Julius CRILE - a couple stories

CRILE

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 2/8/2012 at 20:11:26

"The Fairfield Ledger"
Saturday, March 23, 1929
Page 8, Column 6

Julius CRILE was born in Walnut Township in Jefferson County, in 1846 at the old CRILE farm near Germanville. He has lived his entire life in Walnut Township.

His parents, Mr. and Mrs. John P. CRILE, were both natives of Germany. Upon coming to America they located in Marion County, Ohio. After living there about nine years they came to Iowa in a covered wagon and located on a tract of government land near Germanville. There they built a log cabin where they lived for several years with their five sons and two daughters. Julius was only 7 years when his father died.

He received his education in Walnut township, attending the school which was located just south of Germanville near where the present frame school house known as Walnut No. 5 is located. Julius started to school when he was six years old and attended until he was 19. There were only four months of school each year. The building was a log cabin with but three windows in it, one in each side and one at one end. It was heated by a fire place. There were no seats or desks. The pupils sat upon blocks of wood. They had only long slabs fastened along the wall to write upon. They had to stand while writing.

There were very few school houses at that time. Sometimes as many as 60 pupils attended the school where Julius did. There are only three living who attended the school at the same time as he did. His first teacher was Mr. Overman.

The school house which is known as Walnut No. 4 was built in 1872 and is located in the school district in which Mr. CRILE now resides. This building is very different from the school building in which Mr. CRILE received his education. It is a frame building, facing north, with three windows on the east and three on the west. It is heated by a new Victrola type of stove just purchased this school year. We have double seats, new teacher's desk and chair, an organ, victrola, two sets of maps, globes, library books and many other conveniences, which were unknown in the country school of 72 years ago.

Our playground equipment consists of swings and teeter boards. Thirteen pupils are now enrolled and our present teacher is Miss Leis Ingham... Julius CRILE...

by Gwendolyn Fichtner, 8th Grade, Walnut No. 4.

~~~~

"Brighton Enterprise"
December 29, 1932
Page 2, Column 3

The following story of Julius CRILE of Germanville appeared in the Des Moines Sunday "Register": Three score years ago Julius CRILE, 86, the sage of Germanville, learned a lesson about making baskets. He hasn't forgotten it, though until recently he hadn't made a basket for more than 50 years. "One time," Grandpa CRILE recalls, "I hurried in making a handle to a basket. That afternoon I took three dozen eggs to town. The handle broke. That was the lesson I needed." Grandpa learned how to make baskets when a boy living within a stone's throw of his present home. His father was a German immigrant. Early he started to make his fortune. Combining horse breeding with farming, he prospered until he owned 1,200 acres of land. During these years he didn't make baskets. Then a few years ago he divided up his acres between his seven children. But it wasn't Grandpa CRILE's way to be idle. On the hills of the land he had given his children grew thousands of white oak trees. Here was basket material a-plenty. Grandpa built a pond, cut some logs and sank them in the water to soak. From the pond he draws his basket staves. He works in a one-room building. His saw is worn half away. "What's the matter with this saw?" he says. "Nothing. Just old like myself. I have used it for 75 years."

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I am not related to the person(s) mentioned.