Posted by JD Seller on June 21, 2015 at 12:14:21 from (208.126.198.123):
I am reading a bunch of the old family records/journals/diaries. I am working on tying the information that is in them to the stories that I have heard all through my life. Many of these things happen years before I was born. So it is actually fun tying it all together. Matching the stories with actual records of what family members wrote about what happen right when it happened.
Here is one of those stories that actually happened the way the stories said it did. I have two different journals that relate the same thing on the day it happened.
My Great Uncle Paul was born in 1870. He never married or even dated that anyone knows of. He was born on his Father's farm in his parent's bedroom. He was a good farmer and a hard worker. He was a shy person until he got to know you. Then he was quite the prankster. (this is from my Great Grand Mother's diary) He lived a very simple life. He lived on the farm with his parents until they died and then stayed with my Great Grand Father and Great Grand Mother in the same house. He and my Great Grand Father owned the farm jointly. Due to his being a shy person he really did not like going away from home. It is thought he never left the state during his entire life. He would rarely even go into Dubuque. Maybe once a year or so. HE just did not like being around a bunch of people. My Great Grand Father told me how Great Uncle Paul would time even his business with the feed mill to times he know there would be fewer people there. He did attend church regularly but he always went to the earliest mass. So not many even met him then. He was a very quite man by all accounts.
In the late summer of 1946 the threshing crew came to the farm. It was a hot day in August. The 23rd to be exact. My Uncle and Grand Father where helping the threshing crew just like they always did. My Uncle was 20 years older than my Great Grand father. So they where 76 and 56 respectively. Helping on the threshing crew is hard work regardless of your age. They would take along lunch of an hour to eat and rest. They where eating lunch with my Great Grand Father at one end of the table and my Great Uncle at the other end. My Great Grand Mother was serving them the meal. They had finished their meal including pie. They where resting drinking coffee. All of a sudden my Great Uncle Paul stated loudly " I am done here" then he slumped over. None of them could at first figure out what he had meant. Let alone to say it LOUD. My Great Grand Father jumped up and went to Paul. He was dead. No pulse. They carried him into the living room. One of the men went to town to get the Local Doctor out, no phone. The Doctor came and said Paul more than likely had a massive heart attack. The doctor told my Great Grand Father that Paul's heart had been getting weaker the last few years but he would not let the Doctor tell anyone. Great Uncle Paul was buried the very next day in the family grave yard on the farm. In a coffin made from wood sawed on that same farm. My Great Grand Father's diary talks about how he built it out of wood he and Paul had cut and sawed.
Here are some things that stand out to me about Great Uncle Paul:
1) He was born and died in the same house after living there for 76 years. Not many can say that. 2) He is just remembered by a few relatives in some long ago memories. He had no children to carry on. 3) He was one of many that lived a very simple life that help make this country great. He never wanted or tried to have fame or fortune. 4) His being buried on the farm in a coffin made from wood from the farm he worked on his entire life just is really symbolic to me. Its like the farm always provided for him. A living/shelter for him while he was alive and a final resting place for when he passed. Really full circle.
The biggest question I have always had about him is: Did he KNOW he was dying when he made his last statement???? Did he really mean it like it sounded to those around him??? It is amazing to me how his dying words kind of over shadow the rest of his life.
We will never know but I think he passed in about as good of way as you could ever die. He was doing what he liked and got to enjoy a great meal an then was gone. I hope to be as fortunate.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about my Great Uncle.
I hope I can get all of this in some type of order for future generations of my family. I am one of the few left in the family that remembers much of what is in these documents. My Father is not of sound mind and he never would take the time to listen to anything his elders would try to tell him anyway. He was all about the future and or NOW. LOL
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