01/27/2026
What a treasure!
Snapshots of Daily Life in St. N**ianz: January 1950 (From the daily journals of William F. Dietrich 1891-1971). Happening at home at the Lake View Tavern – ailing father-in-law, new grandson, family visits, annual inventory and tax time. Also: St. Gregory parishioners vote on new school & hall, rough winter weather, and fire calls.
1/1/50: Start of Church envelopes. 5 o’clock Mass, 30. Very foggy. Norbert & Family stopped in after Mass. Soup Dinner PM, Service at 2:30. Very quiet. Locked up at 9. Fog clearing PM, 40.
1/2/50: Dark & very foggy. 40 most AM. Busy AM. Frank Brunner bought Wm. Diem home. Noon 40, heavy fog. PM So dark had lights on most afternoon. Brother Edd & George Reitmeier, Cato Tavern man, called. Rain about 3 o’clock. Busy all day. Evening Norb & Family called on way home from Walter’s in Kiel. Nice shower of rain.
1/3/50: 35, morning clear. St. Gregory School started. 11 o’clock 40, started to rain. Very dark. Rain most of day. 7:30 Church & movies & Firemen’s Meeting. Getting cold, streets & walks icy. Started to work on my books. Had Reindl install water system, new well 120 ft. @ $3.85, $462.00.
1/4/50: 10, snowing. Valders schools started. Roland Wendlin bought farm from Knute Berg for $11,000 & $4000 Bond. I worked on my books all day, Ma tended bar. Evening Maurice Mullins & Art Dietrich & wives called. Clear & cold, zero.
1/5/50: 2 below. Bright sunshine, cold all day. Norbert’s son born 6:30. 8 lbs., 3 oz, Norbert called about 10 o’clock.
1/6/50: 6 above morning. Ma to Church at 8 o’clock. Clear & cold all day. I took up inventory. Finished evening about 10 o’clock. Harold at Valders basketball with Kiel, won 2 games. Joseph Schiegg hurt in woods at Arnold Lemke’s, 3 PM. Taken to hospital.
1/7/50: Clear cold morning, 8. Bright sunshine AM, 18 noon. Busy all day. Joe Backhaus & friends played pool PM. Quiet evening.
1/8/50: Clear, cold wind, 14. 5 o’clock Mass. Got receipt for 1949 Church. 8 o’clock Mass, Father announced that Joseph Schiegg died, aged 42. Five children. 35 noon. Busy AM. Very quiet PM & evening. 2:30 Church service. Evening figured inventory sheets.
1/9/50: Clear mild weather, 24. Norbert called & brought wash. 40 noon, swell weather. Called Mr. Reinert & made tax appointment for tomorrow. C.O.F. Meeting evening. Got my papers ready & went to bed at 12:00.
1/10/50: Light rain morning, 40, dark. Manitowoc at 8:15, Income Tax. 20 noon. Home at 11 o’clock. Went to bank, collected interest, mine and Dad’s. 1 o’clock Ma & I Joe Schiegg wake. Very cold wind. Norbert, Beatie & Dean came from hospital. 7:30 Church service. Norb to Legion Meeting, Hal to Kewaunee for basketball – both teams won. Windy & very cold, zero.
1/11/50: 2 below. Clear, no wind, sunshine. Joe Schiegg funeral at 10:00. Busy PM. Old Men called on Dad: Wm. Daum 87, George Mattes 80, Carl Mueller 72, Edd Broeckert 68, Andy Baumgartner 64. Ordered book matches from Daum.
1/12/50: Dark morning, rain & ice balls. 7:30 30. Dark most all day. Paid Tax, $137.40. Mother kept Dean downstairs all night & she slept on davenport so Norb & Beatie could get some rest. Baby was better than the night before. Binversie bros called.
1/13/50: 30 morning, raining. Walks icy. Rain all day. PM & night very heavy fog. 40 noon & night. Clearing & very high wind. Fire at Gary Endries restaurant.
1/14/50: Morning clear & cold, 2 below, cold wind. 9 o’clock still zero. 6 above at noon. 2:30 Norbert took me to Schnettler’s for Bank Meeting at 3:00, Dividend $9.70. Home at 6:15. Cold raw night.
1/15/50: Sunday morning 30, dark & windy. 5 o’clock Mass. Snowstorm at 5, turned to sleet. Walks & roads very icy. Dad still sick in bed. Service at 2:30. Norbert & family went home evening. Hal & Erwin Madson to show with Herman Riesterer. Locked up at 7:30, very tired. High wind, zero.
1/16/50: Clear, cold & windy morning, 6 below. Noon still zero. 3 o’clock 8 above. Parish Officers Meeting AM. Dad slept all day, didn’t eat anything. Night down of zero.
1/17/50: Morning zero. 8 o’clock dark & 10 above. PM Norb brought Danny here, they took Dean to see doctor. Church service 8, movies. Snow storm.
