Hello Lori, hello All, Regarding Lori’s question "What kind of music would have been popular in the villages?”, I obtained 2 Blassmusik (brass band) recordings from 1910 from someone I met during at the 1st Welttreffen der Donauschwaben in Hungary in 2007 and that came with an interesting story. The story as it was told to me (which I can’t corroborate), was that a recording crew from the US was in Austria-Hungary around 1910 to record the traditional music of the Donauschwaben villages and so to bring the Donauschwaben musical heritage back to the US. Lori, if you’re interested, I can try to send them to you i.e. if I can figure out how to get them off my iTunes! :-) If anyone else on DVHH is interested in getting these two musical treasures from our Donauschwaben heritage, send me an email and I’ll send them to you as well…. Regards, Rick Mueller > On 22. Feb 2019, at 15:45, Lori Straus <loristraus@loristraus.com> wrote: > > Hey everyone, > > > > I’m working on the final draft of novel 3 and have a few practical questions. (I’m still trying to wrap my brain around life without indoor plumbing and electricity.) These all pertain to 1920 in the formerly Hungarian, now Romanian part of the Banat. > > > I know that once families started buying Vespas (basically ranges), they had a compartment where they could keep water warm. But before that, when families still had a lime-painted brick oven and some sort of stove on top of it, did they get water just from the well as they needed it? Or would they have brought a good amount in in the morning so it could warm up inside the house throughout the day? > Did they preserve peppers? I’m just trying to figure how if goulash was possible in the winter. It feels like a dumb question, but peppers didn’t come from Africa in those days. > What kind of music would have been popular in the villages? What’s played now during our local German hour is for the generation born after 1920, so I don’t know what the village bands would’ve played IN 1920. > > > And does anyone know when electricity, indoor plumbing, floor boards, and telephones finally moved into the Romanian villages? > > > > Regards, > > > > Lori Straus > > Author of Between Worlds: A new YA series about the DS and their descendants (published under Lori Wolf-Heffner) > > Gara: Heffner, Wagner, Brandt > > Ridjica/Stanisitsch: Wagner, Zimmermann, Fleckstein > > Semlak: Wolf, Bartolf > > Schöndorf: Bortscher, Klein > > www.loriwolfheffner.com > > Speak fluent German > > > > Professional Writers’ Association of Canada, professional member > > Literary Translators’ Association of Canada, associate member > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community

Hey everyone, I’m working on the final draft of novel 3 and have a few practical questions. (I’m still trying to wrap my brain around life without indoor plumbing and electricity.) These all pertain to 1920 in the formerly Hungarian, now Romanian part of the Banat. I know that once families started buying Vespas (basically ranges), they had a compartment where they could keep water warm. But before that, when families still had a lime-painted brick oven and some sort of stove on top of it, did they get water just from the well as they needed it? Or would they have brought a good amount in in the morning so it could warm up inside the house throughout the day? Did they preserve peppers? I’m just trying to figure how if goulash was possible in the winter. It feels like a dumb question, but peppers didn’t come from Africa in those days. What kind of music would have been popular in the villages? What’s played now during our local German hour is for the generation born after 1920, so I don’t know what the village bands would’ve played IN 1920. And does anyone know when electricity, indoor plumbing, floor boards, and telephones finally moved into the Romanian villages? Regards, Lori Straus Author of Between Worlds: A new YA series about the DS and their descendants (published under Lori Wolf-Heffner) Gara: Heffner, Wagner, Brandt Ridjica/Stanisitsch: Wagner, Zimmermann, Fleckstein Semlak: Wolf, Bartolf Schöndorf: Bortscher, Klein www.loriwolfheffner.com Speak fluent German Professional Writers’ Association of Canada, professional member Literary Translators’ Association of Canada, associate member

Although it came to the villages much later, Timisoara was the first city in Europe to have electric street lighting. In 1892 they had 59 kilometers of electric street lighting.George Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android On Fri, Feb 22, 2019 at 7:45 AM, Lori Straus<loristraus@loristraus.com> wrote: Hey everyone, I’m working on the final draft of novel 3 and have a few practical questions. (I’m still trying to wrap my brain around life without indoor plumbing and electricity.) These all pertain to 1920 in the formerly Hungarian, now Romanian part of the Banat. I know that once families started buying Vespas (basically ranges), they had a compartment where they could keep water warm. But before that, when families still had a lime-painted brick oven and some sort of stove on top of it, did they get water just from the well as they needed it? Or would they have brought a good amount in in the morning so it could warm up inside the house throughout the day? Did they preserve peppers? I’m just trying to figure how if goulash was possible in the winter. It feels like a dumb question, but peppers didn’t come from Africa in those days. What kind of music would have been popular in the villages? What’s played now during our local German hour is for the generation born after 1920, so I don’t know what the village bands would’ve played IN 1920. And does anyone know when electricity, indoor plumbing, floor boards, and telephones finally moved into the Romanian villages? Regards, Lori Straus Author of Between Worlds: A new YA series about the DS and their descendants (published under Lori Wolf-Heffner) Gara: Heffner, Wagner, Brandt Ridjica/Stanisitsch: Wagner, Zimmermann, Fleckstein Semlak: Wolf, Bartolf Schöndorf: Bortscher, Klein www.loriwolfheffner.com Speak fluent German Professional Writers’ Association of Canada, professional member Literary Translators’ Association of Canada, associate member _______________________________________________ Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community

Hi George, Thanks for the facts, They are very interesting and I enjoy reading them. I am going to go off subject for a moment. I have seen your name many times and always want to ask u if you are realted to the Klinglers in the Chicago area. My Grandparents( John & Barbara Brattan) were very dear friends with Klinglers. There were a bunch of friends that hung around together all the time. Verons, Mayers, Fryhte? Gosche, right now I don’t remember the others. I am trying to think of the first names but am at a loss right now. Barb Dannenberg -----Original Message----- From: George Klingler via DONAUSCHWABEN-VILLAGES Sent: Friday, February 22, 2019 9:01 AM To: Donauschwaben Villages Helping Hands (DVHH) ; Lori Straus ; DVHH-L Cc: George Klingler Subject: [DVHH] Re: Practical questions about the kinds of details you don't think about Although it came to the villages much later, Timisoara was the first city in Europe to have electric street lighting. In 1892 they had 59 kilometers of electric street lighting.George Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android On Fri, Feb 22, 2019 at 7:45 AM, Lori Straus<loristraus@loristraus.com> wrote: Hey everyone, I’m working on the final draft of novel 3 and have a few practical questions. (I’m still trying to wrap my brain around life without indoor plumbing and electricity.) These all pertain to 1920 in the formerly Hungarian, now Romanian part of the Banat. I know that once families started buying Vespas (basically ranges), they had a compartment where they could keep water warm. But before that, when families still had a lime-painted brick oven and some sort of stove on top of it, did they get water just from the well as they needed it? Or would they have brought a good amount in in the morning so it could warm up inside the house throughout the day? Did they preserve peppers? I’m just trying to figure how if goulash was possible in the winter. It feels like a dumb question, but peppers didn’t come from Africa in those days. What kind of music would have been popular in the villages? What’s played now during our local German hour is for the generation born after 1920, so I don’t know what the village bands would’ve played IN 1920. And does anyone know when electricity, indoor plumbing, floor boards, and telephones finally moved into the Romanian villages? Regards, Lori Straus Author of Between Worlds: A new YA series about the DS and their descendants (published under Lori Wolf-Heffner) Gara: Heffner, Wagner, Brandt Ridjica/Stanisitsch: Wagner, Zimmermann, Fleckstein Semlak: Wolf, Bartolf Schöndorf: Bortscher, Klein www.loriwolfheffner.com Speak fluent German Professional Writers’ Association of Canada, professional member Literary Translators’ Association of Canada, associate member _______________________________________________ Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community _______________________________________________ Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community --- This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. https://www.avg.com

