Here is your Opa (me) with my "Opoe" 1949...yes, a very long time ago I was this little toe-headed butter ball of a baby, I was one year old in this picture. Opoe and Opa are "country dutch" slang for grandma and grandpa.
My nana, (my moms mother and your great great grandmother) in 1949. Nana's family came to California from Kansas and Oklahoma about 1920. They were mostly farmers and teachers in the Carmen, Oklahoma area. Nana would be your great-great grandmother. My Nana was a seamstress which does not pay that well but somehow she was able to give us many gifts on Xmas, a vacation home in the mountains and another in the desert. How all this was done is beyond me but some of it must of rubbed off on your great grandmother (my mom) because our parents raised 6 kids, mostly private schooling, vacations every summer and a vacation home in the mountains on middle-class income. I have no photos of my grandfather but I do know that he retired as a milkman.
I must be about 8 or 9 here in my best Catholic school shirt and tie.
Like many other young men in the '60's I served two tours in Vietnam and lucky to come home with all my fingers and toes. Apparently I didn't have to keep my boots spit-shined.☺
Ashley and Riley, this is your Opa's and Granny wedding photo 1-1-1978 (note the cool "love bug" sweater. We met at Chico State College in 1975 and have never looked back. Your granny was quite the catch for me but see how dark my hair was here and look at it just 6 years later!
Here are Granny and Opa sometime in 1984 and as you can see, my hair is quickly going grey already.
Your opa worked the crap game for four different casino's for 34 years until he retired in 2011.
Don't let granny try and tell you two kids what a "sweet little old lady" she is, granny had a bit of a wild streak in her. Granny loved riding on the back of opa's Harley, big roller-coasters, waterskiing and traveling to Mexico.
When you happen upon this blog, 10 or 20 years from now, you will realize that your grandparents were a fun loving couple and because we love you both very much wanted to leave you a little history. I am going to ask Granny to blog her side of the family too.
My mom and dad, your great grandparents, had a very formal wedding. My mom was so beautiful and smart but was taken from us at an early age. Dad was handsome and smart beyond most people I know. One of his greatest attributes was common sense...the man just knew right from wrong his whole life. Dad had a full life and lived well into his mid 80's. I am so glad that he got to see Ashley before passing within a year.
Here I am kneeling on the ground with my mom and dad, my great grandma Carter which means that grandma Carter (that's all ever called her) would of been you great-great-great grandma Carter and my brother and sister, Jackie and Jeanne. (your uncle and aunt) I put this photo at around 1952.
As you can see, even though your great grandfather is in his 80's he was still a handsome man.
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But you can see from this picture just how much fun your great-great grandmother and great-great grandfather must of been. My Opa was a master carpenter who came to this country from Holland in the 1920's by himself. After he established a home and job, the family was sent from Holland to join him in Los Angeles in 1931.
Here is the Zwart clan: top row left to right; Joey, Marie, Opa, Opoe and Bets
bottom row left to right: Joe, Ted, Bill and my father Jacob.
My aunt Marie still did not like the Germans late in life because they had attacked Holland in WWII and even a few Zwart's lost their lives because of it...but I have to say, that they all look very Germanic to me.
Kids, I don't know any other way to save this document other than copy and paste. My Opoe's oldest girl (Marie) has a near eidetic memory and wrote down her memoirs at our urging. Here is what was written.
March 8, 2006
I am going to start with my Mom and Dad. God truly blessed we Zwart
kids with wonderful loving parents. My Dad was not just a carpenter; he was a gifted craftsman, who could do wonders with wood. Just recently Jacky mentioned that he was a great babysitter. When his Dad was still in the Pacific during the war, his Mom, Charlene, would bring him over to visit Opa and Opoe. He would sit in the backyard and watch his Opa chisel wood, and as it curled off he would
throw it to him to play with.
In 1950 Daddy was diagnosed with Colon cancer and had to have a colostomy. He recovered and went back to work. In 1952 Joe and Bonnie belonged to the Big Pines ski club and arranged for Bets and her kids and Charlene and hers and Lloyd and I to spend a week at the lodge. Before we left I had taken Daddy to see Dr. Hope because Daddy did not feel well. Dr. Hope took lots of xrays and said he’d have the results in about 3 days. We had a great time at the lodge. The kids remember the bear cage? When we got home Daddy was waiting for us on the driveway. I asked him what Dr. Hope had said...he said “Oh Marie thank God I don’t have TB, because if I did I would not be able to be around my grandchildren.” He took such great pleasure in taking them to Westlake Park to feed the ducks. That was my Dad.
kids with wonderful loving parents. My Dad was not just a carpenter; he was a gifted craftsman, who could do wonders with wood. Just recently Jacky mentioned that he was a great babysitter. When his Dad was still in the Pacific during the war, his Mom, Charlene, would bring him over to visit Opa and Opoe. He would sit in the backyard and watch his Opa chisel wood, and as it curled off he would
throw it to him to play with.
In 1950 Daddy was diagnosed with Colon cancer and had to have a colostomy. He recovered and went back to work. In 1952 Joe and Bonnie belonged to the Big Pines ski club and arranged for Bets and her kids and Charlene and hers and Lloyd and I to spend a week at the lodge. Before we left I had taken Daddy to see Dr. Hope because Daddy did not feel well. Dr. Hope took lots of xrays and said he’d have the results in about 3 days. We had a great time at the lodge. The kids remember the bear cage? When we got home Daddy was waiting for us on the driveway. I asked him what Dr. Hope had said...he said “Oh Marie thank God I don’t have TB, because if I did I would not be able to be around my grandchildren.” He took such great pleasure in taking them to Westlake Park to feed the ducks. That was my Dad.
Our Mom was such a very wise woman and had a great sense of intuition. I once asked her,” Mom how do you do that? Know sometimes what I am thinking? She said I just look in your eyes.
I remember one time when we were all in Whittier at Bets and Buds house. Kathy and Paul were there and she was pregnant. When Beeps and Stu came in they greeted Opoe, and she said, “You are pregnant.” Beeps said, “No Opoe, Kathy is pregnant, and my Mom said “I know that, but you are too.” ...and she was but they had not told anyone.
My Dad was raised on a farm in Obdam, but always wanted to move to a big city and become a carpenter. The nearest big city was Haarlem, and so he moved there. Let me jump ahead a little here. He also dreamed of coming to America. After he and Mom were married they made the decision that is what they would do. My Dad applied for a quota number but there was not one available at that time, so he was able to get one for Canada. He decided to take it then he would immigrate to America from there. He went to Obdam to tell Opoe Zwart, who said that if he did that, she would never see him or my Mom and her grandchildren ever again, and that she would go to bed and die. Needless to say he cancelled, cause he did not want that on his conscience. Sometime later he applied again, and was sponsored by the Bouman family who had come here a year or so earlier. You had to be sponsored at the time, so you would not become a burden to the state. He left Rotterdam on the SS. Lucitania, and later told us the trip, remember it was late Dec. stood on end and he thought he’d never get to America. Mom and Dad owned a grocery store, which they had bought from her sister Anna and her husband Oome Willem Van Oppen, They had decided to move to Brunsum, Limburg where another Sister Tante Marie Van Oppen, and her husband Oome Joop lived. They had married brothers.
When Daddy left Holland, Joey was about 1 1/2 yrs old, Joe was 2 1/2
Bets 4, me 5, Jack 6 Ted 7, Bill 10. So Mom had her hands full running
the store, and taking care of us. Tante Marie in Limburg sent one of her sons Frans to live with Mom and help her with the store. We have pictures of Bill, Ted, and Jack on a motorcycle and in the drivers seat is Frans. Bill had graduated from 8th grade and in those days high school and college were so expensive only the rich could afford to send their kids. The address of the store where we lived was 154 Clerckqstraad.
It took my Mom 2 years to get 8 quota numbers. We left Haarlem, for Rotterdam in mid Nov. of 1930 aboard the SS Rotterdam. We arrived very late at the dock, and all I remember seeing was this huge black wall, then as I looked up and up I saw the lighted portholes and realized it was the black hull of the ship I was looking at. Opoe Zwart and her son Wim were there to see us off. Opoe gave each of us a holy card on which she had written, “ I love you and please pray for me”. I still have mine and so does Bets. A Rotterdam newspaper had sent a reporter on the trip to write why the families were going to America. He also took pictures. Togged a little ahead of myself here...after we arrived here someone sent us the article he had written. The headline was: Westward Ho and below it was a picture of a smokestack, and on top to the left is my brother Bill and right top is Ted. In the article he mentions that the two Hollander boys had to take care of their 5 younger siblings because their mother was so seasick.
I remember one time when we were all in Whittier at Bets and Buds house. Kathy and Paul were there and she was pregnant. When Beeps and Stu came in they greeted Opoe, and she said, “You are pregnant.” Beeps said, “No Opoe, Kathy is pregnant, and my Mom said “I know that, but you are too.” ...and she was but they had not told anyone.
My Dad was raised on a farm in Obdam, but always wanted to move to a big city and become a carpenter. The nearest big city was Haarlem, and so he moved there. Let me jump ahead a little here. He also dreamed of coming to America. After he and Mom were married they made the decision that is what they would do. My Dad applied for a quota number but there was not one available at that time, so he was able to get one for Canada. He decided to take it then he would immigrate to America from there. He went to Obdam to tell Opoe Zwart, who said that if he did that, she would never see him or my Mom and her grandchildren ever again, and that she would go to bed and die. Needless to say he cancelled, cause he did not want that on his conscience. Sometime later he applied again, and was sponsored by the Bouman family who had come here a year or so earlier. You had to be sponsored at the time, so you would not become a burden to the state. He left Rotterdam on the SS. Lucitania, and later told us the trip, remember it was late Dec. stood on end and he thought he’d never get to America. Mom and Dad owned a grocery store, which they had bought from her sister Anna and her husband Oome Willem Van Oppen, They had decided to move to Brunsum, Limburg where another Sister Tante Marie Van Oppen, and her husband Oome Joop lived. They had married brothers.
