Home Dakota Memories

By Jessica Clark, Project Coordinator

At first glance, childhood experiences on the Northern Plains may not seem dependent on a person’s ethnicity. However, after spending a summer visiting with Germans-from-Russia in south-central North Dakota, I soon discovered the depth and extent to which ethnicity influences childhood. Much of the literature on German-Russian history describes this ethnic group as hard working and persistent. Through the Dakota Memories Oral History Project, I have learned why researchers use these descriptive terms. When narrators look back on their childhood most remember endless farm work, canning food, hand-me-down clothing, unpredictable North Dakota weather, and trying times. Many also recall their childhood memories of family members – grandparents, parents, and siblings – their religious devotion, and their simple, yet enjoyable pastimes. So, what sets Germans from Russia apart from other ethnic groups? It’s quite simple. Despite their history of dual-migration, Germans from Russia have maintained their distinct cultural heritage – language, food, religion, and customs.

Seeing as it is 2005, the Dakota Memories Oral History Project is focused on collecting the childhood memories of second and third generation Germans-from-Russia. This past summer, my husband and I conducted over thirty interviews with people throughout south-central North Dakota. We interviewed people in Gackle, Streeter, Wishek, Ashley, and Berlin. Each interview took approximately two to three hours of videotape – some more, some less. The narrators’ ages ranged from sixty to eight-nine, and there were an equal number of male and female participants. These interviews are housed at the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection at North Dakota State University in Fargo. I, along with the Dakota Memories Oral History Project staff, have put together a short promotional video with clips from a few interviews, which I will be showing after my brief remarks. This sample video contains clips pertaining to “Early Childhood Memories,” “Losing Loved One,” and “Play and Chores.” Currently, we are editing each of the interviews. This process is a slow and tedious one, but once we have solid copies, we will make them available.

Throughout the 2005 field season, most narrators spoke at length about their grandparents. Many people described their grandparents with terms, such as “stern,” “loving,” and “traditional German.” Some remember their grandmother or grandfather living with them during their childhood. Herbert Herman Sr. of Gackle, for instance, reminisced about sharing a davenport in the living room with his grandfather. Others remember their grandparents’ as the candy givers, while some remember their grandmother’s traditional German cuisine. When looking back on their childhood memories, most narrators have expressed one regret. They regret not asking their grandparents about their childhood experiences, about their life in Russia, and about their voyage to America.

Herbert Herman in front of his childhood home in Gackle, ND [2005]

Many Germans-from-Russia also spoke of this regret when reminiscing about their own parents. Calvin Fercho of Fargo, for instance, was disturbed by his lack of inquiry into his parent’s past. “I wished that I had asked my father more questions about his youth and his family life,” Calvin stated, “I never thought about those questions until it was too late and he wasn’t there to answer them. I think it’s important to leave a legacy of your life to your children. I would like to share it with them, so that my grandchildren will have more than a photo of their grandpa.” When reminiscing about their parents most narrators described them as “hard-working” and “strict.” Many insisted that their parents were not affectionate – they did not hug and kiss their children, nor did they say, “I love you.” Nonetheless, as children, they all knew that their parents did in fact love them.

Calvin Fercho with a portrait of his father, a World War I veteran [2005]

Another important aspect of childhood in a German-Russian community was sibling relationships. Traditionally German-Russian homes have consisted of twelve or thirteen children. The homes of ElRoy Fischer of Gackle and Herbert were rarities among these communities, as they both grew without siblings. Throughout his interview, ElRoy kept insisting, and I quote, “I was the good one and the bad one.” Most German-Russian families, however, had a number of children, which created a large age disparity. The Boschee family, for instance, experienced “two families in one,” in the words of Adam Boschee of West Fargo and Deloris (Boschee) Zimmerman of Wishek. Their parents had seven children. The four oldest, Floyd, Deloris, Clarence, and LeRoy were all relatively close in age. Years later their parents started having more children, and along came Shirley, Ruben, and Adam. In the Boschee family, this age disparity required that the older children assume more responsibilities. At the age of twelve, Deloris, for instance, began taking care of the babies.

Herbert Herman as a boy with his family	ElRoy Fischer of Gackle, ND [2005]

The Boschee Family

Both Deloris and Adam recalled an incident in which the younger children misbehaved, forcing Deloris to punish them. According to Adam, and I quote, “when I was really little I would stay with my sister Deloris. Deloris had to take care of Shirley, Ruben, and I. Deloris didn’t spare the rod. I mean she was like our mom, and boy, we had to tow the line. I know one story. We had a neighbor girl that came over to visit us and we couldn’t be much older than six or seven or eight. Her name was Arlene. Shirley, Ruben, and I, and Arlene, went down to the lake. We went swimming, with no clothes. Well it wasn’t long and Deloris was down there. She had gathered all our clothes and hustled us out of that lake. No shoes, no socks, no clothes. I say it was two hundred to three hundred yards from that lake to the house across that prairie. There was stickers and rocks and stuff. Boy did she scoot us up there – no cloths on – telling us all the way that she had some – I can’t remember what she had – but boy we moved.” Deloris, however, insisted that this experience was not quite so bad, as the house was closer and the walk was not full of stickers and rocks.