In addition to Lori’s question about the music, I am wondering about the folk dances the villagers did. I have been doing folk dancing for years and have come across many dances from the Balkans but have always wondered if the Donauschwaben danced these dances or brought their own dances from their original villages in Germany. And if so, what were these dances? I have asked these questions of instructors who specialize in the folk dances of Romania, Croatia, and Serbia but none seem to know the answer. Thanks for any insights. Dolores Sent from my iPad > On Feb 22, 2019, at 9:45 AM, Lori Straus <loristraus@loristraus.com> wrote: > > Hey everyone, > > > > I’m working on the final draft of novel 3 and have a few practical questions. (I’m still trying to wrap my brain around life without indoor plumbing and electricity.) These all pertain to 1920 in the formerly Hungarian, now Romanian part of the Banat. > > > I know that once families started buying Vespas (basically ranges), they had a compartment where they could keep water warm. But before that, when families still had a lime-painted brick oven and some sort of stove on top of it, did they get water just from the well as they needed it? Or would they have brought a good amount in in the morning so it could warm up inside the house throughout the day? > Did they preserve peppers? I’m just trying to figure how if goulash was possible in the winter. It feels like a dumb question, but peppers didn’t come from Africa in those days. > What kind of music would have been popular in the villages? What’s played now during our local German hour is for the generation born after 1920, so I don’t know what the village bands would’ve played IN 1920. > > > And does anyone know when electricity, indoor plumbing, floor boards, and telephones finally moved into the Romanian villages? > > > > Regards, > > > > Lori Straus > > Author of Between Worlds: A new YA series about the DS and their descendants (published under Lori Wolf-Heffner) > > Gara: Heffner, Wagner, Brandt > > Ridjica/Stanisitsch: Wagner, Zimmermann, Fleckstein > > Semlak: Wolf, Bartolf > > Schöndorf: Bortscher, Klein > > www.loriwolfheffner.com > > Speak fluent German > > > > Professional Writers’ Association of Canada, professional member > > Literary Translators’ Association of Canada, associate member > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community

Sent from Helga's Ipad > On Feb 22, 2019, at 9:45 AM, Lori Straus <loristraus@loristraus.com> wrote: > > Heffner)

Hello Lori, i hope this lengthy letter doesn't bore you too much. If you have any more questions, let me know. I have a lot of memories. A lot of the old order Amish are still using wood kitchen ranges. Some may have the modernized ones, but I think a lot of them still have the original ones. I am sure if you went to the St. Jacobs market you could talk to them. I think wood cook stoves are still manufactured and available at Elmira Stove Works. A lot of web sites have pictures of the older models. Our DS ancestors would always keep a pail full of drinking water in their kitchen.a pail of water. There was usually a ladle in the barrel or hanging beside it for anyone thirsty. The oldest type ranges did not have a water reservoir. The oven was like a box on top of one side of the Kochplatte. The heat from the fire box went around it to ensure (fairly) even heat and then out as smoke to the stove pipe. The more modern type f Sporher=Sparherd had a Kessili (water tank). Even my grandmother had one of those in the 1930's. They always had hot water. For doing the laundry they used rainwater. Every house had a Regafass (rainbarrel. All white cotton, underskirts, men's Sunday shirts and sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers had to be boiled and were washed with home made soap. Most village homes had straw matrasses. Before making the beds the straw had to be re-distributed through an open seam , as it would always get pushed away from the centre during the night. Once a year they would put fresh straw into the Strohsack (palliass). Women washed their hair with rainwater. The rainwater was brought to a boil. They put wood ashes on an old cloth and poured the boiling water over the ashes like a strainer. When cooled to hand warm temperature his infusion was used to wash their hair. It made their hair very shiny. When there children in the house there was always a Scherwl - Scherbe=potsherd (chamberpot) under the bed that needed to be emptied in the morning. Of course they always pickled peppers and cucumbers. Those pickled peppers or cucumbers, cole slaw or Sauerkraut salad were served with meals in the winter. Every house had strings of dried peppers that could be used off season. those dried peppers were also pounded into powder. That's how they got paprika. They would never buy commercial paprika. They also had strings of braided onions and garlic hanging in their kitchens. Peeled apples were also dried on stings. My parents always hanged bunches of late grapes in the attic where they would keep till Christmas. The DS music was mostly oompah-pah with a Blaskapelle. This continued with the newly arrived immigrants. I still have a tape of our wedding from 1956. Have a great day, Anne Dreer -----

Wonderful recollections. Very interesting. The Amish life, as it is lived today, reminds me a lot of our 1940's Donauschwaben days. R/ Franz On 2/22/2019 2:54 PM, Anne Dreer wrote: > Hello Lori, > i hope this lengthy letter doesn't bore you too much. If you have any > more questions, let me know. I have a lot of memories. > > A lot of the old order Amish are still using wood kitchen ranges. Some > may have the modernized ones, but I think a lot of them still have the > original ones. I am sure if you went to the St. Jacobs market you > could talk to them. I think wood cook stoves are still manufactured > and available at Elmira Stove Works. A lot of web sites have pictures > of the older models. > > Our DS ancestors would always keep a pail full of drinking water in > their kitchen.a pail of water. There was usually a ladle in the barrel > or hanging beside it for anyone thirsty. > > The oldest type ranges did not have a water reservoir. The oven was > like a box on top of one side of the Kochplatte. The heat from the > fire box went around it to ensure (fairly) even heat and then out as > smoke to the stove pipe. > The more modern type f Sporher=Sparherd had a Kessili (water tank). > Even my grandmother had one of those in the 1930's. They always had > hot water. > For doing the laundry they used rainwater. Every house had a Regafass > (rainbarrel. All white cotton, underskirts, men's Sunday shirts and > sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers had to be boiled and were washed > with home made soap. > Most village homes had straw matrasses. Before making the beds the > straw had to be re-distributed through an open seam , as it would > always get pushed away from the centre during the night. Once a year > they would put fresh straw into the Strohsack (palliass). > > Women washed their hair with rainwater. The rainwater was brought to a > boil. They put wood ashes on an old cloth and poured the boiling water > over the ashes like a strainer. When cooled to hand warm temperature > his infusion was used to wash their hair. It made their hair very shiny. > When there children in the house there was always a Scherwl - > Scherbe=potsherd (chamberpot) under the bed that needed to be emptied > in the morning. > > Of course they always pickled peppers and cucumbers. Those pickled > peppers or cucumbers, cole slaw or Sauerkraut salad were served with > meals in the winter. > Every house had strings of dried peppers that could be used off > season. those dried peppers were also pounded into powder. That's how > they got paprika. They would never buy commercial paprika. > They also had strings of braided onions and garlic hanging in their > kitchens. Peeled apples were also dried on stings. My parents always > hanged bunches of late grapes in the attic where they would keep till > Christmas. > The DS music was mostly oompah-pah with a Blaskapelle. This continued > with the newly arrived immigrants. I still have a tape of our wedding > from 1956. > > Have a great day, > Anne Dreer > > > ----- > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe > https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: > https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal > RootsWeb community >

