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- Remembrances of Clara Ruhlman Mc Cue (Born April 6, 1899 in Niagara Falls, New York, - Died October 9,1994 in Honolulu, Hawaii) -- She was the sister to our John JacobRuhlman II (born December 19, 1877 in Buffalo, New York, Died November 1, 1953, Niagara Falls, New York) -- As interviewed by her daughter Pat (Mc Cue) Paakaula in Honolulu,Honolulu Co., Hawaii in 1989 -- 'IT’S FUN JUST THINKING ABOUT THINGS THAT HAPPENED SOLONG AGO!' 'The Ruhlman Family came first from New York City, then to Orchard Park,Buffalo, and Niagara Falls in Erie County, New York. I’m not sure whenthey came to Niagara Falls. My father, JOHN JACOB RUHLMAN I (bornSeptember 27, 1852 in N.Y., N.Y.) fell from the roof while painting theCathedral in Buffalo and was never the same until he died. It wasevidently a very important job. He was not in good health until hisdeath (Feb. 20, 1920), in Niagara Falls, N.Y.) He decided at one timeto open a seafood place because lots of fish were available -- it wassmall and didn't do very well -- there were many other bigger places atthat time.' 'My mother (CAROLINE BALTZLY - born March 10, 1857 in Buffalo, N.Y., diedApril 21, 1928 in Niagara Falls) was a very gentle person -- quiet - infact too much so. We used to get angry at her for not telling somebodyoff --- But she never would. She was a very peaceful, quiet person.' 'My father (John Jacob Ruhlman I) had a very quick temper which, for alittle bit would be really quite violent -- but after it was over he wasalways very, very remorseful. For some reason or another (I guess I wasthe youngest child and very, very small), after one of those spells Iwould always go into the bedroom and sit by him and hold his hand -- heliked that! He was always very remorseful.' 'Our house (2507 - 13th St., Suspension Bridge, Niagara Falls, near therailroad switching yard) was a very comfortable house. We did have akitchen stove that burned wood or coal. We had a range with a tank inback for heating water. I can remember in the winter when everybody wasin the dining room, I’d go behind the stove and wash myself. It was so nice and warm.Normally we had a place off the pantry where we would wash, but thatplace was COLD in the winter. There was no indoor plumbing.' 'I remember a time when my sister CARRIE ('Tut' born October 2, 1894, inSuspension Bridge, m. 1. Walter Dominick 2. Clarence York d. February 24,1968, Niagara Falls, N.Y.) and I were home alone. We were gettingundressed and ready for bed -- Carrie was old enough to wear a corset.She unhooked her corset and just then I screamed because I saw someonelooking in the window. She got so frightened she dropped to he hands andknees and started fast across the bedroom floor with her corset flyingbehind her like wings! I just stood there and laughed because she lookedso funny! She really got very angry at me. I can still picture thatcorset up in the air like a wing.' 'My Mother (CAROLINE BALTZY) died in 1928 of cancer. My Father (JOHNJACOB RUHLMAN I) died in 1920. He had Pneumonia - whether there wasanything more or not, I don’t know.' 'My grandfather (JOHN JACOB RUHLMANN b. May 19, 1826, in Hesse-Darmstadt,Germany, died January 14, 1917 in Buffalo, N.Y.) used to come and visitus on 13th St. in Niagara Falls. He was a very small man with white hairand a white beard. He was the CLEANEST person. He was always washing.He was always washing his clothes and polishing his shoes. He was a veryreligious man. He used to teach me my catechism and if I didn't know it,or if I gave him the wrong answer, he’d pinch my ear!' 'My grandfather (JACOB RUHLMANN) loved to walk. We were at the fartherend of Niagara Falls from the falls. He would bribe me if I would walkup to the Falls with him. He would buy me something! At that timeeverything at Woolworth’s was either 5 or 10 cents -- I would gladlywalk! We’d go to Woolworth’s and that always took a great deal of timebecause I HAD to look over everything and could select what I wanted.I’d get a 10 cent present and sometimes I’d get an extra 5 cent present(and that would be a Big day.) I’d be so delighted and then we’d walkhome. It must have been way over a couple of miles. When we got to theFalls, we’d sit down on the bench for awhile and look, then we’d walk onhome. I always liked that. He was a very kind person - a very religiousman -- and a very good man. He lived in Buffalo where his other son, myfather’s brother, lived. (MARTIN J. RUHLMAN b. April 7, 1850 NYC, diedJune 21, 1919).' 'We always had animals -- dogs, cats -- my brother (Eddie b. June 27,1892 died Sep 26, 1977, Niagara Falls) always had lots of animals. Heliked rabbits. We had some bantam chickens that were very tame andfriendly. They had the run of the yard. In fact, my mother would getannoyed because, if the door was left opened, they’d come in the house!Eddie had frogs, toads, -- anything he could find.' 'We had a horse and a nice carriage. My father and my mother would rideup to the Falls with one seat between them. My mother would put acushion down on the floor for me. I would sit on it -- I loved it whenwe would go up to the Falls. One time my father decided we should have apicture taken up at the Falls. That picture was called a tin type (printed in metal) -- in fact,I think that tin type is still around somewhere! (We have it! we beingJohn Jay Ruhlman IV and Nancy). In the background they had a picture ofthe Falls. I valued that picture for years. I thought it was reallyquite wonderful.' 