Chapter 16. Life's amusements

Not all of my ancestors have had a disposition toward emotional darkness. At the museum in Frederic, WI, we find my grandfather Ed Hubbard’s junior class picture and get a feel for his personality: the saying under his name reads, “Partakes in life’s amusements like Huckleberry Finn” and in another part of the 1920 high school yearbook a poem mentions his socializing talkative ways. Cousin Cheryl passed along that Ed never finished high school; we don’t know details around that.

We do know that, in his young adulthood, Edward enjoyed the company of at least one young seamstress. This lady – that my grandma Ursula referred to as “that York girl” – became pregnant, birthed a little boy, and at some point in her son’s young life filed a paternity suit. By the time Ursula (my maternal grandmother) comes into his life, Ed is paying legally mandated child support. 

Ed is in his early 30s, Grandma is in her early 20s. Though it would seem that jobs are scarce in the early 1930s she finds work as a waitress in Wisconsin: first at Hotel Frederic, likely learning about the opportunity from her sisters Vi and Ceil who work in Frederic. Later she works at the Williams Resort in Hayward, WI, after Ed tells her and her sisters they could make more money there. Turns out she makes $5 per week plus tips thanks to wealthy businessmen from Chicago (I can wonder if they might have been mobsters – who happen to like nature or hunting – but that’s admittedly only speculation). Grandma relays that one of those generous customers named Peabody was the largest producer of onions in the U.S., and who gave her a $6 tip for taking care of his family for a week.

Adolph & Emma Hartfiel's girls (Ursula 2nd youngest)

Ursula left her home in rural Minnesota, between Clarkfield and Boyd, around age 20. After graduating from 8^th grade she had worked on the farm for some years, milking cows, cleaning barns, piling hay, doing housework. Her dream was to become a nurse but her dad believed girls should stay home and work. She didn’t date much because “dad didn’t usually approve of the fellow.” The children were discouraged from associating with anyone who wasn’t German and Lutheran.

 

Her father and mother take her to Wisconsin on that first trip in 1932 or so, and give her 25 cents to hold her over until her first paycheck. She first meets Ed at Hotel Turner – he is a local businessman and a frequent customer. Ed grew up in Frederic and worked on a survey crew in the 1920s when the roads were being built in Wisconsin. After Ed’s dad died in 1929 he managed the pool hall for a brief time, adding sporting goods to the store’s inventory. In the 1930s when Ursula meets him he is employed by the Stokely canning factory as a machinist, and lives in a small ‘bachelor pad’ on the edge of the village.

 

Ursula gets to know Ed and appreciates his wit. Ed teases her by tying her apron strings together when she’s working. He’s also impressed with her ability to memorize food orders. They start to go out, mostly to the movies, buying popcorn for 5 or 10 cents. They don’t go out of the village much because it “was rather dangerous with bear and wilderness.” Ed loves the outdoors and avidly hunts and fishes and takes pictures. “Eddie” is described as fun loving and good looking.

Ursula and Edward Hubbard

“Life is not the amount of breaths you take, it’s the moments that take your breath away.” 

– Alex Hitchens character, played by Will Smith, in the movie “Hitch”

Adeline Hubbard

In December of 1935, after a long courtship, Ursula and Ed marry in front of a Justice of Peace in Atlantic, IA, where Ursula’s sister Emma and her husband live. After Ursula and Ed's modest wedding they travel home to Cumberland, WI, where their first home is a little brick house near the Stokely factory where Ed works.

Adeline Marie is born the following October. Rosella Mae is born two years later. 

[A couple of fun facts: Adeline is Ursula’s sister’s name. Mae is Ed’s mother’s middle name. Rosella is the pet name Ed writes on postcards in the months before he marries Ursula (postcards after the wedding start with “Dear Wife” and after Mom is born end with “Love, Daddy”) and as he extensively travels for his work to Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Washington, Indiana, Minnesota, Mexico.  Rosella is not Ursula’s choice of name for their 2nd born: Ed wanted it.]

Ursula’s sister Vi helps with both girls’ delivery at home.

Ursula’s choices of her 20-something years intrigue me - they seem out of character with the grandma I knew. The matriarch I knew was steadfast, stable, stoic. But the young Ursula took chances, entered into relationship with and married this older and less traditional guy – neither Lutheran nor German – even though she must have known her father, Adolph Hartfiel, wouldn’t approve and there would be some schism with family.

“Love and compassion are necessities- not luxuries; 
without them – humanity cannot survive.” 

– The Dalai Lama

  

Adolph and Emma Hartfiel

Emil Hartfiel

Maybe her actions were a reaction to some of what she witnessed growing up. Her mother, Emma Charlotte Eckhardt Hartfiel, lost her first husband, Emil Hartfiel, before their fourth wedding anniversary.  Emil’s brother, Adolph Gustaf Hartfiel, felt it was his Christian duty to marry his brother’s widow. He broke off his engagement with another woman and married my great-grandmother Emma in January 1892, within six months of Emil’s death.

My grandma Ursula never spoke ill of her father but did refer to him as strict, and reading between the lines from that and other references, one can wonder about the tone of her parent’s marriage born out of duty and necessity. Possibly Ursula picked up on love “lost” in her family of origin, possibly she just wanted her own exciting life, or possibly she had other reasons outside of my understanding for marrying Ed. He certainly was a dashing guy.

Annie & Edward Appleseth

I think my Dad’s dad also was quite dashing, and enjoyed a good time in his younger days. The farm of Adelia Annie Jorgensen parents, Thor and Kjersti Jorgensen, was known to often host parties. We can speculate that Edward Appleseth was a frequent attender and enjoyed the company of Annie, who eventually became his wife. 

Ed and Annie married in January 1921, when she was nearly six months pregnant.

Gregg and I too were married in the month of January, and were also with child (four months along).

Be they for necessity, for love, or something in between, we all have our reasons for what we do.