BAUMGARTNER, Klara "Clara"

BAUMGARTNER, Klara "Clara"

Female 1868 - 1955  (86 years)    Has 22 ancestors and more than 100 descendants in this family tree.

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  • Name BAUMGARTNER, Klara "Clara" 
    Nickname Clara 
    Alt. Birth 1 Dec 1862 
    Born 3 Dec 1868  Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Gender Female 
    Biography
    • Funeral Service notes show birth date as 12/03/1868
      Grandma Klara (Baumgartner)If you look at the picture of Grandma, she didn't change too much in loo ks from when the family picture was taken to the time I saw her last. A b it more stooped, and in later years the addition of glasses. She is weari ng the traditional black Sunday dress of married women of our European Ger man Culture. There is only one uncharacteristic thing about the photo . .. The quietly folded hands. I keep expecting to see a rosary sprout ther e, or a crochet hook or some type of work. She always wore long dresse s, and while the color and print and Fabric type varied ', the style was u sually pretty much the same. Button front bodices, long sleeves in wint er sometimes 3/4 sleeves in the summer with easy fitting semi-full skirt s. Collars were of a varying style, maybe a peter-pan, a square cut spo rt type and sometime a ruffled one. Usually, in later years, her Sunday d ress was of a silky Feeling fabric, the one I remember best was navy blu e, With white pindots, and oh, there was one dark green with white print t hat I thought the material felt so nice on. She loved sharp contras ts in colors, so her cotton day to day dresses were more colorful. Usual ly of a subdued background, but with bright tasteful little flowers or geo metric all over print. Long cotton stockings and sensible black tied hoe s. No dainty hankies for this Grandma. A big white one. What money s he carried, was tied in the corners. . coins in one corner, folding mon ey in another, and her black rosary tied in the third. She might have h ad a purse, but I can't remember one. I can't remember if she wore any ki nd of jewelry, though she appears to have a small pin at her throat in t he family photo. (A real Queen doesn't need such ... she's regal without g ems)
      Her hair was waist length, which was parted in the middle of her head, a ll the way from forehead to neck nape, then braided in two long braids. Th ese were then wrapped in a coil, low on the back of her head then fasten ed with celluloid large hairpins and curved combs kept the sides neat. S he uncoiled the braid's to sleep, and took the braids down each morning a nd combed this all out as we watched in fascination. Even Uncle Engelbe rt cannot remember when she wasn't a short fat little lady. She would s it quietly while we played house games around her. One of the games we en joyed alot was hide the thimble. She and one of my sisters conspired a nd the thimble was placed in the center of that braid coil of Grandma's ha ir. It stayed there, while Grandma crocheted on. Oh! How the re st of us searched and searched, then had to give up. The thimble was in p lain sight, placed like a candle in a Christmas wreath, and how they bo th laughed.
      By the time I was old enough to remember her well, she was already havi ng problems with her right hip, and always carried a cane. She always us ed the lowest chair we had. The rocker in her room, where she spent mo st of her life very busily working on some project, was low and armless. ( She spoke German naturally with her family, and how much we missed by n ot knowing the language.)
      Grandma spent some summers with us while I was growing. Enjoyed playing S olitaire when she had no partner and Rummy when she did. Frances was alwa ys ready for a game of Rummy. She'd get Grandma seated facing the ligh t, then read Grandma's hand reflected in Grandma's glasses. They played f or "blood". I'd hear, "You -darn kid." from Grandma, and "You cheated." f rom Frances, when one or the other would "go out" and "set" the other wi th a large hand full of cards. I was always too chicken-hearted to play c ards. I couldn't stand to beat Grandma. I didn't like to always be beate n, so I didn't get the cards out. That she and Frances cheated each oth er to win, I'm nor sure of, but they accused each other of it often enough .
      Another expression stays with me. . ."You haff not to cry. " Mom saw o ne of Rose's friends hide a pint of whiskey in the alley behind the dan ce hall. She told Rose that she could not go to the regularly held Saturd ay night dance over at the Zeman Hall. Rose didn't know why Mom was bei ng so "unreasonable" and, of course, disappointed, started to raise furio us objections and cry. There's no doubt in my mind that Grandma knew wh y, because Mom probably already told her in German.
