The
life and Times of
John & Helen Fuss
John
Fuss Jr.
Chapter
1: John's Early Years
Chapter 2: The Bachelor Years
World War I brought high prices
and prosperity to the farming operation. The farm did
utilize one of the first tractors in the area. John was
initially deferred from the service due to the farming
operation. As the War progressed and more men were
drafted, his number was called. On November 11, 1918, he
and several other young men from the Emmitsburg area
were to drive to Frederick for an examination for Army
service. However, they did hear that the War was over
and that they would not have to report. My Father
mentioned about hearing the Church bells pealing at
11:00 a.m. on that day and was glad that he had not been
inducted.
From his pictures at the time,
John was a rather handsome young man. He talked much in
his older age about his single days. He could recall
dating more than twenty young women. He often recounted
the three Margarets, Margaret Hare, Margaret Shreve and
Margaret Kemper.
He often told about Margaret
Shreve and how he was quite interested in her until a
neighbor told how this Margaret and her mother treated
Margaret's father. He often had to stay out in the shed.
So that ended that Margaret. Margaret Hare often told
him afterwards that she had not married anyone else
until after John was married. But his favorite was
always Helen Ohler.
Helen Ohler was the daughter of
J. Rowe Ohler and Annie R. Stansbury Ohler. They lived
on the Harney Road only about a mile away from the Fuss
farm. She was also a member of Toms Creek Methodist
Church. She was five years younger than John. John often
told how she was always his favorite girl, but she would
not date him continually. She often told that he would
talk quite frequently about getting married and she
wasn't ready.
John sang on the choir at the
Church and Helen Ohler sat in the second seat in the
congregation. He would tell that she would sometimes
give him a smile. When she did that, he knew it was all
right for him to ask her for a date that time. I suspect
that he sometimes gave up other dates when she accepted.
She often told how he would be
close by to help untie the horse when they were ready to
leave the Church service. 1 In 1916, Charles, John's
older brother, had married Rosanna, Helen's older
sister. This had led Emma, Helen's oldest sister, to say
that to one Fuss in the family was enough".
Elmer and John continued to
operate the Fuss farm, working for their Mother. The two
younger brothers had gone elsewhere. Clarence had gone
to work for his aunts on the Baumgardner homestead and
would come home only on certain weekends.
When Robert completed High
School, he moved to California to work for his older
cousin, Maude Edwards. The farm continued to prosper.
They had very high grain yields. They fed and fattened
75-100 steers each year. John would travel to Lancaster,
Pennsylvania and buy railroad carloads of young steers
to bring to the farm to fatten. These would be
transferred by rail to Littlestown and then be driven on
the roads to Emmitsburg.
Disaster struck one year when
the herd contacted hoof and mouth disease. The farm was
quarantined. Then state officials came and destroyed the
entire herd, including even the milk cows. They dug
ditches in a field below the barn, slaughtered all
cattle and hogs on the farm and buried them. There was
some compensation paid by the state to reimburse farmers
for the loss, although it did not cover the cost of the
animals. Farm families worked long and hard days most of
the year.
The social affairs were mostly
get togethers with neighbors. Especially in the winter,
the young people would be invited to various homes for
games and food. The young men would often take dates or
sometimes pair up with unaccompanied girls. John told of
sometimes taking Helen Ohler home.
John did make several short
trips to New York City, to visit his two aunts and
uncles. In the winter time, he made several trips to
drive new cars from the factory to an Emmitsburg or
Taneytown dealer.
John had made one trip to
California in November 1926. He went along to Kansas
with his Uncle Ezra and visited a few days on his farm
there. Then alone to visit with his cousin who had an
orange grove at Covina, California. He spent the winter
working in California. This included work in an oil
field, as well as in the orange groves.
During this winter, he received
a letter from Helen Ohler which somehow asked him to
come back. He was so encouraged by her letter that he
gave up the opportunity in California and came back to
Emmitsburg. The romance continued.
Finally, sometime in late 1928,
John asked Mr. & Mrs. Ohler for Helen's hand in
marriage. This apparently was readily given. John took
Helen to Blocher's Jewelry Store in Gettysburg. He had
her measured for a ring size. Then he negotiated to
purchase a ring while she was outside, paying about
$125.00. He did not show her the ring. However, he gave
to Helen the S&H Green Stamps for only about a
$10.00 purchase. She evidently was a little disappointed
that he had not spent more for an engagement ring. It
was sometime later when he finally gave her the rest of
the green stamps.
Elmer and John had always been
quite close, because they worked together on their
Mother's farm until they were 33 and 31, respectively. I
always heard from both of them that they got along well
together. John handled most of the business matters
involving the farm and his Mother's affairs.
I never heard either of them
give any indication of disagreement and they were always
very close brothers throughout their entire lives. John
and Elmer had shared using the automobile owned by their
Mother. This often must have caused difficulties if they
had dates on the same evening, but that was evidently
resolved in some way. In 1924, Elmer bought his own
automobile and John used his Mother's.
Read Chapter 3:
Helen's Early Years
Read
other chapters in the life and times of John and Helen Fuss
Do you know of an individual who helped shape Emmitsburg?
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