Have a question? Want to know more?
Feel free to email me at:
angie(at)tilliestales(dot)com — be sure to replace the words in parentheses with the proper items.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Angie Kelly — Bertille (Tillie)’s granddaughter
a southern Illinois farm girl's 1930s diaries
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Hi Mrs. Kelly, I just wanted to say thank you for taking time to publish this; I am Rosalia’s great-granddaughter and it means so much to me to be able to read a bit about her life. Its amazing how times have changed, people have passed on, and new generations have been created, but having this helps make me feel still connected to my great-grandmother and that means a lot to me, its hard without her here anymore but it is amazing to read about her life. I shall let you go now I just wanted to say thank you for doing this!!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Ratermann
Thank yoy for sharing!
My mother Ruth Wittenauer was 4 years old living in Hecker when Tilly started her diary. i can’t wait to share this with her. You have alread mentioned her grandfather Henry Braun and her sister Alfreda. I am looking forward to more information.
Jess Wottowa
I would like to thank you for putting this site together. On a “fluke” I searched for our surname HEYL. Low and behold you had info on George Heyl! My husbands grandpa Walter, this was his brother. We had heard he was killed in a car accident. This information “makes more sense” and we are so blessed to have this in our family history also. By the way.. Those Heyl boys married some Gregson Girls! More family history in the most unlikely place. Thanks again from our family to yours…
Megan and Jim Heyl
I am so happy to read this, Megan and Jim! This is one of the reasons for having this little blog. Besides sharing my grandmother’s words with my family members I also wanted to share it (hopefully) with the family members of those that she mentions.
Your kind comments mean the world to me and are greatly appreciated!
Please let me know if you have any questions or further comments.
Kindly,
Angie Kelly
Hi Angie, My name is Mary Brand, I am Kurts wife. Kurt is the Grson of Bertille’s brother Henry. This is so cool! I’m just getting started reading it, I have two daughters, 11 & 12, I know they will be very interested also. Thank you so much for sharing! If it is OK with you, I would like to print it & add it to my ‘Brand’ family geneology.
Thank you, Kurt & Mary Brand & Family
Hi Angie, Thank You for putting this together. The Joe Gregson that your grandmother refers to is my great grandfather, whom I am named after. Lester Gregson that she refers to is my grandfather. It is a lot of fun reading about that period in time when you know some of the people. I am looking forward to see what was going on the day my dad Virgil was born. Many of the names mentioned I do not know, but as they get married and have children I know who they are because I know their children. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate what you and Tillie have preserved for all to read. Thanks again, Joe Gregson
What an unusual and interesting idea to publish Tillie’s words. My husband’s family is mentioned several times throughout the diaries, Adam and Emma Eckart were my husband Marvin’s grandparents. I printed off a few of the places where they were mentioned to give to my mother-in-law Esther so she can read them. She was married to Edmund who passed away in 2006. Tillie has the name Edwin as one of Adam’s children, but I think she was referring to Ervin, the youngest child, who had his second birthday in 1930. Edmund would have been five years old then. Their other child was Emma Eckart Haudrich. Ervin is the only child still alive. This is a lasting legacy for our family to read and share tidbits of information from the past. How fitting that we are waiting for our third grandchild as we speak who will be named “Emma”.
Hi Angie,
I just read the article in the North County News about your website, and I look forward to reading through your site. I have distant family members with the surnames you are mentioning, so I wanted to say what a great idea and thanks for sharing. One entry already caught my eye, where your grandmother referenced the one year anniversary of Stella Griffin’s death, who was a distant cousin of mine.
I can’t wait to read the rest!
From California,
John Dinan
Hello! What a great blog!! I absolutely LOVE it!! I was directed your way by Thomas MacEntee, founder of geneabloggers.com, I had asked him a question about possibly using my great grandmothers daily journals as entries for a blog and he told me about you! Now I’m really pumped about doing it. She lived from 1880-1972 (I never got to meet her as she died the year I was born). Her diaries are from 1914-1924 and 1966-1969. I have always had xeroxed copies of her journals given to me by my mothers cousin, but earlier this year I was lucky enough to inherit the originals from another of my mothers cousins!! I’m considered the family historian in the family and now I feel it necessary to pass on and conserve this wealth of family treasures. You’ve got me inspired!!
Lorie
Minoa, NY
Hello
I grew up in the Hecker area and have long been interested in the family history and local history of the area. This is such a godsend. Just want you to know how I love Tillies Tales, and more importantly, how much my Aunt Celie (Cecilia Parker Fulte) enjoys them. She is the daughter of George and Elizabeth (Blackburn) Parker, the niece of August Blackburn, and the sister of Mary (Parker) and Henry Birkner, all of whom are mentioned throughout Tillies’ Tales. She remembers so many of the people Tillie wrote about and she gets great pleasure in the memories triggered by the Tales. Of course, she remembers your grandma and the rest of your family very well and always with great respect.
Thank you so much.
Grandma Tille brings me a smile every morning.
Mary W. Parker
Shiloh, Illinois
Angie,
Thank you so much for Tillie’s Tales!
Cyril Eichenseer is my great-uncle. It is great to read about him. He and my Aunt Irene are not with us, but they both live strong in my heart. They were huge and loving influences in my life!
I got a total kick out of the entry from Monday, May 21, 1934. I will now and forever get a good, hard chuckle every time I eat watermelon!
I am also intrigued by the entry from Friday, Jan. 5, 1934, “Cyril Eichenseer came & got the recipe how to sugar cane meat.” Wondered if you have any idea of the how and the what behind this or possibly the recipe? I am going to ask others in the family. I am suspecting it is a way to preserve meat. I think it would be cool to try it out.
And again thank you for preserving this bit of history!
Have a great day!
Joe Toenjes
Frankford, MO
What was the sur name of Uncle Fred and Aunt Mary?
Hi Jenafor,
Uncle Fred and Aunt Mary’s surname was Birkner.
Thanks for reading Tillie’s Tales!
Angie