Klinke, Esther 1979-07-29

Esther Klinke, longtime St. Francis resident, discusses her life in that community.

General Interview Information

Interviewee Name: Esther Klinke

Additional Parties Recorded: None

Date: July 29, 1979

Location: St. Francis, Texas

Interviewer: Bobby Weaver

Length: 45 minutes

Abstract

Tape 1, Side 1: Parents married in Beatrice, Nebraska (April 16, 1907), Maternal grandfather interested in St. Francis, Texas, Father, Frederick Christopher Klinke, Farmer, Other activities, First meeting of her parents, Mother’s father (again), Father with Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders (1898), Father’s parents died (c. 1900), Parents moved to Pampa, Texas (1907), Mother’s father had bought land, Reasons for moving to St. Francis, One reason was the church there, Father bought Arthur Acton place, Father primarily raised cattle, Did farm some, Fence cutting, Store in St. Francis, Elevator run by Boon, Esther was born in St. Francis, Families in the area when she was a child, Not all families were German or Catholic, Church in St. Francis drew some Catholics, Majority of families recruited by land agents, Selling land, People involved in selling land, Families purchased land in area early, Father quit cattle business (late 1930s), Father raised sheep for a time, St. Francis more of a community than a town, Contract harvesters, Crops, Primarily wheat, Entertainment, Dances, Locations held at, Music, Families interrelated, Land confiscated by Pantex, Many old homes destroyed, Many families had to move, Effect on parochial school.

Tape 1, Side 2: Effect on the children of the families, Many had to leave to farm, Church entertainment, Picnics, Parish hall, She attended public school, Location of schools, St. Mary’s school in Amarillo, Most girls in St. Francis went there, Boarding school for a period, Many attended from the Catholic communities, People in St. Francis have relatives in the other Catholic communities, Many hands working for various families stayed at her father’s farm, Houses described, Many the same style, World War I, Effect on German-Americans, Discrimination against, No major trouble in their area.

Range Dates: 1900-1979

Bulk Dates: 1900-1925

Access Information

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