A spinning wheel and loom were
found in nearly all homes - and the Walz home was no different. Sheep's wool
was washed, dried, and carded into long fluffy rolls by hand. It was then spun into thread and
the busy women and girls knitted articles of clothing for the family. The loom was kept busy
almost constantly through the long winter months. The women wove yards and yards of wool
material. From the material they made women's clothes, girls' dresses, and men's and boys'
suits and pants.
Some farmers grew flax which was
spun into linen thread. It was then woven into yards of linen material for
sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, towels, men's shirts, underclothing, and night clothes. If the
material was desired to be of a whiter color, it was dipped into nearby little streams and laid on the
meadow grass to be bleached by the sun. Years later, Christine would remember bleaching the
linen — yards and yards of it. One of her chores as a child was sprinkling the material early in
the morning before laying it out.
Another of her recollections was
of plucking geese for their finest down. The geese would be made to walk down
a runway or chute. She and others would then catch the geese as they came by, take their
down, and let them go. Ticks for pillows and other bedding were filled with this down.
Industry and thrift were apparent
in the Walz home. Christine's mother was trained and skilled in all the
practical things of life and her father was both a textile manufacturer and a farmer.
Christine carried hot food, usually biscuits, to her father while he was working.
Johannes Heinrich, Christine's
brother, immigrated to the United States in 1866. He eventually settled in Canada
and raised a family of four sons. (His nephew, John Henry Buchmiller, visited with this
family at Sault Marie, Perth County, Ontario, Canada, in 1912 at the conclusion of John's
Chicago-based mission.) Christine's sister, Christina
Magdalena, found work as a housemaid in the Walddorf home of Johann Georg Ziegler. He was a prominent citizen of the community and a military official. Anna Maria,
her other sister, stayed at home to assume the responsibilities the older sister had left behind.
Christina Magdalena,Christine's sister, was a
beautiful young woman with snappy dark eyes, dark hair, and a quick wit. She
attracted the attention of the son in the family, Johann Georg, Jr. A mutual love developed and the
young man made a marriage proposal. However, when they asked permission from his father
to be married, he refused to give it to them. His reasons were that Christina Magdalena did not
come from a military family nor could her family furnish a large dowry. She was dismissed
and returned to her family home. When her child was born he was named Johann Conrad. His
Aunt Christine was six years old, and his mother was 20. Conrad, as he became known, soon
was the favorite nephew of Christine, partly because of the closeness of their ages. Later,
Conrad's mother married a distant cousin, George Ludwig Walz. Four other children were born to
Christina Magdalena and her husband before Christine was finished with school. Two of the
children died as babies.
Joy and happiness were paramount
in the Walz home. Yet there were days of sadness and adjustment.
Christine's father, Johann Conrad Walz, died March 26, 1875. Before his death he suffered great pain, and the family
wondered if he might have had cancer or a ruptured appendix. Not long afterward her mother was
confined to a wheelchair due to crippling rheumatism.
Walz family members kept the
Sabbath Day holy, read the Bible, learned of its truths, quoted scriptures, and
could name the books of the Bible with ease and grace. They attended services in the Lutheran
Church, and listened to the minister, but the Bible was their highest authority. They believed
in the divinity of its teachings.
When Christine left home to work,
her mother talked seriously to her about the many different things she would
find in the world. She was to accept the good if she wanted to, but that which was not good
she was to avoid.
A religious revival was taking
place about this time (1875-78) in the vicinity of Walddorf. The revivalists called
themselves the "Judische Freunde" (Jewish Friends). Local residents were intrigued with
this new form of worship. Over a period of time more than 300 families from Walddorf and the
surrounding area immigrated to Haifa, Palestine, to live a religion as taught by the Jews.
Christine's mother, Anna Maria Philippina Baetzner, was not in the
least impressed with the Jewish group. She pleaded with her people not to
join them. Repeatedly she would say, "Haifa is the place for the Jews and this is the place for
us." This caused some people to question who was right. Others in the community formed their own
religious group. They hoped the will of the Lord would be made known to them about the true
church. Christine's mother had very deep feelings about religion and had the utmost faith
in God and prayer. Her daily devotion time was spent reading the scriptures and praying. She
pleaded for light and truth and for His spirit to guide her and her people in the way they should
live.
Her prayers were answered. She
was inspired to tell her family that the true Church had already been
established somewhere in America. The truth would come from there and her descendants would cross
the mighty ocean and become identified with it.
She died January 6, 1877, in
Walddorf. Christine would always remember her dear mother. She described her as
having "beautiful brown eyes and curly golden hair" - in contrast to her own blue eyes and
light brown hair. Christine's hair turned darker as she grew older and it was white when she
died.