When Daddy left Holland, Joey was about 1 1/2 yrs old, Joe was 2 1/2
Bets 4, me 5, Jack 6 Ted 7, Bill 10. So Mom had her hands full running
the store, and taking care of us. Tante Marie in Limburg sent one of her sons Frans to live with Mom and help her with the store. We have pictures of Bill, Ted, and Jack on a motorcycle and in the drivers seat is Frans. Bill had graduated from 8th grade and in those days high school and college were so expensive only the rich could afford to send their kids. The address of the store where we lived was 154 Clerckqstraad.
It took my Mom 2 years to get 8 quota numbers. We left Haarlem, for Rotterdam in mid Nov. of 1930 aboard the SS Rotterdam. We arrived very late at the dock, and all I remember seeing was this huge black wall, then as I looked up and up I saw the lighted portholes and realized it was the black hull of the ship I was looking at. Opoe Zwart and her son Wim were there to see us off. Opoe gave each of us a holy card on which she had written, “ I love you and please pray for me”. I still have mine and so does Bets. A Rotterdam newspaper had sent a reporter on the trip to write why the families were going to America. He also took pictures. Togged a little ahead of myself here...after we arrived here someone sent us the article he had written. The headline was: Westward Ho and below it was a picture of a smokestack, and on top to the left is my brother Bill and right top is Ted. In the article he mentions that the two Hollander boys had to take care of their 5 younger siblings because their mother was so seasick.
The stewards gave my Mom a shot of whiskey to settle her stomach; I was sick too but did not get anything. My brother Jack used to write messages and put them in a bottle and threw them out of the porthole, but never got a message back. Joe remembers that he and Joey ran back and forth across the deck and says he now wonders why they did not go overboard. I remember that Jack and I found ourselves in first class and they had a great indoor pool, but were chased out before we had a chance to take a dip. We had a swimming pool too, but it was a cargo hold, top removed and netting placed around the sides and the bottom. Bets remember the great tasting salt crackers she ate, we were given hot bouillon, because I remember it was Nov. and Dec. Mom had arranged that we would take the train from New York to LA, but half way through the trip she realized what freedom we had, and how cooped up we’d be on a long cross country trip on a train. She arranged to go by ship instead.
We were all on deck early in the morning when we passed the Statue of Liberty, and finally stopped in Hoboken, New Jersey at Staten Island. It was a huge warehouse type building, lots of Drs., nurses etc. We were examined from head to toe. I remember them combing our hair for lice,
and with a pencil or something they rolled our eyelids over it. Never
could figure out what they were looking for. Mom had an ulcerated sore on her left leg and she was worried that while they had passed her in Holland, they might not here, but they did.
The ship, the SS Pennsylvania would not arrive in NY till a week later, so we stayed in a hotel. Joey got land sick, so someone at the hotel said that orange juice or an orange would make her feel better. So Mom sent we 4 oldest to find a market and get the biggest oranges we could find. We got lost and ended up in a city dump and were chased out by police on horseback. We finally found a store and bought the biggest oranges we could find. Mom peeled one and gave Joey a piece...she frowned and did not like it...turns out they were grapefruit.
Mom and we 4 youngest were in one stateroom and Bill and Ted and Jack were in an adjoining one; we ate our meals in a small room next to the dining room. That was the first time I drank canned milk, I did not like it and still don't.
We were all on deck early in the morning when we passed the Statue of Liberty, and finally stopped in Hoboken, New Jersey at Staten Island. It was a huge warehouse type building, lots of Drs., nurses etc. We were examined from head to toe. I remember them combing our hair for lice,
and with a pencil or something they rolled our eyelids over it. Never
could figure out what they were looking for. Mom had an ulcerated sore on her left leg and she was worried that while they had passed her in Holland, they might not here, but they did.
The ship, the SS Pennsylvania would not arrive in NY till a week later, so we stayed in a hotel. Joey got land sick, so someone at the hotel said that orange juice or an orange would make her feel better. So Mom sent we 4 oldest to find a market and get the biggest oranges we could find. We got lost and ended up in a city dump and were chased out by police on horseback. We finally found a store and bought the biggest oranges we could find. Mom peeled one and gave Joey a piece...she frowned and did not like it...turns out they were grapefruit.
Mom and we 4 youngest were in one stateroom and Bill and Ted and Jack were in an adjoining one; we ate our meals in a small room next to the dining room. That was the first time I drank canned milk, I did not like it and still don't.
I can still remember going thru the Panama Canal, first the locks then we were on a river, jungle on either side of us, and houses built on stilts.We arrived in San Pedro, Jan. 3,1931, and there was Daddy on the dock.
He had rented a house on Bonsallo, off Washington Blvd. and had
registered us at St. Vincent School, but Mom found the house not suited
for a family of 9, so we moved to a house on Menlo Ave. near Washington and Vermont. There was a big lot next to us then a 3-story building, and a big sign on it said HILLS BROS. COFFEE, first English words I read. Dad enrolled we 5 oldest at St. Thomas Catholic School. The Pastor Fr. Gallager was great to my Dad. He knew it would be expensive for my Dad, so he paid the $1.oo mo. tuition for him. Then there were an order of Nuns just invited to come to LA by our Bishop, they lived in building next to church on Pico Blvd. We 5 were given a hot lunch every day for a long time. My brother Bill did not start high school, instead got a magazine route and sold papers on the corner of Washington and Vermont. A few years later so did Ted and Jack. There was a bank on one corner, Bank of Italy, and Shirley Temple’s Dad was the manager. Often her mom and she would drive up in a limo and pick the Dad up, so the boys got to see her.
My Dad always had extra jobs to do at home, besides his regular work.
One such job was to make coin containers for the Greyhound Dog racing track. They had counted slots to hold pennies, knuckles, etc. It was our job after school to sand them. He also made little wooden shoes; we then sold around the neighborhoods.
When we started school the Nuns did not know what to do with us. So they put Ted, Jack and I in the hall with desks and 1st grade books. Bets was put into 1st grade. Well that did not help. We looked at the books, A and picture for Apple and so on. We knew all that. So finally they put Jack and I in 5th gr. and Ted in 6th. We were put at the back of an aisle and those in front and on either side of us were supposed to help us. That was no good. Math book was okay because we could see the problem and work it out. But they could not help us with English, History etc. So where we really started to learn the language was on the playground...you hear the same things over and over...stop...don’t...my turn, etc. Then we would go home and ask Daddy what does this or that mean...I am convinced that is how most kids still learn today.
March 9, 2006
He had rented a house on Bonsallo, off Washington Blvd. and had
registered us at St. Vincent School, but Mom found the house not suited
for a family of 9, so we moved to a house on Menlo Ave. near Washington and Vermont. There was a big lot next to us then a 3-story building, and a big sign on it said HILLS BROS. COFFEE, first English words I read. Dad enrolled we 5 oldest at St. Thomas Catholic School. The Pastor Fr. Gallager was great to my Dad. He knew it would be expensive for my Dad, so he paid the $1.oo mo. tuition for him. Then there were an order of Nuns just invited to come to LA by our Bishop, they lived in building next to church on Pico Blvd. We 5 were given a hot lunch every day for a long time. My brother Bill did not start high school, instead got a magazine route and sold papers on the corner of Washington and Vermont. A few years later so did Ted and Jack. There was a bank on one corner, Bank of Italy, and Shirley Temple’s Dad was the manager. Often her mom and she would drive up in a limo and pick the Dad up, so the boys got to see her.
My Dad always had extra jobs to do at home, besides his regular work.
One such job was to make coin containers for the Greyhound Dog racing track. They had counted slots to hold pennies, knuckles, etc. It was our job after school to sand them. He also made little wooden shoes; we then sold around the neighborhoods.
When we started school the Nuns did not know what to do with us. So they put Ted, Jack and I in the hall with desks and 1st grade books. Bets was put into 1st grade. Well that did not help. We looked at the books, A and picture for Apple and so on. We knew all that. So finally they put Jack and I in 5th gr. and Ted in 6th. We were put at the back of an aisle and those in front and on either side of us were supposed to help us. That was no good. Math book was okay because we could see the problem and work it out. But they could not help us with English, History etc. So where we really started to learn the language was on the playground...you hear the same things over and over...stop...don’t...my turn, etc. Then we would go home and ask Daddy what does this or that mean...I am convinced that is how most kids still learn today.
March 9, 2006
I just reread the first 3 pages and my spelling is atrocious...blame it on my bad eyesight.
On page 1, I mentioned that a cousin Frans came to help Mom with the store...there was also a young 19 yr. old girl who helped Mom take care of the younger kids, her name was Sientje. Also during this period Mom would send some of us to visit with relatives. Ted and I went to Obdam to stay with Opoe Zwart. Joe later visited her with Ted too, and remembers the same story.
Opoe’s house was at the end of a path, and there was a sloot (small
narrow canal) in front of her house that turned and was also at the back
of her house. Her outhouse was built over the sloot and whenever she needed to use it, Ted and I would cross the little bridge to the field that was behind the outhouse and Ted would throw rocks into water under it until we heard Opoe yell out when the water would hit her bottom. We would run back to the house. Don’t remember if she ever caught us. Joe remembers same thing. He and Ted would also go help her clean the church. Joe once found a coin on the floor and Opoe made him
put it in the poor box.
Also noticed that I did not give address of our store. It was at 151 Clercqstraat, Haarlem. The 1st floor front was the ”winkel” that means store. It was a grocery store. Behind the store were the living
quarters...front room, kitchen and behind was the package storeroom for groceries...and our indoor outhouse...no toilet like today.. The stairway to the top floor was in the store. My Dad and Mom’s bedroom was in front over the store, their bed was built in the wall. Going down the hall was another built in bed, mine and Bets. Then pull down stairs up to attic where older boys slept.
