The Life and Memory of Henry Finger, Sr.

A BETTER BOY

Now this took me down a great many pecks and I was real glad that after while I was considered again as good as the rest of the boys. And that I was just as good and just as bad also.

I was often in a good many driggs again afterwards, but I was real careful never to expel [excel?] again way above others.

In school I had my ups and downs even in the number of seats, but on an average I always tried to be up as far as I could in the number of seats until finally after I was 11 years of age.

One morning the Teacher put me in seat number one of the whole school, and that place have I kept until I was confirmed and left school. I had learned by that time that only good behavior and modesty alone would succeed.

Outside of school I had to do some farm work and they always declared me rather lazy, and particularly my sister Anna Gertrude. She was always after me and I resisted her in most everything I could. It was only natural. My brother John seemed to be mostly satisfied with me so I was always on good terms with him.

My father never asked much work from me but he was very strict in all his ways, as whatever he did ask, had to be done just so.

And my mother I soon found that I was somewhat her pet, and in her presence I enjoyed life in most all sunshine.

My brother Christopher I never could recollect much, I only know that he was in a neighboring village as apprentice to learn the Blacksmith Business, and when I was about seven years of age he went to America [thus about 1844 - ed.].

My sister Eva Elisabeth married when I was a boy of about nine years old and so our family consisted mostly in my recollection of Father, mother, John, Anna Gertrude, me, and my little sister Anna Maria, and then later my sister-in-law that John married when I was about nine years of age.

Now this is the surroundings I grew up in and had rather good and easy times in my boyhood and there is nothing particular what I should mention. So come the time I become fourteen years of age and in accordance of custom of the people there, I had to become Confirmed and that would end my career of school time, which is according to the law of the land, from the age of 6 to 14.

Only one thing I must mention! In the year 1848 broke out a Revolution of the people against their Rulers, but of course in my age then, I had not the exact understanding of it, but what I understood that it was for Freedom and Equality, and those Princes and Rulers must be killed! At often I heard such remarks. But it seems that word Equality as understood by a great many was to divide the property equally. In fact the country people took not enough interest in the matter, and so by that the rulers got the upper hand again.


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