Frederick William Kuhlenschmidt

From the notes of Raymond Kuhlenschmidt-
"From the time of their of their marriage until the spring of 1942, they lived on a farm near Millersburg, Indiana.  All of their children were born there at the farm where they resided for 31 years.  After this they moved to the farm which had previously belonged to Minnie Wiggers Kuhlenschmidt's parents.  Fritz & Minnie took care of Charles and Emma Wiggers (see their Footnote pages) until they died."

From his son, Raymond Kuhlenschmidt's notes-June 22, 1952
"Back when I was 9 or 10 years old my father wanted me to see if I could help him cultivate his corn.  Now this was done when most cultivating was done by team cultivators, which were guided by your feet.  After getting the team of mules hitched to the cultivator, I started out to the cornfield.  As I was rather young, my legs would not reach from the seat to the guides and could not guide the cultivator.  When my father got to the field a little later, he stopped me and said I could not cultivate until I got bigger as I was getting rid of the bad weeds, as well as the good corn.

From the sermons of Raymond Kuhlenschmidt- December 30, 1956
"I recall several lanes which went back to the dwellings on the neighbor's farms.  One lane which I recall was between rows of apple trees in my father's orchard.  It was usually cool following that lane as it was shaded by the apple trees, and then it went through a brook and through a woods.  It was always refreshing in that lane."

From the sermons of his son Raymond Kuhlenschmidt.- November 13, 1955
"I remember how my father used to trust the integrity of all who would come to his house.  ON several ocassions he was sold items of no value.  On another ocassion in the 1930's a neighbor came with a promise that if my father would forward a certain amount of money to him we would receive electricty from the R.E.A.  We never received the electricity or the money.  I admired my father, because despite the chicanery he always had implicit trust (in people)."

Eden Kuhlenschmidt remembers:
"The summer I was seven we went over to Grandma and Grandpa (Fred and Minnie) Kuhlenschmidt's farm for a few days before the start of school.  That morning after breakfast Grandma announced that I could help her in the garden. Grandmother had had an excellent crop of strawberries that needed to be picked. She outfitted me with one of her old-fashioned sunbonnets with the stiff brim that went from cheek to cheek.  It was a faded flowered blue-background print and pretty much swallowed my face.  She and I went out to her strawberry patch and picked berries.  She reminded me to count to twenty picked berries, and then I could have one to pop into my mouth.  We picked and talked, and of course I would lose count and have to start all over again.  When we finished picking, we took took them down into the cellar to store.  Then it was back to the garden to pick green beans.  It seemed like we picked a full bushel. After lunch, the women of the family (Grandma, Mother, my younger sister, and myself) sat on the porch and snapped beans.  Her hands would reach out to show me what to do, to correct me when I would snap an end too big or too small.  Later, as our cousins and their parents arrived at the house the men would stand around outside, until Grandpa decided it was time to start the ice cream maker so we would have ice cream for dessert.  Delicious smells started to come out the window as we put together the ingredients for the ice cream, including the berries I had helped pick that morning.  Grandpa was as smart as Tom Sawyer.  As each of the grandkids, myself included, clamoured to turn the ice cream maker handle, he lined us up smallest to biggest.  We each got to crank until our arms grew tired.  The littlest working when there was not as much need for strength, the older ones when it became harder.  When a spare hand was needed, Grandpa would either cover our hands with his big, strong, gentle hands or have us place our hand on his.
Supper was delicious that evening, but the best was all of the cousins sitting on the porch, eating bowls of ice cream we had made ourselves."