Friedrich “Fred” Klein

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Friedrich “Fred” Klein

Birth
Russia
Death
11 Jan 1950 (aged 73)
Burleigh County, North Dakota, USA
Burial
Washburn, McLean County, North Dakota, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
View Source
BIOGRAPHY

Friedrich ("Fred") Klein was born in Berlin, Tiraspol, South Russia, on June 13, 1876. He was the son of Johann Klein (born in Grossliebental, Odessa, South Russia 3 Oct 1836) and Katharina Strecker, who married in Grossliebental, Odessa, South Russia, 20 Nov 1858.

The Klein family came from Germany but had been in Russia for generations as the Russian government encouraged Europeans to settle and farm in Russia. Those who immigrated to the United States are known collectively as "Germans from Russia."

Fred married Julianna ("Julia") Stolz on December 4, 1907, in Neu Freudental, Beresan, South Russia (Pastor Martin Issler presiding). Fred and Julia had four children:

AMELIA was born in Freidorf, Odessa, South Russia 22 Aug 1908. She married Einer Louis Tulberg.

ALVINA was born in Wilton, McLean, North Dakota 18 May 1910. She married Jacob Schacher in Washburn, McLean, North Dakota, 10 Oct 1928.

TEAFIL ("Ted") was born in McLean County, North Dakota 20 Jun 1912. He married Mary Jane Louise Gruenberg.

LYDIA was born in rural Washburn, North Dakota 31 Jul 1914. She married Edward Wagner.

Amelia was the only child born in Russia. Julia and Fred emigrated to the United States in 1909 when Amelia was an infant. They left Antwerp, Belgium on November 17, 1909 and arrived in St. John, Canada on November 28, 1909, on the SS Montrose.

With Fred, Julia and Amelia was 11 year old Ekatarina Folmer, who is designated as an adopted daughter on the manifest. We do not know what became of Katherine; she appears on the 1910 US census with Fred, Julia and Amelia in Estherville, North Dakota, but she is not in the 1915 North Dakota census or the 1920 U.S. census.

The family's stated destination was Washburn, North Dakota. After landing at St. John, they took a train to cross into the United States at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Fred and Julia were farmers and initially settled in Estherville, North Dakota (1910 census), and later in Koenig, North Dakota (1915 North Dakota census and the 1920 and 1930 US censuses).

Fred's WWI draft registration, completed September 12, 1918, gave their address as R.F.D. 2, Mercer, McLean County, North Dakota. (R.F.D. stood for "rural free delivery," a service begun in 1896 to farmers.) His draft card stated that he owned his farm.

Fred was naturalized on March 17, 1941. His naturalization photo is similar but not identical to this one posted.

Fred passed away on January 11, 1950. Fred's grave marker gives his year of birth as 1873, however his naturalization papers dated March 17, 1941, and his death record on the North Dakota Department of Health website, record his birth date as June 13, 1876.

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MEMORIES OF FRED from their grandchildren:

A grandson recalls:

I have a few memories of Grandma and Grandpa Klein's farm and my summer visits.

First you need to understand that they were 'Share Croppers', someone else owned the farm and they were allowed to farm it. The owner and the farmer shared the income at some agreed to split. I was 10 or 11 years old when we moved to California so my memories of the farm, Julia and Fred are very vague to say the least. I probably stayed with them during 2 or 3 summers. So a little boy's recollections of the Farm.

I have no idea how many acres they had to till but it couldn't have been very large because there were only two people to do the work, Fred and Ted, except during harvest when relatives and neighbors helped. There was one very old tractor, some basic farm equipment, one horse, Jerry the dog, some pigs, 4 or 5 cows, lots of chickens. There was a typical farm windmill which pumped water from a well into a large wood uncovered tank. The large animals drank from the tank. I guess grandma filled small vessels for the small animals to drink from. BTW I forgot there were lots of cats in and around the barn to keep the varmint numbers low. Grandma did most of the milking and she carried water in pails from the windmill to the house. She could hit a cat's open mouth from say 10 feet from the cow. Oh yes there was a very necessary out house.