About 6 mo. before we left for America, I was sent to live with my Oome
Dorus, short for Theodore, my Moms; oldest brother. Also at this time
Opoe Mertens, Mom’s Mom also was moved to his house in Schaesberg,
Limburg. There were no Mertens; left in Haarlem and she could no longer live alone She was pretty much bed ridden at this point. One night it was raining cats and dogs. Looking out the window. I could see a lantern moving across the street at the cemetery next to the church. I
could make out Mom, Oome Dorus and Broeder Petrus, and Broeder Cornelius, Franciscan brothers. They were carrying Opa Mertens casket which had been buried in Haarlem and was being moved to Limburg...I was so scared!! Opoe Mertens died some months after we came to the states.
Now back to Menlo Ave. While still living in that house, the 1933
earthquake, which heavily damaged Long Beach, took place. We were eating dinner, dashed out of the house, and saw light poles and wires moving. That night Dad had us sleep on the floor next to his and Moms; bed in the front room. If I seem to skip around a lot it is because one memory triggers another.
The 1932 Olympics took place at the LA Coliseum. My Dad borrowed the Bouman’s car and took us to the Coliseum, because President Roosevelt was going to be driving there. We saw him in the open car. After the games were over, my Dad went down and bought one of the couches the athletes slept on and it stood on our front porch on New Hampshire for years.
We lived in the first house on Menlo for about 3 years then moved across the street to a house that had a huge screen porch in the back, that is where my brothers slept. It had a garage that Dad rented out to a Dr. from a nearby office cause we had no car. After a few years we moved again up the hill on Menlo. By this time Jack and I were ready to graduate from Poly High. Ted went to LA high because they had a swimming pool. Bill was working at Foster and Kleiser, the billboard company. The day before graduation, Jack and I were called home. Seems Bill had found a gela monster in the back yard. He picked it up carefully, but it bit him in the wrist anyway. He knew enough about it so he ran for the water faucet in the yard, and put it’s head under water and it let go. He was taken to a hospital where they gave him an anti-venom medication. He recuperated at home in bed for a long time. Jack had a friend that knew a taxidermist and had the thing stuffed. Then he & Al Larson brought the stuffed critter over to the house, opened Bill’s bedroom door a crack and placed it on the floor.
You can imagine Bill’s reaction when he saw it.
From that house we moved to Mariposa, a big 2 story house where we lived about 6 months then to the house on New Hampshire, which was owned by three elderly sisters. Dad would stop by and see them, and fix whatever needed it. They really loved him for that. In about 1941 they wanted him to buy it because they wanted to settle their estate, but he felt he could not afford the $4100.00 they were asking. After I graduated from high school I was lucky enough to be hired by the phone company as an operator. While in training I made 12.00 a week. Later when I worked full time I made 28.00 a week Big money to me. My Mom and Dad wanted to buy a newer car so they asked if I would help them. I did. Kept enough money for streetcar fare and Jew dollars for whatever and gave rest of paycheck to them. When the car was paid for they both gave me a beautiful small gold watch for helping them. It stopped running years ago but I still have it.
By 1941, I was dating Lloyd, Jack was dating Charlene and Bets, Bud. We decided to go on a picnic one Sunday in the Hollywood Hills. Took my Philco portable radio along. It was Sun. Dec. 7th. Suddenly we heard that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor! All those on leave were told to report immediately to their units. Bud was in the National Guard, but we decided to finish our picnic, and Bud reported to the Armory when we got home.
Then came the draft. All over 18 whose numbers were called had to report to their draft boards right away. Ted’s was one of the first numbers called. After hearing from his draft board, located at Arlington and Adams, he went to see them. They had him listed as deceased...heedless to say he went right into the army. Mom was so proud to have all those stars in her window. Jack went into the Navy...Joe a senior in high school and 16, begged Mom and Dad to sign for him because he was under age. They finally did and he joined the navy. My brother Bill worked at the port of Long Beach, and though married decided he should go too, and joined the Merchant Marine.
Oh, a correction...on one of the first three pages I said Charlene brought
Jackie over to visit Opoe and Opa, and that Jack was still in South
Pacific. Wrong. He had been home for some time. Before the war ended Daddy decided those coming home would need a place to live, so he made the barn into the back house, including bedroom, living room and kitchen. No room to build a bathroom. After Bud came home and he and Bets got married, they moved into the house. 5 of the Duggan kids were born and lived there before Bets and Bud bought their house in Whittier. Then Lloyd and I moved there. After we bought our house in Hawthorne, Joe and Bonnie moved in, then they moved to Mammoth late in the year, and no one has lived there since. When Jack and Charlene got married they first lived in Venice on Rose Ave. After that they bought a house in Monterey Park and later Valencia, where Jack lives now. Bill and Nadine lived in Long Beach. Ted and Joey lived at home. Joey’s first marriage was to Gene Beck a commercial fisherman that Lloyd and I knew well, as we were commercial fishing too. We did everything we could to convince her not to marry him, but to no avail. Ted had gotten to know him too as he often went fishing with us. The marriage lasted 2 1/2 yrs. Very turbulent, and finally Gene wanted out. He said if she did not give him a divorce he would kill himself...Now the rest is not for children’s’ eyes. But Joey being Joey walked into their bedroom got his gun loaded it, and said,“If you are going to do it, do it outside, I don’t want to clean up the mess.:” Thank God he did not turn the gun on her, and he left. It took her 6 years to get the marriage annulled. She met Paul during this time, and when the annulment came through, they married and lived with Mom on New Hampdhire.
On page 1, I mentioned that a cousin Frans came to help Mom with the store...there was also a young 19 yr. old girl who helped Mom take care of the younger kids, her name was Sientje. Also during this period Mom would send some of us to visit with relatives. Ted and I went to Obdam to stay with Opoe Zwart. Joe later visited her with Ted too, and remembers the same story.
Opoe’s house was at the end of a path, and there was a sloot (small
narrow canal) in front of her house that turned and was also at the back
of her house. Her outhouse was built over the sloot and whenever she needed to use it, Ted and I would cross the little bridge to the field that was behind the outhouse and Ted would throw rocks into water under it until we heard Opoe yell out when the water would hit her bottom. We would run back to the house. Don’t remember if she ever caught us. Joe remembers same thing. He and Ted would also go help her clean the church. Joe once found a coin on the floor and Opoe made him
put it in the poor box.
Also noticed that I did not give address of our store. It was at 151 Clercqstraat, Haarlem. The 1st floor front was the ”winkel” that means store. It was a grocery store. Behind the store were the living
quarters...front room, kitchen and behind was the package storeroom for groceries...and our indoor outhouse...no toilet like today.. The stairway to the top floor was in the store. My Dad and Mom’s bedroom was in front over the store, their bed was built in the wall. Going down the hall was another built in bed, mine and Bets. Then pull down stairs up to attic where older boys slept.
About 6 mo. before we left for America, I was sent to live with my Oome
Dorus, short for Theodore, my Moms; oldest brother. Also at this time
Opoe Mertens, Mom’s Mom also was moved to his house in Schaesberg,
Limburg. There were no Mertens; left in Haarlem and she could no longer live alone She was pretty much bed ridden at this point. One night it was raining cats and dogs. Looking out the window. I could see a lantern moving across the street at the cemetery next to the church. I
could make out Mom, Oome Dorus and Broeder Petrus, and Broeder Cornelius, Franciscan brothers. They were carrying Opa Mertens casket which had been buried in Haarlem and was being moved to Limburg...I was so scared!! Opoe Mertens died some months after we came to the states.
Now back to Menlo Ave. While still living in that house, the 1933
earthquake, which heavily damaged Long Beach, took place. We were eating dinner, dashed out of the house, and saw light poles and wires moving. That night Dad had us sleep on the floor next to his and Moms; bed in the front room. If I seem to skip around a lot it is because one memory triggers another.
The 1932 Olympics took place at the LA Coliseum. My Dad borrowed the Bouman’s car and took us to the Coliseum, because President Roosevelt was going to be driving there. We saw him in the open car. After the games were over, my Dad went down and bought one of the couches the athletes slept on and it stood on our front porch on New Hampshire for years.
We lived in the first house on Menlo for about 3 years then moved across the street to a house that had a huge screen porch in the back, that is where my brothers slept. It had a garage that Dad rented out to a Dr. from a nearby office cause we had no car. After a few years we moved again up the hill on Menlo. By this time Jack and I were ready to graduate from Poly High. Ted went to LA high because they had a swimming pool. Bill was working at Foster and Kleiser, the billboard company. The day before graduation, Jack and I were called home. Seems Bill had found a gela monster in the back yard. He picked it up carefully, but it bit him in the wrist anyway. He knew enough about it so he ran for the water faucet in the yard, and put it’s head under water and it let go. He was taken to a hospital where they gave him an anti-venom medication. He recuperated at home in bed for a long time. Jack had a friend that knew a taxidermist and had the thing stuffed. Then he & Al Larson brought the stuffed critter over to the house, opened Bill’s bedroom door a crack and placed it on the floor.
You can imagine Bill’s reaction when he saw it.
From that house we moved to Mariposa, a big 2 story house where we lived about 6 months then to the house on New Hampshire, which was owned by three elderly sisters. Dad would stop by and see them, and fix whatever needed it. They really loved him for that. In about 1941 they wanted him to buy it because they wanted to settle their estate, but he felt he could not afford the $4100.00 they were asking. After I graduated from high school I was lucky enough to be hired by the phone company as an operator. While in training I made 12.00 a week. Later when I worked full time I made 28.00 a week Big money to me. My Mom and Dad wanted to buy a newer car so they asked if I would help them. I did. Kept enough money for streetcar fare and Jew dollars for whatever and gave rest of paycheck to them. When the car was paid for they both gave me a beautiful small gold watch for helping them. It stopped running years ago but I still have it.
By 1941, I was dating Lloyd, Jack was dating Charlene and Bets, Bud. We decided to go on a picnic one Sunday in the Hollywood Hills. Took my Philco portable radio along. It was Sun. Dec. 7th. Suddenly we heard that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor! All those on leave were told to report immediately to their units. Bud was in the National Guard, but we decided to finish our picnic, and Bud reported to the Armory when we got home.
