A Biography of Mary Suing Hochstein
Born March 10,1905. The first of my remembrances is when Felicitus was born my Aunt
Mary Becker took car of mom and would not let me in to see her so I sneaked in and
crawled under the bed. She of course found me and chased me out.
My Dad always had a mustache; one day he shaved it off. He went out of the
house around so we would not see him. Then came down the road like a tramp, of course
mom knew about it took Felicitus, Clarence, and myself out to meet him. Of course, we
did not recognize him so hung onto mom, he was really a tease.
At that time my Uncle Steve Suing died they had moved to Canada but did not
like it there so moved to Salem, Oregon where he died. I knew him but as a child, did
know what they were talking about, went to bed and cried myself to sleep.
My Aunt Anna Suing married a Fred Geoden, they also moved to Salem, Oregon.
All I remember is Loretta and Harold of course they had more children. One of their
children became a nun and one of the Suing Children is Father Suing in Oregon.
One-day dad was hauling hay and of course like all children, Clarence had to have
a ride. When he was supposed to get off, he jumped off and broke his leg. The doctor
put a cast on in and he was suppose to stay in bed. I could not stand to see him in bed, he
was suppose to come and play with me. I got him out of bed and carried him into the
room where mom was, did I ever get heck for it.
When I was six, I had to go to school. My first teacher was Edeith Koenig, I
don’t remember much but one thing stands out. There were big boys going to school,
Hugo, my brother, and Ray Stratman and other boys dressed Ray Stratman up like a
tramp, he went around so Miss Koenig could not see him come to the school and frighten
her out of her wits. My next teacher was Irene Becker, my cousin, she was very strict.
She also bordered at our place so she was the one who got us out of bed. Another cousin,
Helen Finer also taught me on one Christmas we had a play of course I was a Negro
playing a part of a boy in the dress up they forgot to put my braids under the cap. I heard
the teacher laugh and almost forgot my lines but kept walking on the stage till I
remembered them. When I got of my costume, they could not get over boys having
braids. My last teacher in grade school was Gerthude Waltz (Lammers). In my class was
Heleria Bruenig Bender, Tille Statman, Minnie Heitman. We where the first one’s to
take eighth grade exams, we went to St Helena Public School were all the schools around
came to take the test. There was a Potts boy from another school, did we ever tease him,
he also teased us. We all passed the eighth grade.
My sister Maxilinda married Jack Jansen Aug 16,1916. Had the wedding at
Grampas house. There were a number of my age at the wedding like Thresia Jansen,
Bennie Weisler and some of the neighbors. We really had a good time, tasting the beer
and trying things all the old folks did.
That same year I went to my first Holy Communion, Mary Boehmer, Helvia
Bruenig, Treisea Hoebelhenrich and some boys don’t remember them. After graduation,
went to Jackson school for one year did not get much out of it since Rosann told Dad I
could teach in two years. Bull. After that, I did work for Tony Lammers as a hired girl
also Fred Tramp, Alphonse Kothol, George Suing, Selvester Roth, Jack Konus and of
course I missed a page so will tell how we played at home and at school.
We played baseball when the weather was nice. One day Clemence Tramp got
smart and threw my cap in the out door toilet as we were playing ball. I had the bat and
gave him a wack with it. But he would not get my cap, after school I had to fish it out.
We also played sheep in the pen, pump pump pull away, and Tag. In the winter, we
played fox and goose, snowballs, I think called fort or war went sled riding down the
hills. At home we played Blind mans bluff of course the ball games of all sorts and even
played school and did we ever climb trees. Sheds walk on the foundation whenever they
built a building. One day sliding down the chicken coop, really got the dickens.
One day when they were building the house where Erwin lives in today, they had
ropes to get the lumber up on the third floor. We were swinging on the ropes, never
thinking if we where to fall we would land in the cellar. Nedraw built the house I said it
was the John Bruening boys our age that came but Adeline said it was the Tony Thone
and boys, we teased them and they got rough with us. Peter Kliensmidt came over to
look at the house, they were going to build one too. Thresa Lavina and Alphonse where
our age too so we had a good time. At that time, we drove with horses and buggies to
town and when we went visiting. We went to East Bow where Matt and Fred Dresens
lived, my dads sisters stayed over night because it was to far for the horses to go in one
day.
