Hazel Mae Bock Ancestry/Childhood/Education
	Genealogy Resources   Effie Melissa McLaughlin & William Henry Bock Married June 10, 1891 at Minneapolis, Kansas.
	Effie Melissa & William Henry Bock The Portrait Bock Cabin at Silver Creek near Mt.Rainier Winter in Sumner Our Home If you access the pictures in sequence, the "next" images will preload in the background.	The only record of your mother's ancestors is to be found in an old Bible kept by my mother's sister, your Aunt Mary (Auntie), the only living member of mother's immediate family when this history was begun. On my father's side it was known that his father (1835-1909), Adam Bock, came from Germany to escape the harsh military service of his day. He settled in Pennsylvania and married Katie Reichert at Williamsburg. Their children were Elizabeth, William Henry, Charles and Joseph. Katie died in 1874 and Adam married Elizabeth Drumader in 1874. They moved to Seneca County, Ohio and here were born Frank, Arthur and Theda. In 1877 they all moved to Ottawa County, Kansas. Here your grandfather, William Henry, met Effie McLaughlin and they were married on June 10th, 1891. On the maternal side your great grandfather, William McLaughlin (1844-1899) claims his ancestry from Scotland and Ireland. His own parents had come from Pennsylvania to Ohio when he was a boy and it was here in 1860 that he joined Company B regiment of Illinois Volunteers. He gave three hard years of service in the civil war and his diary is still in the family which tells of some of his experiences in that war. It broke his health and caused his early death. He married Celeste Feather (1847-1879) and they homesteaded in Kansas along with Celeste's parents John and Mary Feather and Mary's mother, Anna King. This ancestor had come from England. All took tracts of land and built dug-outs as their first shelters. My mother, your grandmother, was born in one of these dug-outs under a canopy of quilts to protect mother and child from the rain dripping from the ceiling. Effie Melissa, my mother (1870-1927) was born near Minneapolis, Kansas. Her only sister was Mary McLaughlin (1873-1963) who was alive still when this family history was started and furnished much of the material of the ancestors. My mother's father soon built one of the first red sandstone houses in those parts and later he built the wooden house in which I was born. I also remember that old stone house which stood many years as a silent monument to those first settlers in a difficult land. There were Indians too they say. But somehow the first hard years passed and William was able to leave good wheat land to his children when he died. Celeste died in 1879 and William married Christina Baumert and their children were Charlie and Floyd, the latter still living in Des Moines, Iowa. Your Grandmother Bock had eight years of schooling, good for those days. Certain it was she wrote a beautiful hand and was able to help her children over the difficulties of Arithmetic and spelling until we entered Highschool. It is told that she could spell down the village school and did so one day on the names of flowers. she knew how to spell "Sweet William," my father's name. They were married and settled on a wheat farm between Minneapolis and Ada, Kansas. Here their children were born, the first three, Leon (June 22, 1892), Hazel (January 16, 1894), and Ina (July 25, 1896). What do I remember of those years in Kansas and what do I know from hearing others talk? I'm sure I remember playing with my brother Leon and going to school with him and our cousin Neva (now living at Wesley Gardens). Once we froze our hands. They really hurt. Also I remember reciting poems at programs. One was with my doll - making dolly's dresses, don't you think it's fun--here is one already, this I've just begun. And this one later, "If you cannot cross the ocean and the heathen lands explore--you can find the heathen closer, you can meet them at your door". Was that when I began my love of poetry or maybe my idea of being a missionary? I remember other things -how hard my sister Ina cried when our father took us to a circus in Minneapolis and my father said he would never take her to another. Another day we had our pictures taken in that town. I still have that picture of us three--so cute it is. I must have been six in January of the year my father went with his father to visit Washington State. When he returned he had heard the call of the west and soon we had a big farm sale so common in those days. I remember the crowds who came and food was served to all. We left Minneapolis on a branch road and when we changed to the main line, I being tired, sat down in the first coach and the family went on to another and found seats before they missed me. They found me looking out the window at all the wonders. The world was getting larger for me and traveling was so new and exciting. The farther west we went the more excited Leon and I got to see our first cowboys and then Indians all of which were quite common sights in the west then. We settled first in Auburn after staying several days with my father's Uncle Adam Reichard. We saw again our favorite Uncle Charlie who always brought