Royalton, Minnesota in 1922

WHY does Royalton figure so large in the history of our families in Buckman?  Well, Royalton was relatively close, and had a railroad station on the north-south Great Northern line, not to mention that there are few hills between the two towns, so hauling stuff there would be easier on the team.  Also, the Royalton rural mail delivery incredibly included the Janson farm a mile west of Buckman.  Then too, Royalton was the second largest city in Morrison County and aggressively recruited settlers.  It was built on the Platte river and there were a couple of mills using the water power (a flour mill and a saw mill).  So it's not so odd that this photo was published in the Minneapolis Morning Tribune of October 1st, 1922.  If you were on the train going northwest from Minneapolis, it's a town you might be curious about...

Quick--where was Joe Blow's Bar eventually located?

Zenner's Sausage

When we bought the store in Buckman from Kilian and Dela Zenner,  part of the purchase was learning how to make their wonderful sausage.  Local folks loved it, and vacationers and hunters stopped especially for the sausage on their way 'up north' or 'to the lake'.  They were loyal either to Zenner's Sausage OR Thielen's Sausage (Pierz), not both.  (Thielen's seemed a bit sweeter to me, and the meat was ground finer.  Zenner's was WAY better!)

Anyway, at the time, we were sworn to secrecy.  This was a recipe NOT to be shared, even with family.  It was a sacred trust, ya know?

But now, so much has changed.  It's been over 30 years since the last batch was made at Zenners.   Kilian and Adela have been gone for more than 20 years.  Even the building that was Zenners is gone...maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to share the recipe now, huh?  A sort of Legacy gift from them to us.....especially if some of YOU make it, and think about your memories of Buckman and them...

Of course, you can make this in any quantity you like--as little as a pound or two--and make it into links or not; have it smoked, or not.  It's almost as good frozen in patties, unsmoked.  

As to the amount of garlic, I think you can never have too much.  We were usually limited by how long it took to peel and chop all that garlic, but these days, you can buy quart jars of it, ready to use.  

The mustard seed adds a little flavor, but I add it cuz it's such a treat to find one stuck in your teeth afterwards...lol  DO make a batch, ok?  

It tastes so much like HOME.

Added MUCH later: Here's a workaround if you can't get 

Morton's Sausage seasoning~

 

Morton Sausage Seasoning Knock-off: It can be difficult obtaining Morton's sausage seasoning at a reasonable price. If you can't find it or are unwilling to pay outrageous shipping fees, try this recipe: 4 tsp Kosher salt | 4 tsp ground or rubbed sage | 2 tsp fine ground black pepper | 2 tsp red pepper flakes | 1 or 2 tsp Coriander 

This recipe should flavor 4lbs of ground meat.

A sincere THANK YOU to Kilian and Adela Zenner

The Red Star Lines ZEELAND

This is the ship that Joseph and Franziska Janson arrived on, with their first five children--Wendelin, Sebastian, Sophia, Eugene and little Anton.  Evidently, ships leaving Europe and arriving in America were reported in the newspapers, and not just cuz Jansons were arriving ☺.
In these clippings Larry found, there are quite a few facts in shorthand, like that the ship was a steamer led by Captain Buschmann; it left Antwerp, Belgium on February 14th, 1883, passed the Delaware Breakwater on March first, and arrived in Philladelphia on March 3rd with "mdse and passengers" at the Peter Wright & Sons dock (Pier 54, foot of Prime Street).

.........................................................................................

THIS ► is a most interesting list of  merchandise aboard the ZEELAND on that trip.  The word "do" means 'ditto', and probably 'dozen' too; I assume it was copied from an actual list, but look: window glass, extract of meat, silk ribbons, pencils, marbles, toys, china, pipes, clay, champagne, wire.  And, a warning, below, to any merchant foolish enough not to pick up what he'd ordered--within 24 hours of arrival--whew!





AND..."don't trust the crew"?  (Wow, how incredible to be able to figure out what international commerce was like in the 1880s). 

An historic ad, letting us know how often the ZEELAND sailed and how much it would cost to steam back across the Atlantic on that valiant ship:

first class cabins were $60 to $76...second class cabins were $55 and steerage was $26 (per person, I suppose.  From our research, fares TO Europe were higher because there was more money to be made in freight from America, rather than people).  

(BTW, John Janson, his wife Maria Sauer, and their eldest 5 kids arrived on the Zeeland this trip, too). 

Very very pregnant X 2

Occasionally, it pays to go back over documents just to see if there's anything new to be gleaned from them--stuff we didn't notice or appreciate with the limited knowledge we had then.

THIS is one of those documents.  Larry asked if I knew for sure when Joseph and Franziska Janson arrived in Buckman?  I thought Spring, 1883.  So, we looked for documentation in our files.

My ships lists showed Johannes and Joseph and their families arrived in Philadelphia from Antwerp in March 1883 on the Zeeland, and grandpa's book only said it was "early spring" when they arrived in Buckman from Little Falls.

Neither Larry or I realized before tonight that Josephs wife Franziska AND John's wife Maria were pregnant on the boat trip, and that both were due very soon.
Anton's sister Anna was born April 16, and Maria gave birth to little Francisca on April 22 that spring.  Both couples came here with 5 kids each, and now there were two more babies, in a tiny log cabin in a "garden size clearing in the woods".

St Michael's Church book, Births, 1883.  Stored in Pierz.

How grocery stores have changed

This is the kind of historical fact I love:

"...One of the biggest factors in the growth of the supermarket was the invention of the automobile ignition switch. Previously, housewives had to limit their shopping to store within walking distance; it was too difficult and dangerous to turn the starter crank to get the car started. But once their was an easy way to start the car, housewives were set to travel miles to get a bargain.

This led to another significant innovation: the free parking lot. For the first time, parking was available right in front of the store and customers didn’t have to look for a space on crowded streets".

HERE'S the whole article, with pictures ☺!

A Janson Wedding!

When this lovely bride was born, she was the first female Janson since Loretta, over 70 years earlier...and yesterday, she was married, at St Michaels Church in Buckman.  It was a lovely ceremony, and as one of the con-celebrants said, it was way better than selling sweet corn...☺

(BTW, I'm not mentioning names because most people prefer not to be google-able.  If you're related, you already know these people, right?)
Congratulations, K & G!!

The Parade was for Her Birthday

Mom was born Orlinda Frances Janson on the 4th of July, 1915.  

She would have been 95 years old today...

                              

We still miss you, muma...