Mustache

It was on this date, in 1976, that I decided to grow a mustache. Every Thanksgiving, I am reminded of my mustache, because it was the Monday after that I started to grow a mustache, with one full day of growth. This year, Thanksgiving also reminded me that this would be my 45th anniversary of having a mustache. I started growing the mustache when I got back to college after Thanksgiving break.  Looking at a calendar, I found that Thanksgiving for this year (2021) aligns with Thanksgiving in 1976. Forty-five years, at least within my overall age, is a long time.

2021

I am not sure why I decided to grow a mustache, and I know I never thought I would have it this long of time. I would have departed back to college on Sunday, November 28, 1976, and I would have shaved that morning before leaving. But, I did not shave the upper lip the next day, Monday, November 29,1976 that being the date I can turn to as having decided to grow the mustache. My wife has not known me without a mustache. Five years ago I thought about shaving it off thinking 40 years was long enough, but I could not bring myself to do so. I wonder how long it would take my wife to notice if I shaved it off.

There was one time I did shave it off.  It was just before Easter 1977, and I was trimming my mustache, and just could not get it right, and ruined it more than I helped it, so I decided to cut it off. Later that day I saw a teacher my youngest brother had in elementary school and she greeted me as Peter. Peter is several years younger than me, and I guess at age 18 that was not taken as a compliment, with no offense to Peter. Well, that was sufficient for me to grow the mustache back right away.  After that, if I mis-trimmed the mustache I would let it be. More recently it has gotten to the point that my wife, when she cuts my hair, now trims the mustache.  I would not have allowed that years ago when she first started cutting my hair. It took 30 years for me to trust her with the mustache.

1990

The mustache has become part of my personality, I think.  On our wedding day, near Halloween, my college friends gave me a walrus mask. My walrus like mustache led to a beanie baby walrus gift one time.  I have to say my walrus mustache is not like the one Kansas City Coach Andy Reid has.  It could be worse, it could be a Fu Manchu style.  For some reason I have noticed that the Fu Manchu style is popular with firefighters, at least locally. 

Several years ago mustaches seemed to be popular. I had a nephew who got a game about mustaches, and there are pillows that play on mustache with a mustache emblazoned on a pillow and the words, "I Must Dash." Or something to that effect. Given this, it is just another example of how so far ahead of trends I have been. 

1987

The mustache has grown old with me. It is has changed from a brownish-red to gray, but still is nice and full.  My hair has always been darker than my mustache, but unlike my mustache, I have a balding head. But, my hair, for the time being, is mainly its dark color, with tinges of gray. My hair has thinned so much over the past several years that my hairdresser no longer comments on my thinning head of hair. I think she is now resigned to the thinness of my scalp. In cold weather, I have icicles that will form on the mustache leaving behind water droplets when I come inside.  

Not counting that one error of a mis-trim near Easter in 1977, I can say 45 years a mustache.  I now enter another year. I could go to the grave with a mustache, or perhaps sometime I will shave it off. Time will tell.

Halloween and Behavioral Economics

It has now been a few weeks since Halloween was celebrated. Best known for trick-or-treating by children, the day is becoming a big sensation in the US. So  big that Americans spent over $10 billion for this one day event in 2020. For a few years now my wife has been wanting to end our providing treats on this day, but I have continued the task. After the experience this year, I may re-think the whole situation. Although, at present, I am not willing to fully cancel. I realized this year that I am doing an experiment in behavioral economics.  I had not thought of it this way last year.  Halloween 2021 coincided with a book I was reading at the time, The Why Axis. Thus, I will have two years of running a behavioral economics experiment, albeit in slightly different ways over the past two years.

Up until 2020 we did the standard task, kids come to the door, say the magic words and we would put some candy in their respective container. Say something about the costumes, as hand out the candy.  Close door, go back to your task and wait for the next group. Last year (2020), with COVID, I placed candy bars in pairs on a flat board, and had a sign asking persons to grab a pair. I had three types of candy bars, and two or three sets of each for the five different combinations available. In this manner, we were all social distanced, and children (or their parents) did not have to worry about touching candy by grabbing out of one container, and touch a candy wrapper that some other child touched with their dirty fingers. There of course was the added benefit of not having to open the door every time the doorbell rang. This worked quite well, and I was impressed with how compliant the children turned out to be. I had a great deal of candy left over, but thought, perhaps fewer were trick-or-treating, given the pandemic.  I also know that our neighborhood, and the one adjoining has a few, but not as many children as say 25 years past, and the number of trick-or-treaters is way down from 25 years ago. Two years ago, I think we had eight trick-or-treaters.

