Fred and Charlotte Littau Meller
The following is the story of Charlotte Littau Meller’s story, as told by her daughter, about immigrating to America along with her niece Elizbeth Gude Littau:
“In 1907, with four children, and the youngest child, Henry, being only two months old, they decided to come to America. Due to some delay on some papers, etc. they missed the ship. After they had all of their property sold, they decided to come over on a freighter, Which was slower but cheaper. The freighter took 23 days to cross the Atlantic. When they had been at sea for several days, someone yelled, "If you want to see the fish follow the ship and jump out of the water, go to the port holes." Everyone tried to get there to see. In the scuffle Fred, then five years old, was pushed off a bench or seat and broke his arm. This was a great hardship that added to what they already had, with the baby crying and screaming so much when one of the smaller supply ships with its shrill whistle went by. The freighter docked on the east coast: I am not sure at which harbor. It unloaded and loaded other cargo.
Then the family came around Florida, in to the Gulf of Mexico, and docked at Galveston. There they had another long wait as they all had to go through customs again. Dad, mother and the family got through first and were taken off the ship but were waiting for their friends, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Littau and family and Abraham Littau and family. It was well past dinnertime, and they were still aboard. Dad's children were crying and hungry, but dad was not allowed to go back on the ship to get something to eat, and he couldn's speak the language to buy anything on land. So he motioned for Leonard Littau to bring some bread. Leonard had a big overcoat with big pockets in it, so he went to the ship's kitchen and the cook helped him fill his pockets with bread. They soon were taken off the ship too. Then Mother and the children could eat.
From Galveston they took the train to Oklahoma City. There they were put out of the train with their belongings beside the track and told that they would have to wait for another train that would take them to Fairview, Oklahoma. There was no depot as there is now, So each family had to watch over their own belongings. Dad said to mother, "I will take the first watch. You and the children try to get some sleep." About 3 a.m., mother told dad to get some rest while she kept watch. Soon she noticed some activity and heard some men talking. Listening closely, she heard to her surprise, that they were talking German. All night they had prayed and wondered how they were going to make the men of the train understand where they wanted to go and what they were to do. Now mother woke dad. She said, "There are some men here and they are talking German. Maybe you can ask them to write for you what we need." Dad walked over to the men and introduced himself and told them of their predicament. As luck would have it (he was a God send), the man was the section boss of the railroad and could tell them exactly what to do. He said, "It should not be too long till the train comes. There will be a man at the door. You give him this address of where you want to go. You will stop at Ross, Oklahoma. That is the only depot. I will call to Oreinda, Oklahoma, to your brother-in-law, Fred Littau, who has the blacksmith shop and tell them to meet you in Ross, Oklahoma."
Now dad said, "We are all very hungry. Is there some place where we can get anthing to eat?" He said, "You can't buy any bread, but there is a small store not far where you can buy crackers and some fish in a small box, sardines." He gave them a slip of paper and said, "Give that to the man at the store." So the men went to the store while the women got the children up and dressed. By the time they had eaten their fish, the train was there.
When they got to Ross, they had to wait again as Uncle Fred Littau only had a buggy and had to go to a farm and one of his friends, a Leonard Littau, bring his wagon so they could all ride and bring their belongings. It was getting dusk as they saw the wagon come. Mother and some of the smallest children got to ride in the buggy. When they all got to Leonard Littau's, Mrs. Littau said, "And now, you come to America. We don't like it here, and we are thinking of going back home to Russia." Mother said, "Believe me, that was the last thing we needed to hear, as tired as we were." The Littau's never did go back to Russia, either.
Now to find a place to live! Mrs. Sybil was a distant relative of mother's. Her husband Charley said, "Harvest time is almost here, and I will need several men to help me harvest." So dad was the stacker for him that year and several years after. They lived near Fairview, Oklahoma. After harvest they came to Booker, Texas, to buy some land. Some people they had known in Russia and a brother-in-law of Mrs. Leonard Littau, Henry Reiswig, already were living there. That fall they built a sod house and then brought their families. It took several days to travel by wagon from Fairview, Oklahoma to Booker Kiowa, Texas, as that territory was known then. The last day of their journey, mother said, "This is the last of our bread, and we can't buy any. I'll have to bake, but how? We have no stove, no way to bake." dad said, "Just set your dough tonight. by the time it is ready tomorrow, I'll have something fixed." The next day it was time to loave up the bread, and still there was no oven. Then dad got busy. He dug a hole six feet long in a creek bank and at the back end he made a hole for a stovepipe that they had brought from Oklahoma. Then he gathered up some wood and the children had to gather"Texas Coal" --cow chips. They put this on tip of the wood and started the fire. When this all burned down, the oven got good and hot. They set some molasses galon bucket on the hot ashes and set the bread pans on top of them. At the entrance he laid big chunks of sod he had dug while the oven was heating. This sealed in the heat and in an hour they had the most delicious bread anyone ever ate, because by then they all were really hungry.”