Then came the draft. All over 18 whose numbers were called had to report to their draft boards right away. Ted’s was one of the first numbers called. After hearing from his draft board, located at Arlington and Adams, he went to see them. They had him listed as deceased...heedless to say he went right into the army. Mom was so proud to have all those stars in her window. Jack went into the Navy...Joe a senior in high school and 16, begged Mom and Dad to sign for him because he was under age. They finally did and he joined the navy. My brother Bill worked at the port of Long Beach, and though married decided he should go too, and joined the Merchant Marine.
Oh, a correction...on one of the first three pages I said Charlene brought
Jackie over to visit Opoe and Opa, and that Jack was still in South
Pacific. Wrong. He had been home for some time. Before the war ended Daddy decided those coming home would need a place to live, so he made the barn into the back house, including bedroom, living room and kitchen. No room to build a bathroom. After Bud came home and he and Bets got married, they moved into the house. 5 of the Duggan kids were born and lived there before Bets and Bud bought their house in Whittier. Then Lloyd and I moved there. After we bought our house in Hawthorne, Joe and Bonnie moved in, then they moved to Mammoth late in the year, and no one has lived there since. When Jack and Charlene got married they first lived in Venice on Rose Ave. After that they bought a house in Monterey Park and later Valencia, where Jack lives now. Bill and Nadine lived in Long Beach. Ted and Joey lived at home. Joey’s first marriage was to Gene Beck a commercial fisherman that Lloyd and I knew well, as we were commercial fishing too. We did everything we could to convince her not to marry him, but to no avail. Ted had gotten to know him too as he often went fishing with us. The marriage lasted 2 1/2 yrs. Very turbulent, and finally Gene wanted out. He said if she did not give him a divorce he would kill himself...Now the rest is not for children’s’ eyes. But Joey being Joey walked into their bedroom got his gun loaded it, and said,“If you are going to do it, do it outside, I don’t want to clean up the mess.:” Thank God he did not turn the gun on her, and he left. It took her 6 years to get the marriage annulled. She met Paul during this time, and when the annulment came through, they married and lived with Mom on New Hampdhire.
I think it was in 1942 that Daddy finally bought that house.
In 1948 Mom took her 1st trip back to Holland, and Joey took her 3-week vacation from Fox and went with her. While they were gone Daddy, with help from my brothers and Gene stripped all the woodwork...every bit of it. It was painted a light green, but he knew there was beautiful wood underneath. And he was so right.
A few years before this when he was out working on the lawn, a man stopped by and asked if he was the owner, Daddy said yes. The man said that his Dad had built the house and he was born in it. He asked if the pantry was still there, and Dad invited him inside. He told my Dad that when his Dad built the house the nearest next house was miles away on Wilshire Blvd. Unbelievable! They determined the house was built in 1905. I can remember when some of the nephews suggested buying property in a nicer neighborhood and having the house moved to it. They always wanted to be able to go stay there on visits. Freeways now would make that impossible.
Don’t think I have mentioned this before. Before Daddy left for America, he gave his wooden toolbox to his sister Tante Grietje. He had his initials burned in it, JZ, which he did to all his tools. About a
year ago I received a letter and pictures of the toolbox from Tante Grietje’s daughter. She had used it as a toy box, and had since passed it on to her daughter, Mary, who wrote me the letter, who has now passed it onto her daughter. It is painted a powder blue. That’s about all I can think of for now. If you have any questions, ask me. Again overlook the mispelled words. Hope none are dirty!! Love, Marie
Don’t think I have mentioned this before. Before Daddy left for America, he gave his wooden toolbox to his sister Tante Grietje. He had his initials burned in it, JZ, which he did to all his tools. About a
year ago I received a letter and pictures of the toolbox from Tante Grietje’s daughter. She had used it as a toy box, and had since passed it on to her daughter, Mary, who wrote me the letter, who has now passed it onto her daughter. It is painted a powder blue. That’s about all I can think of for now. If you have any questions, ask me. Again overlook the mispelled words. Hope none are dirty!! Love, Marie
March 10, 2006
Now, on to the Zwart family. Many of you received, like I did, the
geneology list that Nic Zwarts brother sent us. He has traced the Zwart
family back to Friesland, the northern most part of Holland. They were all fisherman. Centuries ago the Spaniards ruled the low lying
of Holland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. At the time, none of those countries families had last names. Boys were called “John’s son”. “Jack’s son”, etc. Don’t know what they called the girls. The Spaniards ordered them to take a last name. Our family chose to call themselves the color of their boats which were black ..and that means Zwart. He also mentions that originally it was Swart. Also there was a lot of intermarriage between brothers and sisters..maybe that is why the Zwart gene is so strong in our family. So many in our family have looka Now, on to the Zwart family. Many of you received, like I did, the likes. My Dad and his bother Willem looked like twins. geneology list that Nic Zwarts brother sent us. He has traced the Zwart
family back to Friesland, the northern most part of Holland. They were all fisherman. Centuries ago the Spaniards ruled the low lying
We had a picture of Daddy with I think Jackie standing on a hill maybe in Yosemite. Years ago Oome Willem sent a picture of himself standing on a hill in New Zealand. with one of his grandsons...the pictures are almost identical.
Opoe Zwart was a loving but very domineering woman who insisted that the first girl born to Mom and Dad would be named after her. But my Mom had a mind of her own, and was probably the only one in the family that Opoe could not dominate. So when I was born, after my three older brothers I was named after her Mom, Susanna Maria. Don’t know why, but I have always been called Marie, little Marietje, when I was little. My brother Bill though has always till his dying day called me Susie.
Bill was named after Opa Zwart, Wilhelmus Cornelius, Ted after Opa
Mertens, Theodorus Joohannes, Jack after my Dad, Bets, after Opoe
Zwart, Joe after my Dad’s youngest brother Oome Joe. His middle name is Theresia, after my Mom’s youngest sister, a Nun, Sr. Theresia and Joey was named after my Mom, Jansje, and after we came here Mom changed her name to Johanna as she did hers. In Holland Mom was always called Jo, Tante Jo.
After the war Oome Willem and his wife Tante Betje and their children
immigrated to New Zealand. Both died and are buried there. My Mom's oldest brother Oome Dorus..Theodore..and his wife went to Australia because their two kids Joe and Marie had gone there. Some years later Tante Anna became Ill and wanted to go back to Holland to die, which she did some months later. Mom’s youngest sister, St. Theresia, entered the convent, Sisters of Notre Dame, at the age of 16. The motherhouse was in France. She eventually went to live in France at the motherhouse. During the war the convent was taken over by the Germans. The officers occupied it, and the nuns had to cook and clean for them. I do not have a prayer card of hers so I don't know when she died or where she is buried.
Five of Mom's sisters and brothers lived in Limburg. Joey and I have been in touch with cousins over the years. One is Mary Hinds Van der Voet, Tante Grietjes daughter. She has sent me pictures of herself and her brother Ad, who died some years ago. He came here with his Mom for a visit. Also I was in contact via email with Sylvia Mertens, who is the daughter of Ton and Annie Mertens. He is the son of Oome Herman, one of Mom's youngest brothers. They live in Sittard, which is in Limburg. I wrote both Sylvia and Mary when Joey died, but have not heard yet from either of them. Broeder Petrus and Cornielius
were Franciscan Brothers. Petrus was the head of a men's mental institution and Cornelius was the purchasing agent. Mom went back to Holland when Petrus celebrated his 50th anniversary as a Franciscan Brother. He gave her his snuffbox and a large brown rosary made by the Franciscans. Mom gave both to me. Lloyd used the silver snuff box to carry his meds that he had to take daily. A few years ago I gave both to Jackie who also had to carry meds to take daily.
Opoe and Opa Zwart were layed to rest by the order of Franciscans and when they died the rosary was placed in their casket, but removed before burial.
In going over what I have written so far, I would pity any book editor
who would first have to catagorise my writing. Just last night I talked
to Joe and he said how very often he has told people what a fantastic
childhood we all had. He fondly remembers as do we all, our summer
camping trips to Sycamore Canyon in Santa Ana, Ca.
Daddy would load up the car with camping equipment and we kids and take off. I am sure now that he must have made two trips to get us, and the gear there. Already there would be the Bouman family and the Gowetor family. We got to know the grocery sore owners son, Mitch real well.
Down Dad would drive to the camp ground, past the many sycamore trees and the dance floor (more like a roped in fighters ring) where we danced and played many games. Then further down to the camping area. After setting up camp, Dad would have the boys dig a large hole, as he had made an ice box, four sided with a lid, but no bottom. This would be placed in the hole, then he would go up and buy ice. Then it was our job to go away from the camping area and dig a trench were we would do our business, as there was no toilet facility nearby. A roll of toilet paper hung on a tree branch nearby. Boy, and you had better cover up what you had just done or you heard about it!
One night Mitch came down to tell us that a storm was coming up, and we all had to go to higher ground just in case the Green River flooded the area. We all slept that night behind the store.
After all was set up, we kids became beavers...we built a dam, so we
would have a pool to go swimming. Across the river, at the top of a hill,
we could see a huge mansion. Turns out it belonged to Amy Semple
Pherson, a famous LA Evangelist. About that same time, maybe 1933 or 1934, we heard on the radio that Will Rogers and Wiley Post had been killed in a plane crash. I think in Alaska. The very last time I remember camping was in 1942. Lloyd and I, Jack and Charlene, Bill and Nadine were all engaged to be married.