This year I decided to do something similar, with one small change from 2020.  I placed all the available candy in a shoe box and had a sign, similar to 2020, wishing them a Happy Halloween, and asking them to help themselves to a couple pieces of candy.  While I did not keep watch, I checked several times on how things looked over the treat hours. I did see one mom pop up and grab some candy, but no big deal. Moms need their candy, too.

Sign used on Halloween, 2021

However, about 7:00 pm my wife thought I should bring the candy in and shut off the light. I decided to wait a while, as treat hours went to 8 pm.  About 7:15 I was making my way to the kitchen, and I looked out to see if there was any activity and saw a person reach in and grab candy. I thought I would look to see how many people there were, to check on supply when they were gone. To my amazement she reached in again and again and again. Yes, four or more times grabbing candy. As she departed, I opened the door, and with her back to me, as she was walking off the step, I nicely said something like: "Do you really need that much candy?" She did not turn to look at me, and so I repeated myself.  She then turned and looked at me and did not make a response for short while, and then asked if she should return it.  I said no, keep it.  If, I had been thinking better, I should have said, "What do you think you should do?" At that point she and her partner started to leave and I look in the box and see only a few pieces of candy left.  I checked it not much earlier, and my wife just a few minutes before, and there was a good amount of candy.  I did not hear any one else approach in the few short minutes between the time checked by my wife and when she arrived, so I doubt there were any others who grabbed some candy between those two time periods.  I can say with high level of confidence that she took a great deal of candy, perhaps 20 pieces or more. I used 'couple" to allow some leeway for a child who may accidentally have grabbed, say, three.  But, four hand fulls went well beyond the intent of the clearly posted candy declaration.

I have to say, I was warned about this.  My wife had said that someone was going to just grab and run with a good amount of the candy.  I looked to last year when that did not occur.  I also looked to what I had read in The Why Axis. The book, consistent with what I previously heard from Chef Heide, that if a specific price is not identified for an entree on a restaurant menu, that, overall, most people would pay more than what the menu would have identified for the price. I was extremely confident, setting the candy out, that someone would not grab most of the candy.

After the grab occurred, my spouse, who I think took some schadenfreude in my discredited position, posted on Facebook about our candy being stolen.  We found out we were not the only ones. People had candy and even containers stolen. I used a shoe box to avoid having a container stolen, you have to be desperate to steal a shoe box. What we found amazing is the people, mainly women, who justified the action of this girl. Such things as, the poor kids did not have trick-or-treating last year (false), or the girl said the sign said take what you want (also false), and that the sixth grade girl does volunteer work. They did not say where she did volunteer work, perhaps it was at the Dane County Jail.  And, does volunteering really excuse her action that night? What really irked me were the other lies and misrepresentations.  She told one of the women who defended her, that I yelled (I did not, I calmly asked) and she said after our encounter, I took the sign and candy in the house in a huff.  Yeah, they used that word, huff. She did not say I allowed her to keep the candy. Well, but for a few pieces in the box we were out of candy, so how does it look if a group of four comes up and there are only three pieces of candy?  Would I regret the piece or two I ate while checking on the candy? The Facebook poster then said, I was spying on them, and wondered why I would do that and not just hand the candy out, or sit on the bench outside. That too is false, I was going to the kitchen, and porch side light is visible down the short hall on my way to the kitchen. As most people who know me can attest, I make a lot of trips to the kitchen for food during the day and night. I was not spying, but simply looked at the door sidelight while walking to the kitchen. The sign was standing up on a bench, with the box to the right side of the sign, and this was all located under the porch light, right next to the  door sidelight (window). The porch light made it quite easy to see her hand go into the candy box, not just once, but three more times. She made at least four trips into the candy box. Of course, one poster suggested, that she was grateful that there was not any vandalism. So, apparently stealing is OK, as long as they did not vandalize. I was not going to sit outside in the cold, and anyway, my wife would have complained about all the trips I would be making into the house to keep my stomach satisfied. "You are letting the heat out coming in and out so much."  

The Why Axis book cover

Showing how bright kids are, this girl took a selfie of her taking the bowl and candy of some other homeowner, and posting it on Instagram. That is how people easily identified the culprit. She was a known FF (frequent flyer to the nurse office) at the elementary school. Stealing of bowls occurred at multiple homes.  Again, why I used a shoe box--that part I thought of.  I would be having braces on my legs right now if I put the candy out in one of my wife's Longaberger baskets, and the basket was stolen. 

