Hermine Weiss-Hartmann

8/14/2019 Hermine Weiss-Hartmann

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H ermine W eiss(1895-1991)


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Contents

PRELUDE TO EARLY MEMORIES My eighth birthday

CHAPTER I Early Memories

CHAPTER II My Life in a New Country

CHAPTER III My Time in Spain

CHAPTER IV Beginning Of my Life With Sim

Sims Page As He Told It To Me

CHAPTER V A Brief History of the Scott Family

CHAPTER VI Our Move to Beaumont

CHAPTER VII Our Move To Yucaipa

CHAPTER VIII That Such A Splendid Life Should End So Soon

CHAPTER IX Marie And I Return To Holland

CHAPTER X My Moves To Cayucos And Santa Cruz

CHAPTER XI My Move To Santa Cruz Came About As Follows


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PRELUDE TO EARLY MEMORIES

My eighth birthday

It was the day of my eighth birthday, July l6th. The school was quite a distance from our

home and my younger sister was in my care. The school year in Holland starts July lst.

After school was out, I had to stay for punishment. My friends were waiting for me on theschool grounds... the school was adjacent to a meadow, and in Holland, a low country, thereare narrow canals for drainage. One such canal bordered the road.

While waiting for me, my friends had amused themselves by swinging each other from theroad, across the canal. to the meadow. When the teacher released me, instead of goingstraight home, I thought, "Why not join them for a while?" One of them took me by the handand swung me right in the middle of the canal instead ot across...I could not swim then andwas splashing around. My friends were now scared and frantically looking for help. Luckily a

passer-by saw the troubles jumped in and got me on dry ground.

Now what to do? my best friend, Hilda, said "We better go to my house and ask my Motherto give you some dry clothes". She was taller and much bigger than I and her clothes weremuch too large for me. But her mother did give me some underclothes and one of her dresses- a red velvet dress (in midsummer) which reached to my toes. I was glad to have the dryclothes, thanked the lady, and my small sister and I went home.

When we reached home, in order not to scare Mother, Marietje went up the stairs and said"Mother, little Hermine fell in the water". The river Amstel being only a half a block from thehouse, Mother naturally thought I had fallen in the river and was still there. In her haste she

almost fell down the stairway, and when she saw me standing there, forlornly, in the fronthallway in my funny clothes, my long hair still dripping wet, she burst out laughing in herrelief.

My eighth birthday is one of my early memories and has never been forgotten.


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CHAPTER I

Early Memories

Ours was a modest home. We lived in a lower middle class neighborhood, the third housefrom the corner and just a half block away from the wide road running along the Amstelriver. Amsterdam, the capitol of the country, is named for the river and is about a thousandyears old. It has long been an important city because of its harbor and its accessibility to theEuropean continent. We lived on the second floor in a large comfortable flat consisting of alarge living-dining room with kitchen, a so-called parlor, two bedrooms and an inside toilet.

Our youth, in looking back on it, was quite full. We were, and always remained, a close knitfamily. Our parents taught us many things - they were strict in some important ways, and inother ways allowed us a lot of freedom. We felt very free. From a very young age, readingwas one of my main interests. I look back to many days when the weather was too bad to play

outside, of sitting behind the heating stove immersed in my book. Mothers nickname for mewas the 'bookworm'. One time my middle brother, Loo, brought home a little dog which hadfollowed him. He loved it and Mother let him keep it in a kind of dog house. We all enjoyedit but the dog had a skin disease which we all caught, so the dog had to go. My youngestbrother, Gus, had a terrarium. His animals sometimes escaped...Mother might find a lizard inthe drapes while cleaning

In the winter we looked forward to skating on the ice. The frost was not strong enough everyyear to make it safe enough to hold people, but when it was, there were many who tookadvantage. This was a joyful scene. Somewhere on the ice a fairly small refreshment tent wasset up selling hot chocolate, and one could see accomplished skaters doing figure skating,

children trying to learn and many others just skating. In the middle of the river there wasalways an opening kept clear for barge traffic, for business had to go on. The way wechildren learned to skate was to get an old kitchen chair, and, with one of the brothers orsisters, carry it across the boulevard to the river and let it down the embankment to the ice.Then we would take turns, putting the skates on first and carefully pushing the chair before usand trying to skate...of course, there were many spills, but determination did get results.Those are pleasant memories, never forgotten.

We were Lutherans, but were not a churchgoing family except perhaps on a very specialoccasion, such as a christening. Mother and Dad had married young. They met at a yearlyparty, a Ball, for brewers. In Holland at that time the skilled brewers were always German,

since it was thought they made the best beer. My father was a brewmaster and came from thevery far east of Germany, which is now included in Poland. The names of the towns where Ionce visited my father's family (sisters and their children) are now changed to Polish names.

However, when I was there it was still Germany. Father's family owned a brewery withadjoining hotel and Lustgarten, and there was a village, Hartmann's Dorf, meaning the villageof the Hartmanns.

As an aside, many years later when I was living in Cayucos, and my brother Paul and I werehaving dinner with a friend, it 50 happened that my friend had two more guests who wereGermans. During the dinner conversation, we became acquainted and started to exchangeexperiences, etc. It came out that the man of the party said suddenly, "Hartmann's Dorf? Iknow where that is...I originally came from there..." Of course, that set off an interesting


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conversation, especially for my brother Paul, who had been visiting our family in EastGermany too, had spent quite some time with them, really got to know them much better thanI ever did, and did feel the family ties more. The friend finally came to the U.S. after thesecond World War. He had been a prisoner of war in Russia, and, at the end of the war, whenthe prisoners were released, they reached a point where they could say where they wanted to

go...to the East of Germany or to the West. He had been thinking about this and chose to goto the West, then eventually emigrated to the U.S., settled here and married. At the end of thevisit, we went home first and said our goodbyes, whereupon the gentleman said to Paul in thetypical old fashioned German manner (as he straightened up, clicked his heels and shookhands with Paul) "Ich wuensche dich eine schoene ferien, Herr Hartmann", meaning: I wishyou a nice vacation, Mr. Hartmann. It was a rather nice little remembrance of the past of thefamily.

Coming back to Dad and Mother and their story, they took an instant liking to each other andfell in love soon enough. Mother's parents at first looked askance at the connection becausemy Dad was a foreigner who did not speak Dutch very well. It was difficult for him topronounce certain words. But they didn't give up, and after a period of what was then called

betrothal, Mother and Dad were married with parental consent. That was at that time veryimportant. At that time in Holland a pair had to have parental consent until they were 3l yearsold. Of course, this law no longer is on the books, but marriages are still always performed inthe City Hall first. Then, if the people so desire, they can have a church wedding. Dad,especially in the first years, stood out as a foreigner. He dressed differently from the Dutchand walked differently due to the fact that he came from a very mountainous part of thecountry. However, after some time Mother's family all became quite fond of Dad.

On the maternal side ofthe family, my greatgreatgrandfather was a French Huguenot, who, inthe early l8th century had to flee France because he was a Protestant; in France at the time,this was illegal and punished by death. One had to be converted to Catholicism. He preferred

exile in Holland, eventually settled in Amsterdam and flourished there.

My greatgrandfather, son of the Huguenot, and my greatgrandmother, however did not wantto give my grandfather consent to marry my grandmother. My greatgrandmother felt her notgood enough. However, marry they did, but grandfather lost his inheritance. Their marriagelasted for over 50 years and produced 6 children...5 girls and, at last, one boy, my unclePieter. My grandmother's maiden name was Hermine Lund. She came from the Dutchprovince ofGroningen and I do not really know anything about her family.

So Dad and Mother married and about a year later I was born. Being the first one and awanted baby, I think I was spoiled and had a will of my own. Then, a little less than 2 years

later my sister Marie was born, and 2 years after her, my brother Paul, and Riek a year afterPaul. That almost made them twins. As children, they were always together. The babiescoming fast, I soon had to help mother, sometimes doing errands as well as other things. Thismade me proud and also, perhaps, independent at an early age.

One ofthe early, very nice, memories were our sunday breakfasts. Then the whole familygathered around the table, and we always had what was called currantsrolls, not only filledwith currants, but other fruits, ham, etc., and the leisure to linger and visit. Weekdays, Dadalways left quite early for work and made his ownbreakfast, so Mother could have that extrahours rest. The weekday breakfast was often oats cooked in milk. Oranges were a specialtreat.


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During Dad's youth my grandmother had to run the business, since grandfather just wasn't abusinessman. He was an artist...loved music, played the grand piano and wrote songs. But thebusiness was running down and grandmother took over the management of the holdings.When she died my Dad was 2l and had learned the skill of being a brewer as he grew up. Heleft home, working as a master brewer in different cities, but always going west until he came

to Amsterdam where he met Mother and settled.

