Idaho

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Letter from George Wanner to Clara Bodrero

Back l-r: Laura, Wilhelmina, Floyd, Kenneth, Ivan, Earl, Hazel, Barbara Bodrero; Sitting: Moses, Wilhelmina, Clara Bodrero

This is a copy of a letter transcribed and in the records of Golden Rulon Andra.

“Preston, Idaho

“Feb. 4th, 1941

“Dear Clara,

“I just ran into your letter of last Dec. Sorry I did not tend to it sooner.

“Well, my father was born October 18th, 1845 in Holzgerlingen, Wurttemburg, Germany. He served in the war in 1866. He also served in the war against France in 1870 and 71. He received the Iron Cross for Bravery.

“After the last war, he moved to Grunkraut, Ravensburg. He got a job from the goverment as a Strassenwarter (road overseer in English). He held that job until 1893 until he immigrated to this country, or until he joined the church.

“I don’t know much about his early life, but I believe he was a weaver of cotton goods. He also had a small farm, and I did most of the work on it.

“In 1893, 21st of June, I think, they all headed to Mapleton, Oneida Co., Idaho. He bought John Nuffer’s farm at Glendale (now Franklin Co., Idaho.)

“Later, he bought the Jed M. Blair farm in Whitney, Idaho. Started to raise sugar beets. (Your mother can tell you the rest.) My father was a sucessful farmer.

“In Jan. 1900, he moved to Logan City, Utah, and did a lot of Tempel work, until his death, which was Feb. 16th, 1922. He was buried in the Logan Cemetary.

“John G. Wanner

“179E. 1st So. St.

Prestn, Idaho

John George Wanner Jr

“P.S. I don’t know anything about the family bible. I know there were a lot of dates and information about the family. I was not present when the furniture was divided.

“I did not get any of it.

“J.G.W.

“This above letter was received by Clara Bodrero, 495 W. 5th No., Logan, Utah, several years ago. John G. Wanner was her grandfather.

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Seaside, Oregon

I wrote about our August 2020 trip previously. During the heights of COVID-19, our little Ross family took a trip through the northwest. The night before Seaside we stopped and played at Rialto Beach. Earlier that same day we were at Hurricane Ridge and the Hoh Rainforest. Six days before at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana. The next day would find us in Astoria, Oregon. In the middle, Superior, Montana. Here is another post I still needed to do for Seaside and Cannon Beaches in Oregon. I am posting this 4 years after the visit, boy how the kids have grown.

Seaside Oregon from the Pacific Ocean

We arrived in the afternoon at Seaside and found our hotel. We grabbed a bite to eat at a little Thai place in town. The next morning we ventured out to Seaside Beach to play.

Shadow of Paul Ross at Seaside Beach on 8 August 2020
Hiram and Aliza Ross playing in the ocean, Amanda walking out to supervise, Lillie trying to fly her kite at Seaside Beach
James Ross playing in the sand at Seaside
Lillie and Aliza got into the digging action with James, Hiram is running to join!

After Seaside, we checked out of our hotel and headed to Cannon Beach.

Hiram, Lillie, Amanda, James (under Amanda), and Aliza Ross at Haystack Rock

By this point in the day it was warmer and more pleasant than the colder water and mist at Seaside. We flew kites and played at Cannon Beach until we had to get on the road to make good progress back to Idaho. I may have even taken a nap in the sun and breeze.

Aliza flying a kite at Haystack Rock near Cannon Beach, Oregon
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Secretary of State preparing arguments on open primaries

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Biography of Anna Maria Schmid Wanner

Wanner Family about 1895

This biography of Anna Maria Schmid Wanner was in a family history book that belonged to Golden Rulon Andra and was given to me by his daughter. I did not have this biography and am happy to share it.

“Anna Maria Schmid Wanner, my grandmother, was born in [Holzgerlingen], [Württemberg], Germany on the 21 of January 1849. She was the daughter of Jacob Friedrich Schmid and Solome Notter. Her mother died when she was two years old. She then had a stepmother who was very cruel to her. They were very poor, and she would go to her grandmothers place and pick over potato peelings for the want of food. She ate the potato peelings for food.

“She started school at the age of six. For years the people in Germany couldn’t grow a thing, and the schools had to feed the children soup in school.

“She was a member of the Protestant church.

“Her father was a linen weaver, and grandmother would walk miles and miles at night through the dark woods to deliver the linen to different people. She had to carry it on her head. She often would be afraid, but she always prayed, and never was harmed.

“She married John George Wanner on the 6th of June 1870. From this union was born to them 5 sons and 5 daughters. They buried 2 sons in Germany. They were married only a short time when her husband called to go to war.

“It was the custom for the women to do the farm work, cutting the hay with the scythe and putting it up by hand.

“When the children needed shoes or dresses the shoemaker and the dressmaker would come to the home.

“Early in the year 1873, the family moved to Greenkraut [Grünkraut], [Württemberg], Germany.

“In 1891, she and her family were converted to the Morman or Latter-Day-Saint church. In her home she had a large room where she would accommodate the missionaries with food and beds, and help them learn the German language.

“In May 1893, she with her husband and family of seven children left Germany to come to America. They arrived at Franklin County [then Oneida County], Idaho on Sunday the 18th of June 1893.

“She left a brother and sister and father in Germany when she came to America. She had a brother named Carl and a sister, Louise Sophia. Grandmother was the youngest child. She was the only one of her fathers family that joined the Latter-Day-Saint church.

“They lived in Glendale, Whitney, and Preston, Idaho and in 1910 they moved to Logan, Utah. She and her husband did lots of Tempel work for their own dead ancestors as well as considerable donation work in the Tempel for other people.

“She obtained many names from Germany which was promised in her Patriarchal blessing, and the work was done for all of them before her death.

“She took sick in December, and died on the 9th of December 1929 of Pneumonia. Her funeral services were held in the 4th ward of Logan, Utah in which she was a member. She was buried by her husband in the cemetery at Logan, Utah.

“NOTE: Her oldest son preceded the family to America. He came over 1 and 1/2 years before the rest of the family. Thus — they only brought 7 children with them.

“This biography was copied from a letter received from Clara Bodrero, 495 W. 5th No., serveral years ago. She does not remember who sent it to her. Logan, Utah.

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Red Rock Pass 2020

Four years ago, I took the kids on a trip. As was tradition for me as a kid, we always stop at Red Rock Pass when driving past. I shared that story and history in a previous post from 2018. That post also had photos of a younger Aliza and Hiram. Now I share these photos from two years later on 26 July 2020. I will have to take more pictures as time pass to show the timelessness of the pass and the marching of time on growing children.

James, Lillie, Hiram, and Aliza Ross climbing Red Rock Pass.
Lillie, Aliza, James, and Hiram Ross

In the background, you can see the road on the right headed to Oxford, Clifton, Dayton, and Weston, Idaho. On the left, the state highway continues on to Swanlake, Winder, and Preston.