us plenty of candy. Leon and I started to a real graded school. The teacher put me in first and Leon in second grade but when Mother found I was memorizing my lessons she sent word that I had been in school as long as Leon had so she put me in second too and we traveled through High school together. How well I remember that because of my small size I had always to sit in the front seat. One day, having nothing to do I decided to learn the spelling words for the third year every day. Later in a spelling match of the third year no one could spell the word "beautiful" and in disgust the teacher said "someone in the second year spell that word". I did it for I did love those spelling matches. My father's family soon decided to come out West and when they arrived we had a lovely surprise for them - Baby sister Eva, How we loved her and how proud I was to be able to hold her in the rocker. I also began to wash dishes standing on a box and soon could do other small errands about the house. I felt quite grown-up. My father did retail coal selling for two years in Auburn while he looked about for land to farm and in March of 1902 we moved to the farm in Sumner where my father ran a holstein dairy farm. How well I remember my first day in school in Sumner: There was a long stairway leading to the upper grades and I told my mother I could never climb that stair. Of course by the time I was ready for those grades I was glad to climb the stair. I finished all but one year in that building which later burned to the ground.
	Maps by
		Those days in Sumner were the happiest of my youth. My father did so well with the dairy that he soon paid off his debt for it. How I loved every foot of that farm! I climbed wherever Leon went in the barn haylofts and the trees and soon was nicknamed "Tom". We rode the horse bareback to bring the cows, and summers we roamed the forty acres from one end to the other. All this area is largely a residence section today. Dad raised most of his hay and harvesting was lots of fun for the kids though I'm sure now hard work for the elders especially with hired help to feed. Leon learned to milk and I to feed the calves and from then on we both worked hard when not in school which we were not allowed to miss except for illness. But we had such good times. My Aunt who lived with us loved planning surprises and I will never forget that Christmas we had our first tree. The night before we had hung our stockings and then next morning found that beautiful tree all lighted and the parlor open and lighted and warm and toys for all. Soon after we moved to Sumner father finished the back of the house and put running water on the back porch. It was the first of many improvements he gave us for he wanted all the latest conveniences for us. Before I was through high school the house had had several additions and was equipped with hot water, bath, washing machine, phone and electricity as each became possible. The arrival of Gladys and then Raymond were great occasions about which we older children were kept quite in ignorance and sent to be with friends for a little vacation as the time drew near for mother's confinement at our home. How we loved those babies! Raymond was my special charge and I loved caring for him. He has always held a very dear spot in my heart. Of course there were times of sickness when everyone's attentions were centered on the sick ones. Medical help was not so skilled then and we were so anxious about our little Eve when she had appendicitis and again when she had pneumonia. I had diptheria when I was eleven, and Leon and Ina had scarlet fever in my first year of Highschool. Mother isolated herself with the sick ones and 'Auntie' took over the house management. Small wonder she was considered a second mother to us. We all missed school, of course, and this was hard as we got behind in our classes. I loved school and made top grades earning first place in the eighth grade and enjoyed Highschool immensely. But someway we weathered the difficult places and everyone finished Highschool in Sumner. My first year at fifteen I had my first "date" for a bob-sled party but was so afraid of teasing that I spent most of Highschool going places with Leon. Then he started going 'steady' with Cora, his future wife, and I got the idea of letting boys 'see me home'. We had lots of fun but I had my plans set for College and so refused to be very serious about boys. My last year of Highschool was spent at the new building and we were a proud class of eleven who graduated in 1912. Also, I was a very frightened little salutatorian for my class and had the highest grades. While a freshman in Highschool I was sent with another member of our Epworth League to my first Institute in Spokane at Liberty Lake. It was a marvelous experience and the Tacoma district delegates who went there had much to do with starting a similar camp for the Puget Sound area. It was finally established at Epworth Heights and I attended several of its camps. I also worked as missionary chairman on the Tacoma District Cabinet. I was slowly getting ready for the great decision of my life which had been growing since I was about eight years old.