When my grandfather died the property had to be sold, since there was no one who could takeover the management. Dad had one younger brother, but he had drowned a few years before.When I was 5 years old, Dad went back to his birthplace as the eldest son. There was someinheritance and we were to get the grand piano; however, we never got it because of thedistance and the impossibility at that time of shipping it to Amsterdam. Later we got anupright piano.

In my youth, education for boys was considered more important than for girls. The girls werenot neglected but more emphasis was placed on homemaking subjects. On Wednesdays the

boys were free from school. Girls had school and were taught such subjects as sewing,knitting and fine needlework. Girls usually got married and homemaking was very important.

We were not neglected, though, and after grade school I went to high school, since my choicewas to become a secretary. In Holland that meant having knowledge of at least English,German and some French. Because the country was so small, business was done with manyneighboring countries and in their own language. In high school the subjects I learned wereEnglish, simple bookkeeping, typing and shorthand. Later German (which came easy to mebecause it was Dad's native language) and some French were added.

On my l6th birthday my mother had a dress made for me of yellow crepe de Chine with

handpainted violets on it, a dress so lovely it made me feel like a queen. Wearing this dressproudly, I went with my father to my very first opera, Mignon. On my eighteenth birthdayDad took me to a play about the weavers and the conditions under which they worked inGermany and Holland. After that, I went to plays and concerts and operas sometimes as oftenas once a month, with my friend Katrina.

As the first World War was going on and the duration stretched into four years, I decided toleave office work behind and become a nurse. Dad and Mother weren't in favor of this,especially Dad, who felt that the work of a nurse would be much too heavy, and anyhow,after having all that business education, why give it up? I persisted, though, and was acceptedas a young student nurse when I was 20. In Holland it is not thought advisable to have girlsstart at a younger age. Of course, Mother and Dad were right. The work was much harderthan office work, also much more serious. When I saw a lumbar puncture done for the firsttime, I almost fainted...yet I never regretted making the change, although in those days, beingyoung, I often had to forego good tims, parties, concerts, etc. In general, that type of workproved much more satisfying to me.

It took three years of work and study to becom a graduate nurse. After that, I took an extrayear of gynecology and obstetrics and also the care of premature babies. In all, I had fouryears of study and two certificates before I came to the United States. This came about asfollows: my sister Marie had married my American brother-in-law (a Columbia University

graduate and a teacher in New York City), when the lust to travel seized him and he came to


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Europe. He first settled in Hamburg, Germany, but when the first World War broke out, hemoved to Amsterdam, where he became a private teacher of the Berlitz method of languageinstruction. As I mentioned before, we were a lively bunch and many friends came to

our house, only I wasnt often there because I lived in the hospital, large University hospitalin Amsterdam. after about four years, the young family wanted to return to my brother-in-

law's native New York. As I was always dreaming of seeing the world, they said, "Why don'tyou join us and go, too?" That appealed to me and I did go along. I hadn't really planned tostay, but wanted to travel and learn how other people lived in the world.

In the days when my brother-in-law was studying at Columbia University, Jewish boys werenot allowed to join any fraternity. My brother-in-law, Louis B. Scott, was a Jew, and to getaround this silly discrimination, he and his fellows, also being Jewish, formed their ownfraternity, naming it the "Alpha Phi". That group stayed friends throughout the years and onDecember 7th, the date of their forming the fraternity, as many as could do so would gatherfor the anniversary. Many of them became members of the professions, some lawyers, a NewYork judge, a medical doctor, two dentists. Others went into business and other pursuits.

There are two photographs ofthe group as it was formedyears and years ago in possession ofour family.

On our arrival in Hoboken, New Jersey, by passenger ship, we first settled in an apartment inBrooklyn. I remember, only a few days after our arrival, going out on my own. My sister andbrother-in-law, being American citizens, I had no trouble going through Customs, as I wasconsidered a visitor. I went out and was told which subway to take to Times Square. There atthe Square I got offand went window shopping and time went by very tast. Everything wasso new and exciting. One thing which drew my attention was the scarcity of bookshops. Timefleeted very fast and I had no idea ofthe traffic jam I was to get into on my way back to

Brooklyn. The subway was so crowded at that time of day that a conductor stood outside thedoor and pushed with his knee as many passengers as he could into the compartment beforethe doors automatically closed. Anyhow, I got safely home and was quite proud to haveaccomplished this... My family, though, werent so pleased...too dangerous. In many ways Iwas fortunate in that from the very start ofmy arrival I came into many different homes andgot an idea ofthe lifestyle in New York. end ofearly memories.


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Pieter Petronella

Theodora

Christine

Petronella

Hermina

Cornelia

Nardina Hendrika

Cornelia x

Paul

Hermann

Gustav Luise Wilma Selma

1885-1961 1883-1899 1880-1966 1976-1970 1874-1952 1872-1968 1867-1940

Hermine

Cornelia

Pauline

Marie

Louise

x

Louis B.

Scott

Paul Hendr ik Hendri ka

Cornelia

x

Abe van der

Hoek

Leonhard

x

Sylvia Gustav

1895-1991 1897-1973 1888-1971 1899-1979 1900-1983 1899-? 1902-1984 ?-1980 1906-1935

Alpha Folkert

x

Jacqueline Cornelia

x

Edgar

Rosenblum

1919-1945 1930-

Philomex

(1)

Hariette Green Hendrika

x

Dick Kolijn Jessica

1923- 1930- 1934-

Hope Watty Christoffer Sandra

1922- 1951-

Gwendolyne DickVerna x Richard Dortch 1953-

1926- 1914- Malcolm

1957-

Karin

Rhoda

x

Sydney

Niederhauser

Scott

1952-

1926- 1920- Alan

1953-

Sandra

1956-

Gustav Heinrich Hartmann x Ernestine Marie Ida Conrad

x

(2)

Jacobus Johannes Ludeker (1785-?) x Johanna Mulder (1787-?)

Pieter Ludeker (1811-1896) x Christina Johanna Neuteboom (1814-1877)

Leonard Theodorus Ludeker (1850-1927) x Hermina Cornelia Lund (1849-1930)

Genealogy of H ermine W eiss


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Father, Riek, Marie, Paul, Loo, Mother and Hermine

Gustav Heinrich at 23, named after Grandfather

Hartmann. He was born 4 years after Leonhard (Loo),

who was named after Grandfather Ludeker.

In this house all the six Hartmann children were born

and raised. My parents lived there for some 30 years.


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Great Great Grandfather Ludeker

[Pieter Ludeker]

French Huguenot, went into exile in Holland rather

than become Catholic

Great Grandfather Ludeker

[Leonard Theodorus Ludeker]

Great Grandmother Ludeker

[Hermina Cornelia Lund] Great Grandmother Hartmann


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Father at 21 when he left home

[Paul Hermann Hartmann]

Studying for finals


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Father at 27Mother at 22

[Hendrika Cornelia Ludeker]

This card was sent to Dad when he was 40 by my aunt Wilma. The name of the place was changed


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Hermine as a young student Nurse

Shortly before going to U.S.A.

Abe, Father, a friend, Gus, Sim and Loo

Gus as a student


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CHAPTER II

My Life in a New Country

We arrived in September and it was hot in New York. What struck me at first was the way

people dressed, or rather undressed, in the heat of the city. The next thing that amazed mewas the abundance of large advertising signs, which promoted everything from laxatives towearing apparel. The family of my brother-in-law Lou had moved to Chicago during theyears that he had spent in Europe, but he still had an Aunt, Auntie Rosie, living in New York.He also had many friends in New York in the Alpha Phi.

After visiting around for a few weeks, I felt that I should try to go to work. A position inPhiladelphia had been offered to me before I left Europe, but I didn't accept that right away.My first job in New York was in a very small hospital, working twelve hours a day. InHolland the nurses had, at that time, an eight hour day. That was plenty long enough, but Istill took the job. After four days of working twelve hours, I quit and told the person in

charge to please give me my salary and that I would not be back the next day. After thatexperience, I decided to take the position in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. Thehospital that I was to work in was very large, with eight hundred beds. It had a huge diningroom and large wards of patients. The work I was told to do was not strange to me, but therewas one thing that was difficult for me to get used to. In hospitals in the United States, thegraduate nurses were usually put in charge of medication. In Europe we used the metricsystem of measurement, while in the United States the English system was used. This made itdifficult for me to transpose the terms accurately, something which is quite important. It wasall very new and confusing at times, especially with the American slang which sometimescaused me to be embarrassed. However, I got along and I liked the work. After a while, Ibefriended a nurse from Knoxville, Tennessee, Katherine Davis. We became quite good

friends. One of the reasons she had left Knoxville was that she also wanted to see the world,so we had something in common.

After working in Philadelphia for about seven months, I heard about a new hospital whichwas opening in Brooklyn, New York, and I decided to resign my job in Philadelphia.Loneliness was one of the reasons. I left with the understanding that if ever I wished to returnto duty at the hospital, I would be very welcome.