'Father liked a beer. The beer man would come with a huge, huge wagonwith two horses hitched to it. When Charlie (his name was Charlie Weber)would deliver beer, he would drive into our yard. Always there was abench in our back yard and Charlie would sit down with my father andthey’d drink a bottle of beer and talk together. My mother didn't like the beer wagon coming.She always was kind of worried that our minister would make a social callwhen the beer wagon was there. IT HAPPENED! Why my mother didn't have aheart attack, I'll never know! But Reverend Kurtz (from the FirstEvangelical Church, Niagara Falls?) walked into the yard. My mother was fit to betied -- My father very calmly asked Rev. Kurtz if he would have a glassof beer and he answered: You know, I really would; I can’t tell you whenI last had a glass of beer. My father never did get over that -- tellingabout a glass of beer with the Reverend.' 'My mother bought a bottle of something she always had in the house. Itwas called Horn’s Balm. If you had a stomach ache, you’d take hot waterand put a little bit of Horn’s Balm in it and you drank it. If you had atoothache, she got a piece of cotton, soaked it in Horn’s Balm and put itin the cavity. As far as I can remember, that was about the onlymedicine that we took. We were never, never without Horn’s Balm! If youhad an aching joint, you rubbed it with Horn’s Balm. We always had a bigbottle of Horn’s Balm in the house.' 'We always had lots of children from our neighborhood in our yard. Allthe neighborhood kids would congregate and no one told them not to doit. You be happy and have a wonderful childhood without a lot of money.I think now (1989) children don’t go for entertaining themselves somuch. They want what all the other children have, naturally! All theother children have these new expensive toys so kids now probablywouldn't be as happy as we were then.' 'Mom and Dad (John Jacob Ruhlman and Caroline Baltzly) never owned theland the house was on. It was on the New York Central Railroad property(See map in their scrapbooks). They rented it for many years. John, myoldest brother, got married to Sophia Ohm from New York City. They had ahouse built right near us. (Cleveland Ave.?) He owned the house, but theground was rented from the Railroad. They lived there a long, long time.' 'We were never lacking in company. I guess both my mother and fatherliked company and all our relatives from Buffalo would come down toNiagara Falls. My father had a great big table and benches built so asmany as would or could come -- there wouldn't be any limit. In thesummer we usually would eat out in the yard with that great big table.We always had lots and lots of company.' (Pat then asked her mother Clara): 'Were the Kaplans (Sp?) from yourfather’s side or your mother’s side?' (We (John Jay and Nancy Rulman IV)think she answered); 'Mother’s (BALTZLY) side. Uncle Ernst owned abrewery; they (KAPLANS?, BALTZLY) were a very well to do family inBuffalo. She (CAROLINE BALTZLY?) had another sister.' 'My brother Eddie drowned in the cistern. The cover was off. My sisterBertha remembered Father took a pole and pulled him out' 'The only grandparents I knew was my father’s father. (John JacobRuhlmann, b May 19, 1825, Dukedom of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, d. January14, 1917, Buffalo, N.Y.). I knew Uncle Martin Ruhlman and Aunt Mary;they had two sons Hilly and Howard?) My girlfriend Nellie and I neverliked to have Martin’s sons (my cousins, Hilly and Howard) sit with us inchurch (First Evangelical Church, Niagara Falls?). Hilly was the oldestone and Howard was more our age. Howard loved to sing the hymns. He wasoff key and out of tune! If only he would sing quietly -- but he sangway out loud! Nellie and I would have something to do until we found outhe’d sit in church, then we’d go sit on the other side.' 'Another time, Nellie and I really got it -- Oh my mother was so mad! Wewent to church and my father wore a derby hat. He took his hat off andput it under the pew ahead of on the floor. When it was getting time forchurch to be over -- he bent down and came up and bumped his head on thepew and said 'Damn it' -- right in church! Nellie and I stared to laughand we both got a hit. My mother was so mortified -- and she was mad atNellie and I for laughing.' 'The Railroad men would come over quite a bit and talk to my father. Iused to love to sit and listen to them. They had so many stories to tellabout robberies and so on. I was just fascinated.' 'There were some woods not too far from us. I used to go there a lot.At that time you could wander anywhere and be perfectly safe. No oneever had to check on me. It was safe back then. There was a little pondand my friend and I would sit there by the hour and watch the pollywogsand frogs. One day I found an open cloth bag in the woods. The bag was full of all kinds ofthings from a robbery! My dad got the railroad detective and I got areward of a doll that was in the bag!' 'My cousin Ralph Baltzly (my mother’s brother John Baltzly’s son) livedreal near us. My aunt (Anna?) was selling gasoline irons. Mother boughtone of them to iron clothes. Can you imagine anything so dangerous? Shewas so pleased and proud of her iron.' 'Lots of times when I am running the washer and dryer, I think of thewash board and scrubbing by hand. My mother finally got a washing machine-- it had a crank on it. My father had to do that! What a greatimprovement that was over scrubbing! It’s no wonder that women livelonger now. I often wonder what my mother would think about me puttingmy clothes in the washer and the dryer -- then I sit down to eat mybreakfast while THEY work! So, it’s no wonder my mother seemed like an older person -- things theyhad to do then!' -- CLARA RUHLMAN MC CUE, 1989.
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