Herman Arp

ARP, EHRIG, WENDORF, KLINKER

Posted By: Deidre Badker (email)
Date: 5/1/2008 at 08:38:01

Herman Arp was born April 20, 1884 in Schelswig-Holstein, Germany to parents Henry Arp & Bertha (Schoel) Arp. He was the youngest of eight children. He emigrated to America with his parents in 1893 and grew to adulthood in Tama County, Iowa.

Herman Arp married Dora Ehrig (born May 17, 1889 in Tama County) on December 14, 1910 at Gladbrook, Iowa. They raised two children, Leona and William Arp on their farm.

Herman passed away in Grundy Center, IA on January 13, 1974 and Dora on August 19, 1968. Both are buried at Maple Hill Cemetery, Tama County, Iowa.

Herman wrote a recollection of his memories from birth to 1968 sharing an interesting insight into the life of an immigrant to rural Iowa. It is shared here:

" It took us 14 days to make the crossing over the Atlantic Ocean, as we ran into a bad storm that lasted 7 days. The storm kicked up waves 100 feet high or more, and everything that wasn't fastened securely, got washed overboard, including our appetites. Everybody was seasick except the crew. It was impossible to eat at a table. We had to hold onto everything with both hands and we had to drink out of a bottle, as you'd spill it all if you tried to drink out of a cup. The worst lasted for 3 days and nights, then it slacked up some, but it was still plenty rough, but the second week the sea was as smooth as a mill pond and we enjoyed all kinds of games and dances on deck. After we landed in New York, we were put on Ellis Island, right next to where the Statue of Liberty stands, since we had been exposed to cholera in Hamberg, Germany, the seaport from which we had set sail. This was a sort of quarantine. But we really enjoyed our stay there, as everyone was really nice to us and we enjoyed the scenery. The New York Skyline was especially beautiful at night. We could see big ocean liners and the other ships come and go with all their lights on. Then we had to go thru customs, which was just a formality, and then we were put on a train bound for Dysart, Iowa.

That took over 3 days, we had a layover in Chicago, and then the train took us past Dysart and clear to Reinbeck before they discovered we had forgotten to get off at Dysart. So we had to wait in Reinbeck till the next train came along and took us back to Dysart. GLORY BE!! There was my mother's sister (Mrs. Chris Wendorf)waiting for us at the depot. She looked like an angel to us as she could speak our language. She took us to a hotel and we got the best meal we had had for a long time. Then she took us in a lumber wagon out to her home to rest, and to get acquainted with friends we had known in the old country. We had to learn the American way of doing things. There was a farm rented for us, and since no one was living in the house, we could move right in. We got possession of the land the next spring.

Our nearest town at that time was Dysart, Iowa, which was 12 miles but they were building a branch of the C.N.Western up to Albert Lee, Minnesota, that would pass within less than a mile from our place and the town of Clutier was started there.

After coming to Dysart, Iowa, and settling on our farm, my youngest sister and I were to attend school. What a time I had, as I could not speak English. I was only 9 years old then and the other boys and girls made fun of me until they made me mad, then they would have a fight on their hands. This went on for weeks, until one boy got his nose broken, and then the fat was in the fire. The old people took it (the fight) up, and there was talk of having me expelled, when a big, tall girl by the name of Mabel Whitmore, stepped up and explained what was going on. Then things changed. Some of the big boys got taken over the old man's knee, and got the spanking of their lives right then and there. But it was too good to last. After a while, they started to pick on me again until the Hecht girls stepped in. (Incidentally, they were aunts of our present Wesley Hecht of the Grundy National Bank, and were instrumental that we got a change in teachers, as their father was school director.) We got a man teacher and after that there was no more trouble in our school. I went to school until I was 14 years old, then I was to go to work. I earned a new suit of clothes for 3 months work. The next year, I got $10.00 a month for 9 months, so as you can see, I was not getting rich very fast.

In 1904, I went to Rawlins, Wyoming, where my sister, Emma Arp Klinker, lived on a ranch. I thought I might become a rancher, too, but no go. I never had the idea that people still lived in log cabins, you had to bring your own blankets and things to sleep in bunk houses. When on round up, you had to sleep on the hard ground and look up at the stars, and you had to get up in the middle of the night and take your turn at night watch for four hours. We were 110 miles from the nearest town, which was Rawlins, Wyoming, when one poor guy fell with his horse and broke his leg. He had to be taken in an old spring wagon all those 110 miles to a doctor.

So I made up my mind then and there, that life was not for me for $40.00 a month. So...., back to Iowa.

Meanwhile, my brothers, John and Bill, had bought a section of land in Saskatchewan, Canada. They wanted me to go into partnership with them, so..... off to Canada. It was raw prairie, all black from a prairie fire, and we had to start the spring planting and so we had nothing for our 10 horses which we had brought along. We had to start from scratch, and I had to do the looking for horse feed and seed grain, but I found what we needed. So we lived in a tent till I could build us a shanty, and I just got it done when the tent caught fire, and burned all our clothing and bedding. I just saved our dinner which I had prepared. It was such a windy day and it was all gone in 10 minutes. So that was another set back. So I had to go to town which was 25 miles away, and get some more supplies. Meanwhile, John and Bill had been busy plowing, and we got about 25 acres of wheat and 30 acres of oats sowed, and our troubles were over for that year.

I stayed there two years, then I sold out to my brothers and returned to Iowa. I worked one year for my brother-in-law, then I thought, "You ain't getting any younger, you better settle down!" So I screwed up my courage and asked a girl by the name of Dora Ehrig if she would like to be my wife and she said yes. So we got married on the 14th day of December, 1910, and the knot has held for going on 58 years.

We had two children: Leona and Bill, farmed around Gladbrook, Iowa until 1942. Then we retired to Gladbrook, Iowa, living there until 1963, when Dora's health made us move to the Countryside Nursing Home in Grundy Center, Iowa. A good move it proved to be, as everybody here has been so nice to us.

This is the history of my life until May 29, 1968."