I Should Have

Asked Questions

Evelyn (Falk) Harmon

1997-1998

Mother wrote down this information into a Mead Sketch Diary during 1997 and 1998. Her macular degeneration in her eyes still allowed her to see well enough to write on non-lined paper using a felt tip pen. Once she had the first draft completed I entered her notes into a word processer and could print it back out in a type set that was large enough for her to read and make additions and corrections to it. She named the book “I Should Have Asked Questions” because she felt she hadn’t asked enough question of her mother and father while they were alive. Questions like what were your lives like in Sweden and how did you meet? She never asked her dad why, when and how did he come to America.

My mother, Matilda Wallin was born March 17th 1867 and came from Essunga, Sweden in 1892 at age 25. She couldn’t speak a word of English. She never did learn to read or write in English. She had a brother Charlie who was married and lived in Washburn, Wisconsin. Her brothers in Sweden had made her a trunk in which she had her clothes and anything else she wanted to bring. I don’t know how she handled it. I still have it. She corresponded with her family in Sweden but never saw them again. Her father was over 90 when he died. The boat she came on had cattle on it. It was on its last trip. She worked in a private home as a maid and they were not good to her so Charlie (her brother) and Anna (his wife) said she should come and live with them. That’s where she met my dad who was in Washburn too, working on the railroad. My mother planned to make a lot of money and go back to Sweden in 5 years, but by that time she was married and had my oldest brother, Rudy. Two of my mother’s brothers came to this country after she did. Peter came to Washburn too where he married Hulda and stayed there. We saw them often. Oscar came to Washburn too – married Gertie and later moved to Oregon. Uncle Oscar has a 30-acre raspberry field. Pickers came to Gresham to pick the berries. He had cabins where some stayed during the season. I remember that he put the best-looking boxes of berries on the top when he brought them to the factory where he sold them. I went out there in 1935 and checked the crates in as the pickers brought them in. I didn’t know much about my father – Andrew Gustave Falk. He lived near my mother’s family in Sweden. He only went through the 3rd grade in Sweden. After that he educated himself. He had his mother’s name who was not married. He came from Verdum Sweden. He had a half-sister Anna Falk. He used to send her money. I later learned from one of my cousins in Sweden that knew Anna that she worked and could take care of herself.

I know he came to Minnesota and heard that they were hiring men to work on the railroad in Washburn, Wisconsin. That’s where he met my mother. They were married there and lived in Ashland Junction where he worked on the railroad and lived in the section house that was provided by the railroad. They had 4 children while they were there. Gustave Rudolph, Gerda Victoria, Clarence Elmer and Carl Theodore. They spoke a lot of Swedish in the house at that time. They moved to Spooner in 1910 as the road master and rented a house next to Costello’s (on what is now highway 70) until their house was built. When the auditor came from Omaha to audit the books he said he had the best books he had to audit. In 1912, he was offered a better job, maybe in Eau Claire or Altoona, but they had just built our house and they didn’t want to move. He was later named section foreman with 13 men under him. 12 of them were Italian and they thought much of him. They brought him wine at Christmas. My dad kept the books for the union. When he’d get someone’s dues he’d write a receipt and go straight down to the P.O. with it. My mother and dad were one of the founding families of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Spooner in 1920. Figure 1 Falk Family - Carl, dad, Clarence, mother, Rudy, Gertie