The question I have for the women who defended her, is what about the trick-or-treaters that may have been coming after her, and did not get any candy from a house because she took it all?  How would those children feel about now having one less house dispensing candy? I would not be able to pull a Frank Barone because we don't have any condoms in the house. I guess I could have changed my chalkboard sign and written, "Sorry, all of  the candy is gone thanks to a girl dressed in white with purple hair." 

One of the authors of The Why Axis, is from my hometown, and is a professor at the University of Chicago. I grew up on the same street as his grandfather lived. The book goes through several different behavioral economic experiments he and his coauthor accomplished.  So, what does my two years of experimentation show?  It only takes one bad actor to disrupt something.  I guess, like the rotten apple in a barrel, or the bad egg in a crate. I could care less about her having volunteered, or her purple hair, or whatever excuse was used. It was bad behavior and in a civilized society it disrupted the cultural norm, to which so many other adhered, regarding Halloween candy. I am not sure what her hidden motive might have been.

What does that say about behavioral economics?  I guess that some will take things in their own hand when it is to their benefit, regardless of common courtesy and an identified set of rules. It also shows me that you probably need to do more than one experiment.  I wonder if she had shown up last year what she would have done. As for next year and Halloween candy distribution, after writing this, I may wish to repeat the experiment.

The Center of the Northwest

On October 5, 2021 my spouse and I journeyed north to between St Germain and Sayner. Our idea was to enjoy a few days the Northwoods offered for fall color, plus do a little hiking and some biking. On the way north, we made a couple detours.  Well, I made the detour decisions, much to the chagrin of the wife. The second stop was at Timm's Hill to climb the tower and view the colors. It turned out we were probably a few days late as the color, while enjoyable, was beyond the peak. It was crowded, however, showing the attraction the highest point in Wisconsin can pose in the fall. The first stop, on what was a nice, mostly sunny mid-day adventure was to the center of the Northwest quadrant of the earth, which is the 45 x 90 location in Marathon County.  We were at one of only four places on earth, and one of two in the Northern Hemisphere.

Detail of 45 x 90 Marker
Appropriately set in Wausau Red Granite

For a few years I have been wanting to stop at this unique location, and the thought occurred to me this would be the perfect trip to visit the 45 degree x 90 degree geographical marker located in Poniatowski, WI.  Poniatowski is an unincorporated hamlet, and I suspect this is the only thing of interest in that hamlet. If we went through the hamlet on our way to the marker, I must have blinked.  For those desirous of exact information, the marker is actually located in the town of Reitbrock (as is Poniatowski). My wife thought this visit a waste of time.  I don't think she appreciates the significance in the 45 x 90 maker. As a trained geographer, it is right up my meridian. 

One side of Commemorative Coin

While England has the Greenwich Meridian, here in Wisconsin this point marks the half way spot from that Meridan to the International Date Line, or 180 degrees longitude. I think that is appropriate since England thinks of the themselves as the center of the universe (the whole sun never sets on the British Empire thing), and Wisconsin, is well, a seemingly inconsequential state in the Midwest United States known for cheese, and the Green Bay Packers. As an aside, the Packers are the only NFL team to not have played a game in London, (the center of the Universe) England. Why? Because their home games are vital to the local economy, and the NFL allows a team to not opt out of a home game. So, why not as a "visiting" team?  Well, the Packers have a strong, loyal fan base that will travel, not to mention a fan base that crosses the ocean blue.  This leads to the issue that no "home" team wants the "visiting" team to have more fans in the stands. Enough of the digression. 

Opposite side of Coin
I am a member of the 45x90 Club

The 45 degrees marks the halfway point between the equator and the North Pole, or the place where Santa lives. I am not sure why the wife did not find this of any significance, I mean how often can one say they were at the exact spot that measures the center, yes the center, of the NORTHWEST part of the EARTH?  I don't think it occurs too often, and so far for me, only once in my lifetime. No other place on earth can make that claim. Yes, there are other points: one in the Pacific off the south coast of Chili; one in the Indian Ocean, off the southwest cost of Australia, and one in the mountains of China. But, this one is significant as it is the only one easily accessible.  I suppose she could argue that there is only one, yes only one, 43 0'35" N, 89 17"12 W on the face of the earth, too.  Those coordinates happen to be our house. 45 X 90 just did not do much for her. Get rid of the N and W, and there would be four locations on earth.  But, 45 and 90 tend to hold special meaning, due to geometry. 

