Catharina (Cato)Gérard

David Shea writes: Katherine (Cato) Marie Gerard Monk was my grandmother. I was Cato and Henry's first grandchild, appearing one and one-half years before Grandpa died. I have a definite memory of him lying on a couch eating cake which I am told was at a joint birthday party in October, 1953, honoring his 76th birthday on October 16 and the birth of my sister Peg on October 17. He died the following January. We lived on a farm a few miles from grandma, Uncle Marcus, and Aunt Carol (neither of whom married and continued living on the family farm.) My mom resumed her teaching career in the Fall of 1954 so Peg and I went to Grandma's every day during the week. Actually, we spent most of our time at the Monk farm, because it was the soial center for the extended family which included the William Monk's (grandpa's brother and grandma's sister), their sons and grandchildren. There were no Shea relatives nearby so we spent wonderful childhood days being cared for by a loving, lovely grandmother who embodied every good thing the word "grandmother" means. I suppose we were spoiled, but we were the light of her life and helped her overcome the sadness of losing her husband, (He died in 1954. She did not die until 1987 just a month shy of her 97th birthday.) Mom's sister Norma married two years after my parents and soon two more cousins joined the clan, although the Svoboda's lived further away, near Grand Forks, North Dakota. There were constant family events and Cato masterminded countless parties, gatherings, picnics and outings. She was a terrific hostess, always had coffee and plenty of baked goods on had for anyone who would stop in. Grandma believed that good food made the day on the farm, so she prepared a big breakfast, mid-morning lunch, dinner, mid-afternoon lunch and supper every weekday. Sunday meals were't as fequent, but were typically more elaborate.

She had a big bell on a post just ourside the house and when the food was ready, she rang the bell with gusto. Anyone within hearing range was expected to be at the table with an appetite. One of her first jobs after coming to this country was as a hired girl to cook for threshing crews, so she learned to cook well and for large numbers, something she enjoyed all her life. Her cooking skills were second only to her gardening abilities. I have very early memories of being with her in the garden, pulling weeds, eating berries, picking beans or peas, smelling flowers and learning that hard work in a garden yields great treasures. We all learned to love tulips from Grandma and tulip time in the Spring always brings back many happy memories of her.

Grandma was also very devout. The Catholic faith meant a great deal to her, as it had to her mother. It was a challenge keeping regular attendance at Mass and getting her children instructed in the Sacraments. They lived about ten miles from Sykeston which was quite a distance for many years until the roads improved and vehicles were more reliable. Grandpa Monk was a Lutheran and apparently not a particularly enthusiastic one, so Cato had to be strong-willed during their married years about going to Mass. That determination continued until she died. She expected Carol and Marcus to make the trip to Sykeston for Mass every Sunday and holy day unless the weather was absolutely forbidding. I have many memories of Sunday mornings on the farm when Grandma would be up very early and making incredible amounts of noise in the kitchen and thoughout the house so no one could possibly oversleep on the Lord's day.

Grandma maintained ties with her immediate family plus numerous distant friends and relatives back in Europe. She was an avid letter writer and was a wonderful observer of the natural rhythms of the seasons, the daily life of the farm and the tides of change in the world. She passed along the importance of writing letters, and the joy of receiving them to her daughters and grandchildren. I have boxes of Grandma's letters and find them wonderfully insightful, always a pleasure to reread. Words were important and she kept us on her language skills, writing to the relatives in the "Old Country" in German or Dutch. I showed interest in German and she encouraged and supported my studying the language. We wrote to one another in German for many years and she was thrilled when I spent my junior year of college in Vienna.

The Gerard girls all loved music and would invariably play "name that tune" when they were together. The tunes they tried to name were all favorite German or Dutch songs from their early days. The Gerard girls all had a good sense of humor and liked jokes and pranks. It seems that both their parents were like that and it was passed along to succeeding generations.

Grandma encouraged my interest in family history and passed along a great deal of information plus pictures and other items she saved. I have quite a collection of old photographs going back as far as Daniel Gerard which Grandma treasured. She stored them in one of the trunks the Gerards brought to American in 1911. Perhaps those photographs will be of interest. She also wrote to Kurt Schlicht thoughout his life. His mother, Lucie Gerard, was her cousin. Kurt sent copies of a Gerard genealogy to Grandma and me in 1971.



