Well attired successful farmers with their chicks

A properly attired man doing his job.
Cheep, cheep, cheep. Here chicky chicky!

He sure does know how to get the chicks.
I think Annie was very good at taking pictures. They learn how to take nice pictures through the 4-H club. I couldn't tell you who was the chick attractor in the picture. Dwight, Lyle Meyer or someone else. Dwight was left handed. Maybe the way this guy holds the pan is an indicator that he is left handed.

I have shown this picture to other people and they have remarked what a large chicken house that is. I have never given it much thought. It could be true, I have seen much smaller ones.

This guy is a big charmer. Not only with the chicks. Wouldn't you like to just give him a hug. Boy, the love in that picture is evident. I tried to reduce the width on this picture to get away from that light patch. But it kept reverting back. Maybe I can try again another day. It is such a keeper.

I have been wondering what that little house is off to his right. It could be his chick house or play shed for his toys.


His mother sure knew how she could raise a farmer. You gotta love her attention and love for her children. I think this is Dwight. I have not seen that many pictures of Lyle, when he was small.

The Successful Farmers of Sunnyslope

This is the year 2008, so I will call the woman of 1909 a farmer as well.

Sometime around their marriage, Herman Henry Meyer and Anna Wilhelmina Seil took a portrait at Des Moines Iowa, and then headed for Sunnyslope Farm in the plains of Minnesota somewhat south of Mankato. They did actually buy a new car. I really don't know when they bought it, or what kind it was. They did use it for many trips.

A Close up of a Victorian Home

Here is a well groomed closeup. Very victorian. Flowers and a single porch with white trimming. Where is the rocker?


I wonder, if this is the Martin home in Madelia, or if it is in Iowa. I guess, I shall have to check the census. Still, I won't be absolutely sure which Martin family it is.


Does it look crooked to you, it looks crooked to me?

As I was enlarging this picture, I noticed that plant that is in the middle in the lower edge of the picture. I wondered if it is suppose to be a flower or a weed. Then my eye traveled to her flowers and landscaping around the steps a bit away from the two on the steps. No kidding, but my thoushts were I wonder if the foremost idea was to take a picture of the plants and then as an after thought, she added in the children. Do you think? I know I have done that. Does that make me a bad mother. And sometimes you know how children are, some are such little Hams. It's impossible to take a picture with out them wandering in and hamming it up. Where ever they stand, it makes a bad picture. The back of them or whatever they are doing is out of sync with the picture, I want to take. So sometimes it is just best to have them sit and pose.

The little darling here is being really good, isn't she?.

Home at Sunnyslope Farm

Its easy to see that it is cool and refreshing at breaktime at the Sunnyslope Farm. It was taken when Dwight and Lyle Meyer were young. Probably sometimes after 1925. Here you see them with the neighborhood gang. I think this is the west side of the old house. But I could be wrong.

I can only guess who they could be. Perhaps Mosel, McMullen, maybe Tierney?

Life of Work Mixed In With Fun AT SUNNYSLOPE

For the Horses?
I am not sure who the riders are in this photograph. And it doesn't matter. The work horses that I remember they had on the farm in 1950's were called Jack and Joe. Sometime in 1950's they moved on to tractors. It was a big deal. Great Progress for them, because others in the neighborhood had already done so.

Mabel Johnson to the North West of Sunnyslope was into horses for riding. I don't know, if Fred was as a youngster. Also the Kelseys had horses for riding. I couldn't say who the mystery riders were. Possibly Meyer.

Note: I haven't dated the photo, yet, either. I am sorry it is a bit blurry. But part of the history, one cannot pass up.

just jo

More about the Vase stamped MZ austria Made in Austria

Austrian Vase

I have found a picture online that is much better than the close up picture, that I took with my camera. So here is the link to the stamped mark that I found on the bottom of the vase, which was in the Meyer cupboard. It is listed below the number 8 of 18.


http://antiques.about.com/od/researchingantiques/ig/Pottery-and-Porcelain-Marks/M-Z--Austria.htm

Some description and examples here. Very gorgeous.


http://www.kovels.com/priceguide/kovels_mzaustria/


The stamped mark at the bottom is most like this one below. And the vase itself carries the basic design of the stamped design. In the others the curved lines are boaxed in or inclosed. In. this stamp it is not.


http://www.efineantiques.com/_borders/2752MZTrayRosesMark.jpg

http://www.efineantiques.com/webpages/sold6.htm

Notice the variety of that stamp. The closed boxyness of the design and the open swirl or swag of the design. I noticed also the boxy design has a stamp with a sideways v. Gosh what gorgeous dishes shown. I do have some very chipped sugar and creamers that might fit in here. I shall have to check on their stamp at a future date. I think it is my fault they got chipped. So gorgeous.