The Final Passage to the Marker
Appropriately in the midst of a Corn Field

It was a nice sunny day when we arrived, and appropriately the marker is in the midst of a cornfield. How much more Wisconsin can it get?  The corn is used to feed cows, and the cows are used to produce cheese. The marker sits on private land, and for years there was a sign pointing out the location from the road, about a 1/4 mile away.  The original sign was placed in 1969, and so for decades it was a sign distant from the marker. In 2018, however, an easement was acquired from the landowner and a path along the edge of the field, and then turn up to the marker (among the corn, was constructed. The narrow walk from up to the path gives a distinct flavor with a terminated vista of the mature corn that was drying out and now ripe for harvest. Varied kiosks provide information on the significance of the marker and how it came into being. Not all was perfect with the original, circa 1969, sign, that was a 1/4 mile away from the marker near the road.

Information Kiosk on the 45x90 Points on the Earth

The first sign was mis-titled calling it a geological marker. Geologically, there is nothing unique about this location, but geographically there is. A sign notes that locating this point, and highlighting it, was the brain child of John Gesicki, who owned a small store and tavern in Poniatowski. John had a book, still in use, where visitors to the marker could stop by his store, and enter their name in the book.  When John died his wife took over the store and retained the book until she retired in 2003. As I think about it, it was a masterful move of marketing by John Gesicki.  He got people to view, at that time over corn, the site of the 45 x 90 marker, and then they went to his tavern to sign the book, and perhaps get a beer, and maybe a sandwich.  After John's widow retired the log book was taken over by the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention and Visitor's Bureau. After stopping at the marker you can go the Wausau Visitors Center in downtown Wausau, and they will give you a commemorative coin and you can enter your name in the log book.  However, with COVID-19, they ask that people contact them, send a few dollars for shipping and they will mail the coin and enter your name in the log book for you.  Hence, my plan of stopping at the Visitor Center upon our trip home did not need to occur. 

Information kiosk on John Gesicki

To say that my wife was as giddy as a school girl seeing her favorite rock star when the coins arrived in the mail a couple weeks ago would be a large overstatement. To put it another way, the Land Girl was not a Fan Girl of the 45 x 90 marker, much less its commemorative coin. She was about as unimpressed as watching paint dry. I handed her coin to her, which she quickly handed back to me. She thought the few dollars for the cost to mail the coins was a waste of money.  However, how many persons can say they have the commemorative coin which celebrates your having visited the exact center of the Northwest part of the earth?  I know of no one else, but me and my wife, who has visited this unique place on earth. Although I doubt this comes up in everyday conversation. I suspect, if I said to a friend, "Hey, I visited the 45 x 90 geographical marker of the exact center of the Northwest part of the earth, I would get a quizzical look. I mean, most people are probably not as aware of latitude and longitude as I am, unless of course, you also studied geography, where it is of some importance. I know this because I tried it out on one of my daughters-in-law, and i got that quizzical look.  When I explained it unique nature, she commented that it may have some interest. Polite people would probably pull a Marie Barone response and say, "That's nice." Others may ask whey they should care. 

Me at the Marker

As uninteresting as this may be to my spouse, I find it equally interesting, We were not the only people to stop and see the marker on that beautiful fall day, which I think was a surprise to my wife. The marker is located just off the aptly named Meridian Road. I could have spent the afternoon there basking in the glory of being at the center of the Northwest part of the world. But I sensed that my wife, as is he wont, started to get impatient after I took some photos, and her one of me lying by the marker. So we headed out, for the next destination, Timm's Hill.  For a few, brief, but delectable moments, I can say I was at the center of the Northwest part of the globe. 

Photos by author, except last photo by my wife

Passenger Number 420

One Hundred years ago today, on 7 November 1921, my great grandmother Theresia (nee Kamenova) Pitzenberger passed away.  Theresia was a wife, mother, farm worker, and merchant. This blog post will provide some information about Theresia, and in that way perhaps give a small glimpse into her life. I suspect her life in many ways mirrored the life of other small town farm women in the Midwest. My 1 November 2021 blog post was about her husband, Mathias, in honor of his 148th birthday. I am not sure how many of Theresia's descendants will even recognize that this is the 100th anniversary of her death. I may be the only one. This shows how time tends to affect us.  We can lose our sense of history, our connections, as the day-to-day activities of life move us more to the present and future than to the past. While her life began in Bohemia it ended in the United States. 

