Talking with Charla...

Aunt Janece "Rouch" Herrold, remembers Helen "Johnston," talking about how Anna "Gottfried" Hershberger, would every morning when her family lived in Germany, have to take their flock of geese through the town to the pasture to graze. Then every night she would return with the flocks, once again through the town. Aunt Charla "Thomas" Sparks, commented that can you imagine that you would have so many people trying to get to work in the mornings, and you would have the other "herders," trying to get their flocks of geese through the town, and any other types of animals all at the same time, how crazy that must have been.

Talking with Charla...

This week I talked to my Aunt Charla "Thomas" Sparks, about the Johnston side of the family. One of our Darlene "Rouch" Crider cousins had submitted a recipe for Illinois State Fair for heirloom recipes. It talked about the Johnston side being what is called 'Black Irish,' which I had never heard of and neither had Charla or Aunt Janice "Rouch"Herrold. Aunt Janice looked it up and found three possible explanation on why they are called 'black Irish,' the first reason being that when a majority of the Irish emigrated was during the potato famine and the potato's were getting a blight that was causing the potatoes to have black spots. The second reason they might have been called 'black Irish' is because of the region that they emigrated from the people where known to have a darker completion, darker hair, and darker eyes. Aunt Janice said that the first two explanations fit the time period, and the description of our family. Which in turn made me wonder that if my father's, Angela's, and William's completion fit with that reasoning.

Talking with Grandma...

On date #1 I asked Grandma what kind of dates did she and Grandpa go on. She told me that she and grandpa would drive into Logansport, or Rochester, Indiana and go to the movies, and go out to eat. So I asked her what kind of movies they watched and she could really tell me that, but I asked if they were Fred Astaire, Ginger Roger's movies. I really could say at what time period they might have been dating, and which movies stars might had been at that time so I took a few that I know and hoped that it would help. I asked if she and grandpa would go on double dates, to which she replied not really it was mostly the two of them, but occasionally they would have other friends join them. I told her that dating hasn't really changed much over the years, that we still go to the movies, and out to eat. She also told me that it had being a long time since she'd gone on a date which made me want to take her out on more.

I will tell you that date #2 was a failure, because I gave her a choice, and she turned me down. But I still plan on doing a movie date with her in the future.

Date # 1 Grandma Runkle

Mom told me to invite Grandma to a Thanksgiving dinner at Rochester High School, so I realized that Grandma would want to go if I gave her: A) warning that I was taking her to Rochester, B) choice in the matter, and C) she would find a reason for just plain not going. So I called her and told her I was talking her on a date for dinner. I figured should wouldn't turn down a date with her Granddaughter, and left out where we were going. I stopped to pick up roses for her, which is when I believed I informed her that I was taking her out to dinner. Then got the roses and drove to her house, when I got there she was talking with a neighbor and told her I was taking her to the little diner in town for dinner. HAHAHA! Then I told her that I was taking her into Rochester, and she turned to me and said, "If I had known you were taking me clear into Rochester I would have said no." I replied, "I know, which is why I didn't tell you," which is where I got the stubborn Grandma look, and she realized that I wasn't going to back down a let her have her way. So she changed to go "into town," and away we went. She saw and talked people she hadn't seen in along time and enjoyed herself.

Talking with Grandma...

I learned today that Great Grandpa Robert Emett Burns, father (John Burns) pasted away when Robert was in high school so he had to drop out of school. He was the only one that could drive, and he had a mother and three sister to take care of now. He had to do the planting of the crops, the next year the superintend of the school came out to the farm and told him that he should come back to school and graduate which he did. Do to the death of his father he wasn't able to go on to school and become attorney like he would have like, but all three of his sister were able to go on and get teaching degrees. Later in life he would always be reading to educate himself, and he took at least two daily paper and would read both of them. He would also sit with his chair closest to the radio that the family had so that he could keep up to date with the news around the world.

I also learned that Grandma Runkle and at least three of her sisters would have the job of delivering the Indianapolis News (which is now probably the Indianapolis Star). They would go after school to where the Indiana Autobus would come drop off the papers, fold them, and then walk around Fulton, Indiana delivering them. Then every Saturday they would collect the money for the paper.

Mom and Dad

As I listened to Grandma talk I thought about something that Iliana N. Cordova told me and that is that how we meet our spouse's is similar to how are parents meet theirs, and that history is only repeating itself through us. My parents also meet through 4-H, while both were junior leaders, my mother was with a friend who said that my father was attractive. My mother then turned to her and said, "You think he's attractive." She replied, "Yes." My dad was friends with my Uncle Tom and had helped with when showing hogs, so later he came into the hog barns my mother told him that Tom wasn't here. He replied that he wasn't looking for Tom, but had come to ask if he could take her to get something to eat. They spent that week getting to know each other better, and during that week my father took my mom home early from the fair where Grandma Runkle really got to talk to my father. Which in turn helped him get her approved to date my mom, because she wasn't so sure about him where Grandpa had work with dad to get to know him.

Mom may have to get on to edit this story but I think that covers the main parts. I liked how it seemed to match what my Grandmother said about how she met my Grandfather.

Date #3 with Grandma Runkle

Today I took Grandma Runkle on our third date we when antiquing at Green Oak Antiques. As we walked around she pointed out different pieces that were similar to what family member owned, which was kind of the point of the trip for me. I took her to the Flagpole in Rochester, Indiana, to get ice cream, which she paid for which I didn't want her to do but if Grandma isn't anything else she is stubborn so she paid. I always try to ask her some questions about her dates with Grandpa Runkle so this time I asked her how they met. She told me that she was a junior leader in 4-H and she and another girl were setting up cakes to be judged. When grandpa and another guy came up to talk to the other girl so that was the first time she meet grandpa, but she would see him after that at the junior leader meetings.