On the Day I Was Born

On the day I was born, May 14, 1960, Mae remembers being "very upset because your Grandfather was in the hospital with Hodgkin's Disease. He passed away June 2, 1960, I had him on my mind."

When she did first see me, she thought I was so sweet. "I can see you now with your platinum hair standing up! And your smile was precious," she wrote. "I know I was happy. I think you were my third grandaughter. I alway loved girls- of course, I loved boys, too!"

If Karen was the first grandaughter, and Sherri the second, I guess that means I was born before Geri- that so?

Shinrock/ Charnquist Family Tree

Hello everyone. We had a wonderful Easter Sunday sharing time with my husband Dave's family. My sister-in-law, Sue, shared with us the family tree she made using Ancestry.com, so I was inspired to post the family tree I made for the Shinrock/ Charnquist line. (Actually, I just copied the Shinrock line from the wonderful OneWorld Geneology that Vicki Wade already created.)

When I was working on the Charnquist side, I was pleased to find connections to the Dutch Vanderryt line on the the Barker side, and the Swedish Nelsons on the Hanson side of the family. I know that geneology follows the male line, but I find our matriarchal connections extremely interesting. Here is the site: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/pedigree.aspx?tid=5588690&pid=-1432713605. The picture, above, is of Maude Barker Asdell and Grandpa Fred.

Family Traditions

One of the things Mae's family did that was based on our heritage was having family reunions, eating some Swedish foods like lute-fisk, lingonberries and rice-potato sausage, (Bosta Casa?) cheesecake, etc. "Most of these we had at Christmas time."
"Christmas Eve, we'd all be at our house and have an exchange of little gifts. Mother would cook LuteFish, potatoes, etc. On Christmas Day, it was always goose and the fixings. Thanksgiving, I presume chicken, since we probably couldn't afford turkey in those days."

I love this picture, above, of grandma stealing a piece of turkey while dad and Dave are carving.

My Dad, Fred

Mae and Fred's oldest son, Frederick Clinton, was born August 13, 1932 in Immanuel Hospital, Omaha, Nebraska. At that time, the Shinrock were living in Omaha with Fred's mother, Maud Asdell. My dad Fred was given the family name. "Several generations had Frederick as a name," Mae wrote.

Growing up, Fred was always good at sports. "I'll never forget the time he came home after running a sled runner into his leg," remembers Mae. When he was 4 1/2, Fred had pneumonia so bad that they almost lost him.

Mae was proudest when Freddy graduated from the University of Omaha.

What did it Cost?

Grandma remembers when a good salary was $125 per month.

• an ice cream cone cost 5 cents


• a pound of sugar cost 5 cents


• a candy bar cost 5 cents


• a movie cost 10 cents


• a newspaper cost 3 cents


• a bus ride cost 3 cents


• a pair of shoes cost $2.00


• a dress cost $5.00 ("I guess, mine were home-made.")


• a house cost $2,500

Wedding Bells

When Mae and Fred got married, she was 21 years old and he was 23. "We married September 12, 1929 in Topeka, Kansas. The ceremony was in the pastor's study at a Congregational Church. Iris and Elmer Holm were our attendants."

After they were married, Mae and Fred lived in Omaha, Nebraska, mostly, although they also lived a short time in Falls City, NE, and a short time in Atchison, KS. Fred worked for Missouri Pacific Railroad for two year, and then was "bumped." He worked for the Y.M.C.A. as athletic secretary after that. Mae worked at Fleischmann's Yeast until she had their first child, Janice, in 1930. "I was in the hospital on our first anniversary," she wrote.

After High School

It's another snow day- the second one in two weeks. I'm glad for the time off, since I've been ill. Sure makes for a long school year, though. Think I'll spend the time with another blog post:

When Mae was sick, her parents used to make her take bitter medicine. "I had hives and had to eat sulphur and molasses (ugh) as a tonic. Perhaps this experience made her want to become a nurse when she grew up. She graduated from high school at 17, however, and the age to become a nurse was 18. "I started working and the money looked pretty good- $65 a month to start at a pickling plant in the office."

One of the first things Mae remembers buying on her own was a pair of shoes, but the most exciting present she ever received was a white gold wristwatch with her initials (MVC) on back. "It was beautiful. It was for my High School graduation, and I still have it."