Telling
Stories about August
Schleede, Benjamin Franklin Kirkpatrick, James Otto Lincoln, and Benjamin Franklin
Phillips
Tonight
and tomorrow night are big nights for me.
I am at the Lang Pioneer Village to show Misty Hollow to the world. The
part of Misty Hollow that will be on display will be the Wood Carving and lace
making – Tatting in particular. I can
hardly wait. The anticipation is growing by the hour.
Over
these two days people from our community and surrounding areas come to the
small, Historical Village of Lang, situated a few miles east of Peterborough,
to officially launch their Family Christmas celebrations. This is their kick off time as they walk back
into the 1856 era to see what people had and did with their celebrations.
Tonight
I will begin weaving the story of Christmas celebrations of long ago – in our
family. I will tell as much as I can about my boyhood days and then jump way back
to my Great Grandfathers’ time and even earlier. All of my Great Grandfathers were young men
when the period of 1856 was taking place.
They were all filled with the zeal that would be needed to start their
careers and build a good life for their families that would start showing up
over the next 10 to 20 years – when they would marry.
Three
of my four Great Grandfather’s were travelers.
The other one was very different in every way but he stayed at the home
farm while the others left for new places.
One
left Germany and arrived in Southern Texas where he stayed for a few years
while his family acclimatized to the very new culture.
The
other two left their well-established cultures and family units and traveled a
long ways north to a place called Saskatchewan, where they both bought land to
become farmers.
The
Great Grandfather from Germany stayed in Texas for a number of years where he
did odd jobs of all sorts. His family, not speaking English, worked in the
cotton fields with the Black folk. Not speaking English well put you into a
lower class of people and society.
My
German Great Grandfather made another huge decision to travel further west and
buy a large Peach Orchard in California.
He poured everything he had into this operation and the Orchard produced
literally Tons of Peaches… but every one of the Peaches had to be thrown out…
because there was not market for them – at all. You see all the Orchards in the
area had bumper crops as well – and also very likely had an established market. I think of what the property alone was or is
worth in today’s California Real Estate Market… wow!
In
the early years from 1890 to1900 things were tough to say the least for this
hard working man.
This
German Great Grandfather of mine had worked in the highest level of Hotel and Restaurant
industry of the Hamburg area. He had served as a “Maitre’d” – a powerful, ego
packed position in that industry.
One
person that you are able to read about was Cesar Ritz (1850 – 1918) that worked
alongside Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935) who worked at
his trade to be the very best. http://donlehmanjr.com/Restaurant/Dining%20History/hfd4.htm
They were all part of the ‘Russian Table Service’ style and ways
of doing the food service industry.
As I mentioned the name Cesar Ritz – his name became the standard
of opulence and even decadence in years to follow… when you went out you “put
on the Ritz”.
As I think back now to what my Great Grandfather left to arrive in
a world that had promise and opportunity for him… so he was told… to be treated
like a low level customer in Texas… then a broken Orchard owner and producer in
California… then a very humbled creature living with relatives in Oregon and
finally Saskatchewan… working rented land that wasn’t even his own… I feel a deep
kind of loss…
From this man’s family came my Grandma Emma Kirkpatrick (Schleede).
In contrast, My Great Grandfather Benjamin Franklin Kirkpatrick
was very well off. When he arrived in
Canada he had all the machinery and equipment he could ever need brought on the
train with him from Iowa. His Banker in Iowa
told him that if he needed more money for anything at all, just let him know
and he could have whatever he needed.
My Grandfather James Otto Lincoln bought land also… but he didn’t
do well. He lost what he bought because of personal physical problems that
ended in kind of dementia – and his death in a psychiatric hospital in southern
Saskatchewan – alone.
The story is actually a super long one that covers a huge amount
of time, effort and energy… mixed with failures and then some wonderful
victories.
Now these many years later I am so blessed and slightly overweight.
Their Great Grandson is retired and living very well. And my kids and grandkids
– and likely my Great Grandkids that will come within the next 10 years… will
do even better.
Tonight as I weave the story for the kids and adults that come by
to speak with me… I will do my best to honour these that came to make a life better
for me.
I will talk about August Schleede, Benjamin Franklin Kirkpatrick,
James Otto Lincoln, and Benjamin Franklin Phillips(the Wood Carver, Lace Maker
and very odd little man with more ideas than he had time – who I very much
resemble)
~ Murray Lincoln ~
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