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Federal Writers' Project Source:
F W Kaul--L A Rollins, Interview with Mr. Jelin Oliphant,
Hastings, Nebraska. 6th and Briggs, Hastings, Nebraska.
I was born March 5, 1883 in Adams County, six miles northwest of
Hastings. My parents moved to Hastings when I was a little boy. I had made
a few grades in the Schunway school and finished the rest of the grades in
the ward school of Hastings. I started to work When I was 14 and have been
going ever since. First I worked as a delivery boy in a butcher shop. I held
the job six years, perhaps a little longer. My next job was that of grocery
salesmen, wholesale groceries. I worked for this firm 20 years. Salesmen c
could sehl real orders in those days.
I have many recollections of the ti_e I spent as a boy on the farm.
I think mother was the best cook, I have ever known and her best dish was
apple dunpling with dip. She would peel a half bushel of apples at a time,
core them, place a sugar syrup with vanilla flavor in the space where the
core was and put them together again and place the apple on a piece of
rolled cut bread dough and wrap the dough around the apple and twist it at
the t p, then she would place them in an iron kettle which was standing on
the fire which kettle contained hot water and lard mixed. ;he would place
three dozen of these apples in the hot kettle and would continue the process
until all the apples were prepared. The reason she had to make sommiar at
a time was because there was six brothers and four sisters who all had a
hearty appetite for mother's apple dumplings with dip were outstanding.
Among other outstanding incidents of my boy hood life on the farm are
the parties we sued to have. Young people would gather weekly at one of
their homes usually on a Friday evening. After the usual greetings were over
the young people ould sing a number of old time songs and play games. Among
the songs were such as "When you and I were young, Maggie," "Yankee Doodle,"
"Old Black Joe," "Way down upon the Swanee River," and "John's Body,“
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We played such games as "Drop the Handerkerchielf," "Spring Platter,"
Tin, Came in," Bing around the Rosy," "Button, Button who's got the Button,"
"Fruit Basket, and others. Before the party broke up we partook of a lunch
which the guests had brought along in baskets. We went hame all having had
a good time and knowing that we would have an equally good time at the next
party.
The folks always had company on Sunday, when the neighbors would call
and visit. Butching day was a great day during the winter. Father butchered
several hogs at a time. The neighbors would help him. The reason I renumber
butchering day so well is because from that day on for a long season we would
have plenty of good sausages flavored with sage. Mother would serve these
sausages with hot cakes and syrup for breakfast. Father prepared his own brine
and cured the meat for six weeks, when theism. and bacons were smoked and
packed in oats for sumner use.
I was married in 1904. I have only daughter. We attend the Methodist Church.
While I have no faith in superstitions, my mother did. She used to tell
us that if a bird flew into th house and out again someone would presently
die in the family or relationship. She often related and incident of this
nature which was supposed to have announced to her the death of ray oldest
brother. On the morning of his death a robin flew into the house and left
again. 14lother related this to us many times.
My wife believed if one would kill a cat it meant seven years of bad
luck. She connected the same superstition with the breaking of a mirror
and even cry over the same. If we would be out dirving and a black cat would
cross our path, she forced me to go back fearing that some unfortunate thing
would happen. wife's mother believed that a cow could be bewitched when
the milk went bad. In that case they would call a neighboring witch doctor
to treat the cow. The treatment consisted in splitting the cow's tall open
with a curved knife and puting sanething into this opening and closing the
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incision. What the witch doctor placed into the opening was never revealed,
that was the mystery of the treatment. My mother-in-law claimed that this
treatment would invariably restore the production of good milk. My wife's
mother was a Russian.
In the 90's the local Catholic convent situated in the northwestern
part of Hastings was vacant for some The saying arose that the place
was haunted. The one horse carryalls conducted quite a business taking
pecple to and from the convent to examine its weirdness personally. It is
said that groaning sounds were heard within the dark malls of the convent
but whence they came no one knew. I was 10 or 12 years old at that time and
well recall this incident.
.An incident that amused me When I was a traveling atlesman took place
at BlOamington, Nebraska, as follows. A farmer came into the drug store of
that town purchased a pocket bouk and had it charged. A similar incident took
place in Western Kansas, a merchant had purchased a new check protector. A
check given me in the am unt of 1,t22 or $23 was the first check pretected by
the machine, however protecAted as the check was it bounced back."
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