Individual Details

Marriage

George Helstern and John M. Helstern married sisters; Bessie Erbaugh
and Alice Erbaugh, daughters of Phillip Erbaugh.

Death

A James HELSTERN: "The reason Grandpa had a drinking problem was living with [Bessie]. I didn't know this until Bink told us in the late 80's: On this particular day apparently they had a knock-down drag-out fight and he sat on the back porch of their home there on Leland Ave. in a driving snowstorm in March. And that's where he got pneumonia and that's the reason he died."
"When Grandpa died they didn't take him to the funeral home. She kept him at home - for over a week, I think. [And all that time Bessie] was the grieving widow [sarcasm]."
Charlotte HELSTERN Paugh:"...mygrandfather George [Helstern], he died of pneumonia because of staying outside the house (on the back porch) on Leland [Avenue] in a very cold snowy weather to avoid my grandmother [Bessie ERBAUGH]..."

Burial

A. James HELSTERN: "His funeral was held at the Ft. McKinley Church of the Brethren."

Religion

He attended church only for funerals and his own funeral was at Ft. McKinley Church of the Brethren.

Property

Remembrances of Vinna (Bowers) Helstern, tape-recorded 1989 by Bob Gross
#2B Bessie & George Helstern [Russ’ parents] took the big house, after Harold and Wilbur were married, and made one end of it into an apartment to rent. It was one of those big old colonial houses, built like an orange crate. The only way to heat those old houses was with a heating stove. Heating stoves that use wood and coal create ashes. The first winter they rented that, the people would go just out the front door and dump their ashes just off to the side; stay on the cement step and throw it. That ashes pile grew to a pretty good size, I understand, and it bothered Grandma. She never said a word, but she bided her time. One of the nice warm spring days, Grandma bundled up. She got the wheelbarrow and a shovel and shoveled all that pile of ashes – bit by bit – into the wheelbarrow. Hauled it around behind the corner of the house, and dumped it. Those people never dumped anymore ashes in the front yard. Not one word was said...
Grandpa [George] hauled gravel contracted for road-builders, street makers, sidewalks. The gravel pit was on their place on Wolf Creek Pike. He tried to keep a record of how many loads he’d deliver each day. And Grandma, in the kitchen, would make a mark every time she saw [a load]... When evening came, if their numbers didn’t agree, he always took the smaller number. Nobody was ever overcharged for gravel. He’d give them a load before he’d overcharge for it....
#2B Helstern ancestor pix We don’t have very many pictures of the Helstern family [ancestors]... I found a picture of [Russ’] grandmother Helstern.. There was no picture in existence of her for years. This one has been given to me since I’ve been here [at BRC].
A. James HELSTERN: "George had a gravel pit which supplied the gravel for most of the sidewalks in Upper Dayton View. Then he traded the gravel pit for 2 houses on Leland Ave (#1034). They moved into one; the other was a rental all through the Depression and that's how they were able to survive. He raised a tremendous garden when they lived on Leland Ave."