Interview with Welentina Walker (Brandner) (Eszlinger) 1985
"My father, Jacob Walker, was born in Neu Freudenthal, Russia. He came to America, with his folks, in 1884. He was an 11 year old boy. His father,  Jakob, spelled his last name Walcker. My mother, Rosina Opp was born in Glueckstal, Russia. She came to America with her folks in 1886 when she was six years old. My folks farmed all their lives. They seeded wheat, barley, oats, flax, corn, vegetables of all kinds as well as big patches of sunflowers and potatoes.  I remember, as a little girl, helping beat out the seeds from the sunflower heads with a stick.  My dad would then fill many large wheat sacks with the sunflower seeds and we sold them. We beat the corn out with sticks also.  My folks raised horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks and geese. I can remember as a small girl we also had some pigeons that we used for food. We also used the ducks and geese for food."

"One time of year, I can't remember when, mom used to gather all of the ducks and geese, one at a time, and plucked their breast feathers (then we let them run....the feathers always grew back). The feathers were used to make pillows and feather quilts. We used some of them and sold some of them.  The sheep were shorn and the wool cleaned and sold.Some of the wool was kept and put on the spinning wheel and mom made yarn out of it. Many garments were knitted out of that yarn."

"I often wondered why my folks were born in Russia but spoke only German. My dad only knew a few words in Russian, like bread and a few other things. He taught us to count to 10 in Russian.  I remember my folks saying that our forefathers had to flee from Germany into Russia on account of war. I can't remember ever hearing my mother speak any English, but I know both my folks knew a few words, even though they didn't speak it because they couldn't speak it clearly. My father could sing (in English) a chorus of the song, "At the Cross". I remember us kids asked him to sing it many, many times. He sang it in a broken English, but we could understand every word."

"As for hobbies, mom knitted, quilted and crocheted, embroidered, etc. Dad didn't have any hobbies that I remember except playing hymns on the organ with two fingers. He also read the Bible a lot. We had worship together every day. First dad would pray, then mom, then us eight kids. After that we sang a song together. We did that every day"

Interview with Welentina Walker (Brandner, Eszlinger) b.1915 Fredonia, N.D.
d. 1999 Ashley, N. Dakota  m. Ed Brandner 1934  m. Willie Eszlinger 1942
She was a wonderful and loving Aunt and she was a tremendous help in my early years of research.

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