Hello Anne, Your recollections bring to mind many practices that my family brought from the old country into the new. The rain barrel was part of our lives as well and my mother's long and beautiful hair was washed with water from the barrel. Her hair went past her waist and when she washed it, she would sit over the heat register to dry it. She never cut her hair and I believe that was the practice in her village. My aunts were "modern" and cut their hair and grandma cried when she first saw them after the cutting. Our very small piece of land was very much like how the land around the homes in Semlak were when we visited there . . . the house; the kitchen garden with a grape arbor; the animals near the house (we had a cow named Heidi, chickens, geese (oh, how I hated them), pigs and had schlact (sp?) fest when they were ready for slaughter, goats, and pigeons; and large tended fields were next to their neighbors fields a distance from the houses and kitchen gardens--while we didn't have large tended fields, my Alfadr (not a misspelling--it is how we called our grandfather--it was Semlakian) would take our cow and goats to fields near us. Imagine when people on the highway would see this little fellow walk down the road, long chain draped over his arm, going to the fields where our neighbors had given permission to let our cow (and goats) graze on their land. When my husband and I visited Semlak, I realized my family had a small piece of Semlak in New York where they had settled. Oh, yes, let's not forget the painting of the lower part of the tree trunks! Rose Mary Keller Hughes -----Original Message----- From: Franz <bohn1@comcast.net> Sent: 22 February, 2019 4:10 PM To: Donauschwaben Villages Helping Hands (DVHH) <donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com> Subject: [DVHH] Re: Practical questions about the kinds of details you don't think about Wonderful recollections. Very interesting. The Amish life, as it is lived today, reminds me a lot of our 1940's Donauschwaben days. R/ Franz On 2/22/2019 2:54 PM, Anne Dreer wrote: > Hello Lori, > i hope this lengthy letter doesn't bore you too much. If you have any > more questions, let me know. I have a lot of memories. > > A lot of the old order Amish are still using wood kitchen ranges. Some > may have the modernized ones, but I think a lot of them still have the > original ones. I am sure if you went to the St. Jacobs market you > could talk to them. I think wood cook stoves are still manufactured > and available at Elmira Stove Works. A lot of web sites have pictures > of the older models. > > Our DS ancestors would always keep a pail full of drinking water in > their kitchen.a pail of water. There was usually a ladle in the barrel > or hanging beside it for anyone thirsty. > > The oldest type ranges did not have a water reservoir. The oven was > like a box on top of one side of the Kochplatte. The heat from the > fire box went around it to ensure (fairly) even heat and then out as > smoke to the stove pipe. > The more modern type f Sporher=Sparherd had a Kessili (water tank). > Even my grandmother had one of those in the 1930's. They always had > hot water. > For doing the laundry they used rainwater. Every house had a Regafass > (rainbarrel. All white cotton, underskirts, men's Sunday shirts and > sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers had to be boiled and were washed > with home made soap. > Most village homes had straw matrasses. Before making the beds the > straw had to be re-distributed through an open seam , as it would > always get pushed away from the centre during the night. Once a year > they would put fresh straw into the Strohsack (palliass). > > Women washed their hair with rainwater. The rainwater was brought to a > boil. They put wood ashes on an old cloth and poured the boiling water > over the ashes like a strainer. When cooled to hand warm temperature > his infusion was used to wash their hair. It made their hair very shiny. > When there children in the house there was always a Scherwl - > Scherbe=potsherd (chamberpot) under the bed that needed to be emptied > in the morning. > > Of course they always pickled peppers and cucumbers. Those pickled > peppers or cucumbers, cole slaw or Sauerkraut salad were served with > meals in the winter. > Every house had strings of dried peppers that could be used off > season. those dried peppers were also pounded into powder. That's how > they got paprika. They would never buy commercial paprika. > They also had strings of braided onions and garlic hanging in their > kitchens. Peeled apples were also dried on stings. My parents always > hanged bunches of late grapes in the attic where they would keep till > Christmas. > The DS music was mostly oompah-pah with a Blaskapelle. This continued > with the newly arrived immigrants. I still have a tape of our wedding > from 1956. > > Have a great day, > Anne Dreer > > > ----- > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe > https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@root > sweb.com Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and > Conditions: > https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal > RootsWeb community > _______________________________________________ Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.c om Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

Thank you for this interesting memories! Gesendet mit der GMX Mail App Am 22.02.19 um 20:54 schrieb Anne Dreer > Hello Lori, > i hope this lengthy letter doesn't bore you too much. If you have any more > questions, let me know. I have a lot of memories. > > A lot of the old order Amish are still using wood kitchen ranges. Some may > have the modernized ones, but I think a lot of them still have the original > ones. I am sure if you went to the St. Jacobs market you could talk to them. > I think wood cook stoves are still manufactured and available at Elmira > Stove Works. A lot of web sites have pictures of the older models. > > Our DS ancestors would always keep a pail full of drinking water in their > kitchen.a pail of water. There was usually a ladle in the barrel or hanging > beside it for anyone thirsty. > > The oldest type ranges did not have a water reservoir. The oven was like a > box on top of one side of the Kochplatte. The heat from the fire box went > around it to ensure (fairly) even heat and then out as smoke to the stove > pipe. > The more modern type f Sporher=Sparherd had a Kessili (water tank). Even > my grandmother had one of those in the 1930's. They always had hot water. > For doing the laundry they used rainwater. Every house had a Regafass > (rainbarrel. All white cotton, underskirts, men's Sunday shirts and sheets, > pillow cases and duvet covers had to be boiled and were washed with home > made soap. > Most village homes had straw matrasses. Before making the beds the straw had > to be re-distributed through an open seam , as it would always get pushed > away from the centre during the night. Once a year they would put fresh > straw into the Strohsack (palliass). > > Women washed their hair with rainwater. The rainwater was brought to a boil. > They put wood ashes on an old cloth and poured the boiling water over the > ashes like a strainer. When cooled to hand warm temperature his infusion > was used to wash their hair. It made their hair very shiny. > When there children in the house there was always a Scherwl - > Scherbe=potsherd (chamberpot) under the bed that needed to be emptied in the > morning. > > Of course they always pickled peppers and cucumbers. Those pickled peppers > or cucumbers, cole slaw or Sauerkraut salad were served with meals in the > winter. > Every house had strings of dried peppers that could be used off season. > those dried peppers were also pounded into powder. That's how they got > paprika. They would never buy commercial paprika. > They also had strings of braided onions and garlic hanging in their > kitchens. Peeled apples were also dried on stings. My parents always hanged > bunches of late grapes in the attic where they would keep till Christmas. > The DS music was mostly oompah-pah with a Blaskapelle. This continued with > the newly arrived immigrants. I still have a tape of our wedding from 1956. > > Have a great day, > Anne Dreer > > > ----- > > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community