I was accepted as a Graduate Nurse in the new Brooklyn hospital and put in charge of a largemedical ward. It was pleasant to work in a brand new hospital and the work was familiar.Also, my family, consisting of my sister, Marie, and her family and two of my brothers, had

come over from Holland to the U.S. My brother, Leonard (Loo to us to this day), was anengineer, but also a sculptor. He got a job as an engineer and rented a very large l0ft onUnion Square in New York at 28 E. l4th St. Downstairs was a Chinese restaurant, and the l0fthad formerly been used by the clothing industry - hence the large space. My bicycle, whichhad been crated in Holland, and my large trunk are probably there to this day.

My brother, Paul, moved right in with Loo and anyone was always welcome, so it was a realgathering place for friends, mostly struggling artists. It was always a nice place to come to; Imet many interesting people there, some of whom later became very good friends. A few ofthose painters, years later, became famous, such as Willie De Koning and Hondius.

I hadn't forgotten my plans for travelling, but I needed my New York State Registration first,since in the U.S. there is a law that requires State Registration for nurses, in addition to diplo-mas. Before planning any travels, I inquired from the State Health authorities, and found out


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that if an R.N. is registered in New York State (at that time, anyway) almost all other statesrecognized the New York registration. To travel you need money, so I decided after sometime to resign and do private nursing for a period. It was much better paid. One of mybrother-in-law's friends was a practicing M.D. (Eddy Gersh) in New York City and waswilling to recommend me to private agencies. So I resigned and moved to the Bronx because

this was where the doctor was located. In good time I took the state exam, which took fourdays, and was given in the old Bronx Opera House. I got my registration and was offered ayear's scholarship at Teachers' College, Columbia University. The understanding was that Iwould complete the course and then return to Holland to teach nursing, but this would haveinterfered with my plans to travel, so I said "Thank you, but no thank you, because I haveother plans". Instead I did private nursing for some time. Meanwhile, I had kept up mycorrespondence with Katherine Davis, and, about two years after my arrival in the U.S., Idecided to go to Tennessee at her invitation.

Katherine had a large family ofbrothers; I cannot remember any sisters. But she had manyaunts and uncles and in time took me to visit most ofthem. The Southern style oflife is quite

hospitable and I sampled many delicious Southern dishes. Also, since myfriend had become the Directress of Nurses, I became the guest of the hospital, lived in thenurses quarters and made friends there.

There was a large Eastern Tennessee Fair in progress and I was asked to take charge, at thefairgrounds, ofa large tent, medically equipped for all kinds offirst aid cases, along with twodoctors who rotated their services each day (they were serving their internships). There werea great many different kinds ofpeople who came to see the Fair, including hillbillies from thesurrounding hills. These people lived in isolation, a completely different lifestyle to any Iknew. It was quite interesting to me.

After the fair I was for a while parttime chaperone for the nurses (student-nurses) whoreceived their boy friends in the evenings at ll p.m. I became assistant to the nightsuperintendent. But then after a while, a nurse in charge ofthe newly set up Public Healthprogram (a representative from the U.S. Public Health Service) asked for me. She had notlong before set up a Public Health program in the Virgin Islands. She was setting up PublicHealth service in Knoxville which included the city schools and liked my work. She askedKatherine to put me to work in the Public Health program. That was what I really wanted, soI could go into many humble homes also. The thing I could not take in the long run was theso-called Jim Crow Law...the negro people were really treated as second or third classcitizens and I wasn't brought up that way. Also I hadn't learned when to keep my mouth shut.So after some time I became known as the woman who was too smart. One ofthe supervising

nurses (I had noticed she always read the very liberal magazine "The Nation") took me asideone day and said, "Hermine, I would advise you not to stay here too long...it would lead inthe long run to a disagreeable situation for you and perhaps also for KatherineDavis"...Katherine was quite loyal to me. So I took the advice, and after suitable preparations,graciously took off for other parts. It was January when I left in the year l926.

My brother Paul was, at that time, living in Miami, Florida, because he was trying to get backhis health. He had tried to do heavy labor, because it was difficult for him to get work in hisfield as a translator for the coffee trade. This proved to be too much for him and he becamequite ill. After he recovered sufficiently, he and a painter friend, Shoar, went to Miami andtried to make a living there. When he heard that I was planning to leave Tennessee he invited

me to come to Miami. Paul and his friend were trying to make a living by selling coconutshells as souvenirs which had been decorated by Shoar. Miami, at that time, was a much


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different place from what it is today, the town very much smaller. The scenery was nice, thebeach was lovely and it was very pleasant to stay there...but the most lively activity there wasa real estate boom with small real estate offices springing up everywhere. People were hopingto make a fortune, and, of course, many of them did. I planned to remain in Miami for a whileand work there, so I sent to Jacksonville to get my Nursing Registration. Of course, the Real

Estate agents wanted to make a killing on any land that they could sell. Much of the propertyfor sale was way out in the country marshes, and even in the Everglades, and many peoplebought real estate 'sight unseen'. To me, this atmosphere was very uncomfortable, and, as aresult, I decided to make my stay in Miami just a long visit. I lasted about two or threemonths with my brother, who gradually regained his strength. Eventually Paul and his friend,Shoar, decided that they would not make their fortune selling decorated coconuts, andreturned to New York Ci ty.

I accepted the invitation of my aunt, Tante Christine, and Uncle George, who had lived inNorthern California for many years, and who had asked me to come there and see how I likedit. At that time travel was by boat and by train; there were no transcontinental airplanes as

yet. I went by boat from Key West, Florida to Houston, Texas, which was a two day tripacross the Gulf of Mexico. I was miserably seasick all the time the boat was on the water.After we landed, I had to take a train from Houston to California. I stopped in Los Angelesfor a few days to meet the brother of my l best friend in Holland (Katherine).

My first impression of Los Angeles was that it reminded me of a circus town, especially thedowntown area. Of course, in l926 Los AngeIes was a much smaller place than it is today byfar. However, I stayed with my friend's brother, and after a few days went to NorthernCalifornia. My aunt was my Mother's sister. My uncle had gone first to Canada and later toCalifornia. After Uncle George became established in Colusa (he was a carpenter and cabinetmaker), he and my aunt wanted to get married. He made his wishes known to Tante's parents.

At that time, it was necessary to have parental consent until one was 3l years old. Since theyhad already been betrothed before Uncle left to go to Canada, my grandparents consented to amarriage between them. It was to be a marriage by proxy in Amsterdam. In Holland it wascalled 'getting married with a glove'. Later, when Tante arrived in San Francisco, she andUncle got married there.

When I arrived in Colusa they had two children, George, who was l3 at that time, andLeonard, who was 7. They had no relatives there, but lots of friends, as they had lived therefor many years. They were quite happy to have a member of the family come to visit. As ithappened, it became my second home since I was lonely. By that time I was in my latetwenties, and, as relatives often do, my Aunt and Uncle decided that I should be thinking of

getting married, so they began a little matchmaking. There were two brothers from Canadawho lived nearby, and one of them, who was tall and blond, was named Mike and seemed totake a liking to me. We went together for a while, but I was not thinking of marriage at thetime. I stayed with my Aunt and Uncle for about two months, then decided to go to work butnot in Colusa.

I went south to San Francisco to make myself known to the person in charge of the PublicHealth Department in California. I showed my credentials and asked whether there were anyopenings in Public Health. San Francisco fascinated me and it has remained my favorite city;later it was my husband's favorite city, also. There was no opening in San Francisco at thetime, but there was an opening in Sacramento and they offered that to me. It was with the

Sacramento TB Association. There had been a flu epidemic that year and the tuberculosis ratehad shot up. They offered me the position of Public Health nurse in Sacramento and I


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accepted, although I had to drive a car for the job. The person in charge of the TBAssociation gave me two weeks to prepare to come to work by learning to drive. My Unclegave me driving lessons and I learned the bare rudiments. But when I started the job, itbecame apparent that I really wasn't able to drive a car by myself very well, so for a month Ihad a chauffeur who taught me more about driving.

Sacramento, Capitol of the State of California, was a new city for me and much smaller thanit is today. It was pleasant, except that during the summer it got very, very hot. I met a niceyoung man, a Catholic, named Joe O'Shaunessy. He was an accountant, a pleasant person andwe went around together. On weekends, I often went to see my Aunt and Uncle, and, as mywork was interesting, generally speaking, my life was satisfying. I had to cover quitea bit of ground, not only in the city, but in the surrounding county not the whole county, butquite a bit of it. There were a number of Japanese families living there and I rememberparticularly one family, with several children, who all had tuberculosis. As I said, I found thework very interesting. Apparently, my boss, Mrs. Edson, liked my work.