Figure 2 Matilda with her brothers Pete from Washburn and Charlie from Grandview

Figure 3 Gustaf and Matilda's Marriage Registration

Figure 4 Gustave and Matilda's Wedding Picture

Figure 5 Matilda's Family

Figure 6 Matilda Wallin's Family

My Family

Figure 7 Falk Children from Family Bible

Gustave Rudolph Falk Rudy was born June 6th, 1894. He graduated from high school the year I was born, 1912. He worked in Spooner for a year. He bought my mother a little rocking chair that I still have. In 1913/14 and 1914/15 he attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison. In 1914 he enlisted in the Navy. He was stationed in Quantico, VA as a pharmacists mate. He stayed there until the war was over. He then went to France to help take care of the wounded soldiers. He was there until 1920. He went back to the University of Wisconsin in1921 and 1922 when he graduated. He lived in Chicago and worked for the Borden Company. He married Iva McVeigh who had a 12 year old daughter, Patricia. We visited them there. The only time his step-daughter wrote to him was when she wanted money and he’d send it to her. Iva worked for the Kiss-Proof Lipstick Company. Rudy worked for them for a while but went back to Borden’s. Iva had a motor court in Iowa City Iowa. Mother, Dad and I went down there to see them. Iva died in 1947. Rudy retired from Bordon’s in 1954. He came to Spooner and lived with Gertie. He walked downtown each night to have a glass of beer and talk in Riplingers tavern. He argued politics with the men. He was a staunch Republican. Rudy died in April 20, 1969 in the hospital. He was a heavy smoker. Gertie commented on how yellow the water was when she washed the drapes. He did quit smoking cold turkey prior to his death from Leukemia.

Figure 8 Chair Rudy gave to my mother

Figure 9 Young Rudy

Figure 10 Rudy in France after WWI in uniform

Figure 11 Aunt Hulda Wallin, Matilda Falk, Rudy and Iva Falk

Figure 12 Rudy Falk at Gertie’s

Figure 13 Christmas Card sent from Paris France

Figure 14 1919 Advocate article about Rudy

Figure 15 Report Card from UW Madison in 1919

Gerda Victoria Falk Gertie was born May 18th, 1896 in Ashland Junction where our dad worked on the railroad. When she went to school, the teacher thought she was trying to say Gertrude so that became her name. They still talked Swedish in the Family. She moved with my family to Spooner in 1910 where she graduated from high school. She went to Mankato Business College and stayed with the Claus Lundquist family who were family friends. Back in Spooner she worked for the Road master, probably where she met Michael Bauer. There was a restaurant called The Beanery where the railroad men ate. She married Louis Michael Bauer and they had three children: Robert, Marjorie Mae and Donald. They lived upstairs in an apartment in Chris Olson’s house about a block north from Main Street. During the depression, Mike couldn’t find work so the family moved up to my folks. As my folks got older they needed Gertie and Mikes help around the house so they stayed. Donald liked to be in the woods. He was backing up a tractor when the seat came off and the tractor went over him. He was in the hospital for about two weeks and died at age 43. Gertie had a big family in the house – even me for a while. Mike was called back to work as a fireman on the railroad – he later became an engineer. Gertie and Mike played cards up in their bedroom. My mother played Finch and Rook, but she didn’t like face cards. Evidently my dad did some gambling when they were first married and she thought the face cards were for gambling. My father died in September 1950 after four months in the hospital. My mother died January 27th, 1953 just one month before my son

Tom was born. Gertie and Mike were alone for the first time in years. It wasn’t for long – Mike died on April 14th, 1954 at the age of 60. Gertie was secretary to attorney Robert zum Brunnen. After Rudy retired in 1954 he came to live with Gertie. In 1973 Gertie fell and broke her hip. Marge took her to St Paul to stay with her until she could be alone. They sold the family home and she moved into Tetzlaff’s apartment on Oak street just across from the old high school. It had a front porch which she liked. She lived there until 1985 when she was unable to be alone. Bob and Ruby came and took her to Hudson where she lived in a nursing home until she died in 1986. Figure 16 Gertie and Marge (Bauer) Crawford - 1983

Figure 17 Gertie and Bob Bauer - 1983

Elmer Clarence Falk Clarence was born on June 17th, 1899 in Ashland Junction where our dad worked on the railroad. They talked Swedish in the family much of the time in the home. He moved to Spooner with the family in 1909. He attended Spooner schools and graduated from high school in 1917. He worked as a clerk for the road master on the Omaha Railroad. He married Ethel “Chick” Stahl. They had five children: John, William (Bill), Jeannine, Beverly and Lee. He was interested in sports and liked to bowl. His friends nick-named him “Gena”. He was transferred to Antigo, Wisconsin. He worked as a claim agent for the railroad. While there he developed a blood clot in his leg and it was necessary to amputate his leg. I took mother and dad over there to see him. They returned to Spooner where he went back to work as a clerk for the road master. He retired on 1965. He had a very active life after retirement. He was taken to the Shell Lake where he died on August 9th, 1969. Bill married Jan Schingeldecker. They have a home in rural Spooner. Bill likes to play golf, bowl and watch football. Jan has a dress shop. Beverly married Shady Reed. Shady died in a nursing home in 1997. Jeannie lives in Milwaukee. John lives in Antigo. I don’t know where Lee lives. He moves quite a bit. Last I heard he was in Geneva, Illinois.