Uncle Ted took me with him to cut and bind some wheat one day. He apparently didn't have anyone else to help him. The job was to pull a "binder" with the ancient tractor to make bundles of wheat tied with "binder twine". My job was to sit on the binder with Uncle Ted driving the tractor pulling the binder. I was supposed to hold a lever down with my foot while the binder cut and tied the "shocks" of wheat, dropped them on a device that my foot was holding until there were say 5 or 6 shocks and then raise my foot and drop them in a straight line across the field. Well I didn't weigh enough to hold the lever down long enough to drop the bundles in a straight line. Finally Ted looked back and saw the bundles all over the place and lost it. I heard phrases such as "Got en hemal" and others. Since there was no one else around he put me on the tractor and the fun began. First I didn't weigh enough to push the clutch in so he pushed it in, got us moving, and jumped off the tractor right in front of the left rear spiked wheel that was turning. He ran around the binder, right in front of the cutting bar, and jumped on. So down the row we went until we reached the end. Ted screamed "turn left" I couldn't move the steering wheel so we ran right thru the neighbors barbed wire fence. Needless to say he never asked me to help him again.

I remember that I bugged Uncle Ted to let me ride the horse and he ignored me until one evening he said that I could use the horse to get the cows. They had no bridles, saddles etc. Horse had a rope around his neck. Ted lifted me onto the horse's back and away I went. Usually the dog, Jerry, was sent to get the cows. Anyway sometime after being out of sight of the house the horse stopped fast, I went over his head, he took off and stepped on my foot went a few yards and started to graze. I'm screaming my head off in pain but no one could hear me. After what seemed like hours Jerry came by and gave me a disdainful look. Shortly Jerry goes by the other way with another look and the cows. Finally Grandpa shows up in their old car to pick me up. I spent a couple of days in pain with never a word about seeing a doctor.

Grandma usually had a 50 pound sack of sugar under their bed and in season and if they had the money a bag of apples. I really enjoyed sucking on a corner of the sugar sack and snitching an apple now and then. These were the only sweets.

These people really worked long and hard. Grandpa and Uncle Ted outside on the farming or fixing equipment and/or buildings. Grandma, BTW if she weighed 80 pounds I would be surprised, was either cleaning, washing clothes by hand, sewing or cooking. She had a large black coal burning stove for cooking and baking. She baked the best bread I have ever tasted in that black monster. The stove was also the house heater during those freezing North Dakota winters. Additionally, she heated her iron on that stove. She was always working, feeding the small animals, carrying water, cooking etc. No Appliances. This was primitive existence 1940's. No running water, electricity, natural gas or inside toilets.

A granddaughter recalls:
My memories of Grandpa are of his walking to our house on the west end of Washburn after Grandma had died. He'd eat cereal with us in the mornings.
BIOGRAPHY

Friedrich ("Fred") Klein was born in Berlin, Tiraspol, South Russia, on June 13, 1876. He was the son of Johann Klein (born in Grossliebental, Odessa, South Russia 3 Oct 1836) and Katharina Strecker, who married in Grossliebental, Odessa, South Russia, 20 Nov 1858.

The Klein family came from Germany but had been in Russia for generations as the Russian government encouraged Europeans to settle and farm in Russia. Those who immigrated to the United States are known collectively as "Germans from Russia."

Fred married Julianna ("Julia") Stolz on December 4, 1907, in Neu Freudental, Beresan, South Russia (Pastor Martin Issler presiding). Fred and Julia had four children:

AMELIA was born in Freidorf, Odessa, South Russia 22 Aug 1908. She married Einer Louis Tulberg.

ALVINA was born in Wilton, McLean, North Dakota 18 May 1910. She married Jacob Schacher in Washburn, McLean, North Dakota, 10 Oct 1928.

TEAFIL ("Ted") was born in McLean County, North Dakota 20 Jun 1912. He married Mary Jane Louise Gruenberg.

LYDIA was born in rural Washburn, North Dakota 31 Jul 1914. She married Edward Wagner.

Amelia was the only child born in Russia. Julia and Fred emigrated to the United States in 1909 when Amelia was an infant. They left Antwerp, Belgium on November 17, 1909 and arrived in St. John, Canada on November 28, 1909, on the SS Montrose.

With Fred, Julia and Amelia was 11 year old Ekatarina Folmer, who is designated as an adopted daughter on the manifest. We do not know what became of Katherine; she appears on the 1910 US census with Fred, Julia and Amelia in Estherville, North Dakota, but she is not in the 1915 North Dakota census or the 1920 U.S. census.

The family's stated destination was Washburn, North Dakota. After landing at St. John, they took a train to cross into the United States at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Fred and Julia were farmers and initially settled in Estherville, North Dakota (1910 census), and later in Koenig, North Dakota (1915 North Dakota census and the 1920 and 1930 US censuses).

