General Notes

[Joanne's Tree.1 GED.GED]

2  PLAC 187
2  SOUR S332582
3  DATA
4  TEXT Date of Import: 14 Jan 2004


[daveanthes.FTW]

Sources of information include:
   Mrs Elizabeth Klein Canfield, Mrs Mildren Klein Gilbertson
   The journal  "The Way We Were" written by  Luella. M (Klein) Schwalen (lms)
   The book, "The Klein Family", by Pat Wiff, pages 193-198
   The booklet "The Anthes Family" written by David Anthes in 1981

The following is from the booklet, The Anthes Family, by David Anthes, published in 1981, pg 81
    Elizabeth Marie (Klein) Canfield was born January 27, 1904 in Garrison, Iowa. She married William John Canfield February 1, 1930 in Carleton, Minnesota. One child was born of the marriage, James Lawrence.
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The following is a narrative by Elizabeth Canfield  (page 348-349 of The Klein Family book)
   "By 1910 Pierce and the surrounding counties had logged off the cream of first crop lumber. Brush piles and stumps covered many fields, so the Milwaukee Railroad and the landowners schemed to sell their acreages, now valued at $6O.00 per acre, by running excursions into Iowa and Illinois for settlers.

     My father came on one of these excursions and promptly bought 210 acres from Charlie Riley. It was only a mile to Ellsworth High and the church.
    I came home from school (5th grade) to find we were moving to Wisconsin. It was not pleasant because I had established friends and many cousins lived at Bellevue, Iowa. Next, I heard we would have an auction and sell our Guernsey cattle, because the Interstate Commerce Commission were allowing no cattle to cross borders due to an outbreak of Hoof and Mouth Disease. Next came our horses. After being inspected twice they were allowed passage. Daisy and her gray speckled colt, Bird, and Florie. We were taking crates of chickens, but our houseboat was sold to a Memphis, Tennessee man as a cotton boat.
     Dad leased two freight cars from the Milwaukee Railroad. They were switched to a side track about 1/2 mile from our home. A ramp was erected and we were ready to load. Barrels showed up in the kitchen along with pails of oats. We layered the dishes and oats and other breakables. Oats could be used as feed for horses and chickens. (You know the old adage "Two birds with one stone.)  Mother packed cake and sandwiches and cookies into large cracker boxes. One was promptly lost and re-covered after the men reached Ellsworth and unloaded. The consequence was that they were short of food. A cream can of water and dipper was provided.
    Sherm says they loaded and anchored the piano a short distance from the back of the car allowing room for mattresses. I imagine they were straw ticks. I'm not sure. This man was provided so that four boys could hide because Sherm, Marion, Fred and Henry Klein, my cousin, intended to make a four day picnic. Dad would also ride with them. One free passage was allowed with each car. Ho! Ho!
    After the piano, the horses were loaded. The boys could climb over and under the horses, but the brakeman would be afraid. Now Dad registered his name Wm. Klein and Henry Klein and instructed the rest of the boys, "Remember, whichever one I'm talking to--you are Henry Klein."
    The remainder of the first car was loaded with furniture. It seems Dad had walnut lumber he wouldn1t leave, so one-half of the second car was filled with lumber. Chicken crates and furniture filled the car. Prince (our dog) also rode with the boys and nearly got lost at La Crosse when the boys took him for a walk.
    Just above Dubuque twenty miles the brakeman said he wanted Wm. and Henry to ride in the caboose, so Dad took Marion to the caboose and the older boys played cards behind the piano.
    Above La Crosse where they stopped in the evening, Dad built a fire beside the track and prepared a hot dinner for them. This is where they nearly lost the dog. Next day the temperature climbed, and the snow on the roof melted and leaked on the bedding so they had to move it during the day. They reached St. Paul with 120 other emigrant cars on that train. Imagine the influx of people into Wisconsin if there were that many cars on that train alone. Well, they were switched to the Hudson-Ellsworth line and proceeded without further interference from any brakeman. They peeked out the door and watched the scenery all the way to Ellsworth, where they were met by the Wenzel boys with sleighs to haul stoves and beds to the farmhouse. This farmhouse was the old stagecoach house between Ellsworth and Red Wing. Mr. Hoffman said the residents of this area gathered there when a Sioux Indian band camped at the Catholic Church site. The scare was unfounded. The Indians departed without any trouble.
   Stoves and bed arranged, it was mother's turn to start for our new home. We (five little kids and mother) had been parcelled out between Aunt Francis and Aunt Maggie for three days. We took the passenger train with food and baggage and except for running up and down to the toilet, and water fountain and periodically acting very adult, nothing happened until we reached the St Paul depot. Mother lost her watch-or thought she lost her watch. I remember men scurrying around hunting it. It had only slipped down inside her blouse.  We took the train for Ellsworth. Dad met us at Hudson and the older boy met us at Ellsworth with the sleigh and on a bright, sunny March 2, 1915 we rode from East to West Ellsworth and our future home.
   Thus I became a Badger in the land  the Iowa people called the Wisconsin sticks.

   Dad had a choice of three farms--the first one east of the Channel Bridge (the Adams farm)--the one at Svea known now as the Kind farm, and the Charlie Riley farm which he chose because he knew we could walk to High School and church.  --------------------------