The others are so pretty with flowers and all. This vase is just a dark gray blue in nearly the same design as the insignia. I have not found the same vase on line yet.


The Mz Austria(1891-1913) marked on the bottom shown to be Moritz Zdekauer. He [Moritz Zdekauer] in 1884 purchased a factory in Altrohlau, Bohemia. The letters MZ have been maintained in the logo ever since, and still today at factory building. By1909 the factory was sold to C.M. Hutschenreuter [ the Hohenberg, Germany porcelain manufacturer] became the owner, and named it Altrohlau Porcelain Factories ... MZ Austria existed and depicts an era at the end of WWI. "By 1918 the Paris Peace Committee had created a new country" Bohemia became Czechoslovakia.


My research here has shown that it is from Bohemia, Austria. Which is fitting for it to be Anna Fogel or Vogel Seil. Czech Republic, Králický or Grulich [ hope that is spelled correctly for now.] I have not located the village on the map yet. It is a bit North on Polish border. I do know that Bohemia in Anna's home area to be now Czechoslovakia. I think she immigrated after 1900. I shall have to check records to be sure. I often confuse Greene county with Calhoun county, when I have to figure out, which one she lived in. So, I will have to refer back to records. But I believe it was Greene county, Iowa. I guess it depends on if she was living with August or with the Vogels.


The last time I used the image/ link in putting image from website on internet; I got a incomplete box. So I know better than to take census from the internet onto this blog at this time. I will edit the year, she immigrated in here. Some of the family lived in Illinois before moving to Iowa. August Seil was friends with Frank Vogel, before he married Anna. [Family of Joseph Vogel].


The Seil family, Annie and August William came from Dahlenburg. Annies mothers family the Korns and Coleman, Schmidt came from Gross Thondorf and Hildesheim.


We are not sure exactly where on the census the Vogel family lived in Illinois. I may have found it, I am not totally sure. I keep trying. As I try to find the Dohrmann family as well. No luck.

This Vase from His side of the Meyer Cupboard

Prized Austrian  vase from Germany

It is not the prettiest vase on the block! It has scars and has had a tough life. Someone must have thought it pretty important to be kept high in the cupboard, where it would be safe. It was kept on "His" side of the cupboard. Why was it so important? Because it was " His"?

Who makes up the prior family of "His", the owners of this beat up vase from the Meyer cupboard? I don't know what stories it brought to the Meyer house in its former days.

Seil side of Meyer family at Sunnyslope

Has it been a part of life with the Meyer? Seil? Vogel family? Korn? Schmidt? Brookmann? Jaeschke? Coleman? Perhaps the stories go back to Germany. Dahlenburg ? Neetzendorf ? Oldendorf? Nahrendorf ? Radenbeck? Gross Thondorf ? Himbergen? Danzig? Hildesheim? Eichdorf ? Sueschendorf ? Ventschau ? Dannenberg ?

What kind of tough life has beat up this vase? You can see it has something extra added to its outer side. Top and bottom. I really do know that answer. I know where the foreign material came from. It went through a house fire in 1945 or 1946, but was saved. It may have gone through others, but I only know about that fire. I am not sure exactly, how it was saved. But I was told that they saved only a few items from the burning home. I suspect it was brought out in the heavy buffet that someone had carried out. I was told that it had amazed everyone how heavy the buffet was; and how they still had carried it out so easily short handed as they were. A neighbor carried it out, but I have forgotten who the strong person was.

The Meyer family always felt lucky that the neighbors could save that buffet, table and chairs. But they were especially happy about that buffet, because it contained their few pictures, dishes, important papers, and other momentos. That is all that was saved from years of heritage of the family. I doubt that there were many items that were carried with the families, anyway. When they immigrated they could only bring so much. So, I am sure that whatever was passed down in those days from loved ones, are indeed, dear to the heart. [Some families had large families and others had small ones.]