      Mom had a lot of responsibility, as Dad was often away the whole summ er at jobs, and Mom worked out a lot too. I 'm sure now that's part of w hy Grandma spent summers with us.. to keep us out of serious mischief, tho ugh we'd never have known that.
      I remember well, Freddie likes to make things with a coping saw. He'd c ut out a teapot, fastened on a couple of cup hooks for Mom to hang by t he stove for her potholders. This was cut from the end of a fruit box. Gr andma set him to making one for her. He brought it in to show her, and a sk if it had been sanded enough to paint. In his excitement the thing fli pped out of his hand and onto the floor, breaking off the teapot's handl e. Freddy was just shattered, he'd worked so long already. The two of th em heated a nail and burned tiny holes in either side of the wood and glu ed in match sticks to hold the thing together again, and with a coat of bi lious green paint, Grandma went home with a teapot shaped pot holder ra ck in her box to hang by her kitchen range.
      I say "box" because I can't remember her with a suitcase. She had her "'t hings" in a box. If she had a suitcase, I wasn't aware of one, because th at box was the interesting thing she brought with her. In there were brig ht cotton pieces she cut and sewed together to make quilt blocks. Croch et hooks and cotton ... she didn't crochet with "book written" direction s. She studied a picture for awhile, then crochet the object portraye d. At 72 she could still crochet with fine and every colored threads. We 'd ask, "Grandma, what are you making?" She'd answer, "I crochet for fass ar (bazaar)." She was a member of St. Mary's Mothers Group, comprised main ly of a group of older women who could no longer participate in the more a ctive projects of moneymaking for the parish. These ladies did their pa rt by making things for scale at the church bazaar. One summer she was ma king balls and Oh! how each of us coveted one. She made striped ones, a nd using two threads crochet together veri-colored ones. She would ta ke a jingle bell from a discarded toy, wrap around it old material that w as no longer useful for putting into rugs and quilts and around this ba se is what she crochets the pretty cover. There may still be one aroun d. There was one in Mom's dome top trunk that Frances inherited after Mom ma died. I suppose Mom kept it to use for a pattern, or more likely we g ot to fighting over it, and she took the noise as long as she could and co nfiscated it.
      I had almost forgotten about it, when after Mom died, Frances and I were t alking about Mom's wedding dress, and she said, "You've still got it." I s aid, "No, it should still be in Mom's trunk." We were at a lull time betwe en cow chores, and I said, "it must be, have you looked?"' Frances got t he key and we went to the basement to open the (now her's) trunk. The fir st thing she saw was that little ball. She picked it up and hugged it to h er. At that moment the memories came flooding back ... I couldn't begrud ge her that little treasure. She and Leroy had sacrificed so much to ca re for Mom, and Mom gave her the trunk and its contents. I write this n ow to preserve the memories ... many more are probably tucked away in obje cts in the inside of that trunk... Yes, the wedding dress was still there.
      For "Fassar" she also made the three-piece chair sets ... the kind that a re placed on over-stuffed furniture to protect the arms and back rests, bu ffet sets, doilies, fancy pin cushions and novelties of all sorts for sal e. For her own house and for family she also tore up old clothing and croc het sturdy rag rugs.... round ones, oblongs, hexagons. Her favorite rug ho ok was one Uncle Jake (her son) fashioned from some very heavy wire, wo rn smooth as silver from hours of use. You can tell which granddaughters s he taught their first crochet stitches. She carried her hook under her pal m, as opposed to the modern crochet learning books that use the hook he ld like a pencil. ..over the palm. I can't recall that she did much embroi dery, though I know she finished a lot of our summer tea towel and hank ie projects we too soon dropped for other pursuits.
      She taught us simple pastimes, like using a piece of string tied in a lo op and manipulating this till it seemed almost hopelessly snarled, then o ne loop over the finger, one tug and it was off your hand ... how to ma ke shadow animals on the wall, both in the lamplight and in the light comi ng from the window on the floor. How to play jacks with stones and a larg er rock. You really had to be fast, for a rock didn't bounce.