“In 1907, with four children, and the youngest child, Henry, being only two months old, they decided to come to America. Due to some delay on some papers, etc. they missed the ship. After they had all of their property sold, they decided to come over on a freighter, Which was slower but cheaper. The freighter took 23 days to cross the Atlantic. When they had been at sea for several days, someone yelled, "If you want to see the fish follow the ship and jump out of the water, go to the port holes." Everyone tried to get there to see. In the scuffle Fred, then five years old, was pushed off a bench or seat and broke his arm. This was a great hardship that added to what they already had, with the baby crying and screaming so much when one of the smaller supply ships with its shrill whistle went by. The freighter docked on the east coast: I am not sure at which harbor. It unloaded and loaded other cargo.
Then the family came around Florida, in to the Gulf of Mexico, and docked at Galveston. There they had another long wait as they all had to go through customs again. Dad, mother and the family got through first and were taken off the ship but were waiting for their friends, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Littau and family and Abraham Littau and family. It was well past dinnertime, and they were still aboard. Dad's children were crying and hungry, but dad was not allowed to go back on the ship to get something to eat, and he couldn's speak the language to buy anything on land. So he motioned for Leonard Littau to bring some bread. Leonard had a big overcoat with big pockets in it, so he went to the ship's kitchen and the cook helped him fill his pockets with bread. They soon were taken off the ship too. Then Mother and the children could eat.
From Galveston they took the train to Oklahoma City. There they were put out of the train with their belongings beside the track and told that they would have to wait for another train that would take them to Fairview, Oklahoma. There was no depot as there is now, So each family had to watch over their own belongings. Dad said to mother, "I will take the first watch. You and the children try to get some sleep." About 3 a.m., mother told dad to get some rest while she kept watch. Soon she noticed some activity and heard some men talking. Listening closely, she heard to her surprise, that they were talking German. All night they had prayed and wondered how they were going to make the men of the train understand where they wanted to go and what they were to do. Now mother woke dad. She said, "There are some men here and they are talking German. Maybe you can ask them to write for you what we need." Dad walked over to the men and introduced himself and told them of their predicament. As luck would have it (he was a God send), the man was the section boss of the railroad and could tell them exactly what to do. He said, "It should not be too long till the train comes. There will be a man at the door. You give him this address of where you want to go. You will stop at Ross, Oklahoma. That is the only depot. I will call to Oreinda, Oklahoma, to your brother-in-law, Fred Littau, who has the blacksmith shop and tell them to meet you in Ross, Oklahoma."
Now dad said, "We are all very hungry. Is there some place where we can get anthing to eat?" He said, "You can't buy any bread, but there is a small store not far where you can buy crackers and some fish in a small box, sardines." He gave them a slip of paper and said, "Give that to the man at the store." So the men went to the store while the women got the children up and dressed. By the time they had eaten their fish, the train was there.
When they got to Ross, they had to wait again as Uncle Fred Littau only had a buggy and had to go to a farm and one of his friends, a Leonard Littau, bring his wagon so they could all ride and bring their belongings. It was getting dusk as they saw the wagon come. Mother and some of the smallest children got to ride in the buggy. When they all got to Leonard Littau's, Mrs. Littau said, "And now, you come to America. We don't like it here, and we are thinking of going back home to Russia." Mother said, "Believe me, that was the last thing we needed to hear, as tired as we were." The Littau's never did go back to Russia, either.
Now to find a place to live! Mrs. Sybil was a distant relative of mother's. Her husband Charley said, "Harvest time is almost here, and I will need several men to help me harvest." So dad was the stacker for him that year and several years after. They lived near Fairview, Oklahoma. After harvest they came to Booker, Texas, to buy some land. Some people they had known in Russia and a brother-in-law of Mrs. Leonard Littau, Henry Reiswig, already were living there. That fall they built a sod house and then brought their families. It took several days to travel by wagon from Fairview, Oklahoma to Booker Kiowa, Texas, as that territory was known then. The last day of their journey, mother said, "This is the last of our bread, and we can't buy any. I'll have to bake, but how? We have no stove, no way to bake." dad said, "Just set your dough tonight. by the time it is ready tomorrow, I'll have something fixed." The next day it was time to loave up the bread, and still there was no oven. Then dad got busy. He dug a hole six feet long in a creek bank and at the back end he made a hole for a stovepipe that they had brought from Oklahoma. Then he gathered up some wood and the children had to gather"Texas Coal" --cow chips. They put this on tip of the wood and started the fire. When this all burned down, the oven got good and hot. They set some molasses galon bucket on the hot ashes and set the bread pans on top of them. At the entrance he laid big chunks of sod he had dug while the oven was heating. This sealed in the heat and in an hour they had the most delicious bread anyone ever ate, because by then they all were really hungry.”
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