Family Stories♥

The Poster Girl

By Linda Ridenour

In May 1959, my mother dresses me up nicely and told me that we are going to get some pictures of me. We went to Los Angeles and stopped at a tall building. On the way to County Supervisor Ernest E. Debs's office, there were many turkeys in cages (don't ask me what were turkeys doing in the building, I've no idea about it and it was not in November) and a photographer wanted to take pictures of me with a turkey. I was scared of the turkey because I thought she would peck me and more scarier when I had to put my hand on the turkey's back. I wore an earphone as "a special effect" you know what I mean, and it was not plugged in!

After the photo session with a turkey, my mother and I were guided to an elevator to reach the supervisor's office, and as we entered the office, I saw a big friendly man talked to me and I didn't understand him. He swooped me up and put me on his big desk. Photographers, many of them with a big flash, were in front of us. The office was lighted up like a Fourth of July.

It was a good experience for me even though I didn't know what was going on. When I saw a picture of me in the newspaper, I was so surprised. 

Left to right - Mr.Thomas Condon, Pres. of Hearing Center of Metropolitan, Linda & Supervisor Ernest E. Debs  

I found this newspaper clipping of the supervisor's obituary in my mother's house. He died in 2002. He really had a long life!

The Ortiz Family

Indian Blood in our Family? Yes, we do have it. It is in my two children, Tony and Amelia, from their father’s side, the Ortiz Family.  Their great, great grandmother was from the Apache Nation and her tribe was Tarasco. Matiana Figuerra was her name. She died in 1950. I don’t have information on her birth date.

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Matiana Figuerra (?-1950)

Matiana at young age - I saw a big picture of Matiana on a wall at Big Tony’s great grandma’s home and took a picture of it. It has a reflection of great grandma’s living room. It was in 1974.

Matiana in her last years.

Big Tony’s great grandmother, Rosa (Vargas) Aguilar when she was young.

Rosa in her last years. I don’t have much information on Rosa.

Rosa (Aguilar) Ortiz, during her youth. She died very young, at the age of twenty, during her illness. This is Big Tony’s grandmother.

Louis and Amelia Ortiz

Parents of Big Tony - They were the most wonderful people in my life and I love them dearly. It was blessing that my children had a wonderful experience with their grandparents. We surely miss them.

These two pictures were taken at the same place. It was at great grandmother’s front porch. The left picture is Big Tony and Little Tony. On the right picture is Louis and Big Tony.

Here is a chart of Big Tony’s family tree. For more information on the family, feel free to contact Big Tony.

Our American Ancestry

Lars Hanson Habberstad and Gorine Olson

Thirty-two years ago, I started to dream about Lars. His hair and beard were reddish and his farming clothing was from 1800’s. In my first dream, I was shocked to see him in the midst of deaf people at a party. I ran to him and said to him “Lars, where is the cemetery?” He looked at me with his piercing eyes and laughed and vanished into the thin air.

It all began when I started to look for Lars and Gorine’s burial site in 1978 and based on the information I received from my grandmother, Eleanor Klepper, Lars immigrated to America from Norway in 1868 and the rest of his family by 1871. They were our first American ancestors on my mother’s side. I wrote a letter asking for an information on my great, great, great grandparents’ burial location to many counties in Wisconsin. After a year and half of sending letters, I finally received a letter with the information. It was at Riverside Cemetery in Stoughton in the eastern part of Wisconsin. My children and I went to Wisconsin to visit Bob and Miriam in Platteville with a stopover at the cemetery about 80 miles off from the interstate to Platteville in the summer of 1980. My sister-in-law, Cecilia, also was with us. The additional miles to the cemetery was worth it. This cemetery was a big one; rows after rows of headstones, we hunted for their names.  Finally, we found them and I got goose bumps when I thought of Lars being six feet down from me.

Lars Hanson Habberstad was born in Ulensager, Norway, February 2, 1823. He was a carpenter and at the age of 24 years he married Gorine Olson also of Ulensager, who was 22 years old.

The first 19 years of their marriage life was spent in Norway and during that time eight children were born; three sons and five daughters, namely, Andrea, Olova, Theodore, Karen, Gorine, Lena, Ole and Hans.

In 1868, Lars immigrated to America and came to Wisconsin where he was employed on a large farm near Cooksville. Six months later he sent for his eldest son, who also worked on the farm. In 1871, Gorine and the youngest five children join them. The family lived near Cooksville for five years and then bought a farm of 100 acres west of Brooklyn in Wisconsin. Lars died there in 1893, and after two years on the farm, Gorine then lived with her daughter, Karen for twenty years until her death in 1914 at the age of 90.