Figure 18 Ethel "Chick" and Clarence

Figure 19 Lee, John, Jeannine, Bev and Bill

Carl Theodore Falk Carl was born on March 12th, 1902 in Ashland Junction. He moved to Spooner with the family in 1909. They lived next door to Dr. and Maude Costello. Maude was a painter. She gave my mother a small plate with violets painted on it. I gave it to Marge Crawford. Carl married Marie Thompson. They lived in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Carl worked for the U.S. Rubber Company as a supervisor. They had three children: Roger, Patsy and Bill. Roger was hit by a car when he was a child and lost much of his hearing. He lives in Eau Claire. He and his wife came to see me a few times when they vacationed near here. Patsy lives in St Paul. Marge Crawford sees her once in a while when she’s shopping. Bill lives in Baltimore Maryland. I used to take my mother and dad to Eau Claire often to see them. Carl was a coin collector. He died on October 10th, 1966. Marie found him when she came home from work at noon. The last time that we visited Marie she was in bed ridden and died soon afterward.

Figure 20 Baby Carl

Figure 21 Carl Classroom Picture

Evelyn Valborg Falk I was born March 13, 1912 in the family home at 106 Eighth St. It was later changed to Cedar Street. My father was not so happy when I was coming, he thought he already had his family. Carl was 9 years old. I started school when I was only 5 years old in the first grade. They said I didn’t need to go to kindergarten because I knew my ABC’s. My father took me to the Washburn County Fair. I remember walking with him hand-in-hand. It was on the north side of town. I remember there were horse and small cart races. My mother made jelly, jam and bread to be entered for prizes. She won some too. When I was in the sixth grade the wooden school house was torn down. I spent the sixth grade in the Fire Hall (upstairs) across the street. The new Hamill School was built so I went there in the seventh grade. Mr. Hamill was editor of the Spooner Advocate. He might have been mayor too. In high school, I sang in the Bel Canto Glee Club. I had a bit part in the senior class play “Daddy Longlegs”. I was a pretty good Algebra and Geometry student. I used to help the boys. In my classes I sat by Leo Essick and Kenneth Hopkins. My favorite teacher was Mr. Calhoun, Mr. Alexander, Mr. O’Neil (coach) and Mrs. Mc Farland, she was very strict. H.J. Antholz was Superintendent. I graduated in 1929. I went to County Teachers Class the next year. Miss Ruth Bergene was the teacher. There were 13 in the class. Henry Wesenberg was the only boy. It was held down stairs in the Hamill School. I met Ken about this time. He was a friend of Marvin Benson, who was our neighbor’s son. The first school I taught was in Burnette County. There were 6 students and 5 were Zachs. Elmer was one. Ken brought me out on Sunday night and came after me on Friday. We walked a long way to school. I stayed with Zach’s aunt close by. A forest fire burned the school down just a week before school was out in the spring. The

county superintendent bought material, books, etc. so I taught the last week in Jonas Harmon’s garage. It was the Forest Home School. Next year I taught the Blooming Valley School, Washburn County. I stayed with Marie Salquist who was a widow with 3 children. I gave her $25 of my $80 monthly check. There were 25 students. One of them was Vernon Chaney. I saw him much later someplace. He lifted me right off my feet and said, “My Teacher!”. His brother Ed would walk him to school in the winter to make sure that Vernon would get there safely. Ed would start a fire so the building was nice and warm when classes started. Before the year was over Marie married Walter Stock. They used Ken’s car to go on their honeymoon. I gave my last check to the school clerk, a farmer to pay his taxes. He paid me back when he had a crop in the summer. I taught the next five years at Pine Knoll School near Stone Lake. I stayed with Mrs. Higgins the first year. I bought a new 1934 Ford car and drove myself the next four years. If the weather was bad, Ken took me out. Mr. Lauer built the fire so it was warm when I got there. I drove by Paul Spexit’s. Many times, their kids were waiting for me and I’d give them a ride, they had a long way to walk. In 1935, my Aunt Gertie Wallin from Gresham Oregon came to visit. I went home with her on the train. Uncle Oscar had a big raspberry patch. Pickers came by buses to pick the berries. Some of them stayed in cabins that Oscar had. The buses came from Portland. I was in an open shed and I punched cards for each picker when he brought a crate of raspberries. Uncle would know how much each picker earned that day. I went back to Spooner in time for school to start. Ken gave me a diamond. And we were engaged in the spring. We were married on May2nd 1936 at the Hayward Parsonage of the Lutheran Church. George and Phyllis Harmon were our attendants. We went to St Paul on our honeymoon. My mother had a reception at our home on Sunday when we got back. Pine Knoll women had a shower for me when I got back to school. I got a magazine rack from