Meanwhile my sister, Marie, and her family had moved from New York to Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, where Lou was the person in charge of fund raising for a national Jewishorganization. At that time, the Jews in Poland were in very bad condition, and he was raisingfunds to help them. I had not seen Marie for two years. She had given birth to twin girls, oneof whom was born with what they called a 'birth injury'. The medical name for it is CerebralPalsy, and she was completely disabled. Marie was not too strong and here she was with foursmall children. Lou made good money at the time, and they had help in the household;however, Marie became very ill, and, after I had been working in Sacramento for aboutnine months, one day I got a telegram. I had heard that Marie was ill, but I was at the otherend of the United States. The telegram said, "Couldn't you come over and help us?" That was

a big decision for me to make. There was my boy friend and he presented a problem: hedrank quite a bit. All the Hartmanns had become teetotalers, so I couldn't see myself tied to adrinker. One day he called me on the phone (the same Joe O'Shaunessy) and said that he hadmade a vow on the Virgin Mary never to take another drink. My answer to him was,"Couldn't you have made that decision by yourself?" It was kind of coldhearted of me, Ithink; anyhow, it was rather hard for me to leave the boy friend. To return to the decision Ihad to make: I had always felt somewhat guilty to my parents, since in one year four of thefamily left home for America and my younger sister Riek had gotten married and moved tothe Hague, which is some distance from Amsterdam. My youngest brother, Gustav, was just ayoung boy and he was studying to become an architect; suddenly he had no brothers andsisters at home. I felt an obligation to my parents and my brother, and this was a way I could

show it; I went to Pittsburgh to help my sister and her family. Now my boss, Mrs. Edson, wasquite upset. She said, "You've just gotten really into the job. I dont like it at all"...but I felt Ihad to do it, and I went, Joe bringing me to the train in San Francisco after we had dinnertogether there.

When I got to Pittsburgh, Marie was very ill. She had to have surgery first for atonsillectomy, then a thyroidectomy. A large part of her thyroid gland had to be removed; shehad to convalesce and I was faced with running a household with four small children, one ofwhom was severely handicapped. By that time it was winter, and winter in Pittsburgh wasquite different from winter in California. In about six months Marie recovered, and I wantedto go back to California. Lou and Marie were also not satisfied with Pittsburgh. It was rather

an interesting city to me, very much industrialized, but with too much smoke. I didnt think itwas very healthy for my sister to remain there. Lou was working for a national Jewish


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organization and the family decided, that, if possible, they would join me and go back toCalifornia. He asked for a transfer to California and the family and I rnoved to Oakland.Louis territory would be in Northern California as a fund raiser.

Afterwe were settled, I decided to go back to work. First I went to Sacramento to see my old

boss, Mrs. Edson, but my old job had been taken by someone else. Mrs. Edson had alwaysliked my work and she said that the person in charge of the Preventorium had become ill andneeded at least three to four months to recover, so she offered me the post of full-chargeNurse in charge of the Preventorium. A Preventorium was, at that time, a new way to treat

children who were threatening to come down with TB, and also those who were sufferingfrom Asthma. This was done by taking them out of their homes and putting them insurroundings where they could live a life of routine supervision. This was based on the waynative American Indians lived. The Indians wore no clothes, only a blanket when they werecold, generally speaking. Scientific basis was to make a protective garrnent of the skin andwear as little clothing as possible. We had a group of girls, from ages five to fourteen, whowore only panties and in winter a sweater instead of the Indian blanket. They wore shoes

because it was important to keep the feet dry. The Sacramento Preventorium was located inthe Sierra Foothills, near the small town of Colfax. I was pleased to take the job and liked it;also it was kind of fun. After about four rnonths, the regular supervisor recovered, I was thenrelieved of my duties and returned to Oakland.

I worked for a while at the new Children's Hospital in Oakland, but not long afterward I wasstricken with pneumonia, so I had to give up that job.

Lou was still working for the same organization, but was transferred just then to the LosAngeles area and I went with them. In the Los Angeles area the Jewish community also ran aPreventorium, and I was asked to take charge of this Preventorium which was in Culver City,

almost across the street from MGM, where movies were and are still being made. This was achildren's facility. There was a small hospital on the grounds, and there was a Preventorium,new and just to be opened. It was a new way of treating TB and there were not many peopleat that time who were capable of using the philosophy of treating the disease with thismethode I was one of the initiates, so I was around to work with the children. The way I gotthe job was that Lou was working for the national Jewish organization and met the director ofthe Vista Del Mar organization. He told the director that I had had experience in running aPreventorium; Vista Del Mar was just newly opened so Mr. Bonaparte asked me to come infor an interview. After the interview, he offered me the job and I accepted. From thebeginning I was successful with the work. The medical attention that these children receivedwas always excellent. The Jewish doctors rendered their services to these children in that

institution without charge. The medical profession then was not quite so mercenary as itappears to be today. I stayed there for about seven years, and, of course, I made friendsin Los Angeles and through my work. I lived right with the children, and, again, it was like asort of isolation because my working day was not a heavy job but I had to be there and feltkind of shut in. Of course, I got time off and rented a little apartment on the outside where Icould go have time to myself. During those seven years I had a few boy friends who didn'tturn out to be the right ones. I remember one of the girls saying to me at that time about

one of the young men courting me, "Miss Hartmann, hes not for you".

When I came to this country, I had no plans to remain here and become a citizen. After I hadbeen in the United States for about five years, my grandfather died and I wanted to go home.I went to Mr. Bonaparte and asked for a leave of absence for three months, which wasgranted. The trip to Holland from California, in those years, was long. Three days on the train


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to New York and ten days on a ship from New York to Amsterdam. When I arrived inHolland it was, of course, wonderful to see the Old Country and my family. My Mother inparticular was very happy, and my Fathert too. But Holland is a very small country and quiteover-populated; coming from the open spaces of California, I couldn't see myself staying inHolland, particularly as California in those days had a much smaller population. I decided to

go back and apply for citizenship. I never took the citizenship course, but learned what I hadto from books. My Uncle stood witness for me in the Court of San Fransisco, and on October4,l929 I was naturalized a United States citizin.

Preventorium at Sun Mount, Colfax 1927

Vista del Mar in Culver City

Vista del Mar Residents


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Tennessee, 1927


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CHAPTER III

My Time in Spain

It was now l936. During the Depression I was working in the Preventorium and had a very

well-paying job. But my family, rny brothers, and lots of our friends suffered greatly. InEurope the Depression was also bad, particularly in Germany. The Versailles Treaty, madeafter World War One, stated that since Germany had lost the war it had to pay for reparations- all the destruction caused by the war. That, with the Depression, hit the German people sobadly that they were actually starving. Then the Hitler period took hold. He started the soupkitchens, and formed the Brown Shirts, and from then on it is History, which, of course, ledto the Second World War.

The Spain of l936 had stayed behind in the industrialization of Western Europe. They stillhad a King, and the old nobles, the Grandees, were very powerful. In the beginning of l936the Spanish Parliament voted the King out. The people wanted a Republic; so this was a

legally elected Republic, but it divided the Country, because the Grandees and the rich wereopposed to the new changes. A Civil War broke out. Because of the Depression in Europe,and all over the world, the Union Movement had become very important, and many people,especially the young, were in favor of a Republic. Most of the free world, in Europe and inAmerica too, was in favor of a Spanish Republic. Many young people from all over the worldvolunteered to fight in Spain for the Republic. In New York City, the American MedicalBureau was formed for doctors and nurses to go to Spain and thousands of young men wentas volunteers.

It was around the end of l936 and I was in New York to spend the holidays with my brothersand friends. I did not volunteer as a nurse at first when I visited the American Medical

Bureau. In about March, when the city of Guernica was bombed, and so many peoplewere killed, Pablo Picasso decided to portray this scene of holocaust on canvas. It was sostark, so real and so horrible, that anyone who saw it could then realize the magnitude of thisCivil War. It was now early l937, and it was the first time an Open City had been bombedfrom the air. It was then that I decided to join the nurses and doctors who were going to Spainto help the Republic. I felt I had something to offer because of my experience with groups ofchildren. At that time the government gave legal permission to enter Spain to doctors, nurses,ministers and entertainers, but all the men who came as volunteers came in illegally frommany countries.

The bombing, incidentally, had been done by both Germany and Italy, that were then Fascist

Governments. The Spanish Civil War was a very sympathetic cause at that time, and even theAmerican government was in sympathy. (Somewhat later for political reasons England,America and France changed their policy.) I quit my job at Vista Del Mar, and before Istarted on my journey for the battlefront, the doctors and officials at VDM gave a big banquetin my honor. I received much praise and was said to be very brave and courageous in myventure to help a foreign country to survive, etc. Shortly before I left, a group of 20 nursesand doctors had left the West Coast, but when I went, I travelled as the only nurseaccompanied by a pathologist to New York. We were to join another group there of 20 nursesand doctors for the trip to Spain.