Fred's WWI draft registration, completed September 12, 1918, gave their address as R.F.D. 2, Mercer, McLean County, North Dakota. (R.F.D. stood for "rural free delivery," a service begun in 1896 to farmers.) His draft card stated that he owned his farm.

Fred was naturalized on March 17, 1941. His naturalization photo is similar but not identical to this one posted.

Fred passed away on January 11, 1950. Fred's grave marker gives his year of birth as 1873, however his naturalization papers dated March 17, 1941, and his death record on the North Dakota Department of Health website, record his birth date as June 13, 1876.

****************************
MEMORIES OF FRED from their grandchildren:

A grandson recalls:

I have a few memories of Grandma and Grandpa Klein's farm and my summer visits.

First you need to understand that they were 'Share Croppers', someone else owned the farm and they were allowed to farm it. The owner and the farmer shared the income at some agreed to split. I was 10 or 11 years old when we moved to California so my memories of the farm, Julia and Fred are very vague to say the least. I probably stayed with them during 2 or 3 summers. So a little boy's recollections of the Farm.

I have no idea how many acres they had to till but it couldn't have been very large because there were only two people to do the work, Fred and Ted, except during harvest when relatives and neighbors helped. There was one very old tractor, some basic farm equipment, one horse, Jerry the dog, some pigs, 4 or 5 cows, lots of chickens. There was a typical farm windmill which pumped water from a well into a large wood uncovered tank. The large animals drank from the tank. I guess grandma filled small vessels for the small animals to drink from. BTW I forgot there were lots of cats in and around the barn to keep the varmint numbers low. Grandma did most of the milking and she carried water in pails from the windmill to the house. She could hit a cat's open mouth from say 10 feet from the cow. Oh yes there was a very necessary out house.

Uncle Ted took me with him to cut and bind some wheat one day. He apparently didn't have anyone else to help him. The job was to pull a "binder" with the ancient tractor to make bundles of wheat tied with "binder twine". My job was to sit on the binder with Uncle Ted driving the tractor pulling the binder. I was supposed to hold a lever down with my foot while the binder cut and tied the "shocks" of wheat, dropped them on a device that my foot was holding until there were say 5 or 6 shocks and then raise my foot and drop them in a straight line across the field. Well I didn't weigh enough to hold the lever down long enough to drop the bundles in a straight line. Finally Ted looked back and saw the bundles all over the place and lost it. I heard phrases such as "Got en hemal" and others. Since there was no one else around he put me on the tractor and the fun began. First I didn't weigh enough to push the clutch in so he pushed it in, got us moving, and jumped off the tractor right in front of the left rear spiked wheel that was turning. He ran around the binder, right in front of the cutting bar, and jumped on. So down the row we went until we reached the end. Ted screamed "turn left" I couldn't move the steering wheel so we ran right thru the neighbors barbed wire fence. Needless to say he never asked me to help him again.

I remember that I bugged Uncle Ted to let me ride the horse and he ignored me until one evening he said that I could use the horse to get the cows. They had no bridles, saddles etc. Horse had a rope around his neck. Ted lifted me onto the horse's back and away I went. Usually the dog, Jerry, was sent to get the cows. Anyway sometime after being out of sight of the house the horse stopped fast, I went over his head, he took off and stepped on my foot went a few yards and started to graze. I'm screaming my head off in pain but no one could hear me. After what seemed like hours Jerry came by and gave me a disdainful look. Shortly Jerry goes by the other way with another look and the cows. Finally Grandpa shows up in their old car to pick me up. I spent a couple of days in pain with never a word about seeing a doctor.

Grandma usually had a 50 pound sack of sugar under their bed and in season and if they had the money a bag of apples. I really enjoyed sucking on a corner of the sugar sack and snitching an apple now and then. These were the only sweets.

These people really worked long and hard. Grandpa and Uncle Ted outside on the farming or fixing equipment and/or buildings. Grandma, BTW if she weighed 80 pounds I would be surprised, was either cleaning, washing clothes by hand, sewing or cooking. She had a large black coal burning stove for cooking and baking. She baked the best bread I have ever tasted in that black monster. The stove was also the house heater during those freezing North Dakota winters. Additionally, she heated her iron on that stove. She was always working, feeding the small animals, carrying water, cooking etc. No Appliances. This was primitive existence 1940's. No running water, electricity, natural gas or inside toilets.

A granddaughter recalls:
My memories of Grandpa are of his walking to our house on the west end of Washburn after Grandma had died. He'd eat cereal with us in the mornings.