HI Lori, This would make an excellent article to be on the DVHH website. These memories will soon pass away if they aren’t written down for posterity. Fran Matkovich Sent from my iPad > On Feb 22, 2019, at 2:54 PM, Anne Dreer <dreera@sympatico.ca> wrote: > > Hello Lori, > i hope this lengthy letter doesn't bore you too much. If you have any more questions, let me know. I have a lot of memories. > > A lot of the old order Amish are still using wood kitchen ranges. Some may have the modernized ones, but I think a lot of them still have the original ones. I am sure if you went to the St. Jacobs market you could talk to them. I think wood cook stoves are still manufactured and available at Elmira Stove Works. A lot of web sites have pictures of the older models. > > Our DS ancestors would always keep a pail full of drinking water in their kitchen.a pail of water. There was usually a ladle in the barrel or hanging beside it for anyone thirsty. > > The oldest type ranges did not have a water reservoir. The oven was like a box on top of one side of the Kochplatte. The heat from the fire box went around it to ensure (fairly) even heat and then out as smoke to the stove pipe. > The more modern type f Sporher=Sparherd had a Kessili (water tank). Even my grandmother had one of those in the 1930's. They always had hot water. > For doing the laundry they used rainwater. Every house had a Regafass (rainbarrel. All white cotton, underskirts, men's Sunday shirts and sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers had to be boiled and were washed with home made soap. > Most village homes had straw matrasses. Before making the beds the straw had to be re-distributed through an open seam , as it would always get pushed away from the centre during the night. Once a year they would put fresh straw into the Strohsack (palliass). > > Women washed their hair with rainwater. The rainwater was brought to a boil. They put wood ashes on an old cloth and poured the boiling water over the ashes like a strainer. When cooled to hand warm temperature his infusion was used to wash their hair. It made their hair very shiny. > When there children in the house there was always a Scherwl - Scherbe=potsherd (chamberpot) under the bed that needed to be emptied in the morning. > > Of course they always pickled peppers and cucumbers. Those pickled peppers or cucumbers, cole slaw or Sauerkraut salad were served with meals in the winter. > Every house had strings of dried peppers that could be used off season. those dried peppers were also pounded into powder. That's how they got paprika. They would never buy commercial paprika. > They also had strings of braided onions and garlic hanging in their kitchens. Peeled apples were also dried on stings. My parents always hanged bunches of late grapes in the attic where they would keep till Christmas. > The DS music was mostly oompah-pah with a Blaskapelle. This continued with the newly arrived immigrants. I still have a tape of our wedding from 1956. > > Have a great day, > Anne Dreer > > > ----- > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community

Agreed re: the article :) Time is the main factor, though. Thank you, Anne, for the wonderful email. And no, it wasn't boring at all. In fact, please keep going! But it's precisely these details that make our history come to life and really show how different life was back then, and also how different it was from what we learn about pioneers here. And yes, I was wondering how women washed their hair. Did that happen in the kitchen, then? And where did they rinse? Or didn't they rinse? Also, I realized I made a typo in my original email: The brand name of the range was Vesta. Vespa is the scooter :) I actually have a scene in this novel where Elisabeth is making the beds. That detail about redistributing the straw is very useful. Thank you. Now, where would that chamber pot have been emptied? I presume carried out to the outhouse? (In Semlak, the outhouse was at the VERY end of the main structure, i.e., after the three-room longhouse, above-ground fruit cellar, summer kitchen, and horse and cow stalls. THEN came the outhouse. I can't imagine the impracticalities of such a setup...) I'm happy to learn more! (As, I'm sure, are others on the list!) Regards, Lori Straus Author of Between Worlds: A new YA series about the DS and their descendants (published under Lori Wolf-Heffner) Gara: Heffner, Wagner, Brandt Ridjica/Stanisitsch: Wagner, Zimmermann, Fleckstein Semlak: Wolf, Bartolf Schöndorf: Bortscher, Klein www.loriwolfheffner.com <http://www.loriwolfheffner.com/> Speak fluent German Professional Writers’ Association of Canada, professional member Literary Translators’ Association of Canada, associate member On 02-23-19, 7:12 AM, "Mjm1021@comcast.net" <mjm1021@comcast.net> wrote: HI Lori, This would make an excellent article to be on the DVHH website. These memories will soon pass away if they aren’t written down for posterity. Fran Matkovich Sent from my iPad > On Feb 22, 2019, at 2:54 PM, Anne Dreer <dreera@sympatico.ca> wrote: > > Hello Lori, > i hope this lengthy letter doesn't bore you too much. If you have any more questions, let me know. I have a lot of memories. > > A lot of the old order Amish are still using wood kitchen ranges. Some may have the modernized ones, but I think a lot of them still have the original ones. I am sure if you went to the St. Jacobs market you could talk to them. I think wood cook stoves are still manufactured and available at Elmira Stove Works. A lot of web sites have pictures of the older models. > > Our DS ancestors would always keep a pail full of drinking water in their kitchen.a pail of water. There was usually a ladle in the barrel or hanging beside it for anyone thirsty. > > The oldest type ranges did not have a water reservoir. The oven was like a box on top of one side of the Kochplatte. The heat from the fire box went around it to ensure (fairly) even heat and then out as smoke to the stove pipe. > The more modern type f Sporher=Sparherd had a Kessili (water tank). Even my grandmother had one of those in the 1930's. They always had hot water. > For doing the laundry they used rainwater. Every house had a Regafass (rainbarrel. All white cotton, underskirts, men's Sunday shirts and sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers had to be boiled and were washed with home made soap. > Most village homes had straw matrasses. Before making the beds the straw had to be re-distributed through an open seam , as it would always get pushed away from the centre during the night. Once a year they would put fresh straw into the Strohsack (palliass). > > Women washed their hair with rainwater. The rainwater was brought to a boil. They put wood ashes on an old cloth and poured the boiling water over the ashes like a strainer. When cooled to hand warm temperature his infusion was used to wash their hair. It made their hair very shiny. > When there children in the house there was always a Scherwl - Scherbe=potsherd (chamberpot) under the bed that needed to be emptied in the morning. > > Of course they always pickled peppers and cucumbers. Those pickled peppers or cucumbers, cole slaw or Sauerkraut salad were served with meals in the winter. > Every house had strings of dried peppers that could be used off season. those dried peppers were also pounded into powder. That's how they got paprika. They would never buy commercial paprika. > They also had strings of braided onions and garlic hanging in their kitchens. Peeled apples were also dried on stings. My parents always hanged bunches of late grapes in the attic where they would keep till Christmas. > The DS music was mostly oompah-pah with a Blaskapelle. This continued with the newly arrived immigrants. I still have a tape of our wedding from 1956. > > Have a great day, > Anne Dreer > > > ----- > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community _______________________________________________ Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community