Back to Mom. When we came here the only furniture she brought with her was her sewing machine and a large feather bed and feather pillow, I still have one. Mom could knit beautiful sweaters but she never learned to sew. I had learned to sew in grade school in Holland and to knit. I still have a long cotton stocking I made in the 3rd grade and an apron I made in 4th grade, all made by hand. Here, I made all of my, Bets and Joey’s clothes...shorts, culottes, dresses etc. Then I heard that Berendo Jr. High was going to have a sewing class for adults, and we talked Mom into taking the class. She agreed and I went with her. She learned how to buy a pattern, figure out how much yardage it would take then learned how to cut it out and finally made an apron. Before Christmas she would buy lots of flannel yardage, with great designs. One in particular, a jungleprint, with tigers I think. I know my kids remember that. When she could no longer sew, she started collecting dimes during the year, then with medicine bottles she had saved she would fill them up with the dimes and that is what the grandkids got instead of pj’s. You may remember that she saved the dimes in two empty shell casings that she kept up above the sliding wood doors in the dining room.
This might be a good time to tell you about those shell casings. Mom
had brothers and sisters who lived in Limburg, southern most part of
Holland. Some families lived close to the German border. Towards the end of the war, the allies were heavily bombing Aachen, near the border of Limburg and Germany. After the was, Mom’s relatives crossed over the border and retrieved shell casings large and small and pounded designs on the outside. I have one 105 MM one that Mom gave us, and we had it made into a lamp. Also, 4 smaller ones.
Mom being a stay at home Mom never really learned the language as well as she should have. After we kids learned the language, it was our job to take turns reading the newspaper to her at night and teach her English. When her lady friends, all Hollanders, came over to knit or play cards, all you heard was Hollands. Same when couples came over. None of us kids married Hollanders, & unless you kept up with the language it became difficult to speak it. I can still read & speak it, but since I was in 5th grade when I left Holland, I don’t know the big difficult words. Bets and Joe can understand and speak it somewhat like me. Bill and Ted are the only two who had somewhat of an accent. This was the hardest for them. “The” in Holland is the same as our
“the” and they both said “de” for years. Bill, I think overcame that, but Ted never did.
Ted died at the very young age of 38, 2 years after Daddy did. His
spleen had ruptured. He did not know that and after just 2 days he passed away. Mom was in Holland at the time and Dr. Hope told us to call her family and advise them to keep her there. He said that he would not allow her to come home and go to his funeral. He was concerned that she would become ill on the trip home. Two years later she made another trip to Holland, and this time when she came home, we had to tell her that while she was on her way home Nadine had died of breast cancer. She never took another trip back, to afraid she would lose another one of us.
Mom suffered a bad fall in 1978, from which she really never recovered.
With Joey and Paul both working, we needed to find someone to come in and stay with her most of the day. I had heard of the nursing order,
Sisters Servants of Mary. After Bets, Joey and I met with the Superior,
she said that she had Nuns available to come to the house and take care
of her. They did not drive at the time, so Paul, before going to work
would pick the Nun up and bring to the house. Their convent is not far
from New Hampshire. It is at 28th and Western. The Nuns took care of Mom and were with her when she passed away. She was 86 when she passed away. The Nuns also brought Joey her dinner for years when she became ill. I am still in touch with Sr. Pilar and the Sr. Superior, Sr. Leticia.
Have to tell you a funny here. Sr. Pilar is quite a funny lady. When
Joey died I asked Sr. Pilar to say a decate of the Rosary. She said ”Oh
no I can’t do that, my English is not so good.” I said, “No problem. You say your part in Spanish. and we will answer in English.” “ No, no, I cannot do that. I had to give a speech some months ago, and everyone clapped.. I was very pleased they understood me. Later a lady came up to her, “Oh Sr., you must have given a wonderful talk, you got such applause...what language were you speaking? “ Sr. Leticia said the decate instead. Great ladies.
Ted died at the very young age of 38, 2 years after Daddy did. His
spleen had ruptured. He did not know that and after just 2 days he passed away. Mom was in Holland at the time and Dr. Hope told us to call her family and advise them to keep her there. He said that he would not allow her to come home and go to his funeral. He was concerned that she would become ill on the trip home. Two years later she made another trip to Holland, and this time when she came home, we had to tell her that while she was on her way home Nadine had died of breast cancer. She never took another trip back, to afraid she would lose another one of us.
Mom suffered a bad fall in 1978, from which she really never recovered.
With Joey and Paul both working, we needed to find someone to come in and stay with her most of the day. I had heard of the nursing order,
Sisters Servants of Mary. After Bets, Joey and I met with the Superior,
she said that she had Nuns available to come to the house and take care
of her. They did not drive at the time, so Paul, before going to work
would pick the Nun up and bring to the house. Their convent is not far
from New Hampshire. It is at 28th and Western. The Nuns took care of Mom and were with her when she passed away. She was 86 when she passed away. The Nuns also brought Joey her dinner for years when she became ill. I am still in touch with Sr. Pilar and the Sr. Superior, Sr. Leticia.
Have to tell you a funny here. Sr. Pilar is quite a funny lady. When
Joey died I asked Sr. Pilar to say a decate of the Rosary. She said ”Oh
no I can’t do that, my English is not so good.” I said, “No problem. You say your part in Spanish. and we will answer in English.” “ No, no, I cannot do that. I had to give a speech some months ago, and everyone clapped.. I was very pleased they understood me. Later a lady came up to her, “Oh Sr., you must have given a wonderful talk, you got such applause...what language were you speaking? “ Sr. Leticia said the decate instead. Great ladies.
March 11, 2006
Now about the Mertens family. Mom was born in Haarlem, Jan. 29, 1891 and was baptized as we 7 kids were, in St. Bavo Cathedral. Bill, Ted, Jack, and I made our First Communion and a week later were Confirmed there. Point of interest: The Cathedral was closed down many years ago, restored and reopened as a National Museum, and is now called The Groote Kerk...the large/big church. All records I understand are stored by the Gemeente of Haarlem..Government of Haarlem. Dad and Mom were married there in Oct. of 1913.
Mom is one of 9 children and I have mentioned many of them already..her sisters, Tante Anna and Marie, Sr. Theresia, Oome Dorus, Petrus, Cornelius. Her 2 youngest brothers were Jan and Herman. Betsie remembers that when Opa Mertens died she was taken across the street to his house and she saw him lie in state, so to speak.
I remember their 50th wedding anniversary. All their children were there. We have a picture of the whole family. I was at their house that day and remember seeing my aunt the Nun in her habit and Br. Petrus and Cornilius in their brown robes. I asked them if they had to sleep in those clothes...they told me of course and I believed them.
I can still see Opa on the street at night lighting the street
lamps...that was his job.
I also remember when Mom and Dad celebrated their 12 1/2 yr
marriage..they just don’t do it at the 25th or 50th.
On their 25th, their friends, the Bouman and the Gowetors and Jo and
Oskar Kasje rented the Hollands Club on South Vermont. Jo wrote a song for we 7 kids to sing. "Darling mother and dear Daddy, we are gathered here today..just to tell you that we love you...and our love is here to stay" etc. It was not until some time later that I realized the tune we sang it to was , THE GERMAN NATIONAL ANTHEM...what was she thinking? Joe realized it later too.
The only Mertens that I know of still in Holland are Ton and Annie, Oome Hermans son (and wife) I told you about.
Now about the Mertens family. Mom was born in Haarlem, Jan. 29, 1891 and was baptized as we 7 kids were, in St. Bavo Cathedral. Bill, Ted, Jack, and I made our First Communion and a week later were Confirmed there. Point of interest: The Cathedral was closed down many years ago, restored and reopened as a National Museum, and is now called The Groote Kerk...the large/big church. All records I understand are stored by the Gemeente of Haarlem..Government of Haarlem. Dad and Mom were married there in Oct. of 1913.
Mom is one of 9 children and I have mentioned many of them already..her sisters, Tante Anna and Marie, Sr. Theresia, Oome Dorus, Petrus, Cornelius. Her 2 youngest brothers were Jan and Herman. Betsie remembers that when Opa Mertens died she was taken across the street to his house and she saw him lie in state, so to speak.
I remember their 50th wedding anniversary. All their children were there. We have a picture of the whole family. I was at their house that day and remember seeing my aunt the Nun in her habit and Br. Petrus and Cornilius in their brown robes. I asked them if they had to sleep in those clothes...they told me of course and I believed them.
I can still see Opa on the street at night lighting the street
lamps...that was his job.
I also remember when Mom and Dad celebrated their 12 1/2 yr
marriage..they just don’t do it at the 25th or 50th.
On their 25th, their friends, the Bouman and the Gowetors and Jo and
Oskar Kasje rented the Hollands Club on South Vermont. Jo wrote a song for we 7 kids to sing. "Darling mother and dear Daddy, we are gathered here today..just to tell you that we love you...and our love is here to stay" etc. It was not until some time later that I realized the tune we sang it to was , THE GERMAN NATIONAL ANTHEM...what was she thinking? Joe realized it later too.
The only Mertens that I know of still in Holland are Ton and Annie, Oome Hermans son (and wife) I told you about.
God has so truly blessed us with wonderful loving parents, brothers and
sisters, wonderful children, husbands and wives, nieces and nephews and their children. Stay very close to your family and may God bless all of you as he has us.
Love always, Marie S. Zwart Coombs
sisters, wonderful children, husbands and wives, nieces and nephews and their children. Stay very close to your family and may God bless all of you as he has us.
Love always, Marie S. Zwart Coombs
March 12, 2006
Some more important stories have come to mind. My Dad’s oldest
brother Oome Jan and his family lived in Alkmaar, where the famous
Hollands cheeses are made, like Gouda and Kamijne Kaas (cumin cheese among others). German soldiers came to his house just before the war ended, pulled his 18 yr. old son out of bed and shot him, as they did 4 other young boys from the town. They were collaborators in the Hollander underground. A memorial marker dedicated to them is still there. It lists their names, his Wim Zwart, and that they had died for their country. Mom and Joey and later my Dad have visited it.
I mentioned earlier that the Bouman family were sponsored to come to the States by her sister Tante Jans Heinsbergen. Mr. Bouman and his older sons were house painters except for the 3rd oldest, Frank, who painted beautiful pictures. He went to work for Tante Jansi's son Tony. Don’t know how his occupation would be classified. If you have been in St.Vincent Catholic Church at Figueroa and Adams, you have seen the inside of the dome, as it is painted in gold leaf. That is the kind of work Tony did. Frank took me and my friend Betty Bayzouros to Forest Lawn where they have a huge mural of the last supper. Frank & Tony were responsible for restoring that.
