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Note: *Notes: Recorded by LeAnn Hugeback, Feb., 1993 as recollected by Cecelia Schwery.
"Mike Petsche came from Austria to Illinois. He was single and made money working on a farm to bring Mary to America. They were married and came to Shelby county, IA. They bought a farm near Harlen. Mike built a huge home with a steeple and circular staircase. It looked like a castle. It was built like German homes and the yard had grapevines and a big birch tree. Mike went to Chicago and became ill with pneumonia. He died in Chicago. Mary stayed on the farm. She couldn't handle money well, and after making poor investments, ended up loosing everything. Mary came to live with my family. I thought it was the greatest thing to have grandma live with my family. My house was on a hilltop, (there were several hills on the road we lived on). When Mary died we were driving to the funeral, and the hearse door came open on the hill! (They didn't loose it though)."
"I went to school in Westphalia. I boarded away from home the second year, and I was very lonely, and it was very frightening. I graduated in 1934. All the girls wanted to buy class rings. The nuns thought it was a waste of money, because they cost $16.00, and it was during the depression. The girls managed to buy them anyway. After graduation I stayed at home and worked with my mother. I married LeVern Schwery on 12 Oct. 1937." "LeVern went to rural school until 8th grade, then he farmed with his father. After we were married we moved to a farm near Panama until 1945. Then we bought a farm near Vail, (where Mark and Betty Lou Schwery now live). It was 238 acres, and it cost $32,000. Our first year we owned six beautiful hogs."
"During the great depression a dollar went a lot farther then today. A loaf of bread was $ .10. A box of Cornflakes was $ .19 to $ .39. Coffee was $ .25 a pound. Hogs went for $ .04 a pound. A dance was $ .25 for admission and $ .25 for your lunch when you got in. No alcohol was served at the dance. If any drinking was done it was in the parking lot."
"My first car rides were with LeVern when we were dating. We dated every Wed. night and Sat. for three years. We would sometimes go to the show. We never would date on a Sat. night, because you would be preparing for church the next day. Some days LeVern couldn't drive to my house because of the dirt roads, so he would ride a horse instead. Depending on the condition of the road, I could anticipate the mode of travel."
"My first dealings with electricity, were the "Home Delta Plant". It was like a generator made up of batteries, that had to be kept charged. When we moved to Vail, IA, the town had no electricity. We had all the appliances, but no electricity! LeVern worked to get it to town. It took about a year. I remember my folks bringing ice home for their wooden refrigerator."
*Additional Notes: Recorded by LeAnn Hugeback, Jun., 1998 as recollected by Cecelia Schwery.
"For entertainment, before we were married, we'd go to the dances two or three times a week. The 'Klubhaus' in Westphalia is where we went. We played cards and pool. It was a meeting place for us kids after school. School was right there in town. It cost $ .25 to get in and $ .25 for lunch. Didn't have to have a date to get in. No alcohol was served. Wedding dances were free. To get money, you could work as a hired girl. You got $2.00 a week - working from morning to night. You could work in restaurants or housekeeping. I didn't work out very much, so I stayed home with my mother and helped her. We used to churn butter once a week. Mother made her own bread and cake and pies. We kids had to bring wood and cobs for the stove and furnace. The kids always knew what their chores were.
At haying time we had to help pull the rope on the rake. I never milked cows either. I had seven brothers. I had to gather eggs though. We had to take lunch out to the men in the field in the afternoon, otherwise it was too long a day. Oat slashing time, all the farmers would get together to do the fields. All the women were busy making lunch and dinner. Sometimes we had to wait until that morning to butcher the chickens 'cause they wouldn't keep. We had an icebox. We'd buy a 25 lb. block of ice from time to time. Butter and milk would often sour. We'd have it down the well on a cistern to keep cold. At night you had to go out to the outhouse. Your were never sure what you'd find. They used to have barn dances. People just played the instruments that they had. I guess they played good enough music for us to dance too. We had a favorite dog - 'Spot'. Black and white dog. Nice dog. During the holidays dad would cut a Christmas tree down - didn't always have a tree. We had a big table and each of us kids had a spot and that's were our present would be. At Easter time we used to dye eggs. We always had our baskets for eggs and candy. We never had Easter egg hunts. We always had new hats. I didn't like hats much, but we always had to have a new hat. On the 4th of July we'd get up in the morning and clean chickens. Dad would go to town and get ice and we'd have homemade ice cream. So we'd have fried chicken and we had some small fireworks. We could see Harlan fireworks from our upstairs window. We'd take a horse and buggy to school. In the winter time we'd take a sled. We left the wagon in a barn in town that someone let us use. It was 3 ? miles from our farm to school. Sometimes we had to walk and we'd take a ride from anyone. My grandparents lived just up the road. They had lots of fruit trees and a beautiful birch tree. When Grandpa came over from Austria, he raised enough money to bring Grandma over. He built her a big enough house that she'd never want another. When grandpa Petsche died, grandma came to live with us. She'd always tell us stories while we washed dishes and we'd laugh and laugh. We sure enjoyed having her living with us. My mother's mother died when she was seven. Grandpa Jacoby kept all the children together after their mother's death. He had to teach them (the children) to cook and clean. On Sat., he'd make them children all shine their shoes and get prepared for church on Sun. He made sure all those kids got to church. Shivaree - They'd get together and the newly weds had to treat them to drinks and food - or maybe they'd bring it? I would last about two days. Wouldn't have a shivaree until a day or two after the wedding. Don't know how many kegs of beer they'd have. My dad said he had a real good one; lasted three days. Big wedding. My folks would talk German. They didn't speak a lot of German, 'cause they wanted us to learn English. I never learned German though I knew a few phrases."