We need to have an article about Donauschwaben life on the website. I am the granddaughter of Banat immigrants. I did not know all this information. I would love to have information like this to share with my children and grandchildren. I’m sure there are many of us! Fran Matkovich Sent from my iPad > On Feb 23, 2019, at 10:38 AM, Lori Straus <loristraus@loristraus.com> wrote: > > Agreed re: the article :) Time is the main factor, though. > > Thank you, Anne, for the wonderful email. And no, it wasn't boring at all. In fact, please keep going! But it's precisely these details that make our history come to life and really show how different life was back then, and also how different it was from what we learn about pioneers here. > > And yes, I was wondering how women washed their hair. Did that happen in the kitchen, then? And where did they rinse? Or didn't they rinse? > > Also, I realized I made a typo in my original email: The brand name of the range was Vesta. Vespa is the scooter :) > > I actually have a scene in this novel where Elisabeth is making the beds. That detail about redistributing the straw is very useful. Thank you. > > Now, where would that chamber pot have been emptied? I presume carried out to the outhouse? (In Semlak, the outhouse was at the VERY end of the main structure, i.e., after the three-room longhouse, above-ground fruit cellar, summer kitchen, and horse and cow stalls. THEN came the outhouse. I can't imagine the impracticalities of such a setup...) > > I'm happy to learn more! (As, I'm sure, are others on the list!) > > Regards, > > Lori Straus > Author of Between Worlds: A new YA series about the DS and their descendants (published under Lori Wolf-Heffner) > Gara: Heffner, Wagner, Brandt > Ridjica/Stanisitsch: Wagner, Zimmermann, Fleckstein > Semlak: Wolf, Bartolf > Schöndorf: Bortscher, Klein > www.loriwolfheffner.com <http://www.loriwolfheffner.com/> > Speak fluent German > > Professional Writers’ Association of Canada, professional member > Literary Translators’ Association of Canada, associate member > > > > On 02-23-19, 7:12 AM, "Mjm1021@comcast.net" <mjm1021@comcast.net> wrote: > > HI Lori, > This would make an excellent article to be on the DVHH website. These memories will soon pass away if they aren’t written down for posterity. > > Fran Matkovich > > Sent from my iPad > >> On Feb 22, 2019, at 2:54 PM, Anne Dreer <dreera@sympatico.ca> wrote: >> >> Hello Lori, >> i hope this lengthy letter doesn't bore you too much. If you have any more questions, let me know. I have a lot of memories. >> >> A lot of the old order Amish are still using wood kitchen ranges. Some may have the modernized ones, but I think a lot of them still have the original ones. I am sure if you went to the St. Jacobs market you could talk to them. I think wood cook stoves are still manufactured and available at Elmira Stove Works. A lot of web sites have pictures of the older models. >> >> Our DS ancestors would always keep a pail full of drinking water in their kitchen.a pail of water. There was usually a ladle in the barrel or hanging beside it for anyone thirsty. >> >> The oldest type ranges did not have a water reservoir. The oven was like a box on top of one side of the Kochplatte. The heat from the fire box went around it to ensure (fairly) even heat and then out as smoke to the stove pipe. >> The more modern type f Sporher=Sparherd had a Kessili (water tank). Even my grandmother had one of those in the 1930's. They always had hot water. >> For doing the laundry they used rainwater. Every house had a Regafass (rainbarrel. All white cotton, underskirts, men's Sunday shirts and sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers had to be boiled and were washed with home made soap. >> Most village homes had straw matrasses. Before making the beds the straw had to be re-distributed through an open seam , as it would always get pushed away from the centre during the night. Once a year they would put fresh straw into the Strohsack (palliass). >> >> Women washed their hair with rainwater. The rainwater was brought to a boil. They put wood ashes on an old cloth and poured the boiling water over the ashes like a strainer. When cooled to hand warm temperature his infusion was used to wash their hair. It made their hair very shiny. >> When there children in the house there was always a Scherwl - Scherbe=potsherd (chamberpot) under the bed that needed to be emptied in the morning. >> >> Of course they always pickled peppers and cucumbers. Those pickled peppers or cucumbers, cole slaw or Sauerkraut salad were served with meals in the winter. >> Every house had strings of dried peppers that could be used off season. those dried peppers were also pounded into powder. That's how they got paprika. They would never buy commercial paprika. >> They also had strings of braided onions and garlic hanging in their kitchens. Peeled apples were also dried on stings. My parents always hanged bunches of late grapes in the attic where they would keep till Christmas. >> The DS music was mostly oompah-pah with a Blaskapelle. This continued with the newly arrived immigrants. I still have a tape of our wedding from 1956. >> >> Have a great day, >> Anne Dreer >> >> >> ----- >> _______________________________________________ >> Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref >> Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com >> Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 >> Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog >> RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community > > > > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community

[Rose Mary Keller Hughes] responds to question . . . Hello Lori, I just remembered a Saturday chore my mom spoke about that she had in Semlak. It was her job to "wash" the house floor. The floor was dirt (more a texture of clay resulting from having cleaned it weekly). After she had washed the floor, she would create a pattern in the floor with a broom. She did it quickly (but satisfactorily for her mother's standards) because she wanted to be ready to go to market in Arad (the county seat) where she would help sell things--but if she had saved some money, she could buy something at the market. At one time she was collecting small framed pictures that had a religious theme. Rose Mary Keller Hughes _______________________________________________ Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

My mom is almost 92 and she always talks about how much she loved to wash the floor! She still does, but now it's wood! Marlene Straub Perrucci On Sat, Feb 23, 2019 at 3:18 PM Rose Mary Keller Hughes < rhughes5@rochester.rr.com> wrote: > [Rose Mary Keller Hughes] responds to question . . . > > Hello Lori, > > I just remembered a Saturday chore my mom spoke about that she had in > Semlak. It was her job to "wash" the house floor. The floor was dirt > (more a texture of clay resulting from having cleaned it weekly). After > she had washed the floor, she would create a pattern in the floor with a > broom. She did it quickly (but satisfactorily for her mother's standards) > because she wanted to be ready to go to market in Arad (the county seat) > where she would help sell things--but if she had saved some money, she > could buy something at the market. At one time she was collecting small > framed pictures that had a religious theme. > > Rose Mary Keller Hughes > > > > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe > https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: > https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog RootsWeb > is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community > > > --- > This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. > https://www.avast.com/antivirus > > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe > https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: > https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb > community >

Mom loved the broom part the most, I think. She had artistic talent that she didn't have much time or the tools for expressing it--so seeing the pattern on the floor gave her pleasure. Rose Mary K Hughes -----Original Message----- From: Marlene Perrucci <msperrucci@gmail.com> Sent: 23 February, 2019 4:30 PM To: Donauschwaben Villages Helping Hands (DVHH) <donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com> Subject: [DVHH] Re: Practical questions about the kinds of details you don't think about My mom is almost 92 and she always talks about how much she loved to wash the floor! She still does, but now it's wood! Marlene Straub Perrucci On Sat, Feb 23, 2019 at 3:18 PM Rose Mary Keller Hughes < rhughes5@rochester.rr.com> wrote: > [Rose Mary Keller Hughes] responds to question . . . > > Hello Lori, > > I just remembered a Saturday chore my mom spoke about that she had in > Semlak. It was her job to "wash" the house floor. The floor was dirt > (more a texture of clay resulting from having cleaned it weekly). > After she had washed the floor, she would create a pattern in the > floor with a broom. She did it quickly (but satisfactorily for her > mother's standards) because she wanted to be ready to go to market in > Arad (the county seat) where she would help sell things--but if she > had saved some money, she could buy something at the market. At one > time she was collecting small framed pictures that had a religious theme. > > Rose Mary Keller Hughes > > > > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe > https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@root > sweb.com Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and > Conditions: > https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal > RootsWeb community > > > --- > This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. > https://www.avast.com/antivirus > > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe > https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@root > sweb.com Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and > Conditions: > https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal > RootsWeb community > _______________________________________________ Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.c om Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community

