Waiting in Weston

By Deanne Macomber Holmes

In 1849, Dora Bentz Herter and her husband decide to leave their native Switzerland and start a new life in America, a journey of several thousand miles, which includes crossing an ocean in a ship designed for hauling cotton, not people.

After crossing the Atlantic, they must navigate two large rivers in crowded, precarious steamboats to reach their destination, the bustling port town of Weston, Missouri. After their arrival, Dora writes home and encourages the rest of her family to join them. The following year, two of Dora's unmarried sisters decide to undertake the trip, hoping they will find true love in Weston. The sisters are delighted to be reunited and discover that Weston does indeed provide many opportunities. Their main focus, however, is to persuade the rest of the family to come from Switzerland and join them.

Then in 1856, a cholera epidemic strikes the town, and their lives are turned upside down. The love and support the Bentz sisters provide for each other isn't enough to keep the family together. Impacted by the settling of Kansas across the river, the Oregon fever, and the Civil War, the Bentz family begin to scatter. Fifty years later, only two descendants remain in Weston who can recall the Bentz family's story of immigration and the challenges they faced. Will they be able to keep the memories from fading away forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9781685709792

Book preview

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Waiting in Weston

Deanne Macomber Holmes

ISBN 978-1-68570-978-5 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68570-979-2 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Deanne Macomber Holmes

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

This novel is a work of historical fiction. Many names, characters, places, and incidents are real and accurate and have been gleaned from public documents. However, some of the events are fictional, including the dialogue, and are products of the author’s imagination.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Prologue

1

Dorathea

2

Dorathea

3

Susanna

4

Dorathea

5

Susanna

6

Susanna

7

Dora

8

Susanna

9

Anna

10

Elisabetha

11

Anna

12

Susanna

13

Elisabetha

14

Anna

15

Dora

16

Anna

17

Anna

18

Susanna

19

Anna

20

Elizabeth

21

Susanna

22

Dora

23

Elizabeth

24

Anna

25

Elizabeth

26

Dora

27

Anna

28

Elizabeth

29

Dora

30

Dora

31

Elizabeth

32

Dora

33

Anna

34

Leita May Bents

Epilogue

About the Author

To K. R. Bents—uncle extraordinaire,

and

Marc Holmes, whose love and support have kept me believing.

To understand and reconnect our stories,

the stories of our ancestors,

is to build our identities.

—Frank Delaney

Prologue

In 1914, Leita Bents took a train across the United States from Portland, Oregon, to Weston, Missouri. She was determined to see for herself the place where her father had been born. There, she met a few family members, took pictures, and learned their history. When she returned, she pasted the handful of photos she had taken into an album and wrote a brief caption beneath each one.

Not long after her trip, Leita got married, and the album was tucked away. Information about the people she had met in connection with her father's family was rarely mentioned again. When Leita died in 1954, she left one son; and when he died years later, he left no family. Fortunately, the old photo album was rescued by Leita's grandniece. The captions below the old photos had faded with time and were barely legible. She attempted to find out the relationship of the people in the album to Leita, but research at that time turned up little new information, and the album was filed away.

Then in 2020 the old album pages were once again pulled out and reexamined by Leita's grandniece. The captions revealed names of four people Leita had visited on her trip in 1914. With the help of the internet and countless hours of research, the relationship of those four people to Leita's father slowly began to emerge.

The new information showed that Leita's grandfather had not immigrated to the United States alone. He had four sisters who also came from Switzerland to Weston, Missouri, at about the same time. However, unlike their brother, the sisters never left Weston. That is where they were rediscovered in 2020, nearly 170 years after their arrival in Missouri, peacefully waiting in Weston for someone to reconnect them to each other and to their brother, who lay far away in Oregon.

This is their story.

1

Dorathea

Spring, 1838

Wulflingen

Canton Zurich, Switzerland

The first time she saw him, she knew. Maybe it was because of the freshness of the spring air. Maybe it was because of the feeling of warm sunshine hugging her shoulders. Then again, maybe it was simply fate.