When Tony heard that Mom had brought so few things with her from
brother Oome Jan and his family lived in Alkmaar, where the famous
Hollands cheeses are made, like Gouda and Kamijne Kaas (cumin cheese among others). German soldiers came to his house just before the war ended, pulled his 18 yr. old son out of bed and shot him, as they did 4 other young boys from the town. They were collaborators in the Hollander underground. A memorial marker dedicated to them is still there. It lists their names, his Wim Zwart, and that they had died for their country. Mom and Joey and later my Dad have visited it.
I mentioned earlier that the Bouman family were sponsored to come to the States by her sister Tante Jans Heinsbergen. Mr. Bouman and his older sons were house painters except for the 3rd oldest, Frank, who painted beautiful pictures. He went to work for Tante Jansi's son Tony. Don’t know how his occupation would be classified. If you have been in St.Vincent Catholic Church at Figueroa and Adams, you have seen the inside of the dome, as it is painted in gold leaf. That is the kind of work Tony did. Frank took me and my friend Betty Bayzouros to Forest Lawn where they have a huge mural of the last supper. Frank & Tony were responsible for restoring that.
When Tony heard that Mom had brought so few things with her from
Holland, he and his family gave them the beautiful dining room table and 8 chairs that went with it. Also, the cabinet in the dining room, and the entry hall table.
In 52', Daddy was called by one of his old bosses at Fox. His boss had
received a call from the Wm. Morris Talent Agency...would he recommend a good craftsman to make them a large desk? So he called Daddy to see if he was up to it as he knew he had terminal cancer. Daddy of course said yes.
In 52', Daddy was called by one of his old bosses at Fox. His boss had
received a call from the Wm. Morris Talent Agency...would he recommend a good craftsman to make them a large desk? So he called Daddy to see if he was up to it as he knew he had terminal cancer. Daddy of course said yes.
Some of you older kids may remember seeing him work in the backyard on it. I wonder if it still exists and I wonder if Daddy burned his initials somewhere in it?
Now a little about me and my wonderful family. While attending Poly
High, there was a very rowdy bunch of boys I did not care for. When we had moved to New Hampshire I saw a familiar yellow model T convertable. Egads! We had moved across the street from one of them! Yep. It was Lloyd. He told me later that he thought that there was only one girl in our house. Bets and Joey and I always dressed alike. Then he realized that two of them were blond and one had dark hair, that was me. We finally met and started dating. He worked at night for the railroad and I worked for the phone company. We would leave each other notes at the corner Collins drug store. But I was really fickle and also dated others. After some time he finally said to me one night...typical Lloyd..."I wish the hell you would make up your mind who the hell you are in love with, as I want to marry you"! To my and his surprise I said “yes”.
Can’t beat that.
We were married on July 22, 1942. During the war I lived with him any place he was stationed. After living for 2 ½ years in Seattle, his outfit was sent to Dutch Harbor, Alaska. No problem I thought I will go there too. “No”, said the Army,”You can only go as far as Anchorage”. So I went home. We bought our house in Hawthorne in April of 1955. I could not have children so we had 4 yrs. together before we applied to Holy Family for adoption. We got the call that a 13 month old boy had been chosen for us, and we named him after my brother Ted. Then, 3yrs. later another call and this time another boy, 7 1/2 week old Tim, came along to complete our family. Lloyd and I are so proud at the fine men they have become now with families of their own. I am sorry Daddy did not live to see his two grandsons.
Now a little about me and my wonderful family. While attending Poly
High, there was a very rowdy bunch of boys I did not care for. When we had moved to New Hampshire I saw a familiar yellow model T convertable. Egads! We had moved across the street from one of them! Yep. It was Lloyd. He told me later that he thought that there was only one girl in our house. Bets and Joey and I always dressed alike. Then he realized that two of them were blond and one had dark hair, that was me. We finally met and started dating. He worked at night for the railroad and I worked for the phone company. We would leave each other notes at the corner Collins drug store. But I was really fickle and also dated others. After some time he finally said to me one night...typical Lloyd..."I wish the hell you would make up your mind who the hell you are in love with, as I want to marry you"! To my and his surprise I said “yes”.
Can’t beat that.
We were married on July 22, 1942. During the war I lived with him any place he was stationed. After living for 2 ½ years in Seattle, his outfit was sent to Dutch Harbor, Alaska. No problem I thought I will go there too. “No”, said the Army,”You can only go as far as Anchorage”. So I went home. We bought our house in Hawthorne in April of 1955. I could not have children so we had 4 yrs. together before we applied to Holy Family for adoption. We got the call that a 13 month old boy had been chosen for us, and we named him after my brother Ted. Then, 3yrs. later another call and this time another boy, 7 1/2 week old Tim, came along to complete our family. Lloyd and I are so proud at the fine men they have become now with families of their own. I am sorry Daddy did not live to see his two grandsons.
March 14, 2006
Jack, you are a very funny man..suggesting that maybe my memories might be eventually published into a book..or screenplay...and yes I will hire you as my agent at 10% ! ha ha
Some of you have sent me questions that I have not touched on. I’ll do that now.
Where did Mom get the money to come to America?
Some of you have sent me questions that I have not touched on. I’ll do that now.
Where did Mom get the money to come to America?
I assume from sale of the store. Also, her Dad, Opa Mertens, left instructions before he died in, I think 1929, that if Jo needed money to go to America, Opoe M. should give Mom her share of her inheritance from his and Opoe's estate then. Don't know if that ever happened.
My Dad came to America first, so he could go to work and be making
enough to support his family. I don’t know of any other Zwart families that came to America. As I have mentioned earlier some did go to other countries.
My Dad came to America first, so he could go to work and be making
enough to support his family. I don’t know of any other Zwart families that came to America. As I have mentioned earlier some did go to other countries.
Also, our daily routine was much the same as anywhere else.
Holland was as I remember pretty much of a meat and potato eating
country, but we ate much more seafood...but different kind. A lot of
haaring...herring pickled...paaliing...smoked eel..and my Mom's
favorite..filet of sole....and all kinds of licorice and cheese. At
Christmas time..lots of delicious Speekulaas cookies...in the form of St.
Nick and windmills...also tarts and cakes made of almond paste. Jack who owned the Holland America import store in Bellflower, weekly came with his truck to Hollandsche (corrected spelling by the way) families in LA and to my house, too. Great to buy all those goodies.
Holland was as I remember pretty much of a meat and potato eating
country, but we ate much more seafood...but different kind. A lot of
haaring...herring pickled...paaliing...smoked eel..and my Mom's
favorite..filet of sole....and all kinds of licorice and cheese. At
Christmas time..lots of delicious Speekulaas cookies...in the form of St.
Nick and windmills...also tarts and cakes made of almond paste. Jack who owned the Holland America import store in Bellflower, weekly came with his truck to Hollandsche (corrected spelling by the way) families in LA and to my house, too. Great to buy all those goodies.
About the music of the day and radio. My Dad had a Victorola and
loved listening to Italian opera singers. He taught we girls how to
dance at an early age. And boy was he a good dancer! Very light on his
feet...and the faster the music the better..especially the foxtrot. I
can still remember the very first time I heard a radio. I was in our back
yard, when I heard it coming over the fence from a neighbor. It was a
commerical set to music. "Oh Donna Klaara, weg met the FARA, weg met the AVRO, hop KRO".... Loosely translated "Oh Donna Klaara, away with the FARA, away with the AVRO, hop CATHOLIC ROMAN RADIO.
We were so excited to go to America and be with our Daddy again, that I don't recall if we were sad to leave Holland and family and friends.
We attended Mass at St.. Bavo regularly, and my brother Joe still
remembers going there. Bill, Ted and Jack attended St. Bavo Boys School directly across from the Church. I attended the girls school nearby. When I was in 3rd grade we learned to knit with very large wooden needles and large yarn. By the end of that grade I first made a small envelope size purse, with regular size needles and yarn then a full
length stocking. In 4the grade I learned to sew, and by the end of the
year had handmade a girls apron. I still have them all. I remember
being so mad at my Mom when she found the sock in my drawer and washed it. I always wanted to leave it as it looked.....some rows very
dark...my hands must have been dirty.
Joey once told me that Mom had told her that her very first child died
before birth, I never heard that. And yes we did sleep on feather beds,
and the only time we wore wooden shoes was in Obdam, when we stayed with Opoe Zwart. I know they hurt my feet, gave me big bumps on my big toes.
Only Dad and Mom and Tante Marie Anna and her husband owned grocery stores. Some of my Mom's brothers were miners in Limburg. Yes, we had a coal stove in the kitchen and I think that heated the house too. After Mom finished cooking for the day, the left over coals in the stove were put in a "doof pot"...damper pot a large copper kettle with a lid and handle. I have one of them and so does my brother, Jack. As I mentioned earlier, no toilet indoors… outhouse in our tack room. Both my parents shared in our discipline...boy we all knew better than to even give Mom a bad stare...if Dad even saw that you got a whap to the head for disrespecting her.
loved listening to Italian opera singers. He taught we girls how to
dance at an early age. And boy was he a good dancer! Very light on his
feet...and the faster the music the better..especially the foxtrot. I
can still remember the very first time I heard a radio. I was in our back
yard, when I heard it coming over the fence from a neighbor. It was a
commerical set to music. "Oh Donna Klaara, weg met the FARA, weg met the AVRO, hop KRO".... Loosely translated "Oh Donna Klaara, away with the FARA, away with the AVRO, hop CATHOLIC ROMAN RADIO.
We were so excited to go to America and be with our Daddy again, that I don't recall if we were sad to leave Holland and family and friends.