Something melted on to the vase and it couldn't be removed. I am not sure what that was. I suppose they have tried to remove it. Rather than risk the piece they kept it as it was. I have seen a box of melted pile of coins that went through the fire. I suppose some other material was melted in between it all. They never got around to see, if there was anything that could be done about redeeming the worth of the little pile of coins.

I know they saved the buffet, Queen Ann table, and chairs. The stuff in the buffet too. I don't know what else was saved. The people who carried these things out had to do so in a hurry. Because after the fire had spread to a dangerous area of the house, they had to stop. Why I asked, why didn't they save more. I mean, after all the fire was still in another section of the house. I was told it didn't matter, because there had been explosives kept in the other section of the house. They just didn't want anyone inside after the fire took hold.

It was those kind helpful neighbors who looked out for each other that were there helping. Even when the fire truck came, the Meyers did not want anyone close enough to the fire to risk their lives to put the fire out. I guess it couldn't be done, before it reached the dynamite. The neighbors were very giving and helpful through it all. The family felt thankful to get what they did, and that no one was hurt.

Other pictures and momentos, bedding, towels, furniture, clothes, ect. were given to the family. Later new items were added to their cupboard. But still they held on to this vase. i suppose For that which it stood for, for memories it had carried with it for so long. It is really hard to discard something other loved ones have treasured. Especially if, someone told you the story, and then gave this treasure to you.

Even the amount of risk of life for this piece makes it extra special, you know?

I do know the vase still carries a mystery. I only know what I have been told. Which is not much, but enough, I guess to understand what happened back then.

Perhaps others in the branches of the Meyer family have something like this vase? Maybe someone close to this family in Minnesota or Iowa might know about the piece? Maybe someone knows something about this kind of piece that comes from Austria. I would sure like to know more. Email me if you know.

I do know that I am keeping it in my cupboard, on "Her" side.

just me

jo

The Rose thats in the Vase from the Sunnyslope Farm

The Vase was made in Austria and it has been in the Meyer family at Sunnyslope for many years. The rose you see in the vase was a successful start from the rose from the Sunnyslope farm. So this rose is the same as that Herman Meyer and Annie Seil had growing at the farm on the hill.

I have this wonderful old rose. I wish I could spread the scent out to you. The silvery pink color in the rose is beautyful. The bush gets so lush and full. But more so than the beauty of the rose in the vase, is the beauty of the memories that they bring to me. This rose and the vase have a little history behind them. I hope I can bring some of that to light for you. I hope I can figure out the most of the story it still holds secret.

One problem with my history is in the lack of History of this rose. Lack of history, because I lack the name of this rose. I have been wondering for some time what the name could be. It is definately a very hardy rose. I have also wondered, when it was planted. When I got the sucker starts, I had not thought to ask. The only one who might have known the name of the family rose might have been Sylvia's brother, Ray. He had an interest in all the roses. I think, he may have started some from suckers, himself.

After the son Dwight and his wife Sylvia more or less took control of the farm, they added their own touches in landscaping. The wife might have added some small very hardy red rugosa roses to the front yard in a horizontal line with the house, entirely on her own? In the back, she left the pink roses. She had great respect for Herman and his ideas and memories. For that reason, I think she kept to the master plan that Herman and Annie [with her grandparents] layed out.

I know for a fact that Sylvia would have liked to have removed those pink roses in the back.

Even though, they were pretty in the summer along the side walk by the old country wire gate. The fence was divided in two by two gray and white posts and the white painted curly cued metal gate. There was a pink rose bush on each side of the walkway with the gate in between. A perfect vision of practical rural country with a little prettines thrown into the picture.

It's not an entire pretty picture,as I see it. I know this rose bush. Into this picture creeps the rose habit of trying to take over the area. I know sidewalk did help keep it in check.

I think what she didn't like about the rose placement, was the fact that the rose branches would catch on the clothes or worse the skin as she or her children would walk beside it. through the gate. Also, it did require a bit of pruning of the suckers, since it was a hardy rose. If you ever have had suckering plants, you know what I am talking about.

