Recollections of Clara Augusta Roessler Hamman
(We are again indebted to cousin Rodney Hynes, who initiated family research in 1958 as a school project, for the information presented here. It has come to light again, after more than 40 years, thanks to his sister, JoAnn Hynes Anton. We can only hope that the light which Clara's letter sheds on the lives of our ancestors in the old country will inspire many others to write down their own memories, and the family stories they recall from their childhood. While being equally hopeful that they will encourage future generations to prize those old papers. Ed.)
Dear Verlie, (Verlie was Rodney's mother, and probably initiated the request for information with Clara. Ed.)
Glad to get your note, will try to help Rodney out.
My grandfather Roessler was an instructor in one of the colleges in Bavaria. My Grand mother was a kind of first lady, she didn't work but had servants. They were well to do people. My father was an only son, had five sisters, three of them died within a few hours of each other; typhoid fever was the cause. My father often talked about it how there were three caskets standing in a row in their parlor. My father studied for the ministry out there, then decided to come to America. He was a stow away on ship. A few years later his sister Antonetta followed. The great Schumann Heink (This from JoAnn's letter accompanying Clara's: "Shumann Heink was an opera singer, your mother said. When she was on the radio they all had to come and listen.") was a distant relative but don't know just where she fits in. But at any rate her maiden name was Roessler. My father was a great musician and had a wonderful voice as a singer. Mother and father would often sing duets for us. They were Lutherans on both sides.
There isn't much on Mother's side. They were very poor people. Worked as tenants, that is, the rich people owned all the land and poor people lived in a village owned by the rich people. These poor people had to walk out to these farms every morning and walk back at night, women as well as men. Everybody had to work. They scrubbed their clothes on scrub boards down by the river. Their homes were huts with sawdust on the ground for floors. They slept on the floor using straw covered with quilts as their bedding. Each morning when they got up the straw had to be piled up and taken out so they could go about their housework. Mother took care of her younger sister and brother when she was only nine years old. Had to do all cooking, baking and washing while Grand mother went along out to the fields to work. All grain was pounded out of the straw with a broad stick, then gathered up in bags to be sold and divided amongst the tenants for their living expenses. I could write a book on this but no one (would) believe it anyhow. I hope this has helped you out a little.
Love,
Clara