Journal
Nine Pots of Beans
The Herman and Anna Schoneck Family
Recollections by Delores Miller
Herman Schoneck married Annie Draheim in 1898 in the Township of Dupont and had nine children: Edward, 1899-1966, Otto, 1902-1981, Alice Fink, 1904-1939, Oscar, 1905-1977, Alma Ebert, 1909-2002, Lester, 1910-1994, Melvin 1916, Arnold, 1920 and Rudolph, 1922-1963. Eddie was a cheesemaker, Otto moved to Sheboygan and worked at Kohler, Melvin worked on road construction near Milwaukee, Arnold worked for Morning Glory in Wittenberg, and Rudy was killed in a construction accident in 1963 near Milwaukee.
This family lived around the corner in back of the Zillmer farm and were shirt tail relatives. We could see their farm buildings frm our place. These nine children were picky eaters and my Mother Alma always used to say that Annie Schoneck made a different pot of baked beans for each child. Some didn't like bacon, salt pork, onions, celery, catsup or peppers and ended up with nine pots of beans or so I tell my children when they became picky eaters like Annie's children. Herman did like my Mother's custard pies. Annie told young brides to use old silk underpants for washing windows. They had a good herd of Holstein cows. One prolific cow had triplets once. Annie had flowers by the south porch, giant red plumed celosia. I have never been able to raise those flowers.
Annie died one cold January morning in 1948 shortly after her son Oscar was committed to an institution. In 1944 their large barn burned. Herman and Annie were raising their daughter Alice's son Duane Fink after Alice died when Duane was a baby. Life in later years was not kind to Annie. She kept her Lutheran Faith and was a member of the Ladies Aid of South Dupont church. Herman died in 1950. But for 20 years after they were married, they had children. Just think of all the parties, Christmas programs, baptisms, confirmations and birthday parties they had through the years.
They had a small interesting house, I can remember going there as a child. A very large kitchen with a wood dining room table, called a thresher table, because it could be pulled out and extended to seat the crew of men who threshed the oats. That table is still floating around the relation. For some reason I inherited the round backed chairs. Well built, over 110 years old. The Schoneck family must have been short, the table was short and these round back chairs are about 3 inches lower that a regular chair. The house stood abandoned and neglected after Lester married and moved to Clintonville. Gary Schoneck purchased the farm, the house was torn down and a new one built in it's place.
The Herman and Annie Schoneck family are only memories with their nine pots of beans.
copyright 2010, Delores and Russell Miller
No. 142 June, 2010