We attended Mass at St.. Bavo regularly, and my brother Joe still
remembers going there. Bill, Ted and Jack attended St. Bavo Boys School directly across from the Church. I attended the girls school nearby. When I was in 3rd grade we learned to knit with very large wooden needles and large yarn. By the end of that grade I first made a small envelope size purse, with regular size needles and yarn then a full
length stocking. In 4the grade I learned to sew, and by the end of the
year had handmade a girls apron. I still have them all. I remember
being so mad at my Mom when she found the sock in my drawer and washed it. I always wanted to leave it as it looked.....some rows very
dark...my hands must have been dirty.
Joey once told me that Mom had told her that her very first child died
before birth, I never heard that. And yes we did sleep on feather beds,
and the only time we wore wooden shoes was in Obdam, when we stayed with Opoe Zwart. I know they hurt my feet, gave me big bumps on my big toes.
Only Dad and Mom and Tante Marie Anna and her husband owned grocery stores. Some of my Mom's brothers were miners in Limburg. Yes, we had a coal stove in the kitchen and I think that heated the house too. After Mom finished cooking for the day, the left over coals in the stove were put in a "doof pot"...damper pot a large copper kettle with a lid and handle. I have one of them and so does my brother, Jack. As I mentioned earlier, no toilet indoors… outhouse in our tack room. Both my parents shared in our discipline...boy we all knew better than to even give Mom a bad stare...if Dad even saw that you got a whap to the head for disrespecting her.
And no we did not have cows in the city.
I guess my brother Bill is the one who was always very vocal in expressing his opinion, and was most often corrected for that by my parents.
Speaking of Bill brings up another camping memory.
Sometimes we would all walk up to the store at Sycamore camp, cross the road and go hiking in the hills. Bill, ever the animal explorer, caught a rattlesnake. He had read that after you removed the heart and placed it on a rock, the heart would keep on beating for a time. He DID and it DID keep beating. Then he took the snake back to camp and cooked it, and we all had to taste it. Not bad, kinda like chicken. We also took bits of bacon or cheese and went to the river to catch crawfish (tiny shrimp). It took us forever to clean them, so small, it took many to even fill a teaspoon.
I think we must have had a water pump in the kitchen. I know Opoe Z. did. When Bets was just learning to walk, she was in the kitchen and hoisted herself up to the stove, and burned her hands very badly. Opoe Z. happened to be there and peeled an onion, filled her hands with the
onion and bandaged them. Supposed to help heal them.
Speaking of Bill brings up another camping memory.
Sometimes we would all walk up to the store at Sycamore camp, cross the road and go hiking in the hills. Bill, ever the animal explorer, caught a rattlesnake. He had read that after you removed the heart and placed it on a rock, the heart would keep on beating for a time. He DID and it DID keep beating. Then he took the snake back to camp and cooked it, and we all had to taste it. Not bad, kinda like chicken. We also took bits of bacon or cheese and went to the river to catch crawfish (tiny shrimp). It took us forever to clean them, so small, it took many to even fill a teaspoon.
I think we must have had a water pump in the kitchen. I know Opoe Z. did. When Bets was just learning to walk, she was in the kitchen and hoisted herself up to the stove, and burned her hands very badly. Opoe Z. happened to be there and peeled an onion, filled her hands with the
onion and bandaged them. Supposed to help heal them.
March 15, 2006
This a.m. I took the time to reread everything I had written. The
brain is a fantastic organ, when you think of how much information it can store.
For instance last night as I looked up into the sky, I saw the full
moon..and remembered something Opa Mertens once told us...When you see a full moon with a ring around it, it means a war is eminant...and it would come from the "de geele gevaar", the yellow peril..China. I called Bets and told her to look out the window and see it...and told her what Opa had said. Shortly thereafter the Vietnam wore broke out..not with China but close..another Asian country.
On another occassion, Lloyd, Tim, about 12 then, and I went albacore
fishing at San Clemente Island. We had to check with the Coast Guard as the Navy used it for gunnery practice. Not so that weekend. After
trolling all day we put into a cove for the night, and after Lloyd iced
down the fish we caught, he hit the sack. Tim and I sat back to back on the engine hatch, and fished for bottom fish. I looked up at a beautiful full moon, and it hit me...the astronauts had landed that very day on the moon. Amazing.
Running back to San Diego, Lloyd saw a swirling in the water and slowed down, to see what was causing it. Suddenly the very large head of a whale came slowly up out of the water, many barnacles attached to it.. It's eyes peered around and it slowly lowered back down in the water.
This a.m. I took the time to reread everything I had written. The
brain is a fantastic organ, when you think of how much information it can store.
For instance last night as I looked up into the sky, I saw the full
moon..and remembered something Opa Mertens once told us...When you see a full moon with a ring around it, it means a war is eminant...and it would come from the "de geele gevaar", the yellow peril..China. I called Bets and told her to look out the window and see it...and told her what Opa had said. Shortly thereafter the Vietnam wore broke out..not with China but close..another Asian country.
On another occassion, Lloyd, Tim, about 12 then, and I went albacore
fishing at San Clemente Island. We had to check with the Coast Guard as the Navy used it for gunnery practice. Not so that weekend. After
trolling all day we put into a cove for the night, and after Lloyd iced
down the fish we caught, he hit the sack. Tim and I sat back to back on the engine hatch, and fished for bottom fish. I looked up at a beautiful full moon, and it hit me...the astronauts had landed that very day on the moon. Amazing.
Running back to San Diego, Lloyd saw a swirling in the water and slowed down, to see what was causing it. Suddenly the very large head of a whale came slowly up out of the water, many barnacles attached to it.. It's eyes peered around and it slowly lowered back down in the water.
It was a Belluga whale, largest of it's species...and I know Tim will correct me if I am wrong.
A few more fish stories… We had been fishing for barracuda, by the way, Llloyd’s nickname…Barracuda Combs. We came in about 2am and while he moored the boat I took what few fish we had to the fish market and was dragging them down the pier when I saw a man coming towards me.. it was Clark Gable. As he neared I said “Good morning” and he said”Good morning, nice fish you have there”….Years later when I was working at Fox, I again saw him. Told him I had met him early one morning and he said…”Yes, I remember.. you were carrying some barracudas”!!! God’s truth, so help me.
A few more fish stories… We had been fishing for barracuda, by the way, Llloyd’s nickname…Barracuda Combs. We came in about 2am and while he moored the boat I took what few fish we had to the fish market and was dragging them down the pier when I saw a man coming towards me.. it was Clark Gable. As he neared I said “Good morning” and he said”Good morning, nice fish you have there”….Years later when I was working at Fox, I again saw him. Told him I had met him early one morning and he said…”Yes, I remember.. you were carrying some barracudas”!!! God’s truth, so help me.
While watching a flat top carrier come into Long Beach Navy base…no longer there. The ship passed us and we saw a sign hung off the stern that read…. “BEWARE STUDENT DRIVER”.
I have written many stories of our camping trips, but I thought I had
mentioned what beach rats we were. Every day off and weekend we were at Santa Monica Beach. Lloyd loved playing poker at the beach and on one such occasion, Jane Mansfield and Mickey Rooney walked by and asked if they could join in..and they did!!!!!!!!!!!! Lots of actors regularly could be seen there. Richard Jaekle and James Bromfield, he played opposite Veronica Lake in her first pictures, and many others, could be seen there. The area was, and probably still is, known as "muscle beach". Lots of gym equipment...the rings, parallel bars etc. Lloyd was good on the rings...but a blind class mate Eddy Moto..was exceptional..I always was amazed that a blind guy could do that.
Lloyd and my brother Joe were always diving off the pier and one day
challenged me to do it. They dove in and were hollering for me to
follow..I was scared pea green...but I finally held my nose and jumped
in...I know that Bets and Joey did too.
Joe and Bonnie had a friend who owned a trailer parked at a beach, think it may have been Capistrano. They arranged for Bets and her kids, and me and Ted to go there for a week. Her kids were all very young and Ted was about 2. Susie was just a baby and we put her in a very low little canvas chair, while we played with the others near the waters' edge. Every once in a while we would look over to make sure she was ok...last time we looked she had tipped over face down in the sand. So much for our being observing mothers. Joe and Bonnie, Lloyd and Bud came over on the weekend and we all dug for clams, and oh how we feasted on them. Years later we started going to Manhattan Beach with the Bouman boys and the Bazyouros boys. On Sundays we went dancing at the ballrooms at Ocean Park and the Palladium. In later years we were all in each others weddings.
Almost forgot this. Lloyd would take us to the beach in his Model A or
was it T? Anyhoo it would cost you a dime for gas...Joe always tried to
free load, but Lloyd said "no dime..no go”. Joe finally always came up
with the dime. Oh and there was a little cafe at Santa Monica Beach where you could buy a sandwich like today's sub for 10 cents...not that man of us could always afford it.
Yesterday Susie suggested that I email Marty Bouman who lives with wife, Jeanne in San Diego, and let him know that I am writing about my memories and ask if he would consider doing the same...he came here when he was about 4 or 5. I also emailed Nic and Wim Zwart and asked them if they would relate how their family came to immigrate to New Zealand and why not here? Will let you know if they respond.
If I repeat myself on any of my memories, blame it on my senior moments.
In 1935 or 7, my Dad took Bill, Ted, Jack and I to Boulder Dam. He had worked for a while on it for $1.00 an hour as he had at the Borax mine in Boron. What a great trip that was. Going through Vegas, just the old downtown part was there then, was fun. We made the complete tour of the dam, I was scared going down below inside, it was very damp. Had my picture taken on a wall at the far side of the dam. I think Jack, when he worked for the DWP worked on the turbines.
