Page 29 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2023 - Online Magazine

HISTORY OF SLATON
including the violin and bass. He and
his son, Edwin, were members of a
ten-piece band led by Joe Heinrich.
They met every Sunday at a
member’s house. The women would
make their best dishes. The band
played for many events and church
affairs. Rudolph also had artistic
talent. Many of his descendants have
a copy of a sketch of Jesus he drew
when he was in the sixth grade.
Rudolph organized the Catholic Life
Insurance in Slaton in 1937 and was
a salesman until 1954, when his son- held in the hayloft
in-law, Cletus Heinrich, took over.
He also helped organize the GMMA
Mutual (Germania) and was an
appraiser for that company.
Adelheid sewed all the retired, he and Adelheid moved into
clothing for her family. Slaton to live near their daughter,
When the girls were Evelyn, and her husband, Cletus
too young to help, the Heinrich. Rudolph passed away in
boys all helped with 1958, and Adelheid in 1966.
sewing, laundering,
and cooking. Alfons Rudolph and Adelheid’s eight
made delicious cakes, children went on to have children
especially chocolate. of their own (31), who in turn had
Lidwina and Evelyn children of their own (approximately
and some of the boys 98). Their progeny now are spread
helped pick the goose throughout the state of Texas and
down off the geese to beyond. The German Catholic
fill the feather beds. families that settled in the Slaton area
The girls also helped brought with them their hard-work
Adelheid piece quilts ethic and their strong Catholic faith.
The annual St. Joseph’s Sausage
and crochet in the wintertime. They Festival, an idea that started in the
helped the boys with fieldwork in Bednarz family, draws people from
the summer and pulled cotton bolls all over this area.
by hand in the fall. Willie, Lidwina,
Walter, and Evelyn were each able to
pull a bale a day.
When it came time to butcher a hog Information for this article was taken
to feed the family, Rudolph let the from the book Bednarz, Blaschke,
boys do most of the work, to make Stanzel Families, written by Geneva E.
sure they learned the skill well. Kahlich in 1977.
Many box suppers
and dances were
of Rudolph’s big red
barn to raise money
for the parish church.
When Rudolph
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