deCristo Lutheran Church which was established in 1992. She has threegranddaughters and four grandsons. A great-granddaughter was born inMarch 1996.

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Titel	Familienstammbaum Engelken
Beschreibung
Hochgeladen	2014-12-22 06:03:51.0
Einsender	Roger Engelken
E-Mail	rengelken@msn.com
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