MY MEMORIES OF MY FATHER CARL HERMAN BENSON, etc

List of Comments from Al Benson 02/20/2010

Here are my comments and suggestions:
At the end of this commentary are copies of e-mails to and from Don Hampton, who did some
research on Bengt Jeppsson (Herman Bensons Father) for me.
2. Tillie is Actually Matilda and she did marry a Frank Benson. We visited them when I was a
kid and they lived in Chicago. (See the attached e-mail from Don Hampton- Addendum)

3. I saw a copy of his Citizenship paper, but I cant seem to locate it just now. I am sure it would have
been in Chicago.
4.
5.
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9. Add hyphen: -Co-Co-Co-la!"

10. Herman later worked as a farm laborer for a family named Ward who lived outside of
Crystal Lake.
11. No change
12. No, I do not know when.
13. No change except for a comma after the but in the last paragraph.
14. It could have been, but as I remember, no one worked there on Sunday, however, there
could have been an emergency at the plant.
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ESTHER FOSTERS BACKGROUND
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20. No change
21. Marthas last name was Klemin. No s. On Page 6 is a photo taken from the ZTHS
High School Graduating Class of 1942 of Jim Klemin so I guess that is the proper spelling.
22. I have no information on Mary Alvetta (Patterson) (I always thought it was Alvaretta,
but I have no facts for it.) Also I have no information on the birth or death date for Nellie,
only the death date of Lillian - 01/13/1982. I have no information about a divorce from
Brennaman (or Brenneman? Seems to me it was the latter)
23. I have no information on JB Foster. I dont remember hearing too much about him. I
never met him.
24. No change
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25. Yes I remember hearing about their sister Maude with an e.

26. No change
27. No change
28. I do not believe that Aunt Nellie was married to anyone but Uncle Bill.
I remember (1) Vivian Cobb as the oldest, then (2) Loreen (? sp), (3) Dorcas, (4) Hyland,
(5) Eldon David and (6) Jurdeen, I believe in that order but I have no recollection of a
Robert.
Also: Klemin instead of Klemen.
29.
30.
31.
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33.
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36. Never heard of Divorce proceedings between JD and Mary A. or of Aunt Esther
37. No change
38. No change
39. I have no idea of what happened to JD. I heard that the last the folks saw of him he was
walking toward the North Shore train station.
40. The only thing in this is the spelling of Isabelle. I have seen it spelled Isabella, but every
time we talked about her we always said Aunt Isabelle, not Isabella.
41. No clue as to when or where Aunt Lil and Sam were married or divorced. In fact I never
met Sam.
42. Spelling of Klemin. No record of their wedding date.
43. Add at end of the Paragraph: I remember that Aunt Martha, Jim & Albert lived in the
Zion Home while I was in grade school. Mary A. Foster lived there until her death in
1946.
There were many times that I would take a can of Tomato Soup to school with me and
would walk over to the Zion Home with Jim & Albert who also attended the Parochial
school. There they would heat up the Soup over their kerosene stove and we had lunch
together.
I dont remember meeting their father, Charlie. The Zion Home is the only place that I
remember them ever living.
44. No change
45. Add: I really didnt get to know Uncle Milton. I believe he started working in either
the Zion Bakery or Candy Factory. Probably at the Candy Factory because that is where
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Eva (his eventual wife) worked. I remember also that he had a job as a Welder, from which
the cataracts he had probably came from that job. I remember he walked with a white cane
and could only see a little over the top of his eyes. I just dont remember him at family
gatherings, but he must have been there. They had three children; David, who was born
two days after me on August 8th, Orville and Ethel. Orville lived in Gurnee, West of
Waukegan, adjacent to Six Flags and Ethel is Ethel Haws in Killeen, TX. We visited him
for a picnic after Gloria and I were married. I understand that David moved out to
California.
46. No change
47. Add at end of Paragraph: Uncle George was a whiz at cards. It seemed like he would
remember every card that had been played. I remember him being fun to be with. Aunt Lil
seemed to be stern on the outside but she had a big heart.
Aunt Lil and Uncle George invited David Foster and me to Milwaukee to watch a 6-day
bicycle race when we were about 12, which was different for me.
48. No change
49. Wilma is correct.
50. Add at the end of paragraph: A Mr. Smith lived across from Hollingsheads and had a
large garden across 33rd street.
I worked for him when I was about 10 or 12 pulling
weeds at 15 cents an hour, but when I lived there I dont remember any cows or a barn. He
was in his 60s then. I do remember the old Tall hand pump in the middle of a sidewalk by
his house that we kids would pump water from. A Milkman brought our milk in bottles.
(see paragraph 51).
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67. Add: Also, Al remembers that a lot of clothes were hung on the outside lines in the
winter to Freeze Dry, especially the sheets and flat items..
68. No change
69. Change Pitchfork to a Spading fork. (I think a pitchfork is used for pitching Hay).
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70. Add: When Al got into high school, he got into photography. The old Special Room
was converted into a Photo Dark Room. Al developed his own 35 mm film and had an
enlarger to print pictures.
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81. Problem with first and last sentences. If When he was the only son left at home. . . .
then, how could the last sentence This was because some older brother would be using the
family car be true?
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86. No change
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88. No change
89. Pietch is correct.
90. No change
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94. No change
95. Yes, Previously owned!
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101. No change
102. Al was a member of the Junior Guard
103. Yes. Mary Foster & Martha lived in the Zion Home (See paragraph 43). Also remove
The radio experience also came handy in WW II - I didnt have any Radio experience up
to this time.
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108. Add after: . .with six months in combat as a T/Sgt Radio operator/Gunner on a B-24
Heavy Bomber over Europe. He was awarded the Air Medal with 3 gold leafs and eight
Battle stars on his European Theater ribbon Bar. These were for the 8 major battles that
his Squadron was involved in during his 6 month tour overseas.
Delete: (a concise description of being a radio man?) (See the separate book of Als
account of his service)
109. Delete the last two lines:
Replace with: As it was the custom of the American Can Company, all those who left for
the military services were given their jobs back and, because of the schooling that I
received in the Military, in my case, a raise to 90 cents an hour.
110. No change
111. No change
112. Change: Art had at least one serious car accident: to Art was a passenger in a car that
ran into the back of a parked truck in front of the Zion Police Station during a very foggy
night. He lost a lot of blood at the time . . . . Brother Al took Louise to the Hospital to see
him.
113. Add after: ...B & W then color. He also gave his brother Al their first B & W TV.
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121. Add to the end of paragraph 121: Al married Gloria King of Zion after returning from
combat overseas. They had Five Children: Terry Lee, Barry Alan, Loren Edward, Donald
Jay and Corey Dale.
122. Add after: ..they had five children: Dennis Arthur, Robert James, James Keith,
Cynthia Louise and Thomas Scott
Add after: they had three children; Gene, Mark and Natalie.
Add after: They had a son: Carl
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126. Change: Molly Schumaker to Molly Shumaker
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132. No change
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Spelling from the Yellow Sheet:

