Pike Township Family Stories
LEE CADOGAN STORY
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, pages 228-231
By Edith CadoganI will begin my story about 46 years ago [1984]. Lou Schmitt and Nettie Schmitt made the decision to increase their foster family. After all, the country school must have more children enrolled or the neighborhood school would have to close. They drove to the Lutheran home at Muscatine and decided to take Lee Cadogan and Gene Cadogan home with them. That would be enough increase to keep the school open, as required by law.
It didn’t take the boys long to get acquainted with Herb Schmitt, Ralph Schmitt and Gladys Schmitt and foster children Johnny Crawford, Marian Byrd and George Banks and Lela Banks. The Schmitts took in many other foster children during their years of parenting. It was a large family by today’s standards, but there was always plenty to do on the farm.
Tax dollars were hard to find for schools at that time. History hasn’t changed much on that item! Nell Kelsey was teacher for these boys, and later she became Mrs. Herbert Schmitt.
In the early morning hours, the children had to get up and help with chores. The cows had to be milked, the pigs and chickens fed, and anyone old enough to help did. After chores, a hearty breakfast was served, and then it was time to get ready for school. Lunches were packed, clothes were changed if necessary, and off to school by foot.
It was customary to walk to school, and Mother Nature relieved the boredom by having mud and mud puddles, snow banks and snow balls or just brother-sister arguments and disagreements along the way. The Schmitt house must have been very dull during school hours.
Millions of calories were used every day during that time in history, just to do the necessary things. No one needed to spend hours every day jogging and doing aerobics, just to keep in shape. Chores were done again after school, wood needed to be chopped and hauled to the house, garden work, canning, butchering livestock and canning it were other jobs that had to be done. Chickens needed to be fed, eggs washed, and if Netty decided on chicken dinner, the roosters had to be caught and dressed for the next night’s supper.
When we were young, we didn’t have television to help us grow flabby and irritable. Our past times and fun times were the real life on the farm, with Mother Nature’s fresh air and sunshine, haymows, bag swings, climbing trees, jumping puddles and just plain fighting, for fun, naturally. The family played together, worked together and shared the house and evenings together.
Lee and Gene remember the old carbide lamps that Schmitts used to light the evening darkness. Studying, card games or reading was our entertainment. They remember the kerosene lamps we always had to carry around, too. Every time the door opened or someone walked by, the lamp would flicker and get the chimney black. It was the women’s job to keep the chimneys clean.
We used wick lanterns, kerosene, of course, to do chores in the winter time. We’re surprised that more barns didn’t burn from these lanterns getting dropped or tipped over. Guess we all had to be careful about that.
We remember the times when Lou and Netty were occupied some place else, and we’d try to ride whatever looked easy. We tried pigs and calves, cows and horses. You name it, and I think one of us tried it! We don’t remember any broken bones, though. Guess we lucked out.
Today the livestock is usually just on large farms, and automatic feeders and waterers are a must. Mud puddles are covered by cement for ban yards, roads and buildings. Fans are in barns to keep animals cool, and air conditioning and automatic furnaces are used to keep us comfortable.
Automatic washers and dryers took the place of scrub boards, tubs and wringer washers. Our clothes never see the sunshine now unless we’re wearing them. Remember how nice our beds smelled when our sheets and pillow cases were hung on the line to let Mother Nature dry them? All the changes we’ve seen in our short life make us wonder what we’ll see in the next forty years. And we’ve even wondered if our modern disco lights evolved from the old flickering kerosene lamps that were part of our past.
Lee remembers a time when we had another good old farm family dinner. He forgot how many mouths and stomachs were filled, but it was a relaxing time. Someone just happened to goof off by throwing that last drop of water from the glass on to someone across the table. That triggered a real water fight! Water was flying in every direction, and Netty was in the middle. Glasses and pitchers were replenished and the fight went from the dining room to the outdoors. When Netty said, “Enough!” everyone knew it was quitting time. All grabbed brooms, mops and rags and got to work mopping up the mess. The kitchen and dining area got cleaned up and dried out, but it sure was a jolly good time.
The guys remember the huge chicken dinners Netty and the girls used to have during World War II days. We’d catch and clean chicken one day, and the next day we’d help prepare what seemed like bushels of garden vegetables. Then “Mom” Netty would serve thirty or forty or sixty people in her specially built dinner house. Many foster children showed up then, and service men and people from all over would come. The shed is still on the Schmitt farm, but the house has been moved away, and Herb and Nell built a new house. The barn and other buildings are aging, but both Lee and Gene go back “home” to where their memories are.