Koln Passenger Manifest
Source: Ancestry.com

To me, one of the most interesting aspects of Theresia's life is that she appears to have immigrated to the United States alone. Theresia, at times referred to as Lizzie, was born in Bohemia, in the village of Ujezd, on 13 April 1848.  In 1872, at the age of 24, she appears on an immigrant ship manifest as passenger #420. What makes this unique is that, if in fact she was a lone traveler to the United States, she was more an exception, being female. Research shows that it was not unusual for a young male to travel alone.  Lone male immigrants were often referred to as a lone wolf.  One example, was my great grandfather Stephen Eireiner who arrived by himself in NY NY. It was a different matter for young woman, particularly in that era. It is possible she did not travel alone, but other nearby names on the ship manifest do not match her name, and there is no discernible relationship with other nearby names. Today, a traveler from the Czech Republic can hop a plane to the United States, but back in the mid to late 18th century it required a lengthy travel time, much of it aboard a crowded ship.  

Immigration Card
Source: Ancestry.com

How long would travel time be in 1872?  We can get a hint from a news article written about a relative on the Hovel side.  The Hovel side is representative of what is known as Chain Migration, the whole family came over together in 1868, to join a burgeoning Bohemian and German enclave in southern Wisconsin.  Jacob Fitzl, who would marry Anna Hovel, was already in place in Jefferson, WI, and he was from the same village as the Hovel family. Hence, he probably wrote back to the home village about opportunities in the United States, particularly Wisconsin.  Anyway, the news article about my great grandfather Martin's sister, Catherine Hovel Popp, was on the event of her 50th wedding anniversary. The article noted that at age 5 she moved with her parents to America, the whole family--mother, father and children all moved at the same time.  The article then notes that "the long trip across the ocean required seventeen weeks."  That is over four months! That is over one-third of the year! 

Memorial Card

We know, from Theresia's memorial prayer card, issued for her funeral, that she was born in Ujezd Boehmia. She must have been proud of her Bohemian heritage because for decades it seems many Bohemians claimed they were from Germany, or Austria.  For many years my Dad thought the Hovel family came from Germany. Probably understandable as his parents spoke German, different German, but German. Theresia would travel from Ujezd to Bremen, and depart on the ship Koln.  Noted as passenger number 420 on the ship manifest, her age is listed as 24, but she is said to be from Germany. I suspect the recorder of the information rarely asked, and simply noted Germany at the top of the page, and used the ditto symbol (she is second down on the page, see first image in this blog) for all others on the page. The passengers of the Koln disembarked in Baltimore on 10 June 1872. Assuming Lizzie had a similar length journey to the Hovel family immigration of 1868, she would have spent her 24th birthday traveling to the US. The Hovel family traveled in 1868. and their ship, the Baltimore, departed Bremen and also arrived at the Port of Baltimore. I think the German Lloyd line had agreements with the Port of Baltimore. The shipping companies also had relationships with railroads to take the freshly arrived immigrants to the American heartland. As far as we know Lizzie made her way directly to Iowa. 

Pitzenberger Farm, Fort Atkinson, IA
Sec 20, Washington Twp, Winneshiek Co, IA

The thing is I really have no idea why she came to the US, or specifically to Iowa.  It appears, as I noted, that she traveled alone. Iowa, however, did make some sense as a destination. Spillville, IA, about ten miles from Festina, was a major site of Catholic Bohemian migrants. Was she a mail-order type bride? Was she coming over to work for someone? Or, was she simply stepping ashore hoping to find work and a better life? As with most of our immigrant ancestors we lack the answers. There are many questions we would like to ask, so we can rely on general trends.  But, if Theresia did travel alone, she bucked the norm of a female traveling with others. We do know that she married Mathias on October 20, 1873, so one year and four months after her arrival in Baltimore.  Whatever the case, if she indeed did travel alone, it was a gutsy move on her part. (As an aside, Winneshiek County, the location of Festina and Spillville, had the distinction of being the only Iowa County to condemn the KKK in the 1920's.  This is probably due in large part to the large Catholic population, and the KKK being anti-Catholic.)

Theresia with son-in-law Rudy Hovel, daughter Ida
and grandson Roy Hovel

It may have been an odd situation with Mathias since he and Theresia reportedly each spoke a different language, High German and Czech, respectively. Theresia, with a fifth grade education, likely knew some German from her school years in Bohemia. If they had communication issues due to spoken language it did not affect their marital relations. The union between Mathias and Theresia produced seven children. Mary Therese was the oldest born about 1875, followed by Andrew (1876), John (1880), Frank (1882), Matthew (aka Mathias) who was born in 1886 giving Theresia a break of a few years.  My grandmother, Ida, followed a few years after Matthew, in January 1890, and the baby of the family, Matilda, was born in 1892. All of these children lived into adulthood. All the children were, for some part of adulthood, involved in farming or as merchants.