1/18/50: Morning 8 below, raw wind. Noon still 6 below. Very cold day. Evening donkey basketball Valders Firemen vs. St. N**ianz. Also Lions Club Bureau at Schnettler’s. Caught 2 rats in cellar.
1/19/50: Zero morning. Noon 8 above. Very quiet. Charging car battery evening. Zero. Dad in bed all day.
1/20/50: 2 degrees morning. Door bell system shorted. Meter reader called. 2 o’clock started to snow, about 4” by 4 o’clock. Bad storm. Hal & I took car to Miller’s, got gas, changed oil, gauged tires & put chains on, $5.40. Stopped snowing & cleared up, 10 above. Hal & I drove to Kiel to meet Jean, Mike & family on 8:37 train. Up till 2 o’clock, Hellers & Norbert & family called.
1/21/50: Saturday. Nice morning, 12 above, clear. PM Norbert & Beatie left Danny & Dean here and they went to town. Walter & Family called evening. Young folks from town called, had a swell time, open till 1 o’clock. Bed at 2, very tired.
1/22/50: Mass at 5 o’clock, 12 above. Dark all AM. 1 o’clock Dean was Baptized, 2:00 church service. 2:30 to 5 Church Meeting. Voted to build new school. Vote 68, No, 76 Yes. Norbert attended, I stayed home, busy all day. Mike left with Art Broeckert about 7:30, started to snow. We were all very tired, locked up at 8. Norbert & Family went home, baby’s all well again.
1/23/50: Morning 20. About 4” icy snow, cleaned walk. Albert Severson called for Rembert & Wm. C. Dietrich – sewer blocked. Snow grader cleaned streets.
1/24/50: Dark, 30 at 9 o’clock. Ma washing. After noon, drizzle rain. Chimney fire at Louis Schema’s at 7:30. Ma, Jean & I to Church. Rain & electric shower. Hal & Jean to movies at 8 o’clock. Heavy rain, 40.
1/25/50: 28 morning, dark. 8:45 rain & snow mixed. Dad wants Dr. to call. Noon 28, sleet, ice forming on wires. Raining & freezing all day. After dinner Ma & I cleaned up Dad, 3:30 Father called & gave Last Sacraments. Thunder & lightning. 30 evening, cleared up, cold. Ferdinand Schneider died, 79 years old.
1/26/50: Bright clear sunshine, zero at 8:30. Father called and brought Dad the Sacraments. Trees & wires covered with ice, looks very pretty. Edd, Rembert & Wm. Gutman called on Dad at 9:30. Noon bright sunshine & still zero. Ice on trees sparkles like colored lights & diamonds. Beatie & boys called, Norbert worked at Miss Wagner’s evening. Beatie gave Jean a Toni. I had Danny & Rita in tavern. 12 below.
1/27/50: Morning 10 below, clear, SW wind, quiet. Ice still on trees & wires. 10 above noon, evening 14. Oil truck in trouble at Wm. Gutman’s. Town of Eaton Cat pulled it out. Mike & John Gnadt got here about 9:30 then Mike & Jean went to Norbert’s. I got to bed after 12 o’clock.
1/28/50: Raw wind, South, 22 above. Salted steps. 9:30 Norbert & Beatie brought Dean and went to see Dr. Belson for Danny’s ear. Jean & Mike having breakfast. PM Jean gave Beatie a Toni. Walter & Elleen called. I shoveled. Norb & Family went home at 8:30 and we locked up.
1/29/50: Sunday. 5 o’clock Mass. Cold wind. 8 o’clock 10 above & starting to snow. Noon clear & colder. Norbert & Family here for dinner. 2:30 Church Service. 3 o’clock Meeting w/ Mother’s. 4 o’clock Norbert & Beatie took Mike & Jean & Rita to Manitowoc for the 4:30 train. Wm. Gutman, Edd Broeckert & Stanley Abler visited Dad. Night 10 below.
1/30/50: Morning 16 below, clear. 8:30 still 10 below. 9 o’clock fire - burned out Art Rader’s pump house cement block, started by gas pump engine. Noon 2 above. Road very icy. Large truck with water tank almost tipped. Evening Hal to Meeting at Hall, then basketball till 11:30.
1/31/50: Morning up early and cleared walks, about 4” snow. Cleaned ice cream cabinet & beer pipe. 8:30 4 above, no wind, clear, sunshine. Aunt Clara & Anna Gutman called on Dad 8:45. Letter from Millie, card from Jean. Rembert welded door k**b for me. Cold all day. 7:30 Ma & I Church. Hal has a cold. Wm. Rapple & I played pool.
Photo: Skating on Lake Oschwald, St. N**ianz, c. 1950 by Father Leo Herbst, from the Salvatorian Archives.
