Caroline Leah “Lee” Ellis
Min mormorsmor, Caroline Leah “Lee” Ellis nee Johannpeter föddes till Frederick William augusti Johannpeter, 1839 – 1903, och Joanna Grieve, 1843 – Okänd, i St. Charles, MO juni 13, 1881. Hon var näst yngst av sex syskon, Gustav, Anna, Amalia “Mary”, Julius “Stud” och Charles Frederick. Great Grandma was said to be a very strong-willed person. Mom says her personality came down through Grandpa, till min mamma och sedan till mig.
Great Grandma went to work in the garment cutting industry at an early age. Hon träffade och gifte sig med William P. Ellis on May 15, 1912, shortly before her 31st birthday. I 1915, Hon skulle föda min farfar, Gilbert P. Ellis. Great Grandma told my mom years later that her doctor told her, “Have a baby or have a nervous breakdown. I didn’t want a nervous breakdown, so I had a baby.”
Caroline Johannpeter in her 20s
Tragiskt, Great Grandpa died on December 4, 1917, when my grandfather was only two years old. At the time, Stora morfar hade pengar hade pengar, Men de förväntade sig att hon skulle be dem om hjälp. 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. I 1918, Hon var chef för det ömsesidiga tillverkningsföretaget. En kvinna som hanterade ett tillverkningsföretag var mycket sällsynt i början av det tjugonde århundradet Amerika.
Ibland, she lived on her own and sometimes she lived with family members. I 1920, Hon bodde med sin mamma och syster på 2136 Salisbury Street mittemot Bethlehem Lutheran Church. I 1930, she shared a two-family flat with an aunt at 1942-44 Hebert Street.
Sometime in the 1920s, they moved in with Great Grandma’s brother, Julius Johannpeter (Mars 5, 1875 – November 13, 1961) and his wife Bertha Johannpeter nee Horst (Juli 19, 1880 – Oktober 22, 1952). Uncle Jules was a surrogate father to Grandpa. Morfar pratade alltid om det roliga han bodde med sin moster och farbror och deras fyra barn. De två pojkarna och två flickorna var som syskon till morfar.
Stor mormor och morfar Ellis
Morfar sa alltid att farbror Jules hade ett begränsat talande ordförråd, Men han skrev de vackraste brev. Grandpa told me one time he and Uncle Jules were sitting in the living room. Farbror Jules hade druckit lite för mycket hembryggt tysk öl när han tittade upp på klockan. He said, “Gil, you know that is a delicate piece of mechanicinism.” Grandpa got the biggest kick out of retelling that story.
Mamma berättade för mig att farbror Jules var en typisk tysk make. Han gjorde ingenting runt huset. Mormor kände ibland att han inte alltid uppskattade moster Bertha. Sedan mormor älskade moster Bertha, Hon lät ibland sina känslor vara kända.
Efter en lördag eller söndagsmåltid, Mormor ville spela kort, Men bordet behövde rengöras först. Farbror Jules gick för att sitta i det andra rummet, Medan moster Bertha skulle städa av bordet och göra tvätten. Mormor tog situationen i handen genom att ta tag i bordsduken, Dra den från bordet och dumpa kinesiska rätter på golvet. Rätterna krossade när de träffade golvet med trasiga plattor och koppar överallt.
Farbror Jules utropade, “Vad i helvete gör du Lee!?!” Mormor svarade tillbaka, “Det är dags att du köpte Bertha något nytt Kina. Sopa det här röran och låt oss spela några kort.” Mormor fick spela kort förr. Farbror Jules köpte moster Bertha, en ny uppsättning av Kina.
Great Grandma continued to progress in her profession until she was the fore lady in the garment factory, where she worked.
Great Grandma Caroline “Lee” Ellis in Her Later Years
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. Hans betyg förbättrades inte, so she did not send him back for his senior year. He often told me that was one of the biggest mistakes of his life and one of his greatest lessons. He had to be responsible for his actions.
Min mormor, 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, När de fortfarande visade filmer. De tillbringade mycket tid tillsammans. When Grandma and Grandpa moved onto Kingsland Court, Mormor flyttade in hos dem i flera år. 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.
Ingen har byggt en staty till Caroline Johannpeter, Men hon var en grundläggande figur i vår familj. Inför omständigheter som skulle ha brutit andra människor, she persevered and accomplished things that were unheard of for her sex in that day and age. Jag träffade aldrig mormor, Men jag beundrar hennes styrka och karaktär. Jag såg den karaktären i min farfar och ser det fortfarande i min mamma. We come from sturdy stock.
