Son Jacob Was Baptized

June 5, 1932  Sunday.  We were in church two times.  Had baptism in the afternoon.  Jacob was also baptized.  For dinner K. P. Reimer’s children from Garden City were here, and also Henry R. Classens.  It rained the whole day.  The Holstein cow became fresh. 

Jake was the Siemens’ second child to be baptized.  Not only was it the time when he publicly professed his faith in Christ, but also it was the point when he became a full-fledged member of the Mennonite community and was eligible to be married in the church.  After this, he would attend brotherhood meetings with his father and have an equal vote in church matters.

1932 baptism list from the Meade Kleine Gemeinde church book.

Missionaries Stuck in the Mud

June 4, 1936  John one-wayed.  I hoed in the garden, and Mama also hoed.  In the evening it rained heavily, 1 inch.  That gave us the opportunity to help conference people who got stuck.  They were John Barkmans, missionaries to Africa, and Noah Smokers.

Many of the roads around Meade were only dirt; so when it rained, they got very muddy.  While rain in the Dirty Thirties was always welcome, it could create havoc for travel.  The Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Church at Meade was having a conference, and the speakers at the conference must have gotten stuck.  It must have been close enough to the Siemens farm that Cornelius could see it, so he went to help pull them out of the mud.  Of course, he would have gotten acquainted and found out who they were and what they did.
 
Apparently, Cornelius could not get the Barkman's car out of the mud, so they probably spent the night at the Siemens.  The next day Cornelius notes that they got the Barkmans car out that day.

Oiling Floors

June 3, 1932.  Jacob cultivated again.  Mama, Corney, and I went to Dodge.  Mary oiled the floor.

When the Siemens built their house near Meade, they did not finish the entire house.  Many of the rooms only had unfinished 12-inch planks for flooring, so these floors had to be oiled instead of being varnished.  All the furniture was moved out of a room, and then the floor was oiled with a rag to protect it and make it shine.  Later, perhaps in the early 1940s, wooden flooring was put in and painted; so it was not oiled anymore.  At the same time the walls were plastered and painted and a large cabinet for dishes was installed between the dining room and kitchen.