	Hazel Bock's Salutatory Address: "Household Science" given May 29, 1912 at Sumner High School Graduation
	H.S. Grad 1912 College Grad 1916 Spring in Sumner Bock Girls Hazel M. Herrick Author of Happy Memories	The summer before I went to College I met your Daddy when he was working for the summer on steel construction at the electric plant in Deiringer. He and some friends attended our church and we girls of the Epworth League were told by the pastor that we must do all possible to influence those nice University boys to come to church. Well, we did just that, one of the possible things being to invite them home for Sunday dinner. Mother made grand pies and they were well worth helping with the dishes to get a piece. At any rate that was the beginning of a friendship that led to our marriage. About this time my father sold his dairy herd and went into the small fruit business raising raspberries for the market. There were many problems in this business and after a few years father gave that work up. As the children were beginning to leave the nest and becoming independent he began to sell lots for building as well as renting to the Japanese gardners. When I started to U.P.S., Leon started to Pullman but stopped before the year was over, bought a place on South Hill, Puyallup, and soon after married your Aunt Cora. They became Seventh Day Adventists, moved to Ellensburg and raised a large family of lovely children.
		In the meantime I was enjoying College beyond all anticipation. I had wanted to go to U. of W. but was quite willing to stay with my friends after that first year and there I graduated in 1916. At the end of my Junior year I was elected President of the College Y.W.C.A. and went to camp for training that summer at Seabeck on Hoods Canal. I was also president of our local sorority which put much emphasis on scholarship and character. It was all good experience and College did a great deal more for me than my study of my major and related subjects. I did get the English award at graduation and felt rewarded for the work done. Music was a very special enjoyment for me both in Highschool and in College where I sang in the College choir, and Girl's chorus besides doing part singing in smaller groups. My parents had loved music and I had music lessons off and on from childhood. We learned to read music at school and I early began to sing alto altogether. But school days came to an end and the fall of 1916 found me teaching at Little Rock, Washington in Junior and Senior Highschool. Besides teaching English, Latin and various other subjects I had a 4-H Club, a girls chorus, a mixed quartette, a knitting club, a girls basketball team and on Sundays a Sunday School class of my school girls. Another teacher and I lived with the Frank Rutledge family a mile out in the country. They were so good to me but how they could tease, especially when I got letters from South America. That was a momentous year. The United States went into the war "to end all wars" and we all worked hard at the war effort. I voted for Woodrow Wilson, the first and only time I had a chance to vote till many years later. I was invited to go back for a second year at Little Rock and turned down a better salary at a neighboring town and accepted a five dollar raise to return for I had come to love those young folk so much. My salary was just eighty dollars but I did a lot of enjoyable things with the money and when I decided to get married had enough money to buy my clothes to go to South America.
	The Wedding Announcement	My folks gave me a lovely announcement party and in June I left my wonderful family to begin my missionary career. Arriving in San Francisco I found I was the only one of our party with a passport so started out to make the long trip alone. But when I boarded the steamer, I found my cabin companions were two young ladies going to Peru for the Woman's Board. At the last minute the Whiteheads arrived and with them I was to have company all the way to Bolivia. What a trip that was: It was a Japanese old style steamer, no fans in the hot cabins and the smells were awful. I went on shore in Lima, Peru and met the missionaries stationed there. In our port of Mollendo we anchored far out and were taken ashore in a row boat. We were hoisted up on the shore in a pulley chair. There I had my first experience with "Gran Hotels" in South America. The trip by train up to La Paz was most interesting and I began to realize the kind of country I had adopted. We crossed Lake Titicaca at night and next morning I rose early and went on deck and behold we were docking and there was your Daddy waiting to come on board. From here we travel together. After a glad meeting we boarded the train which brought us to La Paz, the city which was to see so much of our missionary life. North American friends of Dad's were with the missionaries who came to meet us and took us in their care to the American Institute.
		Next >> Hazel's First Trip to South America