Patterson
Klemin
Brenneman
Sorensen
Isabelle

James Klemin
From 1942 Graduating Class Photos

All spellings except Klemin are my opinion

ADDENDUM
Information regarding our Great Grandfather in Sweden:
E-Mails regarding Bengt Jepsson
From:
cabenny <cabenny@bellsouth.net>
To:
Don Hampton <donhampton@sisna.com>
Sent:
Thursday, August 10, 2000 7:09 PM
Subject: Re: Carl Herman Benson
I do want to thank you for the information you have furnished regarding my Grandparents in Sweden.
believe it to be correct because I recognize his brothers Nils, Alfred (I think I was named after him),
John and his sister Ida. I do remember him saying his father was Bengt Jepsson so it all fits.
Could you refresh my memory as to how you were contacted to look up this information? I know that
I have been doing research on our ancestors for some time and I don't remember all the contacts I
might have made. Thanks again for your help.
(Carl) Alfred Benson

Original Message ----From: Don Hampton

To: cabenny
Sent: Thursday, August 10, 2000 5:31 PM
Subject: Re: Carl Herman Benson
He was born as Carl Herman on 20 Jun 1892 in Ysane Parish, Blekinge County, Sweden.
His parents were Bengt Jeppsson (b 8 Nov 1840) and Elsa Johnsdotter (b 29 Sep 1849).
The Ysane Parish 1886-1890 clerical survey shows that they were married on 27 Dec
1868, and it lists ten children: Bengta (b 22 Nov 1869), Pella (b 14 Apr 1875), Olaf (b 16
Aug 1877--but who died 2 Jan 1899), Mathilda (b 21 Oct 1879), Nils (b 12 Feb 1882),
John (b 31 Mar 1884), August (b 22 Aug 1886--but who died 31 Aug 1886), Ida (b 20 Aug
1887), Alfred (b 12 Dec 1889), and Carl Herman (b 20 Jun 1892). Carl Herman was the
twelfth child born to Bengt and Elsa, so there are at least two others whose names we
will discover as we do further searching. No doubt you already knew this, but this same
clerical survey shows that Bengta received her certificate 31 Mar 1888 in preparation for
departing to America.
Hope this is helpful. We will continue as time permits.

cabenny
From:
"cabenny" <cabenny a@beilsouth.net>
To:
"Don Hampton" <donhampton@sisna.com>
Sent:
Sunday, August 27, 2000 8:52 PM
Subject: Re: Remaining Siblings of Carl Herman Benson
Thanks for the additional information, Don. .1 talked to my younger brother, Arthur, and he said that he
visited Uncle Alfred in Florida in 1945 and he remembers meeting our Aunt "Tillie" (Mathilda) who
married Frank Benson. I was a little confused about her and "Frank".
Thanks again, Al Benson