| Note* | | When Rudolph was about seventeen years old, he began to notice one of the girls in the High Hill Community that was a little more special than the rest. Her name was Adelheid Kahlich. They attended the dances that were held in the High Hill Community Hall about once a month. This was about the only entertainment available for the young people at this time so these dances were extra special. It was the custom for the band to play as long as anyone was on the dance floor. Often these dances lasted until four o'clock in the morning. When he got home Rudolph's dad was just getting up, ready to start milking the cows, so Rudolph changed from his dress clothes to his work clothes, ready for a full day on the farm. Adelheid enjoyed these dances, but didn't get to dance much because Rudolph played in the band. Later Rudolph sported a horse and buggy in which to court Adelheid until they married when he was 22. Rudolph and Adelheid were married on November 7, 1906 at 10 AM in St. Mary's Church, High Hill, Texas. Father Gerlach performed the double ring ceremony at a High Mass. Witnesses for the couple were Rosa Kahlich (larger Mrs. Emil Till), Ferdinand Klesel, Mina Kahlich and Joe Bednarz. It was the duty of the grooms to ride on horseback several days before the wedding. Of course, he was expected to furnish a bottle of spirits and share a drink with he met during the day. It usually proved to be a pretty rough day till he delivered all his invitations. Rudolph and Adelheid celebrated their special day with a big wedding dinner and dance following the ceremony. The wedding dinners at High Hill always began with a big pot of chicken soup followed by a large meal and home baked goodie. They were also able to celebrate this anniversary together fifty years later. They made their first home 2 miles northeast of High Hill and eventually were blessed with the joy of their first child, a son, naming him Edwin. After two years at this home, they bough a place nearby, at Middle Creek. Shortly after they settled there, another son was born. This on was called Alfons. In this same home, three more sons arrived Robert, Willie, and Alvin. After five boys, a girl Lidwina, made her appearance and it was long until Walter was born. It was about this time that Rudolph and Adelheid decided to move to the plains. The families at High Hill were increasing the there wasn't enough farmland to support everyone. Rudolph's dad, Franz, had purchased land at Slaton, Texas in the early 1900's. He sold Rudolph 160 acres of this land in 1912 for a down payment of $100 with the remaining $2600 to be made in later payments. This was ranch land and most of it was still unbroken when Rudolph and Adelheid move to Slaton in 1920. On October 23, 1920, Rudolph and his two oldest sons, Edwin and Alfons, and Adelheid's brother, Rudolph Kahlich traveled in a 1919 Dodge Touring Car to Slaton. The rest of the family Adelheid and the other children) cam to Slaton by train with the cattle, plows, and household goods. Rudolph and the boys spent the first night in Austin with Arthur Wilde's parents, and traveled the rest of the way on rough country roads. They were to meet the train at Brownwood where it was scheduled for a layover, but they arrived at Brownwood earlier than expected and Rudolph decided they must continue on their journey. They tried to camp that night out in the open, but the howling coyotes, mosquitoes, thunder and lightning sent hem back on their way. They arrived in Silver Valley about four o'clock in the morning, crossing the railroad tracks when entering the town. They seed to lose their way here, driving around and around the town always ending up at the railroad track. They thought this was the way they entered the town and couldn't be the way out, until a fireman helped direct them-back across the railroad tracks. While on the train, it was the duty of Robert and Willie to watch Walter who was just old enough to walk well. This proved to be quite a job, for Walter was always crawling under the seats from the front of the train to the back. On arriving at Slaton, the family stayed with Joe and Mina Bednarz until Ed and Henry Hollinden finished building the house that became their homestead. The big red bar was almost completed when they arrived. It was about this time that Evelyn was born. This completed the family of Rudolph and Adelheid with six sons and two daughters. There wasn't much to the town of Slaton, only a few building, but they did have a Catholic Church, Father Keller being their pastor at this time. Not long after they settled down, Alvin and his neighboring cousin, Alex Bednarz, both still quite young, decided they would set some traps to catch one of those prairie dogs that they had soon so much of on the plains of Texas. They didn't catch a prairie dog, but were quite excited about the black animal they caught with the white strip. They drug it home by the chain on the strap and soon discovered what a skunk was. It took a week for the effects of their discovery to disappear. Rudolph and Adelheid later purchased another 160 acres joining the first land they purchased. It is believed they paid approximately $40 per acre for this purchase. Several years later, they increased their holding with 125 acres three miles northeast of Wilson a labour (approximately 177 acres) at Pep, Texas. Rudolph was quite talented in music and could play several instruments, especially enjoying the violin and bass. He and his son Edwin were members of a 10-piece band led by Joe Heinrich. They met every Sunday afternoon at the member® homes. The women fixed some of their best recipes on this day and Adelheid served