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Huber Cousins
Grandma Huber's Letter
A few days ago, while cleaning out the photo gallery on my phone, I came across a series of pictures I took of a 1972 letter Grandma Katherine wrote about her Montana years. It is penciled on school book paper, like the Big Chief tablets we used in fourth grade, eleven pages now yellowed with their own age, but Grandma's voice is still clear.
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upper right hand corner Katherine Schlepp Huber
I was born in South Russia Besserabia (sic) near Odessa by the Black sea moldovia brought to the U.S.A. as a child of one year in the year of 1902 my parents landed in new york some time in April. came as far as Java and/or Bowdle S.D. stayed with relatives until father secured a homestead in McLean county N.D. near mercer
I know nothing about the trip across the Atlantic only what was told to me. some of us got very sea sick one of my sisters nearly died.
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Pioneeer life was hard [hard is underlined]. each one of us children had to do our part. first my brotheer had to herd the cattle out on no man’s land right on the other side to the north side of fathers homestead. after brother got old enough so he could do other work then it was my turn to take the cattle out north for grazing for the day. the neighbors girl had to do the same thing so we let the cattle mix up and we herded them together and we roamed the N.D. hills till the day was through or sometimes we just herded half of the day that was a treat. so the days went on till after harvest then the cattle went to the straw piles and any where elsethen of course school started then over hills and valleys we walked again every day.The winters was (sic) long and hard. sometimes we was taken by team and sled. but most of the time we walked so time went on till i was eight years old then
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came a hard test in our lives we had a bad hail storm the 16th of July that year all the crope (sic) was taken with in minutes father took that very hard. not knowing what to do. or where to start any thing for the winter. It must have been a terrific blow for the parents we had some hay put up but thats all we had, time went on until march. then father took sick, he was up and around for a few days. but his condition got worse every day. a doctor was called. but he said it was to (sic) late. he had pneumonia. and that was long before the days of Penicilin (sic). so father didn’t last but eleven more days, and he was taken from us, I never can forget that awful blow. my oldest sister Christine had just got married so mother rented the farm out to the new son inlaw (sic). He farmed it for two years. then moved west of Turtle Lake to another farm. mother rented the farm to a neighbor again and we stayed on the
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farm. my other sister Pauline and brother John went to work for other people. I stayed home with mother and did the work around home. learned how to bake bread at the age of eleven washed the cloths (sic) on the board. Carried the water from a lake near by when it wasn’t dry. the water in the wells (we had two) was so hard it could not be used for washing cloths (sic) nor cooking potatoes. they never did get soft when cooked in that water. so most of the water for the house had be (sic) hauled or carried, I got in on a lot of that, mother could not do much work ever since I can remeber (sic) because of rheumatic condition she had for years.we made a go as best we could untill (sic) my sister and her husband was moving to montana in 1914. to live on the home stead he filed on. so mother decided she didn’t want to stay back in N.D. with us by her self so she wanted to go
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there too. she filed on a homestead to (sic) and we lived there. Brother John and sister Pauline worked on a ranch and I stayed with mother again. life was far from easy there too. with nothing but the plain prairie and a lot of sage brush to depend on for fire wood. it had to be gathered every time we needed to cook or bake bread. (we had coal for the winter time). some times there was a rattle snake to deal with before any thing else could be done. one time I was getting the cows home in the evening. they were all walking behind each other in a cow path to wards (sic) home. all at once the first one started to detour out of the way and the rest did the same when they got to where the first one went out of the way. when I got near the spot, here was a rattle snake all wound up ready to strike. I had nothing with me so I did just like the cows. and went home and did the chores.Brother John and sister Pauline would come
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on sundays, and then go again for the week. Pauline did the cooking there on the Gilmore ranch. and John helped with ranch work. hauling hay to the bands of sheep that the sheep herders were herding out on the prairie and staying in their sheep wagons. Groceries had to be brought to them too. that had to be done. bad weather or not. weak sheep had to be brought back to the ranch when they got so they could not take it out there any longer sometimes it took almost all night to get back to the ranch with them. Mother and I stayed by ourself (sic) on the home stead when we needed something I walked to my older sisters place we had to get the mail from there. some one would bring it as far as their place and we got it from there once in a week or two. there was no such thing as Radio or T.V. in those days. and no other entertainment and if there was I still could not go anywhere. because mother
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was an invalid. and bedfast the last two years of her life. so she could not be left alone very long at a time. so that kept me pretty much right there. she would get real sick some times and then get better again but had to be in bed because she could not stand on her feet at all. because of the rheumataism she had for so many years. life went on like that for some time. Then sister Pauline got married and went still father away to live. so life went on for almost another year.mother and I lived alone it was now winter again. snow all over every where. one night we was (sic) in bed. went there early for there was nothing else to do. all at once some one drove up in the yard. I quick (sic) got up and answerd (sic) the doorIt was Pauline’s husband. He was so still for a while Then gethered (sic) some words and said Pauline is dead. What a shock that was to mother and me I will never be able to put into words, he stayed a while