Obituary July 05 - Cecila Catherine Schwery was born November 23, 1915, to the loving parents of John and Elizabeth Jacoby Petsche. She died Sunday, July 3, 2005, at the Denison Care Center in Denison, Iowa at the age of eighty-nine. Cecelia was born in Westphalia, Iowa and received her education at St. Boniface Catholic School, graduating with the class of 1934. On October 12, 1937, she was united in marriage to LeVern Schwery at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Westphalia. The couple settled on a farm in Panama, Iowa and in 1945 moved and purchased the family farm south of Vail, and were blessed with the birth of ten children. They resided there until 1961 and then retired and moved into the town of Vail. She was the matriarch of the Schwery family. Cecelia was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who enjoyed her family very much. Her children and grandchildren were her life, and she will be remembered for the warmth of her kitchen and love that was offered to all. Cecelia was a very active member of St. Ann Catholic Church in Vail. For years, she was one of the four ladies to head the funeral dinner committee and was one of the early organizers of the Legion of Mary. For over thirty-five years she would walk to church and lead the Rosary. Cecelia was an enthusiastic member of the Altar Society, the St. Ann Quilters Club, and a member of the Get Together Club for more than fifty years. She enjoyed baking, canning, sewing, needlework, quilting, and gardening. She traveled extensively with LeVern to Spain, Hawaii, most of the United States, South America, and was especially fond of fishing in Minnesota and Canada. She is survived by her children: Mark and his wife, Betty of Vail;' John of Carroll; Richard of Vail; Roger and his wife, Gaye of Johnstown, Colorado; and Dale and his wife, Sue of Loveland, Colorado; a daughter, Nancy Hugeback of Odebolt; and son-in-law, Jerry Vonnahme of Washington, Iowa. She was also blessed with thirty-two grandchildren and forty-six great-grandchildren. Surviving siblings are sister Estella Boettger of Harlan; brother Lawrence Petsche and his wife, Helen of Harlan; seven sisters-in-law, Helen Petsche of Harlan; Zita Engel of Westphalia; Nonna Adams of Santa Cruz, California; Theresa Wellman of Meola; Veralda Schwery of Harlan; Millie Leuschen of Portsmouth; Cleo Nelsen and her husband, Newmark (Dane) of Mercer Island, Washington; and hundreds of nieces and nephews, and other relatives, and many friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; three sons, Michael and James in infancy; Galen Schwery and his wife, Betty; her daughter Carol Vonnahme; her son-in-law, Virgil Hugeback; her sister, Agnes Chamberlain and her husband, Irvin; six brothers; George and his wife, Susan; John and his wife, Alma; Tony and his wife, Marjorie; Frank; Leo an his wife, Catherine; and Mike; six brother-in-law, Bill Boettger; Alfred Schwer6y and his wife, Romana; Leonard Adams; Larry Engel; Leonard Wellman; Melvin Schwery; and Bill Leuschen; four sisters-in-law, Margaret Coenen and her husband, Wilford; Viola Leinen and her husband, Zeno; magdalene Hodapp and her husband, Walter; and Verena Maiwald and husband, Joe. Ceclia was a respected and gentle woman to everyone who had the blessing of knowing her.
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Social Security Death Index about Cecelia C. Schwery Name: Cecelia C. Schwery SSN: 481-62-0914 Last Residence: 51465 Vail, Crawford, Iowa Born: 23 Nov 1915 Died: 3 Jul 2005 State (Year) SSN issued: Iowa (1964)
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Iowa, Delayed Birth Records, 1856-1940 Name: Cecelia Catherine Petsche Schwery Gender: Female Race: White Birth Date: 23 Nov 1915 Birth Place: Westphalia Township, Shelby, Iowa, USA Father: John Petsche Mother: Elizabeth Jacobi Certificate Number: 386990
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Iowa, Marriage Records, 1880-1940 Name: Cecelia Petsche Gender: Female Race: White Age: 22 Birth Year: abt 1915 Birth Place: Westphalia Iowa Residence Place: Westphalia, IA Marriage Date: 12 Oct 1937 Marriage Place: Westphalia, Iowa, USA Father: John Petsche Mother: Elizabeth Jacoby Spouse: Le Vern Schwery
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