Gene was younger than Lee, but some people kid Gene about some of the thorns he ran into. He had trouble hanging up his clothes, especially his pajamas. Seems as though Netty pleasantly reminded him for a long time, every day, but they really locked horns over determination. Netty finally won the battle at home, but I wonder if Gene still hangs up his pajamas!
When Gene was in country school, he didn’t feel that correct spelling was very important either. Now math – well, that made sense and didn’t take much brain work, but who needed spelling and writing, especially at age 12 or 14. Today Gene is a machinist at Oscar Meyer in Davenport. I wonder if he uses his math or spelling on that job? Kids, you need it all in 1984!
Lee graduated from Nichols High school as president of his class. The senior class had fourteen members that year. He didn’t get a chance to go out for sports. His sports time was on the farm with chores and field work. There weren’t buses to take the kids to school then, either.
From 1942 until January 1946, Lee spent his time in the Seabees in the Navy. There his time was spent learning the carpenter business by building mess halls for other service men that followed. He served time in the Aleutians off Alaska and in the Philippines. Uncle Sam gave him a short stay in the Hawaian islands, too.
Pictures of the past and these travel times will always be remembered. To this day, Lee enjoys travelling, but it is state side now, with a hint of a trip to Sydney, Australia, somewhere in the future.
Gene Cadogan also joined the Navy, and so did John Crawford. Were there other foster boys of the Schmitts who served in the Navy?
After the war, Lee and Gene opened a tire recapping business in Oelwein, in northeast Iowa. It was known as the O. K. Rubber Welders.
It was in Oelwein that they met their future wives. Lee married Edith Kadera, a farm girl from Sumner, and Gene married Etta Peterman from Oelwein. Gene and Etta later lived in Davenport, Iowa; they have four boys and a girl. Mike and his wife work at the Rock Island Arsenal and have two children. Kerry and his wife have three children and live in Letts, Iowa, while Kerry works in Muscatine. Kevin is married and has a garage in Bettendorf, Iowa. Sandy and Etta are mail carriers in Bettendorf and Davenport. Brian, the youngest, is a college student in Davenport, interested in chiropractic for his future.
Lee and Edith Cadogan have seven children. They spent their early married life farming for Barney Milder near Nichols. Later they bought a farm west of Oelwein, near Arlington, Iowa. Lee took a course in refrigeration, and the family moved to Nora Springs, Iowa, to pursue a town life style.
Lee and Edith’s family consists of four boys and three girls, but it has increased to include three lovely daughters-in-law, three sons-in-law and 16 grandchildren under age 13.
Danny Cadogan works at the 3M plant east and south of Clinton, Iowa, and will soon move his family to Port Byron, Illinois, near Moline, Illinois.
Gary Cadogan works at Clinton Corn, now known as Archer Daniels Midland company. The family lives in Clinton, Iowa.
Nancy Cadogan lives with her family north of Mt. Carroll, Illinois. Her husband works at the Savanna Army Depot.
Roger Cadogan and his family live in Hastings, Nebraska. He works as a radio announcer and also does disco dances.
Karen Cadogan and her family live in Sydney, Australia. Karen is an assistant dietitian at a hospital in Sydney.
Rick Cadogan is single. He is employed by the nuclear plant at Cordova, Illinois, and lives on his acreage east of Morrison, Illinois.
Patty Cadogan and her husband live near her parents. Patty works at Central Steel West of Clinton, Iowa.
When Lee and Edith’s children were asked about highlights in their past, they shared many memories together. Top priority was the big tornado about 1960. That Sunday began routinely by going to church, coming home and changing clothes. A picnic for the afternoon was planned at Fayette, and a return to the farm where the younger ones were put to bed for nap time. The two oldest, Dan and Gary, were sent out to play.
About 4 p.m. the west horizon was covered with huge dark clouds. The two boys looked out the haymow window just in time to see the tops of the neighbors’ trees twisted off by a tornado that continued toward the Cadogan residence. They hurried out of the haymow and ducked behind the milk cooler on the ground floor. Noise from outside followed, then silence. They boys continued to pray for the safety of their family and were still afraid to look out. Soon the voices of Mom and Dad were heard, calling for them. They answered and looked out to see what had happened. Electric wires were hanging loosely all over the yard between the house and the barn. The windmill was laying on the barn, the corncrib and chicken coop were off the foundations, but the house escaped without damage.
By this time, everyone was out looking at the mess and thankful there were no injuries. Cows were milked by hand that night, but by morning Dad had the milking machine hooked up to a motor to make the job less tedious.