Of course, many of the details depend on the time and also the location. I can describe the situation in the 1940s-1950s in a village in the Flatlands of the Banat (Banater Heide). The "Ofen" was the large brick and masonry oven used to heat a main room ("Zimmer"). It used mainly dried corn stalks for combustion, and they were placed in the oven from a rectangular opening located in the kitchen, that would be closed with two steel doors after the combustible had burned out. A removable steel plate closed the red-hot cinders from any air supply, and a hinged door made the kitchen look tidy. Between the two doors, a hollow part of the wall took the smoke up into the chimney. The kitchen had a ceiling, just like the other two rooms. Access to the inside of the chimney (to place the sausages, hams and slides of bacon to be smoked) was only from the attic. Inserted in side of the oven was a cooking compartment with metal door. This opened in the Zimmer, but since the temperature could not be well controlled, it was not used for cooking. It could be used for warming up meals such as a pot of cabbage rolls - I still remember their terrific smell filling the room. In the other room, on the other side of the kitchen (called "Kammer") there was a "Kachelofen" , a tiled stove. This one used only regular cut firewood or some corn cobs. It also had a tiny cooking compartment; I remember it being used for baking a couple of apples (again filling the room with a delicious aroma). The oven was used only in the colder seasons, at least twice a day, and would keep the Zimmer reasonably warm throughout the night. About once a week, it was also used for baking bread. The dough was placed in metallic forms that had skids and were placed on the cinders before closing the steel doors. As the summers were very hot, another oven associated with the summer kitchen (in our house fed from the summer kitchen, but located outside in the great outdoors) was used for baking bread. In the main kitchen we had a metallic cooking oven ("Sparherd"), and I believe it was a generic or no-name brand. In the summer kitchen we had a built-in brick and masonry cooking oven. Both had steel plates on top, with removable rings, and were used for cooking, boiling water, broiling "schnitzels", etc. Each had a built-in cooking compartment, a rectangular metallic insert, used primarily for baking "Kuchen" (actually any kind of baking). These had sheet metal doors that could be locked. Wow, that was a lot of verbiage just for heating, cooking, and baking. We did not keep a supply of warm water. I remember washing my face every morning with cold (room temperature at best) water. That happened in the kitchen, at the "Waschtisch". That was a rather fancy wooden stand, all painted white, which held the removable washing basin (called "Lawor"). It had room on both sides for soap dishes and for hanging the towels. The swingbar ("Schwengelbrunnen") well was in the front yard, in front of the kitchen door, between the main building and the auxiliary building (that's the one with the summer kitchen, etc.). The water from that well was hard, not very good for drinking or washing anything (except the dishes). In a corner of the kitchen we kept the drinking water in a metal can of about 15 or 20 liter capacity. As a teenager, I was able to drive the bicycle to the deep well with a big pump, located by the church, carrying the water can in one hand. Electricity was introduced only in 1954 and a centralized water supply in 1974, long after I had left... So many memories! Nick Tullius -----Original Message----- From: Lori Straus [mailto:loristraus@loristraus.com] Sent: February 23, 2019 10:38 AM To: DVHH-L Subject: [DVHH] Re: Practical questions about the kinds of details you don't think about Agreed re: the article :) Time is the main factor, though. Thank you, Anne, for the wonderful email. And no, it wasn't boring at all. In fact, please keep going! But it's precisely these details that make our history come to life and really show how different life was back then, and also how different it was from what we learn about pioneers here. And yes, I was wondering how women washed their hair. Did that happen in the kitchen, then? And where did they rinse? Or didn't they rinse? Also, I realized I made a typo in my original email: The brand name of the range was Vesta. Vespa is the scooter :) I actually have a scene in this novel where Elisabeth is making the beds. That detail about redistributing the straw is very useful. Thank you. Now, where would that chamber pot have been emptied? I presume carried out to the outhouse? (In Semlak, the outhouse was at the VERY end of the main structure, i.e., after the three-room longhouse, above-ground fruit cellar, summer kitchen, and horse and cow stalls. THEN came the outhouse. I can't imagine the impracticalities of such a setup...) I'm happy to learn more! (As, I'm sure, are others on the list!) Regards, Lori Straus Author of Between Worlds: A new YA series about the DS and their descendants (published under Lori Wolf-Heffner) Gara: Heffner, Wagner, Brandt Ridjica/Stanisitsch: Wagner, Zimmermann, Fleckstein Semlak: Wolf, Bartolf Schöndorf: Bortscher, Klein www.loriwolfheffner.com <http://www.loriwolfheffner.com/> Speak fluent German Professional Writers’ Association of Canada, professional member Literary Translators’ Association of Canada, associate member On 02-23-19, 7:12 AM, "Mjm1021@comcast.net" <mjm1021@comcast.net> wrote: HI Lori, This would make an excellent article to be on the DVHH website. These memories will soon pass away if they aren’t written down for posterity. Fran Matkovich Sent from my iPad > On Feb 22, 2019, at 2:54 PM, Anne Dreer <dreera@sympatico.ca> wrote: > > Hello Lori, > i hope this lengthy letter doesn't bore you too much. If you have any more questions, let me know. I have a lot of memories. > > A lot of the old order Amish are still using wood kitchen ranges. Some may have the modernized ones, but I think a lot of them still have the original ones. I am sure if you went to the St. Jacobs market you could talk to them. I think wood cook stoves are still manufactured and available at Elmira Stove Works. A lot of web sites have pictures of the older models. > > Our DS ancestors would always keep a pail full of drinking water in their kitchen.a pail of water. There was usually a ladle in the barrel or hanging beside it for anyone thirsty. > > The oldest type ranges did not have a water reservoir. The oven was like a box on top of one side of the Kochplatte. The heat from the fire box went around it to ensure (fairly) even heat and then out as smoke to the stove pipe. > The more modern type f Sporher=Sparherd had a Kessili (water tank). Even my grandmother had one of those in the 1930's. They always had hot water. > For doing the laundry they used rainwater. Every house had a Regafass (rainbarrel. All white cotton, underskirts, men's Sunday shirts and sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers had to be boiled and were washed with home made soap. > Most village homes had straw matrasses. Before making the beds the straw had to be re-distributed through an open seam , as it would always get pushed away from the centre during the night. Once a year they would put fresh straw into the Strohsack (palliass). > > Women washed their hair with rainwater. The rainwater was brought to a boil. They put wood ashes on an old cloth and poured the boiling water over the ashes like a strainer. When cooled to hand warm temperature his infusion was used to wash their hair. It made their hair very shiny. > When there children in the house there was always a Scherwl - Scherbe=potsherd (chamberpot) under the bed that needed to be emptied in the morning. > > Of course they always pickled peppers and cucumbers. Those pickled peppers or cucumbers, cole slaw or Sauerkraut salad were served with meals in the winter. > Every house had strings of dried peppers that could be used off season. those dried peppers were also pounded into powder. That's how they got paprika. They would never buy commercial paprika. > They also had strings of braided onions and garlic hanging in their kitchens. Peeled apples were also dried on stings. My parents always hanged bunches of late grapes in the attic where they would keep till Christmas. > The DS music was mostly oompah-pah with a Blaskapelle. This continued with the newly arrived immigrants. I still have a tape of our wedding from 1956. > > Have a great day, > Anne Dreer > > > ----- > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community _______________________________________________ Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community _______________________________________________ Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community

