I'm sure that everyone believes their grandmas to be the best there is...........I had two of the very best, both of them true pioneers.

      My maternal grandma had a fascinating name, all 6 of them. I used to like to roll her name off the end of my tongue and enjoy the look of the person or persons that I was talking to. Her full name was Florence Ada Hubbard Waite Hale Buckman. I got saddled with the first of her names and hated it, until I became interested in her history.

      First husband, William Waite, was quite a bit older than grandma. When his health failed they went south to try and have him regain it, and when that move didn't help, they decided to go west to Helena, Montana. The railroad only ran as far as Omaha, Nebraska, and the rest of the way was by stagecoach, made for 9 passengers but carrying 14. Soon after they reached Helena, Mr. Waite passed away and grandma returned to Wisconsin with her 5 year old daughter.

      Some time later she married Winfield Hale, and they started a trading post for the Indians in a log cabin on Waubee Lake. They bought venison, hides,blueberries and other things from the Indians and sold them calico, flour, candy and staple goods.

      Grandma had her own canoe. She set traps around the lake and caught mink, otter and muskrat and learned to skin her game and cure the hides. She also learned to speak the Chippewa language.

      Sometime after the death of Mr. Hale, grandma married my grandfather. After his death, she lived alone until my family moved in with her. One day we took a trip to an Indian village where the road was under construction and slanting dangerously toward the ditch. I was terrified that we would tip over and to calm myself I asked grandma if she wasn't scared. Her answer was, "I don't allow myself to be scared." A true pioneer, I guess.

      My paternal grandma was a tiny German lady, born and raised in Seibenschlossen. She first married August Mundt, a widower with 3 children. During their marriage they became the parents of 3 more children. After the death of Mr. Mundt she married my grandfather, and they had a family of 8 children.

      They also semi-adopted another daughter, so she became the mother of 15. All of Mr. Mundts children and three of grandpas were born in Germany, and grandma traveled with the 6 of his and the 3 of grandpas when she came to America. The trip was very rough and they were sick much of the time.

      When they reached Ellis Island grandma had to be photographed and fingerprinted, and these records were then sent to Washington. As in all communities, there were some women who dubbed her pro-German and were quite prejudiced and sarcastic. She took it good naturedly, however, but finally got fed up and said to one of them; "Did de Bresident ask for your picture? No! Did he ask for my picture? Yah! Den who does he like best, yah?"