Most days of most lives are “ordinary.” But, our ordinary is likely very different than the ordinary of our ancestors. Though, in some ways things are probably similar. I’m using a random number generator to decide how many years to go back in time.  The intent is to see which ancestors were living, where they lived, the basics of what was going on in their lives, and what was going on in the world around them.

13 December 2017 – Wednesday

Here in 2017, we are counting down the days to Christmas. In Southern Minnesota, we only have a dusting of snow on the ground, but the southern United States including San Antonio, Texas and Alabama got to enjoy a winter storm complete with snow a few days ago. Climate change has the earth very confused.

We are actually almost ready for Christmas here at my house. The decorations are up. The ingredients for cookies are assembled and this baker is having a hard time waiting a few more days until it is close enough to Christmas to bake. The candy making has begun. The shopping is almost complete and the online purchases have arrived. Almost everything has been wrapped. The Christmas cards are ready for the mail – if only someone would lick the envelopes. With Christmas only two-weeks away, we have even been singing a few Christmas songs in church already. I think we’ll be ready when the holiday arrives!

World headlines include:

• As California firefighters get ahead of some wildfires, others still rage.
• New evacuations ordered as California wildfires whip across region.
• House could subpoena Donald Trump Jr., Rep. Jim Himes says.
• Ambassador Haley says Trump accusers have right to be heard.
• Trump has “no appreciation for diplomacy” : Top Dem.
• Weather threatens both sides of the country.
• Most Ala. Republicans say they’re voting for Moore.
• Trump under attack over Moore.
• Arab foreign ministers blast Trump over Jerusalem.
• No escaping Big Brother in China.
• Democrats call for Congress to probe allegations of Trump’s sexual misconduct.
• Democrat Doug Jones beats controversial Republican Roy Moore in Alabama Senate Race.

But now we’ll travel back in time to check in on  our ancestors. This post is closer in time to us than my previous two, Going back 347 years to 15 November 1670 and Going back 102 years to 18 October 1915. We even know a few people who were alive back then.

13 December 1942 – Sunday

We have 21 direct ancestors who were living on 13 December 1942. Not counting those who are still alive today, the youngest was 38 and the oldest was 86. Only 38% of these folks lived on farms.

Name	Age	Residence in 1942
Norman Arthur August Krueger	38	Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin
Selma “Sally” Cornelia Aschbrenner	38	Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin
Lona Iona Fawcett	40	Austin, Mower, Minnesota
Bennett Nils Christianson	40	Newry, Freeborn, Minnesota
Margaret Olga Aldahl	40	Newry, Freeborn, Minnesota
Leona Catherine Miller	43	Sandwich, De Kalb, Illinois
Thomas Leland Estes	46	Austin, Mower, Minnesota
Floyd Boyce Phillips	51	Sandwich, De Kalb, Illinois
Barbara Mary Meyer	61	Albert Lea, Freeborn, Minnesota
Alice Rosalie Fehlhaber	62	Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin
Bertha H Stemson	65	Udolpho, Mower, Minnesota
Frederick A Helmut Aschbrenner	68	Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin
Christian Bennett “C.B.” Christianson	68	Udolpho, Mower, Minnesota
Harry Allen Lawrence Fawcett	70	Albert Lea, Freeborn, Minnesota
Gertrude Lovin Boyce	77	Aurora, Kane, Illinois
Clara Christine Elsabe Freese	83	Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin
John Thomas Estes	86	Castana, Monona, Iowa (maybe)

Where did they live?

Our ancestors all lived in the Midwestern United States on 13 Dec 1942. We find the Kruegers in Wisconsin, the Phillipses in Illinois, the Christiansons in Minnesota, and the Esteses in Minnesota and Iowa.

What was happening in the World and the Nation?

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the president of the United States. He was in his third term as President. Yes, third term. The constitution had not yet been amended to have a two-term limit. (He actually won the election of 1944 and earned a fourth-term, but that hadn’t happened yet in December 1942.)

Almost exactly a year earlier, on 7 Dec 1941, the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States into World War II. Americans were doing their part to support the war by supplying troops and making sacrifices. On 1 Dec 1942, gas rationing had begun in the US. In early December, there was heavy fighting in Tunisia and the US began its first bombing in Italy.

On 13 Dec 1942, the Washington Redskins defeated the Chicago Bears 15-6 to win the NFL title. You can see highlights of the game on YouTube. The 1942 football season was the first season since the United States entered World War II. The war affected the game. More than 300 players who had been on NFL rosters entered the military. Some left in the middle of the season. The Chicago Bears were undefeated leading up to the title game, despite having lost half of their players to military service. But, on 1 November 1942, their head coach, who had served in the Navy in World War I, was called back to duty. The final game was coached by two assistants who “co-coached.” The Bears were favored, having beat the Redskins in the same game 2 years earlier with a score of 73-0. But, in a hard fought game, the Redskins came out on top, winning the championship.

