Caroline Leah “Lee” Ellis

Nanna kbir tiegħi, Caroline Leah “Lee” Ellis nee Johannpeter twieled biex Frederick William Awissu Johannpeter, 1839 – 1903, u Joanna Grieve, 1843 – Mhux magħruf, f'St. Charles, MO dwar Ġunju 13, 1881. Kienet it-tieni iżgħar ta 'sitt aħwa, Gustav, Anna, Amalia “Marie”, Julius “Jules” u Charles Frederick. Great Grandma was said to be a very strong-willed person. Omm tgħid li l-personalità tagħha niżlet permezz tan-nannu, lil ommi u mbagħad lili.

Great Grandma went to work in the garment cutting industry at an early age. Hija ltaqgħet u żżewġet lil William P. Ellis on May 15, 1912, shortly before her 31st birthday. Fil 1915, kienet twelled lin-nannu, Gilbert P. Ellis. In-nanna kbira qalet lil ommi snin wara li qalilha t-tabib tagħha, “Have a baby or have a nervous breakdown. I didn’t want a nervous breakdown, so I had a baby.”

Traġikament, Great Grandpa died on December 4, 1917, when my grandfather was only two years old. At the time, Il-familja tal-kbir nannu kellha flus, imma stennew li titlobhom l-għajnuna. Mom said, “That wasn’t going to happen. She was not going to ask for charity.”

She continued to work in the garment industry and worked to support herself and my grandfather. Fil 1918, kienet il-Maniġer tal-Mutual Manufacturing Company. Mara li tmexxi kumpanija tal-manifattura kienet rari ħafna fl-Amerika tal-bidu tas-Seklu Għoxrin.

Sometimes, she lived on her own and sometimes she lived with family members. Fil 1920, kienet tgħix ma’ ommha u oħtha fi 2136 Triq Salisbury faċċata mill-Knisja Luterana ta’ Betlehem. Fil 1930, she shared a two-family flat with an aunt at 1942-44 Triq Hebert.

F'xi żmien fl-1920s, they moved in with Great Grandma’s brother, Julius Johannpeter (Marzu 5, 1875 – Novembru 13, 1961) and his wife Bertha Johannpeter nee Horst (Lulju 19, 1880 – Ottubru 22, 1952). Uncle Jules was a surrogate father to Grandpa. In-nannu dejjem tkellem dwar il-gost li kellu jgħix maz-zija u z-ziju u l-erba’ itfal tagħhom. Iż-żewġ subien u żewġt ibniet kienu bħal aħwa għan-nannu.

In-nannu dejjem qal li z-ziju Jules kellu vokabularju mitkellem limitat, imma kiteb l-isbah ittri. Grandpa told me one time he and Uncle Jules were sitting in the living room. Iz-ziju Jules kien qed jixrob ftit wisq birra Ġermaniża maħduma mid-dar meta ħares lejn l-arloġġ. He said, “Gil, inti taf li hija biċċa delikata ta 'mekkaniċiniżmu.” In-nannu kiseb l-akbar daqqa ta’ ħarta billi jerġa’ jirrakkonta dik l-istorja.

Omm qaltli li z-ziju Jules kien raġel tipiku Ġermaniż. Hu ma għamel xejn madwar id-dar. In-nanna l-kbira ġieli ħasset li mhux dejjem tapprezza liz-zija Bertha. Peress li l-Kbira kienet tadura liz-zija Bertha, hi kultant ħalli s-sentimenti tagħha jkunu magħrufa.

Wara ikla tas-Sibt jew tal-Ħadd, In-nanna kbira riedet tilgħab il-karti, imma l-mejda kellha bżonn titnaddaf l-ewwel. Iz-ziju Jules mar joqgħod fil-kamra l-oħra, filwaqt li zija Bertha kienet se tnaddaf il-mejda u tagħmel il-ħasil. In-nanna kbira ħadet is-sitwazzjoni f’idejha billi qabdet it-tvalja, iġbedha minn fuq il-mejda u twarrab il-platti taċ-Ċina fuq l-art. Il-platti tfarrku malli laqat l-art bi platti u tazzi miksura kullimkien.

Exclaied iz-ziju Jules, “X'inhi qed tagħmel Lee!?!” In-nanna kbira wieġbet lura, “Wasal iż-żmien li xtrajt lil Bertha xi Ċina ġdida. Knesa dan it-taħsir u ejja nilagħbu xi karti.” In-nanna kbira kellha tilgħab il-karti qabel. Iz-ziju Jules xtara lis-zija Bertha sett ġdid taċ-Ċina.

In-Nanna kbira kompliet timxi 'l quddiem fil-professjoni tagħha sakemm kienet il-mara ta' quddiem fil-fabbrika tal-ħwejjeġ, where she worked.

She sent my grandfather to the prestigious Missouri Military Academy in Mexico, MO. Grandpa did very well his first two years but started goofing off in his junior year. Great Grandma told him that if he did not buckle down second semester, she would not send him back for his senior year. Grandpa thought she was bluffing but found out very quickly not to call her bluff. Il-gradi tiegħu ma tjiebux, so she did not send him back for his senior year. Spiss qalli li dik kienet waħda mill-akbar żbalji ta’ ħajtu u waħda mill-akbar lezzjonijiet tiegħu. He had to be responsible for his actions.

Nanna tiegħi, Alvina, who would marry my grandfather in 1938, worked for Great Grandma at the garment cutting factory. Great Grandma lived with them for a couple years after they got married and in 1940, they all worked in the same shop although Grandma quit work soon after the census was taken. Great Grandma would go on to manage one of the garment shops Downtown.

Great Grandma used to take my mom to the Fox Theater, meta xorta wrew films. Huma qattgħu ħafna ħin flimkien. When Grandma and Grandpa moved onto Kingsland Court, In-nanna kbira daħlet magħhom għal snin sħaħ. She always told my mom that she was going to live to see who she was going to marry. My mom and dad got engaged in late 1967 and Great Grandma died in April or May 1968, six weeks before my parents got married. Great Grandma’s will was strong to the end.

Ħadd ma bena statwa lil Caroline Johannpeter, iżda kienet figura fundamentali fil-familja tagħna. Quddiem ċirkostanzi li kienu jkissru nies oħra, she persevered and accomplished things that were unheard of for her sex in that day and age. Qatt ma ltqajt man-Nanna l-Kbira, imma nammira s-saħħa u l-karattru tagħha. Rajt dak il-karattru fin-nannu u għadni narah f’ommi. We come from sturdy stock.

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