Theresia with grandson Roy Hovel

In terms of farm work it was common for the wife to undertake some of the farm chores.  The children would assist her in some of the chores.  As the male children aged they would assist with field work. We can see how the sons helped with farm and field work as in some of the census documents, they are listed as farm laborers. According to historians, the main effort for the farm wife was the care of the poultry and the harvest of their eggs.  The Pitzenberger farm produced 500 dozen eggs in 1879, and were said to have had 70 poultry on hand as of June 1, 1880. The farm wife would also have been responsible for the family garden.  Other chores may have varied by farm, or age of children, but the farm wife would likely have assisted with milking the cows, of which the Pitzenbergers had three, and from which they produced 275 pounds of butter.  The butter churning was likely all the hand work of Theresia. She would have helped dress and preserve other items, fruites, vegetables, and butchering of the pigs, of which five were recorded for the Pitzenbergers in the 1880 agricultural census.  Among other crops, the Pitzenberger farm produced 115 bushels of Irish Potatoes on one acre of land. It is quite possible that Theresia would have assisted with the harvest and packing of the potato crop.  In a sense farm work is like child rearing, there was never a day off.  Perhaps, that is why God gave women the ability to multi-task.

Theresia Kamenova Pitzenberger

Multi-tasking is what was required for home and farm life in the mid to late 19th century. Changes were starting to occur in the nation that were bringing creative destruction to certain parts of the economy. Industrialization was one aspect of this, with its differentiation of labor. Changes were also occurring on the farm due to opening of lands on the prairies further west, along with disease and insects. For example, Wisconsin used to be a big wheat growing state, but the chinch bug infestation of the mid to late 1800's changed that. Wisconsin farmers tried a few other crops, such as hops, but mainly transitioned to Dairy. Chinch bugs did not like alfalfa. But, they did like corn, grass crops like wheat. Yet, as the agricultural census shows, these small farms remained diversified handling a variety of animals and crops. I recall my grandpas farm in Sun Prairie as having stalls for sheep, pig pens, chicken coop and accommodations for other animals. He started his Sun Prairie farm in the late 1920's. 

Pitzenberger Clan, circa 1928

With her husband having died in 1912, the 1920 census has her living alone, with her occupation identified as farmer. She was a land girl to the end. We know this from the 1915 Iowa Census.  While the census identifies her occupation as merchant, she also ran the farm. She had two milk cows valued at $80, one horse valued at $100, two swine at $20, and 50 fowl with a value of $15.  The main census page notes a total value of farm at $4,100. Her total earnings for a year were identified at $1,000. An earning of $1,000 for a year would be equivalent to about $27,000 today, putting her in a lower class bracket. Although there were a good number of $1,000 annual income on the census forms, so the number is probably somewhat suspect.  After all, who wants the census taker to know how much income they had?  It is hard to tell if, at 67 years of age, she was being weighed down by chores on the farm and in the store. The census record has her age as 65, not 67, but we know she was born in 1848, per her memorial card. 

1915 Iowa Census for Theresia p 1
Source: familysearch

Just as Theresia had to make accommodations due to the death of Mathias, both of them would have had to make accommodations in the farm chores she accomplished as children were born, were ill, or the  other instances of life get in the way that would demand the attention of the mother. As the mother, she was probably the one who made sure the lesson plans were complete and prayers were said.  All part of that multi-tasking required of moms.  I think the 1915 Iowa Census shows a woman who ran a farm and also a store. A remarkable achievement, for this lone wolf.

1915 IA Census for Theresia, p 2
Source: familysearch

Great grandma Pitzenberger, whose daughter, Ida, gave birth to my Dad in September 1918, would have known my Dad for only three years. My Dad would have turned three years of age the September prior to her death. She would never have met Dad's only sibling, my Aunt Anita who was born in 1924. Theresia's youngest daughter, Matilda, turned 21 just five days prior to Theresia's death. Theresia did not die in Festina, but rather in Winona, MN.  She may either have been living with, or visiting her daughter Mary Theresia, who was, with her husband, probably running a grocery store in Winona. However, she was buried in the St Mary's--Our Lady of Seven Dolors Cemetery, next to her dear departed husband, Mathias.

Mathias and Theresia Pitzenberger 
Grave Marker, St Mary's Cemetery, Festina, IA
Source: Find-a-Grave

Her last will and testament was rather simple.  It bequeathed a sum of $1,000 to St Mary's Church and Fr Rubly, or his successor, for masses for the repose of her soul. The remaining sum, after payment of all debts and funeral charges, was to be equally divided among any of her surviving children.  All  seven children would receive their portion of the estate, since none predeceased her. I wonder if she was ill, or knew death was knocking, since the will was signed on 25 October 1921, or just shy of two weeks before her death.

