A look at Minonk's past |
While reading articles about people who had come to America around the end of the 19th century, I noted that in some cases they came to get away from the draft or because the land being farmed would not support their parents and siblings. Nobles controlled their countries and set the taxes. Small allotments of land and high taxes lifted peoples eyes to the opportunities they had heard about in America. There at least they could work hard, raise their families, and reach for the dream. WARNING! If you would rather not hear sad stories or tragedies in your own life seem overwhelming, please click off this story. There will be other pieces about the past that will be more pleasing. |
son of a miner, died of lung fever on Monday, and was buried in the Catholic cemetery next day.
Feb. 3, 1888 Imagine the grief of the parents. They had made it to America. But not everyone could be farmers, so they took the job available to them: mining. Their son got sick. There wasn't much money for medicine, but they did the best they could. To be sure there were others with lung fever. It was a common diagnosis at the time. But this was their son and they couldn't do enough to save him. He was buried the next day, probably because they didn't have money for preparations and a proper casket. Other children must be provided for. |
Page 2
Feb. 10, 1888 The tragedy was greatest when a child died or was it? The long-term effects were greatest when a parent was missed. This was especially true at the turn of the 19th century. Insurance wasn't as readily available to protect a family. Housework was manual, and it took a mother full time (and then some) to maintain a family. The father needed a full-time job to earn money for necessities. |
Jas. O'Rourk (sic) and wife are both suffering from lung fever. They live in Geo. Kessler's house, two doors above Dwight Webber's. The Minonk News And in the same paper yesterday, aged 50 years. His wife is very low with same disease. He leaves 7 children. What will she do when she recovers? What will happen if she doesn't recover? Marriage is an answer if she can find someone who will provide for 7 children who are not his own. |
Page 3
Orphan trains brought children out of the large city ghettos to be placed mainly on farms as adopted sons and daughters or as servants until they reached a specified age. The county would step in and take children from parents who weren't able to take care of them. Did this happen to these children? Events happened so fast the paper didn't have time to consolidate their stories. Something had to be done fast to provide for the children, and the mother was deathly sick. We can only imagine what happened. A miracle, maybe. The children may have grown up around us with their given last name or a new one.
The cars when they struck the one on which he was standing jolted him off and he was run over and cut in two. He was forty-six years old and leaves his wife and six children.
The Minonk News |
Who could face such a devastating scene? I couldn't. But the people back then did. If there were men in Toluca who had fought in the Civil War, they would probably know what to do. Someone had to tell his wife. How could she cope with such news? Let's hope the children were told in a gentle manner and didn't hear the news at school or at play from peers. The children's lives had just been changed whether they realized it or not. The event was such a little thing. Waiting for help to move a car. It had probably been done hundreds of times before. But then life is fleeting and can end when we are least prepared or least expecting. Accidents happened because we were Minonk and trains ran through our town. And people didn't have cash to spend on travel. And towns had taverns. And people drank. |
Page 4
|
The Minonk News Here was a man trying to improve his lot in life. He had a family and heard he could earn more money elsewhere. He had to be nervous. His buddies where with him and he had to show them he had it all together. But this night he wasn't allowed any mistakes. No not one. |
Page 5
In these stories, there were 18 children involved. All of these people were helping to make America what it is today. Did you notice that the hazards that these people experienced are no longer? We have treatments for "lung fever" and it generally doesn't lead to death. Railroads are gone from many small towns. We fly and it's hard to hop a jet. Coal cars are mechanized with means of stopping and starting them. Yet, we still die violently: in cars, by guns, using tobacco, using drugs, and even walking across a street. Only the devices have changed. |
I wanted to write this article because these people lived in a great building period of America and died in ways that are foreign to us today. One article in an old news paper didn't seem to do justice for them. |