|
a.
|
Note: Estate of Gottfried Regal, Deceased, late of Little Suamico To Gottlieb Regal Dr. To services of my wife from Oct 12th 1883 to November 2nd 1883 19 days @@ 80 cents $15.20 To boarding William Julius son of Gottfried Regal, deceased from Jan 28th 1884 to April 2nd 1884 @@ $2.00 per week 9 1/7 weeks 18.28 To Eight days services of my Wife from Jan 1st 1884 to Jan 8th, 1884 day and night nursing Gottfried Regal, deceased, in his last sickness @@ 2.00 per day 8.00 To Making and Mending clothes for William Julius, son of Gottfried Regal, aforesaid while boarding with us 2.25 To self and wife services and travel in taking Anna Regal to Oconto March 12th 1884 one day R.R. fare and 1.50 each 5.20 To Wife services and Travel in going to Oconto and bringing Anna Regal home RR fare and 1.50 2.60 Services and Travel in Proving Will of Gottfried Regal Deceased one day 1.50 and Mileage at 25 miles 1.50 3.00 ______ $39.53 over {missing section?] 54.53 5.20 _____ 59.73 Received from John Grosse, Guardian, the Sum of the within Bill of $59.73 in full of all demand against Gottfried Regal Estate this 6th day of November, 1884 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - --- - - -- - - - - - - - - - -- - - -- - - -- - - -- - "My Father was a jack of all trades, Farming, Dehorning cattle, and selling frozen fish house to house. He owned some cows and horses and some farm equipment. He had a dance Orchestra with 4 Players, two violins a guitar and a bass violin. They played at parties all over the county. For traveling he had two Indian ponies which really could hit the road. Some times my Mother, Sister and Myself would go with them." -- Ervin Albert Regal Will was the second oldest in the family. Aunt Gustie was older. Will was 12 when his father died. All the children were "farmed out" to various family and neighbors. We don't know who went where, only that Will went to live with someone who played the violin and so he learned at an early age to play. That appears to be Gottlieb Regal, at least at the beginning. Somehow the land, which I think at that time was probably 40 acres, maybe 80, just northwest of North Chase Corners, was saved as the inheritance for the five siblings. Will, being the oldest boy, was given the land to farm when he was old enough to do so. At the age of 23, he married Navy Wilson, a young women from the community he probably knew very well, and they took up residence on the farm. Their first child, my Mother, was born a year later, and Uncle Ervin was born two years after that . OCONTO COUNTY REPORTER, July 24, 1896. "The home of Will Regal was destroyed Tuesday by fire, between 11 and 12 a.m. No insurance." [This means that the baby who had just been born was my Mother, Verna Regal who was born July 19, 1896. Augusta Regal, Aunt Gusty, was married to a railroad man, William Gajafsky. The two children who were playing with matches were Caroline 1894 and Sadie 1895 Gajafsky. MEZ] Ardis also said that the family then went to live up in the upstairs of the granary. Since we had a granary on our farm which would be considered palatial by present day standards, and since Ardis assures me that it was a very nice home, I believe that they made do pretty well. For some reason, Will never rebuilt the house. Ardis speculates that it was because he didn't have clear title to the land and so the house would be on land he shared with four siblings. Or it could be that since it was a small farm and he was earning extra money as a band or orchestra leader, things were tight. There also was a depression in the late 1890's, I believe. Will died of pneumonia when my mother, Verna, was about 7 1/2. The story everyone told over and over again is that he was out with his band playing for a dance. Coming back late at night, fording a creek which was swollen with January rains, the wheel of the buggy got stuck. He had to get out to help push as the horse pulled, got the buggy out but came down with pneumonia later from being wet and chilled. Navy, his wife, was a good herbalist, but pneumonia, in those days, was a killer. My mother remembered his hanging on to life for weeks before finally dying. She really loved her Dad. His death was probably her first heartbreak. Verna Regal, my Mother, told me that her father had told his wife repeatedly to "look out over the top of my grave and pick the best man you can find and marry him". His intent was to have his wife and children cared for and to not spend useless time grieving for him. -- MEZ
|
