Wimmer Cemetery Walk on September 26, 2015 from 5PM to 9PM
Script for Ruth Orr Mau b. Apr. 19, 1892 ~ d. Mar. 3, 1977
Portrayed by Rosemary Connolly, NAI CIG
Portrayed by Rosemary Connolly, NAI CIG
1850s attire:
Hello. What a fine fall day here in Auburn in 1960! My name is Ruth Orr Mau, the only daughter of Wiley (Edgar) (d 1959) and Georgie Ann (Lewis) Orr (d 1943). I was born (on April 19) in 1892 here in Auburn. I am here visiting the burial site of my family (it would have to be after they died around 1960 making Ruth about 68 years old as of this presentation). Many of my relatives are buried here in Wimmer Cemetery. The Gleason's, Makey's and Orr's just to mention a few.
My parents are buried over at Auburn Cemetery which is about a mile west on Dickey John Road. My three other brothers are buried here in Wimmer. My oldest brother, Lester (1890), died 2 years before I was born, his sickness lasted but three days. After I was born, momma lost two more sons due to complications from child birth. They are buried over there near the Wimmer Monument. My older brother, Clarence, was the only other sibling who lived to adulthood in our family. He died 10 years ago and (1891 ~ 1950) is buried in Bloomington.
My dad was a farmer most of the time. We never had to worry very much about food not being on the table. Clarence and I had our various chores that helped mom and dad maintain the farm but we still had our fun. I remember our trip to the 1904 St Louis World's Fair like it was only yesterday.
That year the Illinois Traction System or ITS for short (also known as the Interurban), set fares for families to travel to the fair on their electric railway. We bounced all the way to St. Louis. I saw more country stops for milk deliveries and various other farm products than I have in my life.
Farmers would place their products at designated stop in the country to have them picked up and placed in the electric cars which in turn would deliver them to town. It took much longer to get to our destination with all those stops than by regular train but the fare was much cheaper.
Once we arrived at the fair we were swept into the gadgets of the modern world. We saw the first electric typewriter, a telephone answering machine called the Poulsen telegraphone, coffee makers, dishwashers and so many new marvels.
Electricity was the major focus of the fair. All the buildings were lit inside and out by electric lights. We even got a glance at Thomas Edison himself overseeing one of his exhibits. Oh, what a great thrill that was to see the famous man.
The thing I remember the most from the fair, however, was the ice cream cones, iced tea and the fabulous hot dogs!!! One of the main reasons for going to the fair was to give dad a break from farming.
When we returned home he announced that he was going to sell the farm and that we would move into town. Everyone was shocked at first but the excitement of living in the newly incorporated city of Auburn filled our minds with thoughts of all those conveniences. No longer would we have to feed and clean up after the animals, chop wood for the fireplace or lug water from the cistern to bathe.
Now we would have indoor plumbing and electricity and as a bonus with the new house we had a telephone. Walker Ramsey installed it himself! Walker was the owner of the first telephone system in our city.
The telephone is how we found out about one of the biggest events in Auburn's history. Since dad was a member of the volunteer fire department, they called our house first for an emergency. The worst call we remember was when the east side of the square was on fire.
Our lives were fairly normal after that fire. Life continued and we grew but in 1918 our lives changed once again. The usual rumors had surfaced for some time that we be involved in the war in Europe but no one believed that until the draft occurred. Clarence was living in Girard at the time so that is where he registered. Not only were we facing the threat of war but the Spanish influenza had also entered our lives. No one gathered together in groups that winter of 1918-1919 as it was feared that the flu would be spread in large gatherings. An estimated 675,000 Americans died of influenza during the pandemic, ten times as many as in the world war. Of the U.S. soldiers who died in Europe, half of them fell to the influenza virus and not to the enemy (Deseret News). An estimated 43,000 servicemen mobilized for WWI died of influenza. Fear of death was all around and many funerals were skipped for direct burials because of fear.
Clarence was one of the lucky few who did not get drafted for the war. No one in the family suffered from the flu either. Clarence became a teacher in various positions in Easton, Venice and Winchester, Illinois. Eventually, he took charge of the Teacher's Extension Caucus offered by Normal University.
I married Otto Mau (1892-1955) in 1913. We had two beautiful girls,
Naomi (nee: Strang) in 1915 and
Anna Lucille (nee Davis) in 1920 (d 2009).
Lucille took after my father's interests and became a teacher in the Auburn School System. Some of you may remember Mrs. Anna Lucille Davis. She married Clarence Davis (August 1) in 1942 in here in Auburn.
My husband, Otto, was well known throughout Sangamon County in the hardware trade. He owned and operated Mau's Hardware from 1925 until his death in 1955. My daughter, Lucille and her husband took over for a short time until Naomi's husband, John Strang, bought out the interest in the store.
One of the many happy memories I have is the time the Mau and Christin families had their reunion back in 1929 out at Irwin's Park. That was back in the heyday of the park when the dance pavilion was still standing. The family had played games and had contests that lasted all day long and at the event they held a dance in honor of everyone present. The Irwin family was so good to host the event at the park. Irwin’s Park became a popular dance spot during World War II. It had a roller coaster and merry-go-round. There was a house made of rock that came from same rock quarry as the Old Statehouse in Springfield. Actress Betty Hutton once performed there. There were free movies and a swimming hole, all maintained by the Irwin family. The family also farmed the surrounding ground.
My goodness gracious, how I have been yammering on for so long this evening. I just realized how late it is getting and I haven't even made it to my brothers graves to pay respects yet. If you will kindly let me be to pay my respects in private I'll be headed over that way. I'm sure I will not be at my best for company shortly.
Goodbye for now, have a good evening.
Thanks to Timothy Bidleman for this recording so I can be my best critic. Ruth Orr Mau
References:
Wiley Edgar Orr
http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=71831589
Georgie Ann Lewis
http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=71831988
Ruth Orr
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=mau&GSfn=ruth&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=29238514&df=all&
Clarence Orr
http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=38554933
Wimmer Cemetery Walk
http://www.wimmerfriends.com/events.html
Auburn Cemetery
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilmaga/sangamon/cemetery/auburn.html
Illinois Traction System
http://www.illinoistractionsociety.org/
Lester Orr
http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=orr&GSiman=1&GScid=108897&GRid=77625654&
Mrs. Anna Lucille Davis
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilmaga/sangamon/cemetery/auburn.html
Otto Mau
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Mau&GSfn=O&GSiman=1&GScid=104575&GRid=29238513&
Anna Lucille Mau
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=davis&GSfn=anna&GSmn=Lucille&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=16&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=37018112&df=all&
Poulsen telegraphone
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpoulsen.htm
Wimmer Cemetery lookup on findagrave
http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&GSln=henry+&GSfn=Jacob+&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=16&GScntry=4&GSob=n&CRid=108897&df=all&pt=Wimmer%20Cemetery&
Irwin's Park by Dave Bakke
http://www.sj-r.com/x38421230/Dave-Bakke-Lawsuit-could-doom-Irwins-Park
Info on the Spanish Flu
http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/
I'd like to thank the Wimmer Cemetery Association for their efforts at preserving the past.
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