On our arrival in New York, I was met by mybrothers and family and friends. The next day,

we had to report to the Headquarters of the American Medical Bureau for instructions andmeasurements of uniforms and a large nurse's cape. We had three days to do some shopping,


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and part of the time was spent at the Medical Bureau for further instructions. In those fewdays I had some time for myself, and was entertained by myfamily and friends.

We sailed on the Normandie, then a new ship; my brothers (with Sylvia and Cornelia - then atoddler) saw me off and were able to visit me on the ship. We sailed to Le Havre in France.

There were 20 nurses and 4 doctors, and during the five days it took to cross the ocean, wereceived instructions as to the political situation in Spain, and we were also instructed in theSpanish language. We arrived safely at Le Havre, a lovely city, stayed overnight, and I thentook the train to Paris. We were to stay in Paris three days and the nurses were quartered in avery nice hotel, with about three nurses to a room. During the three day period, we wereshown many sights of importance, such as the grave of Henri Barbusse, the famous author,along with the other well known pl.aces of Paris. During a tour of the City, one evening alarge meeting was held by the sympathizers to the Republic of Spain, and the next eveningthere was a meeting to raise money for the Basque people, who had just been bombed by theNazis. Quite a lot of money was collected in small amounts, and the Spanish flag was used asthe receptacle for these contributions. For me it was quite emotional. Malreaux was the

principal speaker at the meeting. It was deemed to be quite successful. The EuropeanHeadquarters for the International Groups to aid Spain was in Paris, and so we all reportedthere for our instructions.

After we completed our three days of preparation in Paris, we boarded the train for theSpanish border, and arrived at the town of Cerbere, France. We had to cross an Internationalbridge to Spain at Port Bou, and soon after crossing, we arrived at the town of Figueras wherewe spent the night. About four a.m. the next morning, the warning sirens went off, and wewere rushed to tunnels (bomb shelters). However, nothing serious happened, and pretty soonthe sirens stopped, and we went back to our beds, and the people who had also sought shelterwent home. To us it was a taste of life in a country at war.

The next morning we all boarded a bus and were driven through many small towns where thestreets were so narrow that it was almost impossible for the bus to go through; but the driverswere amazing, and we made it, somehow. Our goal was Valencia, where we were to stayovernight. In Valencia we had the Bishop's palace for our quarters. Needless to say, it wasvery opulent and grand. We felt very important and comfortable, until we discovered thatthere is a "Catch 22" in the simplest situations. The beds were lice-ridden, and we had to getthe management to clean this up before we could settle down.

We were bound for Albacete by train - sometimes we went backward instead of forward. TheMedical group was stationed in Albacete. This distance from Valencia is not very great, but

what with the stopping for sanitary necessities and nature calls, etc., the trip took a good 24hours. At that time in Spain, especially on a military train, conditions were filthy and veryovercrowded, to say the least. Upon our arrival in Albacete, we reported to the Director

of Nurses of the Medical Bureau. Our group was broken up into smaller groups. Four othernurses and I, plus two doctors, were assigned to a post at Murcia, which is near the southerncoast, above Cartagena. In Murcia we reported to representatives of the InternationalBrigades, and were assigned to our living quarters. We were quartered on the top floor of abuilding which was to be a new Hotel. It was used by the Republic as a Hospital, with thename of Socorro Roja. We settled down, and Dr. Sydney Vogel was the M.D. in charge; hegave us the assignments of duty from here on.

My first job was to be head of the Operating Room, with Hilda Bell, one of the other Nurses.I was assigned to be the anesthetist, but I had not had any experience as an anesthetist, and I


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did not like this duty, especially because I was afraid; something could go wrong, and it couldbe very dangerous. Of course, I would be under the close supervision of Dr. Vogel, so Ilearned quickly and became more adept and whenever there was a need for an anesthetist, theother four hospitals in Murcia would send for Hermine and her bag. I did this work for somemonths.

Murcia had a University. Some of the buildings were suitable to be changed over to aHospital, and soon it became known as Hospital de Universidad. I was asked to become theDietician, instead of my present job, and I did have that experience from working at the Pre-ventorium. Of course, the job of Dietician at that time and that place, could not be comparedto a Dietician in America. First, we had to find the cooking and the eating utensils, then therehad to be a routine, and finally, we had to arrange for the time for eating. This was not easy,because time of eating was different for many of them, and we had to set up a new schedule,which would be convenient for all concerned: the cooks, dieticians, servers and the diners.The food had to be bought early in the morning at about 5 a.m. at the produce market. Thatwas my job, and with two volunteers, I would go down each day and see what there was to be

had. We had to shop at several places to obtain enough food. The meat was horse or donkey,and was delivered. There wasn't much choice, so we had to make the best of a "tough"situation. The cooks were a lways French, and they are known for thei r good sauces. Thishelped to make the meals more palatable. The cooks were also very temperamental, and thiswas not very palatable, as sometimes the meals were late. Even when the food was ready ontime, it was sometimes difficult to get the convalescent patients to the dining room on time.We decided to get a bell which we could ring whenever the meal was ready.

As time went on, great food shortages developed and it was very difficult for the city, whosepopulation had grown to many times its normal size, due to refugees and Internationalsympathizers. Fresh bread was delivered straight from the bakery every day, and it wasdelicious. Often when the bread wagon came to deliver our bread to the Hospital, the needywomen of the town would be waiting there with outstretched hands and saying, "We needbread. Give us bread". We finally got the food situation under control.

In the hospital there were many patients who were recovering from Hepatitis, which is adisease caused by very unsanitary conditions. As the patients became ambulatory, they wouldbe looking for something as a farm of amusement and distraction. Of course, the moretalented of them could entertain the others with music and singing, also helping with differenttypes of work. There were movies shown at the hospital, which helped a lot. There often wereflamenco performances in the evenings. Same of the Brigaders who were convalescingarranged a Glee Club, or the Spanish equivalent thereof, and this did much to help everyoneforget his and her illnesses for the time being. At such times people really learn about helpingeach other, especially as they had a common Cause.

The day was divided, so that stores were closed from I - 4 p.m. for Siestas because of intenseheat. At 4 p.m. everything opened up - stores, etc., open from 4 - 7 p.m., after that, dinner.Theater started around 8:30 to 9 p.m., so it was usually midnight before the day was done. InItaly and Spain this is so to this day.

Murcia was a fairly large city. As is known already, it had a University. The building styleoften still shows Moorish influence, with their doors often colored blue. It had however,lagged behind in industrial development, and people still led kind of primitive lives. Manuallabor on the land was used much more than mechanical labor. Small farmers eked a livingfrom the often barren land. Refugees streamed into the city when the bombing over the


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country started, and there was a great housing shortage. Empty buildings could be used forshelter. Families were assigned to very small quarters, because there wasnt enough space.Many, many hundreds of children who had to go to school had no room. It was decided tostart a day camp for the children, which was done. I believe it was in August that it was done.At that time there were about 50 children who got some kind of shelter in the camp. The

camp was located in the Botanical Gardens. The city of Murcia was in a valley, and was builtaround the river which is called Rio Segura. Alongside the Botanical Gardens was a kind ofboulevard by the name of Paseo del Malencon. People gathered there and paraded; it was likea Fifth Avenue. Those in charge of the Brigades pleaded with city officials to make space inthose Gardens. There was a lot of room and it was thought that it would be a good place tostart the day camp for the children. It was decided to take children from age 6 on up, those ofschool age, and very soon we had about 50 children, with more coming every day. It wascalled El Campo de General Lucasz. It was named after a famous Spanish general by thatname. The children came shortly before twelve o'clock and at noontime they were fed a meal.The camp was run entirely by volunteer contributions, made by the Brigades and the doctorsand the nurses. Every day before the opening the flag was raised, and there was a little

ceremony and a song was sung. When I was offered charge of the camp I was very pleased,because of my previous work with groups of children, particularly those who needed healthcare. There were also, among the volunteers, some student teachers and they came to beteachers at the camp, on a volunteer basis. Dr. Rosa B. organized an eye-clinic, and the eyespecialist found among 260 children examined, 47 suffering from eye disease.

Benches and tables were made in the Gardens; materials had to be bought, but all labor wasdonated. There were about 50 children attending when I started at the beginning ofSeptember; when I left the following April there were about 300. It was very satisfying work.I worked with a Hungarian woman doctor, whose last name I don't remember, but we workedwell together. Anka is the only name that I can remember about her. The children also got the

voluntary services of same of the doctors in town. There were many eye difficulties, and alsoof course, many malnutrition cases. This was really quite a big job because these childrencame from many places, same as far away as Madrid. Murcia was considered a safe place,since it was not in a fighting zone. As time went on, the children needed not only food, butclothing and shoes; also they had to be kept busy. They were put into grades according totheir ages, and the student teachers took charge of them from there on. Of course I wasaccustomed to working in the Preventorium, where there was no privation and no shortagesof these kinds, America being a rich country by these standards. In Spain, when somethingwas needed, we had to go and ask and almost beg for contributions from people who alreadywere in need. Pretty soon the boys were in need of pants - but how to get some? Well, anarrangement was made whereby the Army, which had little by little been organized by theRepublican side, gave us cloth which was olive drab color, and I was to find volunteer ladieswho were willing to make pants for the boys. First I had to find the sewing machines, which Ifinally got by going to different organizations. I got two of them, and also found a place forthe sewing ladies to do the work. I was promised that the pants would be delivered in twoweeks, in different sizes. When the two weeks were up, I expected some deliveries of pants,but when I went to the workshop, I found that they had not even started on them. From thenon, I went there every day, to make sure that they got started on the clothes. Finally, they hadfinished them, but it took about three weeks.