      Sunday she spent with her prayers, perhaps a nap and reading her German ne wspapers that she brought with her ... I think it was called, "Familienbla t". When we'd ask her to sew doll clothes on Sunday, she told us, "What y ou sew on Sunday, the devil will make you rip out with your nose." A beaut ifully quaint way of saying, "Sewing is considered servile work. If y ou do this on Sunday, you can expect to go to hell for not keeping the Lor d's day Holy."
      She liked flowers. I can still see her bending over tie 4 o'clocks picki ng seeds from the plants of the color she liked', and tying these see ds in a little square of cloth. I now can't look at a 4 o'clock without h earing her say, "The seed looks like rat shit." Maybe t hat's how she reme mbered what every seed bundle she made. How she ever did is a mystery, f or I can't remember her marking anything.
      She didn't often cook at our house, but some of the things she did, I'll t ry to put down. I remember the strudel only once. She instructed Mom on h ow to put the dough ingredients together, then she and Mom put the dou gh on the table over clean cloths, and she and Mom put their hands under t he dough, and stretched and stretched until it was paper thin, and cover ed the whole table. Then they sliced apples very thin, mixed with cinnam on and sugar, and spread this all over the top. They used the cloths to r oll this together, much like a cinnamon roll is done ... baked... and Pres to! Food for the Gods. There was my favorite "Kaas Perogi" (Or Kess Knap hala, as the Kaiser's say). Flour mixed with egg to produce something li ke cut noodle dough rolled out in a large sheet. This was cut into abo ut 4x4 inch squares. A mixture of dry cottage cheese, eggs and salt was p ut in the center of the squares by rounded teaspoonful, then these squar es were sealed into triangular packets, boiled until the noodle dough w as done, drained and put in a large hot iron skillet in which was bacon gr ease or butter and gently turned over and over until all was deliciously c oated. Cut up leftovers with beaten egg over them were a treat too. Rose 's favorite was "Dawchala" It was simply grated potatoes with a little flo ur mixed in and put on a hot griddle until both sides were a golden brow n, then served with a smearing of thick sour cream. Grandma would stand a nd grate potatoes and fry Dawchala until we were stuffed like toads. Of c ourse, there was " Halushas". ...stuffed cabbage leaves. I didn't like th em, but everyone else did. Grandma could cut egg noodles as thin as a thr eat that went into chicken soup, and I might add here that everything on t he chicken was used, but the bill, talons, feathers and comb. The head w as cleaned of feathers and combs. .(and eyes) and the head boiled along wi th the rest. The feet were scalded, the yellow heavy skin taken off, talo ns removed ... and into the pot. These latter, I really liked. There was n't much there, but tasty nonetheless. Nobody knew about carcinogens, chol esterol etc. nor did we care. We ate it because it was put before us . .. a supper of watermelon and bread would shock the pants off a nutritioni st today.... as would a breakfast of coffee with lots of cream (or boil ed milk) and apple butter on bread, but those were things we liked and enj oyed to the fullest.Bob and I went to her house to invite her to our wedding, and she said, "W hen I feel good, I come." I secretly hoped she might, but when Uncle Paul 's car came and she wasn't with him, was sorely disappointed. She did s ee two of our three children.Bob found me one Monday noon, standing in the middle of the kitchen wi th a "weekenddelayed" telegram that said, "Grandma Schuster passed away this morning, F uneral Tuesday." Attached to this was a note that read, "The Western Uni on at Helena tried to call this telegramto you during the weekend, but due to the fact that the phone exchange o ut here (Danvers) was closed, they were unable to relay it to you."
      Maybe it was just as well that I was not there to see her one last time. .. She lives on; in these words I have placed on paper, perhaps for you . .. I know that she does in my memories of this beautiful lady God ga ve me to call, "Grandma".

      ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- -----------------------------------------------------------
      Go to Grandma's house." You didn't have to be asked twice. Always on Chri stmas and Easter. We'd top the rise, and, it never failed . . ."I see Gran dma's house first. " Then an argument about who did, all the way to the ya rd.
      You entered at the door of the screened in porch, each carrying somethi ng for the celebration. Straight-ahead was the door into the house…to t he right was the porch swing. It must have been worn thin by the time we w ere all grown. To the left was a door, but that lead to Uncle Paul's roo m, and no one ever went through that door.
