Person:Benjamin Roth (2)

BENJAMIN E. (INITIAL, NO NAME)

We think that Benjamin (one of 8 children) only finished 5th grade

Julia married Ben and was given land between Gridley and Flanagan, Il. Ben wanted to be a train engineer, but farming was what was available to him. He sold the farm and moved to Ada, Minn when Emery. was 1 1/2 year old (1912). Ben and Julia had five children at this point, 4 (Bernice, Alvera, Cleone and Ora) girls and Emery. In Ada two more girls and a boy (Bea, Eleanore and Howard) were born. In Ada, Ben and Julia purchased a farm, then a second and finally a third.

Emery was riding on a thrashing maching and wanted to get down. As Ben was lifting him down, the horses moved and the spring jump seat hit him in the back. Chiropractor helped him so he could work again, but he never was able to work as before. A new banker came to town and convinced Ben to refinance. Shortly after changing banks, the notes were called in and the three farms were lost.

They moved to Cass Lake, Minn where they purchased a supposedly thriving restaurant at a resort where Alvera and Cleone had worked summers. After buying the restaurant, they found most of the profits had been from supplies sold to the Indians the last weeks of the month before their next check arrived from the government at high interest. As Julia wouldn't do that, they left for Waukegan.

Joe Clauden, Julia's brother-in-law, suggested Waukegan as he had moved there from Gridley to begin an insurance business (Joe had left Gridley after some problem at the bank he and his father ran) and knew work was available at the American Steel and Wire. Ben got a job at the Mill. As Emery had been given credit for the whole sememster (they moved just before Christmas) he also got a job at the Mill.

The family had joined the Congregational Church in Ada as that was the church "everyone who was anyone" belonged to. Ben did much for the church, but left it for the Methodist went he was annoyed about someone else's daughter getting something he felt his daughter deserved.