Mrs. Connelly which I still have. I decided not to teach anymore after that year was completed. We got new furniture at Schneiders in Rice Lake. We moved into the apartment up over the garage. It was a real nice apartment with a large living room, dining room, kitchen, 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. Our ice box was in the hall at the top of the stairs. The ice man would have to carry the ice all the way up the stairs to put into the ice box. I would order groceries over the phone and the grocery boy would bring them up the stairs too. I did a lot of entertaining up there. I belonged to the Civic Club and church groups. Carl and Alice Swope lived in the apartment across the hall. We were together a lot. Alice would bring her ironing over to my apartment. We ironed in my kitchen together. There was a big room across the hall where I had my washing machine and could hang the clothes there on clothes lines. Later Bertha and Sid Hanson moved into that apartment. Glenny was born on March 15th, 1938 at the Rice Lake hospital with my Dr. Rydell. Barb was born September 22, 1940 in Rice Lake too. In 1941 Ken bought the Woodward house up on the hill. It had been empty for 2 years so it was in bad shape. I had been in the house many times as Mrs. Woodward was a friend of my mother. She would be up there for coffee. I would go home from school with Jay, her son and walk home with my mother. Bert and Sid Hansen worked up there many days to get it back in a nice shape. Dick was born on December 18th, 1941 in Rice Lake too.

In the spring of 1942 a strong wind blew the roof off of our apartment building. We took the kids and went up to my mother’s. They didn’t even know it was storming. We moved to house across the street until the roof and damage was repaired. Kenny was born on May21st, 1943. We moved up to our newly finished house on July 1st, 1944. At this time Ken had a Buick, Pontiac and Chrysler, Plymouth Agencies. The United States was involved in the Second World War. No cars were made in 1942, 1943 and 1944. People had to have their cars repaired because they could buy a new one. They needed parts. Ken decided to go into the parts business. He built a new building on Elm Street. He stocked it with parts. Because he had a large order he won a trip to Grand Marais, Minnesota. When cars were being made again Ken decided which agency he wanted. He chose the Buick and Plymouth which he later sold to Orel Danger. In 1947 Ken bought a cottage on Shell Lake. The kids loved to swim. Shell Lake is spring fed and very cold. They would swim a while – come in to get warm and go right out again. Ken bought a 1947 Crosley which I drove back and forth to town to wash clothes and get water. We still have it. In 1951 Ken and I went to Florida by way of New Orleans. We went all around the state. In 1952, we took the kids with us to St Petersburg, Florida. Ken sold the cottage in 1956 because we didn’t go out there anymore. Tom was born in 1953. We went to Florida again in 1955. Grandma Silvia stayed with the kids.

Ken was involved with the Spooner Rodeo. Gabby Hayes and Festus from Gunsmoke were guest. We all went to the rodeo. Ken was riding his horse with Sky Wallace. Wallace’s horse bucked and went into Ken’s horse. Ken fell off and broke his leg. Ken sold the Spooner Garage to Lyle James in Hayward. So he had only the Auto Supply to keep him busy. He did buy the Hayward auto supply and Cumberland one later. In 1959 Gertie and Tom went with us to Florida. I kept busy in the church. We all sang in the choir except Ken. I belonged to and entertained Civic Club and Homemakers. I helped with the bookwork at the Auto Supply. In 1960, we went out to Oregon on the to see Uncle Oscar and Aunt Gertie. We stayed overnight with Aunt Merle and Uncle Herb in Billings Montana on the way out. Glenny stayed home to work in the bakery. On March 3, 1962 Ken and I had dinner at Marie Hartzell’s and other friends. When we got home, Ken sat on the davenport. He said he didn’t feel good. I took him to the hospital. They didn’t watch him over the weekend. When the nurse came in on Monday she said that he was in shock and very sick and not expected to live. Dick, Ken, Barb and Jim were called home from Fort Lewis where they were with the National Guard during the Berlin Crisis. After a few days he was showing improvement so they went back. I visited Ken every afternoon and evening. He was getting better each day. On the 27 and 28 he walked a little. On March 29 when I went back after supper he said Dr. Goetz had been in and done something to his rectum. He told me Dr. Goetz almost killed me. Dr. Olson’s day off. At 11:00 he died. Dr. Olson had come. They all came back from Fort Lewis again. Orell Danger picked them up at the airport. Friends came to the house. I was glad to have all the family here. There were lots of relatives and friends at the mortuary. The funeral was at Trinity Lutheran with Paster Dahlin. I really don’t remember much of that.