I definitely agree. Barb Sent from my iPad > On Feb 23, 2019, at 4:42 PM, Nick Tullius <tvllivsn@bell.net> wrote: > > Of course, many of the details depend on the time and also the location. I can describe the situation in the 1940s-1950s in a village in the Flatlands of the Banat (Banater Heide). > The "Ofen" was the large brick and masonry oven used to heat a main room ("Zimmer"). It used mainly dried corn stalks for combustion, and they were placed in the oven from a rectangular opening located in the kitchen, that would be closed with two steel doors after the combustible had burned out. A removable steel plate closed the red-hot cinders from any air supply, and a hinged door made the kitchen look tidy. Between the two doors, a hollow part of the wall took the smoke up into the chimney. The kitchen had a ceiling, just like the other two rooms. Access to the inside of the chimney (to place the sausages, hams and slides of bacon to be smoked) was only from the attic. > Inserted in side of the oven was a cooking compartment with metal door. This opened in the Zimmer, but since the temperature could not be well controlled, it was not used for cooking. It could be used for warming up meals such as a pot of cabbage rolls - I still remember their terrific smell filling the room. > In the other room, on the other side of the kitchen (called "Kammer") there was a "Kachelofen" , a tiled stove. This one used only regular cut firewood or some corn cobs. It also had a tiny cooking compartment; I remember it being used for baking a couple of apples (again filling the room with a delicious aroma). > The oven was used only in the colder seasons, at least twice a day, and would keep the Zimmer reasonably warm throughout the night. About once a week, it was also used for baking bread. The dough was placed in metallic forms that had skids and were placed on the cinders before closing the steel doors. > As the summers were very hot, another oven associated with the summer kitchen (in our house fed from the summer kitchen, but located outside in the great outdoors) was used for baking bread. > In the main kitchen we had a metallic cooking oven ("Sparherd"), and I believe it was a generic or no-name brand. In the summer kitchen we had a built-in brick and masonry cooking oven. Both had steel plates on top, with removable rings, and were used for cooking, boiling water, broiling "schnitzels", etc. Each had a built-in cooking compartment, a rectangular metallic insert, used primarily for baking "Kuchen" (actually any kind of baking). These had sheet metal doors that could be locked. > Wow, that was a lot of verbiage just for heating, cooking, and baking. We did not keep a supply of warm water. I remember washing my face every morning with cold (room temperature at best) water. That happened in the kitchen, at the "Waschtisch". That was a rather fancy wooden stand, all painted white, which held the removable washing basin (called "Lawor"). It had room on both sides for soap dishes and for hanging the towels. > The swingbar ("Schwengelbrunnen") well was in the front yard, in front of the kitchen door, between the main building and the auxiliary building (that's the one with the summer kitchen, etc.). The water from that well was hard, not very good for drinking or washing anything (except the dishes). In a corner of the kitchen we kept the drinking water in a metal can of about 15 or 20 liter capacity. As a teenager, I was able to drive the bicycle to the deep well with a big pump, located by the church, carrying the water can in one hand. > Electricity was introduced only in 1954 and a centralized water supply in 1974, long after I had left... > So many memories! > > Nick Tullius > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Lori Straus [mailto:loristraus@loristraus.com] > Sent: February 23, 2019 10:38 AM > To: DVHH-L > Subject: [DVHH] Re: Practical questions about the kinds of details you don't think about > > Agreed re: the article :) Time is the main factor, though. > > Thank you, Anne, for the wonderful email. And no, it wasn't boring at all. In fact, please keep going! But it's precisely these details that make our history come to life and really show how different life was back then, and also how different it was from what we learn about pioneers here. > > And yes, I was wondering how women washed their hair. Did that happen in the kitchen, then? And where did they rinse? Or didn't they rinse? > > Also, I realized I made a typo in my original email: The brand name of the range was Vesta. Vespa is the scooter :) > > I actually have a scene in this novel where Elisabeth is making the beds. That detail about redistributing the straw is very useful. Thank you. > > Now, where would that chamber pot have been emptied? I presume carried out to the outhouse? (In Semlak, the outhouse was at the VERY end of the main structure, i.e., after the three-room longhouse, above-ground fruit cellar, summer kitchen, and horse and cow stalls. THEN came the outhouse. I can't imagine the impracticalities of such a setup...) > > I'm happy to learn more! (As, I'm sure, are others on the list!) > > Regards, > > Lori Straus > Author of Between Worlds: A new YA series about the DS and their descendants (published under Lori Wolf-Heffner) > Gara: Heffner, Wagner, Brandt > Ridjica/Stanisitsch: Wagner, Zimmermann, Fleckstein > Semlak: Wolf, Bartolf > Schöndorf: Bortscher, Klein > www.loriwolfheffner.com <http://www.loriwolfheffner.com/> > Speak fluent German > > Professional Writers’ Association of Canada, professional member > Literary Translators’ Association of Canada, associate member > > > > On 02-23-19, 7:12 AM, "Mjm1021@comcast.net" <mjm1021@comcast.net> wrote: > > HI Lori, > This would make an excellent article to be on the DVHH website. These memories will soon pass away if they aren’t written down for posterity. > > Fran Matkovich > > Sent from my iPad > >> On Feb 22, 2019, at 2:54 PM, Anne Dreer <dreera@sympatico.ca> wrote: >> >> Hello Lori, >> i hope this lengthy letter doesn't bore you too much. If you have any more questions, let me know. I have a lot of memories. >> >> A lot of the old order Amish are still using wood kitchen ranges. Some may have the modernized ones, but I think a lot of them still have the original ones. I am sure if you went to the St. Jacobs market you could talk to them. I think wood cook stoves are still manufactured and available at Elmira Stove Works. A lot of web sites have pictures of the older models. >> >> Our DS ancestors would always keep a pail full of drinking water in their kitchen.a pail of water. There was usually a ladle in the barrel or hanging beside it for anyone thirsty. >> >> The oldest type ranges did not have a water reservoir. The oven was like a box on top of one side of the Kochplatte. The heat from the fire box went around it to ensure (fairly) even heat and then out as smoke to the stove pipe. >> The more modern type f Sporher=Sparherd had a Kessili (water tank). Even my grandmother had one of those in the 1930's. They always had hot water. >> For doing the laundry they used rainwater. Every house had a Regafass (rainbarrel. All white cotton, underskirts, men's Sunday shirts and sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers had to be boiled and were washed with home made soap. >> Most village homes had straw matrasses. Before making the beds the straw had to be re-distributed through an open seam , as it would always get pushed away from the centre during the night. Once a year they would put fresh straw into the Strohsack (palliass). >> >> Women washed their hair with rainwater. The rainwater was brought to a boil. They put wood ashes on an old cloth and poured the boiling water over the ashes like a strainer. When cooled to hand warm temperature his infusion was used to wash their hair. It made their hair very shiny. >> When there children in the house there was always a Scherwl - Scherbe=potsherd (chamberpot) under the bed that needed to be emptied in the morning. >> >> Of course they always pickled peppers and cucumbers. Those pickled peppers or cucumbers, cole slaw or Sauerkraut salad were served with meals in the winter. >> Every house had strings of dried peppers that could be used off season. those dried peppers were also pounded into powder. That's how they got paprika. They would never buy commercial paprika. >> They also had strings of braided onions and garlic hanging in their kitchens. Peeled apples were also dried on stings. My parents always hanged bunches of late grapes in the attic where they would keep till Christmas. >> The DS music was mostly oompah-pah with a Blaskapelle. This continued with the newly arrived immigrants. I still have a tape of our wedding from 1956. >> >> Have a great day, >> Anne Dreer >> >> >> ----- >> _______________________________________________ >> Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref >> Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com >> Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 >> Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog >> RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community > > > > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community > > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community