Twenty-year-old Dorathea Bentz was walking to the village today with a list of items she needed to purchase for her mother. Glad to be free of household and farming chores, Dorathea had a bounce in her step as she walked beside her ten-year-old brother Heinrich, who had been sent to accompany her today. He, too, was happy to be free of his daytime chores. Of course, evening chores would be waiting for him on his return home, but for the time being, he was free to breathe the air and observe the lush landscape of the lower Toss Valley without being behind a plow or the handle of a hoe.

As they approached the village, Dorathea mentally ran through the list of the places she needed to visit to procure the items on her list. When they entered the outskirts of the village, she recited to Heinrich the order of the shops they would visit. She figured it would only take them about two hours to make their purchases. Then maybe, they could linger for a short while near the marketplace or perhaps by the village fountain. The public benches there were a welcome place to rest and eat the bread and cheese they had packed for their midday meal and watch people stroll by.

I'm hungry, Heinrich suddenly announced.

All right, said Dorathea, who had not quite finished window shopping. Actually, I am pretty hungry as well, and we have purchased everything on Mama's list. Find us a spot for us both to sit, Heinrich.

Once they were settled, Dorathea took out the cloth napkin that held their lunch, handed her brother his share, and began eating. Water from the fountain provided refreshment. The passersby provided the entertainment.

Then, a particular young man on the opposite side of the fountain suddenly came into view. Dorathea carefully watched him. Not wanting him to see her looking, she periodically glanced down. However, his good looks and confident posture kept drawing her eyes back in his direction. She found him captivating. Good thing I am far enough away to not be noticed, she thought to herself. But she had miscalculated.

Even though he appeared not to have seen her, the young man had actually been watching Dorathea for the past several minutes. She was certainly pleasant looking. Without looking directly her way, he casually made his way closer to where she was sitting. She was talking to a young boy sitting beside her, but he felt her eyes on him. He decided to approach her. What did he have to lose but a few minutes of his time? And what did he have to gain—maybe a few minutes of pleasant conversation with a pretty girl?

Good morning, the young man said to Dorathea and the young boy.

Good morning to you, Dorathea replied softly, avoiding his eyes, unsure of herself. She felt the heat of embarrassment rising in her cheeks. Had he seen her watching?

I haven't seen you in the village before. My name is Heinrich, Hans Heinrich Herter in full. I am actually from Pfungen. Do you know of it? It is just a few miles from here. Are you from nearby? Dorathea hesitated, wondering what she should say. After careful consideration, she figured it was safe to tell him their farm was just outside the village.

Not wanting to seem rude, Dorathea looked at him as she spoke, noting he was even more handsome up close! She introduced herself and her brother. Then she asked the young man a question, giving her time to compose herself. Soon, a comfortable, steady flow of pleasantries continued between Dorathea and the young Mr. Herter. It didn't take long before Dorathea felt comfortable looking at Heinrich's friendly face and into his twinkling eyes. Before she knew it, an hour and then some had passed. Suddenly, a nudge from her brother brought Dorathea back to the reality of the day.

Well, we really must be on our way home. We've been away longer than we should, and my mother will be worried, Dorathea said reluctantly.

May I accompany you both to the outskirts of the village? young Mr. Herter asked. Dorathea threw a glance toward her brother who nodded.

Yes, sir, you may. That would be most kind, replied Dorathea. As the trio strolled past the shops and houses, they continued a pleasant exchange of conversation, until at last the village was behind them and the time had come to say goodbye. Neither Mr. Herter nor Dorathea really wanted the conversation to end.

May I see you again? he suddenly asked.

Dorathea felt herself blush. She didn't want to sound too forward, but she also did not want to throw away the opportunity to see this young man again. Yes, I would like that, she managed to say. With arrangements made, Dorathea and her brother parted company with the handsome Mr. Herter and started down the road to home. Neither one of them said much until Heinrich could no longer help himself.

You like him, don't you, Dorathea? came the teasing question. Dorathea swung her knapsack at her little brother, who laughingly dodged it, and started to jog ahead of his sister. Dorathea hurried after him with a smile on her face. And on the other side of the village, a young Mr. Herter headed home as well, marveling at how impressed he had been today by the dark-haired delightfully affable young woman whom he had taken the chance to visit with on this beautiful spring day.

