Mel's Photos

Mel - 1917                            Mel - 1917                 Joseph & Francine               John&Josepha                    John Eschenbaum                   Aunt Mary & Ingeborg
                                                                                               Schmidt                         Eschenbaum                              Family

The above photos are of Melvin as a baby. The Schmidt's are Melvin's great-grandparents, parents of Josepha Eschenbaum. Joseph Schmidt was a very interesting character having served in two wars of the Kaiser in Germany. He was a skilled man of sorts in-between. He and Francine came to the USA and farmed on what is now known as the John Eschenbaum farm. However, Joseph was the original settler. He was killed by a bull on the farm in 1898. Josepha was attending a funeral in Hoven, So. Dak, of all places ( my birth town). Hence, his sons wanted Josepha to inherit the farm to bring her and her family from the coal mines of Illinois closer to their family. The photos next are of John, Josepha and Melvin's father, William Eschenbaum as a young man. Three of his sisters are also in the photo. The next photo is of the whole John & Josepha Eschenbaum family taken in Illinois before their departure to South Dakota. The boy in the middle row to the left is William, Melvin's father. Both the Schmidts and Eschenbaum's are buried in the Catholic cemetery in Orient, So. Dak. The next photo is of Aunt Mary, Ingeborg's sister and Ingeborg enjoying a South Dakota sunset on the Hansen farm. Great photo, don't you think?

Mel - age 8                           Mel & Ken                       Ken-Mel-Evelyn            Ingeborg&Eschenbaum    Ingeborg's grandkids              Ingeborg sewing
                                                                                               Esther-Marjorie                grandkids                        Ken & Mel on ends

Ken-Mel circa'46          Marj,Arnie,Billie,Ida,Ken               Evelyn-Ken-Billie                     Mel-Meyer brothers              Mel-Edith Collins
                                              Mel,Richard,William                       Marjorie, Esther, Mel

Mary G. Bauhs Wedding shots of Mary & Melvin, September of 1946 Melvin with brother Rolland "Billie" Melvin

Mary & Melvin working on farm                      Mel - Johnnie '48                Mary - John                 Mary, John, Mel          John, Mary, Mike, Luvern
             1946-47                                                                                                           spring 1948                                                          ( Mary's brother)

Melvin and his horse circa 1949. Last photo is of Johnnie and his sheltie pony. Dad was rather proud of his horse. I being the
helpful youngster, as my father tells it, came running to him saying..."daddy, daddy, I fed your horse!" My father became alarmed and ran to the barn as he had a wagon full of oats in the barn. Sure enough, that dumb horse ate and ate. Well, he "floundered" as the saying goes and Dad sold it for .........hummm glue?? Believe it or not, I came out of that one without a scar, bruise and my life! When Dad spoke about it he had no hint of anger to my surprise. He would just shake his head and say "it was a good horse."

Melvin and Mary's first home was a rented farm close to Highmore, SD called the "Forrest Place." These are photos of Melvin and his first son, John, (that's me!) on the farm. I especially like the one with eating the watermelon. They lived there about 3 years before Melvin bought the farm west of his own parent's farm circa 1949.

photos from 1947 to 1952 of Melvin, Mary, Johnnie and Jane. Taken on "Forrest Place" or Dad's farm west of Ida's.

John -1949-50 John - 50 Jane-Judy 1953 Jane-Judy '53 Jane - Judy '55 Jane - Judy ' 56

The left photo has an interesting story. That turkey met his demise because of me "sicken" the dog on it. As you can see if you enlarge it, that turkey was coming after me. It had one temper. I overheard Dad say one time...."someday I am going to sic the dog on you!" Well, I did it. As Dad tells it, he was coming home from the fields and I came running up to him "Daddy, Daddy, I got the turkey for you." Sure enough, that turkey was killed, so mauled up by the dog that Dad threw the carcass away. No way was it good for anyone's table! That dog was an appendage to me. Dad said that I would go off into the pasture and no where to be seen. All he had to do was whistle for the dog and I would come a runnin! Last photo: Aren't my sisters sporting some "hot" looking swim suits. Looked good in the 50s'! Notice the hanging baskets contraption in the back-ground. Melvin made those at the request of my mother. She loved flowers and it was one of her ideas. That apparatus was somewhat popular at the time.

John's 1st Comm Bauhs cousins Jeff - 1955 Jeff - John 1956

The second photo is of Mrs. Ida Rudine, and us kids. ( Can you pick out John, Jane or Judy?) She lived just west of us. Her husband was Judge Rudine, a prominent person in the community. She had us kids wrapped around her finger by giving us kool-aide and cookie parties. We would pull weeds in her patio to keep us busy and we never ever bothered her. But the other neighbors, well, that is a different story. Just ask June (Bauhs) Eschenbaum or any of Melvin's kids about the Rahrick neighbors!

                                     John                                  Jane                         Judy                           Jeffrey
                                   Melvin and Mary's kids with their formal photos as youngsters

John - 1968 Jane - 1968 Judy - 1971 Jeff- 1976 with nephew Kent Burdick

Grandparent's Bauhs     Jane, John, Judy            Mel, Jeff, Mary, John          Jane, John, Judy         Jane- Snow Queen             Judy Cunningham
                                             circa 1960                       Jane & Judy                                                                                                                & John's 8th Grade
                                                                                  Dad worked for Bus's                                                                                                                raduation

Photo on left above was taken at Adam Bauh's farm, east of Faulkton. Adam's first wife, our grandmother, Odelia had died and he remarried Lena Barondeau of Onaka, SD. She was a quite the character and Mom always told us to not listen to her words~! She used them.   She was brash, but took good care of our grandfather.

