No. 135, March, 2010
Journal
The Organ Stool - 1920
By Delores Miller
My Mother, Alma Lembke Zillmer was born the fourth child of a poor family in Central Wisconsin in 1904, 106 years ago. She coveted a pump organ, popular when she worked as a 'hired girl' saving her money to buy her organ which included the stool. She told of working for Mae Rogers when her twins were born and Lula Byers when she had her three children, Brownie, Jean and Mary.
It was probably a big disappointment when she finally got her organ, because then she could not afford the lessons, and in the Lembke Family's many moves, the organ disappeared. She never said what happened to it, probably too many painful memories.
But the ornate, glass claw footed organ stool remained in the Zillmer family. My Brothers Bob and Wilbert and I twirled round and round on the rotating seat. It had a geared mechanism that raised and lowered the seat, just high enough for small children to go about, hours of entertainment.
I inherited the organ stool, tucked it away in my attic. In a spurt of housecleaning I found it, brought it down, scrubbed off the years of dust and grime. When my eleven grandchildren visit our farm, they can twirl round and round the same way three generations of my Mother's progeny have done the last ninety years.
copyright 2010 by Russell and Delores Miller
By Delores Miller
My Mother, Alma Lembke Zillmer was born the fourth child of a poor family in Central Wisconsin in 1904, 106 years ago. She coveted a pump organ, popular when she worked as a 'hired girl' saving her money to buy her organ which included the stool. She told of working for Mae Rogers when her twins were born and Lula Byers when she had her three children, Brownie, Jean and Mary.
It was probably a big disappointment when she finally got her organ, because then she could not afford the lessons, and in the Lembke Family's many moves, the organ disappeared. She never said what happened to it, probably too many painful memories.
But the ornate, glass claw footed organ stool remained in the Zillmer family. My Brothers Bob and Wilbert and I twirled round and round on the rotating seat. It had a geared mechanism that raised and lowered the seat, just high enough for small children to go about, hours of entertainment.
I inherited the organ stool, tucked it away in my attic. In a spurt of housecleaning I found it, brought it down, scrubbed off the years of dust and grime. When my eleven grandchildren visit our farm, they can twirl round and round the same way three generations of my Mother's progeny have done the last ninety years.
copyright 2010 by Russell and Delores Miller