THE EARLY LIFE OF CATO GERARD

"I remember as far back as 1892, I was born March 7, 1890, and I remember that Carolien was born in 1892. Soon after that my grandparents and Tante Toni wanted me to come and stay with them for a while. My folks said, "you can have her a little while, but you have to come and get her." I was three years old then. All at once Tante Toni came. She brought a doll along that was as big as I was. So, they let me go. I remember my mama sitting at the head of the stairs crying, me waving to her, and starting off with my aunt. I was there three months and then papa came after me. I didn't know him anymore. He was a Zigeuner Onkel, meaning a gypsy uncle. Well, he finally made up with me or I with him. I remeber how glad everyone was that Catooje was back home. The surprise at home was a new baby girl, Antonia, born on November 28, 1893.

In the Spring of 1896 Carolien and I started in kindergarten. It was near our home in the Schans by Leeuwarden. In the summer of 1897 my grandma got sick. My dad could not go so I was sent to keep my grandma and aunt company. That fall I started school in Germany and when I got home I could only talk German.

Then in the Fall Carolien and I started in the Sisters' school. Thirty-three nuns lived in that convent and up to this day I remember the beautiful chapel with stained glass windows. My one wish was to be all my years at the Sister's--if only I could be their hired girl. I liked them so well.

On March 16, 1899, we got a new baby sister, Hubertina Helena. I was nine years old and she was partly my responsibility. Once more I spent a summer in Germany and before school started the whole family came by train to get me. Three of us now attended the Sisters' school--Toni was in kindergarten. Carolien and I always had fun in school, but Toni was often naughty. One year I got a prize for the best marks and behavior. It was also necessary to have been at daily Mass. I made it. There was an extra prize to go with it, so I got two books. Carolien got prize no. 7. She likes to tell that got no. 13, but that was not so. In Holland the system in eleven months of school a year. I finished high school when I was 16 and hated to leave. The Sisters said that if I wanted to be a teacher I could stay, but I didn't want that.

In the meantime, my dad had won 10,000 gulden, which was about $4,000.00, in a lottery. My folks decided to start a delicatessen. It was like a grocery store, with canned goods, luncheon means, butter, eggs, cookies, and candy. Papa kept his good job as a salseman with Vosh en Zonen. It was a big department store for those times. Both mama and papa had worked for Vosh before they were married. My mother was one of the sales ladies. My dad was the salesman. He would go by train to some of the smaller towns with samples of goods--pictures of suits and coats, and take orders. He would leave on Monday and got back on Thursday nights. The next two days he would fill orders and send them off. After my parent married, he still had to leave on Monday and come back Thursday. Believe me, us kids had to behave when he was home. My mom was more lenitent.

Carolien and I had to run the store, which turned out to be a good business. I didn't like the store work and did a lot of cooking and housework, although we had a hired girl. Those girls in Holland worked for 52 gulden a year--something like .40 cents a week, plus room and board. The store work was getting better and better and then papa decided we needed him in the store too. It was a big mistake. We lost the money he made that had always paid the rent for the store.

Mr Kuhlman had been after my dad for years to come and work for him. He had a soap factory and needed a travelling salesman. Then in Leeuwarden we had a chance to sell the store. My dad was always game to start something new so we moved to Barendrecht. Papa's job was good. He sold more soap than Kuhlman could make. Mrs. Kuhlman had worked in the same store in Leeuwarden as my parents. Everything went good for a while. We went to Church in Rotterdam. The priest, Pastor Wierdels, was real nice and was a good friend of my parents. We had a white Spitz dog. He often followed us to Church and the priest's housekeeper would take the dog in. Tante Louise and Uncle Frans lived in Rotterdam. He had a leather goods factory. I often stayed with them when they could spare me at home.

There were six kids in the Kuhlman family. Then they lost baby no seven and from then on there was trouble. Mrs. Kuhlman brooded so much about herself and then they lost their three year old daughter. That did it. Mts Kuhlman went to a sanitarium. My mom and dad helped out a lot, but it was a sad case.

Carolien had a job bookkeeping in a store in Rotterdam. Toni and Hubertine went to a kind of boarding school five days a week. Hubertine went to a French school taught by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Toni was preparing to be a teacher. I was home to keep the household going. My favorite pastime was translating German books into Dutch and writing down those pretty German songs.