The movie Holiday Inn, which has since become a holiday classic, was released in 1942. Starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, with music by Irving Berlin, it brought people to the theaters and gave us the song Happy Holidays. It’s song, White Christmas, later earned the film the Academy Award for Best Original song.

Families

Christianson

Name	Age	Residence in 1942
Bennett Nils Christianson	40	Newry, Freeborn, Minnesota
Margaret Olga Aldahl	40	Newry, Freeborn, Minnesota
Bertha H Stemson	65	Udolpho, Mower, Minnesota
Christian Bennett “C.B.” Christianson	68	Udolpho, Mower, Minnesota

Our Christianson ancestors were living on farms in Southern Minnesota on 13 Dec 1942.

Bennett and Margaret Christianson were raising their three young boys on the farm in Newry Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota.

Bennett’s parents, Christian Bennett “C.B.” and Bertha Christianson, were still alive and living nearby, across the county line in Udolpho Township, Mower County, Minnesota. Their older children, like Bennett, were married with families of their own, but their youngest sons were probably still around the farm. C.B. and Bertha had already buried two of their eleven children, but had fourteen grandchildren by 13 Dec 1942, namely: Burton, Evelyn, Chester, Merlin, David, LaVern, Charles, Don, Rosalie, Marjorie, Phyllis, Dean, Marlys, and Douglas.

C.B. and Bertha had electricity and a telephone because they lived on a main road. Bennett and Margaret did not. The war had put an pause on efforts to provide services to rural homes.

The headline in the Minneapolis Sunday Tribune and Star Journal on 13 Dec 1942 was, “British Pound Rommel Line.” The front page was full of war news including a story from London titled, “Rouen Hit in Roaring Air Drive: 20 Enemy Planes shot down;” one from Australia titled, “Allies Bomb Japs at Lae, Salamaua,” and one from Moscow titled, “Russ Take 74,500 Axis Prisoners.” The front page also had an article called, “Rubber Breeches Taboo.” It explained that rubber pants and wide-rimmed milk-bottle nipples would not be available due to the rubber shortage and priority of the war. Babies would have to use plastic pants instead. So, even babies (and their mothers) were making war sacrifices.

Not everyone had to serve in the military, but the Christianson sons and a son-in-law, all had to register for the draft. C.B. served on the draft board in Mower County and was the registrar for some of his sons.

C.B. and Bertha’s son, Orville Byron Christianson, was already serving in World War II on 13 Dec 1942. He served in the US Army from 28 June 1941 to 11 November 1945. He spent two and a half years in the China-Burma India Theater.

Estes

Name	Age	Residence in 1942
Lona Iona Fawcett	40	Austin, Mower, Minnesota
Thomas Leland Estes	46	Austin, Mower, Minnesota
Barbara Mary Meyer	61	Albert Lea, Freeborn, Minnesota
Harry Allen Lawrence Fawcett	70	Albert Lea, Freeborn, Minnesota
John Thomas Estes	86	Castana, Monona, Iowa

The Estes and Fawcett ancestors were living in Southern Minnesota on 13 Dec 1942, with the exception of John Thomas Estes. We can’t be sure where he really lived then. When the 1940 census was taken, he lived in Iowa. But, by 1942, he may not have had a permanent address. In his later years, he moved around the country living with his children. His granddaughter remembered that they would get a phone call from one of her aunts or uncles telling them to pick up John from the train station. When they got tired of him, they would put him on the train and send him on to another of his children.

Harry and Barbara Fawcett lived in Albert Lea, Freeborn, Minnesota, on 13 Dec 1942. They had a small house on the west side of town in what was called the School Addition.

Austin, MN 55912

Albert Lea, MN 56007

Tom and Lona were living in the Maple View Addition of Austin, Mower, Minnesota. They were probably still excited about Tom’s new job. On 2 Sep 1942, he got hired into Hormel’s. Working in the meat packing plant was steady work and paid well. He called the job a “gravy train.” The family also welcomed their first grandchild in Sep 1942, so these were happy times. Even so, concerns of the war probably weighed heavily on the family. Tom, his three oldest sons, and his son-in-law all had to register for the draft.

The twins, Jim and Chuck, weren’t called for service, but in March 1943, Thomas Duane, the oldest son of Tom and Lona, went off to fight in World War II. Son-in-law, Elmer Peterson, also went off to war.

Krueger

Name	Age	Residence in 1942
Norman Arthur August Krueger	38	Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin
Selma “Sally” Cornelia Aschbrenner	38	Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin
Alice Rosalie Fehlhaber	62	Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin
Frederick A Helmut Aschbrenner	68	Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin
Clara Christine Elsabe Freese	83	Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin

All of our Krueger ancestors were living in Wausau, Marathon County, Wisconsin, on 13 Dec 1942.