But the rose in my estimation, was so worth the labor. Because the scent of this rose is heavenly. Every time you passed through the gate to the farm area, you wafed in the the scent. In the morning, I think it was like a gentle well wish to you on to your way to your task. And a pleasant greeting of the inhale of the scent as the farmers returned from the barn or the field at the end of their work day.

You don't find that great scent with the line of the hardy red rose that they planted in the front of their estate. That of the the hardy red rugosa rose. It came in a cherry red or a pinker red. [Nowadays, one can find it even in white] Rugosa Rose ‘Grootendorst’: Wonderfully fragrant large double blooms of pink or rosy red. It Grows 3 to 5 feet and is hardy to zone 3. You find the hardiness and tameness with those. I realize now that Sylvia tried to have an arbor effect in the middle of the line of red roses with two fan trellises on each side of the walk through the middle.

I have an old photo, which shows this perfectly. I just need to find it. Then you will see

in the old photo of the farm in the time of Annie and Herman; those roses were tame enough to stand in line and not sucker away. I, myself would have tried to put the pink ones there as they would have been perfect against the white fan trellis. [ Or even an arbor, but there wasn't alot of money in those days for those kind of things. ] You could add climbers next to the fan trellis or like Sylvia did with morning glories. The pink rose certainly can grow tall and luscious enough. It would have been so pretty there.

But I know it would not have been practical. Let me illustrate that thought. If you can imagine yourself alone, with twenty crawling infants all lined up in a row. Now, imagine your task is to keep them straight in a line all in that row. How many would be there in that row after an twenty minutes? Maybe one or two little contented child is laying there dreaming. Otherwise, the others would have crawled away in search of who knows what. You would be going off after each one and bringing them back; only to have another do the same. It would be never ending. It would be quite a comical situtation. That is how it would have been if the pink silvery rose had been lined up there in a long line the width of the front yard.

Then too, as those suckers popped up in the yard further away, you would have the task of removing it each time you mowed the lawn. More than likely it would be the barefoot child, who would have found it first.

The rose by the gate in the back yard probably served as a reminder to a younger child, that there was no passage for them over that post to the other side. They were to be inside the fence where they could be safely playing, while the others tended their chores. The gentle scent reminded them as they neared the gate.

Later a mulberry tree took root and became a climbing platform for Sylvia's children. It didn't take them long to realize that they could easily go down from the tree to the outside of the yard. Which was of course on the other side of the fence. But by that time, they were old enough to help with the chores. They were old enough to not need a fence to be kept safe.

The big mulberry tree with its long branches eventually passed so much shade over the one rose on the northern post, that it soon passed on. What ever the reason was, Sylvia the gardner, did not replant the rose.

Later on, she had the Mulberry tree choped down,. The Meyer children loved climbing the tree and argued to keep it. She won her point for it going. It blocked the yard light. Maybe the real reason was it because it dropped mulberries on the sidewalk. With the tree gone, she could have replanted the rose bush opposite the other. But she didn't.

I have wondered why that rose stayed there in that spot on the west side next to the gate and side walk. Other roses had lost their spots!

Perhaps Herman prefered the nonscented scarlet colored rugosa rose at the east side, instead of the light pink rose with scent, which was on the west side. Perhaps it was planted in that spot in the west by Annie or her grandparents. The decision mystery itself, I am sure was part of the memory of the flower.

It could have been planted by the previous owner of the farm. The farm had belonged to another family before Herman and Annie purchased it. I am told that they visited once and heard about the mishaps and the changes that the farm had gone through. The changes in the buildings and the trees were noticed. They told how they had planted this tree and that one. They marveled in their old age with their old memories, how now the new width and height of the still standing maple trees have reached. The trees were now huge and gave more shade than they had when they began the farm. The new owners would proudly show them around and ask the questions they were curious to hear. I wish I knew, if the old owners had planted the pink rose. If they had loved that rose too. No doubt they could have taken away a start of it to their new home. It would also have been a sentimental keepsake of their old home. A perfect keepsake which would bring up memories of the old days on the Sunnyslope farm. [ I don't know either, if they called it Sunnyslope farm too.]

This photo of people in the life of Annie and Herman, August and Anna does not enlarge. I am going to leave it this way. Later, I will add on one that opens and enlarges. It has those of Sunnyslope farm and those of Iowa. August, Anna, Annie, Herman, Lyle or Dwight, Lily( Meyer) Carter. The others I am not sure about.

