LeBEAU-Mildred Bowman Minnich - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

I was born on Flag day, June 14, 1915, to Homer S. Bowman and Blanche May Keller Bowman, second child and first daughter, at Deer's Mill in Indiana (technically Waveland, Indiana). It was a house in a beautiful valley near Sugar Creek and within sight of an old covered bridge. The Dowden side of our family had settled in this valley as well as the Kellers. In fact many family members were born in this same house. My dad was busy picking cherries at a neighbor's place and Mom sent for him. When Dr. Capallinger arrived I was born however, my mother nearly gave her life for me at that time. In 1918 when I was three my mother visited her parents in Oak Glen, Illinois, and that terrible flue struck the whole family while we were there. Only one member of the family was able to drag around and care for the other members of the family and she was sick also. We eleven all survived, however. My father was a farm boy and became a brick leader and he followed the opening and closings of the brickyards. When the brickyards were opened we lived in Illinois and when there was no work we moved back to Indiana and his Dad's farm. This made for a lot of changing schools for two of us children, along with shyness and trouble keepingup with classes when using so many different books and having different teachers. I have one brother, Russell Cleon Bowman, who was born in Grant Park, Illinois on June 23, 1911 and one sister Vera Blanche Bowman Renchen, born June 24, 1920 at Wallace, Indiana. Both live with their families at Manteno, Illinois. When I was 8 my parents moved to Manteno and stayed. We three children were educated in Manteno. We all got grade and high school al-though when I got to be 16 my mother told me I could quit school as dad did not think I needed more education as he knew I would just get married anyway. These were depression years. Mom said she would work taking in washings to send me through those last two years of high school if I would pay her back, which I did. It took me a year to pay her as I made $2 per week doing domestic chores. I never knew how much it cost. I just paid and when she said it was all paid I could then use my money as I wished. We children had the usual childhood diseases, whooping cough, measles, chickenpox, mumps, flu and my brother opined that I always brought them home to him and everyone else. Our many homes included Wallace, Sterling, Veedersburg, Indiana (where many of our Bowman and Wilkinson relatives still live) as well as Manteno, Grant Park, Chicago Heights in Illinois. We also rented many different houses in the town of Manteno. I can think of at least seven houses. It was always fun choosing our room and placing the fur-niture where we wished. Many of Mom's people also came to Illinois but only a few of Dad's people followed to live in Illinois. We were very close with Mom's oldest brother and family, he had mrried one of dad's sisters. We six children were proud of the fact that we all had the same grandparents, cousins, Uncles, and Aunts (double relations). My interest in church and genealogy both came in my thirteenth year. I joined the Manteno Methodist Episcopal Church by immersion in a creek west of Manteno in 1928 when my mother and several other rela-tives joined the church. I taught various classes and was a member in several groups and committees. In genealogy I began to ask ques-tions of the older members of the family in every direction from my-self as I could thus beginning to diagram a tree with the various branches of Bowman, Keller, Dowden, Wilkinson, Hardy and in later years branched out into Minnich for the benefit of my own children. Our childhood was fun in spite of the fact that we lived in those depression years. Our uncles would come for us and we would all cousins go swimming together many times. There were also games to play together outdoors and in the homes. We had very little money and wore many hand me downs for which we were very thankful. The year I graduated from grade school my Uncle Lon even bought the shoes I wore as we did not have the money although my mother had managed a pretty dress. Along about then we got interested in photography and heave continued it ever since having a large collection of pictures, mostly of family and trips. All through my high school years I had one boyfriend whom I married one year after graduation. He was Harry Clayton Minnich, Jr., the son of Harry Clayton Minnich, Sr. and Jessie Bertha Elben Minnich. He was born on a farm a mile west of Manteno on October 28, 1914. We had season tickets to the basketball games and went to movies in Joliet, Kankakee and Chicago. We even attended the Worlds