Last Will and Testament
Right side
Source: Ancestry.com

Theresia Kamenova Pitzenberger set herself apart by taking what appears to be a journey of one from Bohemia to the United States. It was a long journey lasting about 17 weeks from her village of Ujzed, Bohemia, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, to the rolling hills of eastern Iowa. Only knowing Czech, and perhaps some German, on her arrival in Baltimore, she had to deal with unfamiliar surroundings, language and customs. It is also in this part of Iowa where she would marry her husband, and give birth to, and raise the seven children she had with Mathias. All the while being a farm wife and helping at the local hardware store in Festina. If it was not for passenger # 420 on the Koln, which arrived in Baltimore on 10 June 1872, my grandma, dad or me would not have had the lineage, or life experiences we have had since we are formed by our ancestors. Such is the luck of life.

Images without source notation are from family archival sources

A Merchant Farmer

It was on November 1, 1843, 178 years ago, that my great grandfather Mathias Pitzenberger was born in what was may have been Austria, or at least part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Mathias was one of three sons of Andreas Pitzenberger and Maria Entrl. Both Andreas and Maria were, according to a biography of their eldest son John, born in Austria in 1811.  Mathias was the youngest of three sons born to Andreas and Maria. The family arrived in the US in about 1846. John's biography has them settling first in Freeport, IL, and then moving to Winneshiek County, Iowa in about 1850. The biography first indicates 1850, but later says John, who was born in 1839, arrived in Iowa in 1855.  I suspect the family moved together to Iowa sometime between 1850 and 1855. In 1859, Andreas purchased from the US Government 160 acres of land in the SE1/4 of section 31, T96N R 9W, which would be Washington Township, Winneshiek County, Iowa. 

Mathias Pitzenberger Farm, Town of Washington
Winneshiek County, IA
Source: Family archives

Whatever the year of their arrival in Iowa, the Mathias Pitzenberger family would not only farm the hills and valleys of the driftless area in Iowa, but also operate a hardware/general store in the small hamlet of Festina, IA. Festina is located at the intersection of today what are known as Hwy 150 and 123rd street, and is south of the County seat of Decorah. In 1880 Festina was a larger community than it is today. With persons dependent upon feet or horse for local mobility, and train and horse for regional mobility, these small communities would provide the necessary gathering, schooling and mercantile functions required for an increasingly diverse and differentiating economy. In 1850 or 1851 a gathering place was created in Festina, likely a saloon. In 1854 St Mary's--Our Lady of Seven Dolors Catholic Church was established. It was here that Mathias would be married, and buried. It was at this church were their children would receive many of the sacraments.

Plat Map of Twin Springs, now known as Festina
Source: Pat Burns Family History and Genealogy Website

The hamlet was platted in October 1856. The Pitzenberger family was part of the growth of Festina. Festina is said to have had two general stores in 1880. At the time of its platting Festina was known as Twin Springs, but the name was changed in 1863 to Festina. Festina is a Latin derivative of the word Vesper, so the German Catholic settlement nature held strong in this part of Iowa. Some plat maps identify the property as owned by "St Mary German Catholic Church." We do know that immigrants, often spoke their home language, more so than English, and in that sense the language spoken before and after church was joined by like speakers.  After all, the whole mass was in Latin, at that time. Different immigrant groups often had different Catholic parishes. This was true in large cities, and in rural areas. 

Mathias and Theresia Pitzenberger Tombstone
St Mary's Cemetery, Festina, IA

A letter my Aunt wrote to my sister and brother, a number of decades ago, identifies that Mathias spoke primarily High German, while his wife (Theresia) spoke mainly Czech. My grandma Ida, would learn High German at home, but as far as I know did not speak Bohemian.  I suspect Theresia also spoke some German, given that Bohemia was under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the children were primarily educated in German. It may have been a different German, as my Aunt says my grandfather, Rudy, knew Low German, which is odd because that is primarily associated with the northern part of Germany, the low lands, while Grandpa Rudy's Dad, was from southwest Bohemia, although his Mom hailed from what was likely part of the Sudetenland, in northern Bohemia. From what I could find online, High German is the official written language. It appears that the Austro-Hungarian Empire used Bavarian German, which is under High German, so it is a mystery to me where/how Grandpa learned Low German.  One theory I have is that the Duschecks were of German heritage, and although settled some time ago in Bohemia, they kept a language of Low German at home. Regardless of what was taught in school, the home dialect was retained by Rudy's mom.