*****

True to his word, Heinrich came to call. During the next several months, Dorathea and Mr. Henrich Herter arranged to be in each other's company on several occasions. As the Bentz family became acquainted with him, they looked forward to his visits also.

Dorathea's parents believed he was a good match for their daughter. The only bit of awkwardness was the fact that Dorathea's older sister, Anna, did not have any marriageable prospects on the horizon. The two sisters were two years apart in age but had very little in common. Anna was serious, hardworking, a typical oldest child who was very responsible and could be counted on to run the household if called upon to do so—a second right hand for her parents. All work and no play provided little time for socializing.

Anna didn't much care. She had work to do. Dorathea gave up long ago trying to compete with her sister. Dorathea's true calling was entertaining her younger two sisters and brothers and keeping them out of Anna's way. When it came time for chores, Dorathea had just the right way of cajoling them into doing the necessary tasks with either an element of fun or a reward. Her only real struggle was when taking orders from Anna.

As the Christmas holiday drew near, Heinrich Herter made the decision to make the seriousness of his intentions known to Dorathea. He prepared a special speech just for her. After days of practicing his delivery, he believed he was ready to propose. When the Bentz family invited him to enjoy a festive meal with them, Heinrich was ready. All through dinner, Heinrich tried to calmly eat and converse, but his heart raced in his chest and he hoped he didn't appear as nervous as he felt inside.

Once the meal had ended, he mentioned to Dorathea that he had something for her. Could they go somewhere private? She suggested they put on their coats and step outside. The crisp cold air cleared Heinrich's head and renewed his determination. He reached for Dorathea's hand. Looking into her expectant eyes, he attempted to tell her of his love for her. The words spoken were not exactly the ones he had rehearsed, but he managed to come close. By the time he finished speaking, Dorathea's eyes had filled with tears and her body trembled. Would she marry him? Without hesitation, she said yes.

After several minutes, the happy couple strolled back to the house. Heinrich thought to himself, One hard part down. One to go. Now he had to go and face her father and ask for his blessing. Mr. Bentz had to know this moment was coming, didn't he?

*****

The new year of 1839 arrived, and with it came the marriage of Miss Dorathea Bentz and Mr. Hans Heinrich Herter. The celebration came in the winter when there was far less in the way of work to be done on the family farm. It was a happy occasion.

Afterward, Dorathea and Heinrich began making plans for their future together. It would be filled with happiness, good fortune, and children. After all, theirs was a marriage made of love. Sometimes, however, life doesn't go according to plan.

2

Dorathea

1848

Wulflingen

Canton Zurich, Switzerland

Dorathea sat sewing by the light of the window. From her chair, she watched her son Conrad playing in the yard. He had been born just two days after Dorathea and Heinrich Herter had celebrated their first Christmas as man and wife. Their beautiful healthy son, Conrad Herter, was perfect in every way. The young couple had had so much to celebrate that year of 1839 and the next.

Whereas the love between Dorathea and her husband continued to grow, their plans for another child became thwarted. In 1841, Dorathea became pregnant with her second child. In the second trimester, her body rejected the baby, and it was born early and without breath. Henry tried to reassure her. These things happen, he said. We are young. We will just try again.

So he and Dorathea did try again, but the outcome was the same. This was followed by two early miscarriages. Each loss tore at Dorathea's heart so strongly, she could no longer face the prospect of trying again. Dorathea was emotionally empty. The time had come for her to accept the fact that a house filled with children was not to be. At least they had been blessed with their dear little Conrad. Such a good little boy.

He was eight years old now and getting so grown-up. As an only child, Conrad had become very close to his parents. He was aware of their disappointment over not being able to have more children. Conrad tried his best to make up for that by being the best child he possibly could.

Dorathea never lost sight of the fact that she had her dear husband, Heinrich, the love of her life. Even in her darkest days, he would find just the right things to say and do to help her move on with life. She knew he adored her too. Dorathea was determined to find contentment.

The political scene in Switzerland was changing once again. Just four years ago in 1844, a conservative parliament emerged. In an effort for their voices to be heard, armed liberal radicals marched for Lucerne,