At the end of our working day, that is after the camp was closed, and we were ready to leave,

my co-workers and I would go to a Square which was not very far off. A lot of theInternational Brigaders went there, to have what they called their aperitifs before dinner-


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usually a glass of Vermouth. With the Vermouth, they always served a bowl of snails. Insome countries, people always eat snails, but I had never eaten any before. In Holland we donot eat snails; but they were served in Belgium, France and Spain. They finally talked me intotrying them. "Try it," they said "it just tastes like a little shrimp." Finally I did try one, andthey're not bad. So I sometimes ate snails while I was in Spain. However, when I left, I found

that I could never eat another snail again. Where I live now we're always fighting the snailsbecause they eat the plants, but in Spain and other countries they are eaten like small shrimp.

I could speak German, Dutch and a little French, and among the International Brigaders wereall these Nationalities, so I got to know quite a few people.

It wasnt always sad or very hard work; it was also very interesting. A lot of political talkwent on, from extreme left to democratic to anarchistic. And the local fighters, theRepublicanst fought during the day, stopped at 5 o'clock, went home for the night andreturned the next morning to resume the war. The Spanish Republicans wanted to fightagainst the existing conditions but they werent united, so the army had to be developed and

trained. Generally speaking, with the Nazis and the Italian Fascists throwing bombs around,and with all their facilities and equipment Spain could not, in the long run, win the battle. Itbecame quite sad, because, while we were fighting along, the end was drawing near.Sometime in the winter, during January or February, there was going to be a big battle, andthe doctors needed to reexamine a lot of the people in the Hospital to determine whether theywere able to go back to duty, and I had to be of assistance at that time. Of course, we had ourhigh spots, too, when we won a battle; for instance, at the battle of Teruel, when we won thatone first and the news came throught the whole town - the town on our side - turned out andparaded and sang songs, and it was a very fascinating scene and also a very touching one.

As time went on, I was sick with a very high fever. I also had lost a lot of weight, so as the

first part of April came around, the doctors said to me, "You're not eating any more andyou're loosing too much weight." Amongst the sympathetic Spanish doctors, I was called "laSympatica". So, Dr. Vogel advised me to resign and go back to the United States. I had towrite to Headquarters for the Salvo Conducto; it was a document which gave one safepassage out of Spain. In other words, I was legally in Spain, but now I wanted to get out, so Ihad to have a document to get out, and that took some time. It was about the middle of Aprilthat I started my trek home. I wanted to go to Amsterdam first, as I was in no condition tomake the long trip to the U.S., and my parents were alive, so I thought Id go home. Thencame the news that Barcelona had been bombed very severely. My journey out of Spain wasto go over Barcelona to the International Bridge. I went to Barcelona, and meantime myluggage was lost. When I got there I had to wait for transportation. The station had been

bombed, but the rubble had been cleared and trains were running, but it took about ten daysbefore I got on a train. Hundreds of refugees were camped on the platform with their bundlesand whenever they thought they heard a train, the cry went up "el Tiene el tren" - often invain. There was no trouble on the trip, such as a bombing and at last we reached theInternational Bridge at Port Bou to Cerbere, and very soon we arrived at Perpignan. Westayed there overnight, three International Brigaders and I; they also had become too ill tostay in Spain. It was here that late the first full meal that I had had for some time. The nextday we boarded the train for Paris, which must have been a very slow train, because it took usovernight to get there. When we arrived in Paris we had to go to the Headquarters as there allthe formalities could be taken care of. I separated from my partners, who had been in Spainillegally, and different arrangements had to be made for them. Many of them had nopassports, and those who did have passports, had had them revoked when they came back tothe U.S. We were the International Medical Bureau and were there legally, so I obtained my


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passage back to New York. I stayed on in Paris for three days to get myself together. I lookedlike a ghost, I was so thin, and I couldn't go to Amsterdam looking like that. I had my hairdone over, and slowly got myself into some kind of share. One evening in Paris, just for fun, Iwent to a very fancy restaurant in the Champs Elysees to see how that was. It was quiteexpensive but it was really quite an experience. On the other evenings I went to an ordinary

restaurant which was patronized by the working class. Wine was always served with themeals because of the sanitary laws; this meant that the water was not quite fit to drink - asafety precaution. I continued on to Holland, and when the train stopped at the Hague, mybrother-in-law, Abe, came aboard and we visited for awhile and then I continued on toAmsterdam. My parents were very glad to see me because it was known that Barcelona hadbeen bombed and I had written them that I would be coming home as soon as I could. MyMother thought that I had been at the station when it had been bombed. She told me that shehad been going to the Spanish consulate for ten days to find out who was killed there.

It took me about six weeks to recover my strength. I was treated by Dr. Sajet, a medicaldoctor in Holland, who was president of the Aid for Spain organization, and also a member of

the Board of Supervisors for Amsterdam. That same doctor is now 89 years old and is stillactive in public life. He is trying to get the Old West India house restored. This is where thelaws were made for the Old West India Colonies years ago, and I know exactly where itstands in Amsterdam. He wants that building put back into shape and made into a home forthe aged, or something like that. A friend of mine sent me an article with this story in it not solong ago.

This time at home I had the opportunity of having many pleasant talks with my Father, andlearned many things about him which I had never known before. In the course of one of ourconversations, I asked him what had been his favorite time of life. He said that it was duringthe period when the children were growing up. This really told the story to me. I have always

cherished that.

Around six weeks later, I returned to Paris, and then to Le Havre for the trip to the U.S. Ithink this time I sailed on the Ile de France, back to New York. Thus ended the episode of myservices to the Republic of Spain. It was a very difficult time, but I have always cherished it.It is a time I will never forget.

It was late summer or early fall. I was ready to return to L.A. after my return from Spain. Atthat time a few people with whom I had worked there, one a nurse, Esther Silverstein, whosehome was in Nebraska, and Mildred Hackley, who wanted to go to Taos, New Mexico, Idecided to travel together. My brothers, Paul and Loo, advised me and I bought a good used

Ford -- which, by the way, went through a long and useful life. We started our trip West,which turned out pleasant, with no troubles on the way. The road to Taos, a townwhere many Indians and artists lived, is reached by going over the Raton Pass, a ratherdifficult drive. Mildred had reached her destination and we parted company with her there.Esther and I continued our journey, but Esther, who had studied at the University ofColorado, which I believe is located in Boulder, was anxious to visit her Alma Mater and sowe stopped there and were very well received and invited to stay over a day because manystudents and teachers were interested in what was happening in Spain. After I left Esther inLincoln, Nebraska, where her parents lived, I went straight on to California, alone.Somewhere along the line I, of course, phoned the family, the Scotts and the children, that Iwas on the way back.


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In about three or four days I arrived in L.A. We were so glad to see each other - what a fussthey made. Gatherings were arranged and meetings had to be held. Since I was the only onethat had gone with the American Medical Bureau to Spain from L.A., I was considered quitea celebrity, and had to be shown off to various people. The whole Spanish war had attracted alot of attention at that time, especially amongst the younger people.

I stayed with Marie for a time, but Betty Selden, a long time friend, had a roomy apartment.She said, "Why don't you move in with me for the time being?". I was glad for the offer andpretty soon I started to look for a suitable job, preferably one that would hold some interestfor me.

Applying for different positions, I found that anyone who had worked for the Republic ofSpain was marked as a Red. At that time there was a kind of Red hunt on. Nevertheless, Iapplied to lots of places and another friend, who worked as a social worker for the probationdepartment in Riverside County, told me there might be an opening in the Public HealthDepartment. When I went to Riverside, it turned out there was no opening, but I filled out an

application and left it there for the record.

On the boat to Spain

Dr. Anka and Hermine


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Hospital Passionaria

Waiting on Spanish border to pass bridge to Port Bou

Spanish Countryside

Hilda in the operation room.