At 83-years old, Clara Christine Elsabe Freese Lemke Boettcher was the oldest ancestor in this branch of the family. An article about her 80th birthday celebration in the Wausau Daily Herald from three years earlier stated, “Mrs. Boettcher still leads an active life. She does her own housework, is interested in current events and still continues her church activities, being a member of the ladies’ aid societies of Underwood chapel and the First Presbyterian church.” That party has been hosted by two of her granddaughters, Sadie and Irene, who were sisters of Norman Krueger. We can’t be sure exactly where Clara lived on 13 Dec 1942. She had lived at 701 Prospect Avenue for decades, and was still there when the census was taken in 1940. But, at the time of her death in Nov 1943, she was living at 811 1/2 Werle Avenue.

Wausau, WI 54403

Wausau, WI 54401

Wausau, WI 54401

We do know that Alice, Frederick, Norman, Sally, and the two Krueger children, were all living together at 703 Werle Avenue. Due to Sally’s failing health, the young Krueger family had moved in with Sally’s parents by that time.

As they prepared for the upcoming holidays and winter months, it is possible that Alice had pickled herring curing in a crock. It probably depended upon whether the fish were available in the midst of the war.¹

Phillips

Name	Age	Residence in 1942
Leona Catherine Miller	43	Sandwich, De Kalb, Illinois
Floyd Boyce Phillips	51	Sandwich, De Kalb, Illinois
Gertrude Lovin Boyce	77	Aurora, Kane, Illinois

Our Phillips ancestors were living in Illinois on 13 Dec 1942. Gertrude, a widow, may have still been living at her house on the Baseline Road. Her death certificate in Mar 1957, indicated that she had lived at her last home, a nursing home called Sunnymere, for fourteen years. So, she may have moved there or was making plans to do so in Dec 1942. Not wanting to be a burden in her sons’ homes, she herself had decided to make the move to Sunnymere.

Big Rock, IL 60511

Floyd, Leona and their three children lived on a farm north of the town of Sandwich. It was the same farm that Leona had grown up on.

Floyd and Leona’s oldest son was 16-years old, so they may have already been nervous about how long World War II would last and whether or not they’d have to send a son to fight. The headline in the Chicago Tribune on this date read, “Cold Wave! Fuel Oil Crisis,” and the front page stories included reports from the war and an article titled, “Dealers defy red tape; charge rationing fails.” There must have been some level of tension and unease for even a successful farm family.

Just as in the volatile world of 2017, our ancestors probably had stress and worries about the war and the world around them. Maybe they shared our feelings that the world had gone crazy? But, they also had family and friends, and preparations to make for Christmas. Their access to many basic things we take for granted was being limited due to war rationing and shortages. We probably cannot even imagine the sacrifices that they made during World War II. And they probably can’t imagine how much Christmas shopping we do and how much of it we can do just sitting in the comfort of our own homes via the internet. But, I’m pretty sure they were saying “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year” just as we do today! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

Notes

¹ Note: Norman Krueger surely had to register for the draft like the other men in this post, but the registration records for Wisconsin are not available at this point in time.

Sources

Ancestry.com, U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta) (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011), www.ancestry.com.

Ancestry.com, U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010), ancestry.com, The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri.

Chicago Sunday Tribune, 13 Dec 1942, page 1, Newspapers.com, 10 Dec 2017, https://www.newspapers.com/image/194954409/.

“Dec 13 1942,” On This Day, Web, 13 Nov 2017, https://www.onthisday.com/date/1942/december/13.

“Minnesota transportation map: Highways, railroads, canals, air lanes, and dredged channels, 1944,” University of Minnesota, Web, 9 Dec 2017, http://umedia.lib.umn.edu/node/940822?mode=basic.

“NFL Championship Games, 1942: Chicago Bears @ Washington Redskins,” Golden Football Magazine, Web, 10 Dec 2017, http://goldenrankings.com/nflchampionshipgame1942.html.

“Plat book of the state of Minnesota, Freeborn County, 1916,” image 150, University of Minnesota, Web, 9 Dec 2017, http://umedia.lib.umn.edu/node/668354?mode=basic.

“Plat book of the state of Minnesota, Mower County, 1916,” image 308, University of Minnesota, Web, 9 Dec 2017, http://umedia.lib.umn.edu/node/668354?mode=basic.

“Scrap,” National Archives Catalog, Web, 13 Nov 2017, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/515359.

Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Multiple Registrations (Minnesota, The National Archives, 13-Jan-1923), https://www.fold3.com.

“Timeline of World War II (1942),” Wikipedia, Web, 13 Nov 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1942)#December_1942.

The Minneapolis Sunday Tribune and Star Journal, 13 Dec 1942, page 1, Newspapers.com, 8 Dec 2017, https://www.newspapers.com/image/187616267/.

“We hereby resolve – remember December 7th,” National Archives Catalog, Web, 13 Nov 2017, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/513637.