Lena's full name may have been Carolina F. Klinke Ascha (pronounced Askey). Her husband, George Franklin Ascha, was twenty years older than she. They married about 1910 and had no children.
"During our time at Georgetown, CA (1931-1932) my mother heard of Lena who was bed-fast with arthritis. She was unable to turn herself from her back to her side and her hands and toes were horribly bent and stiff and terribly painful. Mother's heart went out to her and she lovingly bathed her and washed her beautiful long black hair although Lena was often in agony during the process. At the same time, she was so happy to be clean once more that she would have withstood anything. Her old husband was kind and well-meaning but had no idea how to care for an invalid. Lena wept happy tears in her gratitude for Mother's kindness.
"Lena had not always been confined to a dirty bed in a humble shack in the mountains. Her story, told to my mother and me, was a fascinating one. She had been born in Germany into the nobility. When she was a teenager she was being trained to be a lady-in-waiting to German royalty. But Lena was fascinated with cooking and would steal off to the kitchens, whenever she had the chance, to watch the chef at work. The chef recognized her talents and the powers-that-be were finally convinced to let her train to be a fine cook. She received excellent training and eventually came to the United States (about 1896) where she worked as head cook in fine homes. Peeling potatoes was not for Lena, oh no — the under cooks did all these humble tasks and Lena prepared the fine dishes. One day she was caught outdoors in a sudden rainstorm and was not able to get her wet clothes changed for quite some time. Soon after this she was stricken with arthritis which soon became too severe for her to continue her profession. I don't know what the story was between that time and the time we knew her, nor do I know how she happened to meet Mr. Ascha.
"After we left Georgetown my mother corresponded with Lena for a while and she wrote that a new medicine was giving her some relief from her pain. Eventually Mother did not hear from her again and it may have been because Lena died, but we did not get word of this." [Written in about 2000 by my mother, who was 8 or 9 when she met Lena.]
The 1920 U.S. census shows Lena Ascha in Montecito, CA working as a cook in a household. Lena is listed as married. George is shown living in Georgetown. He was a gold miner. By the 1930 census she was living with George in Georgetown.
~ submitted by Barbara B
"During our time at Georgetown, CA (1931-1932) my mother heard of Lena who was bed-fast with arthritis. She was unable to turn herself from her back to her side and her hands and toes were horribly bent and stiff and terribly painful. Mother's heart went out to her and she lovingly bathed her and washed her beautiful long black hair although Lena was often in agony during the process. At the same time, she was so happy to be clean once more that she would have withstood anything. Her old husband was kind and well-meaning but had no idea how to care for an invalid. Lena wept happy tears in her gratitude for Mother's kindness.
"Lena had not always been confined to a dirty bed in a humble shack in the mountains. Her story, told to my mother and me, was a fascinating one. She had been born in Germany into the nobility. When she was a teenager she was being trained to be a lady-in-waiting to German royalty. But Lena was fascinated with cooking and would steal off to the kitchens, whenever she had the chance, to watch the chef at work. The chef recognized her talents and the powers-that-be were finally convinced to let her train to be a fine cook. She received excellent training and eventually came to the United States (about 1896) where she worked as head cook in fine homes. Peeling potatoes was not for Lena, oh no — the under cooks did all these humble tasks and Lena prepared the fine dishes. One day she was caught outdoors in a sudden rainstorm and was not able to get her wet clothes changed for quite some time. Soon after this she was stricken with arthritis which soon became too severe for her to continue her profession. I don't know what the story was between that time and the time we knew her, nor do I know how she happened to meet Mr. Ascha.
"After we left Georgetown my mother corresponded with Lena for a while and she wrote that a new medicine was giving her some relief from her pain. Eventually Mother did not hear from her again and it may have been because Lena died, but we did not get word of this." [Written in about 2000 by my mother, who was 8 or 9 when she met Lena.]
The 1920 U.S. census shows Lena Ascha in Montecito, CA working as a cook in a household. Lena is listed as married. George is shown living in Georgetown. He was a gold miner. By the 1930 census she was living with George in Georgetown.