      Though the main door and to the right was a big table, with chairs arou nd and a bench on the backside. Behind the bench was the double window wi th a stand in front where Grandma kept her "cheranies" (geraniums). In t he corner was the radio and lots of reading, including pulp cowboy and det ective magazines. Also, a kerosene lamp. Immediately to the left of the r adio corner was the door that led to the second story stairs. "Off Limits ." Now going around the rest of the room; the kerosene stove sat against t he stairwell wall. Then the pantry door... inside all sorts of nice spi cy smells. On the west wall was the big kitchen range and Grandma's bedro om door. On the South wall was the kitchen cabinet, to the left of whi ch stood the washstand with waterbucket and basin. A truly large and invit ing room.
      Grandma's Room… Wide open as her heart to her "kids" of all ages. She w as always in her rocker at the North window. Her bed to the right of t he rocker. I suppose some chests of drawers.... there were her trunk s. A small stove back to back with the kitchen range in the kitchen, thou gh I don't remember a fire in it at any time I was there. . . and the wind -up Victrola with records. My Favorite--"The Big Rock Candy Mountain." Ir onic as it may seem, some years later I married a man who liked the song t oo as a kid ... only he simply called it, "The Bum Song". Just the ki nd of ingenious machine that should never have been replaced with electr ic motors and increased volume controls. We soon bored of the re-crankin g, and left it alone.... but we just had to mess with it for a little whil e. Gramma just had to be the most important thing in that room, as the fu rniture placement is rather vague. In the center of the south wall was t he "boys" room door, and by the time I knew the house well, it was Uncle P aul's room. Uncle Bert and Aunt Iva's room (yes, it was their home als o) was upstairs. I only remember being in Uncle Paul's room once and th at was to see the picture of Grandpa. It was only a thumb sized pri nt of his head posted to an ornate soldier's body on a certificate of sor ts ... and of course written in German (I wish I now knew the language ). Grandpa had been a cobbler in the Austrian Army, I'm told.
      I seem to remember a china cupboard, but don't remember where it stood, th ough the cream separator sat in the southeast corner of the kitch en . . .. "Stay out from the back of there where the gears are, or you wi ll leave your dress full of oil."
      The house showed lots of Gramma's handiwork. There were the crochet ru gs made from colorful rag strips. I know how, and have made them, becau se she showed me. She also made some in hexagon pattern. . put together l ike shingling in applique. These were made or heavy wool scraps. Sudden ly I can't remember if there were pictures on the wall. There probably wa s, but I didn't notice them. I remember oilcloth on the table. The ceilin gs, as I recall were wainscoting. I can't remember if the walls were pain ted or papered, or what they were. Small matter. It was the Garden of Ed en cause Gramma was there.
      Now go back to the cement step outside the screen door. I don't rememb er the house any color but white. You will be facing South. To the Sou th East a ways was the water well and pump. I think there was a garden sp ace East of the pump towards the draw... to the North was the chicken-hou se and smoke house, rock bottomed and wooden tops and that dam toilet. .. perhaps built in the old country manner. It was a one-holer no pit. .. just an opening with a wooden cover to clean out the residue and p ut it on the fields. If the boys wanted to aggravate the girls, they ju st pulled off the back opening and stood there giggling. Nobody want ed to bare their behinds to that. Usually someone went yelling to the hou se tattling, instead of the older girls taking on those boys, and always s omeone came in a hurry to the rescue. I can't remember anyone getting a g ood spanking at Gramma's, but I'll bet there were some after they got ho me for not behaving at Gramma's house.
      Now still standing on the step, you look a short ways to the Southwest a nd there is the root cellar (also used in Kansas for cyclone protection ). ."Stay out of it, and off the door." Everyone did. In line with the ro ot cellar, way across the yard was the barn with a sort of work shop attac hed, and due west quite a ways was the hog sheds. In that direction al so were the feed stacks. My guess is... either young milo, maise or so me other cane type plant. I can't remember graineries, but there must ha ve been.