Finally, Mrs. Kuhlman killed herself. Some said with an overdose of pills. That left Mr. Kuhlman with five kids ages three to eleven. All through the years we were in Barendrecht, Kuhlman talked of going to Canada. When his wife died, we sold all of our belongings (wish I had some of them back) and that was the money we came on. I hated terrible to leave Holland, but when Max said he would come along I felt better. We went aboard ship in Rotterdam. Our priest went along to see us off and give us his blessing. We left our Spitz dog with him. (Max Vogelsang is Catherine's first cousin. Their mothers were sisters.)

They said the boat would leave at 3 o'clock in the afternoon so Max, Carolein, and I decided to go for a walk. We went over the bridge across the Maas River, but then decided we'd better get back to the wharf where the "Barcelona" lay anchored. A row of ships and boats had to go under the bridge. It had to be opened to let the high ships through so we stood there. It was about a half-hour before the bridge was open again to traffic. In the meantime, at the waiting room, word came that the ship would leave at 2;30. So my parents were frantic. We weren't back yet and they were getting ready to draw in the gang plank. Mama was crying when we got back. My dad was mad and Mr. Kuhlman had a fit. It would have been awful to see the ship sail away without us. It was a ship of the Hamburg-America Line. The crew were German and they were so surprised and delighted to have Dutch girls on board who could talk and sing Deutsch. Everyone of us enjoyed the first hours out, but then ten of them got sea-sick. Only Carolein, Max, and I didn't get sick. The captain called us born sailors. We left during Holy Week 1911. My mama had her 50th birthday on the Atlantic Ocean. A gypsy had once told here that she would make a big journey when she was 50. It was a sad day to leave Holland, but at the same time a big adventure.

We were headed for Halifax but the ship had to change course because of icebergs. The captian showed us the icebergs when we were nearing Canada. It got so terrible cold, but I remember the sun shining on those icebergs. There were a lot of Russian immigrants on the ship. When Canada was in sight they went down on their knees and began to pray and sing. We landed at St. John, New Brunswick. From there we went by train to Macoun, Sasketchewan. There was to be a farm waiting for us there.

Everything turned out different from the descriptions we got in Holland. The farn was supposed to have a real big house and was near a town with a Catholic Church, but when it came to a showdown it was only a mission with Mass maybe once a month. At the hotel we met a man from Harvey, North Dakota, He was a land agent and had a farm waiting so we all came with him. The farm was south of Gussick's (the Tetz farm). That first year here was very poor. The wheat went four bushels to the acre. Kuhlman was rich so he paid the bills. We did the work. He had relatives in Chicago and when they heard about Kuhlman and his kids out on the prairie, they had Kuhlmans come to Chicago. He went, but died not long afterwards. That left us stranded here. But then we all got busy. My folks worked for Alex Jansen. Toni worked for her board at Alfson's. Hubertine was going to school yet. Carolien got a good job in Barber's store in Heaton. I worked at Lloyd's, starting at $3.00 a week. By falI was getting $5.00 a week. That seemed terrible big money then. Our goal was to get our parents to Heaton as quickly as possible and we succeeded after a while.

We rented a house for them at $8.00 a month. My mom did a lot of sewing. My dad did gardening and raising chickens. We got Toni to Valley City and she taught for a year. Then Bill Monk came into our family. He had a nice brother, Henry. Toni married Bill in 1914 and I married Henry in 1916. That first winter was terrible hard on all of us. The climate was so different from Holland. We soon adjusted outselves and got to like North Dakota, and especially Heaton.

Hubertien taught in Hurdsfield. There was an opening buying cream from the farmers that was shipped to St. Paul. My dad took that job and made good. When Hubertien got married, my folks moved to a house by themselves. My mother was so glad to be in a town that had a Catholic Church. There was only Mass once a month, sometimes only nine times a year, all depending on the winter. The Sykestown priest had the Hurdsfield mission.

I often went on the train to Hurdsfield on Saturday and came back home on Monday morning. When it was time for Marcus and Carol's First Communion, Father Sommerfield suggested we come to Sykeston where he and the Sisters could help me. It was not easy seeing that ours was a mixed marriage, besides being so far away from Church. In those days Fessenden was a mission with Mass only twice a month. The Carrington priest came to Fessenden between trains on Sunday. When I told Henry that I wanted our kids to go to Church every Sunday he said, "What! Every Sunday?" You see he was used to church once a month. But it all turned out good.

One funny thing about being in Canada; when word got around that a family with girls had come, lots of bachelors came and wanted us to stay and get married. I'm glad I waited 'till "I married dear old dad."