Not sure if this is information that will be helpful to you but I recall a little story my mom told me about in regard to her mom baking bread and teaching my mom. Aside from the ingredients she said her mother made the sign of the cross over the bread and blessed it in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I found this really interesting and thought I would add it to the many interesting stories being told. Eve -Original Message----- > > From: Lori Straus [mailto:loristraus@loristraus.com] > > Sent: February 23, 2019 10:38 AM > > To: DVHH-L > > Subject: [DVHH] Re: Practical questions about the kinds of details you > don't think about > > > > Agreed re: the article :) Time is the main factor, though. > > > > Thank you, Anne, for the wonderful email. And no, it wasn't boring at > all. In fact, please keep going! But it's precisely these details that make > our history come to life and really show how different life was back then, > and also how different it was from what we learn about pioneers here. > > > > And yes, I was wondering how women washed their hair. Did that happen in > the kitchen, then? And where did they rinse? Or didn't they rinse? > > > > Also, I realized I made a typo in my original email: The brand name of > the range was Vesta. Vespa is the scooter :) > > > > I actually have a scene in this novel where Elisabeth is making the > beds. That detail about redistributing the straw is very useful. Thank you. > > > > Now, where would that chamber pot have been emptied? I presume carried > out to the outhouse? (In Semlak, the outhouse was at the VERY end of the > main structure, i.e., after the three-room longhouse, above-ground fruit > cellar, summer kitchen, and horse and cow stalls. THEN came the outhouse. I > can't imagine the impracticalities of such a setup...) > > > > I'm happy to learn more! (As, I'm sure, are others on the list!) > > > > Regards, > > > > Lori Straus > > Author of Between Worlds: A new YA series about the DS and their > descendants (published under Lori Wolf-Heffner) > > Gara: Heffner, Wagner, Brandt > > Ridjica/Stanisitsch: Wagner, Zimmermann, Fleckstein > > Semlak: Wolf, Bartolf > > Schöndorf: Bortscher, Klein > > www.loriwolfheffner.com <http://www.loriwolfheffner.com/> > > Speak fluent German > > > > Professional Writers’ Association of Canada, professional member > > Literary Translators’ Association of Canada, associate member > > > > > > > > On 02-23-19, 7:12 AM, "Mjm1021@comcast.net" <mjm1021@comcast.net> > wrote: > > > > HI Lori, > > This would make an excellent article to be on the DVHH website. > These memories will soon pass away if they aren’t written down for > posterity. > > > > Fran Matkovich > > > > Sent from my iPad > > > >> On Feb 22, 2019, at 2:54 PM, Anne Dreer <dreera@sympatico.ca> wrote: > >> > >> Hello Lori, > >> i hope this lengthy letter doesn't bore you too much. If you have any > more questions, let me know. I have a lot of memories. > >> > >> A lot of the old order Amish are still using wood kitchen ranges. Some > may have the modernized ones, but I think a lot of them still have the > original ones. I am sure if you went to the St. Jacobs market you could > talk to them. I think wood cook stoves are still manufactured and available > at Elmira Stove Works. A lot of web sites have pictures of the older models. > >> > > Syrmia Regional Coordinator http://www.dvhh.org/syrmia

Fran, That is a GREAT idea...I was sitting here thinking something similar after reading one of the emails, but lamenting the fact that some of us working stiffs don't have the time to compile all the information. And, of course, don't possess the original knowledge anyway, so someone "who was there" could do a much better job. Who could do it? The rest of us could read it and would have even more reason to be grateful for all the amazing things that have come out of DVHH!!! Best, Bill William Knuttel Arcana, LLC, dba the wines of: William Knuttel/Knuttel Family/Ottimino/Tentadora Winery: 21684 Eighth Street East, Suite 600, Sonoma, CA 95476 Mailing: P.O. Box 10787, Napa, CA 94581 707-326-8234 cell 707-938-7548 fax wknuttel@comcast.net [www.williamknuttel.com](http://www.williamknuttel.com/) [www.ottimino.com](http://www.ottimino.com/) > On February 23, 2019 at 4:12 AM "Mjm1021@comcast.net" <mjm1021@comcast.net> wrote: > > > HI Lori, > This would make an excellent article to be on the DVHH website. These memories will soon pass away if they aren’t written down for posterity. > > Fran Matkovich > > Sent from my iPad > > > On Feb 22, 2019, at 2:54 PM, Anne Dreer <dreera@sympatico.ca> wrote: > > > > Hello Lori, > > i hope this lengthy letter doesn't bore you too much. If you have any more questions, let me know. I have a lot of memories. > > > > A lot of the old order Amish are still using wood kitchen ranges. Some may have the modernized ones, but I think a lot of them still have the original ones. I am sure if you went to the St. Jacobs market you could talk to them. I think wood cook stoves are still manufactured and available at Elmira Stove Works. A lot of web sites have pictures of the older models. > > > > Our DS ancestors would always keep a pail full of drinking water in their kitchen.a pail of water. There was usually a ladle in the barrel or hanging beside it for anyone thirsty. > > > > The oldest type ranges did not have a water reservoir. The oven was like a box on top of one side of the Kochplatte. The heat from the fire box went around it to ensure (fairly) even heat and then out as smoke to the stove pipe. > > The more modern type f Sporher=Sparherd had a Kessili (water tank). Even my grandmother had one of those in the 1930's. They always had hot water. > > For doing the laundry they used rainwater. Every house had a Regafass (rainbarrel. All white cotton, underskirts, men's Sunday shirts and sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers had to be boiled and were washed with home made soap. > > Most village homes had straw matrasses. Before making the beds the straw had to be re-distributed through an open seam , as it would always get pushed away from the centre during the night. Once a year they would put fresh straw into the Strohsack (palliass). > > > > Women washed their hair with rainwater. The rainwater was brought to a boil. They put wood ashes on an old cloth and poured the boiling water over the ashes like a strainer. When cooled to hand warm temperature his infusion was used to wash their hair. It made their hair very shiny. > > When there children in the house there was always a Scherwl - Scherbe=potsherd (chamberpot) under the bed that needed to be emptied in the morning. > > > > Of course they always pickled peppers and cucumbers. Those pickled peppers or cucumbers, cole slaw or Sauerkraut salad were served with meals in the winter. > > Every house had strings of dried peppers that could be used off season. those dried peppers were also pounded into powder. That's how they got paprika. They would never buy commercial paprika. > > They also had strings of braided onions and garlic hanging in their kitchens. Peeled apples were also dried on stings. My parents always hanged bunches of late grapes in the attic where they would keep till Christmas. > > The DS music was mostly oompah-pah with a Blaskapelle. This continued with the newly arrived immigrants. I still have a tape of our wedding from 1956. > > > > Have a great day, > > Anne Dreer > > > > > > ----- > > _______________________________________________ > > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community > > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community