Tales of Our Youth “Generations of Love & Hope”

By Elizabeth Brown

From the talented pen of author Elizabeth Brown comes this inspirational semi-autobiographical story of the lives of those few individuals who grew up with the wonders of farm life during the nineteen thirties and forties.

Written in a style reminiscent of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House Series, Brown’s work opens the door to a rich American history of life on the farm. This superbly written story of the trials, tribulations, love, hope, and happiness of farm life is a true to life story of those wonderful days of innocence.

The years on the farm will forever etched in the minds and hearts of those who lived it and have become the fabric of their being. It was truly a time of innocence. Farm life for those fortunate enough to live it provided a vast knowledge base to draw from for the rest of their lives.

Opening a window to the past, Elizabeth Brown’s book gives more than a glimpse into the daily trials of life in rural America. Remembrances of how farm life was wonderful—for the most part—when the sky was the bluest, the clouds were the whitest, and the rain in the summer time was the warmest and smelled the freshest. The assortment of smells of the barn, the pigs in the pigpen, the chickens with their egg and feather odors and the wonderful smell of fresh-mown hay were all part of the farm experience. “Wild flowers grew all around us and plenty of wild berries were waiting to be picked. We were only limited by our imaginations and in our case imaginations ran wild.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brighton Publishing LLC
• Release date: Aug 5, 2012

Elizabeth Brown

Elizabeth Brown is Professor of Criminal Justice Studies in the School of Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at San Francisco State University.  George Barganier is Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Studies in the School of Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at San Francisco State University.  

Book preview

Tales of Our Youth

Generations of Love & Hope

by

Elizabeth Brown

Brighton Publishing LLC

501 W. Ray Road, Suite 4

Chandler, AZ 85225

www.BrightonPublishing.com

Copyright © 2012

ISBN: 978-1-621830-33-7

eBook

SMASHWORDS EDITION

Cover Design by Tom Rodriguez

Painting depicted on cover painted by Billie Mallough

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

ALOIS PIERZINA FAMILY

Our life on the farm

Back through the years

We go wandering once again

Back to the seasons of our youth

Back row, Dwaine, Bette, Dianne, Judy, Russell. Front row, Father Alois, George, Mother Helen, 1963

Dedication

I dedicate this book to you the reader in the hope that it rekindles a forgotten memory you had tucked away and you can relive some of the joys from your own childhood, and to our children, grandchildren and future generations to come.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to my sisters and brothers for their treasured memories and their help, especially Dwaine who could answer any question I threw at him.

Creation of Mother

When the God Lord was creating Mother he was into his sixth day of overtime when the angel appeared and said, You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.

And the Lord said, Have you read the spec. on this order? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts…all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands.

The angel shook her head slowly and said, Six pairs of hands…no way.

It’s not the hands that are causing me problems, said the Lord, It’s the three pairs of eyes that Mothers have to have."

That’s on the standard model? asked the angel.

The Lord nodded. One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, ‘What are you kids doing in there?’ when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say, ‘I understand and I love’ without so much as uttering a word.

Lord, said the angel touching His sleeve gently, Come to bed. Tomorrow…

I can’t, said the Lord, I’m so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick…can feed a family of eight on one pound of hamburger…and can get a nine-year-old to stand under a shower.

The angel circled the model of a Mother very slowly. It’s too soft, she sighed.

But tough! said the Lord excitedly. You cannot imagine what this Mother can do or endure.

Can it think?

Not only think, but it can reason and compromise, said the Creator.

Finally the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. There’s a leak, she pronounced. I told you, you, were trying to put too much into this model.

It’s not a leak. Said the Lord, it’s a tear.

What’s it for?

It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness and pride.

You are a genius, said the angel.

The Lord looked somber. I didn’t put it there.

Erma Bombeck

"Chicken Soup for Mother’s Souls"

Chapter One

Swan River Farm

Our father Alois Pierzina was born in Bowlus, Minnesota on February 4, 1912. His parents were George and Louise (Blair) Pierzina. He was the second born of eight children. He spent his early years in the town of Bowlus where his father George was a very industrious man. Among some of his credits, he operated the New Grand Hotel, which was owned by his father John Pierzina, George was town Marshall, member of City Council, member of the School Board, member of Highway Layout. He also owned Bowlus Implement Company, which carried machinery and supplies for the farmers, and a Feed Mill where the local farmers brought their grain and corn to be ground.

In January, 1920 Prohibition was signed into law prohibiting the sale of alcohol. When the men could no longer buy their spirits they began to make it themselves. They designed and built what was called a still which was usually hidden deep in the woods away from public view and the law. The alcohol was called Moonshine. Moonshine was made from any product they could find including lye and many other highly dangerous ingredients. George and his friends were involved in the moonshine business and also their own destruction. His very prosperous business also started a downward spiral.

When our dad, Alois was 11 years old, they lost their home. It was December 23, 1923 when Louise’s father Peter Blair took his wife Emma to the train depot where she was going to spend a couple of months visiting the west coast and Texas. Afterward he stopped by to visit his daughter and found them in dire straits. She was now pregnant with her seventh child and a bleak future. He gathered up the six children and Louise and took them all home with him.