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then went on to Jake and Christines place and brought the sad news to them too.That was Dec 16 in 1916. There was no cemetery yet, so the men had to meet and select a place which is the cemetery there now. This was sad but not all. Pauline died in child birth and her baby lived sister Christine brought her to her home when she was two weeks old and took care of her. mother was a bed pation (sic) before this happened, and this did not help matters any.she grieved a lot. we lived through that winter again. then in March one day mother took very sick again like she had at other times, she had eaten a good dinner but after got very sick and this time it was worse then (sic) ever. one other time she got sick like that in the middle of the night. I started out and went to my sisters place to get her husband to call the Dr. he could ride a horse I did it afoot. this time it was in the day time. but my sister
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was home alone. her husband had gone to mile (sic) City. it took a week to make the trip with team and wagon. so she came with me and we carried the baby. when we arrived at home mother was no better. some way we got the Dr there. he left some medicine for her to take every two hour’s (sic). Christine would come and stay with us at night and go to her home in the day time, to do her chores. this until thursday then mother told her she wouldn’t need to come for the night this time, so I was there alone with her. Giving her the medicine every two hours. until 4 o clock in the morning. then she said she was very tired. I would have to make sure to stay awake for the next time to give her the pills. I was very tired my self but tried so hard not to go to sleep but I did fall asleep and wake up about 10 minutes later Quickly I going (sic) give her pills. But [underlined] with glass of water and pills in my hands Oh my mother had slipped away in the morning of March 23rd, 1916
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I will never live long enough to forget that experience.funeral arrangements had to be made again and all that goes with it. our claim shanty was still there but my home was not.I stayed with my sister for a while and worked here and there my brother filed on a homestead as soon he was old enough. then I stayed with him the next winter. and part of the following summer. by then things changed a little to the other way. a brother to my sisters husband came to Bentley N.D. to see his Aunt and Uncle Mr and Mrs John C Huber. one of their boys ask his cousin Karl Schlepp if he knew of any nice girls out in Montana. so cousin Karl told cousin John Huber he does know one who worked for him sometimes. her name was Katherine Schlepp. so aquantince (sic) was made through the mail for a time. thats they use (sic) to do in those days. the mail help in many romance
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without even knowing it. so things worked its self (sic) out until on June 16 1918 there was a wedding at Bentley N.D. when Katherine Schlepp and John Huber were married. and lived south of Bentley N.D. that summer. but in the fall John Huber was drafted. It was in the first world war
upper right hand corner Katherine Schlepp Huber
I was born in South Russia Besserabia (sic) near Odessa by the Black sea moldovia brought to the U.S.A. as a child of one year in the year of 1902 my parents landed in new york some time in April. came as far as Java and/or Bowdle S.D. stayed with relatives until father secured a homestead in McLean county N.D. near mercer
I know nothing about the trip across the Atlantic only what was told to me. some of us got very sea sick one of my sisters nearly died.
page 2
Pioneeer life was hard [hard is underlined]. each one of us children had to do our part. first my brotheer had to herd the cattle out on no man’s land right on the other side to the north side of fathers homestead. after brother got old enough so he could do other work then it was my turn to take the cattle out north for grazing for the day. the neighbors girl had to do the same thing so we let the cattle mix up and we herded them together and we roamed the N.D. hills till the day was through or sometimes we just herded half of the day that was a treat. so the days went on till after harvest then the cattle went to the straw piles and any where elsethen of course school started then over hills and valleys we walked again every day.The winters was (sic) long and hard. sometimes we was taken by team and sled. but most of the time we walked so time went on till i was eight years old then
page 3
came a hard test in our lives we had a bad hail storm the 16th of July that year all the crope (sic) was taken with in minutes father took that very hard. not knowing what to do. or where to start any thing for the winter. It must have been a terrific blow for the parents we had some hay put up but thats all we had, time went on until march. then father took sick, he was up and around for a few days. but his condition got worse every day. a doctor was called. but he said it was to (sic) late. he had pneumonia. and that was long before the days of Penicilin (sic). so father didn’t last but eleven more days, and he was taken from us, I never can forget that awful blow. my oldest sister Christine had just got married so mother rented the farm out to the new son inlaw (sic). He farmed it for two years. then moved west of Turtle Lake to another farm. mother rented the farm to a neighbor again and we stayed on the
page 4
