HELLE FAMILY HISTORY

by: Walter

I was the 6th son and 7th child born June 20, 1912 to our family of 13.

As children, we fished, hunted and roamed the hills with home-made bows and arrows and slingshots. We never could hit anything but our imaginations made us feel like great hunters. When fishing, we used willow poles, cotton string and a steel washer or nut for sinkers. We learned to swim in our home-made pond.

I enjoyed nature and music very much. I learned to play the mouth (French) harp. I still enjoy these pleasures today.

When nearly five-years-old, I remember going fishing (I think we had a picnic too) on the 26th day of May, 1917. I thought it was great for the older brothers and sister to take me along. It was a beautiful spring day with wild flowers in bloom.

However, when we returned, we had a new baby brother. We called him Verle Burdette. When I was older, I found out we went fishing to get all of us out of the house while the baby was being born.

A little over a year later on the morning of July 18, 1918, a neighbor, Mrs. Mason, was there and so was a new baby. Mrs. Mason said it was her baby. Later that day I found out he was another brother. We called this one Gene.

About June 22, 1920, Verle and I were sent down to Grandma's. We, being the skinny ones, were to stay there and eat mulberries to fatten us up. However, the next day Lloyd came after us, took us home and sure enough, we had another brother. This one we called Gail.

The night of December 20, 1921, a little sister was born. She had beautiful dark hair and dark eyes - a pretty little girl. We all loved her from the start. She was a real treat after so many boys. She was also a total surprise. We called her "Toots," but her name was Charlotte.

Now, along in the spring of 1924 at nearly twelve years old, I overheard mother talking to my brother Lloyd. I knew then we were to have another baby. Little June was born on June 4, 1924, a blond - so sweet we all learned to love her as we did little Tootsie. Mother was so proud of her two little girls. As they grew she would play the piano and they would sing with her. Even to this day when I hear "Jingle Bells" I can hear Mother and those sweet little girls singing so happily. A lump comes to my throat and a memory so precious it will never be lost.

During Christmas vacation 1925, we went skating on Putt Creek. I got cold, wet and over exhausted. I started having severe headaches. My Aunt Ethel remarked how fat I was getting. The next morning my hands and face were all swollen. Mother called the doctor. Delbert took a urine sample four miles by horseback. I had "Brights Disease", a severe kidney aliment.

The doctor told mother to give me all the water I could drink. My little brother Gail, age five, brought me lots of water, with tears in his eyes, for he thought I would die if I didn't drink lots of it. I might have, too. I became so thin from my illness. One day the crisis came and word went out that I would not live. I awoke, my eyes so weak I was nearly blind. However, I could see Mother standing there crying and Dr. Welch bent over my face looking in my eyes. I had no pain, in fact, I felt perfect. This memory is still vivid. I soon sunk into a deep sleep and when

I awoke I had control of my hands. Earlier, I could have them completely open or

completely shut, no in-between.

All the women in the neighborhood sent me fruit juice of all kinds. Ministers came and prayed for me to get well. Within a year I was completely recovered.

March 1, 1929: We moved to Bureau County, 7 miles north of Mineral, IL to a 480 acre farm with an old Fordston tractor, eleven horses and two mules. Our work was laid out for us.

Verle, 12 years old, and myself were the first to stay overnight in our new home. We were sitting by the space heating stove and Verle said, "Walt, we are the only Helle's in Northern Illinois." We were lonely and a long way from home.

Years later when Verle returned from World War II and Japan, he said to me, "Japan was not nearly as far away from home as it seemed that first night away from family and home at Mineral, Illinois."

Our St. Bernard dog, Old Sandy, moved with us. We had rabbit on the table many times, thanks to Sandy's great ability to catch them. Most everyone that ever saw this dog loved him, and years later, after we moved to Wyoming, the neighbors helped feed his big appetite until one day he got hit by a train. Several months later, some high-school boys and girls found and gathered his bones and put them back together in the school science department.

The Raymond Allen family became close friends and neighbors. Living with them. was a very special girl, Alice, seventeen-years-old at the time. Alice and I were married on August Ii, 1932. We became the parents of four Sons and one daughter. Our first born, Burnett, born September 30, 1935, was only to live seventeen months and six days. He died March 6, 1937. With a sad heart we gave this little boy back to the Lord.

December 29, 1937, our first and only little girl was born. Janice was truly a gift from Heaven. She is still my little sweetheart.

Next came Vernon, born August 13, 1940, on our eighth anniversary. Then came Stanley, born April 13, 1943. Then last came "Little Joe", born February 6, 1945. How proud we were of our children. All are grown now, and we have 12 grandchildren.

MY LIFE

by Gene

1918  - 1929: I was born on a farm with a large family and lots of relatives. Memories include going on Sunday picnics, fishing or hogging wagon load of fish and dividing them up. (In hogging fish, the fishermen are swimming or wading in the water with the fish and sneak up on the fish and grab them with their hands. This can be done after flood waters recede and fish are in small pools of water. The fish are really trapped and would die if they weren't caught.)