Fair in Chicago in 1934. We became engaged May 27, 1933. I graduated high school in June 1933. Bought my first glasses in 1933. Harry and I were married on June 6, 1934 at the Manteno Methodist Episcopal Church with Rev. George L. Smith officiating . Our maid of honor was Vera Bowman and the best man was Anthony Jarvis. My wedding dress was a pretty light blue silk with matching white accessories (there just was not money enough for a veil, etc.) During our 19 years of life together Harry worked for his family in Minnich's Dairy, driving trucks and delivering milk in Manteno, Kankakee and suburbs of Chicago until later he worked for Armstrong Cork Company in Bradley. He worked hard and long hours, was ever cheerful and good to get along with. We had seven children whom we have loved dearly and delight in their accomplishments and in the family of grandchildren they have given me. They are: John Clayton Minnich b. October 28, 1935 m. Mary Dandurand Children: Barbara and Barry Marie Ann Minnich Shipley Silger b. October 28, 1937 m. James Irvin Shipley (divorced) m. David Norman Silger (divorced) Children: James Michael Shipley b. January 14, 1957 d. January 20, 1957 Marilyn Marie Shipley (Silger adopted later) b. January 29, 1958 Judith Ann Silger b. November 27, 1961 Nancy Elizabeth Minnich Pease b. August 6, 1939 m. Lowell Louis Pease Children: Lowell Douglas Pease b. August 10, 1958 Barbara Jean Pease b. August 12, 1960 Bonita Jo Pease b. July 19, 1962 Donna Arlene Pease b. Janury 12, 1965 Harry Homer Minnich b. Mar 30, 1941 m. Ginger Ann Young b. April 8, 1941 m. June 16, 1962 Children: Vickie Marie Minnich b. January 1, 1966 Triplets: Luke, Paul and Ruth b. October 13, 1966 died at birth. Deanna Louise Minnich b. June 24, 1968 Nancy Jean Minnich b. October 14, 1970 Russell Robert Minnich b. December 19, 1943 m. Brenda Jackson Felber on September 29, 1963 (divorced) then m. Lois Evenson on February 14, 1976 Children: Russell Robert Minnich Jr. b. December 24, 1964 Charles Ray M[innich b. March 28, 1966 Jeannie Kay Minnich b. March 25, 1968 Virgie Jo Minnich b. November 19, 1970 Barbara Katherine Minnich b. May 9, 1949 at Kankakee, Illinois. Contacted pyleonephritis and died May 12, 1958 at Chicago, Illinois at Illinois Research Hospital Martha Jean Minnich O'Connor b. July 17, 1951 at Kankakee, Illinois m. David Maurice O'Connor on September 22, 1973 at Momence, Illinois Children: Jennifer Ann O'Connor b. October 8, 1974 David's Children and Martha's stepchildren: David O'Connor Douglas O' Connor Danielle O'Connor We had lived in various Manteno houses with our family until in 1950 we contracted to have our house at 376 South Oak Street built. We occupied in 1951. We took part in most church functions and in various things in the schools for our children's benefit such as Cub Scouts for all three boys, girl scouts, parents and teachers as well as band boosters. Sometimes I wonder now how we managed. We needed more money so I began to take in children to care for them while their parents worked. We have had a procession of preschool and even some school children to care for in our home. We even had twins Martha's age when she was 9 months old and later a 4 months baby Sandra whom we kept like our own for 1 1/2 years. When her mother took her away it was like losing one of our own. Cancer began to strike our family and took Harry's mother and later his maternal grandmother, then it struck Harry the year Barbara was born. He had entrances and stays in various hospitals for the next four years, undergoing operations to try to save his life but it was all in vain as he expired at home March 22, 1953 after doctors had given up hope for him. This was a very traumatic time for us as I was left with 7 children aged one to 17. I had never worked out of the home other than some domestic type work before I was married - like cleaning people's homes and offices of doctors. I surely did not know what talent I had to sell to anyone to make money. Thank God and my mother for those last two years of high school when I had learned typing and shorthand. I tried sewing for people and caring for children at home but even with Social Security there was never enough. I started work at Mantenno State Hospital on June 1, 1954 as an attendant. It did not take long to learn I did not like this kind of work but I had asked for office work. Within six weeks they needed me in X-Ray Department to type. I shall forever be grateful that I drew a kind helpful supervisor who taught me what to do and had patience with me until I learned to do it. He told me when he hired me that they usually did not hire anyone so old as me - I was 38! Within a month he assigned me to be secretary to the Tuberculosis Control Physicians