George lost his businesses, his home and his family. The children finished growing up on the Blair farm and our dad remained there until he married our Mom. George was always welcome to come and visit his family, but when Louise became pregnant with her eighth child the welcome mat was removed. A few years later Louise divorced George. The Peter Blair farm was located in the general Bowlus area but was called Swan River Township. Townships are rural farming areas, each area was given a name identifying them, but they were not actual towns

A frequent visitor to the Blair farm was Charles A. Lindberg of aviator fame, first to fly across the Atlantic to France. The Mississippi River runs through the center of Little Falls, dividing the city in half. He lived on the west side of town on the bank of the river. His home was located between the town of Little Falls and the Blair’s, and he always enjoyed taking part in the chores and harvesting. He did this while he was still a teenager but he left the area before our dad and family moved onto the Blair farm.

Our mother was Helen Gertrude Hankes, and was better known by friends and family as Girlie. She was born on December 7, 1920 in Tripoli, Wisconsin. Her parents were Frank and Ella (Robinson) Hankes, both born and raised in St. Cloud, Minnesota. After their marriage, they moved to St. Paul where Frank worked in a cigar making factory, which he had done since he was six years old in St. Cloud. Then they decided to take up farming and moved to Tripoli, Wisconsin shortly before the birth of our mother. She was the fourth child of six. When she was a little girl she was sitting by the side of the road and a car came by and the lady in the car said, Hello Girlie. Mom went in the house and told her parents what the lady called her and for some reason the name stuck.

While living in Wisconsin, Prohibition was the law of the land, and Grandpa Frank along with farming was in the moonshine business too but he was able to outsmart the Feds. The Feds were from the Federal government law enforcement. They would invade and break up the still and confiscate the liquor. The Feds knew that Grandpa was moonshining but were unable to find a stash on his farm. Years later, one of the officers asked him how he was able to elude them and Grandpa told him that his agents were always very careful where they stepped. Grandpa covered his tracks well. After the cows went to the bathroom; the remains were called a cow pie, which would dry in the sun and harden into a flat object, similar to a plate but larger. Grandpa would dig a hole in the ground, hollow it out and place his moonshine inside the hole and place the dry manure over the top. The agents being careful where they stepped never discovered his secret so he was never caught.

The difference between the two grandfathers and how they operated their side businesses was that Grandpa Frank made moonshine and sold it generating some extra cash but Grandpa George made it and consumed it.

In 1930 when Mom was ten years old, they decided to move to North Dakota. Being from the St. Cloud area originally, they visited with family and friends there. They ended up 30 miles north in Little Falls and Frank gained employment through WPA, (government work program) at Camp Ripley so they bought acreage in Green Prairie Township where Frank with only a hammer and a saw built the home that still stands today.

They moved there in October and sadly their oldest son Elmer at age 19 drowned in the Mississippi River eight months later. The river was located about a mile from their home. He was spearing for fish and caught a knapsack full when he stepped in a hole that the ever changing swift current created. He was a good, strong swimmer but the heavy knapsack and waders prevented him from reaching shore. He was observed struggling, but help was unable to reach him in time.

***

Our parents attended the local schools in their areas and each completed the eighth grade. Going to high school in Little Falls was out of the question for them because they had to work on the farm and Mom’s parents didn’t have the one dollar a month for her to ride the bus. Most country kids had to live with relatives in town to attend high school. It must be remembered that these were the years of the Great Depression.

They both attended a dance in Little Falls. She was fourteen years old and this was one of the first dances she attended. Our dad says he saw her walking across the room and thought she was the finest woman he had ever laid eyes on. At the time he didn’t know how young she was. He thought she was much older plus she fibbed a little on her end. She was not the giddy, silly girl that most fourteen year old girls are.

The Blair farm was located about 8 miles southwest of Little Falls and Mom was living about 15 miles north of Little Falls. Twenty-three miles on rutted dirt roads was quite a distance to travel to do much courting which could only happen after his chores were finished. They were married on a very cold day, January 6, 1936 in St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, in Sobieski, Minnesota which was the church that our dad and the family attended.

Newspaper article that appeared in Little Falls paper reads as follows:

Happenings Around Swan River Section

"A large number from here motored to Sobieski and attended the shower for Miss Helen Hankes and Alois Pierzina which was held Thursday evening. They received many beautiful gifts. The wedding took place Monday."

The wedding dinner was held at the Peter Blair farm. Alois’s grandparents, Peter Blair was French, born in Quebec, Canada where they spoke only French. Grandmother Emma Wieczorek Blair was born in Germany making an interesting combination of cultures. Our mother remembers that sauerkraut was served. In those days, the 3 meals a day were called breakfast, dinner and supper, and Emma always included the sauerkraut with every meal, but hopefully not for breakfast.

Both of our parents were loved and enjoyed by all who knew them having easy going personalities and quick to laugh and enjoy a good time. Neither of them was grumpy or overly stern. Mother would go with the flow but father could dig his heels in and not be budged. Years later we realized she also had a bit of a stubborn streak.

Mom was slender and tall, standing 5’ 8" and weighed about 105 pounds. She had light brown hair, green eyes and a pretty face. Her maternal grandfather was Scotch Irish; a long lineage of relatives lived in Maine. Her other grandparents emigrated from Sweden, Luxemburg and Germany.

Daddy was 5’11" and weighed about 175 pounds. Although he was lean, he was not of a bony structure. He had dark brown eyes and black hair. Being of Polish, German and French descent, the French was most prominent. All of his grandparents were immigrants and spoke their native tongues, Polish, German and French. As children, they had to be able to understand each of the languages to communicate with them, and they did. The men adapted well to the English language but the women spoke their native tongue.

Our dad had many fine qualities and was admired by all who knew him. He was confident, charismatic, hardworking, highly respected, very high morals and very protective of his family. He was not impulsive and gave a lot of thought and planned things through carefully, always making the right choice.

He believed that if you take on a