      Step off the stoop now, and go down the narrow sidewalk to the end of t he house. There was Gramma's flower garden. It was fenced and strictl y, "Off Limits" I don't remember trees and lawn ... who needed them? ... N ot many people had them with just a gas-fired pump-jack. With all this "O ff limits" business, what was there to do? We kids made our own fun and th at was no problem with a slug of kids almost all the same age. All I kno w, was that the days just weren't long enough, before Daddy was saying, "T ell Gramma goodbye" and Mom carried out all the empty dishes, and Uncle Pa ul joked about eating leftovers for a week.
      Some things are certain: I am not alone in my thoughts and memories of th is house. I've been told, "You wouldn't recognize the place now. The hou se has been completely remodeled by Uncle Red and Aunt Iva's son, Mike." T hat is as it should be. . for if this were not true, the house wou ld be as so many other farm houses. . deteriorating and empty, with gapi ng window holes. One fact stands out most. ..Gramma had no "Off Limits" p laces in her life for any of this is what a Gramma's house is all about.
      Mary (Kaiser) Conard 1984
    Immigration 2 Jul 1904  Ellis Island, New York Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Died 3 Jul 1955  Ellis, Ellis, Kansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Buried St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Ellis, Kansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I1129  1FamilyTree | JaysRelated, JayW_Mom_I101
    Last Modified 12 Apr 2018 

    Father BAUMGARTNER, Franz,   b. 26 May 1838, Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Bef 1938  (Age 99 years) 
    Mother Gaschler, Theresia,   b. 8 Aug 1844, Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 16 Jun 1901, Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 56 years) 
    Family ID F15946  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family SCHUSTER, Ferdinand,   b. 1 Nov 1865, Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 21 Jul 1912, Ellis, Ellis, Kansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 46 years) 
    Married 12 Oct 1890  Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
    +1. Male SCHUSTER, Frank Wenzel,   b. 21 Jun 1891, Radoutz, Austria Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 17 May 1980, Ellis, Ellis, Kansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 88 years)
    +2. Female Schuster, Mary,   b. 20 Nov 1892, Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 6 Jan 1980, Ellis, Ellis, Kansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 87 years)
    +3. Female Schuster, Theresia,   b. 6 Jun 1894, Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 9 Jun 1978, Hoxie, Sheridan, Kansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 84 years)
    +4. Female Schuster, Barbara,   b. 24 Apr 1896, Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 23 Feb 1971, Wakeeney, Trego, Kansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 74 years)
    +5. Female Schuster, Stephanie,   b. 13 Aug 1898, Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 16 Jan 1988, Ellis, Ellis, Kansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 89 years)
     6. Male Schuster, Paul,   b. 28 Jun 1900, Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 8 Nov 1989  (Age 89 years)
     7. Female Schuster, Rosa,   b. 22 Nov 1902, Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft 22 Nov 1902  (Age 0 years)
    +8. Male Schuster, Jacob "Jake",   b. 8 Jan 1904, Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 19 Feb 1989, Ellis, Ellis, Kansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 85 years)
    +9. Female Schuster, Clara,   b. 13 Mar 1906, Ellis, Ellis, Kansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 3 Jul 1998  (Age 92 years)
    +10. Male Schuster, John,   b. 9 Sep 1909, Ellis, Ellis, Kansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 9 May 1983, Great Falls, Cascade, Montana, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 73 years)
    +11. Male Schuster, Englebert L. "Red",   b. 13 Oct 1911, Ellis, Ellis, Kansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 20 Jul 2000, Ellis, Ellis, Kansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 88 years)
    Last Modified 1 Mar 2018 
    Family ID F15944  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBorn - 3 Dec 1868 - Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarried - 12 Oct 1890 - Furstenthal, Voivodeasa, , Romania Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsImmigration - on the ship Kaiser William the second from Bremen - 2 Jul 1904 - Ellis Island, New York Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDied - 3 Jul 1955 - Ellis, Ellis, Kansas, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBuried - - St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Ellis, Kansas, USA Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  • Photos
    Schuster, Klara (Maiden Name: Baumgartner)
    Schuster, Klara (Maiden Name: Baumgartner)
    Dec 3, 1868 - Jul 3, 1955

  • Sources 
    1. [S449] Bukowina Families - 200 YEARS; by Edward "Al" Lang; 1993, Edward "Al" Lang.


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