Our first overnight fishing vacation followed after crops were planted the following spring. Lee, Edith and the family planned and packed for a fishing trip to Park Rapids, Minnesota. The children were all looking forward to sleeping in the tent while Lee and Edith slept in the back of the pickup truck.
The first night, Lee and Edith were awakened by a deluge of rain. Lee flashed the light towards the door of the tent and saw the streams of rain going into the door. All was quiet. It seems like an eternity before a flashlight from inside the tent was turned on and a voice followed with “Hey, Mom, we’re drowning!” Through the tent door we saw all the sleeping bags, food, camping gear, clothes, suitcases and children surrounded by water. Patty, the baby, was still asleep with water pushing up the edges of her bed so she was in a dry nest.
By this time the entire camp was awake and lights were everywhere. We were offered dry bedding, station wagons and floor space to find a dry spot to sleep in for the rest of the night. We accepted aid graciously but did not look forward to the next day.
The next day, however, everyone pitched in to get laundry and bedding washed and hung out to dry before we could go fishing. The tent was allowed to dry that day, too, but it was moved to a different area for the rest of our week.
Patty was walking at this time, and she got into the act by picking up trash that was around. We didn’t realize until later that she did an excellent job “helping.” Did you ever try to serve balanced meals for nine people when a week’s supply of canned goods has all the labels missing? Yes, Patty helped!
Home and family memories also include times of work. Gary remembers the time when Edith had a second planting of garden in. The crop wasn’t up yet, but lots of fingers had helped. Lee had been working in the fields. The next day, Lee disked the garden to get it ready for the second crop. Such is life on the farm!
Dan, Gary and Nancy remember the canning times, too. Lee would pick bushels of sweet corn with our help and dump them under the huge tree near the garden. We all shucked corn for canning – Karen called it “peeling.” Long days and hot kitchens were tolerated during canning time.
Sauerkraut time and eating fresh cabbage hearts are memorable events. Nancy remembers carrying lunch to the field for Lee during corn plowing. Roger remembers the rides to the fields in a car during haying time, when we’d all get to share Kool Aid, sandwiches and cookies with the hay makers. He also remembers playing King of the Mountain on those big rocks in the middle of the oat fields.
Our family goes back to Arlington to look at the past when they are traveling to northeast Iowa. The farm house isn’t nearly as big now, the rocks in the field look smaller, and he country school is gone. Our memories will last, but history changes, and it’s time for another generation to take over.
This story wouldn’t be complete unless Edith remembers a few things. She remembers how thankful she and Lee were when Gary, age 2 ½, and Nancy, age 8 months, finally got back to normal after a seemingly endless bout with the flu. After Edith became ill and was taken to the University Hospital, it was diagnosed as non-paralytic polio. It was later decided that both Nancy and Gary had it earlier, but all recovered without permanent scars.
It seems as though Rick, the youngest boy, took the prize for accidents and close calls. When he was between two and four years old, he had a great fascination to run behind every milk or feed truck that drove into the yard. He survived. At age five and kindergarten, he still had no fears. He received three head injuries his first six weeks in school. Parents and teachers were ready to buy him a football helmet. Who would think of living dangerously enough to down a slippery slide on a basketball? Just Rick!
When Rick was twelve, he was playing in a ditch in the country near Clinton. A car ran into the ditch and hit him. It was two years before the doctors and nature got him back together and healed to go on with a normal life. He got his farming experiences about seven years ago [1984] while helping Herb Schmitt on the old Schmitt farm.
To add to our list of believe-it-or-nots, later Edith’s car was hit by the same driver that ran into Rick years before. The other driver’s car was totaled, and his license was taken away permanently. Edith was shaken up a little.
Lee and Edith have their home in Clinton, Iowa. Lee is working at Chemplex, a plastics plant, where he is a shift supervisor. His plant works 12-hour shifts, 6 to 6, which is a week and 36 hours the next week. Longer periods of time off are enjoyed, especially when the shift workers are off one full week per month. The 3M plant near Clinton is also on the 12-hour shift.
Lee does refrigeration work as a second job, but he is looking forward to the retirement years. We have bought a fifth-wheel camper and pickup truck and plan to be among the snow birds that go to better climates as seasons change. Lee still enjoys fishing, traveling, reading, pool, hunting and camping.
If any of the people from Nichols ever come to Clinton, look us up. We live right behind Kentucky Fried Chicken when we are home. We hope that our future plans will allow us to be movable, at will, and if any of you see us down south, give a yell, as we may be moving on tomorrow!
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Page created December 11, 2010 by Lynn McCleary