From Harvey Wike
I received my December issue of U.S. Legacies and read a lot of interesting articles in it. I also was glad to see the picture of our old farm house in Fredericksburg, PA. It brought back a lot of memories. That small room in the read of the house was where my mother did her laundry. I remember one old washing machine she had. It had a wooden tub to wash in and it had an adjutator which you worked by hand by pushing and pulling a wooden handle. I also remember one time after she got and electric washing machine, she was putting some wash through the wringer and it pulled her hand in and took some of the skin off. On the front porch of the house is where everyone would gather when we held our family reunions.
On page 11 of the issue , the young man holding Shirley Glory was Dawson Spangler, not David. His family was very dear friends of our family. We all went to church at the Union Gospel Tabernacle Church in Campbelltown, PA.
The Spangler family consisted of the grandmother whose name I don’t remember. The mother was Kathryn R. Spangler and the son was Dawson H. Spangler. They lived at 5th and Canal Street in Lebanon, PA.
One year on what was called by the Pennsylvania Dutch as Fausnacht Day it was when people would make their own donuts. The grandmother was making a batch [of donuts] when the grease caught fire. She got burned so bad she died from her burns. Kathryn passed away July 5, 1990 at age 83. Dawson passed away in Tower City, PA, August 17th, year unknown at age 63.
During the Korean War, Dawson Spangler was called up with the 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard from Fort Indiantown Gap, PA. And his unit was sent to Germany to pull Occupation Duty. While he was stationed in the town of Donau, which was on the Danube River, I went to visit him as I was stationed in Germany also. His wife’s name was Marion Spangler nee Kohr. He had a daughter Beverly, wife of Robert Johnson, Califonia. A son Dawson Spangler, Jr. from Williamstown and another son Stephen Spangler of Annville, PA. A daughter Kathleen, wife of Jerry Smetana, Lebanon, PA, a son David Spangler of Lebanon, PA, plus some step children.
Another article of information in the issue of the magazine was where my sister Louise got her middle name Bertha. It wasn’t from our Aunt Bertha. It was from a woman who we called Aunt Bertha from New York. She was a well to do matron who threw parties for the U.S.O. for G.I.s returning from the war. My brother Frank, was at one of the parties and she took a liking to him and got his address on the farm. After he returned home, she paid us a visit and had continued corresponding with us.
Editors Side Note:
The spelling adjutator was not recognized by our computer programs, therefore we double checked old dictionaries in order to verify the spelling. Most of the new dictionaries, do not list this spelling, however we did find it listed in a 1913 edition. Therefore, we would like to thank Mr. Harvey Wike for educating us and encourage our other readers to send us articles and comments using historic words and/or spellings.
From William Wike
In the December issue of your magazine, on Page 11, the name David Spangler should be Dawson Henry Spangler and on page 15, Jane Bertha is listed as age 22, but that should be age 2. I just wrote my Brother Harvey Wike, and gave him some information he was mixed up on. He talked about an Aunt Bertha that worked in a U.S. O. club. Her name was Louise Beard, of White Planes, New York and she worked in a U.S.O. club entertaining service personnel. She took a liking to my brother Frank and acted like she was his aunt. Frank referred to her as Aunt Louise and not Aunt Bertha.
When our younger sister was born, she was named Louise Bertha Wike, for Franks (adopted), Aunt Louise and my fathers Aunt, Bertha Wolfson. I just received a letter from my cousin Donald R. Wike. He is the son of Robert C. Wike and Aunt Eva. He wrote that his father was in the army at Fort Bliss, Texas the same time my dad was stationed there. He also wrote that he thinks our great-grandfather, Elias Wike is buried at Rexmont, or near Cornwall, PA. That is the same place where Donald’s parents and brother are buried. If you have any volunteers in the area of Florida, you may want to contact him and conduct an interview. His family lived the next street over from my grandfather Franklin Wike, Sr., so he may know things the rest of the family is unaware of. For example, I just found out Franklin Sr., was a switchman on the railroad, while talking with my cousin Bill Clark, who lived with grandfather Wike.
From Pauline (Polly) Mazariegos
One correction for the December issue. Louise Bertha Wike got the middle name of Bertha not from Aunt Bertha but from a well to do matron from New York who threw parties for those returning from World War II. This lady worked for the (USO). At one of these parties she met Uncle Frank Sr. and took a liking to him and got his home address from Frank Sr. After Frank Sr. returned home to the farms in Fredericksburg, PA, she made a trip to the farm to visit all the Wike’s. My grandmother Emma Wike (we all called her Nanny) liked Bertha because of that and that is why she named her youngest daughter Louise Bertha Wike.
Fasnacht Day 
Fasnacht Day, more properly called Fastnacht, is Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. This was the established beginning of the 40 days of fasting during Lent. It is a folk tradition dating to the Middle Ages, a Catholic custom that has survived in Protestant Pennsylvania.
On Monday, dough was put out in straw baskets for raising, then cut in squares and deep-fried in fat, not baked. Served with hot coffee at breakfast, the popular way to eat them was to split them in half and spread with honey.
In the old days, this was a chance for everyone to gorge on good doughnuts without reprise, for the lean days would now follow. The making of Fasnachts helped use up fat and sugar prior to fasting.
Published in U S Legacies Magazine January 2005
- Log in to post comments