Caroline le “Hli” Ellis

Kuv tus pog, Caroline le “Hli” Ellis nee Johannpeter yug los Frederick William lub yim hli ntuj Johannpeter, 1839 – 1903, thiab Joanna saib tsis taus, 1843 – Tsis paub hais tias, rau cov me nyuam. Charles, MO rau lub rau hli ntuj 13, 1881. Nws yog tus ob yau uas muaj rau cov kwvtij, Gustav, Anna, Amalia “Marie”, Julius “Jules” thiab Charles Frederick. Yawm Grandma yog hais tias ua neeg heev muaj zog-willed. Mom says her personality came down through Grandpa, to my mother and then to me.

Yawm Grandma mus ua hauj lwm rau qhov kev lag luam tej siv ceeb rau ib tug me nyuam thaum ntxov. She met and married William P. Ellis saum ntuj 15, 1912, ua ntej nws lub hnub yug 31st. Nyob rau hauv 1915, she would give birth to my grandfather, Gilbert Padilla P. Ellis. Great Grandma told my mom years later that her doctor told her, “Muaj ib tug me nyuam los yog muaj ib lub paj hlwb lawm. Kuv tsis xav kom ib leeg tsis, li ntawd, kuv muaj ib tus me nyuam.”

Tragically, Yawg tuag rau hlis ntuj nqeg 4, 1917, Thaum Kuv yawg txawm xwb ob xyoos. Thaum lub sij hawm, Great Grandpa’s family had money, but they expected her to ask them for assistance. Niam hais, “Uas tsis yog yuav ua li. Nws tsis yog yuav kom sib hlub sib txhawb.”

Nws tseem ua hauj lwm nyob hauv txoj kev ua lag luam siv ceeb thiab ua hauj lwm kom txhawb tau nws tus kheej thiab kuv yawg. Nyob rau hauv 1918, she was the Manager of the Mutual Manufacturing Company. A woman managing a manufacturing company was exceedingly rare in early Twentieth-Century America.

Tej zaum, nws nyob ntawm nws kheej thiab tej thaum nws nyob nrog tsev neeg. Nyob rau hauv 1920, she lived with her mother and sister at 2136 Salisbury Street across from the Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Nyob rau hauv 1930, Nws muab ib pav ca ob tsev neeg rau ib tug phauj nyob 1942-44 Hebert Street.

Sometime in the 1920s, lawv maub yawm Grandma nus mus, Julius Johannpeter (Lub peb hlis ntuj 5, 1875 – Kaum ib hlis 13, 1961) thiab nws tus poj niam Bertha Johannpeter nee Horst (Lub Xya hli ntuj 19, 1880 – Lub kaum hli ntuj 22, 1952). Jules txiv ntxawm yog ib leej txiv surrogate rau yawg. Grandpa always talked about the fun he had living with his aunt and uncle and their four kids. The two boys and two girls were like siblings to Grandpa.

Grandpa always said Uncle Jules had a limited spoken vocabulary, but he wrote the most beautiful letters. Yawg hais rau kuv ib zaug nws thiab Jules tus txiv hlob ntawd zaum ntawm chav tsev nyob. Uncle Jules had been drinking a little too much home brewed German beer when he looked up at the clock. Nws hais, “Gil, you know that is a delicate piece of mechanicinism.” Grandpa got the biggest kick out of retelling that story.

Mom told me that Uncle Jules was a typical German husband. He did not do anything around the house. Great Grandma sometimes felt he did not always appreciate Aunt Bertha. Since Great Grandma adored Aunt Bertha, she sometimes let her feelings be known.

After a Saturday or Sunday meal, Great Grandma wanted to play cards, but the table needed to be cleaned off first. Uncle Jules went to sit in the other room, while Aunt Bertha was going to clean off the table and do the washing up. Great Grandma took the situation in hand by grabbing the tablecloth, pulling it off the table and dumping the China dishes onto the floor. The dishes shattered upon hitting the floor with broken plates and cups everywhere.

Uncle Jules exclaimed, “What the hell are you doing Lee!?!” Great Grandma replied back, “It’s about time you bought Bertha some new China. Sweep this mess up and let’s play some cards.” Great Grandma got to play cards sooner. Uncle Jules bought Aunt Bertha a new set of China.

Great Grandma continued to progress in her profession until she was the fore lady in the garment factory, qhov uas nws ua hauj lwm.

Nws xa kuv yawg rau cov prestigious Missouri tub rog Academy nyob Mexico, MO. Yawg yeej zoo heev nws thawj ob xyoos tiam sis pib goofing hauv nws tshaj xyoo. Grandma zoo kawg thiab hais rau nws tias nws yeej tsis sia cia lub semester thib ob, nws yuav tsis xa nws rov qab rau nws senior xyoo. Yawg xav tias nws yog lam tab sis pom sai sai heev tsis hu nws ua txuj. His grades did not improve, ces nws yeej tsis xa nws rov qab rau nws senior xyoo. He often told me that was one of the biggest mistakes of his life and one of his greatest lessons. Nws mus xyuas tau nws tej yam ua tau.

Kuv pog, Alvina, leej twg xav yuav Kuv yawg nyob 1938, puas tau ua rau ntau Grandma ntawm txoj siv ceeb tej koom xwm. Yawm Grandma nyob nrog lawv tau ob peb xyoos tom qab nkawd sib yuav thiab nyob rau hauv 1940, lawv cov haujlwm hauv khw tib txawm Grandma tawm haujlwm tsis ntev tom qab kev suav pej xeem muaj noj. Grandma koob tuaj mus uas tswj tau yog ib txoj siv ceeb khw deb.

Yawm Grandma siv coj kuv niam mus rau tus hma liab tsev ua yeeb yam, when they still showed movies. They spent a lot of time together. Thaum twg Grandma thiab yawg nyuam qhuav txav mus rau lub tsev hais plaub Kingsland, Great Grandma moved in with them for years. Nws ib txwm hais rau kuv niam tias nws tau mus nyob saib leej twg ces lawv yuav sib yuav. Kuv niam thiab dad tau mus nrog lig 1967 thiab poj Grandma tuag rau hnub tim los yog ntuj 1968, 6 lub lis piam ua ntej kuv niam thiab txiv sib. Yog poj Grandma yuav muaj zog kom kawg.

No one has built a statue to Caroline Johannpeter, but she was a foundational figure in our family. Faced with circumstances that would have broken other people, nws cia thiab accomplished yam uas yog unheard of rau nws tus txiv neej ntawd hnub twg thiab hnub nyoog. I never met Great Grandma, but I admire her strength and character. I saw that character in my grandfather and still see it in my mother. Peb tuaj Tshuag khov kho.

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