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ESLI
CARMAN FAMILY (Written
by Jessie Jenkins Carman for the Norman County History Book)
Esli Carman was born in England in 1854 and his wife Mathilda Hester
Corcoran, was from in Brimfield, Illinois, in 1864.
Mr. Carman came to the United States when he was grown up.
They met in a town in Illinois and were married.
Three children were born to them, Sarah, George and Edward.
They were farm renters but wanted to own a farm of their own.
Hearing that land was less expensive further north, Mr. Carman and Leo
Writer traveled up through Minnesota and investigated.
Mr. Carman purchased a farm in Hegne Township (SE quarter of Section 8)
and in a short time brought his family here to live.
After a great deal of hard work, the land began producing, and the
domestic animals did their part to feed the family, as well as a large garden
carefully and lovingly tended by Mrs. Carman.
All food was consumed by the family or carefully preserved for winter.
During the winters, George went south where work was available and
brought his wages home. The boys were interested in hunting.
All three children learned to play the violin from their mother, who
played both the violin and the organ. Their
neighbors were very good friends, and many informal dances were enjoyed to the
music of the Carman musicians. The
Carmans loved to entertain the young people of the neighborhood.
In addition to dancing and whist parties, and listening to phonograph
records, other old-fashioned games were - Skip to My Lou, Pig in the Parlor,
Going to Jerusalem, Happy is the Miller, Pussy Wants a Corner, Croquet, Drop the
Handkerchief, Tag, Ant-e-I-over, I Spy, Blind Man’s Bluff, Prisoners’ Base,
Last Couple Out, Virginia Reel, In and Out the Window.
(In those years, refreshments were not an expected part of the day’s or
evening’s entertainment.) Sarah was educated at a convent, and a teacher before
her marriage to Charles Blasey, a neighborhood farmer.
They had ten children – Sister Agnes (Evelyna,) Arnold, Orville, Sister
Loretta, Joe, Charles, Mary Ann and Clement.
Two boys, Francis Esli and Thomas Robert died in infancy.
The family farmed west of Ada and later moved to just south of Ada where
Charles (Sr.) died. Sarah was a
church organist and choir director for many years at St. Joseph’s Church.
She later purchased her mother’s house at 24 East Thorpe Avenue and
lived until her death. Edward married Jessie Jenkins, a teacher and
daughter of Elmore S. Jenkins, in 1912 and they moved onto the Jenkins farm east
of Ada. Four girls (Mildred,
Lucille, Irene and Lorraine) were born there and all are married.
Ed farmed for thirty years and then moved
to Ada where he sold insurance until he died in 1967.
His widow moved to the Villa
Maria Retirement Home in Fargo, North Dakota, until her death. In January, 1914, George married Helen Scherf (born 9-2-1888), daughter of August
Scherf, Sr. They farmed northwest
of Ada. George substituted on the
mail route for his brother-in-law August Scherf, Jr.
Two children Raymond and
Earl, were born to this union. The
family left Ada in 1929 and moved to Milwaukee Wisconsin. Raymond had two girls and Earl had twin Sons.
Helen died in 1958 and George died a few years later.
Raymond is still living. When Esli’s health failed, the Carmans
purchased a house at 103 West 4th
Street (Ada) in 1930 where Mr. Carman died in 1935.
Some years later Mathilda sold the house and bought a smaller one at 24
East Thorpe Avenue (Ada). Eventually,
she moved to the Vigen Motel where she spent her final years until she passed
away in 1957.
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