Beginning of work in Murcia


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Waiting

Teachers in Camp

Teachers in CampTeachers Helpers


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Opening time at Camp

Buying shoes in smal town outside Murcia

Cod liver oil everydayClasses at the Camp


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Strictly no spiked drink A day in the country

Esther and Hermine in Colorado

Going home after leaving Esther in Nebraska


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CHAPTER IV

Beginning Of my Life With Sim

On my second return to N.Y. in l938, I decided to rent a small apartment as the living spaceat Loos apartment was limited -- especially with little Corniel around, who was then aboutthree years old. On Washington Square at the foot of 5th Avenue, I found just what suitedme. There was even an electric plate so I was all set and now only needed some luck to findwhat was needed, the kind of work to make a living and also hold some interest for me.However, here as well as in the west, public work was pretty well closed to me because assoon as it came out that I had been working in Spain, the boycott was applied. In themeantime the holiday season was approaching and of course the family spent them alltogether and with friends too.

One of the first days after I rnoved in, Sim surprised me with a visit and we had a long talk

about all sorts of things. Soon after, he came again, this time just about noon as I was about tomake myself a rye bread sandwich with herring, one of my favorites at that time; suddenly hetook me in his arms and started kissing me. Unthinkingly, I responded wholeheartedly.Afterwards both of us were shaken. (Once before, years ago, when Sims son, Donald, was ababy, and their family and I were guests at the Lou Scotts home on Staten Island, somethinglike this happened. I was sleeping on a cot in the living room and Sim was walking the baby,who could not sleep. As I was sleeping, Sim suddenly kissed me tenderly on the mouth andwake me but I was instantly aware and didnt respond; he thought that I had not awakened.At that time I was shaken. It was known amongst family and friends that Sim's marriagewasnt a happy one and hadnt been for a long time. It was difficult for me, for even then Icared for him, but felt that his children, being babies, needed a father. Sim was really a family

man and cared very much for his children. After much thought, I went to Tennessee soonafter to make the break. After thinking this over since so many years have passed, perhaps Idid wrong after all. Anyhow, at that time, I didnt respond.)

Then, after my Spanish episode and my return to New York, Sim came often and, of course,something developed between us. At my invitation, we had our sandwiches together and hadlong talks about all kinds of things. He sometims took me along to visit a friend for whom hehad done some of his beautiful designing in order to show me his work. Other times ourminds just met or we spent time together talking; sometimes we went and had a drinktogether.

Meanwhile, in looking for work in New York, I wasn't finding any. I got in touch with theState Health Department and talked with the same person who had years before offered methe scholarship at Teacher's College, but when she looked over my credentials, she

said right away: "I would advise you to return to California. After all, here in this very largecity you would be just a cog in a wheel. There you know the State and the work is quitedifferent". So that was that.

One afternoon while Sim and I sat over a martini in Charlie's bar in the Village, it came overme: "This is no good and gets us nowhere...I should go back to California where I belong". Ithought long about it, and, while it was very difficult to do so, I made that decision. I told

Sim of my decision. I also told my brothers that I had decided to return to California, nottelling them of my relationship with Sim.


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Of course, preparations took several weeks. I went to the weather bureau. Socono had anoffice near Times Square, and I was told that if I took the northwestern route, I should nothave too much trouble driving. lt was by then mid-winter, and, at the end of January or thebeginning of February, l939, I left. The evening before I went to the Weiss' to say goodbye.Suddenly Donald said, "Daddy, why don't you go along with Mien?" Nobody said anything.

Sim looked so pale. We had come to no conclusion. The next morning (a Monday) mybrother, Paul, stayed with me until I left at about eleven o'clock instead of nine, which hadbeen my plan.

Weather was fair, but I felt very depressed. I guess I had secretly been wishing for a phonecall, but at about eleven I did leave. Weather cold but fair. Paul had said nothing; he came tohis own conclusions -- after all Sim was a married man. Later, much later, Paul told me that alittle while after I left Sim had started phoning... He and Ann had come to a conclusion.

I made it that day way into Pennsylvania and stayed the night in a motel. Had no hopes, darednot. Next morning on my way again... In Pittsburgh it started to snow and then, I don't know

how, the car turned over. I wasn't going fast, in fact slow, which saved my life.

I guess, I got out of the car and started to look for help and a garage nearby. Didn't seem to behurt only a bump on my head and shock. The garageman was very helpful and there was amotel nearby and not much damage to the car. I had to have a new tire and a new wheel. Iwent to bed early with aspirin and luckily I slept exhausted... exhausted. Next morning I feltbetter...weather cold but clear, and I felt driven on. Keep going, don't think...

Thursday morning I found my engine frozen. I knew I couldn't drive, so sought help at nearbygarage. The man looked me over and asked "Are you alone?" "Yes," I said, "I am on my wayhome to California." He looked me over but said nothing and fixed the car so I could drive it.

That took a few hours. In those days there were not many turnpikes and freeways and peoplewere much more helpful. So it went. The trip took nine days during which I was lost in asnowstorm just out of Cheyenne; I parked the car off the road and got out to look for help; Iwas properly bawled out by two men on their way to a mine in the mountains. "Don't youknow any better," they said "than to get out of the car in a snowstorm?..A sure way to looseyour life." But they helped me out and one drove me to the next town while the otherfollowed. Next I was propositioned to go to bed with the owner of the hotel, whose wife was

just then not at home. But after I said "No," I beat it out of there but fast.

The last two days I had help driving. It was deep winter and I spent the Sunday in a small

family hotel in a side street, it looked homey to me and it said on the door "Dining RoomOpen". I was frozen and cold and went in, asked for a room. The lady said "Well , it is in theheart of winter and we really don't expect guests, but if you will take your luck with thefamily dinner, you're welcome." Was I glad.

I have even forgotten the name of the town but the hotel was run by a widow with a fewteenagers as children, one of whom was about 20 years old and looking for a job. When theyheard I had to go to Northern California, the boy, Frank, said that he had worked inSacramento before knew the roads. was a good driver, and would like to go back there.Maybe he could get a job there. The family had made a good irnpression on me and by thattime I was very tired...so I agreed. He was to do the driving and was quite satisfied. Before

we started Frank looked over the car, checked the oil, etc. We drove straight through, resting


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only for about 4-6 hours in Salt Lake City, during which I slept most of the time. He, beingyoung, wasnt tired and played the slot machine and made some money at that.

When we got to Sacramento we parted and I thanked him and he was glad to be in California.I phoned my Aunt and Uncle and they were glad to hear that I was safe in Sacramento. From

there it was about 80 miles to Colusa and they were waiting for me. On the way I felt myselffalling asleep, pulled off the road and must have slept about an hour...very little traffic in thedead of winter.

When I arrived there was a pile of letters waiting for me from Sim, telling me that he andAnn had come to a decision and were going to divorce. Ann had no ill will toward me, myAunt was furious... I do not think she ever quite forgave me, although in later years when shegot to know my husband she grew quite fond of him.

I was thoroughly tired out and slept the clock around. Then my Aunt, Uncle and I talkedthings over. I stayed there a while and got some work. For a few weeks I had a feeling that Isurvived the trip by sheer luck.

I got some private work in Colusa, but mostly cases in the hos pital. In the long run, Colusawas not the place for me, so I went back to Los Angeles, where I took up the search again forwork. There seemed to be a shortage of private cases there in Los Angeles, and the agencieswere not taking on any new nurses that were free.

A voluminous correspondence had developed between Sim and me, and after Sim and Annhad made their decision to divorce, I became quite worried about their children. I didnt wantthem to think that I was taking their father from them. I knew how close Sim was with hischildren. He always adored them. Well, finally Sim said, "Why dont you write a letter to thewhole family?", so I did that: I wrote the letter but I did not talk about any divorce. Or

anythlng like that, and they answered. But no letter from Ann.

Sim had gotten a job in Chicago. They had a Furniture Mart in Chicago every year, where thedesigners and manufacturers of furni ture showed the new styles in furniture. Sim, as a masterdesigner and artist, did very well at that work. He got that job in March. At this time, I wasdoing private work. When Sim wrote to me, he would say, "Why don't you come over here?",but I had just come from the East, and I was not quite certain of what I wanted to do, becauseI had not consciously sought this. While I loved Sim dearly, and wanted him very much, Iwas also thinking of Ann. She had always been a very good friend. Sim suggested that I writeto her, and I did. She answered me, and explained her feelings to me. What cameout of it was that, on both sides, there was no malice aforethought. It had just come about that

way. She knew that their marriage was dead and had been for a long time, and she had seenhow much of a change had come over Sim. He was more energetic and his work hadimproved. Also he had gotten a job, which he hadn't had for some time. So Ann wrote meback and made it clear to me that she understood that I had not gone after her husband. It wassomething that just happened, and perhaps it had to be that way; that's how she looked at itand always did. Ann and I always remained good friends until the day she died, and theirchildren know this.