1886 Plat Map with Pitzenberger farm circled (left)
and Location of Festina, IA circled (right)
Source: Ancestry.com

Mathias, in 1873 would marry Theresia Kamenova (Kamen is her father's surname with the suffix ova added in Czech (Bohemia) for females). The marriage would produce seven children, over a period of 18 years from 1876 to 1892. My grandmother, Ida, was the second youngest and born in 1890. 

St Mary's--Our Lady of Seven Dolors Church and School
Festina, IA
Source: Pat Burns Family History and Genealogy Website

Mathias would buy land, 80 acres in section 20 Washington township, Winneshiek County, IA at least according to a 1886 plat map. This 80 tract, along with an adjoining 80 acres to the west, owned by his brother Peter, was land locked, and was likely accessed by easement over an 80 acre parcel to the south owned by Joseph Blong. By 1905, he has sold his 80, and purchased the 80 that had been owned by his brother Peter.  He also purchased 160 acres to the west of Peter's former 80 acres in section 19, and also bought the west 40 acres of the Joseph Blong property. A dead-end road is shown along the east side of the 40 he bought from Blong. As was common at the time, his children provided some of the farm labor. We can see this through some of the census records. For example, in the 1900 US Census, six of their seven children were at home with two of the three oldest sons, Frank and John, listed as farm laborers. At this time, the oldest son, Andrew is the postmaster in Festina, IA. The funny thing is, that two of their sons opened the Pitzenberger Brothers store in Manly, IA, and hired my grandma to help clerk at their store. Manly is over an hour and half by car, about 84 miles, from Festina, IA. 

1886 Plat Map, Mathias Pitzenberger Property
E1/2 of SW 1/4 Sect 20
Source: Ancestry.com

We can track Mathias through some of the state and federal census records. I first find Mathias with his parents and siblings in Washington Township of Winneshiek County in the 1860 census. I then found him in the 1880 census, with his wife, Theresia, who he married in 1873, with three of their seven children. His occupation is listed as a farmer.  However, by the 1885 Iowa census, Mathias is listed as a a hardware merchant.  We know that he owned and operated a hardware/general store in Festina, Iowa. although his farm appeared to have an address of Fort Atkinson, IA. In the 1895 Iowa census, he is still listed as a merchant/farmer, but by the 1900 US Census he is identified as a farmer. The 1905 Iowa census has him farming with a farm value of over $4,000. The last census in which Mathias appears is the 1910 US census, in which he is listed as a merchant, owning a general store. My grandma is listed as a clerk, and was likely working at the family owned general store. In 1910 one of his sons, Matthew Alois, also known as Mathias, is at age of 23 identified as running the family farm. At about 280 acres it was a good sized farm operation.

1905 Plat Map of Mathias Pitzenberger Land Holdings
Source: Ancestry.com

My great grandfather Mathias would enter eternal life on 11 August 1912. He died at 63 years, 10 months and 10 days of age (Interestingly, the exact age I am as I write this today on Oct 31). We know from his death certificate that his death occurred in Festina, the small hamlet in Washington Township of Winneshiek County. He appears to have suffered a stroke as the cause of death is identified as arterial sclerosis and paralysis.  Arterial sclerosis is the contributing factor. Discussions with a medical professional indicates he likely suffered a stroke on 9 August 1912, as the death certificate notes he was under a doctor's care starting on 9 Aug and was last seen alive by the doctor on 10 Aug. His time of death is identified as 6:40 am. Having died in Festina, perhaps it was a living unit, or back room associated with his store.  His death certificate identified his occupation as "Merchant."

Mathias Pitzenberger, Only Known Photo
Source: Family archives

Grandma Hovel (Ida Pitzenberger), who would marry my grandfather seven months after Mathias passed away, on Tuesday, 4 February 1913 at St Mary's--Our Lady of Seven Dolors Church, did not have the opportunity to have her father, Mathias Pitzenberger, walk her down the aisle. I am sure that she had fond memories of working side-by-side with her father as a young girl in his store. It appears, in this era, it was not uncommon for the wake to be the house of the deceased. This home, would be same home at which the small reception for Ida and Rudy, with those present being "near family," would dine in honor of their marriage on that winter day in northeast Iowa. As the strong winter winds howled outside, I can imagine that Ida would have taken the time to shed a tear at the memories of her deceased immigrant father, who worked as a merchant and a farmer in the hills of this part of Iowa.