stories

Mom & dad had (and still have) many stories about their lives in Europe.

Mom had one about why her pinkie fingernail on her left hand wasn't a regular fingernail but a gimpy one. When she was just a baby, there had been an explosion near their house (the one pictured in the previous post). As she was just a baby, she's not sure if it was from WW1 or if something else was going on, but anyways, it blew out the window in the room where she lay in the crib. She was very lucky... the only bit of glass that touched her was a tiny sliver that cut the base of the fingernail on the 1 finger!

Both had many stories about WW2.

Mom fled from Germany and briefly even went as far as Belgium to escape the Nazi's (as per previous note - she had Jewish blood in her background). She remembered when she was in the basement of a building with some other people, while bombs were falling. They were all getting hungry, but they were too afraid to go upstairs. Finally mom went up and found a few potatoes and baked them in the oven - one of the few things that still worked in what was left of the kitchen. At least one of the falling bombs had hit the house!

Dad, meanwhile, was busy dodging the Nazi's, too. He would make his rounds on his bike with a big basket. Many of our relatives in the Netherlands had farms, so he would go from farm to farm, picking up flour that he would take to the bakers in return for coupons for bread, picking up eggs and milk and cheese and whatever veggies where available, until the large basket on his bike was loaded, and then heading home with the goods.
One time on his route, he came across a Nazi checkpoint. There was no way around it. He could see an older fellow on a bike ahead of him that they had stopped. They beat the man and chased him away after confiscating his bike and anything else he had.
Dad was just a teenager and was frightened, but what could he do? There was no way to go around them without making them suspicious. So he peddled up to them as nonchalantly as possible. They stopped him and asked what was in his basket. He decided to tell them the truth - hoping to at the very least avoid a beating. "Several dozen eggs, loaves of bread...." they didn't believe him and told him to beat it!
"And the truth shall set you free" - indeed!!!!

And further back yet...

On my dad's side, the Houben's have lived in Sevenum, Limberg since the 1400's, and of course in the surrounding area's as well.

Above are some of the houses Houben's have lived in over the years.

On my mom's side, Konrad's family is German, while Auguste Tepper's family is half German, half Danish. I believe her father Wilhelm Tepper owned a factory in Denmark... but I'm rather vague on the details. If I can get dad to remember any of the bits I will add them in a later posting.

Of the Great Grandparents I only have 1 photo to share at this time and that is of Auguste Teelen, mom's grandma on her mom's side.

Aagghh!

Oops! Oh well, I guess I have some catching up to do. Now that dad is home from the hospital, I don't have to go into town on my days off & can play a bit more. So on Sunday I will post a few more bits.... this post doesn't count towards the 52 I'm trying for.

Family Tree - Grandparents

On my dad's side my grandparents are Hubert Houben and Theodora (nee Vestjens). Grandpa Hubert was born July 2nd 1885. He married Theodora on January 10th 1910 and they had 12 kids:

Johannes (Jan), Gerardus (Sjra), Josephus (Sef), Maria (Mia),

Arnoldine (Dientje), Leonard (Leo), Piet, Hendrik (Harry), who was hit by a truck & died when he was 5, Elisabeth (Lieske), Petronella (Nelly), Antoon (my dad), and Josephine (Jo).

Grandma Theodora was born on January 28 1888 and died young, on September 21 1945.

Here are a few pictures of both of them.

Grandpa Houben did come over to Canada to visit mom & dad when they were living in Kitimat.

He stayed quite a while and tried to fish - but never caught anything.

Here is a picture of him with my eldest sister Merina.

He died on June 23rd 1959.

More on Mom & Dad

Dad worked at his family's bicycle shop - they had their own brand of bike - the Houvest brand. Hou - from Houben, and Vest - from Vesjtens (my dad's mom's maiden name). He often rode his bike from farm to farm trading for food. He also won many bicycle races in Heerlen!





Here is a photo of dad's family - in the centre in the white shirt is my grandfather, most of the older people around him are dad's sisters, brothers & their spouses, and the kids in front are the grandkids (or dad's nieces & nephews.








Here is another earlier picture of the Houben family. Grandpa Houben is on the left in the light coloured suit.



I will do a separate post on my grandparents.

Mom and dad lived at dad's home initially when they got married. They had a stillborn son, and then on March 24 1952 they had my eldest brother - Antoon Mathais Houben.

Then in July of the same year they emmigrated to Canada and settled on the west coast in British Columbia. They came by ship on the Rotterdam. I still have the menu's from the ship and they are in my scrapbook!

The next set of posts will be on the Grandparents... then I will do each of my brothers & sisters.

Family Tree - Mom & Dad

My parents, Antoon Houben and Ruth Tepper, met at a squaredance at the "Hexeberg" in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands, (spelling may not be right) which translates - witch mountain. It was love at first sight.

They married on May 17th 1950 and emigrated to Canada in 1952, coming straight over to BC.

This is their engagement picture... don't they make a handsome couple!

This is their wedding photo. Mom's dress is brown because that was the material that the nun's had. She had been staying with the Poor Clare's in Limburg and they had been hoping she would join the order, when she met dad. The nun's made her wedding dress!

Mom was born on Jun 1st 1921 in Wesel, Germany. and lived with her father's family till she was in her teens, and then went to live with her mom. Her parents never married - their families would not allow it as her mom was Catholic & her father Protestant. Her father did eventually marry and she has 5 half sisters.

Her father's family called her Anne but her legal name was Ruth - something she didn't find out until an unpleasant teacher at school scolded her and told her that her name was Ruth - not Anne! (What a way to find out!)

She lived in Germany until she went to live with her mom, who had moved to the Netherlands.

In "high" school she learnt the craft of seamstress. High school in Europe was different than here in North America. You learnt everything you needed for whatever field you put in for. For mom it was how to make patterns from scratch, how to sew, how to embroider to embellish what was sewn, and bookkeeping to be able to manage any money she made sewing. By the time you "graduate" you can immediately start work & be self sufficient! I wish our school system worked that way!

Here's a photo of her with her mom Auguste Tepper - both wearing matching outfits that mom made.

When the war started, mom fled from the advancing German army (there is Jewish blood on my mom's side of the family) and briefly went as far as Belgium, eventually coming back into the Netherlands which is when she met dad.

Dad was born on Mar 26th 1928 in Heerlen, Limburg, Netherlands. He was the 2nd youngest of 12 children, only 1 of whom died young.

This is my dad as a teenage scout. He has always been very active in the scouts - even to this day, though lately his health has slowed him down.

During the war scouting was forbidden by the occupying Germans, but they still met in secret when they had the chance - they just didn't wear the uniforms!

Being rather young when the war was happening, he didn't serve in the army, but several of his brothers were in the resistance. One brother was captured twice & escaped twice by jumping from the train the prisioners were put on!

Tomorrow's post will have a bit more on mom & dad....

As 2009 Begins

Thinking ahead to
What will come to me
Over the next 356 days... that I may commit my

Thoughts and deeds to
Help those around me in need; that I may
Obey my heart when it says to
Understand and support and encourage; that
Sunshine and good health
And happy new memories be our lot; that we experience
No pain, no sorrow, no
Deaths of family or friends this year.

New Years are a time of reflection.
In remembering the past we gain
New insight in how to live in the present. May
Everyone have a blessed New Year!