who were all foreigners but courteous and patient with me in learning what the three of them required. I kept practicing on my shorthand and typing and finally became certified as a stenographer I. I kept wanting to move up as each step up brought more money and I think I resented the fact that I had to leave my home and my babies for others to raise and felt that if they bought my time it had to be for as much money as I could possibly make. I took some classes to help me advance. On March 1, 1963, I transferred to Kankakee State Hospital where I could get my Stenograph II and later III rating. I worked for the Clinical Director who was a psychiatrist so I had a whole new language to learn here. I stayed until my retirement on June 15, 1975 at the age of 66 years. However, during my working years we had another tragedy as my daughter Barbara contacted pyelonephritis [kidney infection] and after several months of hospitalizations and research doctors could not cure her and she died right after her ninth birthday on May 12, 1958. Within a month's time three members of the family had left the home as one son John married and Harry left for the Navy. Two of the girls had married - Nancy in July 20, 1957 and Marie January 11, 1956. However, Marie had been deserted by her husband James shortly before the birth of her second child Marilyn. So she had returned to us. She was most helpful during our seige of illness. The older children had always been most helpful during our bad times in doing their own chores and helping with caring for the younger children. The town of Manteno turned all out to help us, showing their sympathy for us in many kindesses and baskets of food on holidays, hand me down clothing and even collections of money. They even sponsored a dance which raised money. This kindess knew no denominational boundaries as the churches in Manteno and even folks from Grant Park and Kankakee did nice things for us. Manteno is a great town to live in and raise a family in. There was also a collection taken where Harry had worked but the designated person who was to bring the $300 to us stole it instead. Around 1959 I began going out with a man who dropped me in about 1 1/2 years but I went with his co-worker Merle Duane LaBeau, a laboratory technician, at Manteno State Hospital for a couple months and we were married June 18, 1960 at Manteno Methodist Church with our families present and with several of the children taking part in the ceremony. I do not know what I ever did to deserve two good men. Merle was always kind, loving and generous to me also. We managed to get by on the Social Security and my wages until most of the children graduated from high school but there was no money for college and some of them really wanted further education which they have since worked hard enough to get. John had graduated from high school the year his Dad died 1953; Mary 1955; Nancy 1957; Harry got his G.E.D. after the Navy and Russell 1962, March 1969. John got his B.S. at Normal 1965, Maxie is working on her B.S.; Nancy is graduating in Traffic Control 1976; Harris is still taking college classes, has his pilot's license and is working on commercial travel license; Russell is college enrolled; Martha took 3 months each summer in the Broadway Beauty School and graduated September 1969. Occupations of the children include: John - school teacher at Momence Grade School; Maxie - Caseworker at Joliet Welfare Department; Nancy - wife and mother - was an office worker in various industrial situations, the latest in traffic control at C.B.I.; Harry - Warehouseman of 6 California stores of P.G.E. and foreman of his office; Russell - carpenter's helper in Wisconsin in a federally funded program; Martha - wife and mother - was a saleslady at K Mart in Kankakee before her marriage. Merle had tragedy strike him and because of a fall he had a detached retina in his only good eye. He went through an operation to reattach the retina with the laser beam and worked a while afterward, however he has blurred vision and scar tissue which caused enough loss sight that he gave up his driver's license and his job in 1973 and is on disability pension from the State. He is interested, in many things and spends much time in reading his talking books as well as ceramics and likes to fix things, travel when time and money permits. Since my retirement in 1975 I have been enjoying my time, home, husband, children, grandchildren, other family, trips, fairs, crafts and church work - now I even have time to pursue genealogy and I have joined the Kankakee Valley Genealogical Society. I try many crafts, however I like most what I do best and that is needlework such as crocheting and hooking rugs.

File Created: Jun 15, 2008