We did more visiting than we do now it seems, Frank Suing was a great place to
visit so many kids our own age but some how I always got into trouble sliding down
steps or banisters. The two oldest girls became nuns Ester and Rute. Don’t remember
going to Brooke Bottom where Reifenrath’s Mom’s Sister lived, they were older than I
was. One of the boys Danile became a priest. Alick Kock was grandmother’s brother
who lived in the Bottoms. My dad said he went there and stayed a week and was very
home sick. John Becker’s boy stayed at our place, he also was very home sick I guess we
teased Ralph too much. Some how we got Scarlet Fever and was quarantined, the
neighbors brought us food, we were very sick. We also had Yellow Jaundice, Mumps,
Whooping Cough, and Measles. Of course flues that killed a lot of people, after World
War One in 1820.
Jack Jansens’s boy who married our sister Maxilinda, boy how Adeline and I
hated to go there. But where some good times too. On Sunday we went to the neighbors
Herbers, Potts, Kocks, and of course the Jansens. At this time, I started to go out with
boys. Had a lot of fun at dances. Danced with Cousins Ray Becker, Bruno Suing, and of
course Rudy Sudbeck, Alphonse Remile, Alphone Wortman ( he wanted to marry me),
Albert Thone, Edd Thone, Rudolph Schulte, Frank Becker, Nicky Mier, John Lecker,
Johny Kleinschmidt, and George. Must not forget Alphonse Kliensmidt, he tried his
darnest to go with me. Also Frankie Kothol, Otto Weisler, Herman Hoebelhenrich who
married my sister Rosann, who I always get in trouble with. He sure liked to drink. Of
course I met Rudolph Hochstein and went with him for I think off and on for six years.
Married him.
The first quarrel we had, he brought a teacher along that taught in District 13. I
guess someone made a bet he would not take her. After that, we went to Minnesota
where Adeline and I went with him to look at a farm there, I did not like it. We also went
to the Corn Palace in South Dakota, that was fun took Rosann along. She wanted
Herman to go along, I said no deal. We met Leo Sudbeck, Jack Weisner and Kate who
later married Leo Sudbeck. Rosann had a lot of fun with Jack, he was a card full of the
dickens. Also saw the Forsters, Ella came along with us. They were old neighbors of
ours and related to the Hochsteins.
Mom and dad where good people, kept us in line a lot of times. We got our
punishment for doing things we should not do. One day Dad and Mom were reading a
story in the Lantmon German newspaper. We were playing Blind Mans Bluff, as usual
got pretty load so Dad got the broom and hit us over the head. Boy did that smart. Dad
was a saving person, got to help out some people like Joe Becker, Frank Becker, Bill
Finer, Leo Schrempp and others. Some paid him back but others did not. He bought the
farm Hugo lived on from Yessing. The farm Arno lived on he bought from
Wuesterwalds and also the farm we lived on. The farm Clarence lived on the bought
from Asbreas. Mom got the pasture from her folks, the eighty south of us that Arno
bought from her. Felicitus got the home she lives in and a forty acre hay meadow by
Schnieders. Rosann got her education, four years in Jackson and dad paid for lumber and
carpenters for their house on the Hoebelhenerich farm and Erwin on the home place .
Every one said dad was a well to do person. He made us aware of the worth of money
not to spend it foolishly. We had to work for everything we got. That has helped us in
our lives. That also was the way we had to do not that we wanted at times as we raised
our family.
