Person:Julia Frey (1)

Julia Frey Roth was the fourth of 12 children born to Mathews and Magdelena in Gridley. The Freys were Mennonites. Julia finished 8th grade.

As each child married a part of the farm was given to them.  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 years old (1912). Ben and Julia had five children at this point, 4 girls and Ben. In Ada two more girls and a boy were born. In Ada, Ben and Julia purchased a farm, then a second and finally a third. 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. As they left Minn just before Christmas.