Held <strong>Family</strong> History Carl Henry "Chap" Held Carl Henry was born to John August, <strong>and</strong> Mary Held, July 28, 1899 in Indiana. He was the fifth of eight children born in Freel<strong>and</strong>ville, Indiana. September 12, 1918, Carl registered for the draft. It describes his as medium build <strong>and</strong> height, with brown hair <strong>and</strong> eyes. He worked for his father's farm in Edwardsport, Indiana. Carl <strong>and</strong> Aleda were married a year later, in a double ceremony with her brother, Wilbur Strate <strong>and</strong> Donna Mengedoht September 6, 1919, by Rev. J. H. Overbeck. Carl <strong>and</strong> Aleda lived with her father for a while, later moving into Freel<strong>and</strong>ville, living in two homes before they settled into what would later become known as the "Old Held Place." Carl <strong>and</strong> Aleda reared eight children in Indiana. Dorothy, Robert, Margaret, Mary, Herbert, John, Bruce <strong>and</strong> Richard. Carl worked as a laborer on farms, first with his father-in-law then for Albert Grabbe. Albert owned a large farm <strong>and</strong> employed Carl to run the thresh machine for the wheat harvest. During the Depression, when Mr. Grabbe could no longer afford to hire him, Carl worked for the Public Works Association, driving school bus. He drove a milk truck for Ted Meyer, delivered milk from farmers to Vincennes, Indiana. Later he owned <strong>and</strong> operated an upholstery shop in Freel<strong>and</strong>ville <strong>and</strong> taught his son, John, the trade. John moved the shop to Bicknell when he married. Carl <strong>and</strong> Aleda moved to the house across from their church becoming the custodian <strong>and</strong> caretaker of the grave yard. At 62 Carl retired from his work with the church, <strong>and</strong> bought a shoe repair <strong>and</strong> harness shop which he worked until he was unable to work anymore. Aleda died of a heart attack on October 27, 1967. Carl died at age 80, July 15, 1978, from several complications. Carl made cars for his sons, <strong>and</strong> Aleda would sew outfits for the dolls she made every Christmas for her daughters. Carl once made a doll house for his girls; painted gray with blue trim. It came furnished with table <strong>and</strong> chairs, doll bed, <strong>and</strong> kitchen cabinets. Aleda would make clothes the children out of feed <strong>and</strong> flour sacks. Aleda saved the printed flour sacks for the dresses <strong>and</strong> the plain for their underwear. Robert <strong>and</strong> Dorothy saved their money <strong>and</strong> sent to Sears <strong>and</strong> Roebuck for a guitar. They would sit on their front porch, strumming the cords <strong>and</strong> singing, "Big Rock C<strong>and</strong>y Mountain" <strong>and</strong> "She'll be coming Around the Mountain." Bruce saved his money to buy the Eddie Arnold's record, "Cattle Call," which his nephew, Jimmy, sat on <strong>and</strong> broke. Dorothy remembers the old organ she thought she could play. She waited until Christmas to get some sheet music; it was, "Red Sails in the Sunset." Dorothy once tried to ride a bike on her own, She rode down the hill, into the lane <strong>and</strong> over the bridge. She l<strong>and</strong>ed on barbwire which stuck in her neck which she carried the scar all her life. The kids would ride the bike on the road <strong>and</strong> forget to take the sharp curve by Stoelting Brothers, usually ending up in the ditch. Bruce, being younger than his brothers, Robert, Ike <strong>and</strong> John, though he could ride the bike like them. His older brothers put him on the bike at the steps by the front porch <strong>and</strong> gave him a fast shove towards the direction of the path, out the gate. He missed the gate <strong>and</strong> hit the fence to the delight of his brothers. When friends <strong>and</strong> neighbors were married, the town's kids liked to wait until after dark, bringing spoons, dish pans <strong>and</strong> tubs, they playfully harassed the newlywed couple outside their room windows. Often they would end their fun with food <strong>and</strong> a party. Free shows were held every Saturday night in town. Movies would be sown on the sides of buildings <strong>and</strong> everyone would sit on the ground or on a piece of cardboard, sometimes even bringing their own chairs, entertaining themselves by playing the Euchre. Saturday evenings were a time for Aleda to do her grocery shopping. The kids cold sit on the chairs in the shoe store, which was part of Kixmiller's Grocery Store. They would often get a Nickle a piece to spend while in town. When Carl went shopping, at Aunt Mary <strong>and</strong> Uncle Charlie's store, there would always be a bag of c<strong>and</strong>y that came home, which had not been on the list, thanks to Aunt Mary. After the Saturday entertainment, the children would be put to bed, often many in one bed, <strong>and</strong> the adults would play cards. Some Saturday nights, Carl would hook up the battery from his car to the radio; <strong>and</strong> the family would sit around it <strong>and</strong> listen to the Gr<strong>and</strong> Ole Opry; Carl's favorite was "The Fox Chase" on the harmonica. While the family lived at what "The old Held's place," the beds were made of straw, in the summer, <strong>and</strong> feathers in the winter. Irons were wrapped in cloth after they were heated on the stove, <strong>and</strong> put at their feet, to keep them warm. The kitchen, as well as the back room, were made of logs. Without electricity, their perishables, such as milk <strong>and</strong> butter would be lowered into a bucket <strong>and</strong> kept low in the well to keep from spoiling. A peddler would come by regularly in an old covered truck. From him, Aleda would buy some groceries, <strong>and</strong> if she had a few pennies left, she would buy c<strong>and</strong>y for her children. The home had an out door bathroom. The kids liked to climb up on the outhouse <strong>and</strong> swing out onto their home-made trapeze. One time Robert <strong>and</strong> Mel were teasing Mary, they had her on the roof <strong>and</strong> would not let her down until she begged to use the outhouse. Another time, they were playing with an old car that their father had made; poor Mary was pushed off into a ditch, she was so scared that she wet her pants. The old horse trough was large enough to double as swimming pool for the younger Held children. There was an even 17
Held <strong>Family</strong> History larger trough which the oldest children used. Once, John was in the largest trough <strong>and</strong> almost drowned. The Held's had an old sour pig which would chase the children up the Catalpa tree, when ever they would wonder too far into the farm yard, which the pig occupied. There was an old discarded car that the children liked to play <strong>and</strong> would often risk the threat of the old pig, for a chance to play in the ab<strong>and</strong>oned vehicle. On Sundays, after church, Carl would stop by the mercantile <strong>and</strong> buy a chuck of ice to make ice cream; which he made in an old freezer in the cellar. Carl would turn the crank <strong>and</strong> one of his kids would have to sit on an old gunny sack atop the freezer to keep it stationary. Who ever had a turn to sit through this chore was always rewarded by being allowed to like the paddle. Sunday was the only time the family had ice cream. One Sunday, Margaret <strong>and</strong> Robert dirtied their Sunday shoes. Carl caught Robert <strong>and</strong> spanked him; while Margaret ran to the chicken house <strong>and</strong> cleaned hers’ the best she could. She reported back to her father saying, "See, they are not dirty." The kids earned their money for the Church social by picking black berries, which they sold for fifteen cents a gallon. Aunt Alma would five them a quarter for a gallon picked. When Aleda did not have the money for Dorothy's piano lessons the kids would chip in <strong>and</strong> pick berries. Sometimes when money was too scarce, she would pay the instructor with a gallon of berries. Easter, the children did not have Easter baskets, so they made Easter nest from grass so that the Easter bunny would lay eggs in their nests. Every New Years Eve, the family had Oyster stew. 18
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