Annies grandfather, August Seil and his wife, Anna Vogel had a wing in the old house to themselves. I am not sure exactly what August did on the farm, but I heard he had a green thumb. Especially great was his knowledge of the Grapes. Maybe the roses.??

I suppose the rose stayed where it was because of the old habits and the memories.

I am sure the pink rose had memories to Herman of the older days, when they were all there together. It could have had ties of Annie memories, and her memories that she had that I will never know about.

Memories she and he had of Iowa. Her mother, step siblings, or old friends back home in Iowa, or new friends in the in the plains of Minnesota. It could also have memories for Herman of his home place in Iowa. Perhaps his or her relatives had the same rose. Maybe they brought it with them in the early nineteen hundred's, when they married and settled at the Sunnyslope farm.

I am not sure, if I have mentioned that Annies mother, was the daughter of August William Seil. And her mother was of the Korn family that came from a line that tied to Schmidt, and Culeman. The Culeman had gone from Hildesheim to Gross Thondorf in Uelzen. It involves the names Coleman, and Schmidt and maybe ten others.

The Seil information is limited. I think the family of Annie and Herman had prefered it that way. August was born at Dahlenburg. I have some information on his father, but not much. His mother was a Brookmann. I don't know yet, when she came to America. She was blind, while she helped him with his household in Iowa. She was still living with him in Iowa, after he had married Annie Vogel. After his mother died, the rather newly married old couple moved to Minnesota to live with the newly married Herman and Annie. When he first immigrated to america; August Seil stopped for a bit at Joliet, Will county in Illinois before moving on to Iowa. Some of it is still a mystery. I have a post still coming with this history.

I hesitate to mention that Annie was born [1893] illegitimate to Lizzie Seil. Lizzie came from Germany with Annie still unborn. Lizzies father did not really know her. He had left when she was a baby. Lizzie married and the best solution for Annie and Lizzie was decided that August was to raise Annie. He was already married to Anna Vogel. And so he was like her father. Anna herself had had no other children. I would imagine too, she was like a mother for Annie. Annie married, when she turned eighteen. Her mother died not long after her marriage. Some of the children were left behind were not old enough to stay with the father. So they also came up from Iowa to Sunnyslope farm to live with August, Anna and Herman and Annie.

Annie developed some form of Diabetes. Her half sisters are shown in many photos as friends and helpers. Some of the children were raised along with the Meyers' own children. Such a big family it seems to have been. Not just the Seil side. Hermans relatives came to the area to live. His brother. Gollwitzers. Martins, and friends from Iowa lived in the neighborhood. Mosel, Borchert, others too numerous to mention now.

Those were the family and friends of those who knew the story of the pale pink rose. Maybe the rose was passed around between the farmers wives. Perhaps it sits in an old cemetery plaguing the caretaker to this day. So there is a good chance others in the area of southern Minnesota might know the name of the rose. [Or iowa.]

I have thought to myself 'what rose was popular back then'. I have browsed lightly into this subject. One idea pops into mind was a rose called ? ? Meyer rose. Some day, I will spend a little more time sifting through some rose books. And I will be looking on the internet sites to see the dates of origination of some other roses, that I think will resemble this one. Maybe that will help to pin point the possible time of planting. The time factor might help me identify the plant. There is always puzzle solving, isn't there?

If your reading this, your probably a relative. Maybe you know more about the rose, or you have seen it somewhere. I hope you can email me and let me know. Not just about the rose only, but maybe you have found something familiar about the vase. Maybe you know the story of the vase. write me at arootdigger at gmail. com

I know I am a day dreamer. I have sure daydreamed here a bit. What else can a child that was gladly a book worm be. I have wondered how it was in the rather mysterious ancestors lives. Those with these possesions that they left behind. I think they would be glad to know that a child they would never have thought about has had a big appreciation for the pink rose in the vase and the memories they hold.

I hope you have too. Maybe by now you understand, why I have kept that ugly old vase and still. pamper the old rose. I proudly share my rose. I have done so, because I know of the beauty of my families souls that made them hold on to these keepsakes of memory. There is beauty in the eye of this beholder and I hope in yours too.

Until the next time,

just jo