some very special dishes. Her children especially remember her apple strudel and fazneght krapplen. The children remember with much nostalgia these Sunday afternoons with the band members on the large front porch playing their marches, waltzes, etc. This band also played for church affairs. Later when a larger orchestra was formed in Slaton, and they recruited their leader, Joe Heinrich, most of the other members also joined the Slaton Orchestra. Rudolph also possessed some artistic talents. Many of his children have a reproduction of a sketch of Jesus with the crown of thorns that he drew during his younger days in school. When Rudolph and Adelheid would go back to South Texas occasionally to visit their folks, they always left the oldest child in charge and he was also the cook. Well, cooking wasn't one of Edwin's favorite talents and the younger children remember he always served them a can of sardines for dinner and another can of sardines for dinner. Rudolph organized the Catholic Life Insurance in Slaton in 1937 and was a salesman for this insurance until his son-in-law, Cletus Heinrich, took over in April 1954. He also help organize the GMMA Mutual (Germania), a fire and storm insurance, and was an appraiser for this insurance. Adelheid spent most of her time keeping house, cooking, and rearing her children. With eight young ones, she was kept busy and it was not uncommon for her to find her little boys into some mischief; such as finding Willie and Alvin playing marble with eggs or finding Edwin having crawled under the garden fence and had eaten all her cucumbers until he was ill. One of her daily chores was baking bread and churning butter. The children, especially Walter, remember that Limburger cheese she made with homemade bread for supper. She enjoyed the kerosene stove she had after moving to the plains. She did all her cooking on a wood burning stove at High Hill. Adelheid also had to sew all the clothing for her family. When the girls were still too young to help in the house, the boys tried their hand at sewing, laundering, cooking, etc. Alfons made delicious cakes, especially chocolate ones. Adelheid made those nice, soft feather beds to keep them warm on those cold winter nights, too. Lidwina and Evelyn and some of the boys helped pick the down off the geese to fill these featherbeds. Lidwina remembers holding the goose's head between her legs while she picked the down from them-those geese sure did bit e the back of her legs. Lidwina and Evelyn also helped her piece quilts and crochet in the wintertime. The girls helped the boys with the fieldwork in the summer, starting to hoe turn rows first (they didn't have discs to plow them with) then the planted fields. Rudolph sure didn't like those weeds on the turn rows. They pulled cotton boles by hand in the fall. Willie, Lidwina, Walter, and Evelyn were able to pull a bale a day. Many box suppers were held in the hayloft of Rudolph's big red barn to raise money for the parish church. It was one of these box suppers that the little boys again tried their mother's patience. They found some of Henry Hollinden's chewing tobacco in his tool chest in the barn. Of course, they had to see why Henry enjoyed this so much and decided to try some. Oh, were they sick. Many dances were also given in this barn. Many little stories are remembered from the childhood days of Rudolph's children. Some of them are Alvin and Willie, Edgar and Norbert Kahlich, were planning to burn the large tumbleweeds that grew along the fence between the farms on evening. This was about a mile from the house. Little brother, Walter, wanted to go with them. Alvin and Willie didn't want him along, they thought he was too small. When dad said they had to take him along they began planning. When they reached to place to burn tumbleweeds, they told Walter they were going to play some games first. Edgar had to shut his eyes and turn around ten times, then it was Walter's turn, except when Walter opened his eyes, and everyone was gone. He was left alone to find his way back home. When it came time to butcher the hog to feed the family, Rudolph let the boys do most of this work. Making sure they learned this talent very well. He always shot the hog himself; however, thinking the boys couldn't shoot straight enough. This on particular time though, when Robert loaded the gun for his dad, he stuffed a large steel ball in the barrel instead of the usual BBS. When Rudolph fired the gun, the kick was so great he fell backwards. He couldn't understand what was wrong with the gun, until he saw the large hole in the hog's head. His sons were at it again. Walter, being the youngest of his brothers, soon learned how to play pranks also. Rudolph as trying to tune-in the first radio they had. He liked to sit for hours listening to his radio. It started to screech terribly then would play fine again. After this went on for some time, he went outside and found ten year old Walter shorting the wires with the wind charger, apparently enjoying his father's frustration try to get that radio to work properly. After a successful career with many happy memories, joys and sorrow, Rudolph retired and he and Adelheid moved to town in 1951. They bought a brick home near their daughter, Evelyn, and her husband, Cletus Heinrich. They lived there until Rudolph died on November 7, 1958 from cancer. Adelheid was also afflicted with cancer eight years later and died on February 25, 1966. Of the 31 grandchildren of Rudolph and Adelheid, eight are continuing in the profession of farming and the rest have taken up different careers in the city, all with the same determination that their forefathers had. |