Person:Jacob Reitz (2)

Jacob John Reitz, our father, farmed for a number of years in Wisconsin. He then, in partnership with his brother-in-law "uncle" George Krug, ran a store in Eden, Wisconsin. When this venture failed he went back to a farm. Previously we had lived in a more German settlement. Now we were surrounded more by Irish and we were the only German children in the country school where most of the children were Irish. We were always too far away from the parochial school so none of us attended that except our sister Rosa. She stayed with Grandmother Reitz for two years so she could attend the conformation instruction at the school.

After another short shift of farming father decided to follow his father-in-law to Washington. This was in 1903. The Dilling family had already settled near Connell, Washington. This is where our family lived for several years before father bought a farm at Roxboro, near Lind, Washington. The Milwaukee railroad was just building its line past our place at the time. Workmen left behind some undetonated dynamite caps. Our brother Walter took one of these home and was going to enjoy some fire works by emptying some of the powder on the stove. Result? Several mutilated fingers. This was in 1906.

Bad crops together with a large debt resulted on loss of this farm. So our next move was to western Washington, where father ran a hop farm near Puyallup. This farm proved quite profitable until prohibition days. So again we moved-- this time back to Connell. By this time our family had grown to fifteen children, although the oldest daughter, Fosa, was already married.

With high winds blowing out one seed planting after another, father again lost the place at Connell. For him it meant the end of farming, and in 1921 we moved to Yakima where he did day labor in the fruit packing plants until old age forced his retirement. It was true in this case "a rolling stone gathers no moss", but our father was a very hard working man and his large family never suffered want. They learned early that they had to help with the work, which was certainly not to their detriment. Father's dream of sometime having anthreshing crew of his own, with his eight boys, never materialized, of course. But several boys were able to go on to higher schools, and all have done well in their respective lines of work.

Our father, Jacob John Reitz, was born August 23, 1863, in Wisconsin, and died August 29, 1942, in Yakima. Our mother, Lina Dilling Reitz, was born August 24, 1871, also in Wisconsin, and died in June 1947, in Yakima. They are both buried in the Yakima cemetery.

Here I, a daughter-in-law, must pay tribute to a remarkable woman-- my mother-in-law. I first learned to know her after she was already a grandmother. But her own "baby" was only three. With limited finances she managed to keep her family well clothed because whe was a fine seamstress; well fed because she was an excellant cook. A clean house was a "must" with her in spite of the lack of many conveniences, like running water, etc. Besides this she loved music, and, although she had no special training along these lines, it was a real pleasure to hear her rich alto voice. And, above all, she was a God-fearing mother who taught her children by word and example about the "one thing needful" above all earthly riches. God grant us more mothers like this!

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Adams, Washington, United States. 1910 U.S. Census Population Schedule.

   Newland, Adams, Washington, United States

2. ↑ [1], in Washington (State). Bureau of Vital Statistics. Washington Death Certificates [Index], 1907–1960. (FamilySearch, 2016).