Then there were the trips every spring, pushing a stick and wheel all over the neighborhood, and in the Fall going barefoot until we walked home in the snow. And of course there were the many whippings I got in school.

1929  -  1931: I remember moving to the school section in Bureau County and the other strange schools. The summer of 1930 we fired the steam engine for Dad, Delbert and Don Walton. I was eleven, but turned twelve that summer. Then we moved on to Bradford and all different schools. No wonder I was a dumb kid, ready to fight anyone twice my size, especially if they picked on my younger brothers and sisters.

1931 - 1942: It was during these years that I gained most of my knowledge on how to deal with this world. I quit school after one-half year of high school.

I set up a mill southwest of Wyoming at the age of 17. I put a lot of Dad's worn out pieces together. Dad didn't assist me. When us boys wanted to do something, he would let us do it, good or bad. We "dooed"

it.

I still have scars to show I was learning the best way. My next set up was by Kewanee, Illinois. Brother Don had a tract of timber northwest of Kewanee and I had bought one over east of Henry, so we traded. We moved my mill in, cut a few trees. Sure was good timber. I told Dad that it was better than the tract Don got. Dad said "Are you sure you're on the right tract?" We were over the fence and had to go move the mill again.

In 1934 Verle and I would take a load of lumber to Chicago and go take the World Fair in. When World War II came along, our full crew had to register. This was October 16th, 1940. Buck Dyson said, "I will be the first one they call." I took him and Glenn Wilkenson to join the National Guard and nearly signed up myself. As it was, Verle volunteered.

Verle left in June, 1941, serving 4 years, 7 months, 5 days. We were cutting timber on Hallie Meeker's farm. He was a World War I Veteran and said it best to cut all your bridges before going in the service. We were both going steady with two gals from Peoria. We agreed it best to stay single.

1942  - 1945: I was sworn into the Navy Sea Bee's October 3, 1942 and discharged October 4, 1945 at the war's end. I went in with a machinist 2nd class rank and soon after going to Pacific made 1st class, then Chief MM. This 3 years with 2 1/2 years in the Pacific from Hawaii to Philippines left me with many friends and memories.

I started with heavy equipment, but after many months of operating a crane, I transferred to the lumber department and set up a *2 American Sawmill. That soon

made me a Chief.

I helped other Navy and Marines put there mills in operation. I drew up full plans for an operation when we took the Philippines back to cut up to 1,000,000 board feet per week, using 600 Sea Bee's. I had access to all the machinery the Navy owned and all information on timber in the South Pacific. This was a great experience for me. We didn't get the mills started as the war ended.

1945 - 1968: With a discharge from the Navy and a new 1945 Dodge truck, I left Chicago on October 4, 1945. I had to be the happiest guy in the world, as I had already started to put equipment together for a new sawmill in Oregon, Illinois to be called Helle Lumber Company.

I rented a hotel room for $5.00 a week, said I would be there for two or three weeks, moved out three years and two months later.

I picked up two boys hitch hiking. They asked me how big a company that Helle Lumber Company was. I told them that the truck and me was all there was then. I built a foundation for a Corley  #5 sawmill that I had ordered. I had bought ten acres of land from Harper Koont at the east edge of Oregon, IL.

Verle got out of the Army in January, 1946. He went to the West Coast where his wife Willie was from, but he returned in April, just in time to help pick up the mill in Tennessee. The mill was in operation by June, 1946. This was a very successful mill.

Being single and always able to put in long days, I did see and go with quite a few gals. Then in the Fall of 1946 I tripped and tried to show a girl cooking hamburgers in a tavern that they needed lots of pepper; A 1/4" thick of pepper to certain customers. They never did appreciate the good flavor.

This gal was honest and told me she was married and had a daughter. This hit me hard, as I had already tasted her hamburgers and was looking for a good cook. I was never able to go with other girls without thinking of Maxine Heather. Over two years later we were married and I adopted that little girl. Both became a big part of me. We raised 4 more children. They are all super-good and I am proud of them.

Our family traveled a lot. 1968  -  1982: In July 1968 we moved to Maui, Hawaii, and set up a sawmill to saw Eucalyptus timber. This is a fine wood that no one had been able to utilize before as no skilled sawmiller had ever tried it. We mastered the wood and shipped lumber and logs all over the world. We had wonderful times in Hawaii and made many fine friends.

1982  - 1989: After 15 years in Hawaii, we returned to Illinois in late November 1982. Barry, our youngest son, stayed behind and married a beautiful girl of Japanese descent. Our youngest daughter was married in Hawaii to Clifford Barcia. They have 2 sons and a daughter.

We planned to set up a mill in Illinois, but got sidetracked to Missouri. We ran the first Missouri mill 18 months, then went on to one at Frankford, Missouri.

In September of 1986 the world fell apart for us when we found out Maxine had Cancer. We had high hopes that it could be cured, but everytime she was treated it came back with more pain. In June, 1989 they called us and said there was no hope. On July 11, 1989 she was gone.

In late July I went for a routine checkup to find I had developed prostrate cancer and would have to go in to have surgery. I was operated on Oct 2, 1989, and was told that they had got it all.

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