~ submitted by Barbara B
Lena's full name may have been Carolina F. Klinke Ascha (pronounced Askey). Her husband, George Franklin Ascha, was twenty years older than she. They married about 1910 and had no children.
"During our time at Georgetown, CA (1931-1932) my mother heard of Lena who was bed-fast with arthritis. She was unable to turn herself from her back to her side and her hands and toes were horribly bent and stiff and terribly painful. Mother's heart went out to her and she lovingly bathed her and washed her beautiful long black hair although Lena was often in agony during the process. At the same time, she was so happy to be clean once more that she would have withstood anything. Her old husband was kind and well-meaning but had no idea how to care for an invalid. Lena wept happy tears in her gratitude for Mother's kindness.
"Lena had not always been confined to a dirty bed in a humble shack in the mountains. Her story, told to my mother and me, was a fascinating one. She had been born in Germany into the nobility. When she was a teenager she was being trained to be a lady-in-waiting to German royalty. But Lena was fascinated with cooking and would steal off to the kitchens, whenever she had the chance, to watch the chef at work. The chef recognized her talents and the powers-that-be were finally convinced to let her train to be a fine cook. She received excellent training and eventually came to the United States (about 1896) where she worked as head cook in fine homes. Peeling potatoes was not for Lena, oh no — the under cooks did all these humble tasks and Lena prepared the fine dishes. One day she was caught outdoors in a sudden rainstorm and was not able to get her wet clothes changed for quite some time. Soon after this she was stricken with arthritis which soon became too severe for her to continue her profession. I don't know what the story was between that time and the time we knew her, nor do I know how she happened to meet Mr. Ascha.
"After we left Georgetown my mother corresponded with Lena for a while and she wrote that a new medicine was giving her some relief from her pain. Eventually Mother did not hear from her again and it may have been because Lena died, but we did not get word of this." [Written in about 2000 by my mother, who was 8 or 9 when she met Lena.]
The 1920 U.S. census shows Lena Ascha in Montecito, CA working as a cook in a household. Lena is listed as married. George is shown living in Georgetown. He was a gold miner. By the 1930 census she was living with George in Georgetown.
~ submitted by Barbara B
"During our time at Georgetown, CA (1931-1932) my mother heard of Lena who was bed-fast with arthritis. She was unable to turn herself from her back to her side and her hands and toes were horribly bent and stiff and terribly painful. Mother's heart went out to her and she lovingly bathed her and washed her beautiful long black hair although Lena was often in agony during the process. At the same time, she was so happy to be clean once more that she would have withstood anything. Her old husband was kind and well-meaning but had no idea how to care for an invalid. Lena wept happy tears in her gratitude for Mother's kindness.
"Lena had not always been confined to a dirty bed in a humble shack in the mountains. Her story, told to my mother and me, was a fascinating one. She had been born in Germany into the nobility. When she was a teenager she was being trained to be a lady-in-waiting to German royalty. But Lena was fascinated with cooking and would steal off to the kitchens, whenever she had the chance, to watch the chef at work. The chef recognized her talents and the powers-that-be were finally convinced to let her train to be a fine cook. She received excellent training and eventually came to the United States (about 1896) where she worked as head cook in fine homes. Peeling potatoes was not for Lena, oh no — the under cooks did all these humble tasks and Lena prepared the fine dishes. One day she was caught outdoors in a sudden rainstorm and was not able to get her wet clothes changed for quite some time. Soon after this she was stricken with arthritis which soon became too severe for her to continue her profession. I don't know what the story was between that time and the time we knew her, nor do I know how she happened to meet Mr. Ascha.
"After we left Georgetown my mother corresponded with Lena for a while and she wrote that a new medicine was giving her some relief from her pain. Eventually Mother did not hear from her again and it may have been because Lena died, but we did not get word of this." [Written in about 2000 by my mother, who was 8 or 9 when she met Lena.]
The 1920 U.S. census shows Lena Ascha in Montecito, CA working as a cook in a household. Lena is listed as married. George is shown living in Georgetown. He was a gold miner. By the 1930 census she was living with George in Georgetown.
~ submitted by Barbara B
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