For a while I helped at the Auto Supply. I collected some bills. Marshal Peterson was administrator and ran the business until he sold it in 1963. In July Tom and I went out to Fort Lewis on the train to see Dick, Kenny, Barb and Jim. We did some sightseeing. We went up in the Space Needle at the Seattle World’s Fair. We expected to be there when Barb had her baby but we’d been home two days when Jim called and said Scott was born. I missed Ken very much so I had to keep busy as a volunteer I called bingo at the Nursing Home. The patients liked that. I was responsible for the Blood Bank two times a year. I had to find workers and people to give blood and schedule their time and let them know. I was on the election board for many years. I was active in the church as Sunday School Superintendent and Circle Chairman. I helped with church suppers, rummage sales and other activities. In 1993, my eyesight was not good. I went to see Dr. Sneed. He said I had macular degeneration. My right eye is not good at all but my straight-ahead vision in my left eye is not good therefore I cannot read. I have good peripheral vision. Dr. Sneed said my eyesight will not get any worse for which I’m very thankful. I have a tape recorder from the Help From The Blind. I get tapes in the mail for that. I listen to the Reader’s Digest and Guideposts and other interesting stories. I like biographies the most. I get the devotional Christ In Our Home from the church and the Lutheran Digest in the mail. They are in large print so I can read them with good light and magnifying glass. I get along really well. My children are all very good to me. Thank You God!

Figure 22 Mother and Evelyn in front of family home

Figure 23 Baby Evelyn

Figure 24 Young Evelyn

Figure 25 Birthday Card to Evelyn

Figure 26 Birthday Card to Evelyn

Figure 27 Ken and Evelyn

Figure 28 Evelyn Harmon (1985)

It Really

Happened

Our ice box was in the back porch. Mr. Jacobs from Shell Lake was an ice man. He parked in the alley. My mother had a card in the window to tell him how much ice she needed. 50 pounds, 75 pounds or 100 pounds. We kids would go to the ice truck – Mr. Jacobs would chip off some that we could pick up and eat. My mother had a platter of cold meat in the ice box. A hobo that road the railroad came and took it. My dad found the platter on the tracks. Across the road from our house was a big ice house. In the winter ice was put in there packed in sawdust. My father’s crew had to put ice in the railroad cars. Each car had a compartment at one end where they put the ice. That car was used to transport anything that needed refrigeration. I used to go over with my dad to watch them load the cars. When we lived over the garage the ice box was at the top of the stairs. The ice man had to bring the ice up the stairs to us. We also had groceries delivered to us upstairs. Bill Blake bought one of the first new Buicks built after the war. He couldn’t go with Ken to Minneapolis to drive it back because he had to work. So, Nick Grengs went with Ken and drove it back. When they got to Spooner Nick wouldn’t give it up so Bill had to wait for another car. When Ken was real young he liked to be at his grandfather George Harmon’s Ford Garage. He helped wash cars and change tires. One day Oak Smith came in and bought his first car, a new Ford. Ken knew how to drive so he was to take him out and teach him to drive it. Ken told him how to shift into low and then into second. When Ken told him how to shift to high Red said “No, that’s enough for one day” and he drove the rest of the day in second. Peterson Brother’s Construction (Paul and Marshall) built our garage on our house. They put the first automatic door opener in Spooner in it. Ken could trigger the remote at the bottom of the hill on Franklin Street to open it. That’s how I knew when he was coming home for lunch. The remote-control button was damaged in a car accident so a button was put on a tree by the driveway. We had to get out of the car

to open and close it. At night, we took the fuse out so nobody could open it. When I was very young, I had three button shoes. Somehow, I got a button in my nose. I can remember my dad carrying me down to the doctor. I must have been laying in my bed with my feet in the air.