Arnold Merk, Switzerland to America

During the last week of April, 1878, the SS Montana, of the Guion Line, arrived in New York Harbor, having sailed from the port of Liverpool, England some two weeks earlier. Arnold Merk, of Prussia, occupation shoemaker, age 20 years, was one of the many immigrant passengers that disembarked at the Castle Garden Emigrant Depot. Arnold had been born in Embrach, Zurich, Switzerland 21 February 1857 a son of Jacob Merk and Barbara Goodkanught. Today, Embrach is a suburb of Zuirch, but it may have been a rural village in 1878. Just above Arnold Merk’s name on the ship’s manifest was the name Ulrich Gutnecht, of Prussia, occupation shoemaker, age 40. It is possible that Ulrich Gutnecht and Barbara Goodknaught are related as passengers who traveled together were usually listed together on the manifest. Just above Ulrich‘s name was Johan Kickle, of Purssia, occupation shoemaker, age 30 who could possibly also be related to Arnold Merk.

On May 19, 1880, Arnold Merk was married to Rosina Buehler in Paris, Bear Lake, Idaho. Rosina had been born 18 July 1862 in Bern, Switzerland. Rosina reveals in later census records that she arrived in America in 1879. By 1900, Arnold and Rosina have left Idaho for Washington County, Kansas. In 1910, the family has given up Kansas for Howell County, Missouri. Rosina is now mother to 14 children; 11 boys and 3 girls. By 1920, Rosina had evidently passed away, because her husband was then living in St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri with a new wife named Elsie and a step-son, George Humphrey.

Arnold and Rosina Merk’s children can be found in the 1930 census living in Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa. The eldest son, Arnold Merk, Jr., born 29 July 1881, Bear Lake, Idaho would become the Grandfather of our cousin Winnie.

You can find the Merk family in our database here
http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=fletaaday&id=I3704

I have added a Merk surname page to our 3 Sister’s website here
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~powell/merk/
with census images and other documents relating to this family. It was fun searching for this family, starting without even knowing the grandfather’s given name and finding records of his first arrival in the America.

On Swimming Upstream

The Sisters often seem to be at 'odds' with modern customs. What we value is rarely 'in'. I think this is mostly because our Daddy taught us that it is better to be 'out' by ourselves than 'in' the wrong. Old sister has answered a series of pop culture questions on her blog. Her answers are not anything like what the majority would give, but probably much like what her sisters would say. Casual acquaintances may look at her answers and think she is just trying to be funny, but I would could have answered the questions for her about her and given much the same answers. Here are my answers to sisters survey. I would be interested to see how others in our family would answer these questions.

Four jobs I have had in my life:
Sceretary / Office Clerk {current job}
Store Clerk {favorite all time job, but lowest paying job I ever had}
Poultry processing line wroker
Electrical motor factory worker

Four movies I would watch over and over:
I do not even have a single movie that I want to watch once, let along over and over. I can sometimes read a book a second time if it has been several years since I read it, but I really hate watching movies I have already seen. To me this is like asking, what day of your life would you want to live over and over. I do not want a do over, I want to move on.

Four places I have lived:
AR
MO
Alaska
TX

Four TV Shows I love/loved to watch:
Cheyene staring Clint Walker, the first TV show I ever watched when I was about 10 years old. We did not have a TV until 1959 or so after Patsy graduated from HS, got a job and bought us one. But, the first time I watched TV was when I slipped off to my neighbor/cousin's house and watched Cheyene. As a young child I loved to watch TV, but Daddy would only let us watch certain shows, and when he decided he did not want to watch TV, we had to turn it off.

Now there is not one TV show I watch and enjoy. At one time, I watched the news each evening, but, now, even that is ruined. I can not watch the news this week without crying. Think of all those mother's of young US men, who sent them off to fight a war in a far off county, full of fear for their lives, but knowing they were under the protecting arm of our government. And now, to have that son sitting in a jail cell in your own country awaiting trial for murder. Speaking of war on terror, I am sure there is now a war of terror ignited in the heart of every mother of a US soilder. And there, but for the grace of God, goes First Sister. No, I do not want to even listen to the news. The evening news should be renamed this days tally of heartaches.

Four places I have b een on vacation:
California
Kentucky
NC
Missouri

Four websites I look at daily.

NONE. I have come to a point in my life that there is ABSOLUTELY nothing that is not essential to my survial that I do daily. Some days I do not even turn on the computer. But, I look at my family's web blogs ALMOST daily.

Four of my favorite foods:
Now you are talking important stuff, and I have answers.
Thick, juicy steaks cooked to order by my husband
Angle Food Cake, cooked to prefection by myself with the help of Betty Crocker
Fresh new potatoes from Daddy's garden, boiled just til barely done, rolled in corn meal and browned to prefection in bacon grease by Mama
Fresh tomatoes from Daddy's garden

Sister Fleta

Today in Aday Meadow

Brother's turkey. Hope no one tries to sneek up and shoot him or steal him away from Aday Meadow...

My Red Headed Boy!

Aday Meadow

View from my window

This was our view in Aday Meadow this evening, just before dusk. We watched them for about 30 minutes before they walked off down into the hollow below the pond.

Buy it on E-Bay...

My husband lost his wallet at work Saturday. His Social Security card was in the wallet. I went to goole search to find what proof he would need to get another one. Being in a hurry, I just searched for SS card thinking that would do the trick. It did find the SS gov office, but out to the right in the paid ad space, it said, SS card, whatever you want you can buy it on E-Bay.

Next week, another George will probably be working to Tyson.

And a happy father's day to you too.

These are my boys and the girl. Lane the oldest grandchild is now 10 years old. As soon as he was old enough to memorize a phone number, I taught him how to dial 0 for operator, explain he needed to call grandma collect and give her my phone number. Over the years his mother and dad have lived in many places and Lane still has trouble remembering his own phone number, which changed again just a couple of weeks ago, but grandma's phone number is still the same one I taught him when he was 3 years old. Just in case.

Today, for father's day Lane's father told him to call grandpa. Lane does not get to actually call long distance for himself very often, mostly he is only allowed to make local calls. But Lane knew how to call grandpa, cause grandma had taught him years ago. I answered the phone and the operator said you have a collect call from, and a little voice came on 'Lane'. This was it. The just in case day, trying to sound calm I asked Lane why he was calling. He said 'Dad told me too.' Being already scared to death, father's day was completely forgotten. Not only was Lane calling collect, but Dad had told him too. This was wrose than 'Just in case.' I say, 'Why did Dad tell you to call.' 'I forgot, let me ask Dad. Oh, yeah, can I talk to Grandpa.'

Then the light dawned. Father's Day! So, how was your father's day?