Many children who grew up on the northern plains have expressed a deep feeling of isolation, but not German-Russian children. Most of my narrators never expressed a feeling of loneliness. This could be because Germans-from-Russia tended to have large families. A family of fourteen or fifteen rarely lent itself to isolationism. Then again, this could also be because Germans-from-Russia tended to settle in communities. Thus, most children lived within a few miles of German-Russian neighbors. Adam, for example, described in detail the pastime activities that the Boschee children participated in with their neighbors. Evidently, the children would usually go to each other’s houses once a week. He spoke at length about playing cowboys and robbers with the neighbor children. He said, and I quote, “the younger ones, we’d be riding along full gallop on a horse and the older ones would come along and just push you right off the horse. We’d go spinning and tumbling down … I think back on those times [and it] was rough. You were as scared as can be, because you’re riding along at full gallop and some of the older guys are coming along side you to push you off. If you didn’t have a saddle, it was easy for them … but, if you were in a saddle, then you hung on for dear life.” Other narrators reminisced about the town kids, and their memories of participating in town events, such as Saturday night dances and 4th of July celebrations. For the most part, German-Russian children always felt as if they were part of a larger family or community.

Seeing as this ethnic groups maintained strong community ties, learning about neighborly acts did not surprise me. Most narrators recalled stories of their birth, which usually involved a neighboring midwife. Typically, midwives were not paid; rather, families would exchange goods and services for their help. Many people also recorded their memories of their extended family and neighbors helping in trying times. Rupert Kliengartner of Gackle, for example, discussed in detail a tragic memory. When he was twelve years old, he lost his mother, while she was giving birth to his brothers. This took place during one of North Dakota’s unpredictable winters. Since the snow was deep and the road conditions were unmanageable, Rupert’s father could not get to a mid wife or a doctor. The labor was imminent, forcing Rupert’s father to deliver the babies. Once the birthing process was complete, Rupert called on a neighbor woman to help with the newborns. Since the family lived in an adobe house and the temperature outside was thirty below, this woman and Rupert’s father placed the premature boys in shoeboxes and put them in the oven to keep warm. Rupert’s mother experienced severe hemorrhaging shortly after giving birth and passed away eight days later. Her death left Rupert’s father with six boys under the age of thirteen, two of which were premature twin boys. Family members quickly offered to help by taking in the babies – an aunt on his father’s side raised one, and his grandparents on his mother’s side raised the other. Throughout these thirty-one interviews, we recorded countless stories of generosity and acts of kindness.

Rupert Kliengartner [2005]

Religion was also another strong force in most German-Russian childhoods. Throughout the interviews, narrators reminisced about the prevalence of religion in their childhood homes. Evidently, most children remember attending church quite regularly. The most prominent religion discussed during the interviews was Lutheranism. Most narrators also reminisced at length about confirmation, insisting that they attended intensive classes for a number of weeks. Most had to memorize passages (sometimes in German and sometimes in English) and recite them in front of the congregation. Many narrators vividly recalled the fear they experienced when their pastor asked them questions in front of the congregation. I should also point out that some narrators remembered their pastors giving them the questions ahead of the service, while others insisted they did not know the questions until the pastor posed them in front of the congregation. We did interview one Catholic German-Russian, Christina (Aberle) Long, who spoke at length about her family’s religious traditions, such as Names day. In the future, we hope interview more Catholic German-Russians as they offer another perspective of German-Russian childhood on the Northern Plains.

Prayer book printed in 1923 that belonged to the ancestors of Christina (Aberle) Long

Germans-from-Russia were unique in maintaining strong family ties, communities, neighborly behaviors, and a number of other German customs. For instance, most second and third generation German-Russians still fluently speak German. This practice, however, is slowly dying, as many narrators pointed out that their children do not speak the language. In fact, most narrators claimed that they only used German when they were talking about something they did not want their children to understand. Germans-from-Russia also maintained their food traditions. Alma (Janke) Schott of Gackle, for instance, spoke at great length about her mother’s garden, the process of canning food, and the forever-famous dough dishes. LeRoy Buck of Streeter walked us around the farm, showing us that his wife, Alice (Miller) Buck, continues a number of these traditions. We walked by at least two or three vegetable gardens, and he pointed out that they have a relatively large canning room. Furthermore, while we were out visiting with German-Russians, Will and I were fortunate enough to sample some of these traditional German dishes. We sampled kuchen, liver sausage, pickled watermelon, strudels, knepfla soup, and pigs-in-a-blankets. Much of this food was delicious and filling.

Alma (Janke) Schott baking caramel rolls [2005]	Alice (Miller) and LeRoy Buck [2005]

My adventures in south-central North Dakota visiting with Germans from Russia taught me a lot about this ethnic group. Unfortunately, I have not been able to share all of my experiences with this project. Each interview, however, was informative, engaging, and valuable. I truly enjoyed meeting and visiting with every narrator. Now, it is time to let the narrators speak for themselves. As I mentioned early, we have prepared a promotional video for viewing. You will see seven brief clips, all of which pertain to childhood memories. After the video, Dr. Kimberly Porter from the University of North Dakota has prepared some brief comments on this project and its importance in preserving German-Russian history. One quick announcement: If you are interested in purchasing the promotional video, you may do so after the presentations. Now, let’s see what some the narrators had to say about their childhood experiences on the Northern Plains.