Brun's our hunters             Dad & Mary '60's                   Jeff, Mary                   Jeff - 1963                          John - 1962                      Mel's family 1963
                                                                                   Tamara Bauhs, Jeanette Reed

The Brun's were our hunters from Madison, Wisc. They came each year in the late 50's to the 60's until age stopped it all. They owned the Volkswagen dealership there and apparently did quite well. They came out each year in new VW wagons to hunt. One year they flew out to visit and the photo on the left the group before their return to Wisconsin. I forget their names now, but I visited them on my return from active duty. The large man on the left was so large, the bed collapsed the first time they stayed. They all laughed, but from then on Dad just had a mattress on the floor, which he said was quite sufficient for his back. I think he was close to 400 #'s.

Diane-Ida-Jeff                      circa 1964                   John-drummer boy          John-altar boy         Jane, John, Theresa        Mary with sister-in-law
                                                Ida's kids.....                                                                 circa '60                    Jeff, Val, Judy             Marian (Adams) Bauhs

Of interest possibly only to me, but Marian Bauhs is a descendant of President John Adams......from Virginia. Whether directly or through a brother, not even her kids, my cousins know. Or bothered to follow through on it.

Bauhs's Reunion                 circa 1965                           Yankton, 1967              Doug Geidt & John          U. Red and Mary                  Dad goofing
                                                                                                           1967                               1966                            circa ' 66

Photo on left is of Mary's family reunion. All of our grandfather, Adam Bauhs's sisters and brothers. Too numerous to mention, however, Ida was invited and is standing just over Mom's right shoulder by my step-grandmother Lena Bauhs. Dad and Mom in front.

I believe the 3rd photo is somewhere else on this website. This was taken in Yankton, SD while I was doing my psychology training. at the state hospital. On the way down, Dad's car broke down. So they stopped in Dimock where my mother had several cousins and they borrowed this Volkswagen bug for the rest of the journey. We all had a good laugh piling into that thing. Luckily we were all smaller and thinner then!!

Doug Geidt ( 4th photo) and I were roommates while in nursing school at Presentation School of Nursing. I was in the last diploma class and he was in the first BA ( baccalaureate program) He also became a CRNA ( certified registered nurse anesthetist) He was practicing out of Bismark, ND.

Nels Hansen, Mom Mom & Jane folks @ party circa 1960 Yankton ' 67 Judy - 1963 Judy - 64-65
See A. Rosie?

The clown photos are more of the Crazy Days in Faulkton that are elsewhere on this website. Nels Hansen and Robert Deinslake are with Mary. Robert owned the Red Owl grocery store.

Mary-64 Mel's fam - 65 Luvern-Marian Dad and Ed Stammer ..and helpers VFW pinning circa '65

I took the photo of Mom laying on the couch. She really had not been out drinking on New Years Eve. She was just sleeping on the couch! I made the sign, took the photo with their camera and waited for her response when the film was developed. Luvern and Marian were Mom's brother and sister-in-law. This was a formal photo taken before some event. Dad was on the Faulkton Christmas committee around 1964. He and a panel judged X-Mass decorations and delt with the Santa Claus. The photo is he making-up Ed Stammer a neighbor who agreed to do it. I was a helper! LOL..... Mom served as president of the local VFW Auxiliary Club in Faulkton. This is a photo of a pinning or award she received. She was not eligible for this because of my service, as I had not joined the Navy yet. It was due to her brother's WW II service in the US Army.

John's Navy swearing in day.... the three left photos were taken by the Faulkton record. The second photo has Dad cut half out, but it shows Mary, Delmar and Evelyn Morrow, ????? and my grandmother Ida. The colored photo is part of the collection of the last photos taken with my mother Mary and the whole family. It is the only one in color. It is not used because Judy is cut out with the positioning of Jane. My first official Navy photograph as an Ensign taken at Newport, RI. The last two photos are when I was on active duty. The 5th one was taken in Bagio City, Philippines in 1982. The last photo is when I was at Camp Pendleton stationed with a US Marine Division, 3rd as I recall. Taken in middle 80's.

Nicole-Judy'74                      Mel-Clara                             Tom-Ida-Mel-           Tom&Kent Burdick    Tom-Kent Burdick         Tasha-Jeff-Cassandra
                                                                                            Jane-Janelle-Kent             Niki Bush                       Niki Bush                                1982
                                                                                                       1976                             1974                                1974

The photo of Nicole and Judy was taken in my apartment in Minneapolis. She had come back from Germany as I recall and was going to meet her husband Jim. Before the days of 9/11 flying was a breeze. I really stretched it however with the time for Judy. She was really quite concerned about catching that flight as we rushed down the gangway, being the last one boarding!

Janelle-Connor                          Jane-Mel                  John-1974            Judy,Jane,Mel,John                  John- 1982                          John- 1980
      2006                                            2002                                                                   1982                                  Philippines                        San Diego

James,Angela,Judy            Mel-Clara                         Jane-Jeff-Clara              Judy-Melvin                Kent Burdick                    Mel-1958
Nicole- 1982                           Early 70's                        Early 70's


                                Ted-Ida-Slim                            Vic, Adam,Clara,Peter                             Tom, Kent, Clara
                                                                                                                                                          Kylee, Janelle, Dad, Haley

The second photo is of Melvin's in-laws, the Bauhs. Clara married Ed Gebhart of Orient, SD and lived to be over 100 years.
The photo on far right is of Dad's last Christmas in 2004.   He died the following April.

Photos of 's "Gift to me", son John Melvin