After Dad joined the union they had him listed as Jacob Zwarts they
thought he was Jewish. Daddy never corrected them, because he was often called to go to work at a movie studio. All of them were run by the
Jews, the only one that was not was Hal Roach. Daddy was hired by 20th Century Fox and worked there till he retired. In his final years there, he made all the miniatures, such as ships, building etc. used in films.
mentioned what beach rats we were. Every day off and weekend we were at Santa Monica Beach. Lloyd loved playing poker at the beach and on one such occasion, Jane Mansfield and Mickey Rooney walked by and asked if they could join in..and they did!!!!!!!!!!!! Lots of actors regularly could be seen there. Richard Jaekle and James Bromfield, he played opposite Veronica Lake in her first pictures, and many others, could be seen there. The area was, and probably still is, known as "muscle beach". Lots of gym equipment...the rings, parallel bars etc. Lloyd was good on the rings...but a blind class mate Eddy Moto..was exceptional..I always was amazed that a blind guy could do that.
Lloyd and my brother Joe were always diving off the pier and one day
challenged me to do it. They dove in and were hollering for me to
follow..I was scared pea green...but I finally held my nose and jumped
in...I know that Bets and Joey did too.
Joe and Bonnie had a friend who owned a trailer parked at a beach, think it may have been Capistrano. They arranged for Bets and her kids, and me and Ted to go there for a week. Her kids were all very young and Ted was about 2. Susie was just a baby and we put her in a very low little canvas chair, while we played with the others near the waters' edge. Every once in a while we would look over to make sure she was ok...last time we looked she had tipped over face down in the sand. So much for our being observing mothers. Joe and Bonnie, Lloyd and Bud came over on the weekend and we all dug for clams, and oh how we feasted on them. Years later we started going to Manhattan Beach with the Bouman boys and the Bazyouros boys. On Sundays we went dancing at the ballrooms at Ocean Park and the Palladium. In later years we were all in each others weddings.
Almost forgot this. Lloyd would take us to the beach in his Model A or
was it T? Anyhoo it would cost you a dime for gas...Joe always tried to
free load, but Lloyd said "no dime..no go”. Joe finally always came up
with the dime. Oh and there was a little cafe at Santa Monica Beach where you could buy a sandwich like today's sub for 10 cents...not that man of us could always afford it.
Yesterday Susie suggested that I email Marty Bouman who lives with wife, Jeanne in San Diego, and let him know that I am writing about my memories and ask if he would consider doing the same...he came here when he was about 4 or 5. I also emailed Nic and Wim Zwart and asked them if they would relate how their family came to immigrate to New Zealand and why not here? Will let you know if they respond.
If I repeat myself on any of my memories, blame it on my senior moments.
In 1935 or 7, my Dad took Bill, Ted, Jack and I to Boulder Dam. He had worked for a while on it for $1.00 an hour as he had at the Borax mine in Boron. What a great trip that was. Going through Vegas, just the old downtown part was there then, was fun. We made the complete tour of the dam, I was scared going down below inside, it was very damp. Had my picture taken on a wall at the far side of the dam. I think Jack, when he worked for the DWP worked on the turbines.
After Dad joined the union they had him listed as Jacob Zwarts they
thought he was Jewish. Daddy never corrected them, because he was often called to go to work at a movie studio. All of them were run by the
Jews, the only one that was not was Hal Roach. Daddy was hired by 20th Century Fox and worked there till he retired. In his final years there, he made all the miniatures, such as ships, building etc. used in films.
Whenever we saw a film that had a ship on the ocean we would know it was one of his miniatures filmed in a tank on the lot.
Each year Fox had a family employee picnic on the lot. I have pictures
showing us there. But I don't have a picture of me dancing with Cesar
Romero who was an idol and great dancer. So much for my 15 minutes of fame!
Joey being Joey always left Mom with all kinds of instructions of what
to do or not to do, When she was home from work, Joey always gave her
strict instructions, "Mom if you have to get up out of bed call Paul”. When Mom had had enough, she told Joey, " Just remember you are still the child and I am still the mother".
Jacky you asked me what we were like, personality wise. We were all
very normal kids, though Jack while being the quiet one was the smartest I think. He and my friend Betty Thompson always won the medals and Holy cards in grade school. I once won a prize in high school for the most original dress that I made but more about that later. I think Ted was the most outgoing, had tons of girl friends, came close many times but never married. Bill as I have said before was the most vocal, interested in everything and a great reader. When I came home from school one day, and he heard that I had started my period, Mom said "Marie, Bill has something for you to read on his desk in his bedroom”. There I found an encyclopedia open to the explanation of menstruation, guess he thought my Mom didn't know enough to explain it to me.!! Joe was also very outgoing, Bets and Joey were always at each other about something. I remember that Bets and I slept in middle bedroom in a double bed, Joey slept in a single bed.
Bets to aggrevate or scare Jo, would say, "Oh look Marie, there is a spider coming down from the ceiling over Joey's head” Joey would scream for Mom. Bets was overly modest, always dressed and undressed in the closet!!
About those guns buried in the back yard by the garage. My Dad had a fit when he discovered two WWII machine guns up in the attic of the back house. Ted's best friend Mickey had gotten them from Mexico. Dad made them bury them in the backyard where I assume they still are.
Guess you have all heard about Joey and the fire hydrant in front of our
house. It was to be taken out by the City. She called them and said that it had been in front of our house for years, and she had often painted it, and she wanted it. They told her she could go to the yard where it would be stored and get it. She said no she would not know which one it was and she wanted that one. After getting the runaround from the City, she convinced the work crew removing it (with the help of sandwiches & beer) to drag it into her backyard. It weighed a ton! It was there for many years.
Each year Fox had a family employee picnic on the lot. I have pictures
showing us there. But I don't have a picture of me dancing with Cesar
Romero who was an idol and great dancer. So much for my 15 minutes of fame!
Joey being Joey always left Mom with all kinds of instructions of what
to do or not to do, When she was home from work, Joey always gave her
strict instructions, "Mom if you have to get up out of bed call Paul”. When Mom had had enough, she told Joey, " Just remember you are still the child and I am still the mother".
Jacky you asked me what we were like, personality wise. We were all
very normal kids, though Jack while being the quiet one was the smartest I think. He and my friend Betty Thompson always won the medals and Holy cards in grade school. I once won a prize in high school for the most original dress that I made but more about that later. I think Ted was the most outgoing, had tons of girl friends, came close many times but never married. Bill as I have said before was the most vocal, interested in everything and a great reader. When I came home from school one day, and he heard that I had started my period, Mom said "Marie, Bill has something for you to read on his desk in his bedroom”. There I found an encyclopedia open to the explanation of menstruation, guess he thought my Mom didn't know enough to explain it to me.!! Joe was also very outgoing, Bets and Joey were always at each other about something. I remember that Bets and I slept in middle bedroom in a double bed, Joey slept in a single bed.
Bets to aggrevate or scare Jo, would say, "Oh look Marie, there is a spider coming down from the ceiling over Joey's head” Joey would scream for Mom. Bets was overly modest, always dressed and undressed in the closet!!
About those guns buried in the back yard by the garage. My Dad had a fit when he discovered two WWII machine guns up in the attic of the back house. Ted's best friend Mickey had gotten them from Mexico. Dad made them bury them in the backyard where I assume they still are.
Guess you have all heard about Joey and the fire hydrant in front of our
house. It was to be taken out by the City. She called them and said that it had been in front of our house for years, and she had often painted it, and she wanted it. They told her she could go to the yard where it would be stored and get it. She said no she would not know which one it was and she wanted that one. After getting the runaround from the City, she convinced the work crew removing it (with the help of sandwiches & beer) to drag it into her backyard. It weighed a ton! It was there for many years.
Many years ago she adopted Fire house Number 13, which is at 12th and Vermont. One Thanksgiving she felt sorry that they had to cook their own dinner. So she called and told them she would like to cook the whole meal for them. They accepted her offer and agreed they would pick it up at 4pm. She cooked the whole meal, and 4pm came and went..she finally called the station and was told they were out on a call, but planned to stop by afterwards. Well up the street came ALL the fire trucks...and neighbors thought her house was on fire. Over the years she stayed in touch with them, and they told her if she ever needed help, for her not to call 911 but call them. Many times when she was hospitalized they would come to visit her and bring her flowers. For her birthday one year they gave her one of their grey sweatshirts with the fire station emblem on it. I have it now.
Just thought of all the wonderful many trips we made to Mammoth when the boys were growing up. We kept them out of school the Fri. after Ascencion Thurs. packed the car up after Lloyd came home from work Wed. night and took off. Lloyd really never liked the snow, but loved fishing the lakes for trout. One day it was so cold when he and Joe were fishing, he just about gave up trout fishing forever ..when his linefroze to the pole!! Bonnie and I would drop Steve and Tim and Hank Warta off at Twin Lake. When we picked them up they had a string of fish and asked us to go back up the road and pick them up again..there they were with another string of fish. Way over the limit. Never cleaned so many trout in my life.
Another time I took my boys, Susie,Tim and Buddy to Mammoth for a week. I am sure Susie will never forget the time she and I went to see the earthquake fault. While down inside we got claustophobic & thought it was going to close up on us. Almost ran out of there.
My own special memory, though not about Holland, would be on our boat just before dusk, watching a large red sun slowly disappear on the horizon. Watching dolphin swim at the side and in front of the boat. Again at night when there was a lot of phosphorus in the water, seeing balls of bait and flying fish all lit up.
God has truly blessed my life and continues to do so. Please remember to always stay close together as family and may God hold you always in the palm of His Hand and keep you safe.
Love always, Marie
Well if you get this far you have done a good job.
Here is Opa with son Denny in 2012.
Well if you get this far you have done a good job.
Here is Opa with son Denny in 2012.
Opa with son Jason in 2007.
Granny and Opa love their little "tie-dyed" dumplings and hope sometime in the future you will find the blog interesting.
4 comments:
Wow, great pictures of the Zwart family, like the written history and your comments too!
Joe
I'm so glad you like it...I am hoping this is a viable way of leaving some sort of family legacy to the kids.
Awesome job, learned a ton; Ash & I loved it. Pictures, video and stories about the past always glue her for more hours than I care to do sometimes, she absolutely loves it & her Opa & Granny.
I'm very glad Ashley likes it...sorry the memoirs are so lengthy.
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