farm. my other sister Pauline and brother John went to work for other people. I stayed home with mother and did the work around home. learned how to bake bread at the age of eleven washed the cloths (sic) on the board. Carried the water from a lake near by when it wasn’t dry. the water in the wells (we had two) was so hard it could not be used for washing cloths (sic) nor cooking potatoes. they never did get soft when cooked in that water. so most of the water for the house had be (sic) hauled or carried, I got in on a lot of that, mother could not do much work ever since I can remeber (sic) because of rheumatic condition she had for years.we made a go as best we could untill (sic) my sister and her husband was moving to montana in 1914. to live on the home stead he filed on. so mother decided she didn’t want to stay back in N.D. with us by her self so she wanted to go
page 5
there too. she filed on a homestead to (sic) and we lived there. Brother John and sister Pauline worked on a ranch and I stayed with mother again. life was far from easy there too. with nothing but the plain prairie and a lot of sage brush to depend on for fire wood. it had to be gathered every time we needed to cook or bake bread. (we had coal for the winter time). some times there was a rattle snake to deal with before any thing else could be done. one time I was getting the cows home in the evening. they were all walking behind each other in a cow path to wards (sic) home. all at once the first one started to detour out of the way and the rest did the same when they got to where the first one went out of the way. when I got near the spot, here was a rattle snake all wound up ready to strike. I had nothing with me so I did just like the cows. and went home and did the chores.Brother John and sister Pauline would come
page 6
on sundays, and then go again for the week. Pauline did the cooking there on the Gilmore ranch. and John helped with ranch work. hauling hay to the bands of sheep that the sheep herders were herding out on the prairie and staying in their sheep wagons. Groceries had to be brought to them too. that had to be done. bad weather or not. weak sheep had to be brought back to the ranch when they got so they could not take it out there any longer sometimes it took almost all night to get back to the ranch with them. Mother and I stayed by ourself (sic) on the home stead when we needed something I walked to my older sisters place we had to get the mail from there. some one would bring it as far as their place and we got it from there once in a week or two. there was no such thing as Radio or T.V. in those days. and no other entertainment and if there was I still could not go anywhere. because mother
page 7
was an invalid. and bedfast the last two years of her life. so she could not be left alone very long at a time. so that kept me pretty much right there. she would get real sick some times and then get better again but had to be in bed because she could not stand on her feet at all. because of the rheumataism she had for so many years. life went on like that for some time. Then sister Pauline got married and went still father away to live. so life went on for almost another year.mother and I lived alone it was now winter again. snow all over every where. one night we was (sic) in bed. went there early for there was nothing else to do. all at once some one drove up in the yard. I quick (sic) got up and answerd (sic) the doorIt was Pauline’s husband. He was so still for a while Then gethered (sic) some words and said Pauline is dead. What a shock that was to mother and me I will never be able to put into words, he stayed a while
page 8
then went on to Jake and Christines place and brought the sad news to them too.That was Dec 16 in 1916. There was no cemetery yet, so the men had to meet and select a place which is the cemetery there now. This was sad but not all. Pauline died in child birth and her baby lived sister Christine brought her to her home when she was two weeks old and took care of her. mother was a bed pation (sic) before this happened, and this did not help matters any.she grieved a lot. we lived through that winter again. then in March one day mother took very sick again like she had at other times, she had eaten a good dinner but after got very sick and this time it was worse then (sic) ever. one other time she got sick like that in the middle of the night. I started out and went to my sisters place to get her husband to call the Dr. he could ride a horse I did it afoot. this time it was in the day time. but my sister
page 9
was home alone. her husband had gone to mile (sic) City. it took a week to make the trip with team and wagon. so she came with me and we carried the baby. when we arrived at home mother was no better. some way we got the Dr there. he left some medicine for her to take every two hour’s (sic). Christine would come and stay with us at night and go to her home in the day time, to do her chores. this until thursday then mother told her she wouldn’t need to come for the night this time, so I was there alone with her. Giving her the medicine every two hours. until 4 o clock in the morning. then she said she was very tired. I would have to make sure to stay awake for the next time to give her the pills. I was very tired my self but tried so hard not to go to sleep but I did fall asleep and wake up about 10 minutes later Quickly I going (sic) give her pills. But [underlined] with glass of water and pills in my hands Oh my mother had slipped away in the morning of March 23rd, 1916
page 10
I will never live long enough to forget that experience.funeral arrangements had to be made again and all that goes with it. our claim shanty was still there but my home was not.I stayed with my sister for a while and worked here and there my brother filed on a homestead as soon he was old enough. then I stayed with him the next winter. and part of the following summer. by then things changed a little to the other way. a brother to my sisters husband came to Bentley N.D. to see his Aunt and Uncle Mr and Mrs John C Huber. one of their boys ask his cousin Karl Schlepp if he knew of any nice girls out in Montana. so cousin Karl told cousin John Huber he does know one who worked for him sometimes. her name was Katherine Schlepp. so aquantince (sic) was made through the mail for a time. thats they use (sic) to do in those days. the mail help in many romance
page 11
without even knowing it. so things worked its self (sic) out until on June 16 1918 there was a wedding at Bentley N.D. when Katherine Schlepp and John Huber were married. and lived south of Bentley N.D. that summer. but in the fall John Huber was drafted. It was in the first world war