The Callans and McClarys, by John Edward Callan - Callanworld

The Callans and McClarys
Clinton and Helen Kathryn (Gerhardt) McClary, Nancy
McClary’s paternal grandparnts. ca. 1987.
community in Cooper County,
to August and Flora Stegner
Gerhardt.
They lived on a farm east of
Speed, attended school in Speed
and attended church in
Billingsville, a few miles up the
road. These were German
immigrant communities, and
German was still the primary
language spoken in church and
in many homes. When Helen
started school, she could speak
very little English. When she was
a child she was thrown from a
horse and broke her arm at the
elbow. A hired hand picked up
Helen and her brother Elmer
one day from school on a horse,
the horse was scared by a passing
train, reared, and threw her off.
Helen had no sisters
to play with but
enjoyed playing with
her brothers. The
children had few
toys, though she did
have a doll.
Helen’s father,
August Gerhardt,
died of burns when
she was nine years
old in 1927. Her
older brother Elmer,
age 11, assumed the
role of head of the
household with his
mother. Then in
1936 her younger
brother Hubert, age
16, was killed in a
hunting accident. He
had been hunting
rabbits alone on the
way home from a
relative’s house. His body was
found where he had fallen
backward in a brush pile. There
was snow on the ground and it
was evident that he had died
instantly.
By 1932 the family had
moved closer to Billingsville.
Helen was able to attend high
school in Boonville. Elmer drove
them to school in Boonville until
he graduated and left home. She
then walked about two miles
across the fields and down the
road to Billingsville, and rode to
school with a neighbor who was a
teacher. After she graduated
from high school she lived in
Boonville with an aunt and
worked until she was married.
Helen is a considerate and
~ 76 ~
caring person. She sincerely and
consistently inquires about the
health and well-being of everyone
she knows at every opportunity.
If you call or visit she will
ask about, at the least, your
spouse, children and grandchildren.
Since her physical activities
are limited and she does not get
out much, she talks with her
friends by telephone. She enjoys
having friends and family stop by
the house, but it is difficult to
stay for just a few minutes.
The Gerhardt family
members are known as “talkers.”
They talk constantly, for hours
on end, the women mostly about
what is going on in the family,
church or other social situations,
and the men about farming and
politics. When you stop by for a
visit with Helen you will literally
get “talked out the door.” That
is, when you leave, she will
continue to talk and ask questions
as you go out the door and
down the walk.
She has an excellent
memory, which is valuable in
keeping the births and marriages,
job status, and other family
parameters straight for the many
relatives. It is also remarkable
that she remembers such details
as dates, times, and places of
most events of her own life and
her children’s, such as births,
schooling, illnesses, etc. It was
always helpful in taking her to
the doctor that she could remember
such details of her
medical history, including all
twelve surgeries.
Helen has always taken
pride in her cooking ability, and
rightly so, as do most of the
Gerhardt women. One of the
most anticipated meals of the
year has always been the Joseph
Gerhardt family reunion. Helen
really misses being physically
able to stand and cook for hours
as she used to do. Even though
she cannot cook for you she will
still inquire whether you have
eaten, and apologize if she has
nothing to offer you to eat.
Helen’s life as a housewife
in the 1940s and 50s was described
in 1989 in an article
written by her son-in-law John
Sears.
When reading the following
excerpt from that article, note
that the present tense of the
article applies to the period when
it was written, 1989.)
Helen was born in rural
Cooper county, Missouri in 1918
to Flora and August Gerhardt.
From this inauspicious beginning,
she has raised her social
position from that of a poor farm
girl to a proud, urban grandparent.
She has shown clearly that
she believes in her ability to
improve her status and has
worked hard to do so. Along the
way she was able to make a few
choices concerning what and to
some extent how much work she
would do.
Given a choice, she consistently
chose to work in her home
once her family was started,
separating labor according to the
notion of separate spheres; along
gender lines. To enable her
family’s standard of living to