Andrea, my great, great, great, grandmother, is at far right under the letter X.

My daughter, Amelia, has her middle name named after her great grandmother who also had Andrea as her middle name. Few years later, I realized that Andrea was one of the children immigrated with Gorine to America from Norway in 1871 and Kristine, the daughter of Andrea, used Andrea as a middle name for my grandmother, Eleanor. I hope next generation will continue to use Andrea to continue the family tradition. Also for your information, I have this family lineage all the way to 1300’s.

Family Stories ♡♡

MY DADDY

By Linda Ridenour

It is really hard to remember anything when you are 5 or 6 years old but I still remember one vividly when I went to a train station with my family and it was during the late fifties.

My mother, Pam and I started to aboard a train and mother said to me to look at my father. He was waving goodbye to me and I was dumbfounded. When I got seated I realized my father is not coming with us. I felt so terrible and started to cry. I wanted my father to be on the train with us.

I also remember something happened to Pam and me during a breakfast after an awful night without my father, Pam or I dropped our breakfast on us and it was a mess.

We arrived my grandparents’ farm in Iowa and I missed my father terribly and I checked outside through a window everyday hoping that he is coming. (My mother told me this part) I don’t remember anything about returning to our home in California but I do remember very well when I get off a train and my mother gets my attention and pointed, “Look, look”. I looked and saw my father waving to me. Boy, I did run really fast to him and jumped into my father’s big and strong arms. I had a tear in my eyes, as I was so happy to see my father.

That moment has been with me ever since. 

Deafness in Our Family

My sister, Pam, and I were born with a profound hearing loss despite the fact that our mother had a normal pregnancy with us. The cause of our deafness was unknown that time. As I get older, I found out that Steve Ridenour, a distant cousin of ours who lives in Ohio, is also deaf. My children and grandchildren are also deaf. I began to realize that our family is carrying a gene that causes deafness. I began to get in touch with members of the Ridenour Family through the Internet and found out that there is a quite of number of family members with a hearing problem. I came to a conclusion that the Ridenour Family is carrying a deaf gene.
Here is an information on my immediate family members with a hearing loss. A large Capital D next to a name indicates that member is deaf.

 

Anthony M. Ortiz & Linda Ridenour 

Anthony and Jennifer Ortiz -their children,

Zeke & Zion

Amelia Zornoza her children
Enos, Esau & Malia

Dale & Pam Coons

Darla Coons her children,
Kara, Devan & Angela

Paul Coons & Aida their children,
Jamila, Jacey, Jarden & Janelle

Wonderful Memories at the Klepper Farm

During my childhood, I love going to my grandparent's farm in West Bend,Iowa with my family. My grandparents, Henry and Eleanor Klepper, were from my mother's side. My mother, Florence Ridenour also lived at the farm during her childhood.
My sister,Pam Coons, and I were always excited when my parents tell us that we will go to the farm. I love the smell of the farm and looking at the stuff at the farm and inside the house. Antiques were all over the place. I was always intrigued with them. I always peeked at their bedroom and it looked so beautiful with so many antiques. My favorite antique is wooden stove in the kitchen. Grandmother cooked most delicious meals made from scratch. I always tell my grandma that I want to have it. I also took Tony and Amelia to the farm. They too love the farm.

I always cherish my memories of the farm. It was one of the happiest moments in my life. It broke my heart in 2007 when I saw the field where the house and barn were located. They were demolished for more land to plants corn. My aunt, Ethel Klepper, informed me that my favorite antique, the wooden stove, is now buried in the ground on the field. It was too heavy to haul out.



1960's

My grandmother,Eleanor Klepper (1960's)

My cute sister,Pam (right) and me in October 1956,
~Check the house~

My family,the Ridenour, from left to right
My Dad, Keith,Pam,me and my mom, Florence on the Thanksgiving weekend in 1967 
~Check the house again~

1960's




1990's

Keith & Florence 
July 1st, 1951
According to the writing on the back of this snapshot,
"Flo & Chick had been out for supper& we had a birthday cake."
~check the barn.~

My grandparents, me & Pam

~check this barn~




2007
The farm is gone forever! That is where the wooden stove is buried. How sad!

A picture of my wonderful memories on the farm in our den.
I hope my children and generations to come will look at this picture and know where their root comes from.

A Visit At Our Parent's Grave Site

The plaque looks like this when we arrived.

Now it looks great!

Dale is trying to pull up one of two vases from the ground.

Pam Coons, my sister, and I are arranging flowers.

A final touch.

Dad and Mom, we love you.