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Letter From Ann (in Dutch):

Brooklyn, 24 maart 39

Dear Mien,

t Was niet opzettelijk dat ik je beide brieven, die je aan de

fam. stuurde niet beantwoodde. Ik gaf er n.l. de voorkeur aan te

wachten tot ik persoonlijk een paar woorden van je zou

ontvangen. Wel om dan maar meteen over de situation te beginnen,

ik ben er volkomen van overtuigd dat je niet opzettelijk dit

hebt gezocht. Dat het gekomen is, is een natuurlijk geval en je

zult het misschien niet gelooven, maar ik heb altijd een gevoel

gehad dat het er was, zoowel bij jou als bij Sim. En nu het er

is, wel wat anders kan ik doen dan hem op te geven, waar ik hem

niet gelukkig kan maken.

Als het was, was verkeerd, als het nu zal worden is recht, want

ik ben zo goed als zeker dat jij hem zal kunnen geven waar ik in

tekort gekomen ben.

Wat het mij kost, zal ik niet over uitwijden, dat zal je

misschien wel kunnen begrijpen, maar ik zal en moet er overheen

komen, omdat het zo logisch en natuurlijk is. Mijn gevoelens

voor jou, als Sim je al schreef, zijn absoluut niet veranderd,

je moet ook niet het gevoel hebben dat je iets gedaan hebt dat

verkeerd was, want het was niet verkeerd, het moest zo zijn.

En als jullie later samen zullen zijn en gelukkig, wel dat zal

voor mij dan -hoop ik- een zekere tevredenheid zijn, dat ik niet

heb tegengewerkt maar heb geholpen het te bewerken. Zoo je ziet,Mien, ben ik niet een brieven schrijver, met een paar woorden

ben ik uitgepraat en waarom ook langer te wroeten in iets dat

pijnlijk is, waarom uit te wijden in detail, de hoofdzaak is,

dat ik hoop duidelijk gemaakt te hebben, hoe ik over jou en het

heele geval denk.

t Beste bewijs is wel hoe Sim is veranderd in een korte tijd,

hoe veel meer energie hij heeft, hoe meer hij create in his

drawings, hetgeen ik hem nooit heb kunnen geven; inspiratie voor

zijn werk. Zoo laat ons hopen dat het allen ten goede komt, het

begin is er al, n.l. de job in Chicago.

Wel ik zal nu eindigen, en hoor later wel weer wat van je, h.

Love Annie


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The Furniture Mart in Chicago was to be held about the middle of May, so Sim was sure of

his job at the Mart until it opened; what happened after that remained to be seen. Sim and Idecided that I would join him in Chicago about the middle of May, if nothing developed forme in Los Angeles. Of course, I kept on trying, and picked up some work here and there, butnothing permanent really developed. Betty and I talked things over, too, and I decided to joinSim. Of course, my savings didn't last forever and when I talked it over with Sim, I decidedto try to get someone to help me drive to Chicago. I wouldn't have to do all the driving, and itwouldn't cost so much money. By the middle of May I had found a woman whose husbandhad been killed in the Civil War in Spain, and also a mechanic who could not get work in LosAngeles, and wanted to return to Chicago. He said he would give me $l0.00 and also helpwith the driving. At that time gas was cheap, and motels could be gotten for a couple ofdollars a night. So we started out for Chicago, arriving around the l8th of May, where I joinedSim.

Letter From Ann (translation by Hermine Weiss):

3/24/39.

Dear Mien,

It was not with malice that I did not write to you when youwrote the two letters to the family. But I decided that Id

rather wait untill you wrote to me personally.

Well, lets then talk over the situation. I understand fully

that you did not seek this situation. The fact that is to has

happened is quite natural and you may not believe me, but I have

always had the feeling that this has developed. I cannot do

anything else than to let him go since I cannot give him what he

needs.

The way it was, was wrong, and if things develop now, it will be

right. For I am sure that you can give him something I did not

have in me.

I will not go into detail, but you will understand, but it willbe o.k. for me too, because the whole thing is natural &

logical.

My feelings for you, as Sim has already written you, have not

changed at all, dont have the feeling that it is your fault,

for it was not wrong, it had to be.

If later things go right between you, it will be for me a

feeling of satisfaction that I didnt fight it, so let us not

further go into details. Main thing is that I have explained how

I think about you and the whole affair

It is amazing how a change has come over Sim in so short a time.

More energetic and his drawings are more creative. I never could

give it to him, Inspiration. So lets hope that it will be forthe best for us all.

The beginning has already happenend. Sim has gotten a job,

designing in Chicago.

Let me hear from you later.

Love, Ann


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It so happened that Alpha Scott had written to Sim that he was coming to Chicago, and, sureenough, he arrived the day after I did. He was then 2l years of age, and wanted to see thecountry; also he I wanted to get acquainted with his grandfather, who was still alive, - andwith his aunts and uncles, and then go on to New York, to visit his father's Alpha Phi friends.I dont know if Alpha knew anything about Sim and me, but anyway, we had a good time.

Alpha often talked over his problems with me; we got along very well. He was a lot like hisfather at that same age. At about this time, Jazz had become very popular, and there were alot of Jam sessions. His brother, Philo, who was about l8 years old then, was also veryinterested in Jazz. Just before the Furniture Mart opened, Sim lost his job. During theexhibition of the new models, Sim would go to the Mart every day with his portfolio ofdesigns. He met a man, Mr. Salz, who had come from the West Coast to see the new models.He and Sim talked together, and he told Sim that he was a manufacturer of furniture in LosAngeles. Sim showed him his drawings, and Mr. Salz thought he would have a chance on theCoast. After a few weeks, when no jobs were to be had in Chicago, we made the decision togo to California. This time we didn't want any other drivers along because we were veryhappy that we finally were together. We purchased an electric coffeepot and a large cast iron

frying pan so we could make a simple meal to cut expenses. All our belongings were storedin the trunk of the Ford, quite a wonderful little car, also a safe place for Sims drawings andmaterials. ln the back of the car we stored a five gallon can of oil, for after several trips acrosscountry the car drank oil like water. I said to Sim. "Watch for a rattle and then tell me, forthen the car badly needs oil. Leisurely we made our way back West. It was June, and Iremember we went by way of the Raton Pass. Through New Mexico, rather than goingthrough Colorado. At Albuquerque, N.M., there was an exhibit of hand-made furniture. Itwas beastly hot, as usual, in the desert; Sim had no thin clothing of any kind, so he asked meto do the following: "Could you take a pair of my pajama pants, and remodel them, ordisguise them, so that I could wear them as trousers?" Well, I wasnt sure just how to goabout this, but I obviously did a good job, for when we went to the exhibit, no one, includingthe doorman and attendants, noticed anything. Of course, Sim spoke in such a casual manner,and very businesslike, that he took attention away from the trousers. Needless to say, we bothlaughed long about this many times. Little by little we made our way back to California. Wewent through Arizona, and then through Blythe and Indio. It was very hot, and we said toeach other, "Who would want to live here?", not knowing that within half a year we would beliving there. We went through Riverside, and finally arrived in Los Angeles, where webought a flask of wine and brought it along to the Scotts house. We celebrated, that night, atthe Scottls house, and Betty again came to the rescue and offered us her quarters until wecould get our bearings. Of course, I had taken a lot of Civil Service exams in the past year;one of the places was San Diego, in a hospital for children who had early signs of tuber-

culosis, and I knew how to handle that. I hadn't had any offers yet, but Sim started to makeconnections; he first had to learn to find his way around Los Angeles and Hollywood, andalso he had to learn to drive. Now and then I would get short-term private cases, and thingswere going all right. The car we had was not in too good a condition; it especially needednew pistons.

We were very happy, even though we were not yet permanently settled. Then we had a strokeof luck. I got an offer, as the result of the exam I took, to work in the hospital in San Diego.Sim was doing very well. His designs of furniture were very beautiful and also veryexpensive, mosly for the people of money in the Beverly Hills and Hollywood area; however,he had to look for a manufacturer who could make a more practical and less costly type of

furniture. Well, anyway, we decided to go to San Diego, and I took the job in the hospital, as


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a day nurse. We took an apartment in San Diego. It was a beautiful town, always a Navytown, and the air and scenery were pretty before the aircraft manufacturers located there.

In the meantime, we did not forget the family and the children in New York. Sim and hischildren really adored each other, and so they kept in close touch. While we were in San

Diegot just a little before the New Year, I received a telegram from the HealthCommissisioner of Riverside County, asking me to meet him in Indio at the Health Center foran interview. As it happened, we started to drive at five o'clock in the morning so that wecould make time without traffic, and it was pouring rain. As we were going over the moun-Tains, there suddenly was a very bad stench from the road. Of course we had hit a skunk. Wekept on going. It was about seven o'clock in the morning and we both felt like having a cup ofcoffee. We were going through a small mountain town, Julian, and the coffee shop was justopening up. Then we went on, but the weather was getting worse. We got over the mountainand as soon as we were in the valley, the weather was really nice, with blue skies andsunshine. When we got to Indio we met Dr. Kaufman, the Health Commissioner, and heoffered me the job of Public Health Nurse in the Desert District, which w

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Hermine Weiss-Hartmann