Rudolph and I got married the 24th of April 1928. Folks gave us a big wedding,
after the wedding we went on a trip to Canada. They also gave us a shower that every
one enjoyed. We left that night and stayed at Forsters got there very late. Went to Eagle
Butte South Dakota were some cousins lived, we saw Ray Becker, Fred Becker, Paul
Scherman, and stayed at Nora Mirose , my cousin at Wall South Dakota. We went
through the Black Hills from there to Canada. Lenord was working up there and an
Uncle of Rude’s Joe Heppner. We saw quite a bit of mountains, falls, towns, and the
Mormon temples. We left up there and went to Montana, on the way the roads were not
to good. Went through creeks, swamps, and roads no one would drive now. But we
enjoyed it. In Montana, we stopped to go to church. Mass was just over the Priest had to
say mass that was on our way so took him along to the church. He was an Irish descent,
was a clown, you never would expect he was a priest. After mass, he asked us if we
would go through Great Falls, since we were he asked to go along. There was a meeting
he wanted to go to by train but since we were going his way he went along. When we got
home we lived on the Burgmann place for eight years. On April 1, 1929 Lavern was
born. We had a good crop that year. On August 14, 1930 Joan was born, was a hot
summer had a twister go through the place broke 30 window pains, broke trees and hail
took the crop of corn. Rude had just cut the oats and stacked it so at least had feed. That
year the banks went broke, Rude’s dad had taken over the Wynot bank with it going
broke, he had a heart attack and died in March 1931. The year of 1932 was very bad,
prices of grain was almost nothing, hogs and cattle were almost given away, eggs and
cream also. On Feb 23, 1932 Noreen was born, we had a lot of snow that year. I had an
appendectomy operation. That fall and winter Rude worked on the St Helena road to
have enough to eat. It was W.P.A work. 1933 was as bad as 1932. Inez was born the 5th
or March 1934, that winter Lue Hochstein came and made booze in our basement. It was
good stuff, made enough to pay our debts, food, and clothing and rent. On November 24,
1935 Gerry was born, that was the year a lot of people lost their farms, of course we were
asked to buy or move. All of Joe Hochstein farms were taken over by loan companys.
Rude did not have money to buy so of course there were few places to go. My dad said
we could go on the place where Clarence lived, but at the time Peters brothers were
farming it to close neighbors. The 80 acres that we lived on from dad, we moved the
brooder house there and dad bough the 13th district school house. We moved it there
also. In the mean time, the company said we could move on a Goden place, so that’s
where we went. Grandma Hochstein and Bob and Ray moved to the Rifenraths farm in
Brooke Bottom in the spring of 1936. Fred Lammers and Paul came and asked us to
move on the Lammers Place. Of course by this time, Lavern had started school in Dist
13 and also Joan. In 1936, they were going to Memoninee school. From the Lammers
place, they went to Dist 82. The Henry Jansen kids and Darleen Lammers walked the
same way and did a lot of nonsense. On Sept 28, 1937 Larry was born. He only lived a
few days, had an open backbone. We worked hard to get everything done, had a few
boys working for us. Wibbles all year, at corn picking time had Wuebben, and Hochstein
boys to help. We had chickens so had eggs, meat, milked a few cows, and sold cream.
That fall Lavern had the Mumps, we were afraid we were going to loose her. On Sept 28,
1938 Claudette was born. We were getting were we could get along better now. Rude
had a silage cutter and filled a lot of silos; also bought a corn sheller with everything was
making out OK! Had quite a time with Fred Lammers, he went on a spree and the Mrs
came down until he got over his drinking, that happened quite often. On August 23, 1940
Bernice was born. Then we had the four girls going to school. They had many fights,
came home crying so told them to stick together, after that things cooled off some. On
July 3, 1942 Leon was born. We were farming the eighty and Paul Lammers did not like
that so asked us to move. That’s in March 43, we moved on the 80 acres Rude bought
two brooder houses, one we cooked in and ate in, one to sleep in of course the old school
house was there a lot of things went in there. We left Claudette, Bernice, and Leon at
Arnos when we moved. After we were there Leon always said he wanted to go home.
That winter, we had no barn for the cattle, lost a bunch in a snow storm. That’s when
Inez went to Communion what a way to entertain people in a brooder house.
Rude, Hugo and a few others helped to make a cellar and foundation to move a
house from Fordyce on it. We also built a chicken house and machine shed. We had
the children sleep in the chicken house. After the house was on the foundation, we
moved into it and Erwin got one of the brooder houses. On May 16, 1944 Jean Marie
was born. Not much room in the house, just three rooms very crowded that year. Lavern
helped Alphonse Hiene that year, she started to go out more. We took the kids to
Vermillion museum, when we were going home Leon got a streak, he sat down, I figured
if I kept going he would come on his own. Which he did, he was afraid to be left behind.
The older ones went to 108 school. At that time, I was not feeling very good, had gall
trouble. Grandma Suing wanted to go see Lavina, who was living in Hastings Nebraska.
So Rude drove, I was just going to take Jean Marie but the day before we left Leon
chopped his finger almost off so had to take him along. On the way to get Leon’s finger
fixed every time he saw a windmill he said he was thirsty. The rest stayed at home.
On Nov 16, 1945 Florence was born, since the house was not big enough went to
the hospital. That next summer Jean Marie fell in a pail of hot water and was burned
pretty bad. That was the time we sold our horses, the tractor did all the work. The kids
rode the horses and had a lot of accidents and fun with them. She went to Fordyce and
Holy Trinity school. In Dec 11, 1946 Roger was born, also in Yankton hospital. While
there they brought me someone else’s baby. That was the year Noreen stayed at Grandpa
Suing for two years going to St Helena high school. She finished at Hartington Trinity
boarded at Noecker and Rosseteers. On July 30, 1948 Glenn was born, he was the
biggest one of all 13 lbs. He had pneumonia when he was a year old. Also had his arm
broke, when he went rolling skating. Both Roger and Glenn went to Fordyce school,
went to communion together also in Hartington Cedar Catholic High School together.
Lavern worked at Hine Alphonse with so many mouths to feed and cloth so she
could buy her own clothes. In 1950 she married Francis Arnes. Joan also went out
working to buy things she needed. She also was Dads hired man like all the kids, she
helped milk cows. She married Roman Keiter had five Children. Kay who married
Wayne Holmes in 1978, she met him in California where she was in the Air Force. She
now lives in New Orleans Louisiana, I went along with Joann and Roman to visit them in
1985. Had a wonderful time, saw the Mississippi River with all the ships and barges.
Ate different kinds of fish and sea food, very good. Also visited Lisa, who was living in
Florida, saw what a hurricane can do, lots of damage. Kay drove us around with a van,
lots of water swamps also trees, I figured would not grow there, old plantations, and
French Quarters. Joan and Roman rode their horses, also took pictures of me doing a
western scene. Lisa married Andrew Reese, she also were in the service met her man in
Georgia. They have one son Christopher, Scott is the hog man does very good job at it.
Noreen was quiet a horse back rider go thrown and cut her arm at Rogers. Noreen went
to Sioux City St. Vincent Nursing school. That’s where she met Jack Goebel, who she
married. They had five children.
Inez also had to get her own way, so got a job in Yankton. Met a girl they were
best friend. She met Laurel Halgerson who she married in 1955 in Yankton. He was not
a Catholic, had a time talking to Fr. Kaulp, did he ever ball me out saying enough
Catholic boys around. But he married them anyways. They have lived in different place
tell now, are living in Madison South Dakota. They had five children, Vickie was born
April 7 1956. She was like all girls, did not agree with mother. Loren was born in Sept
19 1958. He was all boy following his dad, fishing and hunter took it hard when his
father died. David was a guy of his own ideas, is also a hunter and skier. Sharon was a
different type, ornery, had here own way of thinking. Gerry married Francis Blake, Apr
23, 1963. They are living on the farm, my aunt Mark Becker was the owner at one time,
they bought it from Arne Blaska. In 1963 was close, the boys and dad helped him get
started. Had worked his way working for others. Is a good worker, built on to the house
is a good building. Also a milk barn, improved the place. Had ducks, geese, pecocks,